Digicel Cup, 3rd place

I wonder how its going to turn out tonight. Of course, I'll let you guys know. TT vs Barbados, for third place. *geez* !!! Ah walkin' wid mih toilet paper and rotten tomatoes and breadfruit an' t'ing! Leh dem boys an dem play chupidness...it go be like Skinner Park!

I'll be out of commission for the weekend, see you guys on Monday or so...! Gone Fishing....!!

Digicel Cup, Cuba 2 - TT 1

I don't know what to say anymore. I want to order 10,000 rolls of toilet paper and distribute it in Barbados on Thursday. I wonder if Barbados go beat we too. Football is a science but Bertille St Claire is proving to be no more than the Lab Assistant.

Why is the team so mediocre at this stage? The ball is in now in Technical Director, Lincoln Phillips' court. After this tournament it is up to him and his people to sit down and evaluate what happened and what we should take from it. This last game against Barbados will provide little or no useful information...unless something disastrous happens. The experience Nakhid, Yorke and Latapy has, is now invaluable to the team. Use them technically. Playing Nahkid seems to me like a band aid over a wound that needs stitches.

We need a coach that demands respect. The only way to get respect is to get results.

We in Trinidad say that God is ah Trini. Well, give Him a uniform and most likely BSC will give Him a 'cobo sweat'.

News for today

Happy International World Thinking Day to all...!!! click.

Isn't this back asswards for Lent ...?? $$$ for small fowl.

Earthquake in Iran, kills 270. Betcha someone blames this on a nuclear test. click.

Man changes name to "They". I guess "they" did it again. click.

Brain coolers

Blogging is supposed to be fun, not off on a BreezeBox, ranting all the time. You wouldn't think so eh..? Here's some stuff I found on the good ol' web.

For the encompassing explanation about us men, click on the header.

Ever wonder what happens after the credits rolled on Mario Bros? Click here.

This has to be the scariest thing I've ever seen. link.

Intolerance ??? ... let the Gay Penguins be. See for yourself ...

Really cool pics of really small things. here.

We've all had deja-vu? Well, the article doesn't have many answers but good read. Wait..!! Did I post this already?

Human hive mind? Prepare to be absorbed into the collective. Black box of prophecy.

For those of you that take your trilogies seriously. StarWars vs LOTR vs Matrix.

This is really mean, but I really had to sign it. You too can sign here.

(T.R.I.N.I.M.U.S.E.)

Transforming
Replicant
Intended for
Nocturnal
Infiltration/
Mechanical
Unit
Skilled in
Exploration.

Ever wonder what your cyborg name would be? Find out here :-)

Wheeeeeeeeeee! Too much time and so little to do ...!

Digicel Cup - Jamaica (2) vs TT (1)

Sport is an up and down thing. I was reading an article, albeit on US football fans, that says:
"Sports fans are happier...". Bullshit..!! At least some of it. I'm no football coach but I know and love the beeeooootiphul game. The article in the header link was the reporting closest to the game I just saw.

Trinidad looked the same as a warmup they had recently vs Haiti. This time though, the defence had gaping holes in it due to defenders trying to support the middle. Even trying to be midfielders. I think T&T are trying to find their style of play that will let them win games. I hope they find it before Guatemala on March 26th. This 2005 Digicel tournament however is not important, World Cup Qualifying is. Trinidad and Tobago has a proud record in this regional tournament. (see below)

Jamaica, having bowed out of WC qualifying wants to prove that they are still the best team in the region having qualified for the world cup before. So dey coming hard.

Theobald and Seabra came on as subs and the effect were immediate. We played better. Seabra played an overlapping left back, sometimes playing too high up leaving the right flank wide open, reminiscent of the dreadlocked Brian Williams. Seabra is a naturally talented left side midfielder, why was he put there?

Synopsis of TT game as seen so far:
TT plays the first 15 minutes of the first half and shuts down, like dey confused.
Come out hard for the second half and dominates the game, provide flashes of brilliance, but poor finishing in the box.

