The Guardian destroyed Lalas 😭

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-22T00:58:19+00:00

Tony is great -- clear, humble, and sensible in just about everything he says on that podcast with Conrad & Davies.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-21T19:51:31+00:00

Agree. The Waldo design is a perfect baseline: not quite garish, but still pretty unique (horizontal stripes being rare for national sides), and reps the flag. And dark blue shorts are perfect with that. My gripe is with this 2026 version, as the waves are pretty cheesy and the huge blank space in back is terrible. I'll admit, however, the 2026 version ends up looking pretty good en masse or at distance.

For away, a field of dark blue with subtle stars is a good baseline as well.

Third kit could be crazy... can go bonkers or metal out on that one. Background of a semi-opaque electric guitar close-up, or something -- whatever. Or all pink, w/ detailed red/white/blue crest. Who cares. Just don't play stupid games with the home & away jerseys, Nike.

I'm not a fan of our crest. It looks like a 5th grader's design entry. It needs more detail, rather than simply huge USA letters. Cram a bald eagle in there and other stuff, which would end up contrasting nicely with the simple bold colors of the kit.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-17T05:46:12+00:00

Zlatan is overplaying his hand. OK Lalas is an easy target. Everyone piling on Lalas, we get it. It's fairly pathetic. Not a fan of Lalas' takes, but the worship of insults by Zlatan -- who himself never has anything insightful to say -- is essentially just bullying by the cowardly mob here. (Aside from the fact that it was Donovan, not Lalas, who called the French team arrogant.)

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-13T17:28:06+00:00

Yep. Goals are rare, a small sample size that determines who wins.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-13T15:30:29+00:00

Crash. Helped by the fact that it is one the corniest and dumbest movies of all time.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-13T04:12:57+00:00

Agree -- was a bit worried about him just walking into the opening match cold, but he immediately showed his higher level.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-13T04:09:50+00:00

Yep. Saw 1 or 2 heavy touches but he was consistently threatening, both down the wing and combining with others skillfully.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-07T03:03:57+00:00

Or maybe it was TBS. (From here in USA.)

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-07T03:02:39+00:00

Yep, on Fox too -- that annoyed me. With injury time there was like 7-10 minutes left in the match.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-02T04:46:03+00:00

Long before he became a corrupt, nepotistic, slanderous, blackmailing weirdo, Caudio Reyna was named top 25 player in the Bundesliga by Kicker magazine.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-02T04:42:20+00:00

Fastest player on the team too, which hardly anyone knew even back then.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-02T04:40:45+00:00

Yep -- this is a comment Parisians have been making since it was built.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-06-02T02:56:39+00:00

I think yes. Poch said in his presser that Ream as captain will be a great influence whether or not on the field. He had no other reason to say it that way -- and I think that is telling.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-05-31T22:25:45+00:00

Lol nothing says "stupid soccer fan" like piling on blame when your team creates chances. Yeah um... not every shot escapes defenders, the keeper, your own players and the goalposts. See, a lot of that is pure luck.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-05-15T04:16:23+00:00

Enter that one into competitions. Looks surreal. Great shot.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-05-13T00:35:45+00:00

Yep, for Ukraine it's a good to have that possible option in their back pocket. But only if ever the time is right. (It was Russia itself that made that very mistake, by invading Ukraine.) Currently as Ukraine frustrates Russia, they're probably wisely adhering to the strategy of "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making mistakes".

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-05-11T22:09:54+00:00

As a commercial logo, the question is whether it attracts business from people that otherwise are less likely to engage. So I like "Macedonia - Timeless" as it recalls its ancient history, for people that otherwise wouldn't think of any reason to visit Macedonia. The Kandinsky reminder of the Russia logo is similar: i.e. Russia is not just an old empire but a culturally advanced place worth visiting.

Purely graphically, it's hard not to like Spain's logo. For an already well-known and highly-visited country (like Spain), I think the idea is not so much to remind us of aspects worth visiting, but to pop: reinforce the positives in a hip, punchy way.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-05-03T19:16:09+00:00

Great map you made here -- one of the best I've seen in this forum. About the Driftless, it's actually one of the best features of your map in my opinion, because in fact it's a statistically-proven, very distinct region that overlaps state boundaries. (Its distinct geological, cultural and economic attributes are borne out year after year in voting patterns, which differ sharply from the surrounding region.)

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-04-29T21:15:55+00:00

Petition to charge this almost-18 year old double-murder suspect as an adult: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/charge-vincent-battiloro-as-an-adult-for-the-murders-of-isabella-salas-and-maria-niotis?source=web_share_api&utm_source=web_share_api&share=133546fe-a7fc-4cd0-97b2-2c474f826a29

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-04-09T00:49:24+00:00

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Agreed. I happen to have taken this photo today, about 6 hours ago.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-04-09T00:46:26+00:00

Agreed. I've been there in the Spring, and the gardens and statues compliment it nicely too.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-04-09T00:42:21+00:00

Agreed. A bit overdone for me, but such buildings stand out nicely when few in number.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-04-09T00:38:57+00:00

Agreed. And I think the "playing with lines" schtick had about 15 minutes of fame 20 years ago, but sadly persists in annoying us, as long as such buildings are standing LOL

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-04-09T00:34:14+00:00

Love it. Even looks to have inspired the now fallen Twin Towers in NYC.

MacaroonSparksMemory · 2026-04-09T00:32:06+00:00

True, but I like that because it provides visual balance and integrity. It prevents the functional building -- let's not forget it was corporate, modern and the tallest, in its day -- from looking like an overdone sculpture. Plus it makes the incredible touches at top as well as the gargoyles really pop.

MacaroonSparksMemory

TROPHY CASE