Best. Minute Of Transactions. Ever.

Two amazing things happened in the exact same minute.

The Eagles traded Kevin Kolb to Arizona for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. I've always been a fan of Kolb, but this is without a doubt a good deal for the Eagles and I will have more on that later.

Bob Bradley was relieved of his duties on the U.S. Men's National Team. Bob Bradley was never any good, but the last three years were miserable, painful, and embarrassing beyond belief. It is about time Sunil Gulati grew a sack of balls and got rid of Bradley. As long as it is not an American or MLS Coach, I don't care who the new guy is to replace Bradley's spot. Anyone, including many monkeys, are better suited for that job than Bob Bradley was.

Now attention turns to the Phillies, as they debate whether or not to make a franchise-altering blunder by shipping Domonic Brown to Houston for Hunter Pence. Don't Trade Dom!

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final Live Blog

Go Go USA!

Japan vs. United States 2:00 (ESPN - Ian Darke and Julie Foudy)

The United States And Japan Have An Interesting Past In Sports

I think it goes without say, but this World Cup Final between the United States and Japan on Sunday (which I will be live blogging!) will be the most publicized sports meeting yet between the two countries.

And before you say anything, yes, there is such a thing as the World Cup of American Football.  And yes, the United States defeated Japan in double overtime in 2007 thanks to the leg of Craig Coffin. Who knew?

(h/t Philadelphia Will Do)

Happy Independence Day!

Enjoy the holiday where Americans celebrate their freedom by grilling meat, giving themselves nasty sunburns, and blowing up small parts of the country. Or you can just go on a Black Sea cruise. Have a great time celebrating our 235th birthday!

Follow me on Twitter.

CONCACAF Gold Cup Final Live Blog

United States vs. Mexico 9:00 (FSC - JP Dellacamera and Kyle Martino, SR: Brian Dunseth)

CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals Live Blog

For the first time ever, I will attempt to live blog a game not broadcast in English. Join for the trainwreck!

Panama vs. United States 7:00 (FSC - JP Dellacamera and Kyle Martino)

Mexico vs. Honduras 10:00 (Univision - Two Spanish speaking dudes who scream "GOL!" quite loudly)

Jamaica Vs. United States Live Blog

It's a Sunday, my father is grocery shopping with my mom, and I'm bored.

Philadelphia Patriotism FTW

It really is hard to watch these videos and not get goosebumps and/or teary-eyed.

Qatar And The 2022 World Cup Bid

(Originally published as my 1st post as author of The Brotherly Game.  Due to pure unadulterated laziness (and possible violations of copyright law), the captioned picture I posted at TBG is not posted here.  Click on the above TBG link if you want to see it)

As soccer fans in the United States of America, we probably all remember where we were when we found out that after years of anticipation and hard work, the United States had lost their 2022 World Cup bid to a country smaller than the 48th largest state in the United States, Connecticut.  I also think we all remember how we felt when the announcement was made.  It probably is not far-fetched to say that some kind of combination of shock, anger, and disappointment dominated our feelings.  And with good reason too.

Qatar is a nation that has known issues with Israel, a possible qualifier for the 2022 World Cup.  Qatar is a nation that prohibits the drinking of alcohol, something that may cause kind of a problem when dealing with the loads of soccer fans that are sure to swarm the country.

Qatar may be a very wealthy country, but its location also has problems.  The average temperature high in Doha, Qatar, the capital and largest city of Qatar (large being a relative term, seeing as the population of the entire country is 840,926 according to the CIA World Factbook), in June is 107 degrees Fahrenheit (41 Celcius).  And with Doha being located near the coast, humidity is sure to kick in.  Now to combat this, Qatar plans on building air conditioned stadiums using technology that has not been invented yet.  For the health and safety of the players, hopefully that technology gets invented real soon.

So Qatar'd: Qatar Wins 2022 FIFA World Cup Bid

See that little thumb that's circled? 
It's the country hosting the 2022 World Cup.  Really.

As someone who is currently taking multiple courses on the Middle East and the Muslim World, I am less than giddy about FIFA's decision. Surprised about this decision? No. I saw this coming a mile away (don't believe me? I correctly called both bids last night on Twitter). Am I happy about this decision? Absolutely not. Qatar is far from an ideal country to host the World Cup.

