World Cup

Yes, believe it or not, I still love the game of soccer. It is after all "The Beautiful Game". I have been watching and listening to the World Cup games. But I have to be honest with you, the World Cup and the way the game is being played and officiated isn't helping it's image. There is way too much faking going on during games. If I was referring the games, I would give out yellow cards for faking. Anytime any player gets kicked or bumped into they act as if they have been shot. I mean really suck it up. It is no wonder why the majority of the US population calls soccer players sissies.

Tim Howard (The United States goalie), yes, I know and I saw that someone slid into you with their cleats going into your ribs. You have to options, be a man and deal with the pain and continue playing, or you can cry (and I know it hurts) and go to the bench. However, crying on the ground to 3 minutes and then staying in the game is not an option. You want real pain, go get a spinal tap done. For the record, I do not ever recall taking a dive during the 30 plus years that I have played soccer. I did however fake an injury one time in middle school. My coach put me in as goalie and I didn't want to play goalie so I pretended that I hurt my hand so I could go back to playing in the field. Continuing on with all of the crying that soccer players do. Please stop whining to the refs.

My god you are worse than NBA players when a call doesn't go your way. You want more whining, just watch a game and if there is a play where someone gets beat and there is a shot on goal and the goalie has to make a save, the goalie will get up and yell at whomever the defender was. Listen up Keeper, your not buying a ticket and watching the game, you might actually have to play from time to time. Not to mention you get to use your hands.

Now let's get to the "vuvuzela". This is the horn that is apparently very popular in Africa and is blown throughout the entire game. It makes it sound like they are playing the game inside of a beehive. Truly annoying. I will take the singing that they do the entire game in England over these damn horns any day of the week. In fact the horns are so bad, that when I watch a game I turn the sound off and listen to the radio.

What else can I criticize about the World Cup? Oh here is one, offsides. I have played a lot of soccer and I have pulled my fair share of offside traps, but after the first four or five you need to catch on and be a little more aware of your field presence. Seriously you are a professional soccer player and you are getting called for offsides 5 times a game. It would be like if you were a waiter and you dropped a tray full of food. Once is OK, even twice is forgivable, but by the third time you will be looking for a new job.

The one good thing about soccer in the United States is that we don't take soccer too seriously. And I mean by too seriously, if a US player screws up, he won't be in grave danger (is there any other kind?) In the match against England, the US goal was pretty much garbage and shouldn't have gone in. The goalie, Robert Green, just misplayed it, or as some might say, he "Stegalled" it. But his life is all but over, he will forever be remembered for letting that goal go in. In England that was a bigger gaff than Scott Norwood or Bill Buckner.
Back in 1994 the United States was playing Columbia in the first round. The United States ended up winning 2-1 with the help from an own goal scored by Andres Escobar. 10 days later after Columbia had been eliminated from the tournament, Andres Escobar was murdered in Columbia. Escobar was shot outside "El Indio" bar, located in a Medellín suburb. It was reported that the killer shouted "Goal!" (mimicking South American sporting commentators for their calls after a goal is scored) for each of the 12 bullets fired. (Could you imagine getting shot 12 times? Do you think after the 11th bullet, that the 12th one doesn't even hurt?) It is widely believed that he was murdered as punishment for his own goal in the World Cup, which caused gambling losses to several powerful drug lords. Humberto Castro Muñoz was found guilty of Escobar's murder in June 1995 and sentenced to 43 years in prison. The sentence was later reduced to 26 years due to his submitting to the ruling penal code in 2001. Humberto was released on good behavior due to further reductions from prison work and study in 2005 after serving approximately 11 years.

Wow, that was a fairly large tangent.

One thing I really do like about the World Cup is how it is getting covered. Watching the game on a big screen in high definition is amazing. Their cameras zoom right in on the action. Or as is often the case, non action. You can watch a game and see someone running down the field and then they will fall like they just got hit by a sniper stationed in the Texas School Book Depository. Then they show the replay in super slow motion in high definition and you see that they didn't even get touched. I saw a super slow motion of a guy heading the ball and you could see his whole face contort as the ball made impact with his head, it was like that guy getting hit in the stomach with a cannon ball, only it was his face.

I think I have hit on all of the negatives of the game of soccer. But during times, you will see a string of 3 or 4 passes put together and goal is scored which is just a thing of beauty. Much like when golfing and you hit that one great shot, you get hooked. How about that shot that guy from Cameroon took from 25 yards that clanked off of the upper "V"?

My prediction for this World Cup, Portugal will be your champion.

Lyric of the Day:
When you thought that it was over,
You could feel it all around,
And everybody's out to get you,
Don't you let it drag you down,
Cause if you ever feel neglected,
And if you think that all is lost,
I'll be counting up my demons,
Hoping everything's not lost.