ajzepp

It also correlates with the level of international participation and interest in the sport. If you had an International governing body for american football, and then you had the equivalent of the NFL in Canada, Mexico, England, Germany, etc, etc, then there would be many more opportunities for the exact same thing. The best baseball, basketball, football, and hockey players all play in this country because those leagues either dont exist elsewhere or not to the same level of competition and skill (which equates to salary). With soccer you have the best players in the world spread out among La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, EPL, and now even MLS is making blips on the radar based on what Meazza and others have shared with me recently. The scope of the sport is just immense and nothing else compares to it in those terms.

Im glad to see that I'm not the only one who was disgusted by what they showed. I actually was just talking to James about this in PM a few days ago and asked him his thoughts...I didn't know we had an active thread for this sesaon of the show, so this is cool. I was less bothered by the song than I was the crash site. As I told James, all I kept thinking about was how it was like some trophy that they were keeping there to gloat about...which led to thoughts about our troops who had been killed being dragged all throughout the streets of Iraq or wherever that has taken place. At least with the communist song it doesn't really affect anyone but them...if they want to adopt and immerse in that ideology, then have at it. But to have on display a B52, flown by Americans and shot down during the war, I was just sick to my stomach. I don't understand how CBS could possibly allow this... I always note that I come to the table with a heightened sensitivity when it comes to our armed forces since I come from a family of so many vets, but that aside, this should not have taken place, IMO. Mark: I agree, that guy whose wife kept saying, "we need to use the pass!", was a complete tool. Phil's reaction was classic...and I loved how the guy from Buffalo kept cracking up when he heard what happened.

Honestly, this thread really took me by surprise and the comments that these guys (and gals) made really meant a ton to me. I guess when you communicate with people over time - with some of these folks we're going on a decade! - you can start to really get a feel for who they are and what they're about. I've had a lot of great conversations over the years and some really meaningful and fun talks in PM land with quite a few people here. The really great thing is that out of all the people who responded, only eight have sent me a bill so far! lol@ the Doug Marrone/Buddy Nix thing....DAMMIT, Jim...SHOW US THE FRICKIN BABY ALREADY!!!

What about the host factor? What's your take on how strong that advantage will be? IIRC, they had some players during the 2010 cup who were just barely out of diapers...have they just not developed as expected? I'm sick of Spain...I'd love to see Argentina have a good tourney. Not only for Messi, but also because I want to see Maxi Rodriguez hit another beautiful goal like that one he had against Mexico in 2006. That may still be the most amazing shot I've ever seen...hell, I'm even looking forward to seeing what Uruguay does since Diego Forlan had such a strong tourney last time around. I can't believe we're only a little over a year away from the next WC!!!

I just saw on Google that Dempsey earned 7.2 million in 2012...wow, that's nice! Who said soccer players can't make some green?

You know what's fun to do? Just look at the descriptions of the Indy films and compare them to the descriptions of the mainstream ones. For me, it's very telling,and it's clear why I tend to get more excited about Mark's indy list than I do the main list. The indy films are typically more character driven with more of a focus on interpersonal relationships and "life" drama. I'll always love the popcorn flicks too, but it's just easier to really sink your teeth into the others, IMO. I saw Don't Stop Believin' the other night on Vudu...I really enjoyed it. They way they structured it was very cool....they sort of matched up the timeline of the band against where Arnel was in his life at various points along the way. I would have liked to have seen a little more about the back story with Steve Perry, but they included enough of that to where it was satisfying. One thing that struck me was that Arnel is much older than I thought he was. Here I'm thinking he was this young guy who was trying to fit in with a bunch of guys old enough to be his grandfather, but he's 45! Anyway, for anyone who is even a casual fan of the band, this is a solid, enjoyable film. My only real criticism was that the audio and video weren't nearly what I expected. I was watching it on my HT system and it just wasn't as good as I'd hoped. BTW, it's a couple years old now I think, but another really good documentary I saw recently was "Klitschko". It's about the brothers, their childhood, upbringing, entry into boxing, and challenges they've faced along the way. These guys are far more interesting than I ever imagined they would be and I enjoyed it quite a bit. There's a great scene with the brothers and when they first met Don King in the mid-90s that was good for a laugh.

Totally agree. They should be banned from even using those players names...nobody on this team has earned the right to use players like that as an example in support of their point...these guys really need a reality check. Great point about who is saying what...I know he has his detractors, but Klinsmann has a resume both as a player and coach that deserves respect. If these detractors had any balls, they wouldn't speak anonymously, they'd let everyone know exactly who they are and handle the issue like a man....and so that way they can more easily be identified for when Klinsi sends their asses packing haha. This game is nuts! I can't believe they're playing on with the field covered in snow...huge kudos to the Costa Rican players for lobbying the refs to play on against a one goal deficit...they could have pussied out and probably not taken too much crap for it, but instead they're being sportsmen. Cant' say it's the most enjoyable match to watch, but then again you don't see soccer played in these conditions every day. I hate to admit it (Meazza, close your ears wherever you are!), but I'm becoming a Balotelli fan. In the words of Trent from Swingers, the guy is just money, baby. One or two of the Italian players seem like douches, but I respect their team and what they've accomplished. Germany vs. Italy has taken on such a huge level of importance for me over the last several years...even though they probably don't see themselves as rivals in the traditional sense, for me it has that feeling to it. I hope they get to face each other again in the WC2014 before the Brazilians knock both of them out of the tourney

C'mon, JB...you and Bessie should pull up a chair and enjoy some action on the pitch!

