World Cup: Germany v. Paraguay

We have reached the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup.  So far, we have had two games in the Round of 32.  Yesterday, Canada scored in injury time to beat South Africa 1-0.  Earlier today, Brazil trailed 1-0 at the half, but fought back to beat Japan 2-0.

Now we have Germany v. Paraguay.  Germany dominated possession in the first half, but failed to score.  On the other hand, Paraguay did score late in the first half to take a 1-0 lead into the break.  Now Paraguay just has to defend that lead for approximately 55 minutes, and they will be in the Round of 16.

A Poem for Father's Day

Yes, I know Father's Day was last Sunday, but I just found this poem today.  It's by an American poet named Joseph Fasano (born 1982).

My Father Watching Baseball

What he doesn't say

is he wanted this with all his life,

the smell of grass, the crack of bat

each morning,

the whole world simplified to wonder.

You have to understand

he had nothing.  You have to understand

his father still carried a war in him

and my father had to carry it also.

It was 1973, once.  My father stood

on the mound of Yankee Stadium, the men

who had invited him were watching,

and he leaned back and asked his life

not to fail him.  It didn't

work out, as the cheap books say.

A whole life selling tools and hope to strangers.

(A life will try to call its prison

beauty.  Every morning, every night

of trial.)

But now he sits

in the aching of his rocker

and mutters "we" when he means

a team of strangers, and calls me up

to ask me if I saw it,

and tells me of a game I have no stake in,

and the green grass, and the trouble

of his country,

and the things men do

to win the game they're playing,

the double play, the bunt, the K, the homer,

and his favorite play of all,

the sacrifice.

Last Day of the Sports Year

The sports year begins with football season in late August, goes through the fall, winter, and spring, and ends tonight with the final game of the College World Series.  Here are this year's major sports champions:

MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers

NCAA Football:  Indiana Hoosiers

NFL Football:  Seattle Seahawks

NCAA Women's Basketball:  U.C.L.A. Bruins

NCAA Men's Basketball:  Michigan Wolverines

NCAA Softball:  Texas Longhorns

NBA:  New York Knicks

And so, today, we get the last game of the NCAA Baseball Championship between the Oklahoma Sooners and the North Carolina Tar Heels.  Oklahoma won the first game of the final series, 9 to 3.  But yesterday, North Carolina struck back for a 6-2 victory.  So tonight will be the title decider.

As you can tell from the list above, it's been a disappointing season for teams in the Classic SEC.  But it's been a pretty good year.  Both the World Series and the NBA Playoffs were particularly good.

College Baseball Update

We have had an extraordinary run of sports in June -- a tremendous NBA finals series, a bright start to the World Cup, and a thrilling U.S. Women's Golf Open.  So we haven't had as much time for NCAA Baseball as we would like.

After a barrage of upsets, the Classic SEC will miss the finals of the College World Series for the first time since 2018, when Oregon State beat Arkansas.  Since 2018, the Classic SEC had won the CWS six years in a row:

2019:  Vanderbilt

2020:  N/A

2021:  Mississippi St.

2022:  Mississippi

2023:  Louisiana St.

2024:  Tennessee

2025:  Louisiana St.

But not this year.  Here's what happened (seedings in parentheses):

BRACKET ONE:

(16) W. Virginia 7, Troy 5

(5) N. Carolina 6, Mississippi 2

Troy 12, Mississippi 8 (Mississippi eliminated)

(5) N. Carolina 5, (16) W. Virginia 2

(16) W. Virginia 12, Troy 0 (Troy eliminated)

(5) N. Carolina 12, (16) W. Virginia 7 (W. Virginia eliminated)

BRACKET TWO:

Oklahoma 9, (7) Alabama 0

(3) Georgia 7, (6) Texas 1

(6) Texas 14, (7) Alabama 2 (Alabama eliminated)

Oklahoma 4, (3) Georgia 3

(3) Georgia 2, (6) Texas 0 (Texas eliminated)

Oklahoma 11, (3) Georgia 4 (Georgia eliminated)

So it will be North Carolina v. Oklahoma in a best two-of-three playoff to wrap up the 2025-26 sports year.  Carolina has never won the CWS.  Oklahoma won it in 1951 and 1994.

College Baseball Update

Today in Bracket Two, we have the following matchups:

Texas v. Alabama

Oklahoma v. Georgia

And I just want to comment that at my age, I will never accept Texas and Oklahoma as members of the Southeastern Conference.