By MIKE MARSHALL
One Great Season
Day 12 of the World Cup brings the final matches for Groups A and B. By the end of Tuesday's games, four teams will be advancing to the knockout stage and four others will be making return trips home.
The short lists for the dubious Brown Whistle and the coveted Brass Ball honors are out. With still plenty of soccer to play, there's certainly room for these groups to welcome new nominees. Feel free to share your suggestions here:
The Brown Whistle
When you need to honor an official for a truly shitty performance:
1. Alberto Undiano, Spain, Referee for the Germany-Serbia match
2. Koman Coulibaly, Mali, Referee for the US-Slovenia match
The Brass Ball
This player changes his bloody shirt and gets on with it.
1. Gerard Piqué, Spain
If you've seen either Barcelona or Spain, you're likely to know him. In their first match, a loss to Switzerland, he got a boot to the face while attempting to break up the play that led to the Swiss goal. In their second match, sporting a bandage over his new stitches, he managed to block a crossed ball – at close range – with his groin (fucking ouch), then went on to receive a boot to the mouth, leaving him spitting a fair amount of blood onto the pitch.
Again, your nominations are welcome. Click here to share them.
Click here for Mike's bio and an archive of his previous stories.