2010 FIFA World Cup: Brazil

We preview the 2010 FIFA World Cup, set for June 11-July 11 in South Africa.

BRAZIL
Appearance: 19th overall, 15th consecutive
Last time there: 2006, lost to France in quarterfinals
Best performance: Five-time champion (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)

By any chosen metric, Brazil has to be considered a heavy favorite in this year's event. They have goaltending, strong defense, great speed and creativity up front, and some huge names all over the team.

Coach Dunga won the Cup as a captain on the 1994 team that beat Italy in the United States. He does well with this group because he understands how to put them in a position to succeed. It's not always easy to manage a high-profile team full of superstars, but Dunga appears to have done that very well, steering Brazil through a pretty easy qualifying run and trying to assure they will play their best in this tournament.

Motivation shouldn't be an issue, as Brazil's effort to defend their 2002 title was met with a quarterfinal defeat, marking the first time since 1990 that Brazil went out before the final round.

Brazil's spare players are good enough to play as front-line players on many national teams. Most countries would be lucky to have players like Luisao on defense and Adriano up front, but they're two examples of guys who will have trouble getting serious minutes on the Brazilian team this summer.

Why? Because Dunga can put Kaka, Elano, and Gilberto Silva on the midfield, Robinho and Luis Fabiano up front, and Lucio and Maicon on defense.

In South American qualifying, Brazil led the group in goals scored and allowed fewer goals than anyone. They had an 11-match unbeaten streak in qualifying that was only snapped when they lost a meaningless match to Bolivia.

Oh, and they have a pretty favorable group draw. North Korea shouldn't be much of a challenge, and while Ivory Coast and Portugal could scare Brazil, neither team can match their depth and skill across the pitch.

Things are setting up quite nicely for Brazil. That doesn't mean it will be a breeze, but they're positioned as a favorite going in, and while the tournament is thought to be a wide-open one by some, it will take an upset to take out Brazil anytime before the semifinals.

Schedule
June 15 vs. North Korea (Johannesburg -- Ellis Park)
June 20 vs. Ivory Coast (Johannesburg -- Soccer City)
June 25 vs. Portugal (Durban)

UMD Hockey Loses Assistant Coach Rohlik to Ohio State

According to sources, UMD men's hockey assistant Steve Rohlik has resigned. He will be taking a position at Ohio State, where he gets to work with former Wisconsin assistant and new tOSU head coach Mark Osiecki.

Anyone who knows me knows my opinion of Rohlik. He was a huge part of the UMD staff. If nothing else, his recruiting ability and bench intensity will be missed and not terribly easy to replace.

Update at 8:30 P.M. Central: I have not seen an official press release on the move yet, but it has been expected and it has happened. Remember, Rohlik and Osiecki were teammates at UW, and it seems likely Rohlik was a top choice for Osiecki from the second he took the tOSU job.

I have received a couple e-mails and texts asking who will take over for Rohlik. I am not smart enough to be able to intelligently speculate on the search, but the natural reaction is to fall back on former players. With one former Bulldog -- Brett Larson -- already on the coaching staff, it makes sense that head coach Scott Sandelin might not feel any real pressure to hire an alum this time around.

Doesn't mean UMD won't go in that direction, but it doesn't seem like a slam-dunk.

Genoway Returns to North Dakota

One of college hockey's best defensemen is returning.

North Dakota's season could have been derailed in November, when star defenseman Chay Genoway went down with a concussion. The hit was the source of much controversy in the league, and it led to the first of a handful of supplementary discipline decisions in the WCHA.

If you forgot what happened, here is the shot by Aaron Marvin that sent Genoway to the shelf.

To this day, I cannot figure out how this penalty call got so badly botched ... both on the ice and by the league after the fact.



Genoway didn't play again. Despite losing an All-American blue-liner, the Fighting Sioux finished fourth in the final league standings, and they won the WCHA Final Five.

Good news came Thursday for UND, as it was announced Genoway would return for another crack at his senior season.

Genoway had ten points in nine games before Marvin ended his season, and he will immediately take the role of leader for this coming season's Fighting Sioux team. Considering that Chris VandeVelde and Darcy Zajac were the only notable losses, it makes sense that the Sioux will be a preseason favorite in the WCHA, as well as nationally.

