...I need a little Detroit in my soul.
You know what? I love Detroit. Detroit is one of my favorite cities, I love several things about it. I love it's backbone, I love it's faded excellence, and I love the role it played in building this country. Detroit is a real city, a city with a soul and although all the naked eye can see of Detroit is the torn, battered skin of a wounded city, there's much more to it than that. It's easy to take a dig at the Motor City, and many people do, but it's not really fair.
Over the last two weeks all you've had to do is pick up a sport page or view a sports blog from any nouveau riche city in America and see various writers having a laugh at Detroit's expense due to the sale of the one-time home of the city's hapless NFL team, the Pontiac Silverdome. It's true, houses in many cities sell for much more than that, but does it really matter? The stadium was costing a financially pummeled city -- and many cities are in that position -- over $1m per year in up-keep, without any use the city had no choice but to get shot of the place, and they did. Now, if the new owner's plans come to fruition, the stadium will be a benefit to the city's tax coffers. Though they should've gotten much, much more for the land alone, the mere existence of the stadium as a property of Pontiac was going to break the city.
The owner, Greek-Canadian real estate magnate Andreas Apostolopoulos, wants to bring a soccer team to the Silverdome, possibly an MLS team, possibly not, but I think putting a team in Detroit, or even Pontiac, is a good idea. A lot of people will scoff at that, and say Detroit is dead and putting a team there would do damage to any league that dared try it, but they'd be wrong. Detroit has a great history of supporting sports teams, even in hard times. I mean, the Lions still draw fans. Yes, they get blacked out occasionally, but the fact that the fans still show up for what is at most, an impotent team, is a testament to their dedication. Would that translate over to soccer? Maybe, maybe not. But you're more likely to find concrete support in a city like Detroit than you are in a city with a transient population that could well up-sticks in two years and be on the road to the next hot spot.
I hope a team in the new NASL ends up in Detroit, possibly even a revival of the Express. It doesn't look like Detroit is even on the radar for MLS, and the professional structure of the USL appears to be falling apart at the seems, so NASL is a good option for what is becoming a mid-sized city. The Silverdome needs some work before a professional team can move in, let's face it, the stadium has been around the block and it looks like the best days of the Silverdome are in the past, but it still has potential following a touch-up.
I realize that people will disagree, and some will inevitably bash Detroit. That's a given, and is somewhat understandable, it's bleak up in Detroit and with the noteworthy exception of Ford -- who, to their credit, seem to be putting their ship right -- the future of Detroit's motor industry looks bad, but Detroit is always going to be there, and it will always have a place in American culture. It didn't just spring up over night, and it won't go away in a day. There's a chance Detroit could turn it around, and if it does, Detroit is a city any American sports league should be in.
Showing posts with label Soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soccer. Show all posts
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Stadium for a Fiver - The Pontiac Silverdome
Wow. $538,000 for the Pontiac Silverdome, that's daylight robbery. Surely the very land it sits on -- about 130 acres -- is worth more than $538,000. But that's what it sold for, less than 1% of what it was constructed for between 1973 and 1975.
Most Americans know the Silverdome as the former home of the NFL's hapless Detroit Lions, nearly everyone turned on their television every Thanksgiving and saw the stadium in all it's, err, glory? It isn't really much, just a basic dome in line with so many others scattered about North America: Indianapolis' Hoosier Dome, BC Place in Vancouver, and Minneapolis' Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. All have been routinely criticized for lacking character, like so much architecture from the 70's and 80's, it was build for function and not always for form. With that said, the Silverdome has done it's job and has hosted some great events: A Super Bowl in 1982, World Cup matches in 1994 with the aid of a raised field and transplanted grass pitch, and of course WrestleMania III, which the WWE claims had an attendance of 93,173, although some dispute that number and say the actually attendance was closer to 73,000.
But getting back to my point, there are houses three streets away from me sitting on less than half-an-acre of land that sell for more than the Siverdome did, I know the City of Pontiac is severely despressed financially -- to the point where Michigan's Governor basically stripped civic officials of all power -- but to sell so much land for so little money is insane.
The Silverdome seats 80,300 people, which I believe is good for 22nd largest in the United States. It's a massive stadium, but it also carries a massive bill, upkeep of the aging behemoth is reported to be around $1.5 million per annum, which goes a good way as to explaining why Pontiac was so eager to get shot of it, but still, wow.