Start Theobald and Seabra, let Nakhid assist the coach, especially in team finishing (He's 41 years old dammit!). Coach to play for the entire 90 minutes. Get a sports psychologist assigned to the team. At the highest level, skill level averages out, the game is won in the mind.

For the record:
1989: Final - Trinidad & Tobago 2 vs Grenada 1. TRI won.
Other Teams: Guadeloupe, Barbados (Host), Grenada, N.Antilles and St Vincent.

1990: Tournament Abandoned.

1991 Final - Jamaica (Host) Davis, Anglin. 2 vs Trinidad & Tobago 0. JAM won.
Other Teams: Guyana, Cayman Island, St. Lucia, .Martinique and Dominican Republic.

1992: Final - Trinidad & Tobago (Host) Lewis, Latapy, Marcelle. 3 vs Jamaica 1. (Graham). TRI won.
Other Teams: Martinique, Suriname, Antigua/Barbuda, Cuba, Guadeloupe and St Vincent.

1993: Final - Martinique 0 vs Jamaica 0 (Host). (Martinique 6-5 on pen). Martinique won.
Other Teams: St Kitts/Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Maarten, Trinidad/Tobago, St Vincent and St Lucia.

1994: Final - Trinidad & Tobago (Host). 7 vs Martinique 2. TRI won.
Other Teams: Guadeloupe, Dominica, Barbados, Suriname, Haiti and Cayman Island.

1995: Final - Trinidad &Tobago 5 vs St Vincent 0. TRI won.
Other Teams: Cayman Island (Co-Host), Jamaica (Co-Host), Antigua/Barbuda, French Guyana, Cuba and St Lucia.

1996: Final - Trinidad & Tobago (Host) 2 vs Cuba 0. TRI won.
Other Teams: Surinam, St Kitts/Nevis, Jamaica, Martinique, St Vincent and Haiti.

1997: Final - Trinidad & Tobago 4 vs St Kitts/Nevis 0 (Co-Host). TRI won.
Other Teams: Grenada, Antigua/Barbuda (Co-Host), Jamaica, Martinique.

1998: Final - Jamaica (Co-Host) 2 vs Trinidad & Tobago 1 (Co-Host). JAM won.
Other Teams: Antigua/Barbuda, .Martinique, Dominica, Cayman Island and Netherland Antilles.
Top Scorer for 1998: Stern John (Trinidad) 10 goals.

1999: Final - Trinidad & Tobago (Host) Rougier, John. 2 vs Cuba 1. TRI won.
Other Teams: Jamaica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Brazil Under 20, Haiti and St Kitts/Nevis.

2000: NO CUP.

2001: Final - Trinidad & Tobago (Host) Saunders, Rahim, Dwarika. 3 vs Haiti 0. - TRI won.
Other Teams: Jamaica, Martinique, Suriname, St Kitts/Nevis, Cuba and Barbados.

Most Games Won By: Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean Champs In:
1989 - 1992 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1999 & 2001.

2005 Panorama Champs

Click here for pictures of the 2005 Panorama Winners.

Carnival 2005 Results

Click on the header to get the rest of the results of Carnival 2k5.

Band of the Year, 2005

1. Conquest of the Indies, Trini Revellers
2. Lion Kingdom, a Soca Safari, Masquerade
3. The Legacy Continues, Legacy (Mike Antoine & Friends)



2005 Panorama Finals

Position	Band	Tune-Artist	Arranger	Points
1	Phase II Pan Groove	Trini Gone Wild – Colin Lucas	Len "Boogsie" Sharpe	478
2	Exodus	From Beyond - DeFosto	Pelham Goddard	458
3	WITCO Desperadoes	Action - Oba	Clive Bradley	454.5

2005 Road March Winners

Position/Cateogry	Artist	Tune
1	Shurwayne Winchester	Dead or Alive
2	Machel Montano	Madder Then That
3	KMC	First Experience
TSTT Peoples Choice	Shurwayne Winchester	Dead or Alive

2005 Carnival, a trinimale perspective

One (or 4) reasons Trini men will always come home for Carnival...


Reason # 2


Carnival is ... ... ?


