Great writing style. Mock the doubters, ask the tough questions, hold people’s feet to the fire, make people look at themselves, show them what they look like to others, force people to expect more of themselves, allow for a standard, insist on a standard, put the possibility out there,…kind of reminds me of me. I like this guy! In fact I like myself as well.

Green you did me proud!

I understand the satire. The article is full of sarcasm. A little sarcasm and humor is certainly welcomed, but a full article like this could have been done a little bit less bitter. I understand he was trying to make a point, but it certainly is a slap in the face to a growing multitude of soccer fans in the US. The article though is his opinion and therefore I don’t have much issue with it. In terms of being a good article, I would say it is not. In terms of being offensive, I say let it go.

Is the world cup coming up? YAWN!

Baseball Blows!!!

Basketball, then Football, then Soccer! Easy as 1-2-3…

The USA team just does not care about winning, they were asked on the Jimmy Kimmel show if they thought they were going to win the WC or if they had a chance. They, the players just shrugged there shoulders with “I don’t know” expressions. Ask any other athlete in any other sport and they could have had a better answer that that.

COchargerfan…what an ignorant comment! Futbol is the most popular sport in the world and the world cup is one of the most amazing sports tournaments in the entire world! Try to leave your house once in a while and you will see what millions of fans around the world call, “the beutiful game.”

COCF takes great pride in his ignorance. He’ll be the last white man on the block that once took great pride in “keeping them out”. He’s a stubborn man who says outlandish things without substance or evidence yet uses the words substance and evidence like wall paper hiding fungus. The fact that he’d take pride in calling the world greatest unifying tournament a “Kick ball tourney” is why he’s the man he is. He suffers from xenophobia and like most xenophobes he can recite eloquent evidence to prove his world view, and most likely does so in daily fashion.

The World Cup should be respected on many levels but first and foremost because it really says allot about mankind. When the ball is in play we are all the same. The color of the athletes and their national pride cross all bigotry and prejudice.

One aspect of Soccer that I find especially telling is the exchange of jerseys at the end of a game, the “ultimate sign of respect”. It means we are now “one” joined by our common love of the game, our common desire to win and our shared pain and joy….it is truly the beautiful game for all those reasons and many many more.

England and “the team across the Pond” will play big brother, little brother today to see where we stand. America has finally embraced their Latin-influenced players and stand a better chance of finally developing a “national” style. Contrary to what some in this country would like to believe, America needs to allow for all it’s influences to be successful.

As soon as America finds it’s “national” identity the USA will win a World Cup…hey that how the ladies did it!

People and reporters will have their opinions about why they don’t like soccer (boring, low scoring, not enough action, etc) and I can respect that. I would rather watch 32 games in one month than watch 162 games that spread over 6 months. Not only that, but baseball playoff games are joke. It nearly takes a month just to go through all the playoff rounds. Basketball and hockey are even worse as far as playoffs go.

What ever country wins the World Cup, at least they are considered World Champions of soccer even though they won’t say it. In American sports when a baseball teams win the World Series, basketball team wins the NBA Finals, or an American football team wins a Super Bowl they call themselves “World Champions” when they don’t even play other countries during their seasons.

Soccer is a sport of creativity. There are no time outs. Very little substitutions if any. There are no cheerleaders. It’s a game about tactics and strategy. The game is unpredictable and it is up the 11 players on the field to play as team. It’s not a sport for the weak minded. You have to think on the run because no coach is going be sending in a sub with a set play of x’s and o’s to you help you out.

If that is boring to you maybe you are a person who is not creative or is weak minded. If that is case don’t watch the World Cup, but Mr. Green don’t compare it to American team sports. They don’t even come close to comparison.

You coached a game for seven years and ref’d games for several years, influencing countless impressionable minds, and walk away secure in the thought Soccer was nothing more than “playing keep away in the middle of the field”? Yet you don’t consider that an ignorant comment. I forgot when you make an outlandish comment and get called on it, “it’s a joke”!

You say “most Futbol fans hate our American sports”. Really Spain loves basketball and has sent players to the NBA and has Pro Leagues in their country. In fact almost every country in the Tournament has Pro Basketball Leagues and have for decades. The NBA is increasingly having a foreign feel to it yet you make the comment. Steve Nash is a huge Soccer fan yet he plays Basketball for a living and says Soccer helps him see the game like no other. Same for Tony Parker. Hakeem was a Soccer Goalie in his youth.

Do most Futbol countries play American Football probably not but what about NFL Europe? While the numbers aren’t great the NFL continues to schedule games abroad. So not sure you can call that “hate”. The attendance record for an “NFL” game came in a game played at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City..112, 000 plus for a “preseason” game in 1994.

The Dallas Cowboy enjoy TV rights in Mexico and have a legend of fans all across Latin countries. As do the Rams, the Raiders, the Giants, and the Steelers. So how do you call that hate? Much less “most”?

As far as “American” Baseball. Seriously, you might want to reconsider that comment when so many players are coming from outside US borders and having monster careers as far back as Luis Tiant and way before him all the way to Ichiro Suzuki to your boy Vladi and my boy Frenando. Baseball, America’s true National Pastime, is not only an International Game but a game that has Professional Leagues in many countries that produce immediate success as far back as one wants to look.