If possible, and recalling a piece I did for Pitch Invasion, run by the brilliant Tom Dunmore, I would look into making the Silverdome a "green" venue, along the lines of the World Games Stadium in Taiwan, or St-Jakob Park in Basel, Switzerland. The roof of the cavernous venue is vast and several solar panels could be installed on it, possibly saving a bundle in electricity, and if the upkeep for the stadium is as high as it's said to be, you need to be saving every penny possible.
The owners, who have yet to be revealed, have expressed a desire to have the stadium play host to a soccer team, possibly a new Major League Soccer franchise. I wrote about that here. If this is true, I certainly expect a reduction in capacity, because there isn't an ice cube's chance in Hell that they'll sell out the Silverdome for Major League Soccer, not right now.
Hopefully the new owner can find some use for the stadium, it's a shame to see it -- and more importantly the land it occupies -- go to waste. Seeing it sit idle like it has makes me think of Dixie Square Mall, in Harvey, Illinois...and that's not a good thing.
Most Americans know the Silverdome as the former home of the NFL's hapless Detroit Lions, nearly everyone turned on their television every Thanksgiving and saw the stadium in all it's, err, glory? It isn't really much, just a basic dome in line with so many others scattered about North America: Indianapolis' Hoosier Dome, BC Place in Vancouver, and Minneapolis' Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. All have been routinely criticized for lacking character, like so much architecture from the 70's and 80's, it was build for function and not always for form. With that said, the Silverdome has done it's job and has hosted some great events: A Super Bowl in 1982, World Cup matches in 1994 with the aid of a raised field and transplanted grass pitch, and of course WrestleMania III, which the WWE claims had an attendance of 93,173, although some dispute that number and say the actually attendance was closer to 73,000.
But getting back to my point, there are houses three streets away from me sitting on less than half-an-acre of land that sell for more than the Siverdome did, I know the City of Pontiac is severely despressed financially -- to the point where Michigan's Governor basically stripped civic officials of all power -- but to sell so much land for so little money is insane.
The Silverdome seats 80,300 people, which I believe is good for 22nd largest in the United States. It's a massive stadium, but it also carries a massive bill, upkeep of the aging behemoth is reported to be around $1.5 million per annum, which goes a good way as to explaining why Pontiac was so eager to get shot of it, but still, wow.
If possible, and recalling a piece I did for Pitch Invasion, run by the brilliant Tom Dunmore, I would look into making the Silverdome a "green" venue, along the lines of the World Games Stadium in Taiwan, or St-Jakob Park in Basel, Switzerland. The roof of the cavernous venue is vast and several solar panels could be installed on it, possibly saving a bundle in electricity, and if the upkeep for the stadium is as high as it's said to be, you need to be saving every penny possible.
The owners, who have yet to be revealed, have expressed a desire to have the stadium play host to a soccer team, possibly a new Major League Soccer franchise. I wrote about that here. If this is true, I certainly expect a reduction in capacity, because there isn't an ice cube's chance in Hell that they'll sell out the Silverdome for Major League Soccer, not right now.
Hopefully the new owner can find some use for the stadium, it's a shame to see it -- and more importantly the land it occupies -- go to waste. Seeing it sit idle like it has makes me think of Dixie Square Mall, in Harvey, Illinois...and that's not a good thing.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
When a giant falls - Curtains for FC Nippon?
Chances are, you don't know much about Tokyo Verdy FC, if you know anything about them.
Verdy was once Japan's foremost soccer club, a giant in a sea of minnows. Originally known as Yomiuri FC -- owned by the same company that owns baseball's wildly successful Yomiuri Giants, thirty-times Champions of the Central League -- Verdy was founded in 1969 -- thus it's old name: Tokyo Verdy 1969 -- and eventually ascending to the top of Japanese soccer, the Japan Soccer League First Division, in 1977 before winning their first trophy, the JSL Cup, in 1979. This success was the first of many for Yomiuri FC and inevitably spurred comparison's to the Giants causing Yomuiri to envision a soccer version of their famed baseball team, complete with top stars and massive crowds. Yomuiri took to boastfully calling the club "FC Nippon", Japan's team, in an effort to attract fans from every corner of the Land of the Rising Sun.
To a degree, it worked, eventually Yomuiri would claim continental glory in the form of the Asian Club Championship in 1987/88. Yomuiri's success would continue on into the '90's when the JFA decided to move away from corporate club and onto clubs with a more civic or provincial styling with the foundation of the J. League in 1992. Yomuiri became founder members of the new league under the name Verdy Kawasaki, a homage to their green uniforms and Kanagawa hometown. The first three editions of the J. League were extremely successful for Verdy as they claimed two championships and played before crowds of well over 20,000 each season. But that success would come to an abrupt end in 1996 as Verdy finished 7th of 16. The 1996 Emperor's Cup would prove to be Verdy's final triumph of the decade, and final trophy in Kawasaki.
