Thursday in my Google Reader

I use Google Reader for almost all of my web reading. I highly recommend it as a big time saver. Lots of good stuff in there today......

-Today is the day for the local news' much hyped Ben Roethlisberger sit down interviews. And I know when I want the tough questions asked, I bring Bob Pompeani or Sally Wiggin in. These interviews are definitely a good start for Ben in his public image rehab quest though as really nothing can go wrong.

-Did Pete Rose cork his bat at the end of his career? Deadspin has a very detailed story explaining that he may very well have. Just another example of the long held thinking in baseball that if "you aren't cheating, you aren't playing"....And yes, Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.

-The Big 10/Pac 10 power struggle officially starts. Nebraska is going to the Big 10 and Colorado to the Pac 10 as of tomorrow. Can't say I would have predicted a Big 12 collapse before a Big East collapse. And all this restructuring has to be leading to a playoff, right?

-Should MLB have a separate draft of international talent? Fangraphs thinks so. I am all for it as well. Currently, any players outside of the US or Puerto Rico are subject to international free agency at the age of 16. This leads to bidding wars and identity issues that don't happen with the regular draft. Its just one big free for all.

-Speaking of the Draft, here are short profiles (a sentence or two with stats where available) on all 50 Pirate selections. Hint, there are a lot of pitchers. Especially right handed ones out of high school.

-A quick update on a couple former Buccos....Ian Snell is close to at least losing his starting job (for the second time this year) after giving up 8 runs in 1 and 2/3 last night, if not being released altogether. Nate McLouth left the game for Atlanta last night after a nasty collision in the outfield. And he continues to chug along with a .176 average. Dejan can't be happy.

-On the eve of the World Cup, Deadspin (via The Spoiler) has the 11 dirtiest players in the tournament.

-The Big Lead posted their 5 greatest moments in Saved by the Bell history yesterday. Amazingly, I had just referenced the #1 moment on their list in a comment to Anthony here. Great stuff, even though this wouldn't be my top 5. How about something from the Rod Belding episode (2 Beldings in one Building, one of who is balding...)? Or the Friends Forever one? Or anything involving Zack calling timeout and freezing time? What a great and ridiculous show. I could, and probably will at some point, do a whole post on the show...

-And Finally, Marian Hossa gets his Stanley Cup. Good for him. Jeremy Roenick was apparently so happy he started crying on air. Hilarious.

World Cup 2010

I am not a huge soccer guy. I understand the game and played it for years as a kid (who didn't really). I stumble across the occasional match on ESPN or Fox Soccer Channel (those stumbles are bound to get more often as FSC is now in HD on Dish), but don't go out of my way to watch the Premier League or Champions League like some.

However, I love the World Cup and will go out of my way to watch as much as possible.  Its the only true "World" competition. What other sport does every single country in the world play? Just qualifying for the World Cup is more intense than most sporting events. And every single game in the actual World Cup is played like guys lives are on the line.

Some basic story lines I will be watching when the World Cup starts in less than two weeks:

-Is this finally the year the USA makes a significant run? We have been told for 20 years that soccer was this close to breaking through in the States as a major sport. American's love winners. I just don't see soccer clicking a big time sport if we don't have a strong showing in the most important tournament at some point. This could be the year we make some noise. The draw could have been a lot worse with England, Algeria, and Slovenia. Anything less than a trip to the knockout round is a huge disappointment.

-How will chronic underachievers Spain blow it this time? Constantly one of the favorites, Spain always comes into the World Cup on a roll but finds a way to lose when it counts...

-How will Diego Maradona do as coach of Argentina? One of the best players of all time who scored one of the most famous and controversial goals of all time, he has been a bit crazy as coach...Read the captions on this rant to see what i mean. He also has had some drug and weight problems since retiring. Who knows what to expect? Especially since he has who many think is the best player in the world right now: Messi.

-How will South Africa do as the host in administering the tournament (this is the biggest event ever to be held on the Continent of Africa I believe). If it is run well logistically, Africa could become a realistic player down the line in other international competitions like the Olympics.

-What country will come out of seemingly nowhere to make a run? My options are Ivory Coast, South Africa (host country), Greece, Netherlands, and Cameroon.

These are just a few. There are literally hundreds of other storyline that will play out over the monthly long tournament...Can Italy repeat? Is this England's year? Is Brazil still the safe bet to win?.....

I will anxiously watching them all play out and waiting for an awesome goal call like this one (about 20 seconds in).