As far as the scoring of goes. England would ahve scored at least four goals of Howard doesn’t come up huge. The same could be said for many games where goalies exhibit incredible stops or else games would indeed be 4-3 or 5-6 affairs. The game and the tactics that escape you are so simple in your mind after coaching the game for seven year that announcers the world over make up stuff to fool a world audience ready to accept the absurd, that it’s just “keep away”. That’s truly remarkable on your part. An inspired volley of incredible depth!

Which brings me to that twerp Rome. The last bastion of the non athlete, the nerd who got over on all the BMOC that picked on him in high school and the gifted athletes that ignored him in grade school. The man who called Everett “Chrissy” and made his mark by proving a pro athlete is still a big man and he’s still a tiny punk. Everett hits him and he’s sued, nicccccccccccccceeeeee! The fake, the fraud, the non athlete, the gansta commentator, the terroristic bombastic vocabulary, the GLOSS!!!, the RACK HIM!!!, The Clones, the call of the day…the Smack OFF !! the one man with no athletic cred who dictates “ATHLETIC CREED”…HOW IRONIC IS THAT?

Embarrassing that a 50 year old man still thinks that tired act is still “legit”. A talk show built on sht talking adults with a pied piper for a king. So you’re a “clone”? whoopie do!

Ever hear Rome talk about “his” playing days? Yet he comments on the “nads” of race car drivers, basketball players, football players, baseball players, boxers, tennis players…you name it he’s an “expert”.

The Futbol joke about “feet” is the same about Football don’t you agree? Figure that out funnyless man.

Rome was a pretty good tennis player back in the day at Calabasas HS. just sayin

Rome is a moron… Soccer is the greatest sport in the world! That’s fact not fiction… Baseball is obviously #1 here in the United States, but it’s also one of the worlds most boring sports! That’s also fact not fiction?!!!?! TRUE! A 1-1 tie in soccer is a whole lot more exciting than a baseball game and that’s also fact not fiction! I can also say that college football is more exciting than a soccer game and basketball is more exciting than a soccer game… Baseball though, it’s easy to say BORING!!!

a great 14-7 field position/defensive battle on the gridiron is really 2-1, isn’t it?

Here’s a fact: the best and most exciting game so far in the World Cup has been USA-England.

All of the other games have been boring. Something has changed in the states with purpose built professional soccer stadiums. We have every game covered this year of the world cup which is taking coverage from the College World Series…actually I think the College World Series has had its greatest amount of coverage ever this year.

Soccer has also reached its peak in popularity. It’s a pretty high peak for any other sport to get to.

The two fastest growing sports in the world are Rugby and American Football.

If every soccer game was like USA-England soccer would be immensely popular here in the States. But it is not, we like violence and the long ball. Stanley Cup also had it’s highest ratings since the 1970s.

The reason why football will always be more popular in the states is that more people play it at the higher levels due to the attrition and energy required. I am no fan of soccer but I am a patriot and I will watch our national team with enthusiasm as we take on the world!

There are two basic reasons American sports fans have never fully embraced Soccer as the rest of the world has.

1.The game doesn’t televise as well as Baseball, Football, and Basketball.

That is changing as more folks select obscenely large flat screen displays as the center focus of their homes but face it, watching Newcastle play Liverpool on a 19 RCA just don’t get it and having a couple of Newcastle’s won’t help.

2.Soccer only has 17 official Laws of the Game.

Most real Americans prefer sports with big, thick books full of rules and regulations. This is usually made even better by having a variety of governing bodies all of whom have their own version of every single rule. What usually enlivens this process further is changing a few of the rules every year. This is never done by all of the governing bodies at the same time though, thus insuring at least a seaso or two of spirited argument.

I hope I’ve helped to clear this up for those of you playing at home.

As to the billions of fans gaffe (i.e. billions is pleural so that means at least 2 billion), it only took 5 seconds to formulate a response but a day to stop laughing before I could gather myself to type again. See, theres around 6.5 billion on the entire planet and perhaps a billion of them dont even have access to a TV and/or broadcast, another 1.5 billion are two young or old to be a fan of anything, over 1 billion in India love Cricket and not soccer (which is why the second most populated country in the world never fields a good team), add in another billion Chinese, billion in the USAyou want me to keep going or can you see the picture? And then you need to filter out the casual observer like myself who loves sports so Ive seen maybe 3 hours of matches but am not really a fan per seask yourself, is Beatriz Recari an football fan just because she watched the Super Bowl? Adding it all up and theres no way that there are 2 billion soccer fans (i.e. fanatics).

Like the Olympics, the World Cup gets impressive viewing numbers because, like Aaron and myself, people around the world are patriots. Ask yourself, are Americans gymnastic fans just because they watch their Olympians in record numbers? Given the fact that there is zero media coverage for the sport outside the Olympics, the answer is obviously NO. See, theres a huge difference between a fanatic and a casual observer. But I will give it to you that there are probably billion soccer fans on the planet, which is by far the biggest fan base of any sport. Why, because it is the only sport that Euros really care about and more importantly it can be played in poor nationsbecause of simplicity meaning no special equipment (other than a ball) or field (any dirt lot suffices).

In fact, the TV numbers are out for the opening matchonly 24 million Chinese (out of 1.5 billion people), 5 million in the USA (out of 300 million), maybe 2 million in Mexico out of 111 million (the maybe is because 19% of the population with access to a TV watched)and Mexico is the 2nd most populated Latin American country. BTW, while eating lunch I caught the first 24 minutes of the Italy vs. Portugal match yesterday and there wasnt a SINGLE shot on goalthats like watching the first quarter of an NBA game without either team attempting a basketpretty exciting stuff (tongue in cheek).

