Farewell to 2010-2011

Looking back, it’s been a deceptively eventful year.

Post-Gold-Cup Thoughts

Tim Howard is a total wanker.  There’s just no excuse for what he said.  He should be happy about this.  Though to be fair, he’s clearly pissed about the Dos Santos goal, which really isn’t his fault.  Also, he was pretty much awesome the whole tournament.  Maybe simply great during the final, instead of superhuman, but he’s allowed that.

Losing Steve Cherundolo sucked, but as everyone on the planet has noted, Bornstein had no business as his replacement.  Neither should Bradley have moved Lichaj off the left.  While granting that the defense was thin, and that Bocanegra had been effective in the center of the defense, and granting that Ream’s last game prior to be benched was ugly, I *still* would have brought Ream (or even Spector) over Bornstein.  Maybe moved Bocanegra out to the right, but Bornstein was an unmitigated disaster.  Bad choice, Huh Bob.

I’ve gained a grudging respect for Michael Bradley. I  used to think he was only on the team because his dad was the coach (is there anything more American than having dad coach your team?), but he earned his spot in spades.

I think Bob Bradley managed to play all nine US midfielders (except maybe Robbie Rogers) during the Gold Cup.  Quite an accomplishment, and frankly, he was pretty smart in his choices regarding who played when (yes, that’s a backhanded reference to Sasha Kljestan and, sort of, Freddy Adu).  And once he got away from that stupid 4-4-2 and instituted the 4-2-3-1, it actually effing worked, and worked well as a formation.

Also, Bedoya?  Good things there.  More of that, please.  He’s not Donovan, but he can capably take his place as Donovan ages.

The USMNT was woefully short on forwards.  I know that Dempsey can play up front, but when you’re forced to have Agudelo as your base starter – and I like Agudelo, but he’s only 18 – you’ve done something wrong.  Wondolowski should have been given a chance, or the US should have brought at least one more striker.  Bad Bob.

The USMNT performance against Mexico wasn’t that great, but that has a lot more to do with the loss of Cherundolo and the resulting confidence-destroying disaster that was Bornstein – oh, and the fact that Mexico brought their A+ game – than it does with any new long-term problems with the US.  They got beat by a much better team.  It happens.  Also?  This is great news for Mexico, and, I think, Western Hemisphere soccer.

Finally, if Bob Bradley brings back the 4-4-2, can him.  Can him immediately.

Evidence Please

From a letter to the editor in the Lebanon Express:

Allowing teens to drink alcohol under adult supervision does not teach responsible drinking.

In fact, this approach may actually lead to more drinking and alcohol-related consequences. Please remind your teen to “think before they drink.”

Oh, come on.  Let’s think this through.  A parent tells their kid to think before they drink, then refuses to let them drink at home where the parent can engage with the teen about alcohol, as well as monitor alcohol consumption and promote safe drinking behavior?  Instead, the parent punts the kid into the arms of their peers?

Yeah.  That’ll work.

This is basically an abstinence-only, head-in-the-sand approach to alcohol, and there’s a boatload of evidence that suggests that abstinence-only sex education simply doesn’t work.  I’m sure turning a 21-year-old with no information about alcohol consumption loose at Merlin’s or Peacock East, where they can learn the finer points of tolerance, will work perfectly fine.

I’d love to see evidence that an abstinence-only approach is effective with alcohol.  Anyone?

 

 

US v. Panama Lineup and Prediction

UPDATE:  Well, I got that one wrong.  US 1-0 Panama.  I did, however, call the benching of Donovan, the presence of Kljestan and Bedoya, and the formation… not that the presence of Kljestan was effective.

 

Goal over at the NYT has a horribly titled blog post:  The only sense in which the US is peaking is relative.  They’re certainly not playing to the best of their ability.  It’s more like they’ve pulled themselves out of the ditch they spent group play in.

Anyway.  Goal asks two questions about the upcoming US-Panama match:

Coach Bob Bradley faces a few roster decisions: Landon Donovan is likely to return to the starting lineup after coming on as a second-half substitute against Jamaica. Assuming Donovan starts, who goes to the bench? Sacha Kljestan or Alejandro Bedoya? And with Jozy Altidore likely to miss the match because of a hamstring injury, does Juan Agudelo, who played well against Jamaica, start in his place?

I have answers:  Bench Donovan and start Agudelo.  Or, if you must play Donovan, for fuck’s sake don’t mess with the formation.  Place Donovan on the right for Bedoya or in the middle for Kljestan – Donovan can play either position, and though he’s used to be on the wing, as he gets older and slows down he should move into the middle.  Just don’t ditch the 4-2-3-1 that was so effective against Jamaica.

But really, just bench Donovan.  He’s got great ability, but it’s a) time to start giving some younger players like Bedoya a chance, and b) time to play the people who are playing well.

As for Agudelo, remind him to slow play down and pass when he’s got two defenders on him.  The US attack was effective when he allowed Kljestan, Bedoya and Dempsey to get forward.

It’s all sort of a moot point anyway, as the US team will pull an England and just sort of not show up.  2-0 Panama.

A US Lineup for Gold Cup Soccer

Much has been said about the poor showing of the US men’s national team at the Gold Cup so far.  Dirty Tackle and the NYT’s Goal have probably been the two best sources for commentary, and, unsurprisingly, both have commented on the US roster and lineup choices.  Without going into the mistakes that have been made in the past, I want to offer a suggestion for the upcoming US-Jamaica match.

First of all, the US needs to get away from the 4-4-2.  They just don’t have the right people for it.  That said, here’s how I think they should line up:

Howard

Cherundolo – Goodson – Bocanegra – Lichaj

Bradley – Kljestan – Jones

Donovan – Altidore – Dempsey

Yes, that’s a 4-3-3.  I generally consider it a very offensive formation, and the US tends to play slightly more defensive soccer, so this might not be the first thing that comes to mind… but since it seems to be conventional wisdom to everyone by Bob Bradley that the simple formations played by the US are holding the team back, it’s time to ask more from the players.

So why would this formation work?  I’ll handle it by position.

Defense

Cherundolo and Lichaj can both get forward, and in a 4-3-3 that’s needed, even if only  a bit.  The weak point of this formation against Jamaica is speed – Bocanegra and Goodson are at risk of being outpaced in the center.  However, the aerial ability and overall experience the two bring to the positions is worth the risk, for me, especially since….

Midfield

Bradley and Jones are really playing as defensive mids.  Or at least Jones is – Bradley could be freed to get forward more quickly if necessary.  The key here, though, is that Kljestan should be freed up to be an attacking midfielder.  With Dempsey, Donovan and Altidore all on as attacking players, there should be no shortage of good targets.  And having a true defensive mid can stop runs early.  As well, this really means the US can pack the midfield with three mids and let the fullbacks and attacking wingers take care of the outside of the pitch.

Forwards

With a 4-3-3, the two outside forwards are really attacking wingers – think the Barcelona mold, where Pedro and Villa often come into the center around the opponent’s 18, but also track back.  That’s exactly what Donovan and Dempsey can do in this formation, and it plays to their versatility as midfielders who can create chances, score for themselves, and play adequate defense.  This formation also relies on them to track back on the wings and help out, but they both have, when they’re on their game, the ability to play hard for a full 90.  In a pinch, Altidore can play as a lone target man for Kljestan if the wingers are occupied; otherwise, the obvious targets here are slashing runs from or to the wings depending on the positioning of Jamaica’s fullbacks.

Substitutes

Bedoya (the US version of Jesus Navas of Spain in the 2010 World Cup?) is the obvious sub here, on for Donovan or Dempsey if the formation is to hold.  If Bradley feels like they must return to a 4-4-2, I’d suggest moving Dempsey up front and Bedoya on for Kljestan, with Donovan on the wing and Bradley and Jones in the center of midfield.  Or dropping Altidore and moving Bedoya to the right and Dempsey up front as the lone striker.

A straight swap of Wondolowski for Altidore could also be in the cards.

Alternate Formations

This formation could also be run as a 4-5-1 with Altidore as the lone striker if more defensive emphasis was desired.

Or a 4-4-1-1 with Dempsey playing in behind Altidore/Wondo and Bedoya on the wing in place of Kljestan.  The problem here is that the US would sacrifice the third centerline midfielder and lose the potential numerical advantage.

