Just had to give a shout out to my dear old Dad, Big Leo that he is. He’s in pretty good shape for a man his age…and considering the mileage!
I realize that we’re almost two weeks into August with very little blogging having been accomplished but my REAL job (the work I get paid for!) has been pretty busy of late. Yes, Bonds has surpassed Hank Aaron’s homerun record. Yes, the Mariners are still playing pretty darn good (though Seattle-ites in the know are saving their energy for the last weeks of August). Yes, there’s been lots of stuff coming out o the Seahawks’ training camp I could be discussing…in fact, I’m supposed to be blogging the Seahawks’ training camp for USA Today (a long story to be discussed later).
I’ve been busy and that’s the bottom line. Heck, I haven’t even got my wish list for fantasy football updated, and draft day is fast approaching.
But there’s no excuse for not wishing my Leo father a happy birthday. You can love ‘em or hate ‘em…but NEVER ignore Leo. That’s just about the worst hurt you can inflict on them. Fortunately, they’re easy to love and they naturally draw attention.
Happy Birthday, Dad!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
That's FUTBOL You Dolt!
Aaaaaand…I’m back. Quite the whirlwind trip (and boy am I tired!) but I had a blast in Mexico and had the chance to escape from American craziness for awhile (trading up for delicious food and Mexican craziness).
Of course, the sports scene in Mexico is pretty much a one-trick pony: soccer (futbol). All day, every day, all channels…well, all the sports channels anyway. At least as far as I could tell.
I talked a bit about soccer with a guy at a pool hall I frequent in Veracruz. Hector was NOT a fan of American Football, and I could understand why after putting myself in his perspective. See, soccer doesn’t have commercial breaks or time outs. Sure there’s a lot of running around without much happening, but a goal COULD happen at any time. For the soccer fan, this is riveting entertainment…you can’t leave your seat for fear of missing a score! Other pro-sports give you too many breaks, leading to boredom or mental distraction…a soccer match never lets up on its pressure on the audience.
(by the way: I am only using the term “soccer” because “futbol” is unrecognized by my spell-checker)
ANYWAY…case in point: I was watching the USA versus Mexico men’s soccer match in the Pan American Games in Rio (for those who don’t know, the Pan American Games are a multi-sport event, like the Olympics, held every four years and attended by all countries of the Americas…it is not a professional venue but I’m only using it for illustrative purpose). At half-time, the score was 0-0 and around the 70th minute I decided to hop in the shower. Five minutes later, I hopped out and found Mexico up 2-0! Luckily I was able to catch the replay of Enrique Esqueda’s absolutely beautiful 2nd goal (the footwork of this 19 year old was amazing), completely making up for his earlier botched penalty kick (Enrique is an Aries…trust the Ram to blow the easy shot and then make up for it with some high energy heroics!).
The point is, I’m not used to sitting still for 90 minutes on the edge of my seat. There are plenty of excuses I could cite for why, but the main reason is it’s not something I’m used to…U.S. television companies get their own time outs in professional sporting events in order to air more commercials…it’s pretty ridiculous, though I guess the players appreciate the extra breathers. But soccer, for all the advertising and sponsors on uniforms and stadiums is decidedly UN-commercial in the American sense of the term. Or perhaps un-American in general (if captive commercial audiences is part of being American these days).
Whatever. It’s not a bad change of pace from the same-old-same-old here in the U.S. And it’s certainly a great pastime when accompanied with excellent food, warm family, and cold cervezas!
Salud!
Of course, the sports scene in Mexico is pretty much a one-trick pony: soccer (futbol). All day, every day, all channels…well, all the sports channels anyway. At least as far as I could tell.
I talked a bit about soccer with a guy at a pool hall I frequent in Veracruz. Hector was NOT a fan of American Football, and I could understand why after putting myself in his perspective. See, soccer doesn’t have commercial breaks or time outs. Sure there’s a lot of running around without much happening, but a goal COULD happen at any time. For the soccer fan, this is riveting entertainment…you can’t leave your seat for fear of missing a score! Other pro-sports give you too many breaks, leading to boredom or mental distraction…a soccer match never lets up on its pressure on the audience.
(by the way: I am only using the term “soccer” because “futbol” is unrecognized by my spell-checker)
ANYWAY…case in point: I was watching the USA versus Mexico men’s soccer match in the Pan American Games in Rio (for those who don’t know, the Pan American Games are a multi-sport event, like the Olympics, held every four years and attended by all countries of the Americas…it is not a professional venue but I’m only using it for illustrative purpose). At half-time, the score was 0-0 and around the 70th minute I decided to hop in the shower. Five minutes later, I hopped out and found Mexico up 2-0! Luckily I was able to catch the replay of Enrique Esqueda’s absolutely beautiful 2nd goal (the footwork of this 19 year old was amazing), completely making up for his earlier botched penalty kick (Enrique is an Aries…trust the Ram to blow the easy shot and then make up for it with some high energy heroics!).
The point is, I’m not used to sitting still for 90 minutes on the edge of my seat. There are plenty of excuses I could cite for why, but the main reason is it’s not something I’m used to…U.S. television companies get their own time outs in professional sporting events in order to air more commercials…it’s pretty ridiculous, though I guess the players appreciate the extra breathers. But soccer, for all the advertising and sponsors on uniforms and stadiums is decidedly UN-commercial in the American sense of the term. Or perhaps un-American in general (if captive commercial audiences is part of being American these days).
Whatever. It’s not a bad change of pace from the same-old-same-old here in the U.S. And it’s certainly a great pastime when accompanied with excellent food, warm family, and cold cervezas!
Salud!
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