Not that this will come to many people as a surprise, but it is truly amazing what can happen to those who pad the pockets of Sepp Blatter the most.

On the outside, it does seem like a progressive decision, but really, it's not. I wonder if FIFA has ever considered the problem that alcohol is an item that will be greatly consumed during World Cup games, but is also an item that is deeply frowned upon in Qatar. There will be some awkward moments for sure. Not to fear though. You can expect designated drinking zones during the World Cup time. Yay progressivism!

Also, what happens if Israel qualifies for the World Cup? Qatar has a terrible relationship with Israel. There is a chance that Israel could be played be forced to play their games in the deserts of Oman.

Aspeaking of the venues, this is no joke. Of the few stadiums that are currently erect in Qatar, all of them will be expanded. Of those that are not built, well, they will need building. And the cities. Currently, 5 of the 10 venues scheduled to host World Cup games are in Qatar's capital and largest city, Doha, a city which, by the way, has a population of less than a million. Qatar plans to put air conditioning in all the stadiums to prevent players from playing in the 111 degree heat of their summer time. For the sake of health of the players, I hope those air conditioners don't malfunction at any time.

The country is roughly the same size of Connecticut; how on earth do they have the capacity to accommodate the massive influx of people they will see in 2022.

I want to be happy for this Middle Eastern country, but really, there is too much working against it for me to be happy. Sepp Blatter has an agenda that most likely include rewarding people who make his pockets fatter immediately and winning a Nobel Peace Prize, both of which this could accomplish. What if the plans to build these facilities fall through?

And lastly (and my personal favorite), homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, punishable by a prison sentence of up to five years.

So, uh, congrats to FIFA on this very progressive decision?

The "Foul" That Cost The U.S. The Win Against Slovenia

You can see Carlos Bocanegra on the left part of the picture ever so slightly putting his arm around Nejc Pečnik. Never mind that Michael Bradley was practically humped to the ground or the other far worse infringements committed by Slovenia on the controversial free kick by Landon Donovan. That is (surely) what referee Koman Coulibaly saw. The whistle was blown before Maurice Edu got his foot on the ball, and while you can't see Donovan in this shot, the contact here was either right before or immediately after Donovan struck the ball, thus giving the referee enough time before blowing the whistle. And if I am wrong and this is not what Coulibaly saw, then the call is far worse than it already is if this is what he saw.

I spotted this by pure luck, and now that I have spotted it, I really wish that I didn't. Terrible, terrible call by Coulibaly. And while the U.S. should be completely giddy that they got a draw after such a piss poor first half, hopefully this blown call that cost the U.S. a steal of a win does not comeback to haunt them later down the road.

Update: The Searching Cross hypothesizes an explanation for why Koman Coulibaly decided to blow the whistle so soon and call a foul. If this is true, then this referee really should never referee another soccer game anywhere again.

Most media sources have largely chalked this one up to gross incompetence, but some have started to realize that we've been robbed much worse than we knew. I noticed this via a revelatory tweet, as Twitter user paddytim wrote to WhitlockJason:

"bs call was a make up call for a bad call on awarding free kick to US. Ref blew whistle before play even started. US guy dove"

Upon further review, this is exactly what Coulibaly was thinking. Here's how the play happened by his reasoning. (Click link for full video.) Jozy falls under contact to the neck from a Slovenian defender. Coulibaly blows his whistle for the free kick. He quickly doubts his decision, and this doubt is reinforced when he notices the linesman doesn't raise his flag. When the free-kick is struck, Coulibaly already has his whistle in his mouth and blows the play dead, without hesitation or any particular reaction to what's in front of him. In other words, he was resigned to whistling a makeup call from the moment he doubted his original call.

I barely even know where to begin with this logic. I guess let's start from the beginning: the play leading to the free kick was absolutely a foul. Jozy certainly embellished the contact, but it doesn't change the fact that the Slovenian defender put a hand to his neck. That's a foul and a free kick in any circumstance. It's comparable to Nigeria's red card against Greece: Torosidis rolled around like he was shot, but Kaita had still tried to spike a dude in the thigh. That's a red card no matter what, and a hand to Jozy's neck is a foul, no matter what.

