Giving any kind of "best of" list of your own work is a rather presumptuous thing to do, I suppose. It suggests, erroneously, that one would know what others would consider as the best of the lot. I don't pretend to know that, nor do I pretend that any of them are any good. But, I do consider some posts better than others simply by the impressions they created as I was writing them. Thus, you might say that this "best of" list comprises posts to which I have a certain attachment, for one reason or another.
So, if you have time for a cup of coffee, a beer, or any other device, legal or otherwise, to help you through the minutes it will take to read a post or two, then by all means...
Thierry Henry's arrival in New York City as a new member of the MLS's Red Bulls evoked a lot of memories. It also made me think of the state of Major League Soccer, and T. S. Eliot.
One man's cheat is another man's strategist: the case of Arjen Robben and Luis Suarez
In soccer, what constitutes cheating? That entirely depends on your point of view, perhaps influenced by your cultural upbringing, perhaps influenced by your coach and fellow players, perhaps some other set of circumstances. Cheating is not as black and white as some would like to think, which is why, as we moved toward the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup, we were consumed with the performances of Luis Suarez of Uruguay and Arjen Robben of Holland that had profound influences on their respective teams advancing out of the quarter-final round. Your revolution is now being televised Gil Scott-Heron writes Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor to be careful - his tactics and tantrums are in full view, and nothing will go unrecorded - and to use his temporary fame wisely. The tower of song, the power of blog
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of soccer, especially in England, which is not replicated in any other American sport, is chanting. Oh, we Americans have the traditional chants at our football games. But it's pretty mild stuff compared to what I'm referring to which is full-throated singing, some of which can go on and on for several minutes. I'm not talking about school songs, fight marches, and sentimental alma mater tunes. I'm talking about the singing of songs completely created by fans, spontaneously changed for the moment, that range from the touching and funny to the deplorably vile and racist. I want f*ckin' goal line technology! Crystal Palace's coach Neil Warnock got hot, and one of the worst examples of a goal scored not given is the reason why. Warnock holds nothing back in his letter of complaint to Keith Hackett. ***** PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.aperfectpint.net/
