Jim R

Norway had a left back? Seriously, though, I've liked Dempsey for quite awhile. I haven't seen a whole lot of Revolution games, but he always seems to play well for the national team. He's a workhorse, IMO- he does a lot of the dirty work in midfield, earns a lot of free kicks, runs his ass off, and makes good decisions with the ball (plays like a veteran in that respect). He looks like he's going to break in half sometimes with that thin frame, but he's tough!

Marlee Matlin Larry Gatlin George Catlin

Betty Crocker Percivall Pott Peter Pan

Are you sure about the title? Google finds nothing for that, and nothing for "A Ditty for a city"...

Yeah, I was thinking in terms of a "box" (two back, two forward) in terms of my midfield alignment. I think we have to think about defense first and foremost, and Mastroeni really provides that. For me, Reyna is almost a bit of a question mark, because he is aging, and suffering a lot of injuries. His experience is very valuable, but I actually think we are getting to the point where we don't need him as badly as we used to for ball control and leadership. That said, he'll probably be in his usual spot as long as he stays healthy. Don't get me wrong- I think Beasley can be very dangerous for us, and his speed can be very important, but if in fact Reyna and Mastroeni both get into the starting lineup, I think it's hard to fit Beasley into the picture, and obviously I say that because of the excellent play of Dempsey in the past year or so. I think Dempsey belongs on the field before Beasley, unless there's a specific need for Beasley's attacking speed (if we're trailing, or facing a team that has obvious weaknesses against a speedy player like Beasley). Either way, we've got a quality player, so that's a good thing. I hope you're wrong about Casey coming back. I just can't see what value the staff thinks he has. As you said, his touch is awful. About the only thing he does well is crash into goalkeepers (he's fearless that way), but we don't need that. Yeah, I'm not clear on where Mathis stands now. I have a feeling his stock is fading somewhat. I think he's pretty limited in what he brings to the field. Maybe if there's room on the roster, he might be valuable as a sub when we need somebody to take more shots. Otherwise, I think his best days are behind him (like his buddy Wolff). Glad you see my point about Onyewu. I agree that Convey brings us a nice element of speed in the attack, but to me he's in that group of players who we are better off (IMO) bringing off the bench when we need that element (later in a match, when the opposing defense is tiring, for example). He can definitely go 90 minutes though, so if Bruce gives him a start, I'm not going to object too strongly. I just think the lineup I suggested makes more sense, in order to get our best group of defenders in the starting lineup. Not only that, but one of the main advantages (the way I see it) in having Onyewu on the field is not just defense, but his ability to go forward on set pieces. That's a huge (literally) weapon for us, I think. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how things play out in terms of your ideas about fielding a speedier team in the W.C. You could very well be right, depending on who we're playing on a given day. Regarding Ralston, that's just my gut talking. I agree that his international experience level is somewhat limited, but I think he made the most of his opportunities in qualifying. He's so good as serving the ball into the area from the right flank... kind of like Eddie Lewis from the other side. I think both of those guys will see action, even if they're not quite good enough to be starters.

Irving Fryar Peter Boyle Frank Broyles

Oh, and I think Steve Ralston goes to Germany, and might see significant action.

Scott, excellent post. It's fun to bounce this stuff back and forth with you. I agree with you on most of your points. I don't think there's any doubt that we're getting "deeper" as a team, although generally I think you might be slightly more optimistic than I about the prospects of some of our players. We agree about our weakest position being forward. I mentioned it earlier in the thread- I think we're improving gradually, and we do have some guys who can finish around the box, but I think our most glaring weakness is the ability to shoot from distance. We just don't often score from outside the area, and every time I see highlight clips of european (primarily) players scoring from 20+ yards (and every time I see us failing to put our long range shots on target, or on target but with no power), I think about this weakness and wonder why we aren't developing that skill and threat to a greater degree. Every once in awhile we get off a good one, but it's relatively rare (Dempsey hitting the crossbar against Norway was one of those "close but no cigar" moments). I think Donovan is one of our better long range shooters, but his natural tendency is to rely on his speed and passing skill in order to get the ball into the area. He can really hit the ball accurately and with power from around the edge of the area, even on a difficult first-touch (volley or half-volley). I saw him do it many times when he was playing here in San Jose. But that tendency to want to move in closer (which has its advantages) dominates. I think the team's weakness in this area is an important deficiency going into a World Cup, because so many other teams are going to threaten our goal with that ability. "McBride - legitimate international class, if he goes out injured we've got trouble" Agreed. He's so important as a target man, and he has a tenacious toughness that's basically irreplaceable for us. "Conner Casey - big but his first touch is as bad I've seen at the professional level. He is certainly not McBride's heir." I don't even understand why he's stayed with the team for so long (I haven't seen him for awhile, come to think of it... maybe he's fading from the picture?). "Twellman - is starting to show some promise." I agree. I like Twellman. I like his "nose for the goal" quality, and I like his toughness. I think he's still a little bit limited in terms of skills, but as long as he consistently fulfills his niche, I think he belongs on this team. "Johnson - doubt he'll be healthy and or fit." It's hard to say. I heard Marcello Balboa make a similar comment, and he should know better than us, so you may be right. I hope it's not true, because when he's on, he's the kind of forward we need more of. "Eskadarian - could be useful if he comes back from injury." I haven't seen as much of him, but I know he can be dangerous. My sense is that he might get shoved around by big defenders (is he as tough as Twellman, I wonder?). "Wolff - we discussed" "Ching - MLS forward" I feel similarly about Ching as I do about Johnson. When he's on his game, he's extremely valuable, I think. He can do a lot of things (some of the same things McBride can do... great in the air, strong, great with his head), and he really is very sound positionally. His chemistry with Donovan from their time together with the Quakes may be an important factor at some point in the future. "Jaqua - MLS forward" Haven't seen him much at all yet, but he really looked good against Norway. "Noonan - getting better and could play up top I think" I agree, although I think he's pretty far down on the totem pole right now. He will only get better with more experience, buy I'm not convinced he will be with the squad this summer. "Donavan - I (and Bruce) prefer him as attacking midfielder" I used to feel differently, but I'm beginning to see things that way too. I think the reason is that we've been gradually developing and improving our other attacking players, and that Donovan is less needed as a scorer (not that he won't still have his opportunities). "Here's how I would play them today: Keller Hedjuk, Pope, Bocanegra, Convey Dempsey, Reyna, Donavan, Beasley McBride, Twellman" That's certainly a formidable lineup, but IMO, you've got to have Mastroeni in there. I also think Onyewu has to be in there as well. I think I would also include Cherundolo. I think Convey, Eddie Lewis, and perhaps Dunivant could all be valuable subs to provide more offense from the left side, if necessary. Same with Hejduk on the right side. Beasley is pretty good on either side in midfield, but I think he's slipped a bit in terms of being a starter (I could be wrong about that... just my sense). As much as I like Twellman, I'm not sure he's a starter yet. I think my lineup would be: Keller Cherundolo, Onyewu, Pope, Bocanegra Dempsey, Reyna, Mastroeni, Donavan McBride, Johnson (tough to say, but if he's healthy...) I'm wondering also about the status of some of the other vets- John O'Brien (he was mentioned during the Norway match as still being an important team member), Tony Sanneh, Chris Armas, Cobi Jones, Clint Mathis, Greg Vanney...

