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The morning opened up with Baylor decathlete Henry Vildosola on the front page of the Eugene newspaper. The event is a test of athleticism, precision, and endurance that covers several events over several days, and Vildosola represents the ultimate track and field competitor.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Look who made the front page of the Eugene paper. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SicEm&src=hash">#SicEm</a> Henry. <a href="http://t.co/0kvHlgvdH4">pic.twitter.com/0kvHlgvdH4</a></p>— BaylorTrack (@BaylorTrack) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorTrack/statuses/477112957629779968">June 12, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Vildosola did well during his second day of competition, including a personal record of 15.27 in the 100m hurdles. With two events left to go tomorrow, Vildosola sits two places away from All-American status, and one of the remaining events, the 1500m, is his strongest.
Ashley Fields one the final spot in the 200m finals in the sweetest way possible.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Ashley Fields' official time in 200 was 23.27, which bumped A&M's Ashton Purvis by one hundredth of a second for last qualifying spot.</p>— BaylorTrack (@BaylorTrack) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorTrack/statuses/477241908616364033">June 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Little Tiff through to the finals in 100 hurdles, 2nd in her heat in 13.11.</p>— BaylorTrack (@BaylorTrack) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorTrack/statuses/477246418407546881">June 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I'm not sure of Little Tiff's full name, but she's fast.
Both of Baylor's women's relay teams have been eliminated, but the men's 4x400 team had an outstanding day that dredged up an absolutely crazy stat.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The Baylor men have now made the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NCAATF&src=hash">#NCAATF</a> Outdoor 4x400-meter finals in 34 out of the last 35 years. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SicEm&src=hash">#SicEm</a></p>— BaylorTrack (@BaylorTrack) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaylorTrack/statuses/477294493373169665">June 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The carnage continues today and tomorrow.
The World Cup Through Idiot Goggles
I'm not a soccer fan at all. I played a few games in a local league in the sticky midsummer head of Southeast Louisiana between first and second grade. I never came near the game again. My mother, who can talk circles around me in matters of American football, has never cared for the sport. My father openly loathes it. This year, I felt obligated to make an honest attempt to watch the biggest sporting event in the world, since I've gained an affinity for European languages and many friends who love the sport. Matthew Tennant has a fun article on the feasibility of a FIFA event in Texas coming out later today.
Yesterday I sat down, mostly ignored the opening ceremony (starring the ubiquitous Pitbull) in São Paulo, and toughed it out as Brazil put away Croatia with relative ease. By the end of the game I could understand the appeal, but it will take time for me to gain a true appreciation of the most widely loved game on the planet. The home crowd was fantastic, the officiating made Big 12 basketball refs feel inadequate, and the uniforms were very nice. I always enjoy watching national teams to see how creatively a designer can work a country's flag into a tunic and a pair of gym shorts.
Much like basketball, the lack of protective headgear lets spectators share in the emotions of players. Even though I could tell that the sequence of events leading up to Neymar's successful penalty kick (that's the correct word, yes?) were extremely sketchy, I was able to appreciate what it meant to the guy to score two goals in the opening of his dream tournament on his native soil.
Anyway, that's pretty much what I've got. For those of you who want actual coverage and not the diary entry of a football-starved Texan suburbanite, check out yesterday's report from Bring on the Cats, SB Nation's Kansas State blog and a really fun group of guys. They also take a glance at today's matches, Mexico vs. Cameroon, Spain vs. Netherlands, and Chile vs. Australia.
It is the offseason. I will watch them all.