Champions League Final Set

What a match between Chelsea and Liverpool tonight! Well, at least for the neutral observer. For the fans it was no doubt gut wrenching. 1-1 and into overtime after 90 minutes! THREE goals scored in overtime! A supposed goal reversed! The initial go-ahead scored on a penalty kick in overtime by a man who just buried his mother. 3-2 the final score. That's what I'm talking about.

So, on May 21st one of the above teams will be crowned Champions of Europe. Coincidently, they are also tied for first place in the English Premier League with 2 games to go.

That said, I think this will be a great final. I'll be pulling for Chelsea for manager Avram Grant's sake. Wouldn't it be ironic if his side won the UCL, something his "Chosen One" predecessor couldn't do? Regardless of your opinion whether or not he has had (or will have) anything to do with it, this makes a much better story then even Manchester United winning the double....not to mention Lampard's mother, the drama that always surrounds this club, and the fact that I don't want to have to listen to a bitter Steven everyday for the week following!

In addition, considering how poor this season has been for Spurs, we will always be able say we beat the Champions of Europe in the Carling Cup final!

p.s. sorry Matt...I was pulling for Liverpool on your behalf. At least it was epic.

A Slick Faux-Hawk

This is a response to Matt and Marshall's blog on the same topic. I finished and realized that my hair really didn't look any different then it does everyday. OMG, I've had a semi-faux-hawk for years now and no one's ever had the guts to tell me!

United v. Barcelona

Manchester United guaranteed an all-English Champions League final tonight, advancing 1-0 on aggregate. I really felt over the two matches Barcelona out-played them. I'm not saying Barcelona deserved to win, however. It was a weird thing to watch 180 minutes of football with one team controlling all of the possession and dictating the pace of both matches yet not knowing what to do in front of the opposition's net. Credit goes to United's defense, but I now understand why Barcelona has not scored in their last 4 games. It almost looked like the keep-away drill we used to run where you could pass all you wanted but weren't allowed to shoot.

In the end I am glad United won, even if this two legged tie more closely resembled the historically drab contests between the other 2 semi-finalists. If Liverpool can overcome their own-goal tomorrow and advance to the final on 21 May, the color red will once again be marched victoriously throughout the streets of Moscow.

Haggai the Horrible

This is referencing the Lord's command to Israel to rebuild the temple around 538 B.C., yet it still applies to us today. It is not an excuse to shirk our responsibilities at home/work nor is it saying that it is wrong to spend effort to improve these situations. For me, it speaks to the questions of motivation, treasure, and priority...and it serves as a great reminder for all us, whatever we are doing, throughout our days.

Haggai 1:2-11

2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD." 3 Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why, declares the LORD of hosts? Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors."

Guy Style

Sunday afternoon was relaxing. We decided to lay low at home after staying at the cabin all weekend. A mutual decision was reached that we would we hose off and lounge around the house in comfortable clothes. Stacey got ready first and put on her comfy clothes. I got ready second and put on my comfy clothes. When I came downstairs Stacey saw what I was wearing and was confused. She thought I was going “out”.

What’s funny (but probably more then anything, sad), is that apparently there is no distinction between my lazy Sunday clothes and my Sunday best. But, like most other hobo-sexual males, I have no problem with that.

30th Birthday Part 3 & 4

1) ATVs
2) Steak, Beer, Cake, Brownies, M&Ms, Tootsie Rolls, Red Vines, etc (and lots of it)
3) Getting drenched by gallons upon gallons of sewer water
4) A chlorine sponge bath

Obviously, in that order. Thanks goes out to all involved for making this a very memorable day! I love you guys (and I am just having a little fun with it). It'll be our little secret.

Liverpool Chelsea

Since I have strict instructions not to post a comment on The Gaw's blog regarding yesterday’s Liverpool Chelsea CL match, I’ll do the next best thing…post it my own blog! Really, there isn’t much to say buddy. Liverpool dominated the game and should have won by AT LEAST 1-0. Cech made some great saves that otherwise would have resulted in a blowout. Liverpool deserved the victory, no doubt about it.

I feel for all of you Liverpool fans right now. The good news is, 1-1 is still a decent score. Liverpool can still get it done! Keep your head up guys.

Twit...ter

At the risk of offending certain friends that read this blog, here’s my position regarding Twitter (and why I won’t get on this train). Please know that I write this with the utmost respect, admiration, and love for all you. In addition, this is not meant for anyone in particular, simply for the masses of Twitter-ers.

Why do I need to know what you’re having for dinner? Should I care that your left toe itches at this very moment? Am I less of a friend because I don’t want to know what foul odor surrounds you right now? Here’s one for you: I’m just about to eat an orange and thought you needed to know NOW!

Twitter and blogs can be a great way to stay in touch. Unfortunately, they both usually become podiums for the self-absorbed. It’s something we all need to keep in mind (myself included) when “tweeting” or writing a blog. There is a fine line between the two.

Rant over. I need to stop drinking the haterade.

Fletcher Peak Part 2

I've never seen pictures of me on a climb quite like this before...mainly because I'm the one taking them. Awesome! I put them into video form with music but you couldn't make out any of the details. So, you'll have to just click on them one by one.

