Horses, hats and hangovers

I'm full of jealousy today. Friends sent me pictures from their recent trip to Royal Ascot, the oldest horse race meeting in the world. They've held the five-day Royal meeting at Ascot Racecourse near London every June since 1768. The Kentucky Derby didn't come along for another 107 years!

Since I've never been to Ascot, I must live vicariously through my friends, Eve and Rico Gagliano. They were kind enough to send photos Rico took.

As Rico puts it, Royal Ascot is the most British thing EVER. A dress code is strictly enforced in certain areas of the stands. Ladies must wear a day dress of a minimum length. They will toss you out if your dress is too short. For the gentlemen, grey or black "morning dress" is required. And of course, a top hat. The ladies can wear just about any hat they please, even one that resembles a barbed-wire fence.

The etiquette authorities are full of suggestions for enjoying Ascot racing in a graceful manner: "Eating in public requires all private habits be closeted. Pace yourself, so neither hoover like a wolf nor pick like a sparrow. Bring food to your mouth rather than drop your head."

"Hangovers are generally self-inflicted, so you should approach the day after an evening's over-indulgence with stoicism, and keep your misery to yourself."

"A man should stand up to greet a woman when she first arrives. There is no need, however, to jump up and down like a jack in the box every time she enters or leaves the room."

Sounds like it might make for a pretty stuffy experience, but Rico says in the general admission section, The Silver Ring, it's much more relaxed. You can bring a picnic and beer and wine if you like. And people definitely do. During the meeting, Ascot attendees drink 170,000 bottles of champagne and 160,000 pints of beer. They eat 4 tons of beef and 10,000 lobsters!

The Royal Ascot meeting would not be Royal without you-know-who. Every day at 2pm, the Queen and other royal family members parade up the stretch in horse-drawn carriage.

One drunk Brit told Rico: "God bless her, Liz is the only lady in the nation who can pull off an entire outfit all the same color."

Drunken fashion critiques aside, there is some fantastic racing at Royal Ascot. One third of Britain's Grade 1 races (the highest level) for the year take place during the meeting. The highlight for me was probably Goldikova winning the Queen Anne Stakes. Goldikova is like the Zenyatta of Europe. I love watching this mare run. The past two years, she's flown over from France to dominate the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park. In the Queen Anne, she was the only female and as usual, she made the boys look silly.

Rico got a nice shot of the Albany Stakes, a race for two-year-old fillies, won my Memory. You'll notice the horses are running clockwise around the track, the opposite of racing in the US. Brits and Americans have to do everything the opposite way, don't they? Royal Ascot's course is also triangular instead of oval, and at a mile and 3/4, it's longer than any track in the United States (Belmont Park being the longest at a mile and 1/2).

To me, horses racing on grass is just about the prettiest thing in the world. Soon enough, I shall don my top hat and tails and make my way to Royal Ascot.

I promise not to hoover like a wolf or jump up and down like a jack in the box.

Especially if I have a hangover, which I shall keep to myself.

Upon further review...

Besides the US being ousted, the biggest story from the World Cup's round of 16 had to be the referees, unfortunately. Crusty old FIFA has refused to enter the 21st century and implement video replay, and it cost the English a goal. It would've taken 10 seconds for a video goal judge to look at the replay and signal down to the field. Instead, millions of people could see what the referees could not -- that the ball went in. This incident will break even FIFA's mind-boggling level of stubbornness. We'll have video replay for goals at the next World Cup.

Not that England would've won the game. English fans can latch onto the missing goal all they want, but if they played that game 100 times, Germany would win every one of them against that lethargic English effort. The best team advanced. A bad call cost Mexico as well, but at no time did the Mexicans look like they were beating Argentina either.

Brazil is in top form, even by Brazilian standards. I find it hard to see how they won't be in the final game.

As for my picks, I got 6 out of the 8 quarterfinalists. The US and Japan dented my record -- the US losing that heartbreaker in extra time, the Japanese getting knocked out on penalty kicks.

Here's the way I see the quarterfinal matchups:

Uruguay vs Ghana: It could be pretty painful to watch this game, thinking about what might've been for the US. Ghana is carrying the African banner, but Uruguay has looked a tad more stout. Uruguay 2-1.

Germany vs Argentina: This could easily have been the matchup for the final game of this World Cup, but as it is, someone's going home early. Both teams play with passion and have the talent to go all the way. I'll stick with my original prediction of Germany hoisting the Cup this year. Germany 3-2.

Brazil vs Netherlands: My heart wants to pick Holland, a team with flair that has been oh-so-close in the past but has never won the trophy. But whatever flair Holland possesses, Brazil has more of it. The Dutch gave Slovakia some golden chances to score in their last game, but Slovakia could not convert. Brazil will. Yellow beats Orange 3-2 in a thriller.

Spain vs Paraguay: Spanish striker David Villa is on fire. The Paraguayans are not going to put him out. Spain 2-0.

Only a week and a half left. Enjoy it while you can!

My perspective on the US soccer loss

If you're frustrated or disappointed by the US loss to Ghana this weekend, let me tell you a story...

I've been watching the World Cup long enough to remember when it was covered by PBS. Yes, the home of Sesame Street. In 1982, PBS and ESPN provided the first real American coverage of a World Cup, and even though I might've caught several minutes of PBS's Masterpiece Theater, I recorded every game and highlight that I possibly could on the VCR. I was a 12-year-old kid who had fallen in love with soccer, and I watched the drama, tension and goals of 1982 over and over and over on the Betamax recorder that my dad insisted would surpass VHS (for another post).

At the time, ESPN was a fledging sports network that filled its airtime with bowling, lumberjacks throwing trees and slow pitch softball. ESPN had nothing to lose by airing the World Cup, even if the number of Americans watching the games could fit into a bowling alley in Des Moines.

Who could blame them? The US didn't qualify for the '82 Cup; we barely had what you could consider a national team. The US failed to qualify in '86 as well. America was so far away from being competitive in international soccer, it didn't seem remotely worth the effort. This was a country where -- at best -- any potential World Cup appearance seemed to rest upon the superhuman babies of soccer moms or the greatest case of immigration fraud in history.

But the people behind US soccer did not give up, and neither did those of us who thought soccer would eventually find its place in the hearts of American sports fans. Finally in 1990, there was a spark of life. The US qualified for the World Cup in Italy. Sure, we were deservedly dismissed with three embarrassing losses, but it was something.

