Sports

After scoring a 24 (that’s right Mac… 24) on Vuvuzela Hero, I’m once again in the mood to offer up some World Cup picks.

After today, we’ll know the fates of Groups A and B. The final slate of group matches get underway today with four intriguing contests. To prevent tomfoolery, matches within the same group are being played simultaneously, so be prepared to do some channel flipping.

France v. South Africa (10am)
The French side made headlines for refusing to practice on Sunday. The player-led protest was sparked by the dismissal of Nicolas Anelka. The French striker was let go after a verbal confrontation with coach Raymond Domenech.

To Domenech’s credit, Anelka shouldn’t have been on the team anyway… he’s not that good. I’m still shocked that Karim Benzema and Sam Nasri were kept off the squad… those guys make Anelka look like a chump.

All this whining and striking has brought to light just how miserable Les Blues have performed at this World Cup, scoring 0 goals in two matches and looking lifeless in the process.

Bafana Bafana will be looking to give their country some form of hope by pulling off the three points today. I wouldn’t be surprised if the French walk off the field before the game is over.

Prediction: South Africa wins

Uruguay v. Mexico (10am)
Both teams advance with a draw, and they know it. But, Argentina lurks in the second round for the team unfortunate enough to finish second in the group. With spectors of Messi dancing in their heads, you can imagine that there will be a strong incentive for both sides to win.

Prediction: Draw

Argentina v. Greece (2:30pm)
La Albiceleste have already punched their ticket to the knockout stages by running roughshod over Group B. The Greeks, tied for second with South Korea, are looking for a chance to sneak their way into the final 16.

Even with some of its starters resting, I still don’t see a lot of let up in Maradona’s squad. Greece isn’t a team well adapted to creating its own attacks, I just don’t see how they intend to muster up the offense to get by Argentina.

Prediction: Argentina wins

Nigeria v. South Korea (2:30pm)
Despite two losses, Nigeria would like you to believe that they still have a chance to make it out of the group stage. Sorry, not going to happen. Given their goal differential, Nigeria would need to win today and have Argentina beat Greece.

Now that I think about it, that isn’t too unlikely a scenario. The Super Eagles looked much better against Argentina than the South Koreans did. Crazier stuff has happened.

Prediction: Nigeria wins

While James and Kirk are watching almost every World Cup match and providing our dedicated blog readers with up to date recaps, predictions and podcasts, I did a little editorial on flopping and let you guys know when UGA got some football commitments.  But let’s be honest, recruiting doesn’t mean anything until you’ve signed the paper.  Just ask bead-wearing Da-Rick Rogers and his bro-lover Nash Nance.  I don’t sound bitter do I?

Anyway, I am here to share my two cents on the World Cup.  Funny thing is, it’s not even about the World Cup.  It’s all about the vuvuzelas.  Do you have what it takes to be a Vuvuzela Hero?  My highest score is 15, can you top that?

Big boy.

After Nick Marshall committed to the Bulldogs a couple of weeks ago, Mark Richt got even more good news on the recruiting front.

Dalton offensive lineman Watts Dantzler announced  yesterday that he will commit to the Bulldogs after narrowing down his selections to Georgia and Auburn.  Dantzler decided to make his announcement on Father’s Day in honor of his late father, Danny Dantzler, also an offensive lineman who lettered at Georgia from 1971-73.

The 6-7, 330 pound Dantzler is yet another in-state player to commit to the Bulldogs, staying with Richt’s plan of building a “Dream Team” of Georgia high-school recruits.  Check out the video of Dantzler at the bottom.

Jarvis Jones transferring to UGA

Jones, during his days at Carver-Columbus. Grantham is pumped.

USC freshman linebacker Jarvis Jones announced last week that he will transfer to Georgia.  While the recent fallout of USC sanctions may have been a big factor in Jones’ decision, a neck injury Jones sustained in a game against Oregon last season also might have played a part in Jones’ transfer.

After sitting out the rest of last season, Jones, a former Carver-Columbus, Ga. star, could not return to  spring practice because the USC doctors did not clear him to play.  Even after seeking second and third opinions and receiving positive feedback, team doctors still refused to clear Jones to practice.  Finally Jones asked for, and was granted, his release of scholarship.

Already medically cleared by UGA doctors, Jones will redshirt this season and have three years of eligibility starting in 2011.  The 6-3, 236 pound linebacker is a 2008 AJC Super 11 and former US Army All-American selection.  Video after the jump.

Here’s Dantzler. If you are having trouble finding him, he’s #73. Or, the behemoth clowning fools.

Here’s Jones.  He’s #10.

Jason Galloway of the Crimson White joins Heatin’ Up to discuss Alabama football.

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Portugal v. North Korea (7:30am)
The question isn’t who will win, its by how much. Portugal needs all the goals it can get to assure it advances out of the group.

Prediction: Portugal wins 3-0

Chile v. Switzerland (10am)
The Swiss looked good against Spain in their first match. When you play in between soccer powerhouses Italy, Germany, and France, its easy for people to forget about you. I like how their defense was able to slow Spain’s otherwise torrid attack down and the Swiss had a number of good scoring opportunities in that game.

Prediction: Switzerland wins

Spain v. Honduras (2:30pm)
Spain needs to get back on its horse and start winning games again, Honduras is the perfect opponent for that occasion.

