Leferd

I'd argue the Spaniards have been pretty dominant over the past 6 years. I'm speaking historically. Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and Italy as traditional powers all have won atleast 3. Then you have sides like France, Spain, England, Netherlands, Columbia, and Uruguay also either winning and or having respectable showings as well. Even Korea, Japan, Nigeria, and Cameroon, and USA making significant strides. That said, I'm done with Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Spain, Ferran Adria, and especially Rafal Nadal. Need new winners.

Specifically, I won't slavishly root for USA Basketball because I find other teams far more interesting. Despite being the second most popular team sport, it's essentially a battle for second place in any tourney that includes USA. For the Olympics, I'll root for US athletes if I don't have any particular rooting interests in the field, but am otherwise neutral. I root for USA T&F athletes because I knew and competed with a number of them. The World Cup is different. it's the most egalitarian international single sport competition in the world. Not one country or region dominates the sport. It's pretty close to GDP irrelevant. Any team whether from Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, or Africa can beat any team other team from any another region. I loved watching a 38 year old Roger Milla scoring spectacular goals for the upstart Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in 1990. I was befuddled when my favorite player, Franco Baresi shanked his PK in the a finals shoot out against Brazil in 94. Maradona v England and his incredible 1 v 11 and his Hand of God in 86 was my earliest WC memory. That's said, the '94 USA WC squad was my favorite squad: Meola, Caliguiri, Dooley, Balboa, Lalas, Harkes, Jones, Wynalda, Stewart, Ramos, and Reyna. Team USA has absolutely no realistic chance of winning the Cup. I'll still cheer and curse my ass off regardless.

Aside from USA Track & Field, USA Soccer is the only other US International side I'll actively and loudly back as a blind patriot. Absolutely loving what Jurgen Klinsmann has done for Team USA and especially for giving Landon Donovan the boot. Charmin Soft, that one.

Lebron gonna pull a Willis Reed later in the series?

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/in-search-of-americas-best-burrito/ Going to El Farolito tonight. Haven't been there in years.

http://grantland.com/features/san-antonio-spurs-bench-international-manu-ginobili-rc-buford/ Spurs roster breakdown. With Kirk Goldsberry shot charts!

I'm biased but Joe Posnanski ain't. (Probably one of the best baseball and general sports writers in the business. http://www.nbcsports.com/baseball/mlb/oakland-way Excellent piece on Moneyball: The Next Generation. In many ways, I dreaded that something like this would come out. If not for the fact that Farhan Zaidi's name will have increased exposure as a future GM candidate elsewhere (along with David Forst). Billy Beane is the big picture guy; the Steve Jobs, A-type personality who through cult of personality and smarts dictates his will on the organization, but relies on the uber/nerds and baseball guys to crunch all the numbers and execute it on the field.

Topographical NBA fan base map. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/05/12/upshot/12-upshot-nba-basketball.html?_r=0

Good basketball game. ePropage to the OKC Four. Heat v Spurs rematch. I'm going with San Antonio for sentimental reasons.

There actually was one a couple years ago that failed to reach its funding goal. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blackchickenstudios/ars-magica-video-game?ref=discovery Don't know too much about the setting, but from what I gather, it could beappealing to me -Darklands-esque. I'd like to play a cRPG grounded in a quasi-historical setting with a heavy emphasis in religion and witchcraft.

Meh. I missed the game. ... Whoops, made several sentence and contextual errors on my earlier post. That's what happens I start posting from my phone...

Welcome to Magical Volo's world! Where stuff just happens in a vacuum! Here's a little breakdown for you, free-gratis: San Antonio was able to have their way on OKC in games one and two because Ibaka was able to deny the paint. San Antonio relies on penetration by their small and wings (i.e. Parker and Ginobili) to score or drive and kick. They also use their outstanding perimeter ball movement to force the defense to make constant rotations with the goal if exploiting a missed assignment to get easy buckets. Ibaka though, is such a freak athlete they he's able to recover fast enough as a help defender and as shot blocking threat that he was able to effectively shut down anything in the paint. Through some magical healing potion from The Congo, Ibaka came back and was unexpectedly super effective doing what he normally does on the defensive end and disrupted the Spurs offense. For game five, Pop took out Splitter and gave his minutes to Bonner and Diaw who, because of their outside shooting prowess, were able to spread the floor as Stretch 4's and 5's, forcing Ibaka away from the paint, thereby creating space and neutralizing Ibaka's paint presence. It's not as simple as the home team always wins or because one team makes their shots or not. Good coaches make adjustments to put their players in a position that maximizes their advantages, while trying to minimize the impact of their opponents' key players. Now, unless Scotty Brooks is able to counter Pop's adjustments, OKC is doomed. Best bet is to have Derek Fisher blow in Matt Bonnet's ear, forcing a scrum and ejections, thereby forcing more minutes for Splitter and Baynes.

Spurs played smaller and spread the floor, forcing Ibaka out of the paint for good portions of the game. Because of this spacing, they were also better able to use HORNS and especially Elevator Doors to get their shooters open threes. Their smaller lineup also sped the pace of the game, thereby favoring the Spurs. San Antonio also used a shorter 7-man rotation until the 4th quarter when the deficit approached blowout levels. Adjustments.

Spurs take Game Five 117-89. Looks to me like Pop made all the necessary adjustments.

Clippers to go to Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. Meanwhile medical researchers are documenting a sudden epidemic in acute sialorrhea (otherwise known as incessant drooling) amongst a small subset of the American population that coincidently includes those who own NBA franchises.

I am really looking forward to my Reading Rainbow magnet and t-shirt reward. Although I am tempted by the tote bag as well. I'd totally rock that.

Paul George.

Reading Rainbow is an instant back. http://youtu.be/WfGhfI_NwcA

Things are getting interesting in this series. Ibaka is definitely having a major impact.

Cervantes, Miguel de. DON QUIXOTE, -Tilting at Windmills. It's an analogous literary reference.

Spoken like a true East India Company man hawking your wares.

Go India. http://youtu.be/aZDYsSOngik

My understanding was that it's MR. Chris Avellone, and MCA was alluding to the actual real MCA aka Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys.

Ok. Blended teabags are receiving far too much disproportionate amount of attention in this thread.

Milk and cookies. Specifically, Oreos and Almond mil. Can't say I've had that specific combo before, but then again up until a few weeks ago, I've never had apples with peanut butter.