Then, four years later, when we had a automatic berth because we hosted the World Cup, the US surprised everyone by making it to the Round of 16. We were defeated by eventual champion Brazil 1-0 in an unforgettable game on July 4th. In the moment, to those of us who were so hopeful, it seemed that US soccer had turned a gigantic corner. For the first time, the future looked vaguely bright.

And in some ways, that bright future materialized. The professional league created out of the '94 Cup fever (the MLS) still exists and thrives. The US has qualified for every World Cup since '94, even reaching the quarterfinals in 2002. But the mass media, the casual fans -- they really did not seem to care. The jokes about the lack of goals and the boring nature of the game persisted. The World Cup came and went every four years with barely an acknowledgement in this country. It remained a fringe event in the American sports landscape.

So, despite the dramatic goal against Algeria that lit up YouTube in 2010, I was hardly expecting what I saw when I walked into a bar two hours before Saturday's match with Ghana. The place was teeming with people dressed in red, white and blue. By game time, they spilled onto the street because there was no room to even get a glimpse of the TV. When the game started, the entire bar sang the national anthem in unison. And most surprisingly of all, during the match, these new diehard fans of US soccer did not scoff at the tension-building passes they saw. Their painful, glorious cheers showed that they finally appreciated the game for its exquisite, unique drama.

I thought about all of those Betamax tapes, about all those decades of frustration as the US struggled to prove that it didn't deserve the scorn of the Germanys and Italys and the Brazils. I thought of the many conversations where I argued in vain with American fans that soccer was an amazing game that required their undivided attention, at least once every four years.

I took a deep breath and fought back tears. I felt like I was watching a dream come true, one that started when I was 12 years old. Someday, I promised, this country will care about soccer and all its beauty the way I do. At some moment, even if fleeting, soccer will feel like our national pastime.

As the seconds ticked away, so many thoughts raced through my mind. Yes, we were losing to Ghana, a team that we could've and probably should've beaten. Yes, we were blowing a golden opportunity to advance in a World Cup that had already seen previous finalists Italy and France bow out. And yes, the US had not shown up with the same intensity that had propelled the team to this stage of the tournament. Oh, the sense of frustration that welled up inside of me... it was almost unbearable.

But many hours later, as I had a chance to reflect on the moment, I began to see things in a different light. I had been there since the beginning when there was no US team, when the World Cup highlights might've be interrupted by a pledge drive, when you could've been thrown out of a bar for asking to see a game, when soccer was constantly jeered instead of cheered.

I recalled being in a movie theater in 1981 -- one of the few moments I'd ever seen Americans cheer soccer in numbers -- at the climax of the movie Victory. It remains, to this day, the only time I've ever seen an entire theatre stand up and cheer a movie as if they were watching a live sporting event. Turns out, it was an unheralded film starring Sylvester Stallone and soccer superstar Pele as POWs in a fictional World War II match against the German national team. I thought of that German officer applauding the sheer beauty of Pele's goal, American goalkeeper Stallone making the game-saving stop and fans exploding with joy at a draw in a rigged game with the Germans.

Suddenly, my three hours at the pub didn't seem nearly so frustrating. I relived the explosive cheers, the joyful chants, the excruciating groans, the flags, the people spilling out onto the street, and suddenly I forgot about losing to Ghana.

Suddenly, in a most satisfying fashion, in a way that only three decades of waiting can reveal...

It all felt like Victory to me.

Then there were 16

The World Cup round of 16 is set, and the matchups couldn't look any better.

Not only do we have the revenge plots of USA-Ghana, Germany-England and Argentina-Mexico, we also have a couple of backyard rivalries in Brazil-Chile and Spain-Portugal. I can't say I'll be on the edge of my seat for Uruguay-South Korea, Netherlands-Slovakia or Paraguay-Japan, but I'll be somewhere on my seat.

I didn't do so hot on my picks for the group stage, only getting 9 out of 16. The African nations killed my percentage. I expected most of them would show up for the first World Cup on African soil, and with the exception of Ghana, they did not.

Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and host nation South Africa were all disappointing, although South Africa deserves a little nod because they played above their talent level. The other three have no excuse. Here are my awards for the first half of the tournament:

Best goal: Obviously, the most exciting goal was Landon Donovan's strike against Algeria. But purely on skill, Honda's goal for Japan against Denmark from about 35 yards out was incredible. It was a rocket with absolutely no spin. With so many players kicking the ball into the stands this World Cup, I'm giving him the vote.

Tuck your tail award: It's stunning that both teams from the 2006 final, Italy and France, were not only eliminated, they finished last in their groups. That just doesn't happen. I expected France to flop, but Italy too? It's a good thing for the Cup. Who wants to see the same teams every time in the final games?

Best stat: The South American teams made it through the group stage with one loss in 15 matches.

Worst call: No brainer -- the phantom foul that cost the US a goal against Slovenia.

Best call: Finally, in the Brazil-Portugal game, a referee gave a yellow card to a player for taking a dive in the penalty box. Bravo. It should've been red. That'll get the players' attention for acting like they've been assassinated.

Most surprising team: Uruguay played very well, not conceding a goal and looking like a dangerous team that the US might face if the Americans get past Ghana. I'll give a hat tip to Japan as well.

Worst team: France deserves this award by a landslide. But honestly, only one team looked like they had no business even being on the field at this Cup and that was North Korea. After looking competitive against Brazil, the North Koreans finished the tournament giving up 10 straight goals and getting zero. I bet Kim-Jong is feeling pretty Il.

Best field player: Oh, it's hard to pick just one. Spain's David Villa had 3 goals, Uruguay's Diego Forlan was deft, USA's Landon Donovan was clutch.

Best goalkeeper: Oh, it's hard to pick just one. New Zealand's Mark Paston and Swiss goalie Diego Benaglio were both fantastic. But they're both going home. I'll be a homer and give it to Tim Howard. He could be the difference for the US going forward.

Worst gaff: It'd be easy to give this to England's goalkeeper Rob Green for looking like a third-grade shortstop against the US. But at least England made it through. Nigeria's Yakubu missed the easiest goal I've probably ever seen at the World Cup, and it cost his team advancement.

Overachiever award: How about those Kiwis!! Too bad New Zealand couldn't move on, but they did themselves and their small country proud.

As for the round of 16, my grain-of-salt predictions:

Uruguay vs South Korea: South Korea is a surprisingly tough bunch, but good luck scoring against Uruguay. Uruguay does just enough to win 1-0.

US vs Ghana: The US needs to be patient in this game. The chances will come against a Ghanian defense that is prone to mistakes. But Ghana's attacking players are fast. Think defense first, then counterattack. US wins 2-1.

Germany vs England: An old-fashioned European bloodbath. Somebody will be playing with 10 by the end. Germany's offense has a little more punch. Deutschland gewinnt 1-0.

Argentina vs Mexico: Should be a feisty game. The cards could be flying. Argentina's a bit better. They win 3-2.

Netherlands vs Slovakia: The Dutch swept through the group stage with 3 wins. I don't see Slovakia stopping the streak. 3-1 Holland.

Brazil vs Chile: You want offense? You got it. Chile attacks the goal like a pit bull tears into a steak. Brazil looks more elegant and polished, like maybe a Weimaraner. 4-2 Brazil.

Paraguay vs Japan: Paraguay will be favored, but I'm calling for the upset here. Japan's Keisuke Honda is a stud. They don't even need Toyota or Nissan. Japan 2-1.

Spain vs Portugal: The Iberian clash. Not only are these guys neighbors, but they have a similar history in the World Cup of falling short when it counts. Spanish striker David Villa puts the ball in the back of the net while Portuguese striker Cristiano Renaldo prefers the side of the net. Spain 2-1.

Mostly importantly, you better be somewhere in front of a TV at 2pm ET tomorrow! Go USA!

If you're a US soccer fan, you must watch this

Hell, if you're an American, you must watch this.

And click here for the actual Gooooooooooooaaaal call.

GO USA!!!!

Click on the video or title to see it in a wider screen.

Arrivederci Azzurri!

What a World Cup this is turning out to be.

The defending champions, Italy, have been knocked out of the tournament in the group stage. In one of the more stunning results in Cup history, Italy was not only eliminated, the Italians finished last in their group behind New Zealand, a team that has only two World Cup appearances in its history and has never won a World Cup game. The Italians have won the World Cup four times.

As much as I relish the fate of the arrogant, cynical Italians, my heart breaks for New Zealand. The Kiwis were unbeaten, getting three draws in the group, and still, they could not advance. One goal would've done it, and despite my pleading with the television, it would not come. Paraguay and Slovakia move on.

The friendly Italian fans I met at the last World Cup are most likely throwing their funny hats onto a bonfire about now. On paper, Italy had one of the easier paths to the round of 16, but the Azzurri played like a team that was granted a bye into the next round. There are no byes at the World Cup finals.

Sorry, that's not exactly true: Bye, Bye Italia!!

The Wimbledon marathon

Two tennis players kicked the energizer bunny's ass, but finally, the epic match has ended.

American John Isner has defeated Frenchman Nicolas Mahut after playing the longest tennis match ever. It started Tuesday, continued for seven hours Wednesday and mercifully concluded today after a total of 11 match hours. The final set took longer than the longest match in tennis history. Isner and Mahut play 138 games in the final set before Isner finally broke serve and got the needed two game cushion.

Check out the final scoreline:

4-6, 6-3, 7-6(7), 6-7(3), 70-68

Each player had well over one hundred aces, both of them shattering the previous record. Each had 80 or so in the final set. 80 aces each in the final set!

I don't watch much tennis these days, but this got me to tune in, even as it competed with World Cup games. I was madly flipping back and forth between two Cup games and the match.

Such a marathon would've never happened in the old days of tennis. The racket technology and the power of the modern player's serve make something like this possible. For 135-plus games in that final set, no one could break serve.

Honestly, I hope we never see anything like it again, but it was er, a curiosity. Hats off to both players. They added a few nevers to Churchill's "never, never, never, never give up."

Revenge, revenge, revenge

The World Cup round of 16 is shaping up to be a real ripper. Of the matches that are set, three of them are as juicy as they get.

The US plays Ghana Saturday. I was at the last World Cup game between these two teams in 2006. Ghana knocked us out of the tournament on a questionable penalty. It's time for revenge! Yes, I enjoyed the friendly Ghanians who let me play their drums before the game, but this time, I'm all business.

Ghana is a good side, and they will have the entire continent of Africa behind them, since they are Africa's last hope at this World Cup. But Ghana's defense is suspect, and the US should be able to capitalize. The same could be said for the US defense at times. This could be a high-scoring affair (well, for a soccer game). This US team is better than the 2006 version. I like our chances, but the US players might want to wear ear plugs. The vuvuzelas will be deafening.

The next day, Germany plays England. Oh my word. These two teams hate each other. They have a long history, in which Germany usually has the final say. We'll see if England can turn the tables and get their own revenge. Neither team has looked up to their own standards so far, but they both took care of business at crunch time and got through. They've been here many times before, so I expect both to play at their highest level. I predict a 2-1 German win.

Another must-see round of 16 game is Argentina vs Mexico. Argentina eliminated Mexico in the last World Cup deeeeep into overtime. It was a thrilling, exhausting game, and I expect the same thing this time around. Mexico has revenge in its corner, but I have a feeling Argentina will get the best of the Mexicans again.

Boy, these final group matches have been exciting. Besides the ultra-dramatic US game, the final minutes of the Group D games were crazy. Australia had a 2-0 lead on Serbia and with two more goals could've advanced over Ghana. Then, Serbia scored and they were suddenly in position to advance with one more goal. They got it, but the ref called a very close offside call on the Serbians. Tough way to go.

Tomorrow it's Italy's turn to prove their mettle. I hope they lose 10-0 :), but I'm sure they will find a way to make it through. I'm all about the Kiwis! If New Zealand can pull off one more upset and beat Paraguay, the Kiwis would advance for the first time in their history. Hell, before this Cup, NZ had never even tied a WC game. They have nothing to lose and should play that way.

If you have any thoughts to add, feel free to share them. I can't get enough World Cup!

The Cardiac Kids strike again!!

Oh my, this is heart-stopping stuff.

With US World Cup dreams three minutes from being quashed, captain Landon Donovan scored a brilliant game-winning goal against Algeria, sending the US through to the round of 16.

It was breathtaking. It was drama of the highest order. It was well-deserved for a team that refuses to give up, even when it appears all hope is lost.

No one deserved to score more than Donovan. He personifies what makes the World Cup so magical. After struggling to make an impact in his first two World Cups, Donovan has finally become the player and leader we all hoped he would become. When the ball deflected to him in the box in the 91st minute, he struck it with authority into the back of the net. Had he not scored, the US would've been out of the Cup. Instead, the US won Group C over England!

I don't know how far this team can go, but there's no denying its spirit. In qualifying, the US scored NINE goals in the 86th minute or later. No other team had even half that many late goals. It's the mark of a group that believes in itself utterly, and as we've seen at other moments in American sports history, that kind of belief can take you a long way.

