Dare to dream. Oh.
Fine, you were right. An All Whites team missing its best player, and containing a handful of blokes who are barely of local domestic standard, was never going to compete with Mexico at the Azteca.
It was another brutal lesson that the gap between a major football nation (even one out of form) and a minnow can be immense.
I had no problem with the All Whites parking the bus and playing for a draw or a narrow loss. But that tactic brings with it an absolute necessity to mark tightly in the box, and to win the aerial battles.
Clearly, there will be no miracle this time. The All Whites will not be at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Time to try some of the newer, younger players in the second leg on Wednesday, and to play a little football. Now there really is nothing to lose.
. . . on the night
If all else fails, how about sending out an SOS to some of New Zealand's greatest athletes in other codes to form an All Whites super-team in Wellington?
We must start with Steven Adams in goal. He's an imposing presence and would simply swat Mexican shots into the stands.
Richie McCaw and Kieran Read form an impregnable central defence, flanked by ridiculously fit fullbacks Lisa Carrington and Nick Willis.
Hamish Bond and Eric Murray will run all day in the middle of the park, and dynamism on the wings will be provided by Lydia Ko and Laura Langman.
Up front? Let Ben Smith and Sonny Bill Williams weave their magic.
Chicken Little
The boss suggested this week that The Last Word was a bit of a pessimist.
Always tipping teams to lose, he reckoned. Always trying to seem like a soothsayer with prognostications of defeat.
That's why his eyes rolled back in his head when I broke the news to him that the All Blacks were going to lose to England at Twickenham tomorrow.
Just got a feeling, that's all.
Sparky on Steven
Mark Dickel is more than just the heart and soul of Otago basketball.
He is a heck of a judge of talent.
Sparky and I had a long discussion a few months ago on the merits, or otherwise, of young Steven Adams declaring early for the NBA draft.
My position was clear: Adams would be MUCH better served by staying in college, working on his game and gaining maturity before joining the big show in a year or two.
Sparky - sure, he's played a little more basketball, but I'm taller! - was equally clear in his belief Adams needed to get into the NBA as soon as possible, to learn his game at the same time as cashing the big cheques.
I guess this is why I'm the journalist and he's the king of basketball in these parts.
Adams has made a stunning start to his NBA career and his potential is off the charts. It won't be long before he is the most prominent New Zealand sportsman on the planet.
Sparky on Jonah
Mark Dickel also provided some useful perspective this week on the global status of the great Jonah Lomu.
I touched on this topic myself last week when I questioned why the big man was not being used more as an ambassador for rugby.
Sparky posted on Facebook that Lomu was ''the single most influential New Zealand athlete on a world scale'' yet was ''loved and revered'' more overseas.
Mark, who had a glittering college career before playing professionally in a dozen countries, got asked everywhere he went if he knew Jonah.
As I keep saying, it is bewildering to hear people still banging on about Lomu's defence, or the tests he was in that the All Blacks lost, rather than focusing on those he won near-single-handedly.
Our 25 Greatest All Blacks project had Lomu at No 3, which delighted me. Yet still the criticism flowed. On our website, one reader said Lomu lacked a ''footballer's brain''. Another said he wouldn't make a top 100.
Haters gonna hate, I guess. But it's all rather sad.
Faster and funner
I could be a tad curmudgeonly and deride the Fast5 netball tournament as an embarrassment, as faux sport, as a patronising waste of time in an era when there are so many classy female athletes playing real sport.
But there is no point.
Fast5 is what it is: a light-hearted, fast-paced celebration of speed. And it's obviously fun - look at the delight on the faces of the fans.
Let it have its weekend in the spotlight.
The branding game
The Licensing.biz website has released a list of the most influential ''brands'' in sport.
Presumably, it was based on last year, as its No 1 was the 2012 London Olympics.
Football behemoth Manchester United was second, England rugby (huh?) was third, Wimbledon tennis was fourth and my beloved Liverpool was fifth.
Barcelona, the NBA, Chelsea, the Tour de France and Arsenal rounded out the top 10. The only other rugby brand to feature was the Lions at No 20.
No All Blacks? LA Lakers? Boston Red Sox? A very Euro-centric list, methinks.
Like a shot
The Dunedin Clay Target Club is trying something a little different for its last shoot of the year on December 15.
It is partnering with the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association to have a combined shoot at its Waldronville range.
The theory is that those who shoot at targets, and those who shoot at animals, can have a little friendly competition before Santa comes out to entertain the kids.
It is just for members of the respective organisations and their sponsors, but the friendly folk at the club are always happy to welcome new members. If you're interested in having a go, you can contact Dave Cockerill (487-8596 or 027-460-1161) or John Fooks (488-1006) or check out their website (www.dunedinclaytarget.org.nz).
Birthday of the week
Charles Turner would have been 151 today.
Nicknamed ''The Terror'', Turner was one of Australian cricket's great bowlers in an era when uncovered pitches made batting an extremely hazardous occupation.
He took 101 wickets in 17 tests, took 283 wickets at 11.27 in England in 1888, and took a record 106 wickets in 12 games in Australia in 1887-88.
