Monday, November 9, 2009

Because it has to be seen and said again



It happened right in front of me, and by the lack of reaction on Keller's face it took me a sec to even realize what had happened!

If you check the highlights page on the Dynamo site, you get the Telefutura call ("QUE GOLAZO!!") and then the Dynamo radio call, with James Clarkson yelling so loud I think it knocked them off the air for a second or two.

My voice I know still hasn't recovered. I rank it behind the Dallas playoff game two years ago (because, hey, it was Dallas we punked), but not that far behind.

One more word about Seattle and then I will let the whole matter rest. I have always made it a point to go up to supporters of the other team (especially in internationals) and shake hands. But after this game, I could not bring myself to do it. I know for a fact that that the Greenies there would have rubbed our nose in it if the Sounders had won. I wanted to shake hands, honestly, but then I saw them raising their scarves after the loss and I just could not. I felt like I do with Cubs fans. If they're going to glory in their losing, then I'm going to leave them to it.

I don't hate the Sounders, I just have had enough with the whole green thing. I'm glad they lost because if they had gone all the way, then just like Ljungberg's whining, we would never have heard the end of it.

And not to be totally a homer here, but this leads me to an even worse Green Meanie. Everyone who complains about the Robertson Stadium field will have no quarrel from me. My graduate alma mater has behaved like a serious disgrace of a landlord. I know UH is angling for their own new stadium and all, but I cannot believe they let their own student-athletes play pointyball on that pitch, much less let it be seen in a national showcase like a professional sports playoff game. Saprissa Stadium, which honestly can't be much harder than that field, at least is smooth. Walk that field and you will see pits, ruts and sand like a dune buggy competition on a hard tack beach had just been run on it. I cannot bring up enough how embarrassed I am as a graduate alum and Dynamo supporter.

That being said, at least it is out of sight, out of mind until February, since, because Mike Magee belatedly remembered how to fall down, that's the last home game there until 2010 (Odyssey V). Sometime later this week, maybe I'll be able to take a more dispassionate look at this weekend's match-ups. Among a few impressions:

1. Who would have thought that skinny kid Patrick Nyarko had it in him to bull through Emmanuel Osei like that to win the ball and start the winning sequence for Chicago? Forget Cootiemac's winning slot job. It was Nyarko denying Osei's little blocking move that made that happen. I have always wanted to see that happen, and while I don't endorse the idea that you can just bull through a guy, I also don't like little namby-pamby screens like that. Also, HUGE kudos to Nyarko for ensuring that the Eastern final isn't played before the Northeast equivalent of Pizza Hut Park's 5-7,000 fans.

2. Does Chivas USA ever lose without ending the series in a fight. Remember here in 2006? Preki going after Dema was classic, easily the best moment in that entire series. Too bad he didn't hit him harder though. Talk about someone who deserves it. (Though, like I said above, I am firmly opposed to needless violence, emphasis on needless.)

3. Drew Carey didn't man up to accept Oscar de la Hoya's bet. Like Hope Solo said a couple of years ago, "I expected more from him." And another quote from that link from Kasey Keller: "Drew is just a little bitch." Come on Drew, man! I am a fan and you have let me down.

4. We are Orange!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"I have always made it a point to go up to supporters of the other team and shake hands. But after this game, I could not bring myself to do it. I know for a fact that that the Greenies there would have rubbed our nose in it if the Sounders had won. I wanted to shake hands, honestly, but then I saw them raising their scarves after the loss and I just could not. I felt like I do with Cubs fans. If they're going to glory in their losing, then I'm going to leave them to it."
Wow. What do you do when you lose, sneak out of the stadium with your tail between your legs? We don't--we were saluting our team for a great game and a great season. Sorry YOU couldn't find the guts to shake our hands; many of your colleagues were very gracious and we hardly noticed your sulking.