In 2001, following a succession of poor seasons both on and off the pitch Verdy decided to decamp for Tokyo in an effort to tap into what they saw as an under-served market and to get farther away from the cluster of successful clubs, such as Yokohama Marinos and upstarts Kawasaki Frontale, which called Kanagawa home. The move backfired, spectacularly. By the time Verdy moved in Tokyo was already home to a J. League club, the beloved FC Tokyo, and FCT's fans wanted no part of Verdy and began to taunt the former giants with banners proclaiming their club as the "Real Tokyo FC". Verdy's crowds did improve from Kawasaki, but were still short of FC Tokyo's numbers. A continued lack of success on the field eventually drove fans away from Verdy, and to the Gas Men, who despite not being terribly successful had always been Tokyo's club.
In 2005, despite the best efforts of their lionhearted Brazilian Washington, Verdy were relegated. FC Nippon was facing away trips to the likes of Mito Hollyhock and Avispa Fukuoka. It was embarrassing for what was once considered footballing royalty in Japan, and even more embarrassing were the crowds that turned up at the Ajinomoto Stadium: 5,700. Following a mid-table finish, Verdy were able to claw their way back into the top flight as runners-up, back where they belonged, or so they hoped. 2008 saw an impotent Verdy relegated once again, and could have proved the final blow to an aging giant.
It has been reported that Verdy must come up with $6,000,000 by November 16th or the club will hit the wall as Nippon TV, who purchased the club from Yomiuri in the late 90's have attempted to rid themselves of the club.
It's not right to gloat at other's misery, but it's difficult to feel bad for Verdy as a club, though it's easy to feel sympathy for it's supporters. They didn't move the club, after all. With that said, there would be some poetic justice if Frontale, the pride and joy of Kawasaki, were to win their first title in Verdy's final season.
Verdy was once Japan's foremost soccer club, a giant in a sea of minnows. Originally known as Yomiuri FC -- owned by the same company that owns baseball's wildly successful Yomiuri Giants, thirty-times Champions of the Central League -- Verdy was founded in 1969 -- thus it's old name: Tokyo Verdy 1969 -- and eventually ascending to the top of Japanese soccer, the Japan Soccer League First Division, in 1977 before winning their first trophy, the JSL Cup, in 1979. This success was the first of many for Yomiuri FC and inevitably spurred comparison's to the Giants causing Yomuiri to envision a soccer version of their famed baseball team, complete with top stars and massive crowds. Yomuiri took to boastfully calling the club "FC Nippon", Japan's team, in an effort to attract fans from every corner of the Land of the Rising Sun.
To a degree, it worked, eventually Yomuiri would claim continental glory in the form of the Asian Club Championship in 1987/88. Yomuiri's success would continue on into the '90's when the JFA decided to move away from corporate club and onto clubs with a more civic or provincial styling with the foundation of the J. League in 1992. Yomuiri became founder members of the new league under the name Verdy Kawasaki, a homage to their green uniforms and Kanagawa hometown. The first three editions of the J. League were extremely successful for Verdy as they claimed two championships and played before crowds of well over 20,000 each season. But that success would come to an abrupt end in 1996 as Verdy finished 7th of 16. The 1996 Emperor's Cup would prove to be Verdy's final triumph of the decade, and final trophy in Kawasaki.
In 2001, following a succession of poor seasons both on and off the pitch Verdy decided to decamp for Tokyo in an effort to tap into what they saw as an under-served market and to get farther away from the cluster of successful clubs, such as Yokohama Marinos and upstarts Kawasaki Frontale, which called Kanagawa home. The move backfired, spectacularly. By the time Verdy moved in Tokyo was already home to a J. League club, the beloved FC Tokyo, and FCT's fans wanted no part of Verdy and began to taunt the former giants with banners proclaiming their club as the "Real Tokyo FC". Verdy's crowds did improve from Kawasaki, but were still short of FC Tokyo's numbers. A continued lack of success on the field eventually drove fans away from Verdy, and to the Gas Men, who despite not being terribly successful had always been Tokyo's club.
