It Won’t Be Pretty for U.S. in World Cup
With the soccer World Cup taking place in Germany next summer, England’s Observer newspaper thoughtfully provided a city-by-city guide to the 12 venues.
Well, perhaps not so thoughtfully. Here’s what the paper had to say about Gelsenkirchen, where the U.S. opens against the Czech Republic:
“Have a wander and you’ll soon be asking, ‘How the hell did this place become a World Cup host city?’
“This is a heavily industrialized area.... The biggest attraction is the slagheap, the Halde Rungenberg. The view from the top is spectacular. Looking across to the nearest slagheap, you can count 42 pipes and chimneys and a dozen billowing steam clouds at one factory alone.
“Don’t book a week here.”
Add Germany: The Americans play Italy in Kaiserslautern, a city, the Observer noted, where “Saumagen (pig stomach stuffed with potatoes) and Pferdwurst (horsemeat sausage) are the definitive delicacies of the region.”
The U.S. closes first-round play in Nuremburg. “Adolf Hitler made the city famous for its Nazi rallies and racial laws,” the Observer said, and the Franken-Stadion, where the U.S. plays Ghana, “is very close to the old Third Reich rally grounds.”
Sounds like a great trip all ‘round.
Trivia time: Teenage golfer Michelle Wie speaks Korean, English and Japanese and is learning a fourth language. What is it?
Worn out: Noting that Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti seems intent on “rebuilding the Dodgers brick by Giant brick,” Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says that it’s a risky strategy.
“That’s what trading for old players often is,” he said, “gambling that you’re getting rid of bald tires while the guy you’re dealing with still thinks he can see a little tread.”
The Riley factor: With Pat Riley having taken over the coaching reins of the Miami Heat, Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald considers that the Heat just got “sexier, tougher, dirtier, more interesting, more cutthroat, more famous, and less easy to like.”
But not necessarily better.
More or less Shaq: One of the first things Riley wants to accomplish is to get Shaquille O’Neal to lose a few more of his 330-plus pounds.
“He’s working on it,” Riley told the Orlando Sentinel. “And in another month he’ll be in the 20s, which is where we probably want him.”
A musical note: What’s the difference between Babe Ruth and Eddie Layton? Only about $4,000, according to one measure.
A sports memorabilia company in New Rochelle, N.Y., recently sold a Babe Ruth jersey for $30,000, while receiving $26,000 for the Yankee Stadium organ played by Layton from 1985 to 2003.
Trivia answer: Mandarin Chinese.
And finally: British comedian Michael McIntyre wonders if there is not something effeminate about boxing. Said McIntyre: “They’re always fighting over belts, and there’s all this talk of a purse.”
