A real game of football

[davethebirdman]

Completely off topic I know but I was wondering how the World Cup was being recieved over in the Good Ole US of A.

Here everything but everything is centred around the games. Plasma TV sales and Beer sales have literally gone through the roof. Companies are laying on TV screens so that employees don't miss a kick.

How have you guys taken to the real game of football?? Not your mamby pamby American Version but the real McCoy. I would guess with the US being seeded as fifth in the world there must be some interest.

[bubba]

Football season ended back in January... it takes that long for the news to travel across the big pond??  

[halehouse]

World Cup....is that yachting?  

[halehouse]

Seriously, I live just outside of Washington D.C. and teach at a public German Immersion elementary school. Many of the German teachers and their families (not all are native Germans) are into the World cup, but for the most part I think it goes unnoticed.

[dr galaga]

That's going on now? :'>

We are too wrapped up in the NBA playoffs and finals right now. '>

[BryanH]

:stereotyping on

World Cup... isn't that the game where they run around a large field for a couple hours and the game ends in a 0 - 0 (or is it naught - naught) tie? '>

I know that's not fair... the game usually has a tremendous amount of action and physical contact.  If only the game was as entertaining as the fans in the stands.  

:stereotyping off

[halehouse]

I was listening to the radio and they were wondering if more Americans were watching the hockey Stanley Cup finals or the World Cup, knowing that not many are watching either.  The Stanley Cup is on the OLN network and draws something like a .4 share in the ratings they said.  Then they were talking about what BryanH mentioned, the fans, tearing out seats and throwing them, the large crowds dispersing in the streets as a road flare comes towards them and then converging again as they throw the flare back at the other team's "fans". I can understand being passionate for your team, but not the destruction.  Do fans get that nasty Dave, or do we just see the worst in the media?

[bubba]

I work with quite a few South American people and they are very big into soccer, especially the World Cup... I am usually hearing games on the radio, or atleast discussions about it... I haven't heard a peep from them about it... Maybe their countries have been knocked out already... Gonna have to ask..

[davethebirdman]

You guys make me laugh...

The US fifth seeded. Reasonably easy group and could progress through to the knock out stages and nobobdy even remotely interested. Over here our top striker Wayne Rooney, who is more well known than the Prime Minister has injured his foot and we get half hour updates across the media.

Okay a quick catch up guide for you all. The games are being played in Germany with the opening game this Saturday. England's opening game is against Paraguey. The favourites are Brazil (as always) with the unofficial second favourites being England, hence the hype.

Germany have a good team and so do France. Argentina too. So could and will be a good tornament.

Hooligans - Yep there is a tradition of trouble at certain games. Between certain fans. A bit tribal. Also goes back to the War. The English hate the Dutch but hate the Germans more. The Dutch hate the English but loathe with a passion the Germans so, if there is trouble and I doubt there will be at the ames countries will start pairing up. The Dutch & English will form an Alliance to sort out the Germans.

Some of it is political too. Italian fans fall into either Communist or facist camps and could join other Eastern European countries.

Confusing ain't it. Better you lot stick to a few blokes skating round a ice ring playing a girls game.

Seriously, you guys have a good chance Casey Keller and a couple of others are world class now.
Yo have one player (can't remember his name who isn't even 18 yet and all the Richest clubs in the world are desperate to have him.)

On Saturday, me the kids and the wife will have a kits on cheering on the boys.

"Land of hope & Glory and all that..."

Dave

[Creighton]

Australian rules football is a hoot, never have figured what all the white shirt refree waving and flapping is about though. World Cup event is getting 0 coverage here. Of course we have Arnie the governator babbling most of the time.

Dave you've lost me on:
"On Saturday, me the kids and the wife will have a kits on cheering on the boys." What is a "kits on"?
Thanks,
Creighton

[bubba]

For all the World Cup fans, here is a software package that sits on your desktop with up to date coverage news of WC activity.. Available on download.com

"WCup 2006 is a football manager, which will enrich your desktop with the latest news and results for the upcoming World Cup 2006 in Germany.

The information is periodically actualized so that you always have up-to-date World Cup news, latest standings and scores, statistics etc. Detailed match reports follow shortly after the match completion.

WCup 2006 offers rich historical information, team rosters, portraits of famous players, information about tournament cities/locations, match calendar, statistics and much more.

Application, reports, news etc. is provided in English, German and French languages.
Basic German data comes from an official German agency (SID, Neuss). Envi.con translates news and match reports into the remaining languages."


http://resco.net/worldcup2006/default.asp

[davethebirdman]

Sorry that should have read "kits on" Kits being the clothing. Shirts and shorts.

Bubba - I'll be downloading that just as soon as I get a chance.

