I disagree with your criticism of the reporter, who wrote: I think the reporter is asking a valid question. Given a choice between: a) watching the full soccer game or b) watching some anorexic sing through a horrible PA system and 100 smiling robo-dancers AND having the trucks tear huges ugly gashes in the wet turf I would rather see SOCCER. Maybe that's just me.
Hi! My name is Ken Wright and I am in love with Paulina Rubio...so much so that I missed a pretty damn good soccer game! Someone please tell this idiot that the reason most people were at RFK yesterday was to watch the game of soccer, and unlike other sports, it appeared that NO ONE left after a rain delay...Give the fans credit!!! (who the hell is Paulina Rubio anyways!?)
I completely agree with Ken Wright on this one. Where does Garber get off thinking that anybody cares more about the halftime entertainment than the game? As if there were people in TV land sitting around worrying, "Gosh, I hope this rain delay doesn't cause me to miss the halftime show." Unfortunately, TV pays the bills, but what Garber did yesterday took pandering to another level. Wright is also correct in pointing out that not only did yesterday's fans get less than they paid for (good game though it was), but that the halftime entertainment wrecked the field for today's Freedom match too.
"When is a game not a game?" When is a reporter not a reporter? Maybe there was little editorializing, but there seems to be quite a bit of opinionativeness in his articles. ps-Who is Paulina Rubio?
Agreed. The half time show (crap) was an embrassment to sit through. The fans have to be congratulated for staying after that.
Look at the title of the article... "Marco MVP of Short Game" and compare it with the positive ones at the Post. --The entire tone of Ken Wright's work towards United as of late has been highly hostile, snotty, and sloppy. (Take a look at how they have the score as MLS 1 USA 1 under his name.) In a game filled with positive themes he decides that story of how the "pop star's stage cut divets into the pristine turf" [snipped] "scarred for today's important Freedom game" is a really pressing issue that we all should give a ************ about. Need more convincing? How about this quote for an OPENING line... "When is a game not a game? Answer: When its a 75 minute MLS Allstar game." [To which I pose a more interesting question... when is a reporter a complete unprofessional hack who thinks we care about his opinions? Answer: When he is named Ken Wright?] "Yesterday's seventh annual MLS All star game at RFK stadium started as nothing but a mere opening act to Paulina Rubio's halftime concert and then fortunately got better." Yeah, no spin on that Ken... I am a rare Washington Times fan around here and a subscriber, but Wright's chip on his shoulder is getting tiresome. If he wants to be this "enthusiastic" about MLS he should stick to covering the Freedom (he seems to be so passionate about them as of late) Their demographic of about 12 fans and a dog named "Buster" are right up his alley.
IMO, the right call was made. The half time show sponsored by Pepsi and under contract both to the performer and TV had to be fulfiled. Something had to be cut so it was a shorten 1st half. She only did one song with a shorten halftime too. Hello -- Adjustments had to be made because of a 55 minute delay. The right call was made to shorten the half. If this was a real game, a full fledge 45 minute halfs would have been played. Storm or no storm. The all-star game is joke anyway.
The guy was a bit clueless. But, he did hit the point about shortening the first half so the Rubio show made it on network TV. Sadly, she was like the third best looking girl on the stage. Who was the backup singer in the Kansas City jersey? I want her for Christmas. Why didn't any of the girls wear DC jerseys? The guitarist chick with the freaky red and black hair was on Saturday night live later than night backing up Pink. I don't think it was a rerun, so she definitely had a full day. I wonder if she was thinking about bailing when the game got delayed to make a more important gig at Saturday Night Live.
Soccer Six Shooter nailed it. You want to foot the refund on the $$$ Pepsi paid to have their trollop on national tv? Or do you want to burn the chaps of one of your big money sponsors? Garber sucked up to the corporate denero, and in this case, for this league, it was the right call.
Paulina Rubio Honestly, Paulina Rubio was terrible and did nothing to add to the game, the stadiums' atmosphere or the reputation of MLS as being hip on young new stars. Her voice sounded horrible, and the PA at RFK made it even worse. I am very sorry for all of you who had to sit through that. Luckily, I was watching on TV and could run away screaming in agony and actually get away. You poor folks were all stuck in that stadium with that dreadful music. I would like to pose this question: What was the reaction when her performance was over?
Paulina Rubio and those three girls who sang (Miah, or something) were just bad. Paulina got booed and some guys gave her the finger when she rode by after her performance. And what did her "band" do to those perfectly good jerseys?! What a disgrace!
I asked my 13 year old step-son if he knew who she was, nope. I aksed him if he like or was interested in the show, nope. Nice call Pepsi, for making us 30,000+ have to watch that instead of the extra 15 minutes of soccer.
Re: Paulina Rubio It didn't seem like the crowd cared. I had never heard of her before she was booked for the event. I'm sure most of the other people had not either. No one cared.
Not that many people knew who Christina Aguilera was when she performed at MLS CUp 97 (or was it 98?) Sachin
One note that the press reports are leaving out is that the grounds crew asked for the extra time to let the field drain. This was not a pepsi mandate. I know this because I talked to Don Garber and Bobby Goldwater at the golf tourney yesterday.
I am all in favor of letting the filed drain, it would have drained even better without the stupid stage out there. That is why I am thanking Pepsi. While I am sure that Garber ultimatly made the decision, Pepsi's wishes likely wieghed heavily into that decision.
How many threads and posts are there going to be complaining about the shortened half and Paulina Rubio (who is very big in Latin America, BTW)? Compromises had to be made. I was at the game, and the weather was so bad at one point, I didn't think there'd be second half at all. MLS is not perfect, but neither are any other leagues (like the MLB all star debacle). But MLS is my league and I love it and I'm willing to cut it some slack. Despite how things ended up, I had a great time and am glad MLS chose to have it here in DC.