Can't remember. Read it recently. The numbers might be a bit inflated, but it rings true. Think of how many kids play soccer every day? What happens to all those kids when they grow up? I guess they become Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.
Halladay did toss a perfect game. The blown call happened to another pitcher, can't remember his name.
LOL....I was just coming in here to write the same thing. I turned off the Portugal v Ivory Coast match early due to boring play, diving, writhing on the ground, buzzing bees, etc. That first half was as ugly as it gets. Think I'm going to start just watching the nightly highlights until the 2nd round of games.
Article: Why I (Still) Hate the U.S. Soccer Team http://harpers.org/archive/2010/06/hbc-90007220 Found this while searching for news about Tim Howard.
Re: Article: Why I (Still) Hate the U.S. Soccer Team Wow. How pointless was that? I know nothing about the author, but he seems like the obnoxious snob type from the US who supports Barcelona and Arsenal and acts like he's God's gift to the world because his teams pass a lot. Annoying.
Re: Article: Why I (Still) Hate the U.S. Soccer Team "Next thing you know the U.S. will lose a game by three goals and the media will say it’s an “upset loss” because it might have lost by six." "Fifth, it was obnoxious to watch the American team after the game wave to its fans in the stands and generally carry on like they’d won a glorious triumph." "Whatever they do, I’ll root against them every step of the way." This guy needs to just get the ******** out of the country.
Re: Article: Why I (Still) Hate the U.S. Soccer Team I've pretty much stopped bothering to read everyone's biased opinions. Makes me feel like it is 1994 again or something. I would have thought most of these ignorant boneheads would have died off by now.
Wonder how much would be down to this new floaty ball that no-one seems to like! And good news, apparently, the company that makes the Vuvuzela has brought out a quieter version! Problem with the group stages is that it does throw up a lot of boredom. Mainly as the bigger teams go through the motions and get wound up. The smaller teams just cant cut it either.
For some reason I always remember the group stages being exciting. When the big teams start playing each other in the knockout stages they play scared to lose with many of those games having a lot of drama but minimal action. I don't remember so much negativity in the first round of the past 3 world cups. The second round of games have to get better as teams try and get points. Of course, I'm 4 years older now and my memory is probably getting worse
I just think the game relies so much on athleticism over technical players now. Great athleticism leads to better defenders who can close down the few technically gifted players who generate scoring chances. I think fewer goals and more scrappy defensive oriented games are the way it is going to go into the future.
Clever. I guarantee he laughed and started thinking about how he could wind you up even better next time. A better idea is to start signing him up for gay dating sites using that email and a fake picture.
Re: Article: Why I (Still) Hate the U.S. Soccer Team I'm pretty surprised at how anti-soccer some people are in this country. I've lived here three years and while I've actually been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who follow the game, those that are actively disgusted by it is amazing. Now back in England, the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL are probably in a similar niche status to soccer in this country. They have fans, but those sporst are generally not that big. And yes, people will bag on those sports from time-to-time. However, the anti-soccer vitriol here is something else. Most people I know will simply not watch a sport they don't like and if it happens to specifically come up in conversation, they may outline their reasons. Here, people openly scoff. From co-workers to journalists, they all seem keen to tell you, unprovoked, that the game sucks. I've heard it called everything from "boring" to "communist". Now if you don't like it, that's cool. I'm not looking for converts. That's not to say I'm not happy to introduce those who are prepared to give it a go, but it's not really my concern if the mainstream US likes it, as long as I get to watch it myself. The strange thing though, is that the complaints about the game tend to make little sense. It seems like everybody is obsessed with the scoreboard. I've watched US sports and the only one that really caught my interest is Basketball. Even so, I see monumental flaws in the game. For a start, the game seems to be a bloated tribute to superficial point-scoring. On paper it sounds exciting - fast, end-to-end scoring, averaging 150-200 pts per game - but in practice, for me that's not the case. I quickly realised that scoring is so passe that not only is their zero tension for 75% of the game, but also that anything lower than a 20 pt lead is almost guaranteed to be wiped out if it occurs before half-time. If it is a 20+ pt game, odds are it will be an equally tedious, one-sided victory. The tension only really becomes significant towards the end of the 3rd quarter and even then, the period where you should be on the edge of your seat (end of the 4th), the coaches get all tactical on you and start calling timeouts, sending the game into yet another commercial break. And this is the one I like. NFL is just tedious. I get twitchy if a soccer game is disrupted by numerous freekicks in a short space of time. In American Football, stopping and regrouping after every single play drives me nuts. Baseball: even a significant number of Americans I know find it dull. The NHL is okay, but (and I know this sounds silly), I have trouble keeping track of the puck. I see a guy shoot, then the siren either sounds or doesn't. Not a damning indictment, I know. Of course, the other thing is the cheesey, hammed up brawls. I'm a grown man and if I want to see other adults fight, I'll watch boxing or UFC. If I want to see them playfight, I'll watch Wrestling. Grown men routinely getting into a punch-up over a Hockey game is infantile. There are of course other comments: About the diving - IMO it has it's place when a player is commiting a subtle, cynical infringement. Cynical diving and pretending to be injured sucks, but who doesn't agree? Should we all stop watching soccer because of it, when steroids run rampant in baseball? It's a wimpy game - Seriously? Compared to what? Gridiron, sure, but that's saying a lot. American Football is a particularly aggressive and physical game. Soccer being less physical is not a valid criticism. Especially when the other top 3 US games are basketball (generally a non-contact sport) and baseball (physicality isn't a factor). It's the only show in town - Why? Because you have the aforementioned sports leagues and other countries don't? England has multiple versions of Cricket and two forms of Rugby which all garner significant followings. If you aren't just restricting it to team sports, consider tennis, golf, athletics - and this is true for most countries, developed to third-world. Soccer is far from "the only game in town" and despite the bull****** rhetoric and historically limited coverage, it's more than "on the radar" of American sports and enjoys continued growth. If that pains these people so much, they should think themselves lucky they don't have more significant problems.
Interesting... 1) Kinda agree. Vuvuzela is kind of annoying. Though apparently, if you are there, there is something of a rhythm and a beat to it... Guess you have to be there. 2) They wear bibs. Big deal. Not sure why, but they do. Is it something to be getting that worked up over? 3) They have been huge for a while! Oh, wait, you probably have not watched football since the last WC! 4) See point 1 5)I agree. There has been a lot. Watched the Ivory Coast v Portugal game (a huge mistake!) and there was a lot of diving going on. Including a fantastic one towards the end of the game when Ronaldo lost the ball, the Ivory Coast player was arms length away, when suddenly he barrel rolled to the ground! And the ref fell for it! Do think an argument could be made that FIFA should at least warn a player if it is observed on TV! Cant do something like retroactive yellows, but a first offence and get warned, if a third rolls round, get charged with bringing the game into disrepute or something. 6) Yellow cards have been in football since pretty much day dot! A recognised sanction as part of the game! 7) Agree. A lot of 1-1's. Is it down to this new ball? 8) Hang on, but the NFL trophy is a ball on a stick. The NBA trophy looks like some kind of large plastic mug with a ball stuck on the rim, the MLB trophy is a bunch of sticks! Kettle, meet pot. 9) Thats why the 4th official holds up a board. To tell you how long. And why the broadcaster usually displays how much extra time there is under the clock... 10) Again, agree. They are part of South African culture. But have only been there for 30 years.
He didnt mind sucking Donovan off on his show the other night...and now 5 days in hes already bitching about the WC?