Maryland House of Delegates – Dist. 42 Democratic Primary
1. Steve Lafferty
2. Oz Bengur
3. Art Buist
4. Lori Albin
5. David Kosak

Baltimore County Executive – Democratic Primary
Kevin Kamenetz – 51%
Joe Bartenfelder – 40%

Baltimore County Council – District 5 – Democratic Primary
Mike Ertel – 60%
Bill Paulshock – 20%

“What the Jabulani?” or WTJ can be used interchangeably with WTF. However, it denotes even MOAR surprise and implies that the speaker is shocked, appalled, and flabbergasted at the exact same time.

Also, I hate it how every time somebody loses, they are taking the opportunity to blame it on the BALL. Srsly? You are the best soccer players in the world. Some people are able to score goals. Even if the ball is different, if you’re the one who can’t score with it, you suck more than they do, and therefore deserve to lose.

As for the final four:

1. Spain will beat Uruguay to take third place, once again failing to win the cup.
2. The Netherlands will beat Germany to win first place. The Dutch will play total football and take full advantage of their opportunities, which is something most teams seem to fail to do. The Germans are younger and less experienced, and have less team chemistry than the Dutch squad.

And if you think I’m jumping on some sort of bandwagon after the surprise win over Brazil, I picked Holland to take first place since the first day of the tournament.

Predictions on the rest of the round:
1. Uruguay will upset Mexico.
2. South Africa will beat an unpracticed French squad in turmoil 1-0.
3. South Korea will play well, as they have been, but Nigeria will rally and beat them with a strong right side attack and one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
4. In a massacre and a half, Argentina will kill Greece, who still has yet to win a match against a full squad.
5. Slovenia is not to be underestimated, but England will win by a goal.
6. The US and Algeria will draw.
7. Germany should have little trouble with Ghana.
8. Likewise, Serbia should have little trouble with Australia.
9. This game could really go either way, but I’ll go with Denmark due to their superior chemistry and flag.
10. Holland will win this 2-0. Cameroon won’t play poorly, but the Dutch team is simply better.
11. Italy will have learned from their mistakes in the last match and come back in their game against Slovakia.
12. New Zealand will play well and possibly even score first, but Paraguay will win this match to take the group 2-1.
13. In a game that will likely be EPIC, Brazil will win 1-0.
14. Demoralized, the lowest-ranked team in the finals will lose to the Ivory Coast, which is actually a very good team. It is unfortunate they are in the Group of Death.
15. Spain has not been living up to expectations this year, and Chile has a good squad and a great coach. This will be a draw.
16. Honduras will beat Switzerland by a goal.

1. Mexico

2. Uruguay GROUP B

1. Argentina

2. Nigeria GROUP C

1. England

2. Slovenia GROUP D

1. Germany

2. Serbia GROUP E

1. Netherlands

2. Denmark GROUP F

1. Italy

2. Paraguay GROUP G

1. Brazil

2. Portugal GROUP H

1. Spain

2. Chile

Some things we have learned from the first matches:
1. Robert Green is the greatest goalkeeper England has ever seen. The fact that he looks like a leprechaun when dressed in green only increases his skill level. His greatest strength lies not in his extensive experience at the European Cup-and-higher levels, but in his uncanny ability to defend against the weakly-kicked shot.

Photo: Getty Images. FIFA.com

2. Serbia will self-destruct. At least, if they keep playing like they did against Ghana. Cards aplenty were thrown at Serbians, including one that was a deeper shade of yellow than the rest. Then, with a team of 10 men, some failure decided that he was actually a linebacker trying to deflect a pass. The obvious handball IN THE PENALTY BOX led to the game-winning goal for Ghana.

3. Uruguay is for real. Unlike Serbia, they’re not seeing the cards (so far) that they have been accustomed to. They seem ready to make a legitimate run at the cup, which they haven’t won in 60 years.

