Separated At Birth: College Football Mascots?

This probably isn't what Paul Rudd had in mind when, as Brian Fantana in "Anchorman," he introduced America to Sex Panther, but is it possible that the mascots for instate neighbors Pittsburgh and Penn State were separated at birth? The Panther is on the left, the Nittany Lion is on the right.

(Fun fact: These pictures were both taken during games in which teams from Ohio were beating the Pennsylvania powers on their home fields.)

World Cup Notes: Dutch Masters, Franks & Beans And More

By JOHN P. WISE
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.

Tuesday Notebook

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Though it's nice to be sleeping in a bed again -- the last two weeks I was on couches -- where I'm staying this week in Baton Rouge is probably the worst hotel I've visited so far.

When I arrived, I noticed a dead cockroach on its back on the rug ... in the front lobby. I also saw a small bug crawling around on the bathroom floor a minute after checking into my room, then saw another dead bug on that same bathroom floor that could have been cleaned up by the housekeeping staff.

The front desk staffer is always in the back on a personal phone call or watching television. Trust me, I don't want be the annoying guy ringing the bell either.

And the free morning breakfast is more municipal than it is continental.

Below are some other tidbits from my first 36 hours in Baton Rouge:

CONVOY: As I was departing the LSU indoor football complex mid-afternoon Monday, a bunch of players were hustling in for practice. Car after car after car turned into the sprawling facility. I think I may have heard a hip-hop beat or two pounding from within the tinted windows. I did hear a little country music too, probably from the cars of offensive linemen.

ONE GREAT INTERN: One Great Season welcomes Kevin Theiss, a junior at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York. We'll have more about Theiss and the work he'll be doing here later this week.

WEATHER REPORT: It's October. Please lose the humidity, Louisiana.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH? I'd always thought this just from how Les Miles looks on television. But it's even more apparent when you see him in person that if he had a little more hair, he'd look exactly like actor Kurt Russell: