Alabama Governor's Race

On the eve of the Alabama primaries, the political TV ads and auto-dial voicemails from candidates are in full swing. Luckily for me, I'm in Alabama and get a front-row seat to witness all of the idiocy and hilarity. There is way too much stuff to laugh and cringe at, but here's a few gems:

Young Boozer, Republican for state Treasurer. Yes, that's his real name. He's endorsed by the Birmingham News and has a solid rep, though.

Tim James, Republican for Governor. This ad has gotten a lot of national press, and of course it doesn't reflect well on Alabama. Just watch this appalling ad with the knowledge that he currently has 20% of the Republican vote. Try not to vomit too much.

Dale Peterson, Republican for Agriculture Commissioner. I love this guy and would vote for him.

... and a hilarious Funny or Die parody

Judge Roy Moore, Republican for Governor. The "Ten Commandments" judge is back. Roy has decided to go with a country music theme for this year's ad campaign:

Gamechangers

Things that have completely changed the way I operate:

- Custom tailored shirts. I bought a bunch of these in Vietnam for $25 each. I always thought custom shirts were frivolous purchases, but now I see the light. There is no going back.

- Men's Health Workouts iPhone application. Almost as good as a personal trainer... keeps you honest by telling you exactly what to do. Very easy to track your progress.

- GPS navigation. Again, something I always thought I could do without. Not anymore.

First half impressions: US - Czech

If I'm Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch, I can't wait to line up against
Gooch. Gooch played some good balls out of the back, but that's not
why he's in the field. His core competency is winning balls in the air
and being physical - two things he failed at in the first half. Based
on what I saw this half, gooch isn't ready to start in the world cup.
Three weeks to go.

Eddie Johnson - once a bum, always a bum. He complains. Looks like a
pansy when he gets outmuscled. He doesn't hustle. I will lose all
faith in Bob Bradley if Johnson makes the team. I'm looking forward to
seeing Gomez in the second half.

Obvious observations: beasley and torres acquitted themselves well.

Sent from my iPhone

World Cup Cominacha

The excitement is down here and it needs to be up here. Come on people, the US has a legitimate chance to make it out of the group stage, training camp has started (with some key position battles turning out to be very interesting), and a healthy US squad that should be in good form for the England game on June 12.

I will offer more thoughts in the coming weeks, but mark my words right now - Herculez Gomez will contribute to this squad. I'm not saying he'll displace Jozy from the starting lineup, but he'll come close. Gomez is a gamer and his knack for finding the net is back. Bob Bradley needs to recognize this and get Gomez into the starting lineup for the Czech Republic game. Same goes for Edson Buddle. These guys are on a tear and Bradley may have lucked out and found himself a threatening striker not named Charlie Davies. HUGE.

Another wild card: Beas. Great quote from Donovan about Beas' attitude:

"In Holland in March [for the U.S. friendly], we saw the DaMarcus that we know. Something has clicked in his head and he is figuring out now what it takes to be an elite player. Now we see that again. It's nice because, when he is playing well, he is a really good player that can be a very big part of this team. All of us that know Beas well are really pulling and hoping he makes it. ... We all figure things out at certain points, and it just seems like something has switched on and he realizes what this means. It's good to see him passionate and really wanting this."

Finally, start reading these blogs for soccer news:

Soccer Insider (Steve Goff from the Washington Post). Some national team news, some DC united news.

Soccerbyives (Ives Garcelep writes for FoxSoccer). I question whether or not this guy actually knows his soccer, but he gets pretty interesting stories.

duNord. This guy took a mental health year in 2009, but is back. Great aggregator of US Soccer news. Kind of a homer, but what do you expect from an overweight guy in Minnesota?

What else you got?