NJFox

Gold medal women’s soccer match has been fun thus far.

When the Detroit Lions had their historic winless season, they won all 4 of their preseason games. I’ll sign up for the inverse here…if optimism is permitted in a match thread.

The CB pairing of Maguire and Evans in the Community Shield is more compelling viewing.

Final round of the men's golf has been excellent so far. Big name players at the top of the leaderboard, on a course that demands more precision.

On ESPN right now, Man City up 2-0 in the 5th minute against Chelsea. Two terrible giveaways by Chelsea passing it around the back…

ESPN+ is a US based streaming service, won’t be on regular TV here. Still need a subscription.

Saturday’s match being shown on ESPN+ in the US, for anyone who lives here or who has a VPN and a friend…

Finally got into a long-held bottle of Thesmophoros Pecan Pie imperial stout, from Mortalis Brewing near Rochester, NY. One of the best stouts I’ve ever had, smooth and tastes much lighter than its 10% ABV.

Up until ~10-15 years ago, Kentucky and West Virginia were Dem-dominated states. I won’t dive into why things shifted…not enough time for that. Beshear is the son of a popular former governor and also the state attorney general when he ran for governor against a deeply unpopular incumbent gov. He since won reelection and is one of the most popular governors in the nation. With R supermajorities in the Kentucky state legislature, he has to work with the opposition party, so he focuses on popular issues where he can sway Rs- teacher pay, healthcare, etc. Roy Cooper in NC is in the exact same boat, but North Carolina is more in play for the presidency, so I would lean towards him or Mark Kelly getting on a 2024 ticket. Al Gore couldn’t carry his home state in 2000, and while Beshear is far more popular than Gore, Kentucky is not competitive on a national level. It’s less common than it used to be, but currently Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and up until last year Louisiana all had Dem governors with R legislatures. Virginia and Vermont, have the inverse, and Vermont’s Republican governor (yes, the same state as Bernie Sanders) is the most popular governor in the nation. It’s a simple playbook- focus on helping your constituents and kitchen table issues, don’t be an inauthentic TV talking head.

So many great shots, even with this wind. It’s a must-see back 9 for the leaders. Lawrence (aka Tom Hardy’s South African doppelgänger) already playing it safe, feels like it’s the Rose/Schauffele pairing that will make a move. Was that Lawrence with a West Ham-themed bag???

Lowry looking great, Rory already making plans elsewhere for Saturday. Walked 18 yesterday, might play again tomorrow. Watching the Open always makes me want to get out on the course, more than any other major.

100% agree. Even if a stadium isn't right in the heart of the city, they've gone to great lengths to build up fan experiences around new facilities and make stadiums into a destination. The Battery in Atlanta, though not for the World Cup, is a great example, and worth the trip if you find yourself in Georgia. Philadelphia is 20 min away from our house, and they have a subway line from the city center to the stadium complex, plus a casino/hotel and a large bar complex called Xfinity Live adjacent to the stadiums. The final is at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, which is outside of NYC. It's a 30 min train ride with a transfer from either NYC or Newark Airport, and the train drops you off on the doorstep of the stadium. There's even a mall with an indoor ski slope right next to the stadium.

Ah yes, the joys of sighthound ownership. Had similar challenges with our two whippets. The first one we got as a puppy, so she adapted more easily. Our second whippet came to us as an adult, and it took longer for him to get used to us going to work and being out of the house. Sighthounds tend to be very clingy, so it definitely seems more pronounced- when we're home, they must be with us or on us. They are smart dogs, and will pick up on certain tendencies- when they hear my wife's hair dryer in the morning, they will go to their crates because they know it's time for her to go to work. For sleeping, we started with them downstairs overnight, but eventually brought the crate upstairs. We now keep a dog bed on the floor of our bedroom with a heated blanket on it, which keeps them off of our bed enough to ensure a decent night sleep for us, and they know they're near us. They're still pining for our bed, and do end up on there from time to time, but this is a great compromise for all. Unrelated, they've both been on a murderous streak with rabbits in our yard. Two dead in the last week, but we're not mad...it's what they've been bred to do for generations.

3pm kickoff here, off to the local brewery. There’s probably a joke somewhere about Londoners, Glaswegians, and Americans all walking into a bar…

Edinburgh is good. Also loved the Christmas scene in York. Less of a traditional market, but Stonegate street is beautiful and has some great shops, including the only Käthe Wohlfahrt store in the UK.

Fell asleep in the 60th minute, missed the goals, and still annoyed I woke up in the 85th.

Ian Darke and Landon Donovan critical of Kane on the US broadcast.

Just watched this, was hoping someone posted it here. When Foxestalk, John Oliver, and this guy are your news sources for a national election.

Exactly this. The pricing is so high here that few people want to waste their beer, or risk getting kicked out of the stadium. The cost of alcohol is also a contributor to the tailgating culture- people show up at 7AM to grill and drink, then go into a 4PM NFL game. By the time the game starts, they don't need much more to drink...or they just stay in the parking lot and watch the game on a TV from there. Even as a supporter of Philadelphia teams who carry a certain reputation, the amount of cups and other items that get thrown during soccer matches around the world outweighs what gets thrown on a field at games here. They'd much rather say horrible things than waste an expensive beer. Unless you're in Buffalo, of course... ^maybe don't click the above YouTube link at work.

Even though it's a CONMEBOL referee, we colloquially refer to this as getting CONCACAFed. Kidding aside, it almost never goes well when you're relying on the ref. The US went into the match with their fate in their own hands, and couldn't finish (literally). As for the empty seats, Arrowhead holds more than any PL stadium, and it's not like Uruguay, whose population is 1/100th the United States, has the global following of the other South American giants...Messi and Argentina were at MetLife stadium last week, the cheapest tickets to get in were over $200. Many stadiums have not been full in the tournament.

Ref lost the plot in this one and the Uruguay goal looked decently offside, but US has no one to blame but themselves in this tournament. Gregg’s rein of letdowns continue.

Incoming £500 million offer from Chelsea for Costa?

On the FOX pregame, Daniel Sturridge trying to get Peter Schmeichel to talk about Kasper’s play and how Peter helps him in his preparation. Love that Peter doesn’t take the bait and says he leaves his son alone about his play, unless Kasper asks for something. Old news, but still refreshing to hear.

John Oliver Explains the Upcoming UK Elections to Americans 29 minutes, but a humorous and poignant watch from abroad. Takes my mind off of what’s to come over here, later this year.