Sports Illustrated has picked up the (same) story now: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/soccer/03/13/schelloto.gimnasia/index.html I have a thoroughly used Contract Law textbook from the Depaul Law bookstore circa 2000 I am willing to inscribe for him. Guile-- I still love you. Yours, Midwestern Dumbshit, Esquire.
From all indications, most of the Jackets players, Foote being an exception, really like it here. So do many of the Crew players--just look to see how many former players retired here or kept their homes here when they left and came back. Bliss jumped at the chance to come back. It is a great place to raise a family and live well but not too expensively (I could not afford to own the modest suburban split I grew up in in Bucks County, PA--yet my house in Columbus is far larger and nicer as a third of the price). Now my guess, partly from personal experience, is that some of the East Coast guys might have had some trouble here. When I moved out here 30+ years ago from Philly, I had some adjusting to do (and didn't realize it at first). I love it here now--the only thing I really miss is Philly soul food (scrapple, cheesesteaks, Frank's Black Cherry Wishniak, and Tastycakes), going "down the Shore", and cheering on my Phillies at the Vault. I have the top soccer league and the top hockey league playing less than 20 min from my house, and I can get almost anywhere in town in less than a half hour. Hard to beat that! The only thing we really need here is an Ikea.
I'm sure you were aware of it, but Cincy IKEA opened Wednesday. Probably as close as you're gonna get.
Oh, yeah. My wife made me aware of it right away, you can bet.... A few years ago we had the "how do we get a 70+ in. long box into a Honda CR-V to go from Conshohocken (Philly suburb where Ikea is, near my cousin's house) to Columbus...". This *after* we had paid for the stuff. Not sure how we managed to wedge it in, but I had to ride directly behind the driver as the rest of the seats were folded, jammed up, etc. to fit. But our living room looks much nicer now and I don't think we spent much over $100 (my wife loves clearance/scratch and dents)..... Plus we got to get some lingonberries for our Swedish pancakes too....
OGHT, The only thing that puts a damper on Denver is the damn rush hour traffic. Unless you live downtown, coming in from Northglenn or even as close as Aurora, or the Southern 'burbs is a nightmare. The last time I drove in from Northglenn, it took 1.5 hours to get to near Stapleton during rush hour.
Oh, yeah, I actually despise the suburbs here. The suburbs are just bland, cookie cutter, chain-everything hell holes, and the spread out for miles and miles and miles. There is zero desire to live there. And you get a lot of traffic because, well, there just aren't that many freeways here. the 25-70-225 loop isn't that much smaller than the outerbelt, and the Denver outerbelt, E-470 or whatever, is something like two or three times as large. The sprawl of the suburbs is incredible. Kgilbert - I did something like that once, though it was at the south Philly Ikea. And I only had to drive 90 minutes south to Dover, but... it sure was an adventure trying to get two shelves, a long hallway table, and something else I've forgotten into an Impreza. haha.
Yes, the one on a pier on Delaware Ave as I recall--I've driven by it but never been inside. My best was a big old console tv (the old floor model type), 4 dining room chairs, a couple of suitcases, two cartons of Pfalzgraph dishes, and I'm not sure what else from my sister's in Philly to Columbus--in an old VW Rabbit! My oddest was two stadium seats from Veterans Stadium in the back of a Honda Civic--sedan. The worst part about the drive back in the CR-V was that things were so tight I could not put my seat back at all and my legs were right up against my wife's front seat--so I couldn't move much--for 8-10+ hours :-( Worth it in the long run
No DevilDogs not a one and the god%anm cheesesteaks...I mean who in there right mind puts mayo on a f^&kin cheesesteak..that said I like it and its loads better then Dayton.
The first two are on the menu at Pat's. I mean, they only *invented* the cheesesteak. I like mine wit' shrooms, pickles, and pizza sauce. As for tomatos, there is such a thing as a cheesesteak hoagie. Pretty much the Dali Lama of sandwiches (you know, "one with everything").
Difference between having them on the menu as an option, and having them as part of a STANDARD cheesesteak. Ya know? Sure, mood can dictate little additions like that, but when you go to a place and you have to ask them to hold the mushrooms and peppers (or whatever else the clowns have added), that's different, in my book. Pizza steaks are damned good, actually. I was never really a fan of the cheesesteak hoagie, though.