And SoccerFan, soccer didnt exist in America when I was a kid so no I never played the game. But, thats the problem with the fanatics that I dont suffer fromnamely, blindly defending their youth because of emotion without letting the brain kick into gear. I grew up playing baseball which I guessing that you didntso Im also guessing that you think baseball is boringcorrect?

Remember, this blog is about Americans not embracing soccer and like I said in previous posts, the sports preference of a country is a two-way streetso why is the Futbol fan so enamored with shoving their sport down Americans throat? And the answer, follow the money…

This is an interesting conversation. I think the popularity of certain sports is somewhat generational. Soccer wasn’t played much when i was a kid.

Has anyone considered the number of kids playing AYSO vs. Little League now? I think soccer blows baseball out of the water as far as registration goes.The difference may be because, believe it or not, the kids find baseball boring. Us old folks find baseball relaxing.

You’re a piss poor attorney, that’s evident.

How can it be my show if more bloggers have posted (mostly incendiary remarks) then me? Let’s review and Ill go slowly for you old soccer players considering that medical studies have shown that 35% of professional players were found to have central cerebral atrophy and 81% to have from mild to severe neuropsychological impairmentall from too many headers.

First, I agreed with Green’s comments that Americans aren’t thrilled about World Cup soccer and opined that it is because the games are boring. Im then accused of being ignorant, zenophobic, racist, weak minded and uncreativecompletely unfounded personal attacks that serve no purposebut, I remained civil and ignored them. When I then point out that I’ve left the house by actually coaching AYSO for 7 years, I’m accused of cheating the game and the kids. And the peanut gallery responds with more name-calling, accusations of me wasting everyones time (BTW, forget to mention that the teams that I coached won league 3 timesso not a total waste), not respecting the game, blah, blah, blah with suggestions that I should write apologies to all the kids and refund their moneyand I was even shamedouch. I maintained my civility and responded that the sport isnt inherently bad just that the rules limit scoring and need to be changed. The response, Ive got a big ego and the tradition of the game escapes my level of understanding and appreciation (translated: youre too dumb to get it).
SoccerFan chimes in that I dont get it because I never played and I got schooled because billions of people love soccer. My response (because I actually went to school), was that billions was not mathematically possible and that the initial TV numbers prove average popularity at bestand BTW Im still waiting for your answer.

This brings us up to date, specifically, the accusation that Im dodging the question of cheating the game by being a coach while not being head over heels in love with it. In fact, on 6/14 I did answer this question by saying, Come on, exactly how do my observations of the shortcomings of the sport (which apparently are shared by millions of people in the USA) have anything to do with my character or the coaching of kids? Still waiting for someone to explain whybecause any rational person can see that there is no connection. So, because I love steak more than chicken, does that mean I shouldnt ever eat chicken? Because thats what you are arguingthat there is mutual exclusivitythat without an undivided compassion Ive cheated the kids and game. Oh yea, did I mention that we won 3 league titles?

And why cant an umpire or referee act competent and professional regardless of how they personally feel about the game? Pal, I coached little kids in baseball and while I had fun being around these little tykes, the skill level of the baseball was downright boring to watch. So, there is no logical connection whatsoever. And least we forget, this blog is about Americans lack of love for World Cup soccernot watching our young ones play AYSO games.

CO Charger fan.
As usual you are right on the money when it comes to soccer. Many americans find the sport boring because of the lack of scoring. Hockey is a great example of how changes have helped the game. For example eliminating ties and going to a more open 4 on 4 game in overtime and the other changes you have meantioned.

Soccer just isn’t all that fun to watch. It’s hilarious to see people try and defend this sport. Mainstream america loves action and other than some player whining on the soccer field for being tripped what real action is there? And running around chasing a ball doesn’t constitute as action. Oh yes maybe because it gives people in other countries a reason to riot, slam cold ones all day or trample people in the stands!

You always come up with indepth responses and then watch the peanut gallery come up with simple minded responses. Your point about soccer being popular in other countries because it’s not expensive to play is right on target.

Question for you. I laughed at your comment about the percentages of head injuries for soccer players (and head injuries is really not a funny topic) but can you tell me the percentage of people who suffer brain damage from excessive blogging? I am guessing around 99 percent! Keep firing CO. Enjoy reading your comments and you can be my attorney anytime!!

Actually, you said “Soccer in its present form is enjoying the OWrld [sic] Stage to the delight of BILLIONS!!!!” So doesn’t that mean TV viewers…because the stadium only holds 88,000 so that’s the only way that billions could be “enjoying” the matches. How can billions be “delighted” about something that they aren’t watching and, thus, are pretty much clueless as to what’s happening? Would it not be silly for me to argue that billions of people absolutely love the Super Bowl even though they never attend or watch the games? And I prefer the punch line of pound on your chestlooks like its your time to start poundingand I never said that I was an attorneyinstead worked as a litigation representative for insurance companies.