Miracle On Grass, anyone?

As I've watched the World Cup, I've tried to discern which qualities make the difference between winning and losing on such a dramatic stage. This moment for the US reveals many of them.

So many times already in these games, players have blown their chance for glory. Yes, misses will happen, but good grief, there have been some egregious ones. Yesterday, a Nigerian player astonishingly missed a wide open net two feet from the goal. It would've sent the Nigerians through. Instead, they are going home. The day before, a Swiss player muffed a similar golden chance at drawing level with Chile.

I've thought about my own life, and how I've responded to moments of great stress or pressure. Early in my career as a broadcaster, I remember times when I would completely choke. A live talk show would suddenly become an embarrassing disaster. A TV live shot would fall apart because I panicked when I needed to remain calm. Even on the soccer field, I recall many easy chances that went begging.

I realized that I wasn't prepared to deal with crunch time. I was passively expecting everything to turn out okay, and that didn't cut it. I learned to look three steps ahead and anticipate what might be coming at me. What will I do if this happens? It made all the difference, and it gave me great confidence and composure when it counted.

I see this happening at the World Cup with so many lost chances. These players aren't thinking about what they might do if the ball came to them right now. They aren't visualizing a positive result. They aren't ready to shoulder the moment.

Donovan showed what happens when you are prepared.

Part of this is coaching. Ivory Coast, for example, hired its coach just before the World Cup, paid a bunch of money for a name. That never works out. The teams that are doing well at this Cup have been playing for some time under their coaches. They've learned discipline and preparation. They are ready for what's coming. You can see it on the pitch.

Anyway, if you haven't gotten on board with the World Cup yet, there's still time! But you're missing out, I promise you. That US game was as exciting as it gets in sports. Go US!

Horned In

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I've watched enough World Cup games now that vuvuzelas are, unfortunately, the soundtrack for my dreams. Doesn't matter what I'm dreaming about. Loud, annoying horns are playing in the background.

So, it is my hope that Congress will call an emergency session to ban vuvuzelas from all sporting events in the United States.

Some guy in Ohio has started a Facebook page calling on Ohio State fans to bring vuvuzelas to the Buckeyes' home game against Penn State. Thankfully, Ohio State has responded by saying the school has a policy against noisemakers.

Still, I have this vision of turning on the first game of the NFL season and hearing vuvuzelas.

We must stop the madness before it starts!

Love, hate and soccer

The World Cup evokes so many emotions.

I love the Kiwis!! What an astounding result by New Zealand to draw with defending World Cup champions Italy. New Zealand getting a tie with Italy is like Colgate College beating Duke in the NCAA tournament. It's a massive, massive upset.

New Zealand last made the WC finals in 1982. They were shut out 4-0 by Brazil, lost 5-2 to Scotland and were blanked 3-0 by the Soviet Union (not Russia, the Soviet Union -- that's how long it's been). Those are blowouts in international soccer.

New Zealand doesn't have its own soccer league. Some of its players don't even have a regular team to play for. Italy's roster, on the other hand, is filled with international stars who play at the highest level of the sport. New Zealand nearly won the game. Italy's only goal came on a cheap penalty.

To a man, I detest the Italian soccer team. Italy drew 24 fouls against NZ, mostly by their usual pathetic acting jobs. When an Italian player gets tapped on the shoulder, he invariably falls to the ground, clutching his face as if his teeth were just kicked in. The referees seem to buy it every time. I wish the refs would start carding Italians for their unabashed cheating. If FIFA wants to attract new fans in places like the US, it needs to cut out that crap. There was more of it in the Brazil-Ivory Coast game.

New Zealand's goalkeeper and defense were spectacular. Way to go Kiwis!! I hope New Zealanders are actually paying attention. When I was there a couple months ago, all I heard about was the Rugby World Cup, which is next year in NZ. I could find every souvenir imaginable for the rugby All Blacks (like the hat in the photo), but not a speck for the soccer All Whites. By the way, the NZ basketball team is amusingly referred to as the Tall Whites.

The soccer powerhouses are really struggling this Cup. Did you hear about the French? One of their top players was banned from the team for insulting the coach. Then, the team refused to practice, so the trainer threw down his gear and quit. As the team director was announcing this to the media, he decided to quit too! It's insane. France would normally be favored in its final game against South Africa, but now, I expect South Africa to give the home fans something to celebrate by beating the cheese fondue that is the French soccer team.

The African teams are struggling too, though. Not one of the six has looked worthy of making a serious bid on their home soil. They have one win out of 12 games. The South American teams, on the other hand, have won 7 of 9. The Dutch and the Mexicans are looking the part as well. We'll see if Spain, Germany, Italy and England turn things around after some pretty flat performances. Those teams are almost always in the quarterfinals and beyond, but this year, they have some work to do just to get into the round of 16.

As for the US, this team is fun to watch. If they can stop the defensive lapses, who knows how far they could go? So far at World Cup 2010, nothing seems to be out of the question.

The US was hosed

I praised the World Cup referees too soon.

What an awful, awful job by the referee in the scintillating US-Slovenia match. The US scored what would've been the game-winning goal late in the game, but the referee disallowed it for a phantom foul.

The replay clearly showed that several US players were mugged in the penalty box by Slovenian defenders, but somehow a US player was called for a foul. Who or what they did is still unclear. It was outrageous.

That said, the US was fortunate to get a draw after being down 2-0 at halftime. A loss would've surely knocked them out of the tournament, but the US fought back and leveled the score in the 82nd minute with a fantastic goal from Michael Bradley, the coach's son.

The US has a flare for the dramatic, that's for sure. As a fan, I'd really appreciate it if the US would score first for once! Giving up these early goals is crippling. They're putting themselves in the position of being at the mercy of a bad call.

But after England shockingly drew with Algeria in the next match, the US finds itself in a very simple position: Beat Algeria and the US advances to the Round of 16. Lose, and they're out. If US-Algeria is a draw, things get complicated. The situation is exactly the same for England, who will get blasted in the tabloids tomorrow for drawing with Algeria!

I like our chances, but clearly, the US needs to start games better.

And that referee needs to be sent home.

The referee in the Germany-Serbia game should go with him. He red-carded one of the best German goal-scorers, Miroslav Klose, on a very tame challenge. It was a foul, but there was no reason to pull out the card. This ref was carding just about every foul in the game. It's ridiculous, and it's the reason some people are jaded about the World Cup results. Because of the red card, Klose will be suspended for the next match. He'll essentially miss two full games.