In 2005, despite the best efforts of their lionhearted Brazilian Washington, Verdy were relegated. FC Nippon was facing away trips to the likes of Mito Hollyhock and Avispa Fukuoka. It was embarrassing for what was once considered footballing royalty in Japan, and even more embarrassing were the crowds that turned up at the Ajinomoto Stadium: 5,700. Following a mid-table finish, Verdy were able to claw their way back into the top flight as runners-up, back where they belonged, or so they hoped. 2008 saw an impotent Verdy relegated once again, and could have proved the final blow to an aging giant.
It has been reported that Verdy must come up with $6,000,000 by November 16th or the club will hit the wall as Nippon TV, who purchased the club from Yomiuri in the late 90's have attempted to rid themselves of the club.
It's not right to gloat at other's misery, but it's difficult to feel bad for Verdy as a club, though it's easy to feel sympathy for it's supporters. They didn't move the club, after all. With that said, there would be some poetic justice if Frontale, the pride and joy of Kawasaki, were to win their first title in Verdy's final season.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
¡Hola, Mun2!
Since my OleOle blog post isn't showing up....
Well, maybe I should say "Hi there, Mun2!", considering that Mun2 usually broadcasts in English.
(Note to self: Watch the Chicas project)
Why am I writing about Mun2? Well, if you're asking that than you obviously aren't aware of the situation concerning the Mexico v United States World Cup Qualifying match on August 12th.
Usually US National Team matches are broadcast on ESPN2 (or sometimes they feel generous and put them on ESPN), at the very least ESPN Classic. But that isn't the case for this match, and that isn't the fault of ESPN actually. Since Mexico is the home team the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación (or FEMEXFUT, which is equally a mouthful) controls who owns the rights to broadcast the match and they have a deal with NBC Universal through Telemundo for both rights -- Spanish AND English. This is where it get interesting.
Supposedly NBC outbid Disney (ABC & ESPN) for the World Cup but the USSF had a word with FIFA about how ESPN supports MLS and therefore deserves the rights to the World Cup more than NBC. Needless to say, NBC wasn't, and isn't, happy about this. The rumor is that ESPN approached NBC about buying the English rights so they could show the match, which is expected to be in high demand given the ferocity of the rivalry and the Americans recent Confederations Cup success, NBC said "How about naw?", or something like that.
So, instead of the match being broadcast in English on ESPN it will be broadcast in English on Mun2, Telemundo's baby sister, and I do mean "baby" - Mun2 is in 30 million US homes. Telemundo has yet to decide who will call the match for Mun2.
This has caused a fair bit of controversy in American soccer circles, obviously. Hardly anyone gets Mun2 (though many get Telemundo, who will broadcast the Spanish feed). There's even a petition (linked) to get the match moved to one of NBC's seven-gazillion other networks, namely the USA Network.
People have a right to be angry, but you can't exactly fault NBC. If the World Cup rumors are true they really got screwed. Plus they obviously want people to be more aware of Mun2's existence, it doesn't seem like a bad channel to be honest. It's kind of like MTV.
If you've gotten this far, I love you. Mun2 is on Dish Network 838 and DirecTV 410, I believe the latter requires a subscription to a Spanish language package.
In other news, the doctor says I have bronchitis. Ick.
Well, maybe I should say "Hi there, Mun2!", considering that Mun2 usually broadcasts in English.
(Note to self: Watch the Chicas project)
Why am I writing about Mun2? Well, if you're asking that than you obviously aren't aware of the situation concerning the Mexico v United States World Cup Qualifying match on August 12th.
Usually US National Team matches are broadcast on ESPN2 (or sometimes they feel generous and put them on ESPN), at the very least ESPN Classic. But that isn't the case for this match, and that isn't the fault of ESPN actually. Since Mexico is the home team the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación (or FEMEXFUT, which is equally a mouthful) controls who owns the rights to broadcast the match and they have a deal with NBC Universal through Telemundo for both rights -- Spanish AND English. This is where it get interesting.
Supposedly NBC outbid Disney (ABC & ESPN) for the World Cup but the USSF had a word with FIFA about how ESPN supports MLS and therefore deserves the rights to the World Cup more than NBC. Needless to say, NBC wasn't, and isn't, happy about this. The rumor is that ESPN approached NBC about buying the English rights so they could show the match, which is expected to be in high demand given the ferocity of the rivalry and the Americans recent Confederations Cup success, NBC said "How about naw?", or something like that.
So, instead of the match being broadcast in English on ESPN it will be broadcast in English on Mun2, Telemundo's baby sister, and I do mean "baby" - Mun2 is in 30 million US homes. Telemundo has yet to decide who will call the match for Mun2.
