I'd prefer symbolic one day contracts and testimonials after they retire (including maybe playing elsewhere if they have to persist), to years of victory lap where we get actual downside. Or bring them back to coach or FO like Ching. Particularly now that the team sucks and any anvils carried behind us just ensure no playoffs. It's not that I don't respect these players, I have a Ching shirt in my closet and it's the only one I've bought. It's that it's a business and particularly if we're a budget team we can't afford to carry faltering players. The absence of forward firepower was what killed the second wave teams from 2009-2012. We need to figure out a better balance between nostalgic sentimentality and future oriented winning mentality. I'd rather be finding the Next Davis than dwelling too long in the world of nostalgia. We timed this exactly right and now should do the Right Thing both to Davis and to set a general principle that we treat our long term players well.
Just so you know, a testimonial match is given to players who've served ten years or more with their club. The testimonial match back in the day was a way for the player to get one last payday (pre-Bosman and pre-salaries were astronomical) before retiring. Now they're primarily used to raise funds for charity rather than the player. But let me be clear that whether or not you were an "icon" for the club didn't matter one jot. If you were there ten years, you got your testimonial. Now more and more testimonials are set up as preseason matches. The last two Evertonians to get testimonials were Tony Hibbert and Leon Osman and while they were good servants to the club, they were never, ever "icons." But they were a rare breed that, as time goes one, will be rarer still. A player who plays ten years (or all of their years) with one club. So, with those facts, Brad Davis is every bit as deserving of a testimonial match as Brian Ching was.
Yes, that is the way it was structured in Great Britain. That's completely irrelevant here. We don't live in Great Britain (used to, but I don't anymore). That's not the way testimonials have been done in the United States. Zero obligation or reason to follow British traditions. To the best of my knowledge, only two players have ever received a testimonial match in MLS: Brian Ching and Landon Donovan. You can argue that there are other players that deserve the honor. I would argue that Davis is not one of them. Neither is Clark. BBVA Compass Stadium isn't known as the house that Davis built, or the house that Ching and Davis built. It is known as the house that Ching built. That in and of itself is illustrative of the difference between Davis' legend status and Ching's icon status.
It would be a shame in my opinion, if Davis was not recognized for his exceptional career for Houston, and MLS. Ching, Davis, and Rico stand apart in my eyes.
Those 3 are on the Mount Rushmore of the Dynamo franchise (add Dom on for the 4th spot) I've never once heard the stadium referred to as the "house that Ching built". It might be buried in one of those Dynamo puff pieces that they wrote for the website when Ching retired but that's ludicrous.
When it was first opened, that was a fairly broad media theme. I still hear people use the term, although less and less as time passes.
Just so you know, we don't care what quitters think of team procedures. And as usual you're wrong, the 10 year concept is independent of the he's retiring concept. Rooney has had one because of service but I am sure some star short of tenure gets one for being a loyal upcoming retiree regardless of if he hits 10. You read a wikipedia page and reported back. Thanks. We'll handle it from here. Go back to cheering for the wrong team on River Mersey. Let us handle our own team.
Ching was actually involved in a project to build a house for a needy family. I never heard it referred to the stadium though (but I wouldn't be surprised if it was).
I don't know about a testimonial but I think there should be some honor we give to long term players with several excellent seasons here. To me a testimonial is a passing spectacle -- though fine if we want one -- and I'd be more concerned with establishing lasting traditions that reward the best within the park itself somehow. Both Ching and Davis should be in whatever that honor is. Ching might have "built" the team that moved to BBVA but by that point he was a shell of himself and Davis was the one who scored the first goal and carried the team for years in its new home. Every positive memory I have of Ching is back in the old park (or on national duty). Davis' dominating years were less successful but without Davis, DeRo, etc. Ching isn't what he was. Davis was a complimentary piece on title teams and then the dominant figure of his era. Several of the people off the first team remain the best player to play their position here. If you don't honor about 4-5 people (DeRo, Onstad) you're not acknowledging the depth of quality that differentiates those teams from the current era. I think we need to honor a few players from the winning teams to reconnect to that era and to point this franchise back towards having those kind of standards. Realistically I am interested if this happens under the current regime, for mutual reasons.
One was credited to a DC player back in the day though I can't remember exactly who off the top of my head.