When the world's best players are sitting on the bench because of overzealous referees, it goes a long way toward ruining the Cup. Very frustrating.

Germany played two-thirds of the game with 10 men but should've done better. Lucas Podolski, who I lauded yesterday, missed a penalty kick. Germany's final group game is with Ghana. That won't be an easy match. If Germany gets knocked out in the group stage, it'll be one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Before today, Germany had won or drawn every group stage game since 1986!

Suddenly, this World Cup is starting to look more like an NCAA tournament. Could get very interesting...

Is it wrong to hate birds?

I used to love the song bird.

When I was a kid, I would go to the school bus stop early some days just so I could listen to this one bird that had the most mellifluous voice. Yes, early to the bus stop! Tweetle-tweetle-deedle-deedle-he-hoo.

Well, those days are long gone.

The birds that twitter (**see footnote) outside of my home now are ghastly creatures. They don't sing songs. They screech. They hack. They try to murder your ears.

I'm convinced the neighborhood birds have formed an avian conspiracy against me. They know when I need to concentrate or would like a few moments of shut eye. They know.

EEEEK. EEEEK. EEEEK. EEEEK. CACK. CACK. CACK. CACK.

When this first started, I thought, it'll go away in a minute. But it goes on for like a half an hour. Sometimes, it's one bird repeating the same horrible phrase over and over, as if he's in a padded cage in the aviary insane asylum. Other times, it's two or more birds screaming at each other like guests on the Jerry Springer Show.

EEEEK. CACK. EEEEK. CACK. EEEEK. CACK. EEEEK. CACK.

Stop it already!

The other day, I would swear this one bird was saying eat me repeatedly. Eat me! Eat me! Eat me! I began to think he might be suicidal and was making a plea for someone to end it all. I was secretly hoping the Dr. Kevorkian of the bird world would show up and end the pain for the both of us.

See, these birds have gotten into my head. I guess I'll have to figure out a way to live in harmony with them. I'm not the sort of person who would go out and buy a BB gun and pop a few caps in them (oh, but I've dreamt about it...)

No, it's their world too, so we all just have to get along. I just wish that bird from my school boy days would come around and give these screechers a few singing lessons.

**twitter: A word that, in ancient times, was used to describe bird chatter. More recently, the word has been capitalized and now describes what many consider an annoying form of human chirping.

The World Cup so far

We're into the second batch of games in South Africa, and a few trends are starting to take shape.

By continent, here are the results:

South America: 5 wins, 0 losses, 2 draws. All five South American teams look like they want to advance. You'd expect good performances from Argentina and Brazil, but Paraguay drew with Italy, Chile is just plain fun to watch with their attacking style and Uruguay pummeled the host nation with a very impressive display.

Europe: 5-5-4. Italy's unexpected draw pales in comparison to Spain's loss to Switzerland. Spain is considered the Cup favorite and hadn't lost to Switzerland in the last 18 games! Spain is rarely held goalless, but Switzerland's nothing-like-Swiss-cheese defense shut them out. The Swiss have gone 490 World Cup minutes -- more than five games -- without conceding a goal. Good job back there.

Germany and the Netherlands looked impressive as expected, but how about Greece getting its first WC win ever? Too bad it won't fix the Greek economy. France, a team that's been in the semifinals in four of the last five World Cups, has been awful. They haven't scored in two games and have almost zero chance of advancing this time.

Africa: 1-5-2. How disappointing that the host continent is doing so poorly. South Africa is most likely done. No host nation has ever been eliminated in the group phase of the tournament. Nigeria is probably out as well. They were beaten by Greece after going down a man because of a needless, stupid red card. Ghana, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast are the teams with a realistic chance to advance, but that's very much still up in the air. Africa could be shut out of the Round of 16 on its home soil.

North America: 0-1-2. If the US can keep up the good work it started against England, they have a real chance to win the group, and that's important. Finishing 2nd likely means a Round of 16 game with Germany. Ouch. But if the US wins the group, it would probably play Ghana or Australia. A rematch with Ghana -- who eliminated the US in the last World Cup -- would be tasty! Mexico looks dangerous, too.

Asia and elsewhere: 2-3-1. South Korea has a decent chance of advancing, even after getting drubbed by Argentina. A 2nd win by Japan would probably send them through, too. Australia needs to rebound after losing their captain to a red card and giving up 4 goals to Germany. New Zealand is up against it with Italy and Paraguay, but scoring the game-tying goal with 30 seconds left in their first game should give the Kiwis a glimmer of hope.

Players to watch: If you're watching the games live or Tivoing, here a few players to look for, as they've stood out so far:

Diego Forlan, Uruguay: If soccer is anything, it is a team sport, and Forlan is a great team player. He'll score two goals in a match, as he did against South Africa, but he also makes superb, deft passes. Even without the ball, he's an intelligent player. He'll use himself as a decoy to draw defenders away from his teammates. That's good stuff.

Lionel Messi/Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina: Messi deserves his own category as he is considered the world's best player, but he was outdone by Higuain against South Korea. Higuain scored the Cup's first hat trick (3 goals) since 2002, with some help from Messi, of course. These guys could very well take Argentina all the way.

Maicon, Brazil: Really, I was just impressed with his goal against North Korea. He was almost to the back line, with absolutely no angle on goal, and somehow he crushed the ball through a tiny crack between the goalkeeper and the post. Wow.

Lucas Podolski, Germany: Just watch for number 10 when he gets the ball outside the penalty area. He has one of the best boots in soccer. Podolski struck the ball so well against Australia, the goalkeeper got a solid hand on it, and the ball still almost ripped open the back of the net. Nice.

If you're following the games closely, maybe you have some of your own thoughts to share. If you haven't been keeping up so far, I encourage you to give it a look. There isn't a lot of scoring in soccer, and I know that turns some people off. But there's so much drama at the World Cup. One thoughtless error can cost a team and a country their chance at glory. One timely pass can mean a tiny nation gets its first World Cup win ever.

Soccer is all about anticipation -- players anticipating where the ball will go next, where their teammates will be, anticipating when it's time to attack and when it's time to defend. And for the fans, it's about the hope, that anticipation of sheer joy when their team finally breaks through and scores a GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!

Pure Bread?

The results of the doggy DNA test are in, and as we suspected, our new dog Stella is mostly Akita. In fact, she might be all Akita. According to the lab, she is a level 1, meaning at least 75% of her genes come from the Akita breed. There were no traces of any other breed in her mix.

It's possible she has genes from a breed that's not in the lab's database, but she certainly has at least one purebred parent. I'm hoping she's not purebred, just because health problems are more common in purebreds than in mutts.