If Genoway can return at full strength -- and even the staunchest of rivals has to be rooting for him to make a comeback given what he's gone through up to this point -- he makes North Dakota's defense more experienced and more potent offensively.

Imagine a power play quarterbacked by Genoway, with Danny Kristo at the other point, and guys like Jason Gregoire, Brett Hextall, and Matt Frattin up front.

Even on paper, it looks incredibly dangerous.

More importantly, good for Chay. This is a huge step for him, and let's hope to see him on the ice at full strength in October.

It's also a win for college hockey. No, Genoway was probably never a serious candidate to leave school early because of his size, but he's an elite player who makes the sport better with his presence. This is a comeback story college hockey should embrace as we get closer to the fall.

2010 FIFA World Cup: Australia

We preview the 2010 FIFA World Cup, set for June 11-July 11 in South Africa.

AUSTRALIA
Appearance: Third overall, second consecutive
Last time there: 2006, lost to Italy in second round
Best performance: Second round (2006)

The Socceroos are back, thanks to an impressive run through an admittedly weak Asian region (they used to play in the Oceania group, but have transferred, and the move -- in part in search for better competition in qualifying -- appears to be generally a wash at this point). One area they do not lack is experience. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is close to 40, but has put together another good season for Fulham of the Premier League, and he is capable of helping shut out anyone in this tournament, even powerful Group D favorite Germany.

The Aussies rode Schwarzer to a surprising second-round berth in 2006, and only a controversial penalty kick call against eventual champion Italy sank them. He's still a good goalkeeper, despite his age, and he is the type of player who makes defenders better, if for no other reason than they know he's there for them if they make a mistake.

Everton's Tim Cahill is another 30-plus player the Aussies will lean heavily on. Cahill is a shorter midfielder, but is quick and very good at getting to balls in the air. He will be a handful on crosses and set pieces, especially during a short tournament.

Australia can defend, and they're capable of pulling out draws against anyone in this group. They should be good enough to beat Serbia, and they might be able to beat Ghana. If Schwarzer and the defense can slow down Germany, Australia could pull off another surprise advance to Round 2.

Schedule
June 13 vs. Germany (Durban)
June 19 vs. Ghana (Rustenburg)
June 23 vs. Serbia (Nelspruit)

2010 FIFA World Cup: Argentina

We preview the 2010 FIFA World Cup, set for June 11-July 11 in South Africa.

ARGENTINA
Appearance: 15th overall, tenth consecutive
Last time there: 2006, lost to Germany in quarterfinals
Best performance: Two-time champion (1978 and 1986)

During qualifying, a coaching change meant the start of the Diego Maradona era for the Argentines.

Problem: He's never been a club coach and his lack of experience has led to some entertainment for the wrong reasons.

Maradona, according to reports, won't take the advice of team manager Carlos Bilardo, who coached Maradona on the 1986 team that won the World Cup. He's picked an awesome number of players (I've seen a couple different numbers, both over 80) for the team's qualifying matches and friendlies, and despite their status as a world power in the sport, Argentina didn't end up qualifying for the World Cup by much.

Now that they're there, and they have a very favorable draw (grouped with Greece, Nigeria, and South Korea), look for Argentina to make some noise. Forward Lionel Messi is probably the world's best player, Juan Sebastian Veron is a very capable midfielder, and Martin Demichelis leads the defense. Javier Mascherano plays professionally for the Premier League's Liverpool, and he is quite solid with Veron in the midfield.

However, despite 18 appearances in qualifying matches, Messi only scored four goals, far below the rate he is known for scoring at on club team Barcelona. Is it the coaching staff and their way of playing that keeps Messi off the board, or is this just the product of a small sample size?

Argentina does indeed have a favorable draw, but they're paired with Group A for the tournament's second round, and they will have to overcome Maradona's stunning lack of experience (and, apparently, his troublesome ego, too) in order to go much farther.

Schedule
June 12 vs. Nigeria (Johannesburg -- Ellis Park)
June 17 vs. South Korea (Johannesburg -- Soccer City)
June 22 vs. Greece (Polokwane)

Farewell, Ernie Harwell

One of the true legends in the history of radio has died.

