Other Team Discussion Thread Vol. 12: Spoilers Within

Discussion in 'D.C. United' started by Sachin, Oct 26, 2009.

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  1. tallguy

    tallguy Member+

    Sep 15, 2004
    MoCoLand, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I was told by a former roommate who graduated from Stanford back in the '70's when the nickname was changed that the student body overwhelmingly preferred the nickname "Robber Barons" but the administration wouldn't put it on the ballot.
     
  2. DangerMouse37

    DangerMouse37 Member+

    Jan 22, 2004
    WDC / Barra
    OK. I'm going out on a limb to say that I pretty strongly dislike all other DC sports teams.

    Part of this is time. I simply don't have the time to follow more than one sport at a time. But part of this is respect for effort -- I fundamentally think that DCU needs the support/energy we put into it -- and that this energy is mostly reciprocated. I appreciate how much the FO has historically done to create (an admittedly too small) community around United, and frankly think the franchise deserves support on the basis of its community efforts/fan profile. So part of this is just the positive of saying DCU deserves the limited brainspace I have to offer sports.

    But why am I not just indifferent as most are? Well, like many I came from the land beyond the beltway, and I'm simply astounded with how badly DC fans are treated.

    The worst of course is pointyball. The way Snyder treats the fans of his team is appalling, and "Hail to the Redskins"? Don't even know where to start with the bad in that. Add to this the painful, bankrupting experience that is FedEx and the endless stoppages as the game has gotten to be more of a commercial-fest, and its hard to think of the skins in a positive way (unless you're talking, say, potato skins).

    The basketball team is not much better. Good that the arena is in town, but the Wizards have made a habit of sucking, and its not like the tickets are cheap. Freakishly tall millionaires getting paid to lose. Pass.

    The baseball team both competes with DCU during the season and did hurt our ability to get a stadium deal done, so I'm kinda permanently pissed at them. Yes, their management did what they could to get a good deal, but the simple fact is that they stopped paying their rent at a time when we were hoping to get a deal finalized, and while that may have been good biz (or at least nobody went to jail), hardly good for us -- or the taxpayers of DC like me. Meh. Glad Teddy won finally, but really. I suppose if there was any real running in baseball the presidents' race wouldn't be so impressive.

    I tried to like the Caps, and have a number of Caps fans as friends, but talk about a bunch of owners that have a death wish. They're all billionaires but they lock out the players for what, the 3rd time in 15 years? What gives? Plus, despite the fact that they regularly have fighting on the ice, they get squishy when DCU fans use their normal (one might say colorful) songs at the game. Assault is ok, but a little bit of drunken singing is an issue?

    Finally, I really have come to loathe the other teams in part because of the sports press they get. To my mind it is simply astounding the depth of fawning over other DC teams, which hits my ear like the buzzing of a million malarial mosquitoes. The Post, which devotes more time to RGIII, Strasburg or Ovechkin's hangnails than the fact that DCU nearly made the final after losing the league MVP, this really sticks in my craw. The Post seems to unwilling or incapable of doing more than the perfunctory in coverage of the team -- the equivalent of box scores and human interest stories and little else. There's no "commentator" coverage. No delving into strategy. Hell, prep sports get almost as much coverage.

    Is this the fault of the "major" sports? Simply put, yes. We're competing for space in the sports section. The thing is that DC is a soccer town -- many people play, many people follow teams from around the world. The level of soccer knowledge is pretty high when you're talking about the metro area. Better (and more) coverage of DCU would mean butts in seats. Its hard to create buzz when there's so little info out there about the team in the mainstream media.

    So there you go. I'm a curmudgeon and a soccer snob. Still, DC sports fans deserve better and I think DCU can be that product. If everyone pissed about the poor quality and crappy ownership of other teams in the area would just come to one United game a year we'd double attendance. Imagine having 20+k in the stands again regularly... that would be nice.
     
  3. DCUSA

    DCUSA Member+

    Jan 14, 2006
    Virginia
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is long and sentimental, so you might want to skip it. The thread just brought it out of me.


    I'm a sports fanatic, I love practically all of them. I have a family, I have other interests, but I'm not as well rounded as I would like to be. I've come to accept it.
    My brain is 90% full of useless sports information, it was kind of cool before the days of the internet, but now that that information is available in seconds, I wish that stuff would get out of my head.

    My first love was the Chicago Cubs. I would watch the games with my dad in the summers in Iowa (I'm not sure why he wasn't at work, but I don't question these things). They were terrible, of course, but they had Dave Kingman who would either strike out or hit a home run and baseball cards were the best toys I ever had. I could name every opening day starting 9 for the Cubs from 1977 on, probably, but this is not something I want in my brain anymore. I've read a million box scores and a million pages of baseball stats, instead of Shakespeare, Tolkein, or Douglas Adams, for instance, which I heard about at school but couldn't join in those conversations.