And SoccerFanwe are on the same pageIve been saying all along that the preference of sports varies by country and that soccer is low on the list in the USAand one big reason that it will remain so is the low scoringjust looked at the goal total and theres been 23 over the first 14 matches, or 1.64 per game, which is one approximately every 55 minutes. As I said in an earlier blog. thats not the biggest problem, instead, it is the lack of scoring opportunities. Why should the non-believers jump on board after watching matches like Italy vs. Portugal with NO, NONE, NADA shots on goal for the first 24 minutes? If two boxers danced around the ring for the first four rounds and never threw a single punch, would you watch the fifth roundor just turn it off?

Most of the time I blog with about as much interest as I do reading PEOPLE magazine but COCF I’m going to give you the respect you deserve,

COChargerfan said:

“just saying…you’re right…spent 20 years litigating asbestos injury claims so my auto-pilot types the medical term.”

Do you see how “pathetic” you are? Boy talk about a blow hard! You said, and I quote…”SPENT 20 YEARS LITIGATING ASBESTOS INJURY CLAIMS”…let me guess you’re not even a paralegal are you? What a joke! COCF…I mean Mr. Litigator!!! That sound you hear is your blog cred being flushed down the toilet….like I said I knew you were full of sht all along.

You see your arguments don’t hold water, lack foundation and are poorly worded, and that always bothered me. If we were both drunk they still wouldn’t make any sense much less meet any college level criteria requiring critical thinking skills. Your suppositions are incoherent and lack basic substance or truth actually. Like they say in Texas, ‘That dog don’t hunt”.

COChargerfan said:
Actually, you said “Soccer in its present form is enjoying the OWrld [sic] Stage to the delight of BILLIONS!!!!” So doesn’t that mean TV viewers…because the stadium only holds 88,000 so that’s the only way that billions could be “enjoying” the matches. How can billions be “delighted” about something that they aren’t watching and, thus, are pretty much clueless as to what’s happening?

( Actually no! TV viewers are only part of the equation. I’ll let your mind wander to figure that out on your own, lol. Hope you don’t hurt yourself)

At first I thought you were just an occasional blowhard and a wanna be know it all but to “infer or lay forth” that you’re an attorney with what passes for drunk conversation skills…well….I feel sorry for you. I really do. Like I said look at the brain power level of the above paragraph and tell me you’re an attorney or attorney-esque or even attorney material. Please! Look up OSMOSIS for a laugh at your expense.

Like I said you’re a lout on the blog and probably a nice guy in person as so many bloggers are but this is just sad. I won’t engage you anymore after you’ve embarrassed yourself with that comment ore than you should have.

Good day Mr. Litigator.

Dude you made my week !!! Classic!! Just wait until Joe Amat finds out he’s been “litigating” with a 20 year “litigator” !!! lmao

Too rich for words my loutish friend too rich for words!!!

COCF…you might want to look up the word OSMOSIS. You know where you “absorb” a legal mind, and apparently a Law degree ( JD…inside joke ) by playing “fetch boy” for a Law firm.

I used to use this line before but …I think it applies…

Question:

Do you know the difference between a Porsche (American pronunciation) and a Porsche (German pronunciation)?

Answer:

OWNERSHIP !

lol ( I love that joke!!!!! ) Never got any laughs with it but then I only used that joke when know-it-alls would tell me why Porsches were over rated or some other BS.

OKAY COCF do you know the difference between a litigator and a bullshtter? A frame. lmao !!!!!

The most famous English words ever written:

‘I’m NOT a doctor……BUT I PLAY ONE ON TV !!!!”

And one thing that I forgot, since you’re the resident genius, instead of dropping some sort of riddle, please man up and provide the specifics as to how the billions of soccer fans around the globe are enjoying the World Cup without watching the TV coverage. Of course, if you haven’t personally interviewed each and every one of the billions of people, then I expect you to provide some sort of legitimate research data to support your conclusion. I’m all ears so educate me…especially interested in knowing how 1.5 billion Chinese enjoyed that opening match when only 24 million watched in a land of 500 million TV sets…wait, it just came to me that 1 billion “fanatics” read about it the next day in the newspaper and the other 500M caught it later on their TiVo sets…is that your story?

Well let me take a stab at this little riddle me of simple mind and no college degree. Do you think radio still one of strongest modes of communication in this world might have something to do with it . At work we have no tv on but you can hear those little horns buzzing like a swarm of bees and all 55 employees in the warehouse are well are of a gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal when it happens. You might want to add the internet to that also. I would wager that tv is probably low on the list of all the outlets that reaches the population when it comes to the world cup. Don’t know how old you are COCF but I sure do remember my little transistor radio with that funny ear piece going with me to where ever I went including school so I would not miss the fall classic or a big Dodger game when I was young . You see you’re so smart and condesending you forget the simple things in life , like enjoying it without that boulder not chip but boulder you have on your shoulder .

So Think Man, are you saying that there are a BILLION additional fans listening to the games on radio and/or the Internet? So, exactly what are the radio numbersI gave you the widely reported TV numbers so show me your source for the radio totals. Same goes for the Internet. I dont believe they exist yet and when they do my guess is that youre still going to be very far from 2 billion, which is the context of this discussion. Why do I say this? Well, because China and India combined have 1/3rd of the worlds population and theres no evidence that they are watching let alone listeningand I doubt that any exists because India is crazy about Cricket, not soccer, and China doesnt have a pony in the World Cup race so theres zero national interest in the outcome (the 24 million TV viewers proves that factfor a game that was shown in China at 10:00 pm on a Friday night). So for my money, youre still beating a dead horse.

