- 07:04 PM
- 04/18/24
the rose-tinted, knicker-sniffing standards of the red-top back pages I like that. I miss the old days of rose-sniffing and knicker-tinted tabloids. I think the problem is that since the cool Brittanic '90s, soccer in England has become part of entertainment culture to the point where the media's need for drama has totally eclipsed reality. Which is fine when you're dealing with movies and reality shows, but is akilter when you're covering a bunch of well-matched people very occasionally putting inflated leather into mesh.
posted by liam at 10:17 PM on April 28, 2006
Yerfatma, a thousand apologies. I had forgotten the song but it must have been lodged in my subconscious since childhood. I promise in future posts only to reference Leo Sayer or Dan Fogelberg, or Dan Hill in matters pertaining to ice hockey.
posted by liam at 08:50 PM on April 26, 2006
Please let the kidnappers be working for a corrupt state senator who is being hounded by the cheerleader's renegade ex-cop boyfriend so I can save on the cost of the next Carl Hiaasen novel.
posted by liam at 02:06 PM on October 14, 2005
1. Dwyane (it kills me to have to right down a blatant typographical error on purpose) Wade is really good. Is "right" a deliberate joke on having to write Dwyane?
posted by liam at 12:38 PM on March 26, 2005
So chico, what's the sexual analogy for ice hockey? (Apart from not being able to see the little puck thingie...)
posted by liam at 11:08 AM on December 11, 2004
He recently replaced Van Halen's "Jump" with Aztec Camera's cover version.
posted by liam at 01:07 PM on November 17, 2004
"God hates us." Reclaim your pain (and be a cool loser) with these Red Sox shirts from The Red Seat.
posted by liam at 03:35 PM on October 10, 2004
On top of everything else, the athletes have spent years training rigorously and depriving themselves of most pleasures. It doesn't take much alcohol to get them loose. A friend's brother competed as a swimmer at the Seoul Games in '88. He lost his heat on the very first morning, leaving him with a clear schedule for two weeks in the Olympic Village. Apparently the synchronised swimmers were very popular with the male athletes.
posted by liam at 08:52 AM on July 20, 2004
An Outside magazine piece on Canadian transexual Michelle Dumaresq's struggle to gain acceptance on the pro mountain-biking circuit.
posted by liam at 08:18 AM on May 18, 2004
You could try to sound a little less like you worked for the site.
posted by liam at 11:24 AM on September 19, 2003
It's a game of two halves. In the third, cliches gone awry usually come to the fore.
posted by liam at 09:36 PM on June 03, 2003
Actually, Rio and Sao Paolo are 3 hours behind GMT, 2 hours ahead of east coast time in the USA, so a 7:30pm kick-off will be 10:30pm in the UK and 5:30pm in New York.
posted by liam at 09:56 AM on March 18, 2003
Earler this year, Arizona Cardinals' safety Pat Tillman chose to give up pro football, and about $I million per year, in order to join the army.
posted by liam at 02:04 PM on December 24, 2002
In the 1950 World Cup Final, with Brazil only needing a draw to take the cup, Barbosa, the goalkeeper, let one slip inside the near post. It's still considered a seminal tragedy in the country's history. There's a well-known Brazilian book, "Anatomy of a Defeat", just about that one game. The story of The Fateful Final (from a bbc article): As calling's come there are few harder positions to occupy than standing between the sticks for the Brazilian team. The most infamous Brazilian goalkeeper is arguably Moacir Barbosa. In the late 1940s Barbosa was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. Yet he became synonymous with the most famous error in Brazilian football history. Back in July 1950, Brazil were once again involved in a World Cup final, playing Uruguay in the Maracana stadium filled with almost 200,000 fans. In the second half, with the score at 1-1, Barbosa, expecting Uruguay's Alcides Gigghia to cross, was caught off guard when the Uruguayan shot and scored. Brazil's defeat to their South American rivals was regarded as a national disaster. Barbosa was made the scapegoat for the defeat and subsequently he was never allowed to forget his error. In 1993 Barbosa tried to visit the training camp where Brazil were preparing for the 1994 World Cup. But the superstitious coach Mario Zagallo would not allow Barbosa to meet him in case he brought the team bad luck. Shortly before his death at the age of 79, Barbosa said that under Brazilian law the maximum prison sentence was 30 years, but that his imprisonment had been for 50 years. Barbosa's misery explains why Marcos was keen to console Kahn after the game.
posted by liam at 12:52 PM on September 25, 2002
If the name is the plural of a figure who is considered singular in any one religion, isn't that promoting comparative religious studies, rather than one belief. I'm a little disappointed that the Satans never got to play against the Gods , the Prophets, or the Fighting Jesi.
posted by liam at 12:10 PM on August 22, 2002
The highest-ranking US men's player is Agassi at sixth (the next U.S. seed is Sampras, at 17th). America's Andy Roddick is seeded at No.11.
posted by liam at 09:37 PM on August 21, 2002
Plus, Fox News has a lot of hot anchors/correspondents, but that doesn't mean they can't deliver the news... I agree. They can't deliver the news for more sinister reasons, but the "hot" correspondents are a symptom.
posted by liam at 10:49 AM on August 15, 2002
While I don't put much pay by these rankings, I just want to point out that our (Brasil's) lead over those second-place wannabes is 10% of their total, a huge gap. Technically, that means we could beat them and everyone else - not just England - with ten men. In reality, we'll probably struggle again, with our B team, to qualify for the next WC.
posted by liam at 03:43 PM on August 14, 2002
Compared to the older folks I've seen play in France, and here in NYC, I'm a beginner, but it's good to know I can carry on improving for 40 years, and enjoy conversation and refreshments while doing so.
posted by liam at 03:32 PM on July 24, 2002
Now perhaps American tv's olympic coverage will recognize that the pleasure of the games is watching athletes from different cultures excel at the same activities, as opposed to watching US athletes...
posted by liam at 11:09 AM on July 03, 2002
The first 50 years of the Tour are fairly well documented here.
posted by liam at 04:57 PM on July 02, 2002
Socrates in 1982 - imperious stroll, backheels, standing penalty kicks, medical degree and three packs a day. Because style is more important than victory.
posted by liam at 08:21 AM on June 28, 2002
Perhaps it's just a football game, though... Perhaps its only a metaphor for the relationship between life and culture, body and soul... Or perhaps its only a reason to drum, drink, and dance..
posted by liam at 10:40 AM on June 26, 2002
Actually Katullus I think many chances have been fairly clear cut, at least by World Cup standards, but the Brazilian finishing has been poor. Two that immediately spring to mind from the Turkey game are Cafu's dawdling failure to finish the recreation of Carlos Alberto's 1970 final goal, and Luizinho's funky but unnecessary bicycle kick. Brazil's longer range shooting has certainly been lame.
posted by liam at 10:34 AM on June 26, 2002
Granted Brazil aren't the poets of some previous years, but they are still an attacking team who create several good chances a game. I don't think the cliche of "o jogo bonito" vs. teutonic efficiency is true anymore (though I want to believe it). Neither squad has a great defence, so the game may not be so boring. The south of Brazil has a very large, and largely unassimilated, German community, who will presumably be rooting for the motherland. On a personal note, I'm the Brazilian son of jewish refugees from Germany, so this is my heritage final.
posted by liam at 10:04 AM on June 26, 2002
My team's still in there, and hasn't played as badly as I expected before the tournament, so I'm keeping my brain switched off and praying for: Brazil Korea Turkey Germany
posted by liam at 02:38 PM on June 24, 2002
Alright!! OK. Not a good game, but I think Brazil deserve some credit for going forward when a goal up and a man down, not the kind of thing you often see from any of the traditional football powers.
posted by liam at 12:36 PM on June 21, 2002
The question about your most memorable soccer moment was a tad Anglocentric, but this Brazilian is Rivaldo, so I'll take it. skronk, you've evolved.
posted by liam at 01:52 PM on June 20, 2002
Something for the break - Futebol by Guardian writer, Alex Bellos, an excellent English-language book about the culture and significance of the beautiful game in Brazil. (Chapter 8 online).
posted by liam at 12:28 AM on June 19, 2002
Apparently Klesko's retired from the amateur law-enforcement business.
posted by liam at 04:42 PM on March 21, 2002
$6 million a year for a pitcher who might not make the rotation (NYTimes).
posted by liam at 10:02 AM on March 14, 2002
I can't find it now online, but the NYTimes headline a couple of days ago was: Duke gets a top seeding; Gongaza gets no respect.
posted by liam at 02:25 PM on March 13, 2002
Ah, but those same '95 Bulls go down 111-103 to the '84 Celts in the first game, and 95-94 in the second.
posted by liam at 08:40 PM on March 07, 2002
Poor old Sheriff Keesee. Last year, PETA meddled in the local cockfighting. Why "Fuzzy"? "Pike County, Kentucky, Sheriff Charles "Fuzzy" Keesee "misplaced" $300,000 in tax collections during his previous administration."
posted by liam at 02:47 PM on February 28, 2002
I couldn't find a link, but I read somewhere (in the NY Times, I think) that Robert Smith also spoke out against how coaches expect prayer in the locker room.
posted by liam at 01:53 PM on February 27, 2002
I always thought Archie Gemmill's goal was a work of art. Now it is literally (well, a dance piece). The 1970 final was the first tv programme I ever watched, and Carlos Alberto's strike is without question the greatest goal in the greatest game in the greatest sport ever. I'm not too optimistic for Brazil's chances this year, though.
posted by liam at 01:48 PM on February 27, 2002
Corpse, an inaction figure of Darryl in the Strawberry Patch in rightfield, not bothering to move in for Ozzie Smith, might have been realistic.
posted by liam at 01:29 PM on February 27, 2002
Why I like Robert Smith, and could bring myself not to hate the Vikings when he was playing: Dan Barreiro of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune once quoted Smith on the religious zealotry in the NFL. First Smith said of the evangelizing Reggie White, "I find many of Reggie's comments incredibly ignorant. His statements on gays are embarrassing and speak to how little he knows . . ." As for Cris Carter and Deion Sanders saying religion saved their lives, fine, "But wearing it on your sleeve to where it dominates the whole part of you, to where some guys seem to say they're better than you because of their religious faith, that bothers me."
posted by liam at 01:20 PM on February 27, 2002
Never underestimate the desire of the media to turn people into cartoon stereotypes of themselves for audience consumption. Nor their desire to attract the redneck market. But "brilliant postmodern irony" will do for a cinema studies thesis.
posted by liam at 04:14 PM on February 22, 2002
I disagree. As long as the athletes who are likely to medal get to participate, it's better to include more countries, and athletes from different backgrounds. There's enough major competitions for the top athletes (world championships, etc.). The Olympics are about more than just celebrating excellence. Go Brazilian bobsledders!
posted by liam at 03:49 PM on February 14, 2002
Oops. Can't link to Menyoli's official bio, but here's a Time magazine interview with him.
posted by liam at 02:57 PM on February 14, 2002
Alaska, where men are men, and women win the Iditarod.
posted by liam at 08:10 PM on February 05, 2002
The losing team
There's always Heath Shuler, Democrat for Congress. Generally sports, and especially team sports, encourage competitiveness, strict adherence to rules and distrust of nonconformity, which are considered conservative values. But always remember there's no I in Democrat.