    When we lived in California, I got into football because I saw the greatest game I had ever seen. It was the Chargers vs. the Dolphins, where the Chargers won in overtime. Kellen Winslow was playing on something like a broken leg, had to be carried off the field when it was over, but he did everything that game, including blocking a potential game winning field goal. The Dolphins pulled off the only successful hook and ladder I've ever seen for a touchdown. The Chargers were so cool to me, Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Wes Chandler, Chuck Muncie with the goofy goggles. They were great but couldn't get to the Super Bowl, and after they lost in Cincinnati in 20 below weather and Fouts broke his hand punching a locker afterwards, they were never the same.

    In seventh grade we moved to Springfield, VA, and that coincided with the first Redskins Super Bowl win. I fell for them, all the way, Riggins was my favorite. At the school I went to, it was not cool to be a 'Skins fan. It seemed like everyone was into the Cowboys. If I would wear my 'Skins hat, I would get my books dumped on the floor, slammed into lockers, ears flicked relentlessly, and so on. I was a little guy, I didn't really grow until 10th grade, but I didn't care, I took the abuse because I just knew that team was going to win it all. The satisfaction and elation when they did not only made it all worth it, but gave me some weird, unwarranted sense of superiority that helped me through all kinds of challenges and obstacles. Sports, man.

    That same year, I got into basketball. Georgetown was awesome, so much fun to watch. 'Sleepy' Floyd? Are you kidding? What a name, what a player. I listened to the championship game on the radio in my bed and the whole, 'he passed the ball to Worthy!', thing just crushed me, I just couldn't believe it. It was five times more confusing because I couldn't see it.
    The pro team I liked was the '76'ers, Dr. J, Moses Malone, Mo Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Bobby Jones. They actually ended up winning a championship, too, in the midst of all that Celtics/Lakers dominance. I imagined I had the magic fandom touch.

    Hockey grabbed me when I saw the four overtime game between the Caps and Islanders, where Pat LaFontaine scored the winner. I was a Caps fan after that, twisting in the misery was good for me. Of course I remembered the US Olympic win like everyone else who was old enough to catch that game as the best US sports moment ever. Good movie, too, check it out if you haven't seen it.

    I had always played soccer, but I didn't watch it until the '82 World Cup. It just wasn't on TV where I lived, and when I moved to Virginia, I had no desire to go to a Dips game, I didn't know who the hell Kruyff was. I knew who Pele was, but I only ever saw him juggling on some talk show, it didn't move me. But that World Cup did it. Just the names of the Italian team were like music, and spending summer afternoons watching and listening was the greatest. 'Baresi finds Antonioni, clever ball to Rossi, GOAL!' Stuff like that, the name Antonioni was tattooed on my brain. After that, I became a West Germany fan. I have German heritage and there was 'Soccer Made in Germany' on PBS, I think, so I could follow the players. And they had great names, like Karl-Heinz Rumenigge, I've always been a sucker for great names. The national team and Bayern Munchen had cool jerseys so I would get those when I could.

    In ninth grade, I moved back to Iowa and went to high school and college there. In Iowa, it's all about the Iowa Hawkeyes, nothing else exists. During my time there, the football team was number 1 for a spell and beat Michigan for the first time in a million years, with Chuck Long and Ronnie Harmon, and the basketball team got to the great eight, beating Oklahoma with Stacy King and Mookie Blaylock in an epic game but losing to UNLV with Armon Gilliam, Greg Anthony, Stacey Augmon, etal. What a run! They had BJ Armstrong, Roy Marble, Kevin Gamble, all future pros and legends in Iowa. Again, I felt like I was solely responsible for this success.

    After college, I moved to Virginia, because that's what Iowans do, they move away. A good number come back, but I haven't yet. The 'Skins had just won a Super Bowl with Rypien, but how was I to know that would be it for 20 plus years. Also, as I have matured, I began to have a real problem with the name. It is so blatantly racist and hurtful I will never understand how it continues to be accepted. I got into the Bullets, but we know how that's gone down. The Caps would always make the playoffs, and always lose in some excruciating manner. At this point, I realized I didn't have a magic touch, if anything, I was a curse.

    Then came DC United. They started 1-6 and MLS itself was kind of hokey with the shoot out and the clock running down business. But I stuck with it and that comeback from 2 goals down in the final was the most exhilarating sports moment in a life full of sports highs. It was so great to feel a part of the class of the league, and even more satisfying because I had followed Arena at UVA, because I had a lot friends that went to school there, and all of his players there, many of which of course played at United.

    To recap, I'm a sports nut. I love my wife and kids more than life itself, but I don't think I could muster up the passion to write some long missive on their effect on my life with such ease like I have here about sports. There's just something about it I can never explain, it is such a great joy and I am thankful for it.
     
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  4. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    Anyone else been watching the IIHF World Junior Championships? Nice win by the USA over Canada this morning.
     
  5. nobletea

    nobletea Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 29, 2004
    HarCo
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ditto!

    (there's an obvious theme here)
     
  6. nobletea

    nobletea Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 29, 2004
    HarCo
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thus begins the first draft of the introduction to DCUSA's autobiography.
     
  7. griffin1108

    griffin1108 BigSoccer Supporter

    Dec 5, 2003
    Virginia
    The tree is "El Palo Alto" a coast redwood located near the university that De Anza allegedly used as a landmark while exploring the San Francisco peninsula.
     
  8. The Cold Sea

    The Cold Sea Señor Mejor

    Feb 17, 2005
    The District
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    What is this sport you speak of? Was it ever played on TV? I seem to have vague memories of sport once played in arenas and on TV, but it's like a faint ghost of a memory….
     
  9. MattR

    MattR Member+

    Jun 14, 2003
    Reston
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm a homer. I grew up in Carroll County, sandwiched between DC and Baltimore, when Baltimore only had a baseball team, and DC only had a football team. My Dad's from Minnesota, so we watched a lot of (bad) Capitals hockey at the Capital Centre, and I went to the University of Maryland where I roomed with a few former soccer players that introduced me to DCUnited and the National Team.

    I love all the home teams. I even sortof like the Nationals and Ravens.

    I'm the casual home-team sports fan that MLS needs. You should be nicer to me :)
     
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  10. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    I have been watching games on the NHL Network. I'm not sure what the NHL is though. Is that an old defunct league? I watch KHL every now and then and try to follow some ECHL and AHL. It would be nice if there was higher level hockey in the US or at the very least a local team.
     
  11. song219

    song219 BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 5, 2004
    La Norte
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Vanuatu
    I think the IIHF is supposed to sanction a division 1 ice hockey league for the US & Canada.
     
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  12. The Cold Sea

    The Cold Sea Señor Mejor

    Feb 17, 2005
    The District
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    Will it have the big ice?
     
  13. griffin1108

    griffin1108 BigSoccer Supporter

    Dec 5, 2003
    Virginia
    Yes, but the "Big Ice" Commissioner, Blatt Sepper, said the league never will catch on unless it changes its season to the standard March to October, "Big Ice" schedule worldwide. Also, it needs promotion/relegation to fully fit within the "Big Ice" family.
     
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  14. greatscott

    greatscott Member+

    Dec 21, 2002
    Richmond
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    will they be using real ice or AstroIce?
    I personally am not a fan of artificial ice. I think it's dangerous and violates the tradition of the game.
     
  15. Hedbal

    Hedbal Member+

    Jul 31, 2000
    DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think ice hockey should be played outdoors and only on natural ice. What with global warming, the only teams in the league will be from Spitzbergen; Patagonia; Nepal; and Greenland. Attendance will be sparse.
     
  16. greekchampion04

    greekchampion04 Member+

    Apr 2, 2006
    Richmond, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I hear some top "stars" refuse to play on AstroIce.
     
  17. song219

    song219 BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 5, 2004
    La Norte
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Vanuatu
    FYP
     
  18. Shammypantaloons

    Apr 20, 2012
    Club:
    DC United
    Old news but Red Bulls trade Lindpere to Chicago for an International Slot. Gotta get them big names to not get Cups yo.
     
  19. uniteo

    uniteo Member+

    Sep 2, 2000
    Rockville, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ahh, man. Missed the UC Santa Cruz discussion. My daughter went there (just graduated). That school is more like a summer camp with challenging classes. We were talking about clubs she could join and I said you should start the Ferdinand Club (like Ferdinand the Bull), where everyone just sits around staring at scenery and smelling flowers. She said that's what everybody does already...not many alcohol problems though.

    on other topics...kudos to Kevin Prince Boateng for walking off, and to the other 21 players for joining him. Now hopefully somebody will do it in a game that matters and whoever does is backed up by his teammates (which I would expect), his team (I would hope), and his league and UEFA (I would be surprised).

    http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/2579?cc=5901

    Clarence Seedorf seems to think walking off empowers the fans...an argument for which I would have some sympathy if I didn't think the much bigger problem was the failure of teams, leagues, UEFA and FIFA to seriously address racism among fans. Institutions will only get on the stick when it starts costing them money...and only player action can do that, IMHO.
     
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  20. Alejandro 10

    Alejandro 10 Member+

    Feb 15, 2001
    Club:
    DC United
    Barbieri, Winoman and DCUSA repped this.
  21. Alejandro 10

    Alejandro 10 Member+

    Feb 15, 2001
    Club:
    DC United
    So, you're saying nothing would change? I say that with a touch of sadness. I would really like to see my hometown Sabres playing.
     
  22. benni...

    benni... BigSoccer Supporter

    Nov 23, 2004
    Chocolate City
    Not one DC United field player in the MLS camp. I was expecting at least Pontius. Hamid made it though.
     
  23. JayRockers!

    JayRockers! Member+

    Aug 4, 2001
    Supposedly Pontius is still nursing his injured hammy.

    Either that, or Klinsi didn't want to break the already fragile ego of Conor Lade by having CP13 continually beat his ass into the ground in practice.

    Thx,

    Jay!
     
  24. fatbastard

    fatbastard Member+

    Aug 1, 2003
    Lincoln (ish), Va
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    fyp.

    Although, I have a feeling he can get almost anyone he wants to nurse his groin ;) ;)
     
  25. greatscott

    greatscott Member+

    Dec 21, 2002
    Richmond
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Pontius said on twitter that he was voluntarily turning down the call-up because he wants to be 100% for MLS season.


    [​IMG]
     
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