Ernie Harwell, the longtime voice of the Detroit Tigers and one of the iconic voices in baseball, died Tuesday at 92 after a long battle with cancer.

Harwell worked baseball games for 55 years, starting with Atlanta in 1946. He worked for four teams total before starting with the Tigers in 1960. Outside of a controversial firing after the 1991 season, he worked continuously as the Tigers' voice until his retirement in 2002.

For me, there were four voices I grew up listening to. As you might expect, Bob Uecker was and still is No. 1 when it comes to baseball on the radio. I listened to as many Brewers games as I could, sneaking the radio under my pillow when the games ran late. When the Brewers didn't play or were on too late, I flipped up the dial and listened to Herb Carneal call Twins games. Harwell did a handful of national games, enough for me to understand how great he was (remember, we didn't have MLB.com streaming all the games when I was growing up in the 1980s). The other guy I always listened to when I had the chance was Dodgers legend Vin Scully.

Uecker and Scully are still with us doing games, though Uecker is out until later this summer because of heart surgery, and Scully rarely travels anymore.

Harwell announced last September he had inoperable cancer, and he was honored at a Tigers home game in the middle of that month. Here is video from that game.



Harwell's spring training ritual -- a Bible verse -- will likely be remembered most by many Tigers fans.

For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Beautiful words used annually by Harwell to describe a wonderful time of the year for baseball fans.

2010-11 UMD Men's Hockey Schedule

Still a long way from the opening game, but the UMD men's hockey schedule was released while I was vacationing in Vegas. Here is the release from the school, along with the complete schedule:

A much-anticipated midseason move into a new facility and the University of Minnesota Duluth's final eight games in the 44-year old Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center are among the highlights of the 2010-11 Bulldog men's hockey schedule, which was officially released today.

The Bulldogs will launch their 67th year of intercollegiate competition -- and 50th season as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks -- on Oct. 8 with a road engagement against Lake Superior State University before taking on host Northern Michigan University, which qualified for the NCAA tournament this past March, the next evening in another Superior Cup matchup. One week later (Oct. 15-16), Hockey East combatant Providence College is slated to visit the DECC for UMD's 2010-11 home debuts and the University of Alaska Anchorage will be in town the following weekend, marking the start of the Bulldogs' 28-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association slate.

UMD will host two more series at the DECC -- Nov. 12-13 vs. Michigan Tech University and Dec. 3-4 against defending WCHA regular season champion Denver -- until it christens its new $70-million, 6,800-seat arena on Dec. 30 by facing the University of North Dakota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. The remainder of the Bulldogs' home schedule includes clashes with 2010 NCAA Frozen Four runnerup the University of Wisconsin (Jan. 14-15), the University of Minnesota (Feb. 4-5), St. Cloud State University (Feb. 11-12), the University of Nebraska-Omaha (regular season finales on March 4-5), which, along with Bemidji State University will join the WCHA fold this season, and the U.S. Under-18 Team (exhibition game on Jan. 8).

The 2010-11 Bulldogs are slated to play Michigan Tech, Minnesota and Wisconsin four times next winter and the eight other WCHA schools twice each.

"I can't think of a better way to open our new building then to do so against our biggest rivals in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and St. Cloud State," said head coach Scott Sandelin, who will embark on his 11th season behind the UMD bench this fall. "But, at the same time, that means we'll have very challenging second half to deal with."

UMD closed out 2009-10 with a 22-17-1 overall record -- their second straight 22-win season -- and tied for fourth place in the WCHA at 16-11-1 (their best conference mark in five years). The Bulldogs, who held down the No. 14 spot in the final uscho.com poll, also advanced to the WCHA Final Five tournament for the fifth time in eight seasons.