Into the real issue: the make-up call. Let's even put aside that make-up calls are explicitly outlawed by FIFA. Simply put, it is still an unacceptable justification. Think about it, where does that thinking lead to? If he thinks he mistakenly awarded a penalty, does he give another one later? (What if that guy misses, how do those mistakes cancel out?) If he didn't realize he was giving a second yellow to a player, does he send off someone from the other team? A referee should never play karma by retrospectively evening out his own mistakes, because these decisions have ripple effects.

Wow. Just wow. I hope that this theory is false, but everything he theorizes fits into what happened. And he is absolutely right about the Altidore foul. Just because a player exaggerates contact, does not mean the player was not fouled at all. Talk about a moment of officiating incompetence that makes Jim Joyce look like a saint.

(Hat tip to kt1000 for sending me the link to this karma theory)

U.S. Draws England With Help From Vesa Toskala Robert Green

It was a goal Clint Dempsey was on the other end of that gift from Green and because of it, the U.S. escapes Rustenburg with a 1-1 draw. It is a respectable result for the United States and one that they needed as well. They did not need to beat the British, but getting a result was certainly something the United States was shooting for and something they thought was feasible for them. It may not have been exactly how they drew it up, but they tied England 1-1 and turned Robert Green into a worldwide laughing stock in the process. Up next for the U.S., they play Slovenia on Friday in Johannesburg.

I Finally Found This! Chris Cuthbert's Call Of Crosby's Gold Medal Winning Goal

After trying to search for this for days, I had all but given up on locating a video of Chris Cuthbert calling Sidney Crosby's overtime, gold-medal winning goal. In one last gasp effort, I did one last search today and guess what happened? I finally found it! So here it is, Chris Cuthbert calling Crosby's gold medal goal. and may I suggest you watch this as soon as possible because it has already been up for a few days now and who knows when the IOC will find it and take it down.



"Crosby scores! Sidney Crosby! The golden goal! And Canada has once in a lifetime! Olympic gold!"

Not bad, if I don't say so myself. Cuthbert is one of the best in the business and while the end of it was kind of difficult to understand, I don't think you can really blame him. After all, he just watched his country win the most significant and memorable gold medal there is in the Winter Olympics.

Jerome Iginla Gives Sidney Crosby Canadian Hero Status And Canada An Olympic Gold Medal In Men's Ice Hockey

Congrats to Team Canada for winning the gold medal and congrats to Mike Richards and Chris Pronger (pictured above) for once again giving a pair of Flyers gold medals, something that has occurred every year since NHLers first came to the Olympics in 1998.

But let's make one thing perfectly clear. Sidney Crosby did not win that game for Canada. Jerome Iginla won the game for Team Canada.

But, JFein, Crosby scored the game-winner? He is a national hero for Canada and da bestest player alive, like OMFG!!!!!!!!!

So what? Just because he scored the goal does not mean he even made a play there because he didn't. Crosby did jackshit on that play other than shoot the puck. It was not a great individual effort on his part. He did not have to allude defenders and get in position for the perfect shot. The only thing he did in that play was shoot the puck.

The person that made that goal possible and the person that should be considered a hero to Canadians and Canadian hockey fans everywhere is Jerome Iginla. And frankly, all the attention being given to Crosby is nothing but a shame to Iginla who did have a great individual effort and who did make a perfect play with 2 US defenders around him. Somehow he got off a perfect pass to a wide open Crosby who buried it. The video supports that.

Yet people will worship Crosby greatness for getting that goal. Crosby was in the right place at the right time, who by his own admission, just shot the puck and did not see it again until it was long in the back of the net. In other words, even Crosby admitted that he was lucky. And he is right. Crosby was lucky. Iginla made the play for him. Crosby is no hero. Crosby is just a lucky bastard who was in the right place at the right time. Jerome Iginla is the hero for Team Canada.

I'll get to positives in a few minutes, but to anyone Pittsburgh Penguin fans living in America all their lives who were rooting for Crosby and Canada all along and were jumping up and down when Crosby scored that game-winner, I have this tactful peace of advice. Leave this country now. You are not a true American and have no business living in this country. I have encountered and and heard about several of you already. Leave. This. Country. Now. You are not unwanted here. You don't belong here. You are not American.