This has caused a fair bit of controversy in American soccer circles, obviously. Hardly anyone gets Mun2 (though many get Telemundo, who will broadcast the Spanish feed). There's even a petition (linked) to get the match moved to one of NBC's seven-gazillion other networks, namely the USA Network.
People have a right to be angry, but you can't exactly fault NBC. If the World Cup rumors are true they really got screwed. Plus they obviously want people to be more aware of Mun2's existence, it doesn't seem like a bad channel to be honest. It's kind of like MTV.
If you've gotten this far, I love you. Mun2 is on Dish Network 838 and DirecTV 410, I believe the latter requires a subscription to a Spanish language package.
In other news, the doctor says I have bronchitis. Ick.
Monday, June 29, 2009
USA v Brazil, the media, and ESPN v Univision
I write about soccer in another blog, but I don't do it much here. You can see my thoughts on the on field happenings of the FIFA Confederations Cup final there. I'm extremely proud of our players, but puzzled by our manager's tactics. It was a heartbreaking loss.
Being in a final, even a Confederations Cup final, is a big deal, and as such it has brought a lot of attention to the national team both positive and negative. International sports outside of the Olympics are often met with derision by the American mainstream media for some reason (though the general American populace seems to enjoy them greatly), I don't know why. One writer once said he thought that the US should pull out of the Olympics and just have an American Olympics (sidenote: We already have something similar, that took 30 seconds of research) because "we always win anyway", apparently China didn't get the memo. That struck me as xenophobic. He's a rather well known writer, he's even featured on television for some reason. I guess because controversy creates cash and if you yell out the most outrageous things someone will argue with you. By now I've learned to ignore the detractors.
There has been positive attention as well, and that's been very nice. If that was your first non-World Cup soccer experience, the national team plays several matches every year, often all through out the country, if you're interested you'd be more than welcome at any of them. The Gold Cup starts on July 3rd, click the link and you can see if any matches are near you. The Gold Cup is our regional championship, think of it as a World Cup with only North American teams (CONCACAF is North America, Central America and the Caribbean including Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana). It's fun and you may meet some good people at the same time.
I have to say though, ESPN has disappointed me again. I speak very little Spanish but I often find myself watching the Univision feed for matches. ESPN's feed often seems to lack the passion associated with the sport and I guess that rubs me the wrong way. Yes, the GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL can be over-the-top at times but if you watch the entire feed you can honestly see how passionate the commentary team on Univision is. I know there's a massive controversy over English and Spanish in the United States but Univision (Miami, FL-based) is as American as ESPN (Bristol, CT-based) and seemed more proud of that fact during the Confederations Cup. I'm thankful ESPN showed the competition (but if they hadn't, FSC would've and Max Bretos is very passionate about the game and the US team) but I wish they'd try a little harder, it'd be nice.
Now my stomach hurts, I shouldn't eat red meat. I must turn in, again.
Being in a final, even a Confederations Cup final, is a big deal, and as such it has brought a lot of attention to the national team both positive and negative. International sports outside of the Olympics are often met with derision by the American mainstream media for some reason (though the general American populace seems to enjoy them greatly), I don't know why. One writer once said he thought that the US should pull out of the Olympics and just have an American Olympics (sidenote: We already have something similar, that took 30 seconds of research) because "we always win anyway", apparently China didn't get the memo. That struck me as xenophobic. He's a rather well known writer, he's even featured on television for some reason. I guess because controversy creates cash and if you yell out the most outrageous things someone will argue with you. By now I've learned to ignore the detractors.
There has been positive attention as well, and that's been very nice. If that was your first non-World Cup soccer experience, the national team plays several matches every year, often all through out the country, if you're interested you'd be more than welcome at any of them. The Gold Cup starts on July 3rd, click the link and you can see if any matches are near you. The Gold Cup is our regional championship, think of it as a World Cup with only North American teams (CONCACAF is North America, Central America and the Caribbean including Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana). It's fun and you may meet some good people at the same time.
I have to say though, ESPN has disappointed me again. I speak very little Spanish but I often find myself watching the Univision feed for matches. ESPN's feed often seems to lack the passion associated with the sport and I guess that rubs me the wrong way. Yes, the GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL can be over-the-top at times but if you watch the entire feed you can honestly see how passionate the commentary team on Univision is. I know there's a massive controversy over English and Spanish in the United States but Univision (Miami, FL-based) is as American as ESPN (Bristol, CT-based) and seemed more proud of that fact during the Confederations Cup. I'm thankful ESPN showed the competition (but if they hadn't, FSC would've and Max Bretos is very passionate about the game and the US team) but I wish they'd try a little harder, it'd be nice.
