Optimisms

PART ONE: The Optimism of Fools

PART TWO: The Optimism of the Wise

Ecuador lost. But I’d like to point out:

(1) This is the best Uruguayan team in several decades.

(2) Until we Ecuadorians managed it, no other team had been able to score against the Uruguayans in Montevideo.

(3) Felipe Caicedo’s was a real golazo.

(4) Renato Ibarra, who assisted him on that golazo, was a terror all game long.

(5) Ibarra is a mere substitute. Our regular starter, Antonio Valencia, is an even greater terror (when healthy).

And (6) we’re still in the top half of the standings.

So: there’s no cause for alarm. I was quite happy when the whistle blew, because we were playing well.

On Tuesday we’ll be at home against the Venezuelans, whom we whipped soundly the first time around. I expect the Colombians to fail to win against Argentina, and so we’ll climb back up to into third place.

Please pray for Ecuador to win.

PART THREE: Trumpie, Again

My sincere hope is that Trumpie will turn out to be a good president. Regarding all the outrageous things he’s said, one writer at the Atlantic suggests: “Take Trump Seriously, Not Literally.” (This article, and the SNL video of Part One, I got from the Facebook wall of the same professor whom I criticized in my previous post. I don’t like everything about that professor, but at the same time I like quite a lot about him. One must take the bad along with the good.)

A BONUS

Mexico defeated the U.S.