tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post2818114720931704823..comments2024-02-24T03:37:22.662-05:00Comments on Seth Curry Saves Duke!: El Clasico Viene!SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03786996249022843460noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-2874756581337104362011-04-16T10:54:43.910-04:002011-04-16T10:54:43.910-04:00I meant more than half a million dollars a month*I meant more than half a million dollars a month*Roxanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-72301064322032080532011-04-16T10:50:18.674-04:002011-04-16T10:50:18.674-04:00Will.I.Am34: Villa is definitely a diver as well, ...Will.I.Am34: Villa is definitely a diver as well, but no one said he was better than Ronaldo. The "battle" is between Messi and Ronaldo, and that might have started with the media but Ronaldo is the one who has been keeping the fire alive. Villa is out of the picture here. For Ronaldo and for everyone else, the battle is Messi v. Ronaldo, and the facts are that Ronaldo is an amazing player but he's also an amazing diver. Messi is an amazing player, period.<br /><br />As for Benzema, that you list Ozil, Di Maria or Higuain is fine, but Adebayor? Karim Benzema is much better technically than him. Adebayor has more experience and he might be physically better (well he's definitely taller and stronger which makes things easier in the box, especially for headers) but technically Benzema takes him any given day. <br />Benzema has been really good lately. It took him some time to get acclimated to the Spanish championship (because let's face it, the French Ligue 1 is not half as good as the Liga) but he's scored plenty of goals lately, he is more fit than ever and, at 23, still has room to improve. Adebayor has done great things in England, mainly with Arsenal and I love him, but he hasn't done anything with Real Madrid yet. His appearances with the Merengue jersey have been disappointing overall. He wasn't able to take advantage of both Higuain and Benzema being injured… In short, he doesn't deserve to be in that list… yet.<br />But I think Shane has named Benzema because until he got injured with the French national team a couple of weeks ago, he had been a VERY impactful player as he scored 10 goals in 8 games. That's something.<br /><br />Shane: It definitely would screw the big teams over. I think it passed and will be effective in a few years (2014/15 maybe?). But I think it's only fair… It's only meant for teams that are in debt. Clubs won't be allowed to spend more than what they make… so when you think about it ManU, Real and all the other teams would still be richer than the others because they make more money with merchandising than say… Valence in La Liga or Wigan in the Premiere League. <br />Also, right now, the rules are currently different depending on the country the teams are in. In England, clubs are obviously allowed be in huge debts, but in other European countries it's not possible. Yet, all those teams play in the same competition and that's just unfair. I, for one, am looking forward to that new rule. It should make things more interesting for everyone. And maybe, just maybe clubs will stop paying players more than a million dollars a month, because that's just bs. I totally understand that players earn more money than me because they generate plenty of money for the teams. If they don't get the money, who will? So I'm fine with that, but I don't understand why clubs go in debt to pay them. That's just not right.Roxanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-79234267971467899672011-04-14T16:14:16.551-04:002011-04-14T16:14:16.551-04:00Obviously you are for Barca. As A Real fan, I know...Obviously you are for Barca. As A Real fan, I know Ronaldo is a pretty boy and Messi is pictured as a hard working man that everyone can look up to. But you are leaving out arguably Barca's 2nd best player David Villa who is just as much a pretty boy and diver as Ronaldo. Yet people do not despise him because he is not as good. <br /><br />Also, from the "other players" section, your listing of Benzema puzzled me. He is decent, but they have other more colorful and impactful players such as Ozil, Angel Di Maria, Adebayor, and Higuain to name a few.Will.I.Am34noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-48741328838018057972011-04-13T20:30:37.026-04:002011-04-13T20:30:37.026-04:00And Casey, thanks, didn't know that about Mess...And Casey, thanks, didn't know that about Messi but it makes sense. He's definitely the man.<br /><br />-ShaneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-91125236962569615842011-04-13T20:29:56.689-04:002011-04-13T20:29:56.689-04:00Roxane, great comment! I'm excited to read the...Roxane, great comment! I'm excited to read the Castel di Sangro book now. I went on a huge kick of soccer books before, during, and after the last World Cup, and maybe I'll take it up again now. You should organize a Champion's League party (although I guess we might be out of town for the final...). Yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!<br /><br />Dan, too true about the game time. That's why if you haven't grown up with it, it's hard to get psyched for anything but the biggest matches, and it's why when I put the premiere league on on weekend mornings, I'm only half invested. But in the times when I've been into soccer, I've sort of gotten into the rhythm of appreciating the play even when there's no goal, and riding that wave of anticipation which can be super sweet and rewarding when someone finally scores.<br /><br />I remember this last World Cup, two games in particular were just amazing to watch. The first was when Germany beat Argentina, and the second was the third place game, when Germany beat Uruguay. The first German win was great just because it showcased total domination and some excellent soccer, and the 3rd place game was just a fantastic effort by both teams. At times like that I always think I'll start getting into soccer. Then the final happened, which was pretty boring, and I was content to ignore the sport for a while.<br /><br />But I'm thinking club soccer is where it's at...the quality of play there is probably better than international competition.<br /><br />Roxane, that's super interesting about the equal financial footing. That would really screw the big teams over, wouldn't it? Especially with all that debt.<br /><br />-ShaneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-10753101383773301292011-04-13T19:25:02.070-04:002011-04-13T19:25:02.070-04:00The 50 shots are amazing. Question is, how many mi...The 50 shots are amazing. Question is, how many minutes of match time to produce those shots? There was a great article somewhere during the World Cup ("Why Americans Hate Soccer" I think) that did an analysis of how often something happens in baseball vs. soccer (and baseball is slower than football & basketball). The numbers are amazing. Essentially, nothing happens in soccer (but when it does, it's epic).sanfransoxfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00058097803996671735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-80381625537665154062011-04-13T13:45:58.493-04:002011-04-13T13:45:58.493-04:00PS: And you wrote about soccer on my birthday!!! I...PS: And you wrote about soccer on my birthday!!! I'm sure it was all planned, so thank you very much. I appreciate the present =DRoxanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-7145328644326706202011-04-13T13:43:48.733-04:002011-04-13T13:43:48.733-04:00Soccer! Finally!
Before I forget, I am disappointe...Soccer! Finally!<br />Before I forget, I am disappointed by your comment "Enjoy what might be the year's only post about the GREATEST SPORT DEL MUNDO!" on FB. This should not be your only post about soccer… <br /><br />Also quick correction about Castel di Sangro… They didn't make it to Serie A, they stopped their journey in Serie B but they were good enough to stay in Serie B a second year which was a miracle! I remember it was in the late 90s and everyone (by that I mean every soccer fan) was talking about it, even in French grade schools ^^<br />I didn't know someone had written a book about it.<br /><br />And I wanted to point out that current (and newly re-elected) UEFA President, Michel Platini has plans to put European clubs on a financially equal footing… British hate the idea because all of their best teams are in heavy debt, but I think it would be interesting to see that happening… there's even a Facebook group that all British can join: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=439066565252<br /><br />Finally about your main point in your story, Here are some interesting things you could have mentioned:<br />• Internazionale was coached by Joe Mourinho last year and he's the current Real Madrid coach. Up until last month he was saying he wants to accomplish the same thing and win the 3 trophies this season… He's always said that's the reason why he transferred out of Inter and went to a great club, such as Real: he couldn't do any more with the Italian club, and Real had the players and the resources to accomplish the treble.<br />• In 2009, the treble was also accomplished (yes two years in a row!) by… Barcelona! Pep Guardiola was already the team's manager. <br />=> So basically we have Madrid's manager who accomplished the treble with Inter last year, and the Barça which accomplished the treble two years ago. CRAZY!<br />=> If Barca wins the treble, they will be the first team to accomplish that twice, and Pep Guardiola will be the first manager to do so (with the same team).<br />=> If Madrid wins the treble, it will be the first time for the club, but Mourinho will become the first manager to do it (with two different teams)… And most importantly Mourinho would become the first man to win the Champion's league with 3 different teams (he already won it with FC Porto in 2004 and then Inter last year). Only three men, including Mourinho have won the Champion's League with two different teams, and his goal is to become the first one to bring that figure to three. It might just happen… He is the special one after all.<br /><br />Basically if either of these teams accomplish the treble, it would mark soccer history in many ways. <br />I'll just stop with the soccer trivia now because I could go on all day, but (sadly) I have papers to write.<br /><br />I'm just going to add two things:<br />1) my personal take on it is that Real Madrid have no chance of winning the Liga, even if they beat Barcelona this weekend. It won't happen. Champion's League semi final and Copa del Rey final could both go either way though. It will be fun!<br />2) LOVE that you mentioned two Frenchmen in a single post (Zizou & Benzema)<br /><br />Great post Shane. Thanks for writing about the best sport in the world! =DRoxanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-71325793171403592062011-04-13T12:44:11.192-04:002011-04-13T12:44:11.192-04:00Good call, Craig. The relegation system also creat...Good call, Craig. The relegation system also creates a ton of drama at the end of the year when teams are fighting for their lives in the top league. Especially when it's an established team that would be humiliated by relegation.<br /><br />There's a book called "The Miracle of Castel di Sangro" that I've owned for a while but have yet to read, but it's all about a club team in Italy who keeps climbing the ranks and ends up (I think) in Serie A for at least a year. It's supposed to be amazing. I'll let you know.<br /><br />There's also a lot of room for huge upsets which, while they don't affect anything in the standings, still mean a ton to fans. I was reading "The Run of Play" today, which is to soccer what FreeDarko is to the NBA, and came across the story of Burnley. Last year they were in the premiership, and early on they actually beat Man U. They ended up getting relegated, which was inevitable, but that win over Man U was like 80 times more important than any non-playoff upset in American sports. It's probably the most famous game in club history.<br /><br />-ShaneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-25879659034686624452011-04-13T12:03:01.684-04:002011-04-13T12:03:01.684-04:00You forgot one of the best parts about Euro-soccer...You forgot one of the best parts about Euro-soccer: the "relegation zone." It gives small teams in the lower divisions a chance to compete against the best teams. In Italy 6-7 years ago, Udinese was a Serie B team who won Serie B, then improbably climbed the ranks of Serie A to make the Champions League tourney. Given the financial system of European soccer, its highly unlikely for the smaller teams to compete with the Man U's, Barcas, and AC Milans, but its kinda like Arkansas-Pine Bluffs making the NCAA tourney- just making it to the dance is a dream. <br /><br />I wish we had relegation zones in American professional sports leagues. Imagine if the four worst teams in MLB were relegated to AAA and the top four AAA teams got bumped up to the big leagues? Obviously this couldnt work for a number of reasons, including that AAA teams are affiliated with Major League clubs where players move up and down, stadium size, revenue sharing, etc. But it is fun to think about. And it would be awesome to see the Yankees someday playing against the Pawtucket Red Sox or Birmingham Barons. <br /><br />-Craig J.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-27356066811909716292011-04-13T11:50:31.441-04:002011-04-13T11:50:31.441-04:00One of the greatest things about Messi--aside from...One of the greatest things about Messi--aside from the obvious--NastyEmu, is that he doesn't dive, even refuses to go down. He's the anti-Ronaldo in that aspect. He's fantastic to watch.Casey Wnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-902575781775630732011-04-13T11:30:55.340-04:002011-04-13T11:30:55.340-04:00Thanks for posting about soccer (fussball, footbal...Thanks for posting about soccer (fussball, football) in these lock-out threatened times. Any tips on the Bundesliga?Extremely Short Storieshttp://exshst.wordpress.com/category/cartoons/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974487880746995076.post-8956742857849130952011-04-13T11:14:16.487-04:002011-04-13T11:14:16.487-04:00I can't deal with the horrible refs and diving...I can't deal with the horrible refs and diving players more than every two years. I'll stick to the World Cup and Euro Cup. Messi is fun to watch, though. <br /><br />ACC fans should feel right at home with the top heavy soccer leagues. Duke and Carolina have won 14 of the last 15 ACC Tourneys and 18 of 21 regular season titles.NastyEmunoreply@blogger.com