The bottom line here is that the US, outside of Bedoya, doesn’t have any pure wingers but does have a ton of midfielders, and playing a 4-4-2 is not playing to their strength.  They’ve struggled so far, and something needs to change.  Why not introduce a different formation?  Many USMNT players are accustomed to them from their time in Europe (and hell, even in MLS).  Just because it mostly works for Alex Ferguson is no reason for Bradley to stick to it….

Capitalism’s Zombie Dance

From Francis Spufford’s Red Plenty and courtesy of LGM:

But Marx had drawn a nightmare picture of what happened to human life under capitalism, when everything was produced only in order to be exchanged; when true qualities and uses dropped away, and the human power of making and doing itself became only an object to be traded. Then the makers and the things made turned alike into commodities, and the motion of society turned into a kind of zombie dance, a grim cavorting whirl in which objects and people blurred together till the objects were half alive and the people were half dead. Stock-market prices acted back upon the world as if they were independent powers, requiring factories to be opened or closed, real human beings to work or rest, hurry or dawdle; and they, having given the transfusion that made the stock prices come alive, felt their flesh go cold and impersonal on them, mere mechanisms for chunking out the man-hours. Living money and dying humans, metal as tender as skin and skin as hard as metal, taking hands, and dancing round, and round, and round, with no way ever of stopping; the quickened and the deadened, whirling on.

Beyond the Beat

For a short time anyway, I’ll be writing a recap & analysis piece for Beyond the Beat on each home men and women’s soccer game at OSU.  I’ve written three so far and have maybe five more to go over the remainder of the regular season.  It’s fun!

Two cents on the latest PR stunt from OSU

Last week, there was a 3-months in the making flash mob on the MU Quad at OSU:

While the title music from the Bollywood film “Salaam-E-Ishq” boomed through the air, first one, and then another dancer stepped out of the crowd to join in the energetic choreography.

In all, more than 70 Oregon State University students and staff — co-conspirators in the surprise event, which had been months in the making — shed jackets and sweatshirts to reveal bright orange T-shirts and join in the synchronized dance moves.

Except that, you know, an event three months in the making and run by an intern who is working for OSU University Marketing and planned the event as part of OSU’s multi-year Powered by Orange campaign isn’t a flash mob.  It’s a PR stunt.  One GT commenter says as much:

But this wasn’t a flash mob — this was a PR stunt, months in the making, with details planned right down to having photographers and video cameras. Planned buy the folks who are charged with using social “new media” to advance the OSU brand and make folks feel good about being on campus.

A second commenter disagrees about the motivation of the person who organized things:

I feel that you’re being disrespectful to her in suggesting that she had an agenda beyond that of bringing together a diverse group of people to share in her love of dance.

Unfortunately, the most charitable explanation I think is viable is that even if her intention was pure – and frankly, as an intern at OSU Marketing, I have trouble believing that – it just means that the organizer of the event was used by OSU’s Powered by Orange campaign to advance the university’s image.  After all, flash mobs don’t usually happen with such buy-in from on high – and nor do they result in everyone wearing a T-shirt made just for the event.

This actually reminds me a bit of coolhunting, which is not a good thing.  I know a few people involved in this PR stunt, and they don’t seem to realize that one more activity that could have been filed under ‘play’ has now been subsumed under the Society of the Spectacle.  The lack of critical thinking/awareness is really depressing.

Blast from the Past: Hering Writes a Shitty Editorial and I Get Annoyed

I’ve long wondered what it would take for the Gazette-Times to stop printing material from nearby Democrat-Herald Editor Hasso Hering.  Given his latest, I suspect the answer is ‘nothing.’  Hering:

“Plastic trash is said to be accumulating in the oceans, causing trouble for fish and other creatures. So it’s easy to have sympathy for banning especially those flimsy bags, which supposedly blow around in the wind and end up in the water.”

Hering uses the phrase “is said” to imply that someone – someone unknown – says this is true but it might not be; however, five seconds of research will make it clear that there is a lot of plastic trash in the ocean.  As one of the commenter suggests, maybe Hering should do some basic research.  Hering’s attempt to cast doubt on the existence of the patch is, well, about as assholish as he usually is, and sort of cheap besides; any semblance of charity would have included some kind of sourcing for that claim.

