How dare they!!!!!!!!!!

A raging inferno of revulsion and disgust roiled the sports world today. Accusations were leveled in terms of foul play, malingering, lack of national spirit, and so forth. A great travesty is in the offing, a (sports) crime about to be committed, a lack of comunal good will shown.

Many things have happened to deserve this; Kobe Bryant, the man who helped a room service girl over a chair (with a sensitive part of his anatomy, while married) is a basketball hero (in some circles). Shaquille O Neal, a man who would be called for an offensive foul about 30 - 40% of the time he touches the ball if the rules were enforced is also considered (in some circles) a basketball hero. Barry Bonds, a man famed for his churlishness and (alleged) illegal and rule-breaking consumption of performance enhancers is about to break one of the most cherished records in baseball.

But it is none of these things. No, the crossing of the line of bad taste and good sportsmanship was even worse. The crime? A soccer club is insisting on playing a game at the time it has been scheduled for months.

Their desire to do what they contracted to do many months ago, have sold tickets to based on the time and place....this is suddenly not acceptable to their opponents. Somehow the scheduled game time is suddenly a plot to prevent their rivals from winning some title or other that they would win if the game were delayed 24 hours.

Uh...okay. So they are not being supportive of the countries soccer teams because they want to honor their commitment to the fans? Horrors! This craziness must stop!

I admit it. I am starting to love soccer. No other sport provides this level of entertainment. Oh, sure, the basketball game between Golden State and Dallas the other night was so good I caught myself sitting on the edge of my couch with a big goofy smile as the lead changed, swelled, changed, and so forth...much different than the goal-a-month pace of soccer, but soccer has its bennies. Oh, sure, I very much enjoyed Anaheim's come from behind surge in the third period against Vancouver as the hockey play-offs surge forward...the crunching hits, the slick passes, the amazing goalie saves and the beautiful redirect off the stick of Teemu Selanne for the tying goal and then the rush to the overtime game-winner are hard to compare to the back and forth thumping of the soccer ball...but soccer has its bennies. And while the thrill of a stolen base or dramatic home run have no such moments in soccer, still...soccer has what we need.

I guess what I am saying is that on the field I am still not a fan of the soccer product. But off field it is far and away the best sport. No other sport gives us as many riots, penis tattoos, David Beckham as news because he is shopping for a house, hooliganism, front office chicanery...in short, soccer is far more entertaining off the field than most sports are on the field. Thanks, soccer!

oh, and Beat Manchester United!