We have a couple of issues to work on with her, namely separation anxiety. She gets pretty worked up when she's left alone, and a couple of times, she has peed at the doorway even after being alone for just a few minutes. She follows me around the house almost always. From what I've read, and perhaps you have some experience with this as a pet owner, there are a few things we might do:

Make sure she gets vigorous exercise. On days that she gets longer walks or dog park visits, she doesn't seem as needy. Right now, she's out cold in another room. Thank you, dog park!

Leave a piece of clothing behind. It may help calm her down to leave our scent with her.

Don't make a big production out of leaving. The experts say to leave and return through various doors if possible so the dog doesn't associate leaving with one particular door. They also say to not make a big deal when you come and go. That one's harder. She gets so excited to see you, it's difficult not to reciprocate!

It's funny. I taught Stella to give me a five, as you'll see in the video above. When I say "gimme a five," she sticks out her paw and places it in my hand. Unfortunately, she now uses this against me. If she senses I'm not happy with her, she sticks out her paw, as if to say, hey, we're buddies, remember? It's impossible to stay mad at that point, which is exactly what she's up to!

Now that I have a dog again, I find their little personality quirks and inherent traits fascinating. Stella is definitely not a retriever. She's a chaser. At the dog park, she has little interest in fetching the ball. Instead, she chases the dogs who are fetching the ball. She'll chase anything that moves, which is an Akita trait. She has a soft mouth with very little bite, and that comes from her Japanese ancestors carrying fish in their mouths. Stella will walk around the house for a half-hour with a toy or tennis ball in her mouth.

Her best quality -- besides not barking :) -- is her gentle nature. She is so good with people and other dogs. I've been watching the Animal Planet show It's Me or the Dog, and good lord, there are some unruly dogs out there. The host of the show, Victoria, is really good. I've learned a lot of useful tips from her about teaching and about commanding your dog's attention in a respectful, positive way.

Anyway, my dog strikes my fancy, so I'm writing about it. If you have any good dog stories or experiences to share, I'm all ears!

Where oil doesn't spill

Considering the absolute travesty on the Gulf, it's hard to believe there are any places left in the world that haven't been marred by humanity. But there are.

I was digging through my photography bag today, and I found a DVD I bought in New Zealand. It's breathtaking beyond words.

The video is a cinematic journey into the heart of Fiordland, one of the more remote places on earth and the last place we visited in NZ. To get there, it took a couple hours by car from Queenstown, plus an hour on a boat, plus an hour on a bus, plus another hour on another boat. Seriously.

It was worth it.

Most of Fiordland is so remarkably untouched, it feels like you shouldn't be there. I was looking around for Mother Nature herself, thinking she might swoop down and bellow something angry at us. But apparently Mother Nature gives tour groups a few permission slips each day so people can see a place where she lives alone and unbothered.

Above is a short clip of the video, just so you can get a sense of this majestic location. You can order the DVD at Fiordland Cinema. If you're having a bad day, pop that thing in and your worries will disappear for a while.

New Zealand is not without its environmental problems, but one thing was abundantly clear while we were there. For the most part, New Zealanders guard their land, air and water as if it were their own breath. They have an economic motivation to do so since tourism is a huge industry, but I daresay you can drink from any lake, river and stream in that country without a shred of concern. I won't even swim in the Pacific here in LA. I've tried twice but got sick both times.

I live in a city that was best described by songwriter Dan Bern in his song Wasteland: "Every single block, looked like every single block, looked like every single block, looked like every... single.. block."

New Zealand's unrivaled geographic diversity was a joy to discover.

The photo above is from Doubtful Sound in Fiordland. The water is almost black, but not from an oil spill, I assure you. It's just that deep.

All over New Zealand, we found water colors that we didn't think could exist without photoshop. Lo and behold, that's what water looks like when it's clean! I had no idea.

Meanwhile, this tidbit from a NY Times story about the Gulf spill says a lot: Four out of the five oil companies that shared their spill response plans with Congress included language on how they would protect walruses in the Gulf of Mexico.

There are no walruses in the Gulf of Mexico.

Anyway, my photos hardly do New Zealand justice, but it's nice to be reminded that there are still places where there's no need for response plans to protect phantom wildlife.

And the only thing that spills into the water is... water.

World Cuppies

At the end of high school soccer practice, we would play a game called World Cuppies. I can't remember exactly how it went, but for some reason, this hilarious YouTube video made me think of it. More thoughts below on the World Cup so far.

What's with the goalkeepers in this tournament? That miss by the English keeper against the US was something I haven't seen since I refereed "bumblebee soccer" (you know, 6-year-olds running around the field in a swarm). Let's make an exception, of course, for US keeper Tim Howard. That guy has an indestructible Vin Diesel quality, and he could take us a long way (Howard, not Diesel).

Speaking of bumblebees, the non-stop horns you hear at the games are the African vuvuzela. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole." I can't hear any chanting over the (#$*!! bumblebees. By the way, there's an iphone app already, so be prepared to hear vuvuzelas at Starbucks.

Other observations:

Stop complaining about the ball. People are whining because the official World Cup ball might be too light and could be contributing to keepers whiffing or players kicking balls into the upper deck. These teams have had plenty of time to get used to the ball, and everyone's using the same model. As my old coach used to say, when you shoot, make sure your head is over the ball. It still amazes me that World Cup caliber players shoot the ball so high, so often. No wonder the score is 0-0.

The referees have been fantastic. You heard me right. I've seen catastrophic reffing in previous Cups, and so far, the referees have been stellar. Nice work, FIFA!!

Italy will not defend its championship, but do not write them off. Keep pretending Italy is awesome. Otherwise, they are a rattlesnake hiding in the bushes, and they will bite your leg off.

France is an injured bunny. Done.

Watch out for Paraguay. All they've done in qualifying and in their first WC match is beat Brazil, Argentina, and draw with Italy. They are the small country packing the most chance at the Cup. They won't win it, but they could squeak into the quarterfinals.

The US should not underestimate Slovenia Friday. Slovenia played well in its first match, knocking off Algeria. We MUST beat them.

When I was at World Cup 2006, I predicted that Germany would win the 2010 World Cup. They had a young team then, and they're still fairly young, but I will stick with my prediction. Germany looked fantastic drubbing Australia. I have a soccer crush on German striker Lucas Podolski (above). That dude can crush the air out of the ball (and he hits the target). He scored both goals against Sweden in the game I went to in 2006. After the goals, the announcer would say in German, "scoring for Germany, number 10, Lucas...." and the entire stadium would scream PODOLSKI!!!

