World Cup musings... [Archive] - SoonerFans.com Message Boards

ouwasp

6/15/2010, 10:25 PM

Nope, don't care about soccer at all. But sometimes I'll flick the tv over there for background noise... speaking of noise, what's with those ever-irritating horns blaring at the games.

Anyhow, I grimaced as NZ missed a shot against Slovakia earlier tonight. Wife was bemused that the world cup was on our screen and asked why I cared...

I hadn't really thought about it. But my team preference goes like this:
USA
English-speaking countries
Europeans (Except Russia)
US "friends" (Japan for instance)
etc...

I never care to see commie or Islamic teams win. But I'll probably forget the world cup is going on in another few days...

Leroy Lizard

6/15/2010, 10:47 PM

Good God, I would rather watch the NBA than soccer, and that's saying a lot.

Frozen Sooner

6/16/2010, 05:38 AM

Vuvuzelas. And they're goddamn annoying.

sooner_born_1960

6/16/2010, 07:36 AM

Read an interesting article on filtering the vuvuzelas (http://lifehacker.com/5564085/how-to-silence-vuvuzela-horns-with-an-eq-filter), if you've got the equipment.

jkjsooner

6/16/2010, 09:33 AM

The vuvuzelas thing is annoying. Most American sports don't allow noise makers in the stadium - cow bells excluded for some reason unknown to me.

I can follow soccer for the World Cup but the various professional leagues bore me to death. My problems with soccer:

1. The acting every time someone gets touched. It just makes them look like wimps. That needs to be fixed.

2. The clock ticking up and not stopping during stopped time so you never know exactly when the game is going to end. I can handle the clock ticking up but I don't see the point of it other than to be different. The stopped time thing is just absurd and stupid.

3. They really need to do something about the prevalence of ties. It's a joke. Play a sudden death and reduce the number of players on the field by one every five minutes or something to open the game up or something. (It beats a shootout as it still involves all of the aspects of hte game.)

4. You can't convince me that the better team wins in a 1-0 game. Most games boil down to a 5 second stretch of the game that happens to succeed for the offense. Sure there's skill there and all of the missed opportunities can be credited to good defense but you can't convince me there's not a much larger factor of randomness in it than most sports.

Note: I know baseball has 1-0 games and you can make the same argument as #4 above but that's one of the many reasons baseball plays a best of 7 series. The idea is in 7 games the deserving team generally wins.

jkjsooner

6/16/2010, 09:45 AM

To emphasize my point #4, it seems to me that games between two teams that are not at all evenly matched often end in a 0-0 tie. That should not happen unless the underdog played out of their mind.

Take the US/England game. Maybe we played well and England did have a major mistake but I didn't see that as a shock as I think we could tie England quite a few times out of 10 just because of the nature of the game.

Ike

6/16/2010, 10:13 AM

Read an interesting article on filtering the vuvuzelas (http://lifehacker.com/5564085/how-to-silence-vuvuzela-horns-with-an-eq-filter), if you've got the equipment.

It's such a simple thing to do, I don't know why the networks didn't think of it during the first game.

sooneron

6/16/2010, 10:25 AM

1. The acting every time someone gets touched. It just makes them look like wimps. That needs to be fixed.

The writhing around on the field like nancy boys gets old fast.

1890MilesToNorman

6/16/2010, 10:32 AM

Is this one of those new fangled drinking games?

KC//CRIMSON

6/16/2010, 11:02 AM

Vuvuzelas. And they're goddamn annoying.

http://i.imgur.com/wAoY2.jpg

Jacie

6/16/2010, 12:00 PM

The vuvuzelas thing is annoying. Most American sports don't allow noise makers in the stadium - cow bells excluded for some reason unknown to me.

2. The clock ticking up and not stopping during stopped time so you never know exactly when the game is going to end. I can handle the clock ticking up but I don't see the point of it other than to be different. The stopped time thing is just absurd and stupid.

Vuvuzelas = look like those cheap plastic horns you can buy at the dollar store . . .

As for not stopping the clock, soccer drags on long enough. You don't want to stop the clock!

Frozen Sooner

6/16/2010, 12:07 PM

Damn. Say what you will, but I've been in Tuscaloosa for a national championship win and in Fribourg, CH for a Swiss World Cup win, and the parties are pretty equivalent...these guys are going nuts.

Ike

6/16/2010, 12:11 PM

Damn. Say what you will, but I've been in Tuscaloosa for a national championship win and in Fribourg, CH for a Swiss World Cup win, and the parties are pretty equivalent...these guys are going nuts.

sont-ils canapés brûler?

Frozen Sooner

6/16/2010, 12:20 PM

badger

6/16/2010, 12:24 PM

They are disallowed in college as per noisemaker NCAA rules, but we should totally bring them to OKC Thunder games. Sacramento has cowbells, so we can have burrrrrrrr derrrrrrrr wherrrrrr wherrrrrrrrr waaaaahhhhhh

NormanPride

6/16/2010, 12:39 PM

Iufnlu5842w

And the rest of the world wonders why we have a superiority complex. It's because we're superior. :D

Jacie

6/16/2010, 12:42 PM

How much more fun for the crowds (and challenging for the players) if people were allowed to scream when attending professional bowling, golf and tennis . . .

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!

6/16/2010, 12:59 PM

I'm an Amurrican, dammit. I don't speak French.