Update: I've re-sized the pictures so that they are viewable on the web.

Loo Loo Anyone?

I love this commercial... I've watched it over and over and can't stop laughing at the facial expressions exhibited. Who knew water could be so invigorating?

30th Birthday Part 1 & 2

Although my 30th birthday is on the 26th, I started the celebration early. Saturday was a big day. It began at 3:30 a.m. and ended at 11:30 p.m.

In the morning hours I climbed Fletcher Peak with Nathan. Fletcher Peak rises all the way up to ~13,950 feet above sea level, just missing the 14er cut. However, because it is still winter and the fact that 50 feet really isn't that big of deal, this climb was vastly more difficult than the 14ers I did last summer on dry ground. We began the 8 mile round-trip early. The full moon lighted our way in the early morning hours. Snowshoes were required the whole trip. In addition, I don't think was possible to make it to the summit without an ice axe. 7.5 hours later we were back to the car. I had a good time at first, but towards the end I was begging for the trip to be over. I have a love-hate relationship with climbing mountains in the winter...more specifically, I hate doing them but love the pictures and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. It requires more physical and mental strength then anything else I've ever had to do.

I made it home just in time to take a shower before my parents and the family headed up to the Rapids game in Denver. My parents had purchased tickets to the Rapids - Earthquakes game for my birthday. It was a lot of fun. The food was great and the stadium was packed. The Rapids lost 0 - 2 to the expansion Earthquakes, and in all honesty, looked pretty poor. They are still on top of the western conference, however. A quick drive down I-25 and up the stairs later, I collapsed on the bed at 11:30 p.m.

I feel sore but well today. I feel especially well now that I've had a chance to look at the pictures from yesterday's events.

Music by Skillet (Re-birthing)

Julia Slideshow

Pictures by Mommy
Editing by Daddy
Music by Delirious (My Soul Sings)

The Kanzius Machine

A promising new cancer treatment that may one day replace radiation and chemotherapy is edging closer to human trials. Kanzius RF therapy attaches microscopic nanoparticles to cancer cells and then "cooks" tumors inside the body with harmless radio waves.

Based on technology developed by Pennsylvania inventor John Kanzius, a retired radio and TV engineer, the treatment has proven 100 percent effective at killing cancer cells while leaving neighboring healthy cells unharmed. It is currently being tested at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Here's the clip from the 60 Minutes story that aired on Sunday.

The Popemobile

With the Pope visiting Washington this week, I was prepared to make a post about all the things wrong with Catholic theology. Unfortunately, I changed my mind after doing a few minutes of research. I've already completed my Master degree and didn't feel like writing another thesis tonight. So, you'll have to settle for this...the Popemobile (its actual name). Maybe he should take this out for a spin on the Capital Beltway.

30 Years Old...The Countdown

April 26, 2008 is coming fast. In 15 days I'll be 30 years old. I don't feel like I'm about to be 30. Because of this momentous event I have decided to make 5 big changes/announcements regarding my life:

#1 - I'm not going to shower for a week and then blame the terrible odor on old age
#2 - From now on you may refer to me as "Mr. Sudduth" or "Sir"
#3 - To my family: I'm on my last leg and you should go on without me
#4 - I'm going to wear a helmet to the office and tell people I don't trust my aging and decaying body around dangerous objects such as pencils and paper
#5 - When I end conversations with people, I'll give them a hug and say, "just in case I never see you again, promise me you'll take care of yourself - PROMISE!"

Stay tuned for more ramblings from a crazy, old man as we count down these next two weeks...

Liverpool Arsenal Penalties

There has been a lot of discussion over the past few days about the Liverpool Arsenal tie in the UEFA Champions League. Unfortunately, it's been centered on the controversial penalty kick decision and no decision in each of the two games. After watching the replay of both events numerous times it is clear to me that both were fouls inside the box and deserved a penalty.

In the first leg, Kuyt (Liverpool) fouled Hleb (Arsenal - min 14 on video). Notice the jerk on Hleb's body from the tug by Kuyt. The resulting tug on his upper body twisted him enough so that his right foot (next step) was pulled off the ground. Hleb's right foot missed the ground as a result, causing him to fall over in the box. In this situation, no penalty was called and the game ended 1-1.

In the second leg, Toure (Arsenal) fouled Babel (Liverpool). Although Fabregas (Arsenal) initially made contact with Babel outside the box, the contact in the box from the other direction by Toure caused Babel to fall. The replay clearly shows Toure all over Babel's back causing Babel's body to twist in the other direction. What is most telling in this replay is Babel's effort to keep his balance. Notice that he keeps his legs moving despite being fouled. This is a clear sign that he was trying to keep his balance but could not because of the resulting contact by Toure. In this situation, a penalty was called and Liverpool went on to win 4-2.

In my mind, it's easy to establish the fact (when watching the replay) that these were both fouls inside the box. I don't think most objective people, after watching these two clips could say that either of them were not fouls. A foul inside the penalty box should equal a penalty kick.

