Tahitians tear it up on Twitter
If nothing else - and for apparently no real reason - the Tahitian national soccer team is optimistic.
And the administrator of the team’s Twitter account is even more so.
The Tahitians are making a surprising appearance in the Confederations Cup after upsetting New Zealand in the 2012 Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup before taking down New Caledonia in the final.
Things haven’t gone as well at the Confederation Cup in Rio de Janeiro. After a 6-1 loss to Nigeria on Monday, Tahiti lost to defending world champion Spain 10-0 on Thursday. It was the largest margin of victory in a Confederations Cup match, topping the previous record set twice by Brazil - 8-2 over Saudi Arabia in 1999 and 6-0 over Australia in 1997.
And since we know you’re wondering, the international match record was Australia’s 31-0 trouncing of American Samoa in a World Cup qualifier in 2001.
But one could have expected much from Tahiti, a 400 square mile island in the south Pacific Ocean with less than 200,000 residents. They are tied for 138th in the latest FIFA world rankings with Syria - one spot behind St. Kitts and Nevis, one spot ahead of St. Lucia and Afghanistan.
But you could never tell they were underdogs by reading the team’s Twitter postings.
Before the match began: “The United States beat England in the 1950 Cup. So nothing is impossible #IBelieveInTahiti”
After Spain’s Fernando Torres scored the first of his four goals to make it 1-0: “Gol of Fernando Torres, But Always… #IBelieveInTahiti”
At 2-0: “2-0 Spain, but we will always be in Tahiti! The easy times and the difficulties #IBelieveInTahiti”
With each goal …: “4-0 Spain, but it was inevitable, we will do 1 goal and prove to the world that dreams become realities #IBelieveInTahiti”
… the positive remarks continued: “9-0 Tragedy, but my Heart is always of #Tahiti#IBelieveInTahiti:
Until the end: “No matter what the game is 10-0, we’re making history will improve our football.”
The Tahitians - and their quixotic Twitter account - are the darlings of the online soccer world. The account had barely 400 followers Sunday, but as of Thursday evening, the total was nearing 16,000.
And when the Tahitians actually do have something to cheer about? The goal against Nigeria on Monday set off a Twitter-bration that was barely contained within the 140 characters:
“GOAALLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TAHITI!!!!!!! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!! #NeverGiveUp”
Too bad the goal only cut the Tahitians’ deficit to 5-1.
Father’s Day miracle
A father and his son from Texas each made a hole-in-one on the same course … on the same day … on the same hole … and it was on Father’s Day.
Lonnie Whitener, 57, told the Houston Chronicle that his 115-yard drive using a gap wedge on the sixth hole at River Pointe Golf Club in Richmond, Texas, struck the flag stick and dropped in the hole.
Then, up stepped 13-year-old Zach Whitener, whose shot from 100 yards using a 6-iron landed near the pin and gently rolled in.
The National Hole-in-One Registry said the chances of two players acing the same hole in the same round are 1 in 17 million.
Quote of the day
“We do what’s best for the business. If you want to be playing in Rogers, Arkansas, long-term, you do what works for Wal-Mart, not what works for the LPGA.” - LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan
Sports, Pages 21 on 06/21/2013