Your average congaline...? (it's called winin' to de ground)

Tsunami Update II

An official document says nearly 210,000 people in Indonesia are dead or missing from the Dec. 26 tsunami, a death toll that appears to be far higher than officials have reported publicly. Rescue workers think even that number might be low.

The larger Indonesia toll would bring the total of dead and missing from the tidal surge across the Indian Ocean to nearly 272,000, ranking the tsunami as the fifth or sixth deadliest natural disaster in more than 300 years.

Indonesian officials offered no explanation for the sharp rise in the number of dead and missing. Compiled by the Disaster Management Task Force for Aceh province, the document listed casualties by district in a variety of categories, including buried, known dead, and missing.

It gave the number of known dead at 78,395 and said another 131,479 are lost or missing. It said the information was current as of 9 p.m. Tuesday (9 a.m. EST Tuesday). Those returning from the field said the new numbers don’t surprise them. That's not counting the still missing in the other affected areas.

The new figures rank the tsunami in the same category as a 1976 earthquake in China that killed at least 255,000 people. The worst natural disaster since 1750 is thought to have been a flood in China in 1939 that killed an estimated 3.7 million people.

Blind Cricket

I heard this morning that the West Indies are trying to field a blind cricket team for the 2006 blind cricket world cup to be held in South Africa. They are also inviting players for a Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica competition in May 2005. My first reaction was WTF....??!!!!

After researching it for a bit, blind cricket is played with a ball that has some sort of noisemakers in it and is bowled underhand, The bowler has to ask the batsman if he is ready before he bowls and yells "play" as the ball is bowled. The team has to consist of a minimum of four totally blind. If a fielder is 100% blind the ball can bounce once before he catches the batsman out. More information at blindcricket.org.

Its amazing how these people can overcome a handicap that most normal people would balk at. It makes my self important issues seem really insignificant. This reminded me of something that happened years ago. I was playing guitar at a church service one morning and there was this deaf child there, totally fascinated by our warm up before the service. He was a bit shy so we called him over. David, put his hand on the soundboard of my acoustic and his face lit up like a 100 watt bulb. So much so that he spent the entire service on the chancel with us with his hand on my guitar. He also did that every time he saw us, even at concerts.

Everybody needs some idea of self worth, we, the so called normal people, seem to want it from others. For the challenged, it comes from within. A lesson perhaps?

The Bugs Within - Prince of Dotishness

Shahdee will kick your ass...


Shahdee's "close up"...

This contains spoilers, so if you want to play the game without them, stop. Now.

I didn't know that virtual life in the MidEast was so westernised. Imagine a goth chick in a metallic thong, slashing your face and all you can say is: "You BITCH"? If it really were me in there she would have been slapped aaaaall the way back to the Time Portal you can't finish the game from. In a headlock.

In case you're wondering, I'm talking about Prince of Persia, The Warrior Within for Xbox, although it should be named as above. Don't buy it, rent it if you must, at least not the Xbox version anyway. We had to replay 99% of the game because of a glitch. We're not happy.

The Warrior Within (WW) tries to fix what was fixed at the end of Sands of Time, meaning that you shouldn't really need to fix it. Apparently the Dahaka is pissed at the Prince for screwing up the timeline, reversing the debacle at the end of Sands of Time (SOT) which was a much better game. What's funny, is that the Dahaka is allergic to water but has followed you to this island. Eh? An' dat make plenty sense.

One of the reasons why I liked SOT was the storyline. You invested in the Prince 'cause you wanted to find out what will happen to him, or Farah next. In WW, I asked myself on many occasions, was it worth the dotishness? The platforming is still there but columns stand out where there really shouldn't be any, providing places for you to swing around and slash necks off of already dead people, all to the tune of Godsmack. You go through the same rooms twice, in both the present and the past, the only difference is the colour palette.

There are some female antagonists in the game that wrap their legs around your neck and say things like, "there's sooooo much pleasssure in pain", or "hit me.....harder....HARDER...!" If that's your thang well... so be it.

Another strange thing is that the Prince in WW gathers sand through a medallion on his chest, presumably given to him by Farah in SOT. I didn't see that at the end of SOT. The Empress of Time sends you on a wild duck hunt that doesn't fit into the storyline. After you saved her from an ass-whuppin'.

The game is linear, although it tries not to be. You can't really get lost and the puzzles aren't all that difficult. You also try to help yourself in two time periods in the game and wonder why you were so frigging dense the first time.

Last but definitely not least, are the numerous glitches in the game. We reached the end and had to start over from scratch because we got stuck. There's at least 14 hours of gameplay.

Jordan Mechner, author of the original 1989 Prince of Persia wasn't involved in the making of WW , although he was instrumental in the development of SOT. That should have been a sign. Go figure.

I'll add that the graphics are really really good, and the combat is improved, or rather there's more of it with some new moves. I'm still going to sell the game, see if I can trade it for Ninja Gaiden. Next Stop: Kingdom Hearts.

Trinidad Carnival Coverage

I don't understand it. Why do the powers that be think that Carnival in Port of Spain is wholly and solely Trinidad Carnival? There was absolutely no tv coverage the carnival celebrations in San Fernando, Chaguanas, Point Fortin, Arima, Scarborough. The Carnival in Sando is usually de best. These celebrations I know capture more eloquently the essence of Trinidad and Tobago that is carnival, not the commercial orchestration that is in POS.

Don't get me wrong, I like POS carnival, its just that I would like to see, and I'm sure a lot of other people would too, a more rounded view of the country's carnival. Four local TV stations and not a smell of the celebrations.

What a waste.

Jou'vert in Sando and Arima is usually great and hasn't changed much in the past 20 years. I would have like to have seen some of that. Maybe I should start a tv station.

I was looking for results for Carnival 2005 but its not posted on the web yet. as soon as I have it, I'll post it here. In the meantime, here are some pictures of what a typical carnival fete is like.

Trinidad - USA, 1st World Cup Qualifier

I could have used a local article to link to for the header, but I like that one. It warns of complacency and is accurate of the match vs the US. I wasn't there (darn flu), but caught the game on local channel 4. They looked nothing like the team against Haiti. Well, except for the nonexistent midfield.

They had a plan. Trinidad and Tobago came out unleashed and took the game to the US. For all of 10 minutes. The US, unsuited to the heat and playing surface adapted well, after all they are the 11th best team in the world. The US midfielders realised the surface was against them and adapted. Then they began to exploit the holes in the T&T game.

We played the long ball in the first quarter of the game and it worked - for a while. The US is probably the best team in the region to defend that kind of game, why try to play it for the entire 90 minutes? I know that, Mr. St Clair should have known that too. Tiger Fitzpatrick has the drive and the wherewithal but jeeeeeeezz man....! Control the ball. Raise your head...! His first touches let him down as well as his final decisions. I think that Rougier had a bad game, he was beaten over and over again, leaving space in the middle, but then again, he had no help. Did our team string together more than 3 passes at any time?

I was impressed with Yorke. He played with dedication, but was a shadow of himself. His workrate was phenomenal and created some of the few chances we had in the game. At this level, we have to make those count. Cornell Glen and Densil Theobald should have started the game. The US had to contain the pressure they meted out in the final 15 minutes of the game. Glen runs at the defence and creates chances. In retrospect, so did Eve and Tiger, but why was there only one striker in the penalty area?

If the coach wants to go with tried and true methods, where is the Kerry Jamerson layback that was successful in the road to Italy? Where is the plan?

We need to rethink our strategy with EVERY game. Not all teams are the same on the same surface. Football has become scientific and St Clair needs to as well. Accept the help that is offered. It is unfair to say that we deserved to lose. (ok...ok...I'm a diehard supporter arright???)

It is unfair to say that we should have won. It looks better though. I hoped for a point and at the top of our game, with a cohesive determined unit, we could have had a chance at it. Not yesterday.

It was our first qualifier. Learn from our mistakes, manage the players, they're human too. Analyse both our game and the opponents'. Go into the game with all ammunition possible. Only then will we be ready. Btw, these are my views, so feel free to bash as required.

Here are the CONCACAF group standings to date.

I just found this article by the guy you could never understand (Bobby McMahon) on Fox Sportsworld Soccer Roundup (CCTT Ch 60). See if you like the predictions. Check this scouting report on T&T as well.

