One Great Season
A big clogs-off to my good friend John Charlton, a Dutchman who celebrated his 39th birthday with an Oranje victory over Brazil in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals in South Africa.
The Netherlands advance to Tuesday's semifinals against either Uruguay or Ghana.
PHOTOSHOP OF THE DAY: This one sent in from my dude Jason, a non-soccer fan who pretty much sums it up for all non-soccer fans.
MORE DUTCH MASTERS: What a monumental meltdown by Brazil. They had a pretty opening goal, easily carving up the slack-marking Dutch. The pass and Robinho's finish were lovely.
Then, as very much needed, Stekelenburg may have pulled off the save of the tournament to keep the Oranje in it. In the second half, a bit of fortune and unexpectedly bad goalkeeping from Julio Cesar made things level. And then the game truly turned when Brazil went into complete panic mode. They were in a state of complete disarray at the back, and conceded again off the corner. Felipe Melo summed up the indiscipline of his side when he needlessly got sent off.
Although both sides had chances from there on out, Brazil were done. They hadn't exactly lit up the tournament, with a mediocre display against North Korea, OK play against Ivory Coast and a stale effort against Portugal. But what surfaced here for the supposed Cup favorites was a weak and unpleasant mentality.
From the opening whistle they were complaining and whining, behaving like petulant little punks. It was distasteful at best, disgraceful at worst. Yes, van Bommel earned himself a card that never came, but shut up and play. For a side that was allegedly infused with the steel of the manager Dunga, they went to pieces when self confidence, determination and grit were required. -- Mike Dick
SEPARATED AT BIRTH? Is it me or did Luis Suarez, who scored both goals in Uruguay's Round-of-16 win over South Korea, conjure images of Cameron Diaz's special brother Warren in "There's Something About Mary" with his second-score celebration on Saturday?
HOT VIDEO: Here's a decent video clip showing some of the tournament's best goals up until a day or two ago:
And here's another video my friend Peri sent in with the subject line: "This guy is either an idiot or a genius." Hard to tell if he's serious. Let's hope he's not.
MORE GOOD STUFF: My boy Steve Susi wrote a good post the other day, an open letter to FIFA President Sepp Blatter.