Now my stomach hurts, I shouldn't eat red meat. I must turn in, again.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Obscure soccer club of the week (April 27 - May 3, 2009)
Big Bullets of Blantyre, Malawi.
Unlike Presidente Hayes, Big Bullets are actually somewhat successful having won the Malawi Super League eleven times, the previous national championship eleven times, the Press Cup eleven times (this is becoming a theme), the Chibuku Cup eight times, the Kamuzu Cup seven times, and the Blantyre district title nine times before that.
*deep breath* Gosh they have a lot of cups in Malawi.
Big Bullets could be compared to Liverpool FC owing to being created out of it's rival club, Wanderers, in a similar fashion to the manner Liverpool was created out of Everton and like Liverpool, Big Bullets have been the more successful of the two.
The team's name has changed many times through-out it's history due to sponsorships having been called Bata Bullets (after a shoe company), Bakili Bullets (after owner Bakili Muluzi, who was actually the President of Malawi at the time and is a rather scrupulous character), and hilariously Total Big Bullets (after an oil company).
Though they regularly compete in African competitions they've yet to taste any real success on the continent as the standard of football in Malawi is not what it is elsewhere.
Unlike Presidente Hayes, Big Bullets are actually somewhat successful having won the Malawi Super League eleven times, the previous national championship eleven times, the Press Cup eleven times (this is becoming a theme), the Chibuku Cup eight times, the Kamuzu Cup seven times, and the Blantyre district title nine times before that.
*deep breath* Gosh they have a lot of cups in Malawi.
Big Bullets could be compared to Liverpool FC owing to being created out of it's rival club, Wanderers, in a similar fashion to the manner Liverpool was created out of Everton and like Liverpool, Big Bullets have been the more successful of the two.
The team's name has changed many times through-out it's history due to sponsorships having been called Bata Bullets (after a shoe company), Bakili Bullets (after owner Bakili Muluzi, who was actually the President of Malawi at the time and is a rather scrupulous character), and hilariously Total Big Bullets (after an oil company).
Though they regularly compete in African competitions they've yet to taste any real success on the continent as the standard of football in Malawi is not what it is elsewhere.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Obscure soccer club of the week (April 20-26, 2009)
Club Presidente Hayes of Asunción, Paraguay.
The club is named for Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.
"Why Hayes?", you ask. Most Americans would never even consider Hayes when listing their top-10 US Presidents, in fact, aside from possibly his own decedents, he'd be lucky to make anyone's list. But alas, Hayes is revered as somewhat of a hero in Paraguay. Hayes made news in recent times following the 2000 election in which George Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore yet won the Presidency. Similarly Hayes lost the 1876 popular vote to Samuel Tilden but was elected by virtue of the Electoral College and an Electoral Commission.
On this day last year Jenny Drapkin wrote an article at MentalFloss called "Rutherford B. Hayes: The National Hero of … Paraguay?" detailing just why Hayes is held so highly in Paraguay.
During the War of the Triple Alliance, Paraguay was heavily defeated by Argentina, Brazil, AND Uruguay (well, that hardly seems fair at all) during the war two-thirds of the Paraguayan people lost their lives.
After the war Argentina and Paraguay continued to fight over an area called the Chaco and traveled to Washington where, you guessed it, President Hayes acted as arbitrator. Hayes decided in favor of Paraguay became a hero to it's people.
With that said, while most school children in Paraguay are aware that Hayes was once a US President, many aren't aware of what he did.
The club is named for Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.
"Why Hayes?", you ask. Most Americans would never even consider Hayes when listing their top-10 US Presidents, in fact, aside from possibly his own decedents, he'd be lucky to make anyone's list. But alas, Hayes is revered as somewhat of a hero in Paraguay. Hayes made news in recent times following the 2000 election in which George Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore yet won the Presidency. Similarly Hayes lost the 1876 popular vote to Samuel Tilden but was elected by virtue of the Electoral College and an Electoral Commission.
On this day last year Jenny Drapkin wrote an article at MentalFloss called "Rutherford B. Hayes: The National Hero of … Paraguay?" detailing just why Hayes is held so highly in Paraguay.
During the War of the Triple Alliance, Paraguay was heavily defeated by Argentina, Brazil, AND Uruguay (well, that hardly seems fair at all) during the war two-thirds of the Paraguayan people lost their lives.
