Bizarre question, but last weeks Globe had a story by Frank after the last Chi match where he said that Razov had stepped on Heaps' foot and had been cautioned. I don't see how anyone at that game could have written that. Did anyone else notice that beauty?
Frank goes to more Revs games than nearly anyone on this board, as he travels with the team to almost all the away games. BUT...he sits in the press box, which at Gillette Stadium is a mile in the sky and tucked back in the corner. It is difficult to see much from up there, and you can't lean out the window and ask someone what happened. Also, because Frank (and Gus and all the guys who work for dailies) has to file his match report within half an minutes of the end of the match, it becomes a big job to write up the match, transcribe the quotes and then edit it all down for mass consumption. I am aware that the coverage of our sport is not what we would like it to be, but slagging off on the guys who are doing battle with the pig-headed, soccer-bashing editors on a daily basis is not a productive way to move this whole enterprise forward. I hardly know Frank, but I respect what he does.
My wife is a journalist so I can say this with confidence: Dell'Appa has absolutely nothing to do with the Globe covering the Revs. That is the decision of the editor who then assigns a reporter to cover the team/game. I happen to think that Frank does a very poor job at explaining the games in an interesting way. I live and breath soccer and I can barely get through his articles. Now you may like Frank's writing better than I do, but believe me it is not his call that the Revs get covered.
So it was Heaps' foot that was putting the "bulge in the old onion bag" that Razov viciously attempted to spike? Good to know. He's a contortionist as well as a former point guard.
Well, Bruce S, the reporters do put up fights with their editors to try to get more space and better play for their stories, whatever they may be. Frank doesn't dictate how much coverage the Revs get; if he did, the Globe sports section would look a lot like La Gazzetta dello'Sport (pink pages optional) or L'Equipe.
I make it a point to read soccer articles from dailies around the country via the internet and in my opinion you've got one of the best writers in the country in Frank. Bruce S, I am not sure what you are comparing him to but if you read other soccer writers I think you will be pleased that you have him. Also, it seems like the Boston editors respect the sport more than most other markets. They give it good, respectful and consistent coverage. Always room for improvement but a pretty good base from which to build.
Re: ,.., Of late, though his articles have not reflected the international sophistication or creative talent of previous articles, they have been galvanized by a conservative approach that, though unattractive and ethnically unappealing, has produced satisfactory, albeit non-cosmopolitan, results.
FDA is a great individual, and probably better suited to writing literature. His verbose commentary does have often have an air of opiated sedateness, though.
I guess we should forgive any inadvertant errors in FDA's post-game accounts, but does the guy go to practices? It's one thing to say Rasov stepped on Jay's foot. I'm more annoyed at having read his articles about how Semedo really improved the defense and APC was so masterful in directing the Rev's attack as a midfielder, and then seeing the opposite on the pitch.
I agree. And how Sunsing brought creativity and skill to the Revs. The guy ( Sunsing)made my eyes bleed.
as soon as i saw "does dell'appa actually go to revs games" all i thought of is ''dumba$$'' maybe it was that horrible writing in the globe that he does. "franchino will miss the next match" hernandez will miss the next match" honestly, i think ray charles couldve of written a better article with stevie wonder editing it. at least get someone who cares cheers
i love how Frank uses all these words native to their country in italics; words whose meanings i dont know, and who's meaning Frank doesnt care to share with his readers. get me TINO PALACE, dammit! [btw, where is this guy???? he's writing weekly columns all season and all of a sudden the biggest games of the season roll around and he --poof!-- dissapears ] btw, John Lewis- are u the same Lewis who used to write articles for MLSnet?
Not to speak for John Lewis, but it was Michael Lewis who wrote for MLSNet.com. They are different guys altogether. For one thing, John Lewis doesn't work for a New York tabloid, which raises his esteem exponentially. But Michael Lewis is a fine soccer reporter nonetheless. I think he was/is president of the national association of soccer journalists, too.
No. I'm not Michael Lewis. Michael Lewis wrote 'Soccer for Dummies,' and people return his phone calls, which must be nice. I am only John Lewis...oh, and Emlyn Lewis. Sometimes I wish I was Emmanuel Lewis, but let's not get into that.
John, Are you ever going to explain to the masses what's up with the "Emlyn" thing? Is there a *contractual* issue involved?
I didn't know anyone was interested in the story. BUT...it goes like this. I hate the name John, but all my life I've been known as such. Actually, I don't hate it, but do you know how many John Lewises there are in the world? There are three at my freakin' video store alone. My father-in-law is named John. My wife's grandfathers were both named John. My brother is about to have his second child...and name it John. It's too much. Anyway, I'm proud to be the son of a Welsh father who came over on the USS France in 1965, and my middle name, which I didn't like so much when I was a kid for obvious reasons, I have taken quite a liking to in adulthood. That name is Emlyn. Still, why use Emlyn as my pen name? It's like this. My father and I have one thing in common. Soccer. He gets and actually reads Soccer New England, and I think he gets a kick out of the fact that I've chosen to use my Welsh name in the way I represent myself to the world. Also, people remember Emlyn Lewis better than they remember John Lewis, for the aforementioned reasons. When you're John Lewis, people get you confused with Michael Lewis. When you're Emlyn, they just think, 'Is this a man or a woman?' I can live with that. Thanks for asking.
Cool. See, and I thought you were under contract to somebody so you were writing under your wife's name or something. Maybe you should have your name changed to Llewis! But, then, people might assume you were hispanic and call you "you-is". Speaking of Wales, that's one of the coolest places I've ever been - incredibly beautiful and unspoiled. I was taking the train back to London after a few days in Wales, and a whole gang of teenagers got on board heading down to Wembley for the Liverpool match. They each had a "suitcase" of beer and got right down to preparing for the match, which was still 36 hours away! The plan was to drink their way to London, then carouse in Trafalgar Square until match time. Pretty impressive display of sustaining a liquid diet!
I have a very vivid memory of taking the train back to London from Shrewsbury on First Division Playoff day. It was '98 or '99 and Man City was playing West Brom or someone else to see who would come up to the Premiership. Getting off at Euston I had no idea who had won, but as I climbed the steps to catch the tube out to Heathrow, there was this fat, drunk City fan bellowing Wonderwall at the top of his lungs as he swayed next to a busker on the platform. 'I guess that says it all,' I thought. City were promoted.