Top five FIFA World Cup teams on MITRE's prediction market

Brazil is out. I am glad because it adds more uncertainty to the game. As of July 3, 2010 the top five teams to win the cup are:

1. Spain with 28.82%

2. Germany with 20.59%

3. Argentina with 19.39%

4. Netherlands with 18.64%

5. Uruguay     5.65%

Top five FIFA World Cup teams on MITRE's prediction market

As of June 29, 2010 the top five teams to win the cup are:

1. Brazil with 28.59% chances to win the cup
2. Spain with 18.04%
3. Germany with 14.02%
4. Netherlands with 12.04%
5. Argentina with 10.18%

I am betting on Germany.

My personal rank in the market (the is to stay in the upper third):



Most recently I received my prize from betting on appointment of John S. Pistole as the next T.S.A. Chief. Too bad I bet only one share (got 49 virtual dollars).

One can run, but cannot hide from World Cup at SDM

I spent Sunday morning watching the game between Germany and England, structure versus chaos, youth versus maturity, team play versus individual ambitions. An example that a system is greater than the sum of its individual elements; and that  structure does dictate behavior. Great team effort by Germany.  England did not need Beckham to loose this game.

The World Cup is my greatest enemy these days. It is my greatest source of distraction and procrastination. I try to avoid my US, Spanish, Saudi, Korean, Chilean friends (guys, you know who you are and I will not publish your names) who are watching live games on their laptops via www.espn3.com, I try to block myself from the heated follow up discussions. I stay away from bars and other public places. I even tried to stay away from my house, where my family is watching the games 24/7 on TV.

Football (dare I say soccer) is a great game, where rules are simple and everyone can consider himself/herself an expert (if you have a blog, your chances of being such expert double). These days you cannot avoid the World cup, when even bloggers on National public radio are comming up with "ballanced" and  "impartial" taxonomy of football fans: "...

1. The Citizen: wild-eyed nationalists, unless you’re a compatriot..


2. The Hermit: must “stay home in front of the telly with a can of beer and a packet of crisps,”


3. The Hoverer: want to hang out with their chums, drink some beer, maybe glance at the game every ten minutes or so


4. The Ogler:


5. The Windbag: opines brazenly and shamelessly


6. The Chronic, Enthusiastic, and Frequently Mistaken Caller of “Offside!


7. The Real Deal: takes sheer pleasure in watching the game—regardless of nationality


8. Soccer Savant: deeply loves soccer, he knows a lot about it—and imparts his knowledge in a calm, cool-headed manner ..."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/showmeyourcleats/2010/06/26/128132590/seven-species-of-soccer-spectator-a-taxonomy?ft=1&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter