Saturday (US-England) Quickie

A few thoughts while idling time until kickoff for US-England:

*Did you catch that South Africa celebration after their goal against Mexico? That wasn't showing anyone up. That was joy. The NFL could take a lesson.

*I'm not as down on 0-0 ties as others, although France and Uruguay didn't exactly play inspired soccer to get there (compare that game to RSA-MEX).

*US-England is the biggest soccer game in US soccer history. Bigger than 1950. Bigger than the '94 World Cup in the US. If this can't catch casual/non-fan interest, nothing will. (But it will.)

*Nebraska to the Big Ten: As a Big Ten alum, it's odd for me to think that a road trip could take my school to Lincoln. On the other hand, it is as solid a fit as is out there.

*Texas A&M not sticking with Texas to the Pac-10, but instead going to the SEC? There are very compelling reasons for TAMU to be its own team and bend East, not West.

*Boise State to the Mountain West: Great move for both sides. The MWC is a BCS-worthy league; with the future 2010 national champion of college football, that's even moreso.

(Say what you want about the conference depth, but Boise-TCU-Utah-BYU is a more solid Top 4 than any conference outside of the SEC.)

*No decision from Tom Izzo yet: Coming today? Two thoughts:

(1) Even if he takes the Cavs job, I won't believe it until we get to Monday (Billy Donovan Precedent).

(2) Even if he stays at Michigan State, he has eroded his place as college hoops' top coach.

*Jamie Moyer Watch: Remember his complete game shutout earlier this season that was so glorious? Well, Moyer just had the worst start of his career last night. Yikes.

*Ubaldomania: Win No. 12. He would have to fall off the tracks to not be the NL All-Star starter.

*The NCAA, BCS and Heisman Trust could learn something from the Olympics, where Marion Jones' stripped gold went to the competitor from the Bahamas who finished behind her.

*Sounds like a really awesome celebration parade in Chicago for the Blackhawks. Say this: Chicago fans know how to do a title pep rally.

Now, back to getting ready for USA-England.

-- D.S.