My picks for the FIFA World Cup Soccer competition round robin survivors - winner first -along with very brief explanation of my 'reasoning', or total lack thereof:

IN KOREA

Group A
France - elegant
Uruguay - rough-housers

Group B
Spain - hot players
South Africa - diverse

Group C
Brazil - perennials
Costa Rica - little big guy

Group D
Portugal - Luis Figo
USA - please, please!!!

IN JAPAN

Group E
Germany - awesome, (and gorgeous )
Ireland - underrated

Group F
England -Faulklands replay
Argentina - ditto

Group G
Italy - if they play as a team
Mexico - just a guess

Group H
Japan - hometown advantage
Belgium - more depth than the competition

There, I've done it. Now all I need is no-doze.

This could be Thierry Henry's response to those sceptics who don't think the French can repeat:

Honey I KNOW you're not talkin' to me!

He makes me want to ask the Lady Marmalade question.

[ May 27, 2002: Message edited by: sportinlife ]

I find it more interesting to follow a tournament if I make predictions. My picks for the World Cup...

Group A: France, Uruguay
Group B: Spain, Paraguay
Group C: Brazil, Turkey
Group D: Portugal, United States
Group E: Germany, Cameroon
Group F: Argentina, England
Group G: Italy, Croatia
Group H: Belgium, Japan

I'll take a stab:
Group A: France, Denmark
Group B: Spain, Paraguay
Group C: Brazil, Costa Rica
Group D: Portugal, USA
Group E: Ireland, Cameroon
Group F: Argentina, Sweden
Group G: Italy, Mexico
Group H: Belgium, Japan

OK, so I went into the black hole and pulled out my predictions again....
A: France, Denmark
B: Spain, Paraguay
C: Brazil, Turkey
D: Portugal, USA
E: Germany, Cameroon
F: England, Argentina
G: Italy, Mexico
H: Russia, Japan
(this assumes that Zidane & Beckham are available)
Round of 16:
France - Argentina = France (big battle)
Spain - Cameroon = Cameroon
Brazil - Japan = Brazil
Portugal - Mexico = Portugal
Germany - Paraguay = Germany
England - Denmark = Denmark
Italy - USA = not at liberty to remark
Russia - Turkey = Turkey

Quarters:
France - Brazil = France (if Zidane, again...)
Germany - Italy = Italy (another war)
Cameroon - Portugal = Portugal
Denmark - Turkey = Denmark

Semis:
France - Denmark = France
Italy - Portugal = Italy

WORLD CHAMPS: France
3rd: Denmark

Who I like in game one. France is odds on favorite but this could be the upset of the cup and make for one heck of an exciting series.

Who I'd like to watch - and more - assuming I can find time at that hour:

France's Thierry Henry and Lilian Thuram are hot whether you like great soccer or sexy looks but Senegal's El Hadj Diouf nicknamed 'serial killer' and Khalilou Fadiga are as hot as the Sahara.

Fadiga looks like a Baule-sculptured head on a Greek god's body. What a combo. And Diouf is naughty but 'nice'. If looks could win games I'd give it to Senegal hands-down. But I think France will eek it out with the round robin - with or without Zidane.

And what's with Zidane? This injury looks a little suspicious to me. With the refs cracking down on fakes during the game are we seeing a bit of strategizing going on - like maybe holding back your best players to avoid injuries and saving them for the big games that you think you'll get to later. Hmmm, Mr. Beckham. Maybe I'm being a bit cynical but I want to see your medical records too. Trust but verify.

Either way, it could be playing a dangerous game. If you loose you got to face your home crowd.

Pam Shriver and Mary Joe Fernandez were speculating that there will be few, if any, French people at the French Open tomorrow as they will be glued to the television for the soccer.

[quote]Originally posted by George_vikingfan:
... there will be few, if any, French people at the French Open tomorrow as they will be glued to the television for the soccer.

---

I read in the Post that the only public TV at Roland Garros was in a small exhibit booth run by Philips Electronics. More people were around that booth during the Fr.-Senegal game than were watching the tennis -- and other were passing binoculars around to see the screen.

"French Open organizers had purposely decided not to show the game on the official monitors, hoping not to distract from the tennis. But fans found the tiny Philips stand sandwiched between vendors selling cigarettes and seat cushions, and employees there began showing the game as a way to draw interest to the flat-screen televisions they were hawking."

"People were grouped so thick they totally blocked the way through -- about halfway through the match, we finally had to turn it off because security was complaining," Philips employee Lisa Leyuit said.

After that, fans had to depend on updates on the courtside scoreboards, although many of them simply stayed away from the tennis entirely until the match was over.

Better off were the players, who watched the match in chairs set up six rows deep in the lounge near the locker rooms.

"People who like sport, they have to choose -- somehow they have to make that choice," said French player Amelie Mauresmo, who watched the match in the Roland Garros physical therapy room."

Well I'm only 7 of 16 in the right order of finish for round 1 (10 of 16 if order is ignored) but I'm gonna lick my wounds and try again (my correct picks so far are in bold type):

Round of 16 picks:
Germany
England
Senegal
Spain
USA
Brazil
Turkey
Italy

Quarterfinals:
Brazil
Germany
Spain
Senegal

Semi-finals:
Spain
Senegal

Third:
Spain

First:
Senegal

Marabout or none, I so love watching these guys play that they have just got to stay around a while.

Vont les lions!!!

[ June 14, 2002: Message edited by: sportinlife ]

[quote]Originally posted by sportinlife:
Round of 16 picks:
Germany
England
Senegal
Spain
USA
Brazil
Turkey
Italy

---

Well done sportinlife! 6 for 6 thus far -- we'll see how you do manana!

Doooh, didn't think anybody was looking..oh well the proverbial you-know-what is about to hit the fan tonight.

Edit: So I'm only 7 for 8 so far. Considering the behavior of the Italians since their lose I'm sort of glad I was screwed by a Korean...so to speak.

I expect more upsets. This Cup is crazy.

[ June 20, 2002: Message edited by: sportinlife ]

So Korea screwed me by beating Spain and Turkey by beating Senegal. Two Cinderellas - make tat one since Korea just fell to Germany.

If Turkey falls to Brazil at least the teams that beat my picks wont be in the finals. A little vengeance savored?

Actually I'd like to see Turkey in the final and a German win to catch the Brazilians in total Cup victories.

But what do I know?

Good looks no matter what. Eye-candy galore!