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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
The agony of withdrawal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It ought to be the second half of the second game of the day from Germany, but instead the only thing flopping on the telly is coming out of the Braves bullpen. Ken Ray had his rude awakening just now, courtesy of Jason Giambi, and we’re in extra innings.
Now it’s Scott Proctor’s turn. Marcus Giles a solo shot? Say whaaaaaat?
Short-lived. A-Rod does it to Sosa. Seen this movie before. Ends the same way.
Off the Ball talking baseball during the World Cup? Sacrilege! This is because she is going through severe, severe withdrawal today, and probably will again on Thursday, since the World Cup is taking a couple of days off before the quarterfinals. How dare them!
This is cruel. This is mean. This is agony!
At least it is during worktime hours, where Off the Ball has no excuse not to get something constructive accomplished. Part of that duty today is to monitor the daytime events at Yankee Stadium, where the Braves actually won last night. She calls it the Miracle on 161st Street.
Actually, it’s a miracle Off the Ball didn’t call in sick today to catch up on World Cup games on tape she’s missed. Still haven’t seen the Maxi Rodriguez goal for the Argies vs. Mexico, nor the second half of Italy-Australia. So she’ll rev up the VHS and see what all the fuss is about.
Three days later, and the floperooski by Italy’s Fabio Grosso is still inflaming global ire. Except in Italy. And did you know that “Grosso” is Italian for “fat?” As in, Fat Fabio Flops Furiously. But being the amoral soul that she is, Off the Ball didn’t protest, since Italy is the only team she has left in the cup pool.
Here’s a somewhat amusing defense of soccer divers that Off the Ball suspects is more devil’s advocate sophistry than anything else.
This is good analysis on the officiating crisis and the lineup of referees for the quarterfinals, plus the 14 whistle-blowers who had the whistles blown on their Cups.
Anybody Down Under gonna flog Guus Hiddink for saying the same thing about Aussie footy that The Bruce says about the Yank game?. Ah, but he’s headed off to Russia, where such dissent can be a little more dangerous than it is in say, Melbourne.
All of a sudden, Frank Deford is starting to take off the blinders about certain American sports traditions that largely go unchallenged on these shores. Yes, national anthems do make perfect sense at the World Cup and not at a Marlins-Tigers game, and enough with the fighter jets flying over the stadiums.
Off the Ball cringed at the ‘99 Women’s World Cup when U.S. naval jets screeched over the Rose Bowl. Why weren’t the Chinese jets invited? And why did FIFA allow this jingoistic display to take place at all?
If your withdrawal, like mine, still can’t be treated by the above, contemplate this possibility: It’s only two years from Euro 2008. In Austria and Switzerland. Off the Ball watched footy mate Marco Sloquinho’s eyes pop out of their sockets when she presented him with that tidbit of information.
I’m there.
