Well, We Butchered That One

Forza Italia! 3-2 Italy over Spain in EURO 2012! We were so right! If only we weren't so wrong. Spain 4 rip. Class, creativity and a whole lot of AWESOME saw the Spaniards through to their third consecutive major title. WOW! Viva Espana! Champions of Europe! Champions of the World! Champions of the whole fricken' Universe!

Spain, in back, take the Italians, in front, bowling.

First the Netherlands. Then Italy. Our next prediction is that the Tebus will win the NFL MVP in 2012!

Now I favor the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!

Euro-tastic! 2012!

GORDO! The EURO 2012 Trophy.

The Euro 2012 final is today, 1245pm on ESPN proper, Spain battling Italy for all the European soccer glory.

Glory awaits the winner! The Inquisition awaits the loser.

Will it be pasta or paella? Vespas or Bullfights? Mussolini or Franco? Spain should be a heavy favorite. They are going for their 3rd major title in a row, EURO 2008; 2010 World Cup; EURO 2012. No nation has ever pulled off the treble. They are playing at the top of their game and just know how to win. So PengoSports picks the Spaniards, right?

Spain, from left to right, EURO 2008, World Cup 2010 and EURO 2012.

Hell NO! 

FORZA! ITALIA!

We'll take Italy to win just because they weren't even expected to make it out of the 1st round due to a hella match fixing scandal that is awaiting many of the players when they return home (yes we did pick the Netherlands to win it all at the beginning. Those bastards up and didn't win a game. But we did have them playing Spain for the title so we're almost shooting 50%).

The Italian national team practicing against
a flock of pigeons in Saint Mark's Square in Venice.

They last time Italy had such a scandal they won the 2006 World Cup by screwing with Zidane and making him crazy in the head. Italians like chaos. Italy will do something to screw with Spain. Italy wins 3-2, or 5-3 if it goes to penalties, or 17-14 if they start playing American football.

Watch Le Tour de France on NBC Sports Network!

Hey. While your watching Europe stuff go ahead and check out stage one of the Tour de France on NBCSN. We'll convert all you heathens sooner or later. One of Us! One of Us!

What the Hell Did I Just Watch?

This commercial has been around for a while but is is now in heavy rotation on the ESPNs during their EURO 2012 coverage. Enjoy:

 
The Rehabilitator - SonoSite Hand-Carried Ultrasound for MSK.

Just why this needs mass-advertised stymies the mind.

Now I've see a few commercials in my day. I've seen some damn good ones and I've seen plenty of sh*tty ones too. The Rehabilitator is one of the latter. This is a whole new level of CRAP. Let's break it down: 

Terrible, worthless commercial, but props to the advertising company that sold this concept to SonoSite. Takes some balls to push for this project!

Erin go Bragh!

Ireland crapped out of EURO 2012 today after getting smoked 4-0 by Spain. Earlier this week they lost 3-1 to Croatia. They still have a game against Italy but are officially eliminated from advancing to the next round. Did anybody expect them to win it all? No, but Ireland just hoped to steal a game or two and make it to the knockout stage. Were the defeats surprising? No. But getting crushed is disappointing. And with all the news of riots and hooligans at EURO 2012 one would expect fans of eliminated teams, fans that spend a lot of Euros/Zloty to attend the matches in Poland, to run wild through the streets. Did they? No. Did the Irish fans get drunk? Well, they are Irish, so I would guess a few did. So what did the Irish fans do? They sang. They sang The Fields of Athenry as the game wound down. 

The Fields of Athenry
by Pete St. John
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Micheal they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matters Mary when you're free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

They sang beautifully. They sang a song about a man that was sentenced to transportation to Australia for stealing food to feed his starving family during the potato famine. How so very Irish.

The Fields of Athenry by ftw1905

To the Ireland soccer team, to the Irish soccer fans I say, thank you. Moments like this make whatever Irish I have left in me swell with pride. Moments like this make me a bit less cynical. Moments like this make me remember why I love sport. Thank you and Erin go Bragh!

Group of Death!

EURO 2012 Group of Death games today!

GAME 1

Denmark v Portugal

10:00am on ESPN proper

Watch it. Watch it. WATCH the f-ing BALL!
Watch the Danes shock the world?
...watch Ronaldo choke again?

Portugal and Netherlands need full points today or it's DEATH to them.

 Game 2

Netherlands v Germany!

12:45pm on ESPN proper

The Dutch lose, they die (or get invaded)!

Euro 2012!

EURO 2012! It's like the World Cup but without all the teams that have no hope of winning ('cept Brazil and Argentina). It's EURO 2012! It's on ESPN proper! It's usually great soccer! PengoSports sez, check it out! We are betting it will be the Netherlands v Spain with the Netherlands taking it all! Finally!

Soccer! He's ready for a touchdown or homerun or something!

Saturday's games are:

 Germany v Portugal @ 1000am 

Netherlands v Denmark @ 1245pm

Sunday has:

Spain v Italy @ 1000am

Ireland v Croatia @ 1245pm

Click here for the rest of the schedule

Give it a watch. And don't worry about Iceland.

They didn't make it.