Wambach Or Morgan...??? Which Last-Second Goal Is Better...???

((HT: IOC/Televiso))

We all know the Women's World Cup game ender against Brazil...
Rapinoe to Wambach in injury time in extra time to advance to the final...

Now, we have another one that ranks right up there for suspense, meaning, and all the other predicate nouns that are associated with nationalistic athletics...

Down 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 the USWNT came back three separate times against Canada in the women's soccer semifinals in London...

The game went into extra time tied at 3 and stayed that way until the end again... all that was missing was Ian Darke...


Alex Morgan's header sends them into the finals against Japan...
Again...

What say you...??? Wambach or Morgan...???

"Bob, When's It's 12:00... You Say G'night!"

((HT: YetiGrahams/FirstCoastNews))

Full disclosure...

The HQ considers Jacksonville sports director Dan Hicken to be a part of the FOSG fraternity... one we consider as friend, confidant, and source for everything First Coast...

Brother Phil has even been threatened that Hicken would re-hire him at the drop of a hat... something the HQ will fight with all the resources we have...

Hick has been Sports Director since 1991, so he has seen the shenanigans that happen when network broadcasts go over their allotted time...

Doesn't mean he's happy about it...


Before we go, the HQ gives a tip-of-the-hat to main adult table sitter Donna Deegan as she heads into news retirement and will devote her time fully to her Foundation...

You go, girl...

Another London Disaster: This Time In Badminton

((HT: IBTimes))

The HQ knows that sandbagging goes on...

Some folks think that it happens in pro hoops as teams try to get squared away for draft position. Clippers owner Donald Sterling even had a public display a few years ago telling his team to tank...

Now it has apparently happened in London in badminton...

The early part of the medal search is done in Group/Round Robin play and when four pairs of teams from South Korea, Indonesia, and China tanked in their matches, the Badminton World Federation expelled each of the eight athletes for on-court inactivity.

Basically, not playing out points and letting the shuttlecock drop...

Here's the story from London by Londoners...


And, yes, the HQ said "shuttlecock..."

Tunisian Hoops Coach Gives Player A Slap

((HT: IOC/ChelseaSwagHD))

In the huddle no less...



The HQ guesses this is what happens when you lose to the US reserves 110-63...

Especially when you're a 54-point dog...

The US was actually only up 13 at the break, but a 39-14 third put the game out of reach. The red, white, and blue had 6 in double figures led by Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony who had 16 each. No one played more than 25 minutes (Chris Paul) and Anthony Davis got in 12 points in 14 minutes...

The Runner Without A Country

((HT: CNN))

The HQ admits that when we were watching the opening parade from London, one of the more fun groups out there to see take a lap was the group of four "Independent" athletes who did nothing but dance and mug for the cameras.

Which was cool to see... when the Netherlands Antilles mixes with the South Sudan you wonder why all the participants can't just be "independent."

Christiane Amanpour has the story of Guor Marial who grew up a "Lost Boy" and ended up found in the US... while still thinking of home...

Another Clock Malfunction Causes Fencing Fiasco In London

((HT: IOC/youtube))

A timing error in the last second of a fencing semi-final led to a 20-minute sit-in while a controversial decision was made in the women's individual epeé. The semifinal was between South Korean Shin A Lam and German Britta Heidemann.

With one second remaining in the match, Heidemann needed to score a touch on Shin to win, but Shin would have advanced if they finished tied. The clock got stuck allowing Heidemann several extra seconds to score.

Here's the ending...


Officials awarded the win and a chance at the gold medal to Heidemann.

Shin sat down refusing to leave. Fencing rules say that if you leave the floor, you accept the decision of the officials. Officials eventually removed Shin from the fencing platform after 20 minutes as the appeal was denied.

Busy First Day At Five-Ringed Circus In London: Suspensions and Delays

First, THE IAAF has announced nine athletes have been suspended ahead of the London 2012 Games for doping. The list include eight women and one man: Ukrainian runners Nataliya Tobias and Antonina Yefremova, Bulgarian sprinter Inna Eftimova, Moroccan marathon runner Abderrahim Goumri, Greek steeplechaser Irini Kokkinariou, Turkish distance runner Meryem Erdogan, and Russian long-distance runners Svetlana Klyuka, Nailiya Yulamanova and Yevgenina Zinurova.

Then, as the Colombian women were set to play the North Koreans at Hampden Park in Glasgow, North Korea's women's Olympic soccer team refused to start match because of a flag dispute.

The South Korean flag was mistakenly displayed on the matrix board during player introductions, and for 40 minutes (and counting) the DPR squad failed to start the game. The two countries, South and North Korea, went to war in 1950 and an armistice was signed. But the two countries have one of the most fortified borders on the planet even today.

More when we know more...

1540 UPDATE: London Olympic organizers have apologized to North Korea for displaying South Korean flag and the match is set to start in Group G at any moment...

Here's the oops, thanks to our friends at CBSSports and James Crossans' Twitter Feed...

Oscar Pistorius Qualifies For Five-Ringed Circus

((HT: BallzRadio))

This just qualifies as a cool story... and when you listen below, the first question is the best part:

"What's it like to run in two Olympics in the same year...?"

South Africa's "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius was named to the 400 meter squad and the 4x400 relay team. The South African committee waited until the very last to reverse their initial decision not to have him on their 125-person roster since they claimed he hadn't met the basic criteria to qualify in the first place. A last-month qualifying run at the Africans Championships gave him two "A" runs that could have made him eligible.

"Since he's going to be there (in London), our decision is he can run both," Olympic committee chief executive Tubby Reddy told The Associated Press. "There's no reason why he can't. Our decision is he can."

Here's the interview Ballz did with Pistorius after he was named to the squad...

He'll be one of the biggest draws to the event in London in track and field... and it'll be interesting to see how he makes out.

US Women Start Four-Ringed Qualifying With 14 Goals

And, yes, it was in one game...

At BC Place in Vancouver, it was a busy night for USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage and the stars and bars. The United States scored three goals in the first seven minutes in a 14-0 rout of the Dominican Republic in the opening game of CONCACAF qualifying.

Amy Rodriguez tied a U.S. record with five goals in a game -- all in the second half -- and the 14 goals are the most the Americans have ever scored in a game, besting their previous mark of 12.

But the larger concern in the tournament is the seriousness of the knee injury of Ali Krieger- a team spokesman said the injury was "serious" and would be reevaluated.

The tourney also has Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and only two berths will be awarded out of qualifying...

Here's some of the goals, since it would take all night to edit them together...
((HT: UniversalSports))

Jim Redmond Selected For Five-Ringed Torch Run

The HQ knows what you're thinking...

Who is Jim Redmond...???
This VISA ad will remind you...
((HT: VISA/youtube))


He has been chosen as one of the torch runners for the summer competition to be held in London this year... which is cool...

He has already said in interviews that he plans to be the slowest runner during the relay... which is perfectly fine with us...