MetaChat - Vive La France!

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

23 June 2006

Vive La France! C'mon my lovelies! (fair warning: World Cup thread)→[More:]

So there two more games left before the knockout round. Switzerland-Korea and France-Togo. The outcome of these games will show which two teams continue in the Cup.

With the end of the first round we conclude also the very indulging excercise of figuring out who will manage to get enough points to proceed to the next round. It involves a lot of number crunching and book-keeping (the FIFA book). But some rare yet rewarding times we are faced with a very exciting tie in points with several teams involved.

Like today in group G.

We have 2pairs of teams (see first paragraph) that play for 3 possible outcomes (win,loss,tie). This gives us 3^2=9 possible scenarios. In 7 of those scenarios, Switzerland goes to the next round for sure and in 7 Korea does. In 2 scenarios France goes ahead once paired with the Swiss and once with the Koreans (France needs a win today).

However!!! There is one and only one SWEET scenario where Switzerland ties Korea and France beats Togo. Then! Then, the three teams (Swi,Kor and Fra) have all the same number of points. So we need a tie break. FIFA (the world cup overlords) sayz the first rule is goal differential and the second rule is total number of goals. At the moment, the first rule sends Swi and Korea to the next round but we will have to resort to the second rule to decide which one comes first and which comes second. Second rule rulez Korea is first!
and you thought Elections 2000 was hard to figure out.... huh!

But if you were me, you would hope France wins by a big score today and they go on with or without Korea (in fact I prefer Korea).

So, my lovelies, sorry for the long post, and

Vive La France!

post by: carmina at: 12:22 | 13 comments

The french boys need to play naked. That is all. Otherwise GO ARGENTINA!

posted by WolfDaddy 23 June | 12:40

I'll be Viving La France my ass off in 8 days!

posted by mike9322 23 June | 13:25

The french boys need to play naked

well, although I love male anatomy, I am not sure I would enjoy seeing naked guys running,falling,hitting,crouching and jiggling for 90minutes... But I would like to interview them afterwards. in the locker room

mike, cycling? One sport at a time. although I am not very much into cycling

posted by carmina 23 June | 13:35

Sorry to derail your thread, carmina. I saw the word "France" and got all anticipatory. I am a huge cycling buff. I named my cat Lance. For three weeks in July, it is impossible to get me out of the house in the evening because I'm watching Le Tour, even though I already know each day's results because I listened to the broadcast over the internet that day at work. This year is especially exciting because, for the first time in five or six years, you don't already know who's going to win!

Yeah, so, um, yay soccer!

posted by mike9322 23 June | 13:45

don't worry, mike. No one cares if you derail this thread. Certainly not me! I am delighted you like cycling so much. I will let you teach me then. I trust you will be posting about it when time comes! Cheers.

posted by carmina 23 June | 13:50

Furthermore, in case you are wondering, I overlooked one delightful possibility in my analysis above. The case where Switzerland ties Togo 0-0 and France beats Togo 1-0. In that very specific case, unique in its form and execution, we actually go to a lottery! Can you believe this? A lottery! Why don't they just ask me to tell them who I send to the next round? Is this Lottery better than me?!

If this doesn't get your juices going people I really do not know what will. No clue.

Go France!
Go Korea!

posted by carmina 23 June | 13:58

Your trust is well-placed.

posted by mike9322 23 June | 13:58

Go Togo!!!!

posted by ramix 23 June | 14:27

Yes, Togo looks good. I wonder if they can keep it up.

posted by carmina 23 June | 14:49

Hey mike9322, are there nefarious means to watch the TDF on the web? Watch more of it than OLN (I assume) will broadcast?

posted by ParamusParis 23 June | 15:12

Paris, OLN has extremely comprehensive coverage - during the day, it broadcasts the stages live and in real-time, meaning some days there are up to 5 or 6 hours of coverage. It then replays each stage in primetime with all the primetime fluff and some of the more boring pieces of the stage cut out. The OLN broadcasts are also available as torrents within hours of airing. There are possibly foreign broadcasts available out there somewhere, but I personally can't possibly digest more than OLN gives me and so I haven't searched.

There are also various live audio broadcasts that I have links to at work. When the time comes, expect a comprehensive post from me on how I follow the tour in audio, video, and html.

posted by mike9322 23 June | 15:44

Swi-Kor 2-0
Fra-Tog 2-0

And with that we conclude the first round of World Cup 2006 (and this post, coincidentally). The next round is promising a lot of excitement and some hurt feelings, inevitably.

All continents will be represented (I count America as one continent --just because you dug up the canal does not make it two!) but Asia, sadly. The most populous continent, with a team, Korea, that was deserving to continue. Anyway. It is all champagne and chocolates today.

Cheers.

posted by carmina 23 June | 16:21

(I count America as one continent --just because you dug up the canal does not make it two!)

Go ahead and count it as two--both are represented. Unfortunately for us North Americans, Mexico faces Argentina in the first round and even if they pull off the upset, they'll face the winner of Germany/Sweden in the next round. Gah!

posted by mullacc 23 June | 18:05

← Who says white men can't dance? || You know you want to →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN