Apropos of nothing – at the moment anyway – I want to recommend to you the ESPN film series 30 for 30.
I have not seen one of them that I thought was not well worth the time, most likely because – cynicism alert – they are done by outside film makers and not the jock sniffing hacks in Bristol.
However, the one entitled The Two Escobars, dealing with the tragic murder of Colombian defender Andres Escobar after the own goal he scored against the US in World Cup 94 is so stunning, so eloquently told and so deeply moving that if by some chance you have not yet seen it, you need to make a point of it.
ESPN seems to rerun all of them somewhat randomly, and I can find nothing that indicates it will be aired again anytime soon. However, all you content pirating downloaders out there – which as I understand it is literally everyone but me – can find it in numerous places across the fruited internet.(I mean, even I found it and as most of you know finding the on/off switch on these things is a challenge for me)
The most startling thing, to me, is to watch the ball cross into the Colombian goal and feel not elation but rather an aching sadness. Everyone on the team knew what was at stake and what was going to happen next. The rest of us, in our obliviousness, just thought it was a soccer match. Another day in Paradise.
Find it someplace. Watch it. If it doesn't move you on more than one level then you're quite simply dead.
Dan Loney righteous indignation alert of the day:
Headlines in England are trumpeting that David Beckham "Is Ready to Quit MLS" and end his career in England.
A CLOSER READING however finds that what he's actually saying is that he doesn't plan on re-upping with Los Angeles after his deal expires in November.
But since I can't imagine AEG offering him another contract, his willingness to leave is less like "quitting" and more like "being fired".
More than likely it's simply Becks getting out in front of the story since "Galaxy Refuses to Offer Beckham a New Contract" isn't the meme he wants bouncing around the globe.
"Beckham Wants to Play in his Beloved England One More Time" is highly preferable.
It's called spin, and a big part of being successful at it is getting your version on the street first.
In case you missed it, what with all the excitement caused by your favorite team drafting a short, slow, clubfooted midfielder from Azusa Pacific who's going to lead your club to the promised land even though virtually no one beyond his immediate family had ever heard of him four days ago, Robbie Savage, the man who, in 2008, received more yellow cards than any player in EPL history, is MAKING GOOGOO EYES WITH VANCOUVER
Today comes word that – shock of shocks – DERBY COUNTY WON'T STAND IN HIS WAY
Possibly that's due to the fact that the man once named "The Dirtiest Player in Premier League History" will turn 37 next year and the market for aging hack artists just isn't what it used to be.
Now let me say up front that I'm trying hard not to make new enemies up North; as it is my photo hangs in way too many provincial police stations under the words "Shoot on Sight".
But between the expansion draft and the Superdraft and this kind of thing, one has to wonder who is making the Whitecaps personnel decisions since, on the face of it, as the groundskeeper said in {i]Major League[/i]: "They're shitty".
As for Savage himself, he told the media that the Whitecaps made a "brilliant" presentation to him and it seems like a great setup, particularly since." they're moving to a new £300m stadium".
Apparently there's a half a billion dollar soccer stadium going in up there. Who knew?
If this is true and not just Savage trolling for dollars, then if nothing else MLS ought to step in and stop it. The last thing the league needs is a professional legbreaker taking out the few skill players the league actually has.
What on Earth could they be thinking?
I have to believe that the Philadelphia Union front office thought long and hard about the new "Bimbo" shirt sponsorship and fully realized that there'd be some backlash. It was pretty obvious.
That said, I'm having a very hard time understanding the level of agitation on display in places like THE TEAM FACEBOOK PAGE.
("Summers' Eve"? Ouch. Just ouch.)
Of course jerks like the soccerphobic "Pardon the Interruption" duo of Frick and Frack had to get their panties all in a wad about it, as if they are ever going to actually see a game and be offended.
And please: don't tell me that it's pronounced "Beembo". That's not how it's spelled, that's not how it's pronounced in the US, that's not what everyone is going to see and, frankly, that's just dodging the issue.
Likewise, I didn't realize there even was an "ESPN W", but if I had I would have expected nothing less than THIS LEVEL OF STUPIDITY. It's as predictable as a Robbie Savage caution.
If people were going to get upset about shirt sponsors then they should have complained about the Los Angeles Work-at-Homes. Herbalifes' utterly dismal record of cleaning out the life savings of the terminally naive and destituting innocent families is a whole lot more serious than offending some blue nose who needs to break open the wallet and buy herself a sense of humor.