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Volume XXIII
If there’s one way in which being a fan is
universal, it is in the passion one exhibits toward his or her team of
choice... and the vehemence with which a rival is hated. Whether it is the
Yankees and Red Sox battling another AL East duel at
Fenway
Park
or a Packers-Bears showdown in the swirling snow of Lambeau Field or
myriad intercollegiate duels that include the word “War” in their
name, there is no shortage of rivalries in American sports in which to
revel. But there’s just something which emanates from soccer which makes
its inflamed passions the blueprint for how sports can provide both the
catalyst and the catharsis for some of the most heated hatreds in our
everyday lives.
Sometimes it is a fight for the hearts of a city’s
fans, such as River Plate and Boca Juniors in
Argentina
’s capital city,
Buenos Aires
, or the web of Brazilian intrigue amongst various Rio de Janiero enclaves
and their teams (Vasco da Gama and Fluminese and Botafogo and Flamengo).
It can be political or sectarian -- witness Inter Milan-AC Milan for the
former, and the Glaswegian derby of Celtic and Rangers in
Scotland
for the latter. And sometimes it is a purely regional clash on a magnified
scale. Yesterday’s clash between the
United States
and
Mexico
in World Cup qualifying at the Estadio Azteca in
Mexico City
reflected this last one perfectly.
Of course, if you were watching this match, you were
watching it on Telemundo and decrying the fact that ESPN thought it
necessary to send Alexi Lalas, Bob Ley and crew down to do pre- and
post-game editions of SportsCenter -- but didn’t even bother purchasing
the American broadcast rights to the game. For a network that asserts its
predominance as the “Worldwide Leader in Sports”, this was a sad state
of events which demonstrated where their real priorities lie. They have
the money to pony up for broadcast rights (just see the recent SEC
broadcast deal) but deferred to Telemundo... this despite the fact that
this would’ve been a showcase event for all of its network formats, both
the flagship (or ESPN2) and ESPN Deportes and ESPN360.com. Following their
Confederations Cup coverage the network had a real opportunity to
capitalize on momentum and buzz to build a real following for these
sports.
Then again, there are two truths to be gleaned from
this. First, ESPN has been devolving for some time into a network where
broadcasts of actual sporting events has taken a backseat for a large part
of the programming day to a steady stream of talk shows where glorified
“experts” and flapping heads spout inanities about some of the most
irrelevant topics possible. It shouldn’t surprise me that they would try
to sell Alexi Lalas and Bob Ley rather than
Mexico
and the Americans at the Azteca. And second, I’m not averse to watching
sports in another language -- I’ve been doing it for years, from
satellite and internet feeds, to feed my craving for athletic events from
around the globe. You get the undeniable passion of the announcer, and you
start to be able to pick out the names and what he is saying. Three years
of high-school Spanish class starts flooding back, dusty parts of the
brain reinvigorated subconsciously... and what can be better than hearing
that simple four-letter word -- GOAL -- turned into an elongated ululation
of bliss, no matter who is scoring and who is being scored upon?
Of course, if you watched, you probably also
witnessed the early rays of sunshine for the American squad. The
U.S.
team, their roster stacked with players from their Confederations
Cup finalist squad, went up early in the match when Landon Donovan
found striker Charlie Davies for a superb strike into the far side of the
net past Mexican goalkeeper Francisco Guillermo Magana Ochoa in the ninth
minute. And you also witnessed the shadows settle into the bowl of the
Azteca, the cacophony of 105,000 screaming fanatics collecting in the
funnel and deafening the players on the pitch before reverberating to the
heavens, as Mexico tied the game just ten minutes later off an amazing
25-yard blast from midfielder Israel Macias Castro.
And then you watched each team settle in, trading
punches until halftime and well into the second half. Then, with just a
quarter-hour left to go, the passions were reignited in full force. Nery
Castillo, a recent attacking substitute into the game for midfielder
Andres Guardado, took umbrage to what he perceived was American stalling
tactics. It appears in hindsight that Charlie Davies, he of the Yankee
goal earlier in the match, was cramping up and sitting in the box while
Mexico
tried to get a quick restart. Castillo came over to help Davies up, but
was rebuffed in his effort. Benny Feilhaber pushed Castillo away, and then
the skirmish ensued. Gerardo Torrado would go Sprewell on Feilhaber,
wrapping his hands around the American’s neck before the two were
separated and each dealt a yellow card. I think that the ref got it right
in punishing both guys and in not meting out any further justice beyond
yellow. Neither guy was in the right; such a violent shove as Feilhaber
executed is no worse than the feigned choking by Torrado.
Miguel Sabah came in right after the brawl died down
for Guillermo Luis Farcuason Franco, and the game was written in that one
defining moment. Between the fight and the darkness setting into the
stadium, the Americans were flagging, just as they did in giving up the
lead in
South Africa
against
Brazil
.