And Amat 73, interesting that Im the bad guy in the discussion even though the soccer apologists have consistently leveled personal character attacks in their rants. Still waiting for someone to explain how Im a RACIST for the sole reason that I stated that World Cup games are boring because of low scoring. Does that seem like a racist comment to youor is it more reasonable to conclude that I am owed an apology? Because, even I have a breaking point so the time finally came for me to put a moron in his place. Amat 73, review all the comments again and you will see that during the entire discussion which, for those that have forgotten is about Americans lack of love for soccer, not a single soccer defender has uttered a single word regarding the merits or lack thereof of revising the rules to allow more scoring. Instead, all they have done is spout venom laced personal attacks against my character. So, is a goal every 55 minutes of play exciting? You ask if a perfect game in baseball is boring and the answer is absolutely, positively yes…but the intrigue is that they are extremely rare so when they happen, we watch. But, if 90% of the baseball games played resulted in perfect games or 1 run max, the intrigue would be gone and so would a large part of the fan base, including myself. Imagine walking up to your work buddy at the water cooler and asking if the Dodgers won last night only to get the response that they tied 0-0 againand this was the same result as the two previous games. In fact, if your favorite baseball team averaged 1 run a game for the entire season, would you or droves of other Americans watch? I doubt it because as they say, chicks love the long balland the more the better.

And my indoor soccer comments have nothing to do with my feelings regarding that sport, arena football or anything else but, instead, was provided as an example to the haters that are accusing me of being unfit to coach or even be in the vicinity of AYSO kids for the blasphemous statement that the World Cup games are boring because of low scoring. I love sports and games of every shape, size and color and even more so love to be around and coach kidsso how does that make me unfit to coach soccer? And, when or where did I ever say that I didnt respect or like the game? In fact, I have specifically indicated to the contrary. This is just irrational soccer mutual exclusivity thinking.

Hey soccer fan, certainly you are aware that FIFA has tweaked the offside rules over the years to restrict defensive strategies; translated, allow more scoring opportunities. So why am I such a villain for suggesting more tweaks? And I do understand why there is concern, and rightfully so, with adopting the hockey rule for offside, namely, some folks believe that this will lead to teams stationing a few 7 tall goons in front of the net and the action will dwindle to teams popping them balls to smack headers. Of course, to counter this assault, the other team will also need to employ some 7 guys and before you know it the game slows down to a crawl with no premium on ball handling and speed (this was actually how the game was played like 100 years ago). My response is look at basketball where speed and size are blended to optimize each teamisnt this also possible in soccer?

And Game looks like you dropped the proverbial enigma wrapped in a riddle argument. Just wondering whether that wussy Zidanes heat butting a defenseless opponent counts towards the will to win? Sorry, couldnt resist that one. First and foremost, position players in baseball are measured by their BATTING AVERAGES AND OFFENSE SKILLS because there are tens of thousands of guys that run, throw and field well enough to be in the bigs but they cant hit a lickwhich is why they are at home watching the games with you and me. Ozzie averaged only .262 but he had 2460 hits and averaged 37 steals per year, Edmonds .284 (5 times he hit over .300) with 385 HRs, Posada .278 with 252 HRsdo you want me to post Clementes stats (i.e. 3,000 hits) or do you get the drift? A guys bat gets him into and keeps him in the bigs and not the ability to do the little things on the field. But, it is good that you brought up the superior opponent scenario, because that is at the very heart of the problem, namely, overmatched opponents choose to defend the goal with zero intent to attempt scoring and because of the numbers discrepancies, it is very, very difficult for the superior team to score. Heard a stat yesterday that in the opening round of the Cup the team that scored first NEVER lost. And a team gets a point for a tie so thats a win in an inferior teams bookso are rules that allow a team to completely forget about scoring and focus only on stopping your opponent from doing so just to kiss your sister for a point, forget about exciting for a minute and ask yourself, is that what a sport should be aboutplaying for a tie?

Remember this, years ago the basketball rules allowed inferior teams to run the four corners offense (which was actually the defense of keeping the ball from your opponent) hoping that frustration would force the opponent to foul and, at worst, getting beat 18-6 was a whole lot better than 80-12. Got fixed by changing the rules5 second rule and shot clock. And basketball actually reduced scoring in 2001 by allowing modified zone defenses. Football used to allow the defense to grab and hold receiversgot stopped to promote offense. Baseball lowered the mound and built smaller fields…to promote offense. Per my previous post, hockey changed to improve scoring. All of these changes improved those sports to spark fan interest as long as soccer games continue to be no to low scoring, many avid sports fans like myself will not be in love with the game, which is ok by me. So I ask again, why does soccer fan feel so compelled to attack those that arent worshipers? You dont hear me complaining because the World Cup fans arent going to tune into the US Golf OpenPebble Beachplayed it twice and it is magicalgo see it sometime soccer fan because that is a beautiful thing.

COCF,
Well it just boils down to a difference of opinion between me and you on a few things which is ok . I didn’t see the racist remark towards you but that does sound strange tying it into not liking pro soccer. Anyways like you say a perfect game would be boring to you while I would be on the edge of my seat watching a pitcher get 27 straight batters to make an out by mastering them with his pitches . The other is the being bored while watching the little tykes play when you are the one teaching and coaching them . Realistically did you really have the time to be bored coaching the little guys .I can remember keeping busy just trying to keep our right fielder from picking weeds in the outfield instead of watching the batter . As I said just a difference of opinion nothing more ,nothing less. But seriously I am still waiting on your outlook for CO in the new league and how they will fair in the division with the teams of the IE.

