we're going to TOkyo at the end of march. I don't think I'd try to go see FC Imabari, because it seems to be in nowhere-land. When is soccer season in Japan?
I don't know when soccer season is in Japan specifically, but I don't know that there is really a "nowhere-land" in Japan - it is so compact. Imabari is reasonably close to Hiroshima to the west and also Okayama to the east and you'd be going more or less east to west from Tokyo. So 3.5-4 hours to get to one of those, and then a "local" train to get to Imabari. Maybe they would happen to be playing somewhere closer to Tokyo? Or if you take a side trip to Kyoto (recommended if you want to visit temples and just over 2 hrs by shinkansen) then it would just be another hour or so west from there I think.
That is quite a trek. If Lenny sticks around for the long haul, he will be over 33 by the time he gets to the J League!
Lenhart loving it in Japan. http://americansoccernow.com/articles/steven-lenhart-tells-asn-he-loves-amazing-japan Good article on how he is really enjoying Japan, and discusses his injury a little.
While mentioning his "bad boy" past, the article somehow overlooks the fact that he mooched off the Earthquakes for a couple of years, unable to play but collecting a paycheck -- and apparently unwilling to undertake rehab until he was cut loose. Not impressed by his attitude, and then, yeah, there's the dog.
Oh, come on, folks, he took the time to find a good home for his dog, and he cared enough about it that he apparently delayed going to Japan for some time just because of the dog. I've seen his dog - it's huge (larger than some apartments in Japan ). Not easy to transport to Japan I would imagine.
I feel that this is a bit unfair. It is not easy to move to a different country with an animal, and Japan has some rather onerous regulations: http://www.pettravel.com/immigration/japan.cfm
Who's forcing Lenhart to move to a different country? "Hate" may be overstating matters, but it's fair in my mind to disapprove Lenhart's prioritizing his own self-interest over that of the animal in his charge. Who's to say what needless psychological damage has been inflicted by abandoning the dog, even if his or her other needs have been met.
How do you know he found a good home? It may be in a Turlock high-kill shelter for all we know. Everyone may not agree, but I don't think people should get dogs just because puppies are cute and loving and floppy -- not unless the people are willing to make the tradeoffs, which usually include no more globetrotting. My three rescues are testament to the fact that too many people don't think through the ramifications before they acquire a pet. It's not like picking up a new skateboard, stick it in the closet when you're tired of it. He's of an age where it's time to grow up, and if I'd been his mom I might have suggested going to dental school and joining a men's soccer league.
I agree, and he did express that it was a hard thing to do. However, just something I would not contemplate.
But how do we know that he didn't find a good home for the dog? If you are going to roast the the guy for it, then the burden is on you to prove that he didn't find a good home for the dog. Otherwise, we shouldn't pass judgment on it either way. I have actually seen Lenny interacting with his dog - he loved his dog, and he wasn't a puppy. He'd obviously had him for a while. I don't think "globetrotting" and dog ownership are necessarily mutually exclusive, if you have a good place for the dog while you are traveling. It is not ideal, but much less non-ideal would be euthanasia at a shelter.
Lenny doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that would have dental school as an option, unless it was to be a patient in the school clinic.
Everyone has this completely wrong. I heard that Lenny's dog has been trying to let him down easy for several years. Knowing he was down and out, it was extremely difficult to do....Well, the other paw finally dropped...Lenny was crestfallen and couldn't bear living on the same continent....he sought refuge in a place far far away.
True, it is unfair. The worst thing was contemplating that the pet would have had to spend quite a long time in Quarantine. Before I went back in 2008, I was lucky to get her adopted here in the States even though she was 12 at the time.
Looks like the end of the road for Lenhart.... http://www.fcimabari.com/news/2017/000629.html ESPN: In other news, former Quakes forward Steven Lenhart, who had been playing with Japanese fourth-tier side FC Imabari, announced his retirement because of a head injury and further risk of a concussion. Lenhart had spent the last six seasons with San Jose but missed all of the past two years with knee injuries.
I feel bad for Lenhart. He was a good player when he was healthy. When I watch other forwards around the league, very few had his work rate. I hope he lands on his feeet.