Volume 26:32

Happy 4th of July!!!!

FIFA World Cup

The World Cup keeps on rolling. We have hit the Round of 16. How did each team get here? Why will they win? Why won’t they win?

Paraguay finished 3rd in Group D, then beat Germany 1(4)-1(3) on penalty kicks in the round of 32. Although they beat Germany, it seems like they don’t have a real chance to win the World Cup.

France topped group I, then demolished Sweden en route to the final 16. The French have the talent to win the whole thing. Their best players are in the golden boot race– that’s Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. They won’t win because they haven’t gotten a strong victory yet. Beating Sweden, Senegal, Iraq, and Norway without Erling Haaland doesn’t prove anything.

Canada finished 2nd in Group B then put up a 1-0 victory over South Africa. Despite a strong campaign, it seems like there is no real shot at winning the World Cup for Canada.

Morocco finished runner up in Group C then took down Netherlands in the round of 32 on penalty kicks. However, they aren’t going to win the World Cup.

Portugal finished runner up in Group K. They then survived a controversial ending against Croatia to advance to a match up with Spain. They will win because they have Ronaldo. Ronaldo is in the GOAT debate, so if your team has an all-time great player, then it has a chance to win. However, their best finish with Ronaldo was fourth place, and that was 20 years ago. This is CR7’s last chance to prove himself, because he hasn’t yet in the World Cup.

Spain finished first in Group H, then beat Austria to set up a meeting with Portugal. They will win because they have Lamine Yamal. The world hasn’t gone crazy for any soccer player this young before, and he is putting on a show. They won’t win because they haven’t made it past this stage since 2010 when they won the tournament, so none of their current players have any experience in the quarterfinals or beyond. In those stages, the pressure gets higher, as do the expectations.

The USA topped Group D then took down Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. Though it seems possible the USA makes a run this year, they won’t because if they make it past Belgium, they’d have to face the winner of Portugal versus Spain. The Americans should wait until 2030, when their players are more mature and still at a relatively young age. Matt Freese, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Christian Pulisic will all be in their early 30s. Ricardo Pepi, Folarin Balogun, Giovanni Reyna, and Malik Tillman will all be in their primes. They’ve made big strides forward this year. Just be patient.

Belgium topped Group G then beat Senegal 3-2. Despite having Kevin DeBruyne, the Belgians don’t stand a chance the rest of the way.

Brazil topped Group C then beat Japan 2-1. They will win the World Cup because if anyone is going to win it, it will be Brazil. They have Vini Jr, Neymar, and others. They have expectations and experience. However, this Brazil team does feel like it’s missing a few pieces.

Norway finished runner-up in Group I then took down Ivory Coast 2-1. They will win because they have Erling Haaland. Haaland is a menace. He has scored 5 goals in his first 3 World Cup appearances. If anyone is going to lift a team to glory it will be Erling Haaland. But it is his first World Cup, and the roster behind him has some gaps.

Mexico finished first in Group A then beat Ecuador 2-0. Despite the home field advantage, it doesn’t seem like Mexico will win the World Cup.

England finished top of Group L then escaped Congo DR with a 2-1 win. They will win the World Cup because they have the talent. With Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham they could beat anyone. However, teams like France, Argentina, and Spain seem stronger and more likely to win. They have the team to win, but so do others.

Argentina topped Group J with 9 points, then beat Cabo Verde after 120 minutes. The matchup against Cabo Verde started with a goal by Lionel Messi, of course. Cabo Verde tied the game 30 minutes later with a Deroy Duarte goal. The game went to extra time, where Lisandro Martinez immediately scored. However, Cabo just wouldn’t go away. Sidny Lopes Cabral curled a beautiful goal into the top corner to tie the game 2-2. But a late Argentina attack helped them put away Cabo Verde with an own goal. Cabo Verde nearly scored multiple times in the last few minutes, but Argentina held on and won 3-2. Argentina will win because they proved they can in 2022– they just have to again. They won’t win because the rest of the field has players who have gotten better, the likes of Haaland and Yamal didn’t play in 2022’s edition.

Egypt was runner up in Group G. They then beat Australia 1(4)-1(2) on penalties. But let’s be honest– they aren’t winning the World Cup.

The same can be said for Switzerland, who topped Group B then beat Algeria 2-0.

And Columbia doesn’t have a chance after finishing first in Group K and beating Ghana 1-0.

Cubs Blowouts

Earlier this week the Chicago Cubs faced the San Diego Padres. The Cubs launched three homers in the first three innings and soon had a 9-0 lead. The Padres got two runs back in the top of the 5th. The Cubs tallied six more in the 5th and 6th to take a 15-2 lead. The Padres had one runner cross the plate in the 8th to make the score 15-3. But the party was just starting. Thanks to Dansby Swanson’s 3rd homerun of the day, and contributions from other Cubs won by a final score of 23-3. However, while it was lopsided it wasn’t as lopsided as it seems. San Diego got 11 hits while leaving 11 on base. The Cubs had 17 hits, eight of them being home runs. That doesn’t quite add up to 23-3, except at Wrigley. One game later the Cubbies got a taste of their own medicine against their division rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were up 6-0 through three innings. It didn’t stop and the Cardinals were up 14-0 after the 5th inning. They added three more before the Cubs got one run. The final score was 17-1 Cardinals. The pair of division rivals meet again today on the heels of the 17-1 Cardinals win.

MLB Stat Check

The MLB season has been crazy and here are some stats to prove that. Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros is gunning for the AL triple crown. He is second in the AL in batting average at .319 behind only Yandy Diaz. He leads the AL in home runs at 27, two ahead of Byron Buxton. He is five RBI’s behind the A’s Nick Kurtz, who leads the league.

Nine players have reached 20 stolen bases so far this season. They are Nasim Nunez, Bobby Witt Jr, Jazz Chisholm Jr, Jose Ramirez, Oneil Cruz, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Fernando Tatis Jr, Jose Caballero, and Chandler Simpson. Crow-Amstrong is the only batter with a 5+ WAR so far this season.

Meanwhile for pitching, Jacob Misiorowski has a 1.47 ERA– the only one below 2.00. That 2.00 mark is where Cristopher Sanchez sits for his ERA. Sanchez also leads the league in innings pitched. The highest K/9’s are Dylan Cease at 13.6 and Misiorowski at 13.5. The highest WAR on the bump is Cristopher Sanchez at 5.8.

The players with 1.000 fielding percentage are William Contreras, Freddie Freeman, Christian Walker, Ketel Marte, Michael Massey, Taylor Ward, Randy Arozarena, Jarren Duran, Tyler Soderstrom, Daulton Varsho, Andy Pages, Michael Harris II, Jakob Marsee, Jackson Merrill, Luke Raley, Owen Caissie, and Lawrence Butler.