The House That Ching built was the catch phrase coined for his charitable work with Habitat For Humanity where he raised money to build houses (3 so far). The earliest mention of it associated with BBVA Compass Stadium is in an article written by my close personal friend Jesus Ortiz around the time the stadium was opening. Truth be told, Annise Parker deserves more credit for the stadium than anyone else. After Bill White first committed, then passed the buck to his enemy on the Harris County Commissioners Court the stadium was in limbo for what seemed an eternity. It wasn't until White left office and Parker was elected that things got moving within weeks. Now I've been around for years, recording things for posterity with my expensive camera gear (thankyou all of you faithful tax payers who are continuing to fund my civil service retirement) to my mind the person who deserves all of the credit for the beautiful stadium we have is:
I don't believe Donovan got an MLS testimonial match - I think it was US Soccer that honored him with one. Dero got one from TorontoFC, and there was a testimonial earlier in 2007 when DC United did one for Marco Etcheverry using the DC United 1997 championship team against Hollywood United.
It's new enough a league, and this is really a team thing anyway, where you can set whatever precedent you want. I feel like the team is getting old enough where some sort of tangible historical reminder might be useful. Older fans might appreciate connecting back to those players and level of expectations. More and more younger fans are going to be born and come to games who didn't even see things that happened 10 years ago. The banners do honor the team but why not some sort of honor for the best players too.
Make our own traditions. Pick your own ground rules for them. Do not be slavish to other teams' concepts of how traditions should be. This team needs to find itself and its own identity. It needs to stand for some things and pay heed to what it has been, and not be just a collection of orange-tinged buzzwords. Part of what I'd like to see now is more heart and connection in the product. Where is our Timber Jim. What is uniquely Dynamo besides a color scheme. When the response I hear to our struggles is low risk personnel choices and buzzwords, I don't hear the connection to what the team has been and the quality it had. If they actually cared the discrepancy can only upset. I don't want to see nostalgia physically playing for us on the field -- we have games to play in the now -- but I would like to see a broader symbolism connecting back. I just think a testimonial, while perhaps a fitting option for some, is transitory and am more interested in a lasting place in the park/franchise pantheon. The FO could use a running reminder of the history of the team and players and the fans could use the connection as well.
JC, I don't disagree with you on any of what you just said. Creating an Identity of our own is key, but a testimonial is done in every league not just England. Though they do them a lot... I have seen them in other countries, so I don't think giving BD one last time to walk out of the tunnel in Orange is losing anything. I loved being able to see Ching bang one in for us one last time and all of his buddies joining in the fun. Hell, it's one of the best memories in the last 4 years for me. Something more permanent would make me happy as well. Naming a section after them or statue, anything for the most part.
I think a testimonial is a second tier recognition and am somewhat indifferent either way to bothering, but I am not opposed to it so much as, if you're gonna do it, define for ourselves what the guidelines and practice will be, and whether BD makes the cut. If so inclined, my previous placing of him alongside Ching should tell you where I think he fits. The "England" bit, I know it's a broadly practiced gesture, we just had certain EPL fans coming in and trying to tell us what our rules should be, based on other's traditions. I felt like they misunderstood the traditions they were citing -- the 10 year honor is usually an in-progress reward while others get it for greatness upon retirement, independent of tenure. Back when it was not so financially fruitful a sport to play, 10 years was a nice bonus for a long time servant, and retirement testimonials bridged players into post-soccer financial reality. You didn't do it for everyone, but it was not 10 years plus retirement, it was two separate milestones. Loyal service -- think vesting -- or unusual quality. But I also feel like this team is a little lacking in generation of meaningful traditions. So I felt like, isn't BD's retirement a useful juncture to decide what our traditions will be for leading players. If we just borrowed some mid-table English team's concept of what to do here, I think the opportunity to shape what Being Dynamo means, is lost. Some teams have statue areas or rings of honor. Sometimes testimonials are part of the process. So, given the opportunity and a long term servant who seems to want to renew and maintain the connection, great chance to define sort of what our pantheon will look like and how it will be honored. Or you can do nothing and let the chance evaporate. Or you can slavishly Xerox some EPL team's ideas, and the lack of unique attachment to the project may come across in the lack of effort and detail put forth. It feels like a franchise adrift and I'd like to see some taking of control and setting of standards and traditions, and connection back to previous years, and in some ways an expression that we still want to be that kind of team with those high of expectations. I used to criticize "we make the playoffs every year" as a come down from expecting to win, but expressions of even that mid level will would be appreciated now. Act like you care and decide how you will care for former players of unusual quality in particular. I'm not saying yes or no. I'm saying if you do it, define it our way and act like you give a crap. So much of what goes on here just feels like going through motions.
maybe the front office can just buy a couple of kegs and let the supporters group organize something in BBVA parking lot before / in / after game they could: 1) make them chug from the keg while being held upside down for 10 seconds while everyone chants his name 2) then carry him into the stadium on a gilded litter into the supporters section before the game starts 3) make him sing the 'Forever Orange' song Acapello to kick start the stadium song before kickoff 4) zip line him down to the field behind the goal with a HD flag as a cape 5) kick a ceremonial ball into the goal with the announcers asking for a standing ovation 6) more beer plied into his gullet back in the supporters section 7) make him kick start the 'let's go Dynamo chant' at the second half kick off at that point he won't care what else anyone has in store for his retirement celebration!
