A different kind of preview (pt. 2)

SPORTING GOODS

Time for part two of our preview looking at World Cup finalists and their MLB alter-egos, along with any other thoughts I have on the groups.

For groups A and B, see here. Groups C and D below:

Group C:

Argentina - San Francisco Giants : Despite being booed a lot of places they go, they are generally always good, with few off years. The Barry Bonds / Diego Maradona paralells are somewhat obvious. Each is one of the most exciting, dominant offensive players of all time, but also hated by many because of his attitude. Throw in the obvious drug problem that each had, and the only thing we have to wait on is for Bonds to get fat later in his life. And go ahead and ask England and Dodger fans, and they will tell you that Argentina and the Giants cheated in some of their biggest ever wins. (click the links to see what I'm talking about, if you don't know).

Netherlands - Cleveland Indians: Exciting, high powered teams that aren't the true elite, but still scare the elite teams. Always a bit flashy, both teams fell out of prominence for a little while, but seem to be bouncing back very nicely.

Ivory Coast - Toronto Blue Jays: Being the best team in Africa is somewhat like being the best team in Canada. It means you are pretty good, but it doesn't mean you're going anywhere when it counts. OK, maybe that doesn't work any more now that Montreal has moved. The real connection is that people seem to think Cote d'Ivoire and a reloaded Toronto are a threat, but when you look at the two teams that they have to go against, you know that they will have to settle for third place.

Serbia & Montenegro - Hardware City Rockcats: Alright, they aren't that bad, and they somehow qualified out of Europe (while teams like Ireland, Norway and Greece did not), but S&M is ranked 46th in the world and is going nowhere in this group. Unfortunately, there are 32 teams in the World Cup finals and 30 in MLB, so I'll give a shout-out to New Bri'n.

I'll complain about the US draw, but despite what FIFA rankings say this may be the real "group of death," with the best team in Africa, a qualifier from Europe (which is no easy task), and what I rate as the 4th and 5th best teams in the world. If you enjoy soccer at all, don't miss the Argentina vs. Netherlands match. Argentina has some amazing strikers including Chelsea star Hernan Crespo and "the next Maradona" Lionel Messi, who will turn 19 during the Cup. Netherlands has some stars themselves, including Jaap Stam, whom you would not want to meet in a dark alley. Should be a fun group.

Group D:

Mexico - Chicago White Sox: Although they mostly do it by stopping the other team from scoring, they are starting to gain some offensive weapons. They are often better than their geographic rivals, but their neighbors don't necessarily think so.

Portugal - Anaheim Angels of the Western Hemisphere: When you think of this team, you think of speed and offense. Whether you like them or not, they are usually pretty fun to watch. Throughout history, they have had some success, but really it's been mostly disappointment for their fans.

Iran - Florida Marlins: Well it is often said that the Marlins owner is holding Florida hostage in his bid to get them to pay for a new stadium. Seriously though, with their history, who wants to root for these guys, even if they are better than you'd expect?

Angola- New Haven Ravens: Angola is the second lowest ranked team in the entire tournament, and since Togo is the lowest...well, let's just say where have you gone George Brett?

Group D is really a tale of two levels: Portugal and Mexico are probably top 10 in the world. Iran can actually play, but they shouldn't be a threat. Portugal is legendary for falling short of expectations, so their draw was pretty lucky. And I know that the recent anti-Mexico furvor has gotten out of hand for some people, but when it comes to soccer, it's completely warranted. We hate them, and they hate us. So, who do you root for in the Iran - Mexico match? Go Angola!

Groups E through H coming between now and the opening kickoff!