10/8/2010 Lake Superior State Sault Ste. Marie, MI 6:05 pm
10/9/2010 Northern Michigan Marquette, MI 6:30 pm
10/15/2010 Providence College Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
10/16/2010 Providence College Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
10/22/2010 Alaska-Anchorage Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
10/23/2010 Alaska-Anchorage Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
10/29/2010 Bemidji State Bemidji, MN 7:07 pm
10/30/2010 Bemidji State Bemidji, MN 7:07 pm
11/5/2010 North Dakota Grand Forks, ND 7:37 pm
11/6/2010 North Dakota Grand Forks, ND 7:07 pm
11/12/2010 Michigan Tech Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
11/13/2010 Michigan Tech Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
11/19/2010 Wisconsin Madison, WI 7:07 pm
11/20/2010 Wisconsin Madison, WI 7:07 pm
11/26/2010 Clarkson Potsdam, NY 6:00 pm
11/27/2010 Clarkson Potsdam, NY 6:00 pm
12/3/2010 Denver Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
12/4/2010 Denver Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
12/10/2010 Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 7:07 pm
12/11/2010 Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 7:07 pm
12/30/2010 North Dakota Duluth, MN 7:37 pm
1/8/2011 U.S. Under-18 Team Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
1/14/2011 Wisconsin Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
1/15/2011 Wisconsin Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
1/21/2011 Michigan Tech Houghton, MI 6:07 pm
1/22/2011 Michigan Tech Houghton, MI 6:07 pm
2/4/2011 Minnesota Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
2/5/2011 Minnesota Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
2/11/2011 St. Cloud State Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
2/12/2011 St. Cloud State Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
2/18/2011 Minnesota State-Mankato Mankato, MN 7:37 pm
2/19/2011 Minnesota State-Mankato Mankato, MN 7:07 pm
2/25/2011 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO 8:37 pm
2/26/2011 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO 8:07 pm
3/4/2011 Nebraska-Omaha Duluth, MN 7:07 pm
3/5/2011 Nebraska-Omaha Duluth, MN 7:07 pm

It's possible that game times will change. Outside of that, there it is.

The WCHA playoffs start March 11, and the Final Five is March 17-19 at XCel Energy Center, which will also host the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four.

2010 FIFA World Cup: Algeria

We preview the 2010 FIFA World Cup, set for June 11-July 11 in South Africa.

ALGERIA
Apperance: Third
Last time there: 1986, exited in first round
Best performance: Has never advanced past first round

When your claim to fame is an African Nations Cup title that happened back in 1990, there isn't much going your way.

However, Algeria did qualify, thanks to a playoff win over Egypt, and now they carry the Arabic banner into South Africa (they're the only Arabic nation in the tournament). Their third World Cup apperance is likely to be quick one, unless 34-year-old striker Rafik Saifi and center back Madjid Bougherra can work their magic.

FIFA has a relatively new rule (six years or so old) allowing players to switch national allegiance even after playing for one country. Many of the Algerian players were actually born in France, making for a weird mix on the roster.

In Group C, Algeria faces a challenge. Inexperienced Slovenia joins them, as do England and Team USA. If they can get a point out of either their match with the Brits or Americans, Algeria could actually give themselves an outside chance to advance with a win over Slovenia in their group stage opener.

Chances are this will be easier said than done, though the African side should have the benefit of at least playing on their home continent, even though they'll be far away from home.

Schedule
June 13 vs. Slovenia (Polokwane)
June 18 vs. United States (Johannesburg -- Ellis Park)
June 23 vs. England (Port Elizabeth)

Hey, Dad, Can I Run On The Field?

Probably not a good idea. Even if you're not drunk.

Wayne Consalvi told the newspaper that his son was not drinking and he wasn't on drugs. Steve Consalvi is "a real good student, heading to Penn State," his father told the Philadelphia Daily News.

The father also told the newspaper that his son didn't run onto the field as a result of a dare or bet, either.

"I don't recommend running on the field, but I don't think they should have Tased him at all," he told the newspaper.

This Taser debate won't go away anytime soon, either.

Is this excessive force on a kid who did something stupid? Should police be more restricted in when they can use the device?

There are some who believe it's a deadly way to get a suspect on the ground. Others say it's not terribly harmful.

No matter what you think about the Taser itself, the fact it was used on a 17-year-old baseball fan who was likely not a threat to anyone is going to spark debate for a few days, at least.

Of course, that 17-year-old fan -- especially one smart enough to get into college -- should probably understand the fact that it's not legal to run on the field during a game, and we do usually (sometimes?) have consequences in this country for people who break the law.

