TheBaronOfFratton

Part 3:

^No, again it's completely different.I don't really care for rugby myself... Though it's become more popular at home this last 10 years or so (rugby 'union' that is, you see there's even two distinct versions of that - the other one being rugby 'league'!).

^NEVER! Heaven forbid... What I would suggest to him though, is to take a leaf out of Candice and Behati's book and, if you don't know what you're talking about then just say so!

^It's a completely different game, my friend. Australian Football is as American Football (hence, I guess, the need for the term 'soccer' there too?)... Yeah, a bit of Acker/Dacker and a meat pie - bonzer!!!

^I think if there is any cause for complaint - then surely it's VS's own fault? Here you have a US brand, selling (mostly) to US customers, with a 'diffusion' line of baseball gear of almost exclusive interest only to US citizens - and it's promoted by a South African and a Namibian??? For a start they could have told them both a thing or two before the press arrived..? Without getting bogged down with all that 'who's an "Angel"?' rigmarole (please ), having Marisa Miller as their sole US representative must be an oversight on VS's part? And baseball is such a peculiarly US sport that you'd be hard-pressed (outside of Canada, Japan and Cuba) to find anybody who could tell you much about it... As Behati said, this was only her first time in Chicago - hardly inspiring for the White Sox! What was wrong with using Chanel, or Lindsay, or Erin (or is it totally beyond the realms of possibility to promote VS without using Candice?!! )? There's no guarantee that they'd know anything more about it - but I guess at some point in their past they'd have at least learnt the rules at school? Still, it makes a nice change for the 'boot to be on the other foot' for once... I mean only last week we had Zac Efron (admittedly, not being paid to represent a brand) talking about a World Cup he clearly knows nothing about, saying he: "couldn't wait for the States game on Saturday - against Man United"!!!

Part 4: + "Special" Meisa In Rome addendum: (le fin, Hime le fin...)

^I take your point. I was talking about it at an emotional level - I was a decent enough player at school etc, but never that great. I don't think that has helped or hindered my interest in watching it though...I too really enjoy tennis. But I'm absolutely shit at that!!! I think it's because I played badminton first - too much wrist-action ( ) - so whenever I played the ball just used to go flying into the stratosphere! However, I watch all the Grand Slams (Wimbledon next week, clashes looming ) and understand the different styles of play and eagerly await particular match-ups on particular surfaces. Also, when I went to live in Australia, I instantly got into "Aussie Rules" football. So much so that once the season started I went to see my adopted team whenever they were playing a 'home' fixture. Not sure why I became so smitten, so quickly but - like football (as Qball and red_ed testified) - it's very free-flowing and 'end-to-end' stuff. There are also lots more goals. So maybe you and Matt should check it out!

Part 2:

^Indeed - some positions a better starting eleven too! Zanetti would never have allowed that Korean goal... <_< And didn't France do much the same thing last time around - and then miraculously (and undeservedly) make it all the way to the final?

^The last 30 minutes were lots of fun - but that first 15 of the second-half were stupidly tense... You can forget, when you're often watching just for the enjoyment of the game, how uncomfortable it can be when it's your bloody team. After that I calmed down with Greece/Nigeria. I was looking for a draw anyway - so that we'd be the first to go through( ) - but really I just wanted Nigeria to equalise so that Enyeama's one mistake wouldn't cost them. He's been great otherwise, over both games - but, I guess, that's a goalkeeper's burden...

^My lawd, if Bomb.tv updates weren't enough to be getting on with - [Y.S.V.W] have gone and released a new web-book too! Hubba-Hubba!!!

July's J.Crew catalogue:

^ ^I particularly liked it when she mentioned Namibia and he just didn't respond in the slightest. I guessed he had no idea what that was, and felt it best to pretend he hadn't heard!

^Opening rounds are always a little cagey (age-old adage that, whatever else happens, you just don't want to lose that first game) - but it does seem 'wider open' than we were led to believe... (Cue aching predictability from here-on in! ) Anyway, I just wanted to suggest - to get into the whole South African spirit - that you open this: http://www.vuvuzela.fm/ whenever you come to this thread...

Today is Argentina Vs. South Korea - hence I'm not posting any of the various pictures of Song Jina in her patriotic finery. This set though, Hime, was seemingly made for me(!): (Could do with some more 'leaning over the table' shots though... )

As best you can - ignore this guy's fatuous questions...

This reporter is an oaf. But *sigh* he's fairly easy to ignore...

Star Wars Wedding Cake: Awww, what a cute couple. At least they found each other... :|

^Oh lawd, BB - trying to quantify why I like football (yeah, yeah... ) is like trying to quantify why I like cheese. I just do! I mean, I suppose I could say how - for me anyway - it's always been part of my life. In Argentina it's wildly popular, and people are born into supporting their local/family team (Banfield ) and, of course, the national squad. Football is always televised during the regular season, and we watch the European leagues as well. International events are greeted with great anticipation and massive fervour throughout their duration. It would be easy to make fun of the US, as just being 'out of touch' with the rest of the world in this respect. Mind you - things like this headline don't help: (<Thanks to Michael*) (Ugh! Just how wrong can one headline be?) But there is some truth to that: You don't have the same history. I know you've had attempts both in the past, and more recently to establish leagues with big name stars (and your national team are no pushovers) - but as far as I was aware it's seen as more of a fringe thing, or even 'just for women'? I can appreciate, and even like "American football" - but both baseball and basketball leave me distinctly cold. Then again, I've not been raised in an environment where they were the norm, or I played them at school etc... Polo is a big deal for us too - and that's pretty unique. I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else around who knows the rules to that - even in the UK (where it's far more an elitist sport). But, not everybody at home loves football (just most!) Not even everybody in Brasil either. Maybe percentage-wise we're pretty high - I don't know??? These things aren't scientific. It's not actually in our DNA! Maybe it is environmental though - and the sheer passion that's surrounded football since I was old enough to notice has perhaps simply seeped into my bones..? Still doesn't explain my fondness for cheese though!

From Desktop Girl Collection (Part 1):

These are vintage, I'm sure - and very similar to my own post #19. But I think she looks so hot in these little RQ outfits...

^Isn't it horrific enough? I can only feel like that's gilding the lily...

^"Plucky" is such a patronising term when applied to sports - and I'm loathe to use it... But those North Koreans provided a massively entertaining game today. How refreshing (particularly after Côte d'Ivoire/Portugal) not to see players writhing around in mock agony each minute after every contentious tackle. I mean, we only had about 5 seconds of added-on time in the first half due to the lack of such histrionics! Don't know if they'll be able to keep that impetus up, but that group doesn't seem like quite such a done deal anymore. I suspect, however, back in Pyongyang (and with some careful editing) that their famous 1-0 win over Brasil will be justly celebrated!!!

^Jesus Christ? Now THAT was a comeback!!!

those are also the kind of pics where i think to myself whom i like better...and i usually cannot decide ^Then here are some more to fret over! Because I'm a completist... From NBC (Chicago):