Peter Piper Gregory Peck Julius Peppers

I remember watching the launch on TV at home (I was getting ready to go to an estate sale with my father-in-law that morning). I still remember the shock (successful launches had indeed become routine) and sorrow I felt, especially having seen a good amount of pre-launch coverage featuring profiles of the astronauts. I grew up in the era of "The Mercury 7", and always had great respect for the space program in general. The other night I watched part of the PBS documentary. I've seen it before, but that video of the mission control staff watching the disaster occur is just gut-wrenching. Re Chernobyl, I agree with Aggie87. It was a terrible thing, but the way the news trickled out, the shock was greatly diminished.

Brook Benton Stan Kenton Robinson, Fenton

Phil Regan Sandy Koufax Don Drysdale

I love that last line. I don't blame you for adding that, btw- like any team, we can look terriffic one day and awful the next. I wish I had seen the Canada match (about a week earlier), just to keep things in balance (we tied them 0-0, in an apparently solid but lackluster performance). The Norway match was one of the strangest I have seen in a long time. The Norwegians made us look like Brazil. They just sat back and let us do whatever we wished; didn't mark tightly when we entered their penalty area; and did not counter-attack with any skilll or enthusiasm whatsoever. In short, they really, really, sucked. I loved watching the U.S. control the ball and systematically perform surgery on the Norwegian defense, but after about 20 minutes, I realized that this was not a "real" match. I think there's a danger (moreso for the younger players that were present) of becoming overly impressed with yourself after a match like that. Twellman took his goals very well, and just about everyone played well, but there was virtually no resistance, so frankly I'm more puzzled than impressed by that game. Apparently the Norwegians were using their younger players, just as we were. Things do not look good for the future of Norwegian soccer. I agree that Josh Wolff did not help himself. He had one great chance from the top of the area, and he failed to even put his shot on frame. The camera went to Arena shortly thereafter, and he looked like he was commenting to Mooch that Wolff hadn't even forced the keeper to make a save. Wolff is a veteran now, and he's had some decent games in the past, but he's done little to impress me over the last couple of years. Regarding the left back spot, I thought that Dunivant was very solid in this match. His assist on Pope's goal was one of the highlights. He's a good overlapping player, which I think Arena really likes. I would expect Japan to put up a better fight on the 10th, and I would expect more of the same from the U.S. in terms of looking further at our younger players. The same will probably occur vs Guatemala on the 19th. When we start getting into March (first vs Poland and then against Germany), I think we'll see a few more veterans being brought back into the mix. "With that team as a base, throw in Beasley, Reyna, Bocanegra, McBride, Bobby Convey, Cory Gibbs, John OBrien, Kasey Kellar, Tim Howard, Marcus Hanneman..." ... and Lewis, and Mastroeni, and... Oguchi Onyewu. :bwallace2:

Bob Mayo Pearl Jam Pickles Sorrell

In that case AMG is wrong.

Gogi Grant Michelle Lee Lee Grant

Bill Cartwright Bill Russell Bill Walton

Pal Joey Friend Owl Buddy Montgomery

The word you're looking for is "renowned".

Helen Reddy Jesse White Robert Bluey

I can't claim to be well-exposed to her overall career, but I just want to say that her performance on the "Carnegie Hall Salutes The Jazz Masters" show (unless I'm having a near-senior moment here and thinking of another show) really struck me as amazing. Intense and yet relaxed, and the kind of thing that makes me laugh out loud with pure joy. In such a "commercial" setting, and with an "allstar jam" at the end, I would have expected a lot less, but she rose up and really produced on that, IMO.

John Davidson Davey Johnson Davey Jones

Nonsense, IMO.

Wyatt Ruther Dan Rather Willa Cather

Man, the pages on the Lineage site take forever to load on my system. Is it just me?