Any waaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Mexico played a great game today. The team has the right amount of youth and flair but still are fundamentally solid on defense. Glad to see Blanco come in and get things going “old school” style with his creative style.

France isn’t the same without Zidane I’ll say that. They came out on fire but somehow went nowhere. What real impressed me was Mexico’s unselfish play and their willingness to get physical without getting dirty.

If Mexico advances they get a “rematch” with Argentina who knocked them out last time. Speaking of Argentina got to love Maradona’s press conferences and public feud with Pele. Too funny when Klinsman mentioned that Beckenbauer’s constant “second guessing” happens in Germany as well, too funny.

Amat 73…for the racism accusation, read Xenophobia’s 6/12 post.

I was never bored coaching and being around the kids. What I said is that some of the games were boring to watch. Have you ever seen 7-8 year olds play baseball? Because the entire game is strikeouts and walks. Soccer at that level is mostly a circle around the ball with little passing. Not the kid’s fault..they are just a few years too young to understand and physically do more. The problem is that folks are drawing an artificial connection between the human aspect of coaching and the outcome of a game…they are two different things altogether. Like I said, I’ve had boring meals but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to eat.

Other than a few sports led by football and baseball, CO got absolutely screwed by their contemporaries (i.e. the other school principals that voted for them to move up) and CIF. Other than football and baseball (and Bonita has won league 2 years running), very few league titles in the past few years so moving up a division may get real ugly.

I’m guessing that you are specifically asking about football but since my kid doesn’t play that sport, I’m not all that connected to their progress. But, I have spoken to a couple of the players to ask how it is going and certainly the studs from the past few years are going to be hard to replace…especially in terms of experience and leadership…time will tell whether some of the newly minted upper classmen step up. With Mac and some solid seniors gone (as well as JA not playing), it seems that Amat faces the same sort of leadership vacuum. The good news is that Hagerty and Farar understand the process so we can expect them to find the solution. What’s not talked about is that Farar lets former players down on the sideline and at times they will mentor the players instead of a coach…Chris Allen was a regular who would talk to Santiago during the game especially early in the season. Does Hagerty do the same kind of thing?

Chargerfan,
Yes the it is still the perfect game but the refs are not . I believe there was a similar scandel involving a basketball ref on fixing of games . Do not hate the game because of maybe a crooked ref .

Now we care,
I guess those boys had coaches in their younger days who were bored when they played their AYSO games. It’s hard to coach a game that you don’t have your heart in and no love for. Any of those team USA members from the SGV, maybe the Covina area ???????

These blogs are proof that the reading comprehensive skills of the average American are worse than a 0-0 tieBTW, 5 out of the first 11 games at the Cup ended in a tie (whats so perfect about that fact?) No matter how many times I explain it, some of you cats just cant understand that a boring game (i.e. in retrospect, one that was played poorly and thus provided little entertainment) doesnt mean that one is bored with the entire sport. Heck, the NBA final game was poorly played (because the refs allowed a lot of holding, pushing and shoving) and even Phil Jackson said sodo you think that Phil was bored too and, thus, cheated his players and the sport of basketball? If you do, then you are completely irrational.

So in the big scheme of life, baseball players aren’t true athletes…that’s really funny considering that hitting a baseball is considered the single hardest feat of any sport. And who said that endurance (i.e. the ability to run a long distance) is the ONLY measure of athleticism? Come on, I know a tri-athlete that can run, swim and bike all day long but he cant catch, throw or hit a baseball. And, are you aware that the average NBA salary is $5.8M, MLB is $2.3M, NFL is $800K and the MLS is a whopping $50Kso why would the best athletes in the USA choose soccer over these other sports? And look at Landon Donovan who is 58 and 150 lbs and hes not too physically impressive with his shirt offpretty typical of your average soccer player and the average MLB player is like 62 and 210 lbs and built like a brick house. Even smaller guys like Maicer Izturis and Chone Figgins who are about the same height as Donovan are 20 and 30 lbs heavier, respectivelyand the difference is all muscle. And both can run just as fast or faster than Donovan. Different sports require different skill sets and body types but they are all still played by athletes.

Youre hiding your head in the sand about Soccers well documented illicit gambling and match fixing problems. Heres some excerpts from a Wall Street Journal/China article that appeared a couple of days agoAs of Saturday, police have already confiscated $102 million in illegal funds and arrested some 3,600 suspects for illegal gambling in connection with the World Cup and While Chinese officials like to blame foreigners for the illegal activities, corruption has a long history in Chinese soccer. Traditionally, national-team hopefuls had to pay tens of thousands of yuan in bribes, said Rowan Simons, author of a book on soccer in China, according to CNN. Players have come out and said they cant play for the national team because they cant afford it, he said, according to the report. Several recent high-profile corruption cases seem to have grabbed officials attention, however. The arrest of Nan Yong, former leader of the Chinese Football Association, earlier this year on charges of corruption, for example, has forced officials to vow to clean up the sport. High-profile match-fixing cases have dominated the sports press in recent months. In one of the most famous cases, police say former World Cup referee Lu Jun known as the Golden Whistle took bribes and fixed matches. If convicted, Lu could face the death penalty.