Trinidad-Haiti 2nd game

We won. The team is still trying to find some sort of cohesion. They are all great football individuals, but they need to play as a team. Our midfield was nonexistent, only with Theobald and David Nakhid did the middle of the pitch come alive. I think we're coming along ok, but if we're going to play this way against the US, I predict a 2-0 score going against us. They finish, we don't. We need to get the midfielders at the top of the opponents box to create scoring chances.

Dwighty is here and will play on Sunday in the final warmup against Haiti. Actually, my perfect middle would be Nakhid, Yorke, Latas and either Angus Eve, Carlos Edwards or Theobold. For the strikers, start Cornell Glen with Kenwyn Jones and bring Stern off the bench. I don't think either Yorke or Nakhid can play a full 90 minutes, so there's some juggling to do. Overall...I'm happy with the progress, St Clair is trying his best and there is a lot of pressure on him to do well. We definitely need a midfield general out there, someone to take charge and lead by example. Hopefully, someone will rise to the task.

Trinidad vs Haiti

...*sigh*... Someone once said, "common sense is not so common anymore".

I didn't go to the game between Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti on Tuesday, but I surely am going today. From the reports I got though, I think people are being a bit acidic. Everyone wants our team to succeed and that is admirable, but let the people do their jobs. All the newspaper reports blasted the team for not being up to expectation, failing to realise that Bertille St Clair (coach), is making judgement calls. You can't make judgement calls without seeing for yourself in a match environment.

Haiti has a reputation for being a hard tackling, skilful team and made a good showing for themselves in previous games. Their defence is tall, strong and capable, their midfielders skilful but not that capable and the strikers suffer from the Caribbean syndrome of poor finishing, just like T&T.

Trinidad started with a nonexistent midfield in the first half and made Haiti look good. Cornell Glen and Stern John were stranded up top with our middlemen failing to string together three consecutive passes. It looked like our defence was doing dual duty as midfielders. Then came the reshuffle and the results were better. Gary Glasgow, Denzil Theobold and Cyd Gray came on as well as the hatchet man, Avery John. There was also a reshuffle as Brent Sancho filled the first stopper position to marshall the defence and motivate the middle. They looked better. Much, much better. We won 1-0.

Clayton Ince never impressed me much but I heard he did yeoman's service on Tuesday. I think St Clair is doing his job but needs to understand that peaking the team too late will put crushing pressure on the team in a must win situation. We, the fans, need to let the man do his job.

Some points though:
1. Trinidad's team is not the tallest. Play de blasted ball on the ground.
2. The Queen's Park Oval has a cross wind that will dribble the best player. Play de blasted
ball on the ground.
3. Other players are taller than you by at least 2 inches. Put de blasted ball on the ground.
4. An international friendly is never friendly. Play de blasted ball on de ground.
(Repetition is the key...)

Just found out that Dwight Yorke is here and might play midfield, even though he's a natural forward. That's another discussion. I'm going to see them play this afternoon, can't wait, TT$ 20.00 uncovered stands, yuh cyar go wrong...

Chyna

The Vice President of China is here with a trade delegation.

It is my belief that China is going to be the dominant global economic power in the next two decades. While I'm not an economist, all the signs are there. In the past 15 years, China has shown amazing growth in trade liberalisation, structural reform, privatisation of the agricultural sector, support of rural enterprise, and foreign investment. Another indicator is that China joined the WTO on December 11th 2001.

My first question was, "what are they doing here?". I read that a framework agreement for a concessional loan of TT$152,238,240 at a rate of two per cent per annum was signed for future financing.

Who gives anyone that kinda of money for "future export financing ventures"? It proves that China has done its homework excellently. The ball is now in our court to make sure it goes into the purpose it was given for, not in various pockets. How can I, as a taxpayer, ensure that this money is spent in a transparent and accountable way since my tax dollars pay it back at 2% per annum interest. I don't have a phreakin' clue.

Why do we need a loan from a foreign government when we are sending money free sheet to Grenada and others? Someone needs to investiquire this...