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| -Short Attention Span Theater- | |
| Italy outlasts France 1-1 (5-3) as World Cup finally over | |
| 2006-07-09 | |
But this game will be perhaps be remembered for Zinedine Zidane's career ending in disgrace after being dismissed for an off-the-ball incident with Marco Materazzi. He headbutted the Italian defender after a heated discussion on 110 minutes and, after some consultations between officials, was shown the red card. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #19 Soccer is a decent sport, i.e., better than most olympic sports, but I'd rather watch the major American sports (Pro & NCAA included) on almost any given day. But the World Cup is a pretty cool event. It's 100 times bigger and better than the Olympics. Even if you don't love soccer, the pressure, the drama and the spectacle of the World Cup make it compelling, though the action often leaves something to be desired. Imgaine the intensity if they only held bowl games once every 4 years, then add in the nationalism and multiply the TV viewership by a billion. I think it's entertaining and worthwile to tune in to the World Cup, even if you ignore soccer during the intervening 4 years. Plus, every once in a while you do seem some nifty plays. In between the diving and gesticulating, the defensive stalemates and meaningless back and forths, you occasionally see displays of speed, grace, athleticism, creativity and endurance. Once in a blue moon, you get a nice goal, or, if you're lucky, an exciting, well-fought game. Plus, learning a little about the game and the major players, etc. will enhance your enjoyment a little more. Consider, for example, that people who don't know baseball are bored to death by everything except the home runs, diving catches, stolen bases, etc. But real fans love a scoreless pitcher's duel and appreciate such performances and savor such match-ups in the pennant races and post-season. People who understand the game hang on every pitch count, living and dying with each called strike. They cheer when one team eekes out a run off a walk, bunt and sac fly. The neophyte doesn't know or care whether the umpire called a strike on 3-1 on a slider that just nipped the low-outside corner with one on and one out in the 7th, the pitch count at 90 and the top of the order coming up. In the same way, soccer fans understand that there is a lot going on in the midfield passes, defensive challenges, short dashes, whether they attempt an attack up ther right, center or left, whether they try to work the ball slowly thru with short passes looking for an opening, or do they kick a long pass out on the wing and try to head it in off a centering pass, etc. while the uninitiated see an unending series of mostly futile running and passing. To me, the lack of scoring is a little frustrating but it also proves how difficult it is and how big and important a goal can be. |
| Posted by: Monsieur Moonbat 2006-07-10 00:20 |
| #18 Well -- only this -- knowing nothing about soccer, but if you haven't seen this head-butt... then go here and watch. (It's short) You just gotta wonder at what words were being spoken. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1i_l0OeeMc |
| Posted by: Sherry 2006-07-09 23:58 |
| #17 The only thing more boring than soccer, is cricket! Or watching World Cup fans celebrate in their silly outfits. |
| Posted by: Crise Hupomonter7189 2006-07-09 22:18 |
| #16 The only thing more boring than soccer, is cricket! |
| Posted by: HTML Guy 2006-07-09 20:26 |
| #15 I think that hell is where sinners are condemned to an eternity of watching soccer game reruns. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-07-09 20:15 |
| #14 I'm afraid I slept though most of it, Barbara, but the group included a Kurd, a Mexican, a Canadian, a gentleman who lives in Peter Frampton's neighborhood (he sang with a rock group some years back, I b'lieve), and Mr. Wife, who played enforcer on his high school soccer team (or maybe it was midfield; I hadn't yet met him then), so they informed me of all the important bits. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-07-09 20:05 |
| #13 Hey, it wasn't even 3 hours... it was 90 + 30 OT with no more than a 15 min break at the half... compare it to our Superbowl, where Janet has time to sing, dance and have her boob pop out! |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2006-07-09 19:49 |
| #12 Three hours and the game ends 1-1, and this is called 'exciting'. Sheesh! Exciting is a game that ends 116-118 and the lead switches three times in the last couple of minutes. Watching soccer is about as exciting and watching paint dry. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2006-07-09 19:37 |
| #11 The neat thing about World Cup Soccer is that everyone has some "skin in the game" or at least a preference. I am more bored over 2 out of every 3 Super Bowl matchups... and yet we make it a national holiday here. |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2006-07-09 19:12 |
| #10 #9 - is it too late to bid on the popcorn concession? ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-07-09 19:01 |
| #9 Car B Que's should be on ESPN tonight! |
| Posted by: Inspector Clueso 2006-07-09 18:58 |
| #8 #6 tw - thanks, sorta, I guess. *yawn* *Returns to watching grass grow* |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-07-09 18:54 |
| #7 I wonder what snapped in Zizou. I'm guessing it was the Italian saying "...tell your girlfriend she was great last night" Seriously, he said something to cause ZZ Tops pasta to boil over. |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2006-07-09 18:31 |
| #6 Barbara, the game ended in a 1-1 tie, with no scores in overtime, so they went to kick-offs. Each team got to take five kicks against the other goalie, with no other men on the field. Under normal circumstances the goalie manages to block 40% of such kicks, I b'lieve. France's best remaining kicker (Monsieur Zidane, in the photo in white) got himself kicked out in the last minutes of the game for turning around and butting his opposing number in the chest as hard as ever he could. Which is why one of the French kicks was successfully stopped by the Italian goalie, but all the Italian shots got through. JDB, the people around me were saying that the French gentleman is prone to such behaviour -- he never learnt the manners his mother tried to teach him, I s'pose. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-07-09 18:03 |
| #5 I'm a huge soccer fan and have followed the tournament with rapt attention. Still, I was ambivilent about either of these teams winning it. I settled on Italy since they have been (pre-Prodi) better allies. I wonder what snapped in Zizou. That was a brutal and bizarre head butt. |
| Posted by: JDB 2006-07-09 17:48 |
| #4 Zidane's headbutt really was quite amazing. Looked like he broke the guy's sternum. After demonstrating his leadership skills as the team captain, he was led off to the litte boy's room to cry. But, whatever. The French are accustomed to defeat. |
| Posted by: Ulick Glique8587 2006-07-09 17:44 |
| #3 "Italy Outlasts France 1-1" They tied, so Italy won? Yeah, I can see how the rest of the world would go nuts over this game. Really. Uh-huh. Can we get back to something exciting now - like watching oil paint dry? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-07-09 17:30 |
| #2 (Yawn) Was there something worthwhile happening in sports today? Nah, didn't think so. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-07-09 17:25 |
| #1 Who cares! Juan Pablo Montoya is headed for NASCAR! Can Schumacher be far behind? |
| Posted by: 6 2006-07-09 17:07 |