Having established this, let's move on to the real problem. The natural reaction, considering the sequence of events (the penalty called resulted in the winning goal for Liverpool), is to blame the referees for the Arsenal loss. Objectively you cannot say that the referees were the difference. The only way that you can make that statement is if you make both of these calls isolated incidents and assume that they in no way affected the other 179 minutes played. That is, you have to take these incidents out of context.

For arguments sake, let's assume that the first call (in the first leg) was correctly called a penalty. You have to start here because it happened first. Does that automatically mean a goal for Arsenal? Do 100% of penalties taken go in? I've been around the sport long enough to know the answer to that question is "no". But, let’s say that it did go in and the first game ended 2-1 in Arsenal’s favor. Now what? The entire strategy, formation, and even players involved in the second game are potentially different then what actually happened on Tuesday. That is, you can’t change the past without altering the future. This would render everything that happened after that non-call in the first game irrelevant and even potentially non-existent. Would we witness the exact same game on Tuesday if that call would have been made correctly in the first leg? Absolutely not. We can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened going forward. For all we know Liverpool would have still won the second game…or maybe Arsenal would have…and maybe there wouldn’t have been a second penalty call at all. The bottom line is that we will never know what would have happened if we change the scenario going into the second leg.

Did the referees influence the games by their decisions? Absolutely. Referees make dozens of decisions each game that influence the outcome. That is their job. Does this mean that they are responsible for the outcome? No way. You can’t make that assertion in this case. That would be too easy…almost lazy…especially in a tie that involves two separate games and especially in a situation where to make all things right you have to change a decision very early on in a process that is already entirely built upon that event and every other event from that point forward. I’m sorry to tell you this Arsenal fans, but your team was responsible for the outcome, not the referee. You had 179 other minutes of opportunity to beat Liverpool and you just plain didn’t get it done. At some point you and your manager have to accept responsibility for the result on the field…and, interestingly enough, when you start to do that you’ll probably win something.

Who Are Ya Designs

Check out the shirts I just bought from Who Are Ya Designs. The funny thing is, probably only one person who reads this blog will have any idea what these shirts mean. Keep it real brother.

Blogging In a Nutshell

Confirmation of a Theory

Around this time of year you'll hear many an excuse from guys who just got beat in their office sports pool. The most common complaint heard is that the person that wins is usually someone who doesn't know anything about the game in question. Usually it's someone who made their picks based on some irrelevant factor like team colors or team mascots.

I'm here to confirm this theory. This year, out of all the previous years in recent memory, I watched the least amount of American football and college basketball that I ever have. Consequently, this resulted in my rightful ascension to the office NFL pick 'em league throne in January and being crowned March Madness King yesterday.

Because this is a sore subject I'm going to let them think that I know what I'm talking about. I wouldn't want them to think they got beat by someone who really knows nothing about the current state of the sport they love (but who can do hellagood research in 5 minutes on the innermet!)

A Little Laughter

Julia's first laughs...finally caught on tape!

Sunday Morning Cartoons

One Year Anniversary

On Saturday, April 5th, Stacey and I had our first anniversary. Before I get smacked upside the head for messing up our wedding date I should mention that I'm talking about our house. It's been an entire year since we moved in on Easter weekend 2007. To celebrate, we did the same thing we've been doing almost every weekend since that time: worked on the house and/or went shopping for furnishings and decorations.

I'm not joking when I say it's been a grueling but fun year inside the Sudduth household. Painting, decorating, and furnishing 2000 finished square feet takes a lot of monetary, physical, and mental resources. I'm sure you feel very sorry for us right now...but you have to remember that I spent the first 7 years after college in the military. I've never really had a true home since I left my parent's house for college in 1996 (11 years).

Our goal has been to finish the house as soon as possible since we have the time and resources to do so with Stacey working and not having or having very young children. There is soon coming a season where we won't have weekends to ourselves. So what have we done in a year? Everything except the kids bathroom and our master bedroom (the unfinished basement is another story). When we're finished I'll give you a video tour of the fruit of our labor complete with before and after shots.

We feel very blessed in our current situation. Although a lot has gone into this, we are careful not to make it our treasure. We desire to have a relaxing, nice, safe, and quiet place to raise a family and are hoping to create that before we our attention is turned elsewhere (i.e. toddlers, soccer games, high school and college graduations). The reason for that is one day soon we're going to wake up to an empty house and wonder where the last 20 years went.

UCL Quarter-Final Review +1

This week I was able to watch most of the 4 Champions League Quarterfinal matches on television. United are all but through to the semi-finals. The rest of the ties are either level or separated by only one goal, making next week's games probably the determining leg.

Tuesday I jumped out of my chair when Ronaldo scored this goal. Talk about coming out of nowhere! I'd really like to know his hang time on this one. It probably would have been longer if not for the collision at the end. It was a spectacular goal that made me just shake my head in amazement. He is easily the best player in the world right now.

But then I tuned in on Wednesday and saw a goal that made me jump out of my chair again. Or, in other words, a 35 yard rocket into the upper-corner by Deivid to beat Chelsea.

The +1 in the topic refers to a non-Champions League goal that Ronaldo scored this weekend against Villa. This cheeky back heel was just too good not to show.