After the war Argentina and Paraguay continued to fight over an area called the Chaco and traveled to Washington where, you guessed it, President Hayes acted as arbitrator. Hayes decided in favor of Paraguay became a hero to it's people.
With that said, while most school children in Paraguay are aware that Hayes was once a US President, many aren't aware of what he did.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Big White Elephant
Big, really big.
Beijing's famous "Bird's Nest" has one event on it's schedule for 2009, one. On August 8th, the stadium will host Puccini’s opera “Turandot".
The $450 million, 91,000-seat stadium doesn't have a tenant. Plans called for the local Chinese Super League club, Beijing Guoan, to move into the stadium following the Olympics. Guoan balked at these plans after seeing the rental fee. A somewhat strange part of this story is that the Bird's Nest is run by CITIC group, the company also owns most of Guoan through a subsidiary called CITIC Guoan. That tells you that the rent must be somewhat exorbitant.
Somewhat stranger is that China's national soccer team doesn't have any matches scheduled at the supposed National Stadium, instead choosing random venues throughout the country.
Beijing does have three other clubs who could potentially (though the changes are about as thin as my arms) call the stadium home. Hongdeng, and BIT both play in the second-tier Jia League, while minnows Baxy play in the third level Yi League.
A stadium which has a horrible reputation as a white elephant is Montreal's Stade Olympique, a major difference between "the Big O" and the Bird's Nest is that the Montreal venue has actually had regular tenants, the Bird's Nest has lost it's best bet to the aging (albeit recently refurbished) Workers Stadium.
Of the other recent Olympic Stadiums, only Seoul's (1998) Jamsil could be lumped into this category though it does see use as a concert venue, and occasionally by tiny Seoul United. That said, Espanyol will soon decamp Barcelona's 1992 stadium for greener pastures in Cornellà de Llobregat leaving the future of that stadium up in the air. With that, the stadium has been in use since 1927.
The Bird's Nest, however iconic it may be, will surely serve as a very large warning sign for the future to not bite off more than you can chew.
Beijing's famous "Bird's Nest" has one event on it's schedule for 2009, one. On August 8th, the stadium will host Puccini’s opera “Turandot".
The $450 million, 91,000-seat stadium doesn't have a tenant. Plans called for the local Chinese Super League club, Beijing Guoan, to move into the stadium following the Olympics. Guoan balked at these plans after seeing the rental fee. A somewhat strange part of this story is that the Bird's Nest is run by CITIC group, the company also owns most of Guoan through a subsidiary called CITIC Guoan. That tells you that the rent must be somewhat exorbitant.
Somewhat stranger is that China's national soccer team doesn't have any matches scheduled at the supposed National Stadium, instead choosing random venues throughout the country.
Beijing does have three other clubs who could potentially (though the changes are about as thin as my arms) call the stadium home. Hongdeng, and BIT both play in the second-tier Jia League, while minnows Baxy play in the third level Yi League.
A stadium which has a horrible reputation as a white elephant is Montreal's Stade Olympique, a major difference between "the Big O" and the Bird's Nest is that the Montreal venue has actually had regular tenants, the Bird's Nest has lost it's best bet to the aging (albeit recently refurbished) Workers Stadium.
Of the other recent Olympic Stadiums, only Seoul's (1998) Jamsil could be lumped into this category though it does see use as a concert venue, and occasionally by tiny Seoul United. That said, Espanyol will soon decamp Barcelona's 1992 stadium for greener pastures in Cornellà de Llobregat leaving the future of that stadium up in the air. With that, the stadium has been in use since 1927.
The Bird's Nest, however iconic it may be, will surely serve as a very large warning sign for the future to not bite off more than you can chew.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Damn
Rennes 2 - 1 Toulouse
Lille 2 - 1 Lens
Paris S.G. 1 - 1 Saint-Etienne
------------------------------
16. Paris S.G. 40
17. Toulouse 39
18. Lens 39
19. Strasbourg 35
R. Metz 21
I really want PSG to go down.
Lille 2 - 1 Lens
Paris S.G. 1 - 1 Saint-Etienne
------------------------------
16. Paris S.G. 40
17. Toulouse 39
18. Lens 39
19. Strasbourg 35
R. Metz 21
I really want PSG to go down.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Wisdom teeth, Gretna, and the most obvious thing ever
So, my top right wisdom tooth is finally deciding to break in. Perfect timing considering I'm also suffering from a cold, so karma has once again decided to make me it's personal bitch and double my torture. Thanks, Karma, I totally <3 you.