Which kind of sucks, because I'm staying in a town that speaks French right now.

edit: Heh. I said comparable to a national championship in Tuscaloosa, not Morgantown.What are you doing over there? How's the pike fishing? Do the women like wannabe loyers with socialist tendencies?

Frozen Sooner

6/16/2010, 01:14 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v410/glima/Emoticons/yuyuyuyu-3.gif

Pricetag

6/16/2010, 01:16 PM

2. The clock ticking up and not stopping during stopped time so you never know exactly when the game is going to end. I can handle the clock ticking up but I don't see the point of it other than to be different. The stopped time thing is just absurd and stupid.
Injury time is awesome. In a close game, not knowing how much time is left adds a sense of urgency not known in other sports.

Ike

6/16/2010, 01:18 PM

I'm an Amurrican, dammit. I don't speak French.

Which kind of sucks, because I'm staying in a town that speaks French right now.

edit: Heh. I said comparable to a national championship in Tuscaloosa, not Morgantown.

Yeah I know...Thought I'd help you pick up a little more.

Did you get a chance to tour CERN whilst near Geneva? (were you even in Geneva? I know you were in Lausanne at one point, which is across the lake)

Leroy Lizard

6/16/2010, 01:18 PM

To emphasize my point #4, it seems to me that games between two teams that are not at all evenly matched often end in a 0-0 tie. That should not happen unless the underdog played out of their mind.

The lower the scoring for any sport, the more random the outcome. Baseball is another game where the weakest team can knock off the best team on any given night. It can happen in basketball and football too, but to a much lesser extent.

Ike

6/16/2010, 01:24 PM

The lower the scoring for any sport, the more random the outcome. Baseball is another game where the weakest team can knock off the best team on any given night. It can happen in basketball and football too, but to a much lesser extent.

For the purposes of what you are describing, I don't know that it would be accurate to describe football as a high scoring sport, given that there are relatively few scoring plays in any given football game. It's just that each score is worth a lot more points.

Frozen Sooner

6/16/2010, 01:24 PM

Yeah I know...Thought I'd help you pick up a little more.

Did you get a chance to tour CERN whilst near Geneva? (were you even in Geneva? I know you were in Lausanne at one point, which is across the lake)

Didn't get a chance to see CERN. My day in Geneve was pretty structured: morning at the US Mission, afternoon at the UN, then back to Fribourg. The two days I was in Lausanne were pretty busy as well: tour of the Supreme Court then an afternoon class on the one day, then the other day we got there at 7:00 to watch the 8:30 US-Britain game on the Lausanne jumbotron.

Leroy Lizard

6/16/2010, 01:30 PM

For the purposes of what you are describing, I don't know that it would be accurate to describe football as a high scoring sport, given that there are relatively few scoring plays in any given football game. It's just that each score is worth a lot more points.

It's higher scoring than soccer. Sure, there are a few 7-0's and 7-7's out there, but 31-17 is more common.

I agree that baseball compares pretty favorably.

NormanPride

6/16/2010, 01:44 PM

For the purposes of what you are describing, I don't know that it would be accurate to describe football as a high scoring sport, given that there are relatively few scoring plays in any given football game. It's just that each score is worth a lot more points.

Even if the score is 14-10 (considered low scoring) that's two "scores" for each team. A 35-24 contest would be 5 scores to 4. Considering the extra point tries that's a lot more going on.

Ike

6/16/2010, 01:47 PM

Even if the score is 14-10 (considered low scoring) that's two "scores" for each team. A 35-24 contest would be 5 scores to 4. Considering the extra point tries that's a lot more going on.

Yes, but then the comparison to baseball starts to break down. 5-4 is not an atypical baseball score, yet I would say that for any given game, the outcome of a baseball game is more randomized than the outcome of a football game.

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!

6/16/2010, 01:52 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v410/glima/Emoticons/yuyuyuyu-3.gifWhat is your interpretaion of this response?

NormanPride

6/16/2010, 02:00 PM

Yes, but then the comparison to baseball starts to break down. 5-4 is not an atypical baseball score, yet I would say that for any given game, the outcome of a baseball game is more randomized than the outcome of a football game.

This is because the main part of the roster (pitcher) changes every game. It is actually, when you get down to it, a one-on-one game, and when you get that simplified a bad day can change a game considerably.

Leroy Lizard

6/16/2010, 02:01 PM

Yes, but then the comparison to baseball starts to break down. 5-4 is not an atypical baseball score, yet I would say that for any given game, the outcome of a baseball game is more randomized than the outcome of a football game.

The multiple ways in which a team can score in football also adds an element of strategy that most other sports can't duplicate, which also heps separate the good from the bad.

This is why soccer is pretty much a brain-dead sport, imo.

Leroy Lizard

6/16/2010, 02:09 PM

This is because the main part of the roster (pitcher) changes every game. It is actually, when you get down to it, a one-on-one game, and when you get that simplified a bad day can change a game considerably.

This is one of the problems I have with fast-pitch softball, which are similar pitching wars. I played on a A-league team for one summer, and there was a guy on another team that we couldn't hit. He rifled it 90 mph and the ball was just a blur. For the most part, you swung blindly at the ball because if you waited to see where the ball was you couldn't get the bat around in time to hit it. (Even a pro hitter wouldn't have stood a chance against him.)

And yes, I am aware of Eddie Feigner, who was even better. A friend went up against him in the 70s and actually got a hit because Eddie pitched it behind his back, which slowed the ball just enough. When serious, there was no point in even going up to the plate.