I would not be jumping up and down with pride if Richards or Pronger scored that goal. There is a difference between being content with an outcome against my country and openly rooting against my country. I would be content if Richie or Prongs scored. I would not be happy and first and foremost I would be sad for my country, but I would be content that a Flyer is a Canadian hero (how ironic that would be). People who live in the United States and cheered against the United States in favor of Sidney Crosby need to have themselves deported. You are un-American and I now hate you with every fiber in my being. DIAF and my life will be better for it.

(Update: Here's a perfect example of one from Pensburgh commenter "Cari".

I watched the game with mixed feelings, as an American and a huge Crosby fan. In the overtime, though, I was rooting for Crosby to score the winning goal — when the other lines were out I kept thinking “not yet, not yet…” And then when he scored, I was on my feet screaming and cheering for him. (Sorry America)

I hope I am not the only one extremely disgusted and offended by this as every real American that is a real hockey fan should be.)

Now, onto the positives.

The United States should have no shame for what happened. They were huge underdogs in this tournament. Think about it, everyone was crowing a Canada-Russia finals before the games even started and nowhere was the U.S. ever thought about being a close 3rd. Sweden was more favorite than they were and heck, you are probably accurate in stating that Finland and the Czech Republic were thought to have a better chance this year.

Yet the United States never trailed until the gold medal game. They played beyond what anyone had ever expected and achieved more than anyone had ever expected. In a year when many people thought they would likely end up bowing out in the quarterfinals, they were the #1 seed coming out of pool play, beat Canada in the preliminary round, and were so far better than anyone had any right to expect.

This silver medal is a tremendous accomplishment and when the sting of what happens wears off, it will certainly feel like it. In an event we were not supposed to come close to medaling in, we won a silver and was one goal the other way from winning a gold. This team and this country has everything to be proud for and nothing to be ashamed of regarding this hockey team.

Does it hurt that we lost? Yes. Does it take away the fact that given the situation going in, a silver medal is a tremendous achievement? Not at all.

Americans, be proud of this team. They did you proud. Ryan Miller was the tournament MVP and a deserving one at that. I don't see too many Canadians disagreeing with that choice. He was the class of the tournament bar none. Zach Parise should be worshiped as a great American hockey player everywhere he goes. He was an offensive juggernaut and an amazing player for the USA.

As an American, it sucks that Canada had to win in overtime. As a Flyers fan, I am pissed as hell that it was Crosby that scored the game-winner and is receiving credit for a play that was all Iginla. As a hockey fan, I know that was an epic game and perhaps one of the greatest hockey games I have ever seen. It was a worthy championship and a worthy final with two great teams.

Congrats to Canada, the gold is yours and it is a well-earned one.

Now back to the NHL season and the Flyers giving a chase to Lord Stanley's Cup.

2010 Winter Olympics Day 17 Men's Ice Hockey Live Blog

Gold Medal Game: #1 United States vs. #6 Canada 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk)

2010 Winter Olympics Day 15 Men's Ice Hockey Live Blog

#1 United States vs. #4 Finland 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire)
#6 Canada vs. #7 Slovakia 9:30 (CNBC - Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk)

2010 Winter Olympics Day 13 Men's Ice Hockey Live Blog

#1 USA vs. #8 Switzerland 3:00 (NBC - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, ItG: Pierre McGuire)
#3 Russia vs. #6 Canada 7:30 (CNBC - Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk)
#4 Finland vs. #5 Czech Republic 10:00 (CNBC - CTV Feed: Peter Loumbardias and Ray Ferraro)
#2 Sweden vs. #7 Slovakia 12:00 AM (CNBC - Kenny Albert and Joe Micheletti)

A Closer Look: Bobby Ryan

While I am always rooting for Team USA, in a Team USA devoid of Flyers and filled with Devils, I'll admit it is kind of hard to find individual players to root for. Sure I could hop on the David Backes Bandwagon, but I am pretty sure every USA fan has done that now (at least all Team USA Puck Daddy readers). It has been mentioned countless times by Doc and Edzo that Bobby Ryan is from Cherry Hill, New Jersey (which is near Philly in Southern Jersey; a.k.a. the good part of NJ), but if you couple that with his incredible story, then it is difficult to not root for him, regardless of what team you are a fan of, let alone if you are a passionate Flyers fan. The Star Ledger has the incredible background story of the American Olympian. It is a long story, but take the time to read it, as you won't soon forget it.