Oh, sure--the standard is "wit'" or "wit' out" (onions).... Everything else is a bonus. The other problem is that the actually clean the grill here--after *every* steak (shudder). If you don't have a pile of meat on your grill a foot high, it really isn't a cheesesteak place.
That and Amoroso's Hoagie Rolls..... Just ain't the same without it. Best place I found outside of Philly proper was a pizza shop in Strasburg--and the reason was that they had Amoroso's rolls shipped in every morning form the bakery. Sure which I could get one now... Oh, well, at least I have a pound of scrapple in my fridge. For those not interested in the cuisine of Philadelphia, we now return you to your regular b!tching.
Bill, sorry to comment so late in this thread (actually, after reading about Boulder and cheese-steaks, i'm not even sure this thread is still related to your original post)... but anyway... after reading the article, i don't think Guillermo made any depracating or insulting remarks towards the organization, the fans, or soccer in the U.S. in general... in fact, i think he was quite professional in his comments... i'll translate the parts of the interview that relate to his time in the U.S.: -¿Qué es de tu vida? - How's life (how are things)??? -Estuve de pretemporada con el Columbus en una ciudad cerca de Tampa. Después nos fuimos 12 días a Inglaterra y ya volvimos. Ahora estamos esperando que empiece el torneo el fin de semana que viene no, el otro. -I was in pre-season with Columbus in a city near Tampa. We then went to England for 12 days and we're already back. We're now waiting for the season to start not this weekend, but the following. -¿Cómo está el equipo? -How is the ream??? -Todavía no ha hecho muchas contrataciones. Igual, la expectativa es entrar a los playoffs y poder pelear por el campeonato. -We haven't signed many players as of yet. Even still, our goal (expectation) is to get into the playoffs and have a chance to fight for the title. -¿Cómo son tus días en EEUU? -How are your days in the U.S.??? -Más que nada me dedico al entrenamiento, porque ahora estoy solo. Como hace mucho frío, hay nieve y viajábamos mucho, mi familia se quedó en Argentina y viene recién en ocho días. -More than anything i'm focused (dedicated) to training, as i am currently alone. Since it's very cold, there's snow, and we're travelling quite a bit, my family stayed in Argentina and they will be here in 8 days. -¿Extrañás o te acostumbraste? -Do you miss things (back home) or have you gotten used to things??? -Me acomodé bien porque sabía adónde venía. Obviamente que uno extraña el sentimiento del hincha. Más que nada yo, que tuve la suerte de jugar en Gimnasia y en Boca, donde los hinchas son muy demostrativos y muy afectivos, más allá del resultado final. La pasé muy bien en los dos lados y eso se extraña, obviamente. Quizá también tenés la posibilidad de convivir en un país muy evolucionado: lo que falta allá en la Argentina, acá te sobra. A diferencia de la pasión que sobra en la Argentina, acá les falta. -I became quite comfortable (got used to it well) because i knew where i was coming to. Obviously, one does miss the feelings of the fans. More than anything for me, since i had the good fortune of playing at Gimnasia and Boca, where the fans are very demonstrative and very affective (emotional, sentimental), even beyond the final results (the results on the field). It was a great time at both places and that, obviously, is something that is definitely missed. Perhaps, one has the opportunity of living in a country that's more evolved: what's lacking in Argentina is in excess here. As a counterpoint, the passion that's in excess in Argentina is (rather) lacking here. -¿En qué quedó el lance que te ibas a tirar para poder venir a Gimnasia ahora? -So how did things end up with the possibility you were going to explore so that you could come back to Gimnasia now??? -Quedó para más adelante, para junio o diciembre. Acá la gente no quería negociar porque ya habían puesto un dinero y lo habían calculado como mínimo para dos años. Y bueno, no querían negociar-me. No es que hayan puesto un valor. Ya habían armado el presupuesto y el equipo para dos años. Incluso el año pasado a mí me fue bastante bien en lo personal, pero al equipo no le fue tan bien. No entramos en los playoffs, pero el técnico continuó. Ahora no cambió casi nada y tampoco querían cambiar. Y bueno, fue un poco difícil hacerlos entender por qué yo tenía intenciones de volver a Gimnasia. Pero bueno, lamentablemente no se dio. Hay que ver en el futuro. -It was left for a little while