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!

6/16/2010, 02:10 PM

The multiple ways in which a team can score in football also adds an element of strategy that most other sports can't duplicate, which also heps separate the good from the bad.

This is why soccer is pretty much a brain-dead sport, imo.Soccer, hockey(soccer on ice, with sticks, and a shorter "field") are both hard to enjoy, and can easily put one to sleep, if sitting still, with no other distractions.

jkjsooner

6/16/2010, 02:54 PM

I have a problem with fast pitch softball simply because the pitcher can pitch almost an unlimited number of games/innings due to the fact that it's not nearly as hard on the arm/shoulder. I wish the NCAA would institute a rule about the number of innings pitched similar to most amateur baseball leagues. The reason may be more about competitiveness than injury but it still makes the game more interesting.

Too many times in the WCWS the team with the best pitcher wins simply because she can dominate every team. I don't mind if someone (say Jordan) can dominate a game by sheer ability as long as the position itself doesn't contribute significantly to that fact.

If Strasburg could physically pitch every game for the Nationals they darn well might have a good shot at winning the World Series even though the Nationals as a whole still suck. That wouldn't be good for baseball.

NormanPride

6/16/2010, 02:58 PM

I like hockey because it's fast-paced. And you still get 5-3 games sometimes. And overtime thrillers are a regular occurrence.

Crucifax Autumn

6/16/2010, 03:17 PM

I once shot a man just for playing soccer.

NormanPride

6/16/2010, 03:23 PM

Don't you mean you once did a shot because your son said he wanted to play soccer?

SunnySooner

6/16/2010, 03:42 PM

The fact that the rest of the world loves soccer is one more reason I'm so dang thankful I'm an American girl. The fact that I'm an Okie and a Sooner is just gravy. :D :D :D

Ike

6/16/2010, 03:57 PM

Here's something that makes soccer a tad more interesting:

ESPN's profile of North Korea's coach:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/manager/_/id/140/kim-jong-hun?cc=5901&ver=us

The trivia bit is priceless...

Trivia: It's been suggested that North Korea leader Kim Jong-Il gave the coach advice on how to reach the World Cup. Kim Jong-Su, the general secretary of the North Korean FA, has said the 'Dear Leader' gave "in-depth guidance" on how to develop the game in the country and the coach himself has claimed he received regular tactical advice during matches, apparently using mobile phones that are not visible to the naked eye. Jong-Il is said to have developed the technology himself.

GottaHavePride

6/16/2010, 03:59 PM

Soccer is just as tactical as other sports. Take the Brazil / North Korea game yesterday. The North Korean team was determined to clog the middle of the field and deny Brazil direct access to the goal. Brazil had NO success until late when they finally started trying to attack by slashing in from the wings.

Soccer just doesn't break the action down into convenient 4-second chunks of action like football and baseball do - you have to pay attention constantly. Much more like basketball in that respect.

And I like that the clock doesn't stop for anything in soccer. No time-outs, no stopping for penalties - it's all part of the game. The added time at the end is just to compensate for all the time guys spend laying on the field after taking a cleat to the face (see: Spain vs. Switzerland earlier today.)

GottaHavePride

6/16/2010, 04:00 PM

Here's something that makes soccer a tad more interesting:

ESPN's profile of North Korea's coach:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/manager/_/id/140/kim-jong-hun?cc=5901&ver=us

The trivia bit is priceless...

Heh. The announcers were all over that. I figure it's just so if they do anything positive, fearless leader gets to take credit for it. Man, what a megalomaniac.

NormanPride

6/16/2010, 04:02 PM

Or taking a breeze to the derrierre, like Italy's boy did. Poor guy.

Ike

6/16/2010, 04:03 PM

Heh. The announcers were all over that. I figure it's just so if they do anything positive, fearless leader gets to take credit for it. Man, what a megalomaniac.

It goes right along with the the 38-under par he apparently shot on his first ever round of golf. Complete with 11 (or maybe it was 'only' 5...depending on what you read) holes in 1.

tommieharris91

6/16/2010, 04:30 PM

http://www.ihasaids.com/upload/data/1276610097.gif

Leroy Lizard

6/16/2010, 04:55 PM

Leroy Lizard

6/16/2010, 04:56 PM

Soccer is just as tactical as other sports.

But not nearly as strategic as football.

goingoneight

6/16/2010, 05:00 PM

Where's that countdown to kickoff thread when you need it? :(

Jacie

6/16/2010, 06:33 PM

Soccer, hockey(soccer on ice, with sticks, and a shorter "field") are both hard to enjoy, and can easily put one to sleep, if sitting still, with no other distractions.

Soccer (World Cup, anyway) is almost watchable on television because the camera angle is always from WAY above the field, letting the viewer see play develop away from the ball (one of the main drawbacks to total enjoyment of football as televised, which only follows the ball). Conversely, torture is being on the sidelines of a soccer match. All the viewer sees is the ball going back and forth and players way across the field running after but never quite catching up to it (my opinion of live soccer comes entirely from attending 6 years of games the youngest participated in from modified through varsity and it was B-O-R-I-N-G).

Hockey, OTOH, is immensely enjoyable when one is there, hearing and feeling the crash into the glass on a good check or the sound of the skates ripping the ice.

soonerinkaty

6/16/2010, 06:58 PM

You know its the offseason when...

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!