" Come on the boys "

[loman4ec]

Well singapore is world cup crazy. The only reason it is not promoted in the US is that the cable stations are too greedy to show it. There is too little time for commercials. European football is nonstop so there is no time for commercials unlike American football where there is more commercial time than play time.

[Creighton]

Frenzy is starting here now. The English/Irish pub bars are opening at 6:00am with live broadcasts. An outbreak of football flu is expected to hamper production for a few weeks.
Creighton

[rogerz]

Quote (davethebirdman @ June 07 2006,11:16)

Also goes back to the War. The English hate the Dutch but hate the Germans more. The Dutch hate the English but loathe with a passion the Germans so, if there is trouble and I doubt there will be at the ames countries will start pairing up. The Dutch & English will form an Alliance to sort out the Germans. Some of it is political too. Italian fans fall into either Communist or facist camps and could join other Eastern European countries Dave

Dave,
You forgot to mention that everyone HATES the ugly American! '>



I like to watch when the kits come off '>  '>


USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA

rz

[davethebirdman]

Okay first two games over. The hosts, Germany managed to overcome poor Costa Rica 4-2.
Poland (were seen as a bit of a threat) lost 2-0 in Equador.

The game for real starts today. The glory boys. The three lions play their first game.

Come on England, Rule Britiannia. I'll be routing for your boys  "The Old Colonials" too.

[davethebirdman]

Hey Guys

guess I now know why there hasn't been much hype over there for the greatest game in the world.

Its only the first game and they were one of the favourites.
Italy next Come on where's the Star Spangled Banner??

I've got one here and I'll fly it with the Cross of St. George.

Dave

[jasmine64]

I like both, but can only take World Cup in small doses same way with tennis.

I have a small attention span with sports.

I'm a baseball fan though, started in the 80's with Tug McGraw.

Must be in the DNA, cause my daughter loves his son Tim. Gave her a calander last year of him she loves it, she put it in her keepsake box.

[davethebirdman]

I wish I understood Baseball. Come to that I wish I understood American Football.
So many people coming and going on the pitch. It gets very confusing. A bit like the Offside
rule in "real" football.

Dave

[vendobaldtops]

Well, my first Father's Day will be delayed slightly...because of Brazil vs. Australia tomorrow morning, California time.  But at least I have a wife who likes a sport.

Dave, I read a rather entertaining article about the German and English Press going at each other with The Sun and Das Bild getting particularly ugly...I need to find the article and then post it here..it's hilarious.

U.S. tied Italy today...good for them!  But in order to keep the marriage strong, I am rooting for Brasil!

[petey64]

there's a lot of interest here in Los Angeles,,,,,,, just not for the USA it's viva la mexico all the way....

[davethebirdman]

Hey you guys,

hope you got a chance to see a few of the games yesterday. The Aussies were unlucky against a very poor
Brazil but thre highlight of the day was the French being held by the Koreans. Nobody likes to see that.... Ha Ha.
With a bit of luck the "Frogs" could be on the plane home before the next round starts.

Four games a day. - I tell the wife it only comes around once every four years.

Dave

[sodaworks]

I'm just hoping the German's get trashed!! Only because of our irrogant young german plant manager at work. '>

[davethebirdman]

Nobody hopes more that the Germans get trashed than the English. In the spirit of good European friendship a company has managed to sell over 8,000 blow up Spitfires.

Dave

[davethebirdman]

Well we are a Nation in mourning and I really mean that. As an Englishman I'm used to sporting defeat. After all our last major win in a football tournament was when I was only 2mths old. But there was something about this year. It was our time. We had pound for ponud (dollar for dollar) the best squad, the greatest footballers.

So what happens. For the fouth time in as many tournaments we go out on penalties. At the end of the game if its still a draw there is a penalty shoot out. And we just can't do that.

Walking round town there were grown men openly crying, a major out pouring of grief. Funny how psort can do that to ya.

I came home to find out that two more soliders in Afganistan (yep we are there too) were killed yesterday... Guess that puts a game of football into perspective.

Dave

[collecture]

Quote

I came home to find out that two more soliders in Afganistan (yep we are there too) were killed yesterday... Guess that puts a game of football into perspective.

War puts many things into perspective.

[Creighton]

Dave, Sorry UK is out.
Here is a post from another board from one of the US soliders overseas. Doesn't matter who or where he is. Please don't ask.

Over the last couple weeks it has been mostly quite at the gate.

A man brought a small child in about a week ago. She had been ran over by a bongo truck. Her midsection was a mess, she had a fractured leg and her face was all scraped up. Heater called it in to the CP (Command Post) and got the ambulance enroute. We thought she was a little boy when we called it in. Turns out she wasn't. you can usually tell boy or girl by just looking at them. But her face was a pretty messed up.

We talked to the medic at the end of shift that day and he told us the child was a girl and that she was still alive when he handed her off to the doctors. Last word I got is that she is recovering.