And there are lots of cases over the years involving the fixing of Euro gamesremember, betting is legal in England. In fact, the one thing that Football and Futbol have in common is the fact that a large part of their popularity is derived from the gambling interest. So the beautiful game certainly has a dark side.

As to the Bali referee, Im not saying that it just wasnt a mistake but there are some things that make you go hmm. First, reports are that FIFA suspended him so one has to assume that they are investigating him including calling their law enforcement partners over at Interpol to look into betting patterns to see whether he may have taken a bribe. Did you know that because of Islamic terrorist bombings against tourists over the last 8 years, Bali is on the travel advisory list of many countries, including the USA? And travel makes up 80% of their economy. And this is a predominantly Muslim country that has areas that are governed by Sharia law? And the average Indonesian citizen lives on $2 per day? Several underlying reasons to suspect that sentiment against America and/or possible financial gain might have been behind the disallowance of that winning goal. So much for the Cup uniting the world

My bad…don’t I look like an idiot…but before you all start celebrating, I checked out Mali and it is 10 times worse than the Bali scenario including being a haven for al-Qaeda and there’s a US travel alert that discourages ALL travel due to kidnappings.

One last thing, anyone check out the state of soccer in China article that’s in today’s LA Times? Cuz, it says the same thing that I am.

Really, now I’m making up the story that Mali is an al-Qaeda haven…Check out the US State Dept and CIA websites plus Google the names Edwin Dyer and Pierre Camatte…and then get back to me. Did I also make up the Lu Jun story?

You cats just can’t admit that the room is full of stark, dark facts that are bursting your beautiful game bubbles and not anyone’s ego…keep making excuses…

But what you cats really haven’t figured out yet is that half the time I’m saying controversial things just to yank your chains to see what you all have to say. And you’re welcome Fred J.. 60 something posts on a silly World Cup thread is quite amazing.

COChargerfan said:
Really, now I’m making up the story that Mali is an al-Qaeda haven.

( No one is saying you made it up just that a simple mistake on your part (a M to a B generated a bunch of sht no one cares about. Surprised you didn’t bring up Obama and the Left as co conspirators)

Check out the US State Dept and CIA websites plus Google the names Edwin Dyer and Pierre Camatte…and then get back to me. Did I also make up the Lu Jun story?

( Who the hell cares or and why is that relevant to any thing to do with this blog, this context, this thread, the World Cup in South Africa or our lives as we live it here in beautiful SGV?)

You cats just can’t admit that the room is full of stark, dark facts that are bursting your beautiful game bubbles

( What is your agenda? Seriously, you need help. “stark, dark facts”? Now you’re pontificating like no other. Careful that soap box is beginning to shake, “bursting your beautiful game bubbles” you’re mixing metaphors if you left out (to). And you “coached” this silly game!

and not anyone’s ego…keep making excuses…

( Now Freud has made an appearance. “anyone’s ego”/”making excuses” Who’s ego is on display here but yours. What excuses are necessary for enjoying a simple “game”?

But what you cats really haven’t figured out yet is that half the time I’m saying controversial things just to yank your chains to see what you all have to say.

( And now you’re channeling. “Cats”? See you’re absolutely wrong there. You’ve been called an imbecile and a lout for “half” the comments you make. If you were, as you are saying, “pulling our (collective) chains” than aren’t those monikers well placed. You are indeed, based on your on own admissions, an imbecile and a lout looking to provoke rather than exchange. )

And you’re welcome Fred J.. 60 something posts on a silly World Cup thread is quite amazing.

(Once again the “ego” makes an ‘Final” appearance)

You’re pathetic …. covering your stupidity with more stupidity.

COCF,
I believe you finally have awakened to the fact of how much of an idiot you are making yourself out to be on this thread. Now you are writing that half the time you write controversial things to pull bloggers chains, nice bail out after getting hammered not only on the soccer aspect but also your coaching outlook . So in other words since half of what you write is just to cause mayham on the blog and not your true thoughts then the other half is just your stupidity showing thru on what you believe to be fact in your eyes. Also you base the reading comprehension skills of the average American on these blogs because the vast majority on this blog are telling you how much of an ass you are. I think the main point with the blog is not the fact of soccer being boring in your eyes but you trying to convince them it is boring in their eyes by going on and on with stats and comparisons . Your crowning moment is your point of you cats can’t admit the room is full of stark,dark facts bursting your beautiful game bubbles. What nerve and ego you have try to convince the many fans of soccer and part of the world that soccer is a boring game . Maybe for you and that is ok but to think you can tell the world and then call them out as more or less stupid for not agreeing with you , and then go on to tell Fred he should thank you for 60 plus hits on a silly World Cup thread. Doesn’t seem so silly to me when so many have responded to your chain pulling statement which you felt obligated to defend with so many gov. stats and other data . For someone who meant it as a joke you sure seem hurt when someone insinuated you’re a racist. Do you think they were pulling your chain on that one . Maybe the were and maybe they weren’t. Maybe next time you decide to pull on that chain you will think twice because the chain you pull just be your own.