Dynamo could honor Brad Davis by having him take ceremonial hard tackles from behind at halftime of the next Mexican team exhibition the team hosts at BBVA
Um, I would sure hate to leave our Mo. City kid Stuart Holden off any list. The obvious one, for anyone that follows the sport in other leagues like Argentina or Germany or Italy and the answer is there every home game. Houston Dynamo has the unique destinction that for 90 minutes our Supporters Section never stops singing and urging on our Dynamo players. No other team in MLS can say this. Also, this mindset from our hinchada is something that players from every season comment on. Specifically the first year where our players were ever exposed to this type of home ground atmosphere and backing in MLS. Again from their own lips making our home ground so exceptional in MLS. To the next season teams like Pachuca saying to their media back home in Mexico that playing in Houston is like going else where in the Americas, it is not the normal yanqui home ground.
To me it's Ching and Davis. They both were here a long time and had truly excellent numbers that they maintained for multiple years as the team leader for a period of time. Some of the SJ holdover candidates like Robinson were soon retired. DeRo and Cameron left. Clark was gone three important years and hasn't ever really been productively "the guy" for an extended period of time (good player, yes, but not a long term productive leader dedicated to here). Beasley was on the downslope here, ok playing, not much tenure. Bruin, mediocrity. Holden is a likeable kid and had a year or so where he was emerging as a leading figure here, but let's be real, he spent a couple seasons breaking in, had a couple Boniek/Wenger type seasons, and then skedaddled off to Bolton instead of spending his prime years here. Onstad is about the only other one I'd consider for a ring of honor, he had a couple years of sub 1 GAA and another couple just above that. There was no doubt who our keeper was and that he was good. Like Davis, he wanted to stick around a year longer than we thought he had in his legs, and that doesn't stop me from honoring a player.
I respect the atmosphere creation but feel like, as with Dom-ball, the newer teams in MLS have trended towards full crowd participation, and we have stayed behind in the SG model. You go watch Chelsea or Fulham live, and it's not just one set of seats singing. Songs don't seem to change, don't tout current players. [When I was in London it was Z-Z-Z-Zola (to the tune of Lola).] Tradition hasn't really accumulated much past the first set of things people cooked up. Same goal song for years now and not a particularly catchy or timeless one. They have come up with no Timber Jim where the field interfaces with stands, and unlike say Orbit, the mascot is rather unenergetically separate from the masses. There is no lasting recognition for individual players. There are banners up where the team has glommed onto their team successes, but no numbers retired, no individual ring of honor, no statue corner.
One of my indicia of team quality is how much your leftovers play when they leave. Does anyone even want what you had? Taylor and Davis played a fair amount, although the latter's use faded and he retired. Barnes played 10 games, 2 goals and an assist for non-playoff Vancouver. Cochran and Hoffman played some but at a minor league level. Sturgis spot plays in USL. Rocha has appeared 10 times for Oviedo, no goals, 2 yellows. Lopez and Olabiyi don't seem to be playing. Garrido has been out hurt. Not sure whether Miranda played or not.
From 2015... Hall, Brunner, Arena, retired. Salazar, retired? Cummings, Ownby, J. Johnson, minors. Sherrod, SJ/minors. Sarkodie, bit player, SJ. Driver, free agent, last playing in Holland. Ashe, playing roughly half the time for Columbus. Torres, loan to CA. Interestingly, Inkoom is at Antalyaspor in the Turkish league.
Not really. I get your relative point. However in absolute terms, Davis, Ashe, Barnes all gone by trade with fairly substantial salaries, and Driver and others who were more minor characters as well. I don't buy except in rare cases like Torres and Beasley that a player has no trade value because of mix of production and expense. Below that I think anyone can be moved for some purpose. Injury filler. Something to have on the roster for expansion. A contract that can be dumped. etc. FWIW, we took on Maidana, Alexander, and Wenger. And a few others. Some of the "others" I would have been like who the heck is that, and we took them. To me the test is more how the tear down and build up process goes. Following the exchange and its implementation. If you get a player, are they worth a hoot? Do they consume a bunch of salary? If you don't get a player, how is the freed cap room actually used? Typically we've been better at clearing house -- meaning we can get the trade done despite salary -- than using the space left over. Our problems are scouting and spending, not that we are locked into all these contracts. I don't think we suck too bad to trade with. Our players would have some value as spot starters and bench players. It is that that I see as one of the real issues, that what to us is a starter to other teams would be some hustle player off the bench who might start if the guy ahead was hurt. That's more what I am getting at, that the curve on the way out of here looks to be downward spiral shaped.