If you're somehow not a World Cup fan, that kind of thing will make you one.

I'll post more thoughts as they come to me.

Oh, one just occurred to me. How about New Zealand scoring in the final 30 seconds to tie Slovakia?? What a finish. That's New Zealand's first point ever in a World Cup. Go Kiwis!

I screamed. We all screamed.

How many people can say they helped break a world record? Well I can, although it's not something I'm likely to share with my children.

For my 40th birthday Friday, my wife and I went to the Dodgers-Angels game at Dodger Stadium. We were informed that at the end of the 4th inning, Ozzy Osbourne would try to break the record for the longest and loudest scream. Megan and I wondered how long he might scream and whether we should run out and buy ear plugs.

What we didn't realize was that we were the ones trying to break the record. Ozzy came onto the field, looking confused and thought-challenged as usual. He implored the crowd to screech like a bat being eaten or something like that.

The screaming pierced the collective eardrum endlessly. But when it appeared that we might fall just short of the record, I let out a wolf howl that I believe put us over the top. It was, you know, a Bark at the Moon.

Here's somebody's YouTube video of the event, if you dare. I can't recommend it lowly enough, unless you enjoy being annoyed.

This was somehow part of an effort to benefit cancer research, so at least I debilitated my vocal chords for a good cause. I'm not sure how it actually raised money, but I would've gladly gotten out my checkbook to make it stop.

Then again, a good scream is healthy once in a while. Maybe that's how it benefited cancer research.

By the way, Guinness, it's spelled J-A-G-O-W.

Seeking Perfection

The six-year-old mare Zenyatta took her shot at horse racing history yesterday. She was attempting to break the American record of 16 wins in a row. A victory would give her 17 wins out of 17 races in her career -- a phenomenal, unrivaled streak.

I could've stayed home and watched the race on TV. It would've been easier than driving an hour each way to Hollywood Park and dealing with the *#$#!! 405 freeway.

I'm so glad I didn't stay home. For those who couldn't see it or be there, I've put together a brief music video of yesterday's experience. I'll tell you a bit about it as well.

Before the race, the paddock was packed with people hoping to get a glimpse of the Queen. In person, Zenyatta is just stunning. She's 17 hands tall, which in horse parlance, is HUGE. But what makes Zenyatta so special is her personality. When she hears people cheering and clapping, she does a little prancy dance in the walking ring and when jockey Mike Smith gets on board, she literally struts.

She also poses for pictures. She'll walk toward the crowd, stop and lift her head, hold it for a second and then turn the other cheek, like a model. It's incredible. You can see her doing it at the end of the video above.

Zenyatta's other trait is that she always, always, always comes from waaay behind to win. This makes her streak even more amazing. Horses with that kind of running style finish 2nd or 3rd a lot. They're at the mercy of the pace and are often forced to run wide and much farther than the competition.

This 17th victory would not come easy either. Zenyatta was facing a very sharp St. Trinians, a mare that had won four of her last five races, losing only to the boys at the top level of racing. Zenyatta would have to be on her A+ game.

As usual, she broke last and loped along at the back of the field for the first half of the race. She was 14 lengths behind at one point, but gradually started making progress. Still, at the final turn, she had quite a bit of work to do and was forced a good 8-10 lengths from the rail. That's a lot of ground to make up.

I was on the verge of tears as Zenyatta swept into the stretch. I so badly wanted to see her triumph. I could feel it in my bones. I was as close to the track as you could get -- right next to the finish line. At Hollywood Park, the stands slope down to the racing surface, so I was essentially at eye level with the horses' hooves.

The hooves were coming. Even with thousands of people screaming, I could still hear the hooves. One horse burst into my vision. It was St. Trinians, leading the pack. Zenyatta appeared next. She was chasing the leader, closing with every stride. She was desperately trying to run down her foe as she had every single race in her career. But the finish line was fast approaching, and St. Trinians was not backing down. It looked nearly impossible that Zenyatta would get there first this time. She dug down and cut into the lead again.

St. Trinians fought back. Zenyatta wasn't closing fast enough. In less than 5 seconds, the race would be over. Zenyatta came again, and inched closer. She would need something more now. There was time for only one more lunge before the wire. And in a breathless moment, everything slowed down. It was just the two horses, gutting it out, with nothing left but their will to win. Zenyatta was pouring her heart out. But I didn't... think... she... would... get... there.

Here's the wire... YESSSS!! Zenyatta by a head!

The stands exploded with hugs, high-fives and cries of joy. Zenyatta's people embraced and wiped away tears. She had done it. Zenyatta had come from 14 lengths behind to do what she was born to do. To do what she loves to do. To do what she always does.

Win.

It was the most emotion I'd ever felt watching a horse race. I was witnessing a true champion -- a horse that comes along once in a lifetime; a horse that never gives up and accepts nothing short of victory. I will never forget it.

I'm so far from perfect, I can't even imagine what it must be like. No human being can.

But among horses, the saying "nobody's perfect" is most decidedly still up for debate.

Let's Make Fun of the US Soccer Team

If the US is to have any hope in South Africa, it's imperative that we play mind games with our opponents. We must continue to hammer the idea that the US is a lightweight on the international soccer stage and has a nil-nil chance of advancing in this tournament.

I know just the guy to do it.

Funny stuff. My friend Curt is actually in that video. He was at the Czech Republic game in the front row!

As for the opener, South Africa played quite well and really should've upset the Mexicans. They had their chances. But a draw is a decent result for the lowest-ranked World Cup host team ever. Mexico is ranked 17; South Africa 83.

It was a fun game to watch, which is more than I can say for France-Uruguay. Between the French pummeling balls into the stands and Uruguay playing as if the goal of every soccer game is a 0-0 draw, it wasn't much to look at. Uruguay actually won the first World Cup in 1930 and again in 1950. But since 1970, Uruguay has managed just 7 goals in 13 WC games.

The French, meanwhile, look in disarray. As far as I can tell, the fans hate the coach. The players hate the coach. And the coach hates the players and the fans. It's a perfect recipe for an early exit for France. I do love Thierry Henry but the four-time World Cup striker didn't even get into the game until the 70th minute. I guess the coach hates him too.

I'll stick with South Africa and Mexico in Group A.

Dream it. Do it.

On my 40th birthday, I'm thinking about a very brave 16-year-old. Abby Sunderland is stranded in the Indian Ocean.

Alone.