6/16/2010, 08:22 PM

http://www.ihasaids.com/upload/data/1276610097.gifWhat is that from?

Ike

6/16/2010, 10:35 PM

So Kim-Jong Il is like Al Gore?

Kim Jong Il makes Al Gore look like a couch potato*.

*according to Pyongyang State Media.

tommieharris91

6/16/2010, 10:43 PM

So Kim-Jong Il is like Al Gore?
No, he's more like the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World.

Ike

6/16/2010, 10:51 PM

And I'm sure that N.K. media is reporting their 2-1 loss to Brazil as a 55-0 victory.

tommieharris91

6/16/2010, 10:59 PM

For GHP:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs637.snc3/31948_10150204079455582_815855581_12911521_4086944 _n.jpg

tommieharris91

6/16/2010, 11:01 PM

http://i49.tinypic.com/wgrcqr.jpg

SoonerStormchaser

6/16/2010, 11:05 PM

Oh man this is too ****ing funny

Frozen Sooner

6/17/2010, 02:08 AM

Soccer (World Cup, anyway) is almost watchable on television because the camera angle is always from WAY above the field, letting the viewer see play develop away from the ball (one of the main drawbacks to total enjoyment of football as televised, which only follows the ball). Conversely, torture is being on the sidelines of a soccer match. All the viewer sees is the ball going back and forth and players way across the field running after but never quite catching up to it (my opinion of live soccer comes entirely from attending 6 years of games the youngest participated in from modified through varsity and it was B-O-R-I-N-G).

Hockey, OTOH, is immensely enjoyable when one is there, hearing and feeling the crash into the glass on a good check or the sound of the skates ripping the ice.

Hockey is definitely much better live, though HD broadcast has ameliorated a lot of the problems that used to occur through watching it on TV. Anyone remember the glowing puck on Fox broadcasts so that people could figure out where the dang thing was?

I agree 100% with how terrible soccer is to watch from the sideline. From the stands in a real stadium smack dab in the middle of the Forza Italia it's a lot of fun. I'd compare it to someone who doesn't really care much about football going to a good college football game. You can't help but have fun because of the passion of the people around you.

GottaHavePride

6/17/2010, 12:53 PM

I'd compare it to someone who doesn't really care much about football going to a good college football game. You can't help but have fun because of the passion of the people around you.

Man, I hope the US wins one of its World Cup bids, because I want to go. I would have loved to be in the stadium at the 06 WC that first game Ballack started for Germany - that was nuts even on TV.

NormanPride

6/17/2010, 01:31 PM

I'd like to see a World Cup game just like I want to go to an Olympics. Both are things you just need to see if you're a sports fan.

sooner ngintunr

6/17/2010, 03:22 PM

And I like that the clock doesn't stop for anything in soccer. No time-outs, no stopping for penalties - it's all part of the game. The added time at the end is just to compensate for all the time guys spend laying on the field after taking a cleat to the face (see: Spain vs. Switzerland earlier today.)

Me too. Don't forget, along with that is no commercials or "TV timeouts". Thats a huge plus to me. You know really close in actual time how long the game is going to be on when you sit down to watch.

Good luck with that in most other sports, could be 2 hrs long, could be 4+ hrs long.

Leroy Lizard

6/17/2010, 03:45 PM

Me too. Don't forget, along with that is no commercials or "TV timeouts". Thats a huge plus to me. You know really close in actual time how long the game is going to be on when you sit down to watch.

Good luck with that in most other sports, could be 2 hrs long, could be 4+ hrs long.

No beer commercials? How is that a plus?

NormanPride

6/17/2010, 04:06 PM

GottaHavePride

6/17/2010, 07:46 PM

But not nearly as strategic as football.

I could argue either way on that one. I mean, with soccer the players have to handle strategy themselves on the fly - they don't have the advantage of getting to stop after every 15 seconds of game time so their coaches can tell them what to do. ;)

HBick

6/17/2010, 09:15 PM

The world cup is great, plus I get to watch games at like 6:30am, 9am, and 1pm then I can watch baseball. say what you will, but live sports is great, and it was pretty epic when that guy got his red card today during the match between Nigeria and Greece

stoopified

6/18/2010, 08:09 AM

Futbol SUCKS

jkjsooner

6/18/2010, 11:03 AM

My uncle, a very smart man, has a distinct dislike for soccer. His reasoning is simple and sound. What is it, of all the things that we have, that differs us from animals? Higher brain functions? It can be argued that dolphins, whales, and other animals are just as smart, but with shorter lifespans and less incentive or ability to invent. No, it's our opposable thumbs. Our very unique dexterity along with our brains has lead us to this level of society. He calls a sport that devises rules to strictly prohibit the use of said hands "inhuman".

To add to that, hand eye coordination is an important part of what I would call athleticism. I know runners don't specifically use their hands and I think a 100m sprint is a great display of athleticism but it's niche athleticism. Soccer claims to be something much more than that.

I wonder how many soccer players couldn't catch a tennis ball if I lobbed it to them?

NormanPride

6/18/2010, 11:05 AM

Every game I have seen has been a tie. I think the rest of the world watches this sport because they honestly don't know any better.

KC//CRIMSON

6/18/2010, 11:10 AM

Every game I have seen has been a tie. I think the rest of the world watches this sport because they honestly don't know any better.

Today's game shouldn't have been a tie.

