Wow.. Kickball fans Sure are pissed off about likeing a sport no one watches in the states arent they?

I'll say it again. GO RED SOX :)

Who's pissed? I'm used to guys who don't get it saying uninformed things about it. It doesn't rankle me in the least. It's kind of like me getting pissed at you if you don't like broccoli... or tequila.

I have to say though... that the over 500 people at the George & Dragon Pub at 6AM this morning gathered around an outdoor screen in the rain doesn't qualify as NO ONE.

Funny how many people jumped on the bandwagon in 2002 when we got to the top 8. One of our local sportswriters used to bash soccer... then he went to the 98 cup and wrote a big rebuttal to his own statements... now he's in Germany and ever since the 98 experience he's had a much different opinion.

Open your horizons and if you are ever in Spain, Italy, England, Germany, Brazil (or basically anywhere else in the world) take in a meaningful match... Its hard not to get wrapped up in the event unless you're on valium.

I say, to each his own. I personally don't follow Soccer. Then again, I don't follow football or basketball either. Baseball is all that I really have time for. Plus, I'm kinda slow, so trying to learn/understand a new sport would be far too difficult for me:)

I never understood Rugby until I went to Australia for three months... I never quite fully understood it but the matches were great live. I also got stuck at a table with the only New Zealanders in the 1991 match between the aussies and the kiwis at a bar in Alice Springs (outback). I decided to stick it out and not move... even with the occasional beer bottle whizzing by our heads. That year New Zealand won for the first time in forever and it truly felt dangerous to be where I was... great experience though. Like i said... broaden the horizons... if you can understand this stuff, soccer should be a BREEZE.

By the way, I do try to get in at least a couple Mariners games every year... we have a great baseball field here in Seattle and summer nights there are fantastic.

Its funny how Germany is the only team that has figured out that with this new ball you need to rip some crackers from 30 yards out. Everyone else is trying to get it close in. Sweden sure was a surprise (much to the chagrin of my Swedish wife). This game was typical of an exciting 0-0 game. One team is in their first World Cup match ever... they aren't expected to do anything... they lose a man and go down to 10... and their out of this world keeper makes it a 0-0 game. Swedish fans are ready to burst desperately hoping not to end up with 1 point knowing England's already won... The trinis are all together whooping it up... they'll be partying till the next game! I love this stuff!

Yes you are right... I need help....

I'll drink to that...

If you need a antidote to the World Cup hoopla, try Wim Wenders' film "Die Angst des Tormannes beim Elfmeter," loosely translated as "The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick."

It's kind of like a German version of those heart-warming sports movies from Hollywood like "Field of Dreams" and "Remember the Titans."

That was not a stall. Nonetheless I was glad they legislated the number of big sticks on the filed to 4 as it put a little more offense back in midfield. It was not as if you were one of the 6 big sticks and the midfielder had a real chance to score.

Saturday was a bad day. I had a family event in the morning and had to work in the afternoon. I had to catch a rebroadcast of the Agentina/Ivroy Coast match and I have no idea why the 3rd Arginine goal was disallowed.

As for the Redsox, Go Buckey Dent. A perfect day is when both the Redsox and Yankees lose, preferably to each other. Fenway is a beautiful park, but parking sucks.

Alan

No time to read the whole thread now, so I'll just say that smart money is on England or Germany, but anybody can win if they have a good MONTH. (not just a good day...)

not PO. You said a high score is needed to have a game be fun, I said the opposite is true. If a game is full of action then the scores can't be that high. I have been to many baseball games and if the Expos were still here I might still be going to some. On the other hand if comparing sports baseball is mostly a one on one sport and a bit of one on many. It is also very structured (team A is allowed to score now or team B can score now) that is why sometimes the second half of the ninth inning isn't even played (you know who won even if they are leading by 1 point)

All I did was disagree that point count is what makes for an exciting game. It is the action between the points that make it exciting or not.

Alan,

The scorer of the third Argentine goal was in a passive offside position when the shot came through. Had the first shot gone in it would have counted because he was not involved in the play. As soon as he touched the rebound he was now "involved in the play" because he was in that position.

This same thing figured into in their second goal. The man who scored made a perfectly timed run and ws the only one involved in the play even though two Argentine players were passively offside. Had he passed to one of them, the play would have been whistled offside.

Argentina looked good but they should consider themselves lucky as there could have been a PK awarded on the takedown and whap upside the head given to Drogba (great player by the way).

I'm trying to get a few proposals done before the Mexico Iran game and after Holland finishes. Then I'm headed up to my favorite little Mexican restaurant to be with some people who really know how to party it up (hopefully I don't call the wife for a ride home after a few tequila shots!)

Amazing this thread got so much action. I'm hopelessly addicted to EPL and watching England yesterday was painful. One can hope they will get it right, but individual stars do not a team make, and they didn't do a lot of passing to great advantage. It's a relief to see Peter Crouch get some appreciation for the way he feeds other players.

Hope US gets out of its very tough group. Tomorrow should tell a lot.

Soccer nuts having beer at CEDIA -- works for me!

We need to plan the place... I'm good for Thursday night and I know the IP guys are planning something. Putting faces to names over cold ones has become one of my favorite parts of CEDIA.

I figured ther'd be some fans here. I posted here because the board I was on in 2002 was full of the most anti-American nut jobs I've ever been around... every excuse in the book for why we did well including the fact that we paid officials. In a way it was kind of fun asking them if the officials personally put three goals in Portugal's net but tiring none the less as I got called hommosexual (sic) and told to "get laid" by what were undoubtedly a bunch of Euro-teens just learning their English bad words.

I love the World Cup for the fact that it takes 4 years to literally pare down the WORLD to 32 teams. I don;t expect the US to win it but it sure is fun following our qualifying journey and even flying to a few games along the way. After 4 years of buildup it is upon us... and as seen with Trinidad and Tobago yesterday... being highly rated doesn't mean the cards are going to fall your way. The post about having a good month is also true. By the end of it, the winners are worn down to a knub and the feat is really something.

When you guys talk of CEDIA, I assume you mean in Denver?

Anyone coming to London for CEDIA UK?

Glad I work on displays, it will take much longer to calibrate tomorrow afternoon.

I think most of us are referring to Cedia Denver. I would to make Cedia England as well, but probably not in the budget.