4. Greece is still horrible. It’s too bad they don’t play Australia, because the “Socceroos” are SO horrible they’d likely lose to Greece. All that false hope held by the Aussie fans, like “O we’ve got so much experience!!1″ translates to “Our team is old and we suck :(”

5. Cameroon had a shot, and now they do not. Cameroon’s offense failed against Japan in their first match. They still have a shot at the Round of 16, but they just have to beat Denmark and the Netherlands. Sounds simple enough. (sarcasm)

6. Denmark is terrific at scoring goals. As you can see in the video above, “On Team Denmark, there are no superstars or big names, just a perfect mix of experience, talent, and spirit…” or in other words, the Danes’ biggest (only?) asset this year is teamwork. This paid off greatly in their first match against the Netherlands, where two Danish players collaborated to score a goal on themselves.

In order to execute this move properly, make sure you are only inches from your own goal. Then, head the ball LOW, preferably into the back of your nearest teammate.

One criticism of Italy is that they are too old; this is nonsense. Italy played with youthful vigor against Paraguay. The only reason it was a draw was Paraguay’s defense.

The reason Italy will not likely return to the final round this year is more because there are other teams that, unless they are eliminated in an upset, will destroy the Italian team we saw playing today. I do think they’ll win their ridiculously easy group, and then beat 2E, who will be either Denmark (the own-goal team), Japan (the team that can’t score), or Cameroon (the team that lost to Japan). Any of those three beating Italy would certainly be an upset.

Unfortunately, in the next round, Italy would likely play Spain, and that is where their run will end.

Does Italy have a bad squad? Definitely not. But they are not elite enough to repeat, I reckon.

Germany beating Australia was no surprise. Germany beating Australia in the emphatic manner in which they did was.
FIFA.com wants to know if that 4-0 win has, in your view, established Joachim Low’s side as the favourites to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

FIFA.com

Ya know what? It really has. Going into this, people were wondering if any team could beat Spain and England. While Spain has yet to play a match, England has come off to a shaky start.

Everyone had questions and doubts about Germany, given its young squad and several injuries. But all that was laid to rest today by the intensity of their game and margin of victory. Then again, they did play Australia.

Their next opponent is Serbia, on June 18th. If Serbia manages to NOT self-destruct as they did this morning against Ghana, this could be a competitive match. If Germany can pull this out, especially with a wide margin of victory, they will be solidified as THE team to beat.

I would put down how the rest of the games would go, spoiler alert NETHERLANDS WIN THE CUP, but I am far too tired. Later, perhaps.

2. The Baltimore Ravens now have a legitimate passing attack with the addition of WR Anquan Boldin.  But this team still has holes, mainly in the secondary.

3. The Cleveland Browns will be rejuvenated by young talent and a complete overhaul at QB. Jake Delhomme can still play, especially with the right coaching. And Eric Mangini will always have a trick or two up his sleeve.

4. The Cincinnati Bengals will take a step back after their sudden burst last year. It always seems to go this way with the Bengals; in 2005 they went 11-5 then went to .500 or worse for the next three seasons.

Maybe it’s because I live in Baltimore, but there sure seems to be a lot of “Ravens are sure to win the division” nonsense floating about and I intend to straighten some people out.

Anything can happen during the season, but this division could be won by wither the Steelers, Ravens, or Bengals this year. The only reason I’m excluding the Browns is the fact that they won’t start Colt McCoy.

So, people (Ravens fanz) are busy blowing their loads over Anquan Boldin, thinking he’s a free ticket to the Super Bowl or some equivalent nonsense. If I were only excited about one new player on the Steelers, we’d be in serious trouble.

“Oh but we got lots more than just B0ld1n!!” says the Ravens kid. When asked “WHO?” they invariably give one of the following as “answers:”

1. Donte Stallworth. A mediocre journeyman receiver who has played for 5 different teams. In 2008, he had a grand total of 17 catches and one touchdown. In 2009, he had NOTHING because he was suspended for the entire season for drinking, driving, and killing a person.
2. OMG BEST DRAFT EVER. The Ravens draft was great, but nobody is likely to start this coming season. Remember kids, the only people who are going to help you this year are the ones actually playing.

That goes for you too, Terrence Cody.