"In playoffs, chances good for Quakes"       GO EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Also, Bud Geracie mentioned the Quakes a couple of times in his "In the Wake of the Week" column. Of course, he only deems them noteworthy as they relate to sports he follows, football and basketball, but still they are generally favorable observations... http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/7157599.htm The relevant quotes: "The Quakes drew a bigger crowd for their last home game than the Warriors drew for their first." "Quakes superstar Landon Donovan kicked a 60-yard field goal, but he didn't have Bill LaFleur holding for him."
Knowing his background of hatred for the Quakes, I read both of those as negative statements, not positives. Call me a cynic, but this was how I read them: "The Warriors are so sorry that can't even draw as well as a second-rate team in a joke league playing a stupid sport." "Donovan isn't as good as the press is making him out to be. If Donovan had LaFleur holding for him he wouldn't be any better than what we've got now." Doug.
Most truthful statements in that piece: "The 'preseason,' as Frank Yallop sarcastically calls Major League Soccer's regular season, is over.... 'Those 30 games meant nothing,' Yallop, shaking his head, said of the regular season." When 80% of the teams in a league make the playoffs, that season really is pre and meaningless. Thank god the real season has finally arrived.
You guys are right. The playoff system that MLS has makes the regular season a joke, a meaningless joke. I'm sure they'll try something else next year.
I think you're reading way too much into it. the first one was a compliment and the second was a dig at LaFleur. LaFleur botched the hold on an extra point. if he had got the ball down, the niners would have won most likely. the world isn't always out to get soccer, you know.