In this kid's case, that punishment apparently includes embarrassment in front of 40,000 people, and later a national television audience.

Congrats!

Next time, stay in your seat unless you're hungry, thirsty, or have to pee.

Hoffman's Struggles 'Lowlight' Awful April For Brewers

As the calendar flips from April to May, the Milwaukee Brewers probably couldn't be happier. It was a very rough opening month to the season.

While you don't win pennants in April and May, the old saying is that you can lose them, and the Brewers took a huge step in the wrong direction by going 10-14 during April.

Add Sunday's 8-0 loss to San Diego to the ledger, and the Crew sits at 10-15 as they head to Arizona and Los Angeles to complete this western swing.

Ouch.

Hoffman has been terrible, but his four blown saves aren't the only issue. To the contrary, they're simply one piece to a puzzle that seems to be growing every time the team takes the field.

The problems are mounting, and they're not just from one source.

Their best hitter might be Yovani Gallardo.

This an issue, being that Gallardo is a pitcher. While I'm half-joking (Ryan Braun is obviously the best hitter on the team), the Brewers got nice offensive contributions from Gallardo in two of his three wins. That's more than can be said about most of the team.

Prince Fielder is, um, well, not good.

We keep waiting for the big man to break out.

Still waiting.

Fielder is hitting a respectable .234. Well, it's respectable if he's suddenly turned into J.J. Hardy.

His OBP is .368, so he's being selective at the plate, yet the fact he has just two home runs and a meager .340 SLG suggest he is not seeing the ball well at all.

No easy way out of this slump, as many figured he would break out after getting his first home run of the season two weeks ago in Pittsburgh. Instead, his batting average has fallen even more since, and he looks awful frustrated at the dish.

Perhaps we need a gutsy pitcher to buzz the tower. Picking a fight with him might work, since nothing else has.

The pitching sucks.

Gallardo sits at a 3.00 ERA. Despite a disastrous start Sunday, Randy Wolf sits at 3.86. Dave Bush isn't very good, but he's still sitting at 4.60.

That's about all that's good.

Free-agent signee Doug Davis has an 8.87 ERA, and he has allowed 48 baserunners in just a shade over 22 innings. Chris Narveson -- recently named the fifth starter -- is terrible.

Making matters worse, Jeff Suppan is still on the team, and Latroy Hawkins (0-2, 6.97 ERA) joins Hoffman in the "struggling relievers" club. The team ERA is 5.09, which is better than last year, but still far less than good, mediocre, or even respectable.

Jim Edmonds is their best outfielder not named "Ryan Braun."

Corey Hart isn't hitting terribly well. Neither is Carlos Gomez.

We keep hanging our hats on the "they're young" excuse, but when you're getting outperformed by a guy (Edmonds) who didn't even bother to play baseball last year, you have problems.

Hart is at .258/.342/.439 so far. These numbers aren't good, but at least there's improvement over a year ago, when Hart couldn't find his ass with both hands.

Gomez, a disappointment in Minnesota, has shown flashes of ability in all phases, especially baserunning and defense. At .269/.310/.463, he's no Braun, but he's also been relatively decent at the plate.

Edmonds has impressed, small sample size aside. At .298/.394/.474, he is on pace to be a more-than-decent fourth outfielder, assuming Hart and Gomez can be a little better over the long haul.

Ken Macha appears to be struggling.

He has been overly reliant on a bullpen rotation, leaving guys in to get shelled because it's "their inning," a stupid argument that has little merit in the real world.

The issues in settling on a lineup aren't his fault, as he needs people to hit and get on base. When that doesn't happen, he has to try something different. Part of the gig.

But he's totally responsible for Hoffman and Hawkins getting blasted in various outings. If it's obvious that a guy doesn't have it in a game, regardless of the score, it's Macha's job to handle things more aggressively and make sure the right changes are made to facilitate success.

Oh, and the team simply can't go 0-3 on a weekend while getting outscored 25-4, then follow it up the next weekend by going 1-3 and getting outscored 21-2. They're not showing up at the ballpark with the right mindset, and if that doesn't change soon, Willie Randolph is going to find himself managing this team.