Maybe we'll get a Braves v. Rangers series this year Wow, what a fuggin goal!!

Wow...what a joke. Here's what says it all from Klinsmann's perspective... Klinsmann made his opinion clear Sunday. He believes the U.S. will qualify for the World Cup and that his job is to identify the players with the talent, fortitude and commitment to meet the standard set by the sport’s elite nations. Catching up requires extra work and a ton of motivation. Comprehension and chemistry start from within. “This is what we’re trying to tell them. This is what we’re trying to introduce to them. They’re challenged,” he said. “Some guys are out of their comfort zone, absolutely. It’s not actually the coach that has to adjust to the players, to kind of think about it, ‘How do I communicate it perfectly (and) correctly to the players? “It’s actually the players’ job to take the information from the coach, with whatever personality the coach has and let it kind of sink into his own system. ... Now, I have to implement it in my own way. It’s a learning process, and that’s fine. “It’s never going to happen if you don’t start doing it.” And then this is what said it all in terms of the player's perspective... “We do all this stuff. OK, it’s good for us and it’s scientifically proven. But in the end it’s a round ball. The Pelés and the Maradonas in the world weren’t doing all these things,” a U.S. player said. The Peles and the Maradonas? Are you f'ing kidding me? Whoever said this should be cut immediately...and some of these guys need to get a clue. Maybe go rent the movie "Miracle", too...learn a few things about how to STFU and let the coach do his job. [/font] iUmmm, okay, wtf is up with the editor? HOly crap

Whoa, I must be more out of the loop than I thought....I read through that roster and this came to mind...

Oh crap...I need to check out that thread then....we can't let our group dissolve into nothingness! I know I've seen Lewport and Meazza around...maybe we need to try the Ron Burgundy conch shell news team call? haha, Gringo served you up a nice softball there, eh Bill?

Thanks KD lmao@thread title How are your Rangers looking this year, CGF? I think my Braves are going to be tough! Justin Upton is already launching bombs in spring training!

LOL...did you have to use such a big knife?? Gringo!!! What's up, man!

HBD, gents!

LOL! It wouldn't be the same without soccer discussions! Damn you Meazza! (was a helluva goal, though...have to give him that...that game was an embarrassment, though!) Thanks, brother...good to see you!

Bar Rescue was a surprise for me, along with Wicked Tuna. Two shows I typically wouldn't give the time of day to, but I've really enjoyed both. And yeah, House of Cards was produced by Netflix and it's only available through their service. For those of us who like to binge, it's really neat how they released the entire season the first day. It allows you to go as fast or slow as you like, which for me was a blast.

I know the typical strategy is to go heavy on the marketing when the film is crap, so that they can potentially get a huge return on opening weekend before anyone really KNOWS it's crap, so hopefully at least one of these will be good.

I looked forward to this show for months, and I was optimistic after the first episode. I'm now at the point where I watch it mainly because I feel I HAVE to since I'm already somewhat invested in it. My main issue is that it feels as if the plot has not advanced *at all* since the first week. Every episode feels the same to me, and I'm really getting tired of every other person being in on the gag. It's too bad cause I enjoy seeing Kevin Bacon in this role and some of the supporting cast is pretty strong. But in terms of developing the story, it falls way short for me. On the other hand, I binged on the first two seasons of Homeland, as well as the House of Cards series on Netflix. I enjoyed both immensely, and I think the fact that I was watching The Following concurrently resulted in an even greater disappointment due to the strength of the other two series'.

I missed you too!

Tannoys are the real deal for sure. I almost bought a pair of their newest Mercury bookshelf speakers.

I have seen so many ads and trailers for Olympus Has Fallen that I'm already sick of the film... Thanks for the, Vader

I definitely can't speak for the Weber part since I have never looked into them, but yeah, those who are into the audio hobby at all (e.g. LABillzFan, myself, Fezmid, Chknwing, SDS, etc), have a different opinion of Bose products than the general populace. Amar Bose is a marketing genius, and over the years said marketing has resulted in many believing that "Bose is the best". I'm not in the business of begrudging others for their choices in consumer electronics, and I know people who are plenty happy with their Bose gear, but generally speaking their stuff falls well short of other options at any given price point in terms of both value and audio reproduction. The exception may very well be their headphone line, cause I know some of the folks over at the largest headphone forum, head-fi.org, have measured them and found them to be decent for the money. The same can't be said of their speakers and home audio gear, unfortunately. That doesn't surprise me in the least

lol...dont hate the Focker, hate the game