(We have been mortared 3 times so far today. All clear just came across the speakers again. It's 2:16 P.M. here. I didn't even here them explode. Must have been on the other side of base.)

Just the other evening after our shift, around 9:30 PM a man brought in six wounded. He works for the US and the enemy told him to stop working for the US and if he didn't he would pay.

He did pay. Our cowardly enemy RPG'd this mans home and killed his 8 year old son and blew one of his 6 year old daughters legs off. She survived. The other injuries to his family members were shrapnel and were only minor. All because he wants peace in his country and to have a good life for his family. Freedom is not free.

When we got on shift at 4:30 AM he was still there, waiting for word. He stayed there all day and got to go in and visit his daughter. He was also given special visitation rights to be with her. visitation is only every other day here but base command allowed him to visit his daughter every day.

We have detained several people over the last couple weeks. Most are questioned and released and many provide good intel.

We finally found a guy we had been looking for, for quite some time. He wasn't a bad guy for the most part but he did have information and we were instructed to find him and bring him in.

Sham, Heat and I were all sitting in our truck then the CP called and needed us for something so we headed back in.

On our way back in we saw a man, an older overweight man, walking hastily in our direction. We stopped and he told us somebody had just stolen his cell phone. We made a u-turn and headed out after the guy.

We never did see him anywhere. This guy disappeared into thin air. He probably had somebody waiting with a car across the canal.

I was driving kind of slow so we could all scan and look for the guy when I saw out of the corner of my eye a car stopped on the road side waiting for us to pass and in the car I saw a guy with his head tilted down and his hand covering part of his face. But I still recognized him. I hit the brakes and said, "Sham, thats our guy." Sham said, "Which guy?" I told him, "Thats the guy we have been looking for, for the last couple weeks."

Sham and the Gun Truck 2 truck commander jumped out of the trucks and approached him, we gave up on the cell phone thief, he was long gone, They asked his name and it was our guy. He was not being detained and Sham asked him to drive his car to the gate, park it in the lot and we would take him to the CP because there were some people wanting to talk to him. The man did not want to. He was scared. He asked if we could "detain" him and make it look like he had done something wrong. so we obliged.

The terp drove the mans car in and we ziptied and sandbagged him.

(We just had another stinkin mortar attack. Heard the "all clear". Boy they sure are getting rid of some mortars today. It's 2:55 PM. Didn't here those explode either.)

Today we handed out ice cold water to a bongo full of people. They were parked on the road side and after they had been there for a while we decided to go and see what they were up to.

They were just farmers and the men were setting in the front of the vehicle and there were three kids and two women in the back waiting for two other women to finish up harvesting some kind of crop. When the men told Sham what they were doing sitting there he told the men, "Maybe if you got out of the vehicle and helped the women it would go a little faster." The two women in the back started laughing. Sham called out the lazy men right to their face. It was funny and that is their culture but it's still quite annoying to see perfectly healthy grown men sit there and not even help with the harvesting.

Sham and Carder handed out several ice cold bottles of water and instructed one of the children to take the two ladies out in the field a bottle of water each.

A few minutes later, while we were still stopped behind the bongo truck, the men waved the women in from the field for the day.

I know today we went against there culture, tradition and how they live. Oh well. Thats what you get if you are a lazy Iraqi and you decide to park in our view. Not all the Iraqi men are like that. That is the part I don't understand. some get right out there and help the women. I guess it's easier not to.

In the states some say dishes and house cleaning is "womens work". We all know that isn't true. You work as a team. Over here all the herding and planting and harvesting is "womens and childrens work" though tradition in the US is thats "mens work".

The women do most of the field work here. The men are lazy and just drive them around. If a women bundles up grass for the animals or wood for the fire she carries it all the way back to her house on her head. sometimes, if a women takes a break along the road with a large bundle of wood or grass, we will go out on the road near her and flag down somebody with a truck and aske them to give her a ride home.

What we did today was wrong. I admit that. We should not try and push our way of living on others over here. it is up to them to change there archaic ways. We did it anyway.

(Maybe thats why we keep getting mortared '> )

[davethebirdman]

Thanks Criegton.

Saturday was also the 90th Anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. 20,000 British Troops died in the very first day of the battle. Over the top just to be picked off by German Machine Guns. At that time during the War Battalions were made up of "Pals" whole villiages, factories etc  joined up together and formed battalions. That day villages were just wiped out because there were no men to return to them.

And we get upset over a game of football.

Right no more morbidness. Lets get back to our Soda Machines and thank God (or whoever you think of when you need insipration) that there were and still are peole prepared to do what it takes to ensure we sleep safely in our beds at night.

[rogerz]

Wow a pretty powerful post! Thanks for sharing it.

rz