NormanPride

6/18/2010, 11:12 AM

AND YET

KC//CRIMSON

6/18/2010, 11:27 AM

and yet.....it was still an exciting game to watch even though the ref bent us over on the game winning goal.

NormanPride

6/18/2010, 12:05 PM

Exciting things have a climax, not a stalemate.

Leroy Lizard

6/18/2010, 01:14 PM

I could argue either way on that one. I mean, with soccer the players have to handle strategy themselves on the fly - they don't have the advantage of getting to stop after every 15 seconds of game time so their coaches can tell them what to do. ;)

That isn't strategy; that's tactics. Strategy involves long-range decision making, which evaporates in soccer because there is no time to plan and little ability to communicate.

But just to give you one example:

There are many times that a football team must decide whether to go for 2 or kick the PAT. The answer depends on a lot of factors and fans will argue for days about whether the decision was correct. In soccer, however, you can only score one way so there is far less decision-making involved. "Here's the plan; we're going to try and score a goal."

Another key difference is the aspect of field position in relation to first downs. Do we run the ball or pass? Are we trying to gain 5 yards or gambling to gain 10? That level of decision-making is practically non-existent in soccer.

Leroy Lizard

6/18/2010, 01:18 PM

Exciting things have a climax, not a stalemate.

I think it is possible for an activity to be exciting and yet pointless. :D

Ike

6/18/2010, 01:49 PM

That isn't strategy; that's tactics. Strategy involves long-range decision making, which evaporates in soccer because there is no time to plan and little ability to communicate.

But just to give you one example:

There are many times that a football team must decide whether to go for 2 or kick the PAT. The answer depends on a lot of factors and fans will argue for days about whether the decision was correct. In soccer, however, you can only score one way so there is far less decision-making involved. "Here's the plan; we're going to try and score a goal."

Another key difference is the aspect of field position in relation to first downs. Do we run the ball or pass? Are we trying to gain 5 yards or gambling to gain 10? That level of decision-making is practically non-existent in soccer.
If you want to split hairs like that on strategy vs tactics, then no game that lasts less than 24 hours contains any strategy.

Going for 2 vs PAT = tactics.
run or pass? = tactics.
Choosing not to run your totally awesome spaghetti playbook until your biggest rivalry game so they don't see any film of it = strategery.

tommieharris91

6/18/2010, 01:57 PM

To add to that, hand eye coordination is an important part of what I would call athleticism. I know runners don't specifically use their hands and I think a 100m sprint is a great display of athleticism but it's niche athleticism. Soccer claims to be something much more than that.

I wonder how many soccer players couldn't catch a tennis ball if I lobbed it to them?

You should try to control (and by control, I mean it dies at your feet) a soccer ball lobbed to you from the other side of the field.

Leroy Lizard

6/18/2010, 02:03 PM

If you want to split hairs like on strategy vs tactics, then no game that lasts less than 24 hours contains any strategy.

Going for 2 vs PAT = tactics.
run or pass? = tactics.
Choosing not to run your totally awesome spaghetti playbook until your biggest rivalry game so they don't see any film of it = strategery.

If a team needs to call a timeout and base their decision-making on potentially multiple outcomes, then the decision-making is strategic. There is a plan of action that takes into account multiple responses on part of the opponent.

It depends on how you define the scope of your activities. I consider the football game the campaign itself, not the full season.

Even if you want to engage in a war of semantics, the point still remains: The level of decision-making involved in football is far more sophisticated than in soccer, which actually lies pretty low on the cerebral level.

Think about clock management. Both football and soccer feature a play clock, but football features a finite number of timeouts, the ability to stop the clock with a first down or going out of bounds, and the ability to save time by resorting to alternative means of scoring (field goals). Soccer features none of that. In soccer, time management comes down to a simple "kick a goal as soon as possible."

KC//CRIMSON

6/18/2010, 03:16 PM

Exciting things have a climax, not a stalemate.

I bet Badger say's that a lot too.

Leroy Lizard

6/18/2010, 03:18 PM

So does Badg break the stalemate after the player has left the field?

NormanPride

6/18/2010, 03:27 PM

I bet Badger say's that a lot too.

The footsie we play under the dinner table is more exciting than that last match with England and Algeria.

GottaHavePride

6/18/2010, 03:58 PM

Not if you're sitting there the whole time thinking we need England not to win if we want to have a chance, but we also don't really want Algeria to win, either.

NormanPride

6/18/2010, 04:10 PM

No, it's still boring. Maybe if something had happened, but it was a terrible match. Even the announcers an analyzers were saying it was the worst match in 20 years, and only a pathetic fanboy would argue that it held any value to the game whatsoever. I don't claim that 6-3 football games are exciting, so why is it that soccer fans are constantly crying that a 0-0 ****fest of a game is somehow memorable or amazing?

KC//CRIMSON

6/18/2010, 04:17 PM

so why is it that soccer fans are constantly crying that a 0-0 ****fest of a game is somehow memorable or amazing?

If you watched today's USA vs Slovenia game you would know why.

Did you not start watching college football until after 1996 because the games were boring?

NormanPride

6/18/2010, 04:25 PM

Today's match between the US and Slovenia had tons more action than the England/Algeria game. It was night and day. Four more points, even! My only complaint about our game was that it ended in a tie. A great comeback ends in a flat note as the game just ends without the players getting to decide a winner on the field.

And what about football was boring before '96? I remember the wishbone being damn exciting, and the triple option Nebraska ran was awesome as well. BYU threw the ball everywhere and the defenses hit just as hard.