Prediction: Spain wins

No predictions yesterday, but trust me, I would have been right. Another great slate of games features the defending champions AND the return of the Group of Death.

Paraguay v. Slovakia (7:30am)
I’m having trouble keeping it straight between Slovakia, Slovenia, and Serbia. These Europeans need to be more creative with their names.

Paraguay is fresh off a hard-earned draw with Italy, while Slovakia struggled against a lesser New Zealand squad. I think the South Americans are the better team, and they’ll prove it today.

Prediction: Paraguay wins

Italy v. New Zealand (10am)
New Zealand shut Slovakia down with a frustrating defense and a late equalizer. Still, I think the Italians will be more composed than the Slovakians were. Everyone is ripping on Italy for being over-the-hill, but I still think they’re a squad capable of making noise.

Prediction: Italy wins

Brazil v. Ivory Coast (2:30pm)
This is a tough match to pick. Drogba looks healthy and will get the start, but he struggled against Brazilian defender Lucio when the two met back in Champions League play.

Brazil didn’t look overly impressive, struggling against North Korea before winning 2-1. Kaka has been a disappointment in the midfield for Real Madrid and continued his poor performance in the opening match. While Robinho looked good against North Korea, I’ll take his dismal showing at Manchester City as the better indicator of how he plays against top flight competition.

Prediction: Draw

Slovenia star Charles Brown will miss this match after being injured kicking field goals

If the US team was flying high after their draw with England, they were likely brought back to earth by the late goal which gave Slovenia a 1-0 over Algeria and an advantage atop the standings of Group C.

The US now finds themselves in the unfortunate position of needing a win. A draw will likely kill their chances of making it out of the group. A loss certainly nixes their hopes for the knockout round.

Slovenia is not a pushover. Just ask Russia. The Slovenes are known for their defense and have been in top form long before this tournament started. While the Americans might be the favorite, the Green Dragons are more than capable of pulling off an upset.

So what exactly does the United States have to do in order to pull out the three points they desperately need? After the break I’ll discuss three things they should do and three key players to watch for while you’re swilling beer and pretending to care about soccer. (more…)

Week two of the World Cup is officially underway. Boy what a first week its been. Argentina have looked dominant, Spain has looked impotent, and the French looked… well… French. Lots of important games are still to be played in the group stages, especially today, as the United States and England fight for their lives in a pair of Group C contests.

This guy knows the Germans make good products

Germany v. Serbia (7:30am)
I don’t know how I feel about the decision to put this Group D matchup before the two Group C contests. I had hopes of killing time at the office by watching this on ESPN 3.

Poland’s err, Germany’s strikers, Lukas Podolski and Miroslov Klose demonstrated their ability to shred a defense by taking Australia to the woodshed in the opening matchup. Everyone seemed ready to hand the group over to the Germans after their 4-0 win.

Not so fast. Australia’s defense isn’t that good… and the way they marked, they deserved to lose 10-0. Germany will face a tougher task in Serbia. The Serbs fought tooth and nail with a scrappy Ghana squad before falling on a late penalty kick. They’ll have desperation on their side as they attempt to play their way pack into consideration for the knockout stages.

Prediction: Germany wins

Slovenia v. United States (10am)
Slovenia through this entire group into flux with their late goal against Algeria. As group leaders, they can sit back and play their trademark defensive style of play. I am not exaggerating when I say that the Slovene defense is stifling.

Still, the US has the better stable of players. At some point, that has to count for something.

Prediction: Draw

This James Carr is a true American. WUOG's James Carr... not so much

England v. Algeria (2:30pm)
Englishmen and women everywhere will spend their day in the pub anticipating England v. Algeria when they could be doing more productive things, like going to the dentist.

Benedict Carr will likely be somewhere watching it. He may have burned his bridges at Royal Peasant, but that’s what he gets for expecting a huge English ex-pat community to exist in tiny Athens, GA.

Algeria’s best shot is if team advisor Zinedine Zidane steps on the pitch for them. Then again, England might be the kind of team to let another win slip through their fingers.

Prediction: England win

Now that we’ve seen all the major players in action during the 2010 World Cup, it’s time to assess who has looked the best. Granted, you can never tell too much from the first match because teams still have two more matches to make adjustments, but it’s worth noting who’s lived up to the billing and who’s flopped (ala Cristiano Ronaldo). (more…)

Great post from Mac Little about the art of the flop. For those of you complaining about the flopping that takes place on the pitch, I have two words for you: Paul. Pierce.

I got rocked on my picks yesterday. I’d like to send a hearty “thanks, jerk” to Diego Forlan and the entire Swiss team.

Luckily there are some sure things today.

Argentina v. South Korea (7:30am)
South Korea looked very good in their opening round match against Greece. But, come on, this is the Argentines we’re talking about. Maradona won’t screw it up until the quarterfinals, at least. Prediction: Argentina wins

Greece v. Nigeria (10am)
To say that Greece played poorly against South Korea would be an understatement. The Greek defense  was pitiful at marking and seemed to have never seen a through ball before. If Nigeria can win this one, they’ll set up a do or die contest with South Korea to determine who makes it out of Group B. Prediction: Nigeria wins

Mexico v. France (2:30pm)
I don’t know why this one was made the prime-time game. Mexico is overrated and France looks like it would rather be watching existential films. If the French decide to show up, they can win this match. I don’t think they do. Prediction: Draw