Hering, again:

“But just as serious as those hazards — in a different vein and in the long run — is government meddling in how people live and what they must and must not do.”

Nope.  Not even close.  Government meddling in peoples’ lives?  Terrible.  Terrible, I say!  People destroying the planet’s ecosystem?  Infinitely worse, since without an ecosystem there will be no place for people to gather and form that meddlesome government in the first place.

It’s almost like Hering doesn’t think people should have to cooperate at all, despite living in relatively close proximity and sharing a rather limited pool of resources.  Must be nice to live in such a fantasy world.  Hering:

“Maybe they will want stores to start selling milk in bulk so we can quit losing sleep over all those containers of plastic or coated cardboard.”

Or maybe they’ll just sell milk in recyclable and reusable glass containers, like some companies do now.  Come on. Was this editorial written by a fucking moron? [Don’t answer that. – Ed.]

“…nobody would have believed that early in the 21st century a state government would consider passing a law that governs how you carry your groceries home.”

Nobody?  I bet there are more than a thousand people in Corvallis who would believe that, and for good reason, too.  Here, Hering makes the mistake of assuming that just because he didn’t think of something, no one else would either.  What arrogance – to say nothing of the fact that a ban on plastic bags doesn’t dictate how you carry them home, unless such a ban included outlawing owning plastic bags.  If he’s so attached to them, he could just get his groceries to his car, then transfer them to plastic bags.  Otherwise maybe he should stick to making claims that are relevant to the point he’s trying to make.  Hering:

“How about this: You go in for a pound of cherries, but there’s no bag to put them in? Do they want you to carry them to the check stand in your cupped hands, then put them on the conveyor belt one by one or in a heap?  They’re not talking about banning those kind of plastic bags now. But who knows what’s next?”

This is a textbook example of a slippery slope argument.  Hering brings up an unrelated point for which there is no evidence and tries to shoehorn it into the topic he’s talking about.  Sorry, but like the glass containers, what if people used recyclable cardboard to carry fruit – you know, like many of us do now?

“But going to a store and expecting to get a bag in which to carry out your purchases — that ranks pretty low on the scale of consumer foolishness. Merchants have been wrapping up people’s purchases for a hundred years or more. It is not a crime against nature to rely on that traditional service that commerce provides.”

Let’s see – is it possible that bags are a hidden cost?  That stores already charge consumers for them?  Sure it is.  So we can still expect to get a bag to carry purchases, but the cost could now be separated out from the items we put in the bag.  In fact, I can imagine an editorial in which Hering clamors for exactly this kind of transparency in costs, as it’s good for the consumer.  Oh, and it might not be a crime against nature to want one’s goods bagged, but insofar as crimes against nature exist, creating patches of garbage in the ocean that measure in the hundreds of square miles kind of counts, y’know?

I swear, the Gazette-Times must think their readers are idiots.  Well, that or they’re trying to make us that way by printing this dreck.

The Gulf

From boston.com’s The Big Picture.

I recently posted on Facebook that I’ve picked a career:  That I want someone to pay me to document and explain the fall of the American Empire.

I wasn’t really joking.

New Blog about the LCSD?

A comment on this post points me to this story in the Express, and in the comments section I find this link:

I find it appalling that there is even a single member on this board who would not only consider Mr. Martin’s behavior to be acceptable, but would actively encourage it. In order to ensure a functional society, we have a system of rules in place which are designed to encourage civil, polite discourse and to allow that every voice is heard. In my opinion, to see board members actively encourage members of the community to participate in bullying behavior and act outside of established school board procedures is an ethical violation of the highest order.

That’s regarding the Christmas program kerfluffle at Pioneer.  I’ve got to say that I think Tim’s got a point:  How the community handled it created a really unwelcome environment for non-Christian students and their families.  At the least, Martin, as a school board member, should know better than to condone that, at least in public.

Also, does this mean we have a new LCSD blogger in town?

Earlier school day for LHS students?

From the Lebanon Express:

Lebanon High School will start earlier — 35 minutes earlier — and get out earlier, running 7:40 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. next year rather than 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

As soon as I read this I got confused, because there’s been research in the news recently suggesting that earlier start times are not actually good for high school students.  And lo, someone else is on the ball:

But a movement is afoot in protest of the earlier start time for the high school.

