It's been a busy week. I had four days off of work, and a World Cup to watch. I had intended to write the next Great American novel during those four days, but you know how it goes. Saturday was the England vs. Portugal game, which Silvi and I watched at Brit's Pub on their huge screen out on their lawn bowling greens. Hundreds of fans (England all the way) packed the downtown pub, the cheers echoing off of the skyscrapers forming a man-made amphitheater around us. Alas, due in part to an angry kick by Rooney, the English footballers packed their bags for home, and the German authorities breathed a sigh of relief as busloads of drunken hooligans crossed the border out of Rheinland.
The Fourth of July, and back to Brit's Pub with some of Annie's friends from London. (who were still sulking over having lost to the Portuguese, of all people.) Germany met Italy, and I have to say I was torn. Shocking, I know, but I half wanted Germany to win in their home country. Probably because of what a great Story it would have made, retold through the ages. I'm a sucker for happy endings. But the fairy tale ending was saved for millions of fans in Rome, as Italy drove two shots into the net in the final minutes of overtime. (A television camera crew was at the pub, and my mom told me that Silvi and I made the evening news.)
Yesterday, (I'm not even going to bring up Brazil's shameful performance over the weekend) I skipped the Portugal vs. France match. All I know is, I hope the world is singing Inno di Mameli on Sunday instead of La Marseillaise.
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3 comments:
I'm so pissed (no not drunk).
First, America's overall lack of support for the World Cup is pathetic! Instead, we get baseball and American football. Baseball: a game where men are too scared to play a contact sport, too lazy to play a game where you have to actually run, too uncoordinated to play a game where eye-to-foot skill is required, and too stupid to know that football is THE international sport.
I always had a question for baseball players. Why do you wear a glove to catch a ball that boys and girls are totally capable of catching with their bare hands after a home run or foul ball? I mean, the ball is traveling at the same velocity, right? Yet, you don these huge webbed gloves. And you make mindless, comments about how difficult it is to score a goal in football?! I've never been able to sit through a whole game of baseball. Yeez.
And American football? I don't even know where to begin so I'll just say, "Stop calling it football." The only time it is ever touched by the foot is when the ex-footballer-who-is-now- playing-American-football-because he-can't-support-himself-on-a-MLS- salary kicks it through the chicken bone.
But every World Cup I have to endure the usual, mindless football bashing by brainless Americans. I'm living in the wrong country.
Lastly, all of my teams have lost: England, Brazil, Portugal. I too spent the weekend cheering and then booing. I'll still watch the final and I do agree with your choice.
Desidera l'Italia in tensione!
On my drive home from work I flip through every am-fm station, hoping to catch a single word about the World Cup, whose final will be watched by nearly two-thirds of THE PLANET. I hear alot about Brad Pitt's baby, George W's goal to ruin Western civilization, and why X-Men III is lacking compared to Superman Returns. I have yet to hear one word spoken on the soccer matches of the day.
Paradoxically, the same liberals who rant about GW's goal to ruin Western civilisation (and I won't discount that he's done a pretty good job of it) commit the unpardonable, international sin: snubbing soccer.
This does way more damage to international relations than some measly occupation in the Middle East or war against the environment and homosexual union or nuclear preemptive strike against N Korea.
Wake up America! Embrace soccer and stop the looming global nuclear annihilation.
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