KC//CRIMSON

6/18/2010, 04:31 PM

And what about football was boring before '96? I remember the wishbone being damn exciting, and the triple option Nebraska ran was awesome as well. BYU threw the ball everywhere and the defenses hit just as hard.

My point, was that the sport was still exciting to watch, even though they still had tie games before the 1996 addition of overtime.

NormanPride

6/18/2010, 04:35 PM

Ohhh... I get it. No, those sucked too. But they didn't happen nearly as often, right? And we fixed it. It's called progress. :D

Leroy Lizard

6/18/2010, 04:39 PM

My point, was that the sport was still exciting to watch, even though they still had tie games before the 1996 addition of overtime.

Isn't a tie like kissing your sister?

KC//CRIMSON

6/18/2010, 04:51 PM

Not if you're sitting there the whole time thinking we need England not to win if we want to have a chance, but we also don't really want Algeria to win, either.

That couldn't have ended any better. We needed a 0-0 tie and got one.

NormanPride

6/18/2010, 05:04 PM

No doubt it was good for us.

Frozen Sooner

6/18/2010, 11:30 PM

Isn't a tie like kissing your sister?

Sure, she's a hot piece of ***, but it's just plain illegal.

delhalew

6/19/2010, 12:01 AM

If you watched today's USA vs Slovenia game you would know why.

Did you not start watching college football until after 1996 because the games were boring?

The takeaway from that match was that officiating is just as bad if not worse in soccer as in college football.

tommieharris91

6/19/2010, 12:09 AM

The takeaway from that match was that officiating is just as bad if not worse in soccer as in college football.

Jim Joyce says hi.

delhalew

6/19/2010, 12:27 AM

Jim Joyce says hi.

Lucky for me I couldn't care less about baseball. That was a unbelievable call Joyce made though.

Also, my dislike for baseball aside, best of luck to the Sooner baseball squad!

GottaHavePride

6/19/2010, 12:47 AM

I like playing baseball. I even like watching it in person. I cannot STAND watching baseball on TV. More boring than ice skating.

Curly Bill

6/19/2010, 02:11 AM

Only thing worse than baseball, is when it's college baseball. Aluminum frinkin bats, and I can't escape the feeling that if the players were any good they'd be getting paid to play already.

Curly Bill

6/19/2010, 02:12 AM

Oh yeah, soccer sucks too!

I will watch some of the World Cup. Only time the sport is watchable in my opinion. Kinda like some Olympic events - they suck, but I'll watch just because it's the Olympics.

jkjsooner

6/19/2010, 08:37 AM

My point, was that the sport was still exciting to watch, even though they still had tie games before the 1996 addition of overtime.

And most college football fans hated that games could end in a tie and were highly critical of it.

In some ways college football ties were worse because we forced coaches into the absurd decision to go for a tie or a win (see NU in '83). On the other hand, very few games (my guess would be less than 5%) ended in ties unlike soccer.

jkjsooner

6/19/2010, 08:44 AM

Only thing worse than baseball, is when it's college baseball. Aluminum frinkin bats, and I can't escape the feeling that if the players were any good they'd be getting paid to play already.

A division 1 player is still in a very select group. I'd say they've risen to a much higher level in their sport than most of us have in our chosen professions. Also keep in mind that many kids who were drafted out of high school (lower rounds) choose to go to college. I wouldn't question the ability of Strasburg, Clemens, Bonds, etc. all who played college ball.

I've heard the same argument used against minor league players. My response is that if you think they're no good because they're not in the majors (given not what you're saying here) then that's like saying we all suck because we're not CEO's of Fortune 500 companies.

Personally, I admire the ability of college baseball players. They play the game a heck of a lot better than I ever did.

Obviously college football players are on the one hand more talented as there's no minor league and there are rules against drafting high school kids. On the other hand there are 85 players per team meaning it's a lot damn easier to make a college football team.

GrapevineSooner

6/19/2010, 09:15 AM

Socceroos strike first!!!

Leroy Lizard

6/19/2010, 05:58 PM

In nearly 200 games, Switzer's teams only tied four times. A tie was relatively rare in football.

Now, suppose 25% of college football games ended in a tie. How many in here would complain? (I would.)

Get rid of the goalie and the game will become more exciting. I still won't watch though because I consider it a sissy sport.

Leroy Lizard

6/19/2010, 06:01 PM

A division 1 player is still in a very select group. I'd say they've risen to a much higher level in their sport than most of us have in our chosen professions.

No, I actually get paid for what I do. :D

JohnnyMack

6/19/2010, 06:02 PM

Leroy Lizard

6/19/2010, 06:23 PM

Uh oh, I think I upset the sensitivities of a soccer fan.

KC//CRIMSON

6/19/2010, 06:23 PM

And most college football fans hated that games could end in a tie and were highly critical of it.

True, but they still watched the games knowing there could be a tie ending.

Leroy Lizard

6/19/2010, 06:30 PM

And a great thing about ties in college football is that they often exposed one team for being a pack of wienies. For example, in 1984...

KC//CRIMSON

6/19/2010, 06:36 PM

That game exposed the officiating crew as being a pack of weenies.

sooner ngintunr

6/19/2010, 09:14 PM

Its finally Hollands year.

KC//CRIMSON

6/19/2010, 09:21 PM

Its finally Hollands year.