Sophomore Misa Smith started the Facebook fan page “Stop LHS from starting early!” The page has 87 members.

I would love to hear from Rob Hess and Bo Yates why they are pushing for an earlier start time, given the tendency for teens to have sleep cycles that run later.  And I assume both are well beyond the “it’s better for them to grow up!” rhetoric, since the evidence suggests otherwise.   At least I hope they are – I expect to hear that from commenters and some parents, but not LCSD officials.

Also, the FB page is now over 100 members.

What’s up with Sansom?

The Lebanon Express had a story recently on all the administrator changes going on in the LCSD (yes, I am still sort of following everything…..).  From the story:

Seven Oak Middle School principal Ed Sansom said he put in a request for transfer to the high school “some time ago.”

“We’ve done a pretty good job at Seven Oak,” Sansom said. “Having worked with Bo Yates, it will be a good transition to provide a quality curriculum.”

Sansom said he would try and help create a seamless transition from sixth through 12th grades.

Sansom has worked as principal of Seven Oak for seven years, the longest he’s stayed in one building for his entire career, he said.

I laughed a little when I heard this, because Yates used to work for Sansom and now the situation is reversed.  The transfer also raises the question of why the LCSD is keeping Sansom on at all, since from what I hear, he’s not fit the district very well.

When I read the story, I also looked up administrator licensure info for the people who are moving.  One thing, again about Sansom, caught my eye:  There is activity on his account pending March 15th, 2010.  That means he’s applying for a license…. or that someone has filed a complaint against him.  Given his recent past in the LCSD, I dug a tiny bit and found that yes, there are rumors that there’s a pending complaint against Sansom.

If this is true, then it raises a question of why he’s being transferred becomes even more interesting.  Paging the Lebanon Express.…

Editorial Cartoon on the LCSD School Board

From the LE’s Jeff Smith (click to embiggen):

Jeff is awesome.  All hail Jeff!

OSU Foundation Survey

A week or two ago – I wasn’t really paying attention – I got an email from the OSU Foundation CEO, asking me to take a survey on his behalf.  I ignored it, because hey, he happily ID’ed himself as the CEO, and we all know how I feel about that.

Two days ago I got another email from someone else from the OSU asking me to take the same survey.  Marketing tactic?  You bet. Did it work?  Sure – I decided to see what they wanted to know.  Three minutes in, it was clear they were doing research to figure out how to increase giving.  Wholly unsurprising, and I answered it relatively honestly, though I didn’t go all-out with the acerbic commentary.  (I do wonder if it was an all-alum email or if I was targeted, though.)

There were also a few questions that struck me as painfully bad, which is the genesis of this post.  All were on a Likert scale of 1-5 from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.  The first statement of note:

I like what OSU represents.

Hm.  What does OSU represent, exactly?  If I say I like it, what am I liking?  Well, whatever the person who is presenting the survey results wants me to like!

This is bad social science, I thought when I read the question.  Then I realized the standards were far lower:  This is marketing.  Strongly Disagree.  Next.

OSU understands my needs.

What does this even mean? Is OSU my significant other?  My psychiatrist?  My friggin’ cat?  This was a survey addressed to alumnus – why do I care if OSU understands my needs?  I don’t need anything from them… except maybe to not be asked such asinine questions.  Also, what if my needs are not to be bugged by the Foundation for money?  Can they meet that need?  Didn’t think so.  Strongly Disagree; I need OSU not to become a goddamn corporation. (Later in the survey, they ask several questions about my giving habits.  Har.)

The final statement of note:

My OSU education helps me to be who I want to be.

Ooohhh….. now this is a marketing question!  Ironically, it is also very true that what I got out of college had far more to do with becoming a particular person than it was a job or career path.  In that sense, it’s a great question!  Too bad this was a marketing survey designed to get alum to donate more, and I hate that shit.  My answer was a lie.

Bottom line:  I don’t think I was that helpful, beyond the fact that I responded.  I did answer one question very truthfully:  I feel a connection to my old department, not to OSU as a whole.  That much is true.

I can’t wait for the Philosophy Department faculty and Chair to be forced to send out fundraising emails to alum.  This is gonna be great.