Bobby Shane Stevenson awoke to a nightmare on Oct. 30, 1997.

The 10-year-old had fallen asleep shortly after returning from attending a Philadelphia Flyers game the night before. He went to bed upstairs not knowing his life would change forever in the next few hours.

He didn’t hear his dad — insurance company owner Robert Stevenson — storm into the family home in Cherry Hill, drunk, looking for his mother, Melody. Stevenson was sure his wife was taking drugs.

Their only child didn’t hear the screams and the panic. He didn’t see the bizarre chase down the street into a neighbor’s house. His father, an amateur boxer, ripped the door off the hinges and whaled away at the love of his life, causing her to bleed from her mouth and sending her to Cooper University Hospital in Camden for four days with four broken ribs, a fracture to her skull and a punctured lung.

Robert Stevenson was charged with attempted murder and five other felony counts. He tried to obtain a passport using the name of a dead baby before jumping bail. He fled to Canada and his wife, who had forgiven him, and his son later joined him.

Robert Stevenson and his son changed their names and lived under assumed identities and the family lived on the lam.

Today, the boy who protected his family’s dark and complicated secret for much of his life is a pivotal part of the U.S. Olympic hockey team that faces Canada.

The name on the back of his hockey jersey is different from the one he was born with, but Bobby Ryan realized he needed to tell the truth and no longer hides from it.

"I didn’t feel like I really had an identity," says the 22-year-old star of the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks. "I knew I had to tell my story."

And his father has never forgotten how that one night long ago changed three lives so dramatically.

"I regret it every day," he says. "This is mine for the rest of my life. Fortunately, I have two people that put me in a position to be able to make it up to them."

‘YOU’RE BOBBY RYAN’

On the run, he combed parts of Canada and Alaska, looking for good junior hockey programs for his son. Bobby had a gift that needed to be cultivated.

The fugitive’s scouting trip ended in El Segundo, Calif., just outside Los Angeles, where an elite hockey feeder system was in place.

Before his wife and son arrived, Stevenson changed his name. Bob Stevenson became Shane Ryan, an alias created after watching the movie "Saving Private Ryan."

His son changed his name, too.

Bobby Stevenson disappeared.

"My parents made it clear," he says. "They were serious, so I only had to be told once: ‘You’re Bobby Ryan to anybody who asks. No exceptions."

While the father became a professional gambler, his son’s game on the ice flourished under an assumed identity.

The family had repaired the wounds, even if they were still living with their secret.

Then one day in February 2000, Bobby Ryan was sleeping on a couch on the first floor of their home when his world changed again.

It was 4:45 a.m.

Federal marshals burst into the house and took away his father at gunpoint. The man who had set in motion a new life for his family 3,000 miles from his crime had made one critical mistake: He used an old credit card to rent a movie at Blockbuster.

Law enforcement tracked him down shortly thereafter.

The ruse was over.

A SON'S CROSSROADS

Ryan was extradited to New Jersey, where he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and jumping bail. He was sentenced to five years in a Camden prison.

The father has legally changed his name to Bob Ryan and works at Bob Clarke’s Gym in Cherry Hill, owned by the Flyers’ former star and current executive. Bob Ryan says he regrets what he did 13 years ago but he doesn’t regret his decision to flee from New Jersey.

"It probably makes absolutely no sense to 95 percent of the people," he says. "I’m not saying that what happened was good. I’m saying what happened had positive changes for Bobby."

The kid rocketed up the youth rankings in Michigan and thrived in the Ontario Hockey League in Canada. The father saw none of it.

"I missed more games than I care to count," Bob Ryan says. "I couldn’t travel to Canada because the parole department wouldn’t permit me to. But I wouldn’t trade any of those things for where he ended up."

As the 2005 NHL Draft approached, Bobby Ryan reached a crossroads. He didn’t want to hide behind the family secret anymore.