Good game. Japan made too many mistakes.

JohnnyMack

6/19/2010, 10:33 PM

Uh oh, I think I upset the sensitivities of a soccer fan.

No I just think your fat *** would be puking your lungs up if you tried to hang with those guys for a half.

sooner ngintunr

6/19/2010, 10:42 PM

Good game. Japan made too many mistakes.

I've been a fan/player of Soccer since I was 5. My Grandparents came to the US from Holland in order to avoid Hitlers Germany. I've always followed Dutch Soccer and continue to do so.

If Japan advances I think they'll take their first knockout match. I would love to see them beat Italy. That would be the greatest thing ever.

The Oranje are just playing it cool. Already advanced to knockout stage. One of their top players hasn't even seen the grass yet.

At this stage I really like the Netherlands and Argentina.

KC//CRIMSON

6/20/2010, 01:20 PM

Jim Joyce says hi.

Gordon Riese and his multiple instant replays from every possible angle says hi.

silverwheels

6/20/2010, 01:23 PM

Its finally Hollands year.

Nah, they'll find a way to lose in the knockout rounds, probably to Brazil.

Leroy Lizard

6/20/2010, 02:29 PM

I've been a fan/player of Soccer since I was 5. My Grandparents came to the US from Holland in order to avoid Hitlers Germany. I've always followed Dutch Soccer and continue to do so.

Based on World Cup results so far, did your grandfather make the right choice?

Tulsa_Fireman

6/20/2010, 03:04 PM

Based on World Cup results so far, did your grandfather make the right choice?

Really?

That's not even close to funny. Have some more neg to add onto your sorry total. And have a red card for **** smoking post of the year.

KC//CRIMSON

6/20/2010, 03:13 PM

Based on World Cup results so far, did your grandfather make the right choice?

Were you born a colossal dick or do you have to work at it?

JohnnyMack

6/20/2010, 03:17 PM

Same old Brazil. Amazing talent. No focus.

Leroy Lizard

6/20/2010, 03:26 PM

Were you born a colossal dick or do you have to work at it?

You have no sense of humor.

Tulsa_Fireman

6/20/2010, 03:27 PM

Apparently neither do you.

Leroy Lizard

6/20/2010, 03:31 PM

Apparently neither do you.

I must have entered a Greenpeace forum.

KC//CRIMSON

6/20/2010, 03:31 PM

You have no sense of humor.

and you have no brain.....

Leroy Lizard

6/20/2010, 03:32 PM

and you have no brain.....

Witty retort, there.

Tulsa_Fireman

6/20/2010, 03:41 PM

I was going to drop a witty retort here but I decided you're just retarded.

Leroy Lizard

6/20/2010, 03:43 PM

I was going to drop a witty retort here but I decided you're just retarded.

Wow, you guys are on fire.

silverwheels

6/20/2010, 03:44 PM

You guys should just do what I do and ignore Leroy. Nothing he ever says is worth reading.

Tulsa_Fireman

6/20/2010, 03:45 PM

When you're done goofing on a guy's grandpa that fled his homeland to keep his family away from one of the most heinous, genocidal political regimes in human history, can we start making fun of dead jews?

Leroy Lizard

6/20/2010, 03:47 PM

Tulsa_Fireman

6/20/2010, 03:51 PM

Or don't be such a tool.

Either way, we golden.

sooner ngintunr

6/21/2010, 09:05 AM

You guys should just do what I do and ignore Leroy. Nothing he ever says is worth reading.

He is far and away the biggest tool/troll on here. I've said it before, this place would be alot better without him dooshing up every freaking thread.

Threads here are alot cleaner and easier to manage with him on ignore.

This is funny as heck watching the French team and the England fans perform epic meltdowns.

IBleedCrimson

6/21/2010, 10:01 AM

He is far and away the biggest tool/troll on here. I've said it before, this place would be alot better without him dooshing up every freaking thread.

Threads here are alot cleaner and easier to manage with him on ignore.

This is funny as heck watching the French team and the England fans perform epic meltdowns.

truthiness

badger

6/21/2010, 11:12 AM

So...um... the Marlins tried a World Cup themed promo to drum up fandom and let's just say that they probably should have just encouraged their fans to be patriotic or sing a lot:
http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_mlb_experts__57/ept_sports_mlb_experts-994624802-1277064198.jpg?ymGgAVDDKQHUyzVb

BRRRRRRRR!

"This isn't soccer," Uggla said. "I know the World Cup is going on, but this is baseball. We don't want to hear horns or anything like that. We want to hear the crowd cheering. We want to hear the crowd getting behind us, not horns."

BRRRRRRR!

They're annoying... I mean, there's cool things and there's very non-cool things. That's a non-cool thing. ... It just doesn't make any sense."

Read more here. (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Zzzzz-Vuvuzelas-attack-Marlins-Rays-but-cowbe?urn=mlb,249912)

NormanPride

6/21/2010, 12:29 PM

So North Korea lost today 7-0. How did they make it in to the World Cup to begin with?

KC//CRIMSON

6/21/2010, 03:49 PM

Guess who's out of work....

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/000/974/982/102201608_crop_340x234.jpg

Serge Ibaka

6/21/2010, 03:53 PM

Next worse thing that could happen to him: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/06/20/south.africa.female.condom/index.html

Of course, he would deserve it (because of the raping--not the bad call...erm, well maybe he would deserve it for both, actually).