I wrote in my wordpress blog about shitstorm that is Gretna FC. No one will care, no one even reads this blog. But oh well.
I should be getting my Certified Janeiac shirt in a few days. As if anyone needed confirmation I was a Janeiac, hell, if there's a level above Janeiac, I'm above that level.
I wrote in my wordpress blog about shitstorm that is Gretna FC. No one will care, no one even reads this blog. But oh well.
I should be getting my Certified Janeiac shirt in a few days. As if anyone needed confirmation I was a Janeiac, hell, if there's a level above Janeiac, I'm above that level.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Not fun...
Saw someone I was hoping I'd never see again today. My ex, the one who psychologically tortured me and when it was over I was left depressed and hopeless.
I won't really get in to all she did other than if psychological assault were a crime she'd be jailed for life. From yelling at me, randomly hitting me and constantly reminding me that I was a failure that would never do any better than her so I was better off just sucking it up and accepting it. Thankfully a friend of mine noticed what she was doing and pulled me out of it. I used to cry myself to sleep until I met and started dreaming of someone. Heh, pretty obvious who that is. *Bobby blushes* Even if I never have a chance with her, the simple idea of her has been enough to pull me out of the hell I was in. At least I feel human again.
I was playing with a soccer ball in my backyard today and my hip flared up again, that's just lovely. I hope it's just a knock and nothing is seriously wrong with it because I'm uninsurable and that would suck pretty hard.
I won't really get in to all she did other than if psychological assault were a crime she'd be jailed for life. From yelling at me, randomly hitting me and constantly reminding me that I was a failure that would never do any better than her so I was better off just sucking it up and accepting it. Thankfully a friend of mine noticed what she was doing and pulled me out of it. I used to cry myself to sleep until I met and started dreaming of someone. Heh, pretty obvious who that is. *Bobby blushes* Even if I never have a chance with her, the simple idea of her has been enough to pull me out of the hell I was in. At least I feel human again.
I was playing with a soccer ball in my backyard today and my hip flared up again, that's just lovely. I hope it's just a knock and nothing is seriously wrong with it because I'm uninsurable and that would suck pretty hard.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
"Why the hell do you support Ōmiya Ardija?"
Because I should. I support Ōmiya because their fans, however small in number, remain unflinchingly loyal on a highly romantic level. Despite the glitz, glamor, fame, and fortune of cross-town rivals Urawa Reds, Omiya fans remain fiercely loyal to their beloved Squirrels.
I immediately feel in love with Ardija (a play on the Spanish word 'ardilla', meaning 'Squirrel') when I started following the J. League in late 2004. Upon researching the teams I found the incredibly passionate support of the giant Red Diamonds (named for Mitsubishi motor company, Urawa's original parent company) to be strikingly attractive, but I found the ardent loyalty and passion behind the much smaller Ōmiya to be incredibly intriguing. The nickname is obviously not intended to strike fear in the hearts of their opponents, but to symbolize harmony with the team's hometown of Ōmiya-ku (formerly Ōmiya City before being merged with Urawa and Yono to become Saitama City.) whose symbol is the Squirrel - All of this is explained in great detail by Furtho in his beautifully written three-part series, "Love, Revolution and Architecture: a Year in the Life of the Squirrel Nation", at Pitch Invasion. - Upon seeing how much Omiya fans loved their tiny yet scrappy club I had to become an Omiya fan.
I don't know why I posted this, heh.
I immediately feel in love with Ardija (a play on the Spanish word 'ardilla', meaning 'Squirrel') when I started following the J. League in late 2004. Upon researching the teams I found the incredibly passionate support of the giant Red Diamonds (named for Mitsubishi motor company, Urawa's original parent company) to be strikingly attractive, but I found the ardent loyalty and passion behind the much smaller Ōmiya to be incredibly intriguing. The nickname is obviously not intended to strike fear in the hearts of their opponents, but to symbolize harmony with the team's hometown of Ōmiya-ku (formerly Ōmiya City before being merged with Urawa and Yono to become Saitama City.) whose symbol is the Squirrel - All of this is explained in great detail by Furtho in his beautifully written three-part series, "Love, Revolution and Architecture: a Year in the Life of the Squirrel Nation", at Pitch Invasion. - Upon seeing how much Omiya fans loved their tiny yet scrappy club I had to become an Omiya fan.
I don't know why I posted this, heh.
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