Is it stupidity to defend a chain pulling statement by calling bloggers stupid for responding or stupid for calling a spade a spade. COCF has been called and imbecile and a lout because of his “chain pulling” antics while he denied he was pulling anyone’s chain. Now he admits to pulling chains and has been doing it all along. What a douche bag. COCF has a problem keeping his stories straight. Soccer is boring and a the World Cup is a silly kickball tourney and then declares he’s been a youth coach and a ref for seven years. Oh course he mentions he was a Champion 3 out of the 7 years while basically taking NoDoz to keep from falling asleep from boredom. Now the lout has ventured off into CIA territory to support his dismissal of the “beautiful game” as only he can. Every thing is a platform for the imbecile if only to amuse himself at everyone’s expense. I’ve read COCF over time and one thing is clear he will say anything to win an argument or provoke responses, little did we know he was providing a public service for us all.

Thank you COCF for proving your detractors right. You were an imbecile and a lout all along while pretending to stand on the merits of your arguments, who knew? Like most idiots your ego finally unraveled your true intentions.

COCF,
Now see how easy it is to pull one’s chain. I knew you would bite on my post because you would not and could not let it pass. Now are you still pulling our chains by your asking of soccer fans about hating tennis or golf or is that one of your true posts . Sorry if I have to ask but since you stated some of your post are to stir the pot I would just like to know which COCF we are dealing with here. The joking puller of chains or the self centered must be right all the time even if it makes him out to be an azz and protector of truth , justice , and the American way . By the way did you read Marvel comics as a youngster. Speaking of illicit gambling ever hear of these names Rose , Karras, Hornung, and Chicago Black Sox to name a few. Sadly every sport has their dark days and unfortunately they will continue just as your running of your mouth will as you continue to educate the world on just how boring soccer is . It would take a person like you to use tennis and golf as examples of exciting sports. Yes that US Open was exciting watching the best in the world tank it in the worst way and see that guy back into the title simply because the greatest players in the game choked at Pebble. Now that was exciting. I know you play the game so come on now and defend them in the fact that they did not choke .That would be a battle right up your alley.

Did Portugal and Spain play? I missed it. I was busying getting my teeth pulled which is about as much fun as watching soccer.

No Jcaz, lost in all the stupidity is the fact that I got the word “boring” from Green’s article…am I the only one that actually read it???? Because he was the one that used the word and I simply agreed. And also lost is that Xenophobia called me a racist (plus a dozen other derogatory things) just because I used the boring word…and he and his soccer hooligans, like Mandela’s Afrikaan persecutors, have shown that they don’t have any trepidation against the leveling of false accusations. For anyone to say otherwise proves that they are living in denial.

In retrospect, I did pile on with the negative stories about soccer when the fact is that the World Cup is an event that I’ve watched for like the past 15 years so I am not the soccer hater that these idiots want to paint me to be. But, with that said, the game could use some more rule tweaks (yes, FIFA has tweaked the rules over the past few years to expand scoring) and due to the number of ties at this cup, I would not be surprised that this will happen again. After all, the defensive strategies of the 1990 World Cup was the impetus to a previous change.

The facts are different than your memory…the truth is that because of previous posts defending the education that CO can provide for those that choose to apply themselves, it was FC that came out of nowhere on an unrelated thread to post derogatory comments about CO’s average test scores and I pointed out that since 50% of the school is Hispanic (as is FC), then he’s actually taking pot shots at kids that share his skin color. So I was defending these Hispanic kids at CO while FC was knocking them down a peg so he could brag that his kid’s Damien education is far, far, far superior to one attained from CO.

And the cold hard fact is that it was Green that used “boring” to describe the sport and I just repeated it…and then the idiots started with the name-calling insults…including the racist and xenophobe labels. It is what it is for anyone that has the ability to read so when are you guys going to man up and just admit that you were wrong?

Heres some more personal information for your insult-slinging morons to chew on…my aunt is a 1st generation Mexican-American and my sister in law is a 1st generation Spaniard-American. So my beloved family including cousins, nieces and nephews are brown skinned. So FC, how many blond haired, blue eyed people are members of your immediate family? My bet is that there is a lot more diversity in my family than yours.

And regarding the xenophobia nonsense, my wife is a 2nd and I am a 3rd generation European-American. In fact, most European-Americans are only 2 to 4 generations removed from the homes of their ancestors. So to say that we have something against the land of our ancestors is absurd.

BTW, anyone catch the 30 for 30 episode last night? This was big news in 1994 so it wasn’t news to me or anyone else that has been around for awhile. For those that did see the episode, still think that Im making the gambling-connection stuff up? And it continues…

America is watching? Really? The only reason could be that baseball is the only sport going and there is nothing else on tv. It has to be the reason for anyone watching this boring version of “kickball”.

Actually, spent my life protecting insureds from the dishonest claimants that were trying to screw them.

Not trying to impress anyone…just the facts on my family. If I was trying to impress, I would have mentioned that 7-8 years ago my cousin and his wife who don’t live in our neck of the woods adopted an orphan from Africa and this beautiful child celebrates Christmas eve with our family every year…FC, I am not making any of this up and it is the God’s truth.

Like me providing true information about my family, my CO Hispanic comment was not meant to insinuate that you have something against your own people but instead, to make everyone think before they belittle others or to level accusations about people that they do not know anything about.

The problem with these blogs is that there is lots of name calling smack and little discussion of the subject matter. With that said, see you all later.

COCF should like this NY Post headline
http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2010/06/27/covers/front062710.jpg

You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog.

I have no idea

Hi John-

@Nikon – Guitar heroe? Ni modo!