Leroy Lizard

6/21/2010, 04:43 PM

silverwheels

6/21/2010, 06:26 PM

So North Korea lost today 7-0. How did they make it in to the World Cup to begin with?

Asia is not the strongest confederation.

tommieharris91

6/21/2010, 06:54 PM

You guys should just do what I do and ignore Leroy. Nothing he ever says is worth reading.

I did this last week. The SO is so much more enjoyable now.

SoonerInKCMO

6/21/2010, 07:15 PM

KC//CRIMSON

6/21/2010, 09:20 PM

http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/LOL-WC-BZZZZ.JPG

GottaHavePride

6/22/2010, 01:09 AM

http://blogs.reuters.com/africanews/files/2009/06/vuvuzela.jpg

NormanPride

6/23/2010, 11:08 AM

Okay, so THAT.

THAT was a good game. Holy cow.

Frozen Sooner

6/23/2010, 11:09 AM

So North Korea lost today 7-0. How did they make it in to the World Cup to begin with?

Probably by plane. South Korea's a long way from South Africa.

KC//CRIMSON

6/23/2010, 11:11 AM

Okay, so THAT.

THAT was a good game. Holy cow.

But was it good only because it wasn't a tie?

1890MilesToNorman

6/23/2010, 11:12 AM

I'll admit that was a hell of an ending. But it's still friggin soccer. :D

NormanPride

6/23/2010, 11:15 AM

soonerboomer93

6/23/2010, 11:21 AM

Probably by plane. South Korea's a long way from South Africa.

North Korea is a long way away also.

KC//CRIMSON

6/23/2010, 11:22 AM

The lack of tie made it better, yes. It would have been horribly frustrating otherwise. I do not find frustrating games good. Plus, if I'm a fan that doesn't have a dog in the fight, none of the tension is there to make a 0-0 game exciting.

Gotcha. Personally, if it had ended in a tie I would have been angered, but not dissapointed or regretful that I watched it. Then again, I'm a fan to begin with so my experience would be different.

Frozen Sooner

6/23/2010, 11:22 AM

North Korea is a long way away also.

Damn it, I keep doing that.

Screw it. All Asian countries look alike to me.

NormanPride

6/23/2010, 11:27 AM

Gotcha. Personally, if it had ended in a tie I would have been angered, but not dissapointed or regretful that I watched it. Then again, I'm a fan to begin with so my experience would be different.

Fair enough. I don't know that I would be mad that I watched it - it was a good game overall with lots of action. But I would be less inclined to do it again, whereas now I'm going to try to watch as much of the rest of the WC as I can.

I enjoy these matches (40+ shots on goal) much more than the one that England played (20+ shots on goal). If a team turtles, then it's boring as hell.

KC//CRIMSON

6/23/2010, 11:31 AM

Fair enough. I don't know that I would be mad that I watched it - it was a good game overall with lots of action. But I would be less inclined to do it again, whereas now I'm going to try to watch as much of the rest of the WC as I can.

I enjoy these matches (40+ shots on goal) much more than the one that England played (20+ shots on goal). If a team turtles, then it's boring as hell.

There were a lot of blown shots on goal on our side today for sure. Frustrating.

GottaHavePride

6/23/2010, 11:38 AM

Plus Clint Dempsey got punched in the face. And Altidore had his right ankle stepped on four times.

NormanPride

6/23/2010, 11:38 AM

You'd think kicking a ball that small into a net that big would be easy. Jeez! :D

GottaHavePride

6/23/2010, 11:45 AM

Keep in mind they're all using a newly-designed ball that is about as light as you can get and still be regulation. They're also playing at about a mile of elevation, so the balls travel way farther than they're used to.

Serge Ibaka

6/23/2010, 01:08 PM

It looks like being a soccer fan can be potentially really freaking frustrating. It was apparant that the U.S. was really outplaying Algeria today, and just couldn't get the freaking ball into the net. Plus all of the crappy calls and no calls...

At any rate, Go USA! Awesome game.

GottaHavePride

6/23/2010, 02:20 PM

C&CDean

6/23/2010, 02:32 PM

I hit the gym for my daily huff & puff and moan and groan today and while I'm on the eliptical I turn the tube on. Here's the USA game, just starting the second half. 0-0. That's "nil-nil" in soccerese.

I watch the entire second half constantly going "WTF??" as USA would miss goal after goal, make poor pass after poor pass, etc. It was damned maddening. Finally, in "extra time" (whatever the **** that is) our guy kicks a rebound in for a 1-nil win.

I never have cared for soccer, but I'm a big USA guy so I watched this thing - but don't know if I can watch any more of it. Back and forth, up and down ad nauseum. Watching that **** is like doing a rubik's cube. Frustrating, maddening, irritating...I just don't know what other words I can use.

I'd like to see us go far in this thing, but I'll be waiting for the highlights on ESPN rather than sitting through the whole deal.

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!

6/23/2010, 02:38 PM

I'd like to see us go far in this thing, but I'll be waiting for the highlights on ESPN rather than sitting through the whole deal.Exactamundo

JohnnyMack

6/23/2010, 02:44 PM

Watching that **** is like doing a rubik's cube. Frustrating, maddening, irritating...I just don't know what other words I can use.

Here's a pic of Dean working a Rubik's cube:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AzT5pruwnbg/Ri90Ai7Mu8I/AAAAAAAABCU/x1cCvT9gsrY/s400/cube+1980s+5.jpg