It was a long shot anyways, right?

I'm feeling a lot of losing today. With my Atlanta Braves mired in their worst losing streak since 1988 (9 straight, and just three wins in their last twenty-two games), the USA is now out of the World Cup with their 2-1 loss to Ghana today. For the USA to advance they had to beat Ghana and needed Italy to beat the Czech Republic. Well, Italy won 2-0, and the USA just couldn't take care of their business. Many are going to point to a questionable call at the end of the first half giving Ghana a penalty kick that put them ahead going into half time (And, no, I don't think Onyewu fouled him). Given his not-too-subtle reporting and analysis, I'm guessing ESPN's studio analyst Eric Wynalda blames head coach Bruce Arena. (Did you see the post-game coverage on ESPN?) I do think Arena was slow to put in an offensive lineup throughout the first round matches, but the team's big name players didn't make the impact needed to push the team to the next level. Was Landon Donovan even in the stadium today? I actually began to cringe when he kept taking those corner kicks at the end of the game.

Oh well. It was a bit of a long shot anyways, right? The USA had yet to score a goal in three games, and here we would have needed three goals in one game. And even if the team had advanced, it would have been to face powerhouse Brazil in the next round.

On a side note: Is it just me or is Eric Wynalda sporting a very business-like mohawk? Just a little spike to add flair to his reporting.

Technorati tags: world cup, usa loss

What's race got to do with anything?

I’m excited about the FIFA World Cup starting tomorrow. In fact, I’m planning to watch the opening match at noon. There’s been much more talk about soccer as we’ve approached the WC.

Tonight, ESPN’s SportsCenter had a special piece about racism in soccer. In Europe, racism against players and coaches is very prevalent. Black players are often verbally abused, having slurs shouted from the stands. Bananas have been thrown onto the field accompanied by “Monkey” chants. Players are spit on and… well, you get the idea. It’s not an isolated incident, and it’s not subtle. The SportCenter piece did mention that Europe has never had anything equivalent to the civil rights movement that the US had in the 60’s.

Growing up in and now living in the ‘deep south’, it seems I’ve always dealt with issues of race; both people who are ridiculously close-minded as well as folks who are genuinely and generously caring. But this type of open, blatant racism is well beyond anything I’ve experienced.

So here’s a question to wonder about with me for a little while: From a strictly Biblical stand point, what’s race got to do with anything? Is there any difference beyond genetics? Are there narratives from the Bible that address racial issues? Writings in the letters to churches? Does scripture address romantic/intimate relationships between people of different races? Comments welcome.

Technorati tags: worldcup, racism.

It's coming...

It's coming very soon...

Technorati tags: worldcup

Are you moved yet?

Hey everybody! We’ve been in Brooklet for almost a week now. Things are good. Here’s the update:

This is officially the first post on the new Mac. Yeah iBook!

This is also the first official post from Brooklet! (I guess, technically, this is from Stilson, but…)

So far there is no news on finding a house. We’re looking for something near the church in our price range, but housing prices in Brooklet seem ridiculously high. There’s a lady in the church who has allowed us to stay in her pool house for cheap as a temporary fix while we are still looking. It’s not much more than a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette-living room, but for the two of us it’s great – especially since we don’t have anywhere else right now. Not to mention, we get access to her swimming pool for the summer, satellite tv, and it turns out I’m picking up wireless from the pool house!

I’ve been busy meeting people and learning names, setting up my office, and getting acclimated to the church and community. I should be able to get into a steady routine of blogging soon, and I’ll continue sharing thoughts and keeping distant friends up to date on Josh and Shannon.

Technorati tags: moving