later... for June or December. Here "they" (the Crew) did not want to negotiate because they had spent a certain amount of money and they had calculated it for a minimum of 2 years. And, well, they didn't want to deal me (not deal with me, but deal [negotiate] me). It's not that they put a certain value on me. They had already established their budget and the team for 2 years. Additionally, last year went quite well for me personally, but not necessarily for the team. We didn't get into the playoffs, but the manager stayed on. Now it appears not much has changed and they really didn't want to change. And, well, it was a little difficult to make them understand why i had intentions of returning to Gimnasia. But, well, unfortunately it wasn't to be. We have to look towards the future. -En EEUU, ¿qué fue lo más raro que te pasó adentro de la cancha? -In the United States, what was the strangest (rarest) thing that happened (to you) on the field??? -Te pasan cosas raras, qué sé yo. Por ejemplo, de hacer un pase gol en una cancha de visitante y la gente te aplaude, porque reconocen la calidad. Es raro que te aplauda la tribuna rival. Se vive de otra manera el fútbol, es muy distinto. De local no concentrás. No te vas nunca insultado, más allá de perder. Yo llegué en al partido número 9, pero en las primeras 15 fechas el equipo ganó un partido solo y la gente no se enojaba cuando terminaba. -There are some strange (rare) things, i don't know. For example, to make a pass that leads to a goal (an assist) in a stadium as a visitor and the audience applauds you, because they understand (recognize) the quality. It's strange to have the rival fands applaud you. The soccer is lived in a different way (manner), it's very different. As the home team you don't concentrate (very loose translation there... sorry). You never leave insulted (by the fans), even if you lose. I came for the 9th game, but in the first 15 games the team won only 1 game and the people (the fans) weren't getting angry when the games were over. -Eso es impensable en la Argentina, hasta en un equipo del Ascenso cuando pierde tres partidos hay lío... -This is unimaginable in Argentina, there's trouble even on a team in the lower divisions when they loose 3 games... (please note the interviewer said this, not Guillermo) -Sí, sí. Imaginate que, por ejemplo, en el Nacional B van cinco fechas en el año y ya renunciaron tres técnicos. Cuando estuve en la Argen-tina, hace dos meses, Rezza era el técnico de Defensa... Ahora ya no. -Yes, yes. To think that, as an example, on Nacional B there have only been 5 games played this year and already 3 managers have resigned. When i was in Argentina, about 2 months ago, Rezza was the manager at Defensa... now he's no longer. -Eso ya es una costumbre -That's now customary (a habit) -En enero me llamó la gente de Independiente porque querían que vaya, porque estaban armando un equipo para salir campeón, y las informaciones ahora son que Troglio está en la mira. -In January, the people from Independiente called me because they wanted me to come as they were building a team to win the championship... but the information now is that Troglio (the manager) is under watch (in trouble, being looked at closely). -¿Tenés decidido hasta cuándo vas a jugar? -Have you decided how long you're going to play??? -Mirá, la verdad que cuando vine para acá el año pasado, no pensaba en mucho más de un año. Pero la verdad es que cada vez me siento mejor, en lo físico, en las ganas. Siento que el haber venido acá y haber jugado un año entero y haber sido titular todos los partidos, me hace ver que estoy igual que siempre. Así que este año voy a jugar y supongo que el año que viene también. Entonces, como me siento bien, no puedo poner un momento donde terminaré. Pero este año y el que viene juego seguro. -Look, the truth is that when i came here last year, i wasn't thinking about much more than one year. But the truth is that every day i feel better, physically, and with my desire. I feel like having come here and playing for a whole year and having been a starter for all the games, it makes me realize that i am the same as always. So this year i'm going to play and next year as well. So, since i'm feeling good, i can't really say when i will stop playing. But this year and next i'm playing for sure. -Ahora estás más en ritmo... -You are more in rythm now... -Exactamente. En la época de Basile me tocó jugar muy poco. Jugué cuando agarró La Volpe y después, cuando agarró Russo volví a no jugar. Entonces ahí uno empieza a dudar de cómo está: si tiene razón uno o el