She's there by choice. Abby is attempting to become the youngest person to sail around the world solo. Unfortunately, she hit a pretty bad storm yesterday and lost the mast and rigging on her 40-foot boat.

The good news is that she seems to be okay. A plane made contact with her, and a rescue boat is on its way. She's in an extremely remote location, so rescuers may not reach her until tomorrow.

I've been reading Abby's blog. She's clearly a remarkable person for her age. This trip has been her dream for several years now. Her brother actually set the record last year, soloing around the world at age 17, but an even younger English teen broke his record a month later. Here's what Abby said:

"I had begun to think that dreams are meant to be no more than dreams and that in reality dreams don't come true. Then my brother (Zac) left on his trip. It was amazing to see all the support that he got from around the world and to see how everyone worked together to help make his dream reality. Watching him do this really made me believe that I could too."

Obviously, Abby has the strong support of a family that has the resources and knowledge to back such a daring venture. Some people are calling the parents grossly irresponsible for letting their kids sail around the world alone. I can understand that sentiment, but I don't see it that way. She's been on this boat for five months now, so the girl knows what she's doing. It's not like her parents just gave her the keys and said, have fun, honey! If she did this when she turned 18 or had a crew of 20 people, would she be any safer right now?

Our capacity to dream things and do them can be taken away at any time, at any age. Nelson Mandela's great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash today. She was 13. She doesn't get to dream about sailing around the world when she's 16. Or 25. Or 40. She doesn't get to dream about doing anything.

But what do you think about this?

Oh, and the photo below... that's me bungy jumping in New Zealand a few weeks ago.

I only wish I'd had the courage to do it when I was younger.

The Beautiful Game

It's finally here! World Cup 2010 South Africa. If you've never been to a World Cup before, let me tell you, there is nothing in sports that rivals it. The atmosphere is intoxicating (not to mention the beer), and the passion of the whole thing just overwhelms you.

Above are photos from my trip to the 2006 Cup in Germany. What a blast! Those are fans from Ghana and Brazil. I'll tell you one quick story from my experience that pretty much sums it up.

My friend and I went to the famous Hofbrauhaus beer garden in Munich. We sat down where some Australian fans were drinking. I mentioned that I had been to the Australia-Brazil match earlier in the day, thinking we could bond over that. But upon hearing this, one of the guys pounded his fist on the table, screamed something and stomped off. I was like, what did I say??

His friends explained that they had flown all the way from Australia without game tickets and that it was very upsetting that an American got to go to that game. I insisted that I no prior knowledge of their travel plans or their ticket status, seeing as how I just met them four minutes earlier. The guy returned and we all got along, but he shot me daggers all night. Since I had tickets to several games, had I known, I might've sold my tickets. They were going for $1,000 a piece!

Such is the passion.

Anyway, World Cup 2010 gets started tomorrow with the first match between the host country and Mexico. I'm pulling for South Africa to rise up and defeat our neighbors. The US-Mexico rivalry is kind of like Carolina vs Duke, and lord knows, as a Carolina alum, I can't pull for Duke. Same thing.

In the World Cup format, there are 8 groups of 4 teams. Each team in the group plays the others once. The top two teams from each group advance to the single-elimination round of 16. So, here are my picks:

Group A (South Africa, Mexico, France, Uruguay): I'll take South Africa and Mexico. Yeah, South Africa is a bold pick, but home field advantage! France is overrated and barely snuck into the Cup on an illegal HANDBALL goal against Ireland.

Group B (Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece): Argentina and Nigeria.

Group C (US, England, Algeria, Slovenia): USA! USA! And England. They play each other on Saturday, by the way. Don't miss that game.

Group D (Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia): Germany's a lock. The 2nd place is probably between Australia and Ghana. Since Ghana beat the US in the last Cup, and I now have an intimate relationship with the Aussies, I'll go with Australia.

Group E (Denmark, Japan, Holland, Cameroon): Tough group. I'll go with Netherlands and Cameroon.

Group F (Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand): Italy and Paraguay should get through, but I'll take New Zealand over Paraguay. We just honeymooned in New Zealand. Amazing place!

Group G (Brazil, Ivory Coast, North Korea, Portugal): It's incredible that both North and South Korea are in the same Cup. Not a likely outcome, but they're both overmatched. I'll take Brazil and Ivory Coast.

Group H (Switzerland, Honduras, Spain, Chile): Spain will win the group. I'll take Chile in 2nd.

I'll do more posts as the World Cup rolls on. Who do you like??

By the way, my travel companion at the last World Cup, public radio reporter Curt Nickisch, is also writing about the Cup. Good stuff.

All Hail the Queen

Sunday will be a special day in the world of horse racing. A mare named Zenyatta will try to break the American record for consecutive wins as she goes for her 17th straight victory. This is an extraordinary feat. It's tough for most horses to win two or three in a row. 17 is incredible. Not only that, but Zenyatta has never lost! She's a perfect 16 for 16 in her career.

Zenyatta is owned by famous music producer Jerry Moss. Her name comes from the third album by The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta.

In the photo above, she's the black beauty wearing number 3. I took that picture at Hollywood Park a couple years back when Zenyatta had only won a few in a row. Look, I admit it. I have a crush on her. She's gorgeous!

As part of our recent wedding festivities, my wife and I rented a patio for the guests at Santa Anita race track and watched the races. It just so happened that on that day, Zenyatta was going for her 16th win in a row at another track. Zenyatta is so beloved in Southern California that the live racing at Santa Anita was postponed so everyone could watch Zenyatta on the big screen.

As the race started, our guests were asking me, which one is Zenyatta? I pointed to the horse lagging waaaaay behind the other horses. They said, how in the world is she going to win from way back there? I just laughed and told them to watch. Part of the thrill of seeing Zenyatta run is that she's almost always in last place for most of the race. I'm pretty sure she enjoys toying with the competition.

Then, in a flash, she makes her move and blows past the field like they're standing still. I get goose bumps every time. Her most incredible performance occurred in last year's Breeder's Cup Classic -- essentially the Super Bowl of racing. She was the only female in the race, and girls don't often beat the boys in racing. At the top of the stretch, it looked like she was done. Somehow, she weaved through the field and exploded to the finish line in front. It was stunning.

It's also fun to watch her before the race, the way she prances in the paddock. She knows how good she is.

If you don't believe me, check out Sunday's race. You can either watch it on the TVG horse racing network (look it up on your cable or satellite channels) or you can watch online at NTRA.com. Post time is about 4:30 pm PT/7:30 pm ET.

I hope you can share in the moment. Go Zenyatta!