Tipping In Holland

Holland qualifies for Euro 2012 by beating Finland 2-0

Holland struggled past Finland on Tuesday but the win secured qualification for the 2012 European Championship. The match itself was less than spectacular but extends a hugely impressive qualifying campaign in which the Dutch have won all eight matches.

RNW's Theo Tamis was in Helsinki for the game and filed the following report.

Following heavy rain in the afternoon, Helsinki’s 40,000-seat Olympic stadium was only half filled. Apparently, the fans preferred to stay dry and watch the Euro 2012 qualifier between the numbers one and 79 on the FIFA world rankings at home.

That wide difference on the FIFA list was hardly reflected on the soggy pitch, though. During most of the first period, Finland kept the playing area confined to midfield, denying the Netherlands an early lead and maybe even preventing them from netting a goal in the process. "I was surprised by Finland's defensive tactics", Holland coach van Marwijk told the press after the match. Nevertheless, his team could easily have opened the score in the first quarter, if Dirk Kuyt hadn’t hit the goalkeeper in the first minute and a Heitinga tip-in hadn’t been disallowed.

The goal eventually came in the 30th minute when Kevin Strootman flicked a delicious cross from Wesley Sneijder into the corner of the net. “Ten, ten, ten,” the 400-odd Dutch crowd chanted, referring to Holland’s 11-0 rout of San Marino in last Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier.

Among the orange contingent was Willie van Deelen, a loyal Oranje fan, who's hardly missed a match, home or away, for the past ten years. This time he’d taken his wife with him and booked a room in the hotel where the Dutch stars are staying, a cycle-ride away from the Olympia Stadium. The players are quite accessible, said Beppie, “particularly the big names like Wesley Sneijder. I told him he looks a bit like my son, who’s short and stocky too and has the same hairstyle”.

Has Rangers pitcher Derek Holland hit a tipping point? – FANATTIC ...

Those of you aware of the internationally-known author Malcolm Gladwell are probably familiar with his theory of the “tipping point”.

Essentially, it is the notion that after years of hard work, or the consistent introduction of an idea or notion into society, a tipping point will be reached which will cause a great breakthrough for the individual or theory.

After the 1,000th strike of the ax on the tree stump, it will split in half.

After the 10,000th hour of grinding on a job, the worker will catch a career break.

Small mechanical changes and repetition by a pitcher will take him from a relative unkonwn to one of the American League’s rising stars.

–

Texas Rangers left-hander Derek Holland, at 24, has shown flashes of brilliance during his short time in the majors, but has been just as frustrating at times. Jon Daniels, Nolan Ryan, and the Rangers brass have never had any doubt that Holland had the raw skill to be a dominant pitcher in the majors someday, they were just waiting for that day.

With two consecutive shutouts, has something “clicked” with Derek Holland? Has he hit his tipping point? Will his emergence help the Rangers to make it back to the World Series for another crack at baseball’s biggest prize?

–

 Over his last two starts Derek Holland’s stuff has been flat-out electric. In last evening’s victory over the Seattle Mariners, Holland threw only 54 pitches through the game’s first five innings, showing pinpoint control and placement throughout.

His ability to keep the Mariners hitters on their heels and force both flyball and groundball outs with consistency was impressive to say the least.

Last night’s complete game marks the third of this season for Holland–and the fourth of his short major league career–and shows that the 24 year-old lefty may finally be locked in to the potential that the Rangers were waiting for him to capitalize on.

In Cold Blood

In defense of food, an eater's manifesto [additional copies -- 2]

Democracy in America

Democracy in America

A Wrinkle in Time