técnico. Por suerte el año pasado pude jugar acá todos los partidos, salvo tres que tuve una lesión, y me sentí muy bien. Así que calculo que este año y un año más voy a jugar. Y pensando en otros jugadores, este año voy a cumplir 35. El Beto Márcico a Gimnasia llegó a los 36 y tuvo un año espectacular. Yo no tuve lesiones importantes, así que me siento bien. -Exactly. In Basile's time, i played very little. I played when La Volpe began and later, when Russo began i again didn't play. So there one begins to doubt how one is: if one is right or if the manager is right. Thankfully (with good fortune) last year i was able to play all the games here, with the exception of 3 where i had an injury, and i felt very good. So i figure that i will play this year and one more after that. And thinking about other players, this year i will turn 35. Beto Marcico got to Gimnasia at 36 and had a spectacular year. I've never had significant injuries, so i feel very well. -¿Tus mañas siguen intactas, ¿no? -Your "mañas" are intact, no??? ("mañas" are mannerisms, ways, little things that are specific to a person) -Yo estoy perfecto. Estoy con las mismas ganas de siempre y pensando como jugador, a pesar de que en algún momento hablaban de que podía volver de técnico, algo que tengo pensado hacer cuando deje de jugar. -I am perfect. I have the same desire as always and thinking as a player, even though at one time "they" were talking about me coming back as a manager, something that i've thought about when i finish playing. -¿Avanzó algo el proyecto de Boca de tener una filial en EEUU? -Did Boca's project to put an affiliate in the U.S. move forward??? -Mirá, me imagino que habrá quedado para el futuro. Me pidieron información, no participación. Así que es una idea que tiene algún empresario o algún dirigente de Boca. Pero no me involucra a mí. Salvestrini me llamó y Macri o Pompilio también. Era más que nada para saber cómo es el fútbol acá y ver cómo se podía conseguir la franquicia para Boca. Pero no me involucraban a mí en esa posibilidad. -Look, i imagine that it has been left for the future. They asked me for information, not participation. It's a good idea from/by one of the directors in the Boca organization. But it does not involve me. Salvestrini called me and Macri and Pompilio also. It was, more than anything, to learn how the soccer was here and to find out how they could obtain the Boca franchise. But they weren't including me in their objectives. My note: much like many of us, we become fans of teams growing up and we hold them close to our hearts (always). In Argentina (much like other places in the world), these clubs are very much part of the culture and fabric of the town in which they are located. They are of the people much moreso than the professional teams are here. Regardless, when a kid grows up and finally gets the chance of his dreams to play for his hometown team, there's a certain pull to come back to that club at some point. You see that when they don't celebrate goals after they score against a team that they played for (and in many other ways). It's not unlike when Jerry Rice signed a 1-day contract so they he could retire a 49er. Anyways, Guillermo really said nothing negative towards the Crew or the fans in MLS (at least not in this interview). He was simply stating his desire to, one day, play again for his beloved Gimnasia (to a media outlet that would be read by the fans of Gimnasia). He would have loved to have done so this year, but it wasn't to be. So now he plans on returning when his contract is up (or perhaps sooner if it becomes a possibility in the summer). Quite frankly, if we're out of it after a couple of months, it might be something that the Crew does as a good will gesture and as a way of re-couping some money (i know no MLS team is mathematically out of it in June, but i think many teams can be out of it before the season actually begins). I don't believe he will become a distraction and i don't believe he will mail it in. Having said that, far lesser players have become quite frustrated with the organization and it's general lack of direction. I think if Brian McBride were to be interviewed by Goff or Galarcep and stated his desire of coming back to play for his beloved Crew before he retired, we would all certainly appreciate the sentiment... but i think we would certainly understand it if the Fulham fans (who have also given him a lot of support) would feel slightly jilted if Brian were to express these sentiments (as they might want him to play for them without thinking about playing for another club)...
Well done DC and thank you. Two comments of I may: The part that I found grating on me was the "they don't understand that I want to go back" bit. Your translation tones it down considerably, to a point where it's understandable. I still think he might consider how "I want to be playing for another team" sounds in American ears, but so mote it be. The other comment is regarding his use of the term "concentrate" which seemed t have you a bit confused. In this context, what he's referring to is the team going to the stadium four or five or six hours before a match and getting a sort of group focus and togetherness thing going. Coaching classes in the US call it "coming together as a team" and suggest a half hour where the players are alone with each other basically becoming a team again. I don't kow if they do this in, say, Europe, but it seems to be a big deal in Argentina. He's saying that his teammates drive over to the stadium and play the game rather than spend all day together.
Reminds me of one of the most telling comments I ever heard a coach say about a player: "To XXXX, it's just a job." I wonder if the way they do it down in Argentina doesn't do a better job of getting the players all on the same page and focused on the task at hand. You know they do it that way in college football, for example--I know at both OSU and Penn State the players spend the night before the game in a hotel--even at home games--to cut down on distractions and build teamwork.
You're right I couldn't resist. But it wasn't that I was spoiling to continue the fight but rather to see your response. I say we call it a wash and get on with it. Actually you've always been a good poster and seem like a nice guy so it's water under the bridge for me. Flying Dog isn't bad beer at all, I'll give you that. But on the whole I would still put C'bus brews up against almost any other cities micro's. I have lived in several cities, been in almost every major city in the US, and been overseas as well. And I still love Columbus. And actually the lack of seasonal change is one of the reasons I moved back from SD to C'bus. I appreciate the fact that you enjoy Colorado so much but try and understand that those of us here in C'bus like our city just as much. And it does get tiresome getting on these boards and seeing trolls (not calling you a troll or lumping you in with them I'm just making a point here) coming in here just to trash it. As for the club scene I couldn't tell you it has been a long time since I worried about clubbing. Oh, but no matter C'bus, SD, Boston, you gotta admit you just can't beat NYC for a place to live (assuming you're worth a mil or two.
"Concentracion" is a very big part of soccer in Argentina. The whole team stays together before games. For example River Plate has dormitories built into the stadium where the players all stay together. I saw some pictures of the "concentracion" on River's official website a few months ago. It is very spartan, imagine college dorm rooms from the 70's. I imagine all the clubs have something similar.
DC, thanks for expanding on my little bit of translation. It gave a much better picture. I think it's easier to relate professional teams in Europe/South America to college teams here. They are engrained in that city. Kids grow up playing for their youth clubs. They do much more than soccer and some are big in multiple sports (think Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in soccer, basketball and handball). They will NOT move to another city (The Sister of the Poor University Buckeyes????). Therefore, the passion is built for that hometown team just as so many people here are passionate for the OSU Buckeyes. It becomes contagious so people who move there from other places where there was no team adopt it quickly. Concentration becomes more of a way of life in those circumstances. It's not a job anymore and the athletes "live it". College football players usually spend the time ahead of a game (as was said previously) together even for a home game. Professional soccer teams outside of the US usually do the same to get ready. I'm hoping that one of these days we will have the great majority of fans as interested in Crew soccer as they are in Buckeyes sports in the sense that they actually care about a win or a loss. Can you imagine someone leaving an OSU home football game after a loss to whomever and saying, "but they played hard"? OSU doesn't expect to lose home games. The Crew should be the same way where we defend the home turf and where fans would be extremely disappointed when we actually lost a game there. Maybe in the next few years we can get there.
Boy, you can say that again. We spent most of the summer house shopping near Bloomsburg in Columbia county, which is very rural (closest city is Scranton, about an hour and 15 minutes away) and near nothing and we were stunned beyond belief at the prices. To more or less duplicate our house here - a couple hundred more square feet, one more acre of nothing - literally doubled the value of our home here. What's more, the place we found - in late October - was listed on a Wednesday and by Saturday four couples had looked at it and three of them had made offers, all of which were close to asking so they asked for everyone to make one final offer and said they'd take the highest one, and at that point we were so desperate that we actually bought the place at a couple thousand OVER asking. ANd all this in a down market. Absolutely absurd.