"It wasn’t easy by any means," the player says. "I didn’t want to have people ask about my parents and have to lie. If you hide it, it’s more than likely going to come out at some point. Then you’re going to have to deal with the repercussions of not being honest in the first place."

So Ryan exposed his complicated past before the Ducks selected him with the No. 2 overall pick, just after the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Sidney Crosby. "Through it all, I became more independent," Ryan says. "I certainly don’t have any skeletons in my closet."

IN THE STANDS

The couple inside the house on Merchant Street in Cherry Hill lives a simple life now. Bobby Ryan and Melody (who has kept her married name, Stevenson) are still together. They’ll both be in the stands today to cheer for their son.

"Does he have scars? Probably," the father says. "But he’s a good kid. He’s honest. He’s forthright. He’s genuinely good to other people. He took the right path."

The name stretched across the back of his son’s jersey is no longer an anchor.

"Stevenson was just going to bring about turmoil," Bobby Ryan says.

A 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward with a blend of speed and power, Ryan has flourished in his first two seasons in the NHL. In 2009, he finished second in the voting for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s top rookie.

"He’s a guy that can change a game by himself," said Team USA architect Brian Burke, who was Anaheim’s general manager five years ago when he drafted Ryan. "This guy can break a game open."

Last Monday, the day before he scored Team USA’s first goal of the Olympics, the young star stood inside Canada Hockey Place, retracing his strange road and sharing a family saga that somehow emboldened him.

Bobby Ryan stopped hiding long ago.

It certainly takes a lot of bravery to be honest about a past like that. And if something like that comes out accidentally during a season and is revealed by some random reporter, it would most likely be some sort of hockey scandal. Ryan set himself free by clearing the air early on his career and now it is one less thing that he has to worry about when he is on the ice. That's not to say he is not forgetful of it, but could you imagine hiding something like that while playing in front of thousands of fans over 82 times per year?

There may not be a Flyer per se on Team USA, but Bobby Ryan is certainly the player who I am really rooting to do something special for Team USA. He already has a goal for Team USA and he is certainly someone that Flyers fans can really get behind, and frankly if there is one person on this team who I want to score a game-winning goal in a potential gold medal game, it is Bobby Ryan. You would be hard-pressed to find a more deserving player than him.

30 Years Ago Today: MIRACLE!

Believe it or not, it was 30 years today that the United States Hockey Team defeated the Soviet Union in the Medal Round of the 1980 Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament in a game now known simply as the Miracle On Ice.



What is frequently forgotten is that this was just a Medal Round game and was not the gold medal game. The gold medal would be clinched by the United States 2 days later on February 24 by defeating Finland by a 4-2 score.

Update: Perusing YouTube, I just stumbled upon gold, pure gold. We all know Al Michaels' famous call on TV, however, the game was also broadcast on radio with Curt Chaplin standing on a platform and recording every word into a tape recorder. In 2005, these tapes were rediscovered and matched to the video, thus essentially giving you a second call of The Miracle On Ice. I know some people worship the Michaels call and would not ever want to hear anyone else call that game, but if you are interested, the video is below and Chaplin's call is just as emotional.

A Tremendously Tremendous Millercle On Ice

Here is the USA game-clinching goal empty net goal scored by Phil Kesler, along with Doc Emrick's inhuman scream that shortly followed.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=e51ac19b-50fb-4853-8bfa-37a60b767cc1.html#kesler+seals+game+with+empty+goal

I feel bad for those that did not or could not see that game as in my mind, that was bar none the game of the year thus far this year. A back and forth instant classic that ended with the good guys winning and Sidney Crosby, despite scoring a goal in the 3rd, going -3 with an early 1st period USA goal bouncing off his stick and into the net. LOL Crosby. Enough laughing at Crosby and onto praising the star of the game: Ryan Miller. He was fantastic and if it was not for him, Canada could have easily had 5, 6, or even 7 goals that game. And on the other side, Marty Brodeur was not up to the task of outshining Miller. He struggled throughout the game.

And if Eddie Olczyk saying "tremendously tremendous" ever winds up on YouTube and I get wind of it, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be on here as frankly, in the game of the year, Edzo gave us the announcer quote of the year.