Sabah
would take a drop-back pass from Efrain Juarez, control it for a moment
with sublime composure, and then strike it cleanly past Tim Howard for the
go-ahead goal in the eighty-first minute. Howard, the American hero last
month in
Africa
, acquitted himself more than admirably despite giving up the late goal
and taking the twenty-third loss for the Americans in Azteca in the
storied rivalry.
But Howard, aside from his shove of Castillo after an
offside call in the waning moments of the game that should’ve merited a
card, played a stellar game for the visitors and continued to prove his
place in the discussion amongst the best goalkeepers in the world. He
stopped no less than a half-dozen quality shots on his goal, beaten only
by two superbly driven balls that would’ve eluded most any keeper.
Another half-dozen opportunities were squandered by the Mexicans as they
seemed to play at times with jitters of their own.
People will hang up on the streak of ignominy for the
Americans at Estadio Azteca, which was extended to 0-23-1 lifetime with
the loss yesterday. But the reality is that, since the breakthrough 2-0
victory by the Americans at the 2002 World Cup in the South Korean city of
Jeonju
, the northern neighbor has more than held its own against its southern
rival. In ten matches -- eight in the
U.S.
and two in
Mexico City
-- the Yankees have taken five victories to three losses and two draws.
While
Mexico
is undoubtedly the more established of the two North American powers, the
Americans are coming on strong with a sustained growth that is inspiring
in its tenacity...
Tenacity, though, can’t always make the difference.
One wonderful woman whose legacy will live on forever is Eunice Kennedy
Shriver, the sister of the thirty-fifth President of the
United States
and mother-in-law of
California
’s governor. She may best be noted for her familial connections, but
I’ll always remember Eunice most for her work in getting the Special
Olympics off the ground. When I lived back in
Wyoming
, I volunteered on several occasions with the winter edition of these
events. The look on a youth’s face when they recognize the magnitude of
their accomplishments is something that can never be undersold. What this
woman, inspired by the disabilities of her sister Rosemary, did to further
the fortunes of the mentally and physically disabled has transformed us
into an era where our infirm are not institutionalized but rather
recognized as human beings. This is her most enduring achievement, and in
death the thousands of athletes who participate annually in her brainchild
honor her memory with their performances.
Even for the best athletes, the time inevitably comes
when they can no longer perform at the level they once knew. It is the
same for the most dedicated Special Olympians and for the highest-paid
figures in any given sport. It appears that the time has come for Michael
Schumacher to give up on his fleeting comeback dreams. The Formula 1 star,
who had planned a return to the sport after three years of retirement in
temporary relief of injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, couldn’t
withstand the G-forces of the car after suffering an injury last year in a
motorcycle accident. After the buzz generated around the sport, it is sad
to see him have to hang up the comeback hopes before they even really
started, but it’s better that an athlete realize his inability to
compete before diminishing his legacy.
And sometimes a legend does
return to their stage of prominence. Rafael Nadal, who has been sidelined
since his shock fourth-round ouster against Robin Soderling at the French
Open, returned to action in
Montreal
for his first competition in nearly three months. Unfortunately, opponent
David Ferrer was forced to retire just seven games into the first set,
meaning that Nadal will live to play another day... but also that we still
have yet to see him test his form. The questions continue -- will he be
ready in time for the final Grand Slam tournament of the season? The U.S.
Open at Flushing Meadows is fast approaching, and with Roger Federer back
on fire it would be nice to see his doppelganger back in the draw. With
his Australian Open victory this year, Nadal dispelled the rumors that he
couldn’t get it done on hardcourt surfaces. The U.S. Tennis Center
courts are of a different composition than the Rebound Ace of Melbourne,
but if the Spaniard is back on good enough form he could give the field a
run for its money. I don’t see him winning the tournament, but it would
be nice to see a charge deep into the second week...
Ultimately, it all comes back to rivalries when we get to discussing
sports. Whether it is the friendly rivalry between Special Olympians or
the two best tennis players of a generation, or the more heated rivalry of
Mexico-U.S. or any of the other soccer derbies worldwide, it is the battle
between opposing forces that drives and enhances our spectator sports.
Rivalries of all stripes provide the vessel by which we can vicariously
play out our own stresses and frustrations. So regardless of which sport
piques your interest best, think long and hard about what drew you there
in the first place. It might just be a duel that sucked you in to become
an ardent viewer in the first place. It seems it just might be enmity that
drives the world all around... whether it is the fight against someone
else, as a traditional rivalry infers, or the fight against injustice as
Eunice Kennedy Shriver battled, battles abound in our lives. Sports
fascinate us because we get to witness the full spectrum of humanity
dealing with such adversity in real time... so keep your eye on the
action, and you just might learn a thing or two in the process...
Submitted 8/13/09
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