- I heard somebody on ESPN pick the Cardinals to win the Central division this year. This is the greatest slap in the face to the division imaginable.
- Back when I was screaming for the Cards to try and save this season I thought it made no sense to keep Ankiel in AAA so long. Here is to Rick's trying to prove me right.
- DC United was vastly superior to L.A. last night.
- DC is damn lucky they didn't lose last night. The first takedown of Donovan was clearly a penalty, the second was clearly a fantastic play by Perkins. Both would normally have led to Galaxy goals.
- What is with taking the foot off the accelerator after the red card was handed out? The lack of a killer instinct is troubling.
- Beckham looked pretty good out there.
- RFK looks so much better with the top bowl filled.
- NFL preseason. Yawn.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Thrusday Recap
Here is what I know:
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4 comments:
I was in the top bowl (thankfully, just under the roof when the rain came). The Beckham mania was crazy- the flash bulbs going off reminded me of the Bonds home run chase (that bastard Wilbon stole my line)- and that was just him running along the sideline. I was very suprised he came in, given the rain, and the risk of further injury. RFK was the most crowded I had ever seen personally, and they handled it well- the lines for concessions were not all that bad. I worry about what's going to happen next year when the Nats move to the new ballpark. Will we return to the days of only one or two concession stands on the upper level, selling only hot dogs and barely edible hamburgers? God, I hope not. (That's been the best thing about the Nats at RFK- better concessions, especially beer choices. It almost makes you forgive them for messing up the pitch with the seams around the infield).
What really pissed me off was the fact that they were selling Beckham shirts at the apparell stands. I know MLS is a single entity structure, but I just found it galling that they would sell an opponents' jersey. I don't think I've ever seen that at any Major League baseball games. That, and they honored that bastard Cobi Jones (okay, not a bastard, but certainly an opponent) just because he was retiring. I hate when other teams do that for other retiring greats in other sports, and I certainly wouldn't put Cobi in the "great" category.
DC United really has had trouble putting teams away, and it will cost them. They lead FC Dallas 3-0 at home, and Dallas came back to tie. They had a 1-0 lead with a man advantage in their first Super Liga game, and ended up tie. The same thing nearly happened in their second Super Liga game.
Beckham did look good. I remarked to my wife that Beckham's first three passes were better than any the Galaxy had before then. You could see the difference between a world class player, even one somewhat past his prime, and the many guys who play for MLS. His vision and first touch play were superior, and he's been out eight weeks. Now, you know I'm a big MLS fan and think it gets a bum rap at times, but there certainly is a marked difference in the quality of players in MLS games.
I didn't see a replay of the first Donovan takedown, but it didn't look bad at all from my vantage point. The second one should've been a penalty- the replay I saw showed Perkins getting to the ball late and tripping up Donovan (and the pass from Beckham was a thing of beauty). The officiating was about the worse I've ever seen at an MLS game. Just blown calls- especially two corners- one called that wasn't and one that wasn't called that should've been. I mean, they were on question at all. The ref let a lot of fouls go that he shouldn't have, but I will give him credit on the red card. In live action, it just looked like a late tackle, but the replay showed it was clearly deserved.
All in all, a good night to be at RFK. My ideal situation would've been for United to be up 2-0 and Beckham put in a free kick, but hey, I'm just happy that he played, given the bucks I shelled out for tickets.
Walt
Thanks for the on the scene reportage.
I didn't see a replay of the first Donovan takedown, but it didn't look bad at all from my vantage point.
Oh, he basically got dragged from behind (by Simms?) I don't know if the other player coming in might not have cleaned up the situation, but he was definitely fouled.
The second one should've been a penalty- the replay I saw showed Perkins getting to the ball late and tripping up Donovan
Really? The replay I saw showed Perkins getting the ball before wiping Donovan out.
Of course maybe it is my own biases coming out. I don't have a problem with Perkin's play because he was honestly attempting to play the ball legally. Simms was using his hands to impede a player illegally. I'm predisposed to be harsher on the latter than the former.
RE Beckham's shirts being sold- apparently, I spoke too soon about that not happening in other sports, like MLB. But then again, I'm not the only sports fan who has a problem with teams selling their opponents gear at the home park. From Wednesday's WashPO:
SALES WILL GO ON: The Indians have no plans to stop selling merchandise of opposing teams at the Jacobs Field gift shop.
Some Indians fans were upset at the amount of Yankees caps and T-shirts available at Jacobs Field during New York's three-game sweep last weekend.
"It's just a big letdown," said Cleveland fan Matt Linse, 33, of Erie, Pa., who attended Saturday night's game. "It's almost like they're betraying us."
The Indians have been selling rival merchandise at team shops for decades, club spokesman Bob DiBiasio said.
The Indians offer opponents' gear for any series that brings in large numbers of out-of-towners, usually when fans come in to see the Reds, Red Sox, Tigers and Yankees. It comes down to giving baseball fans what they want, DiBiasio said.
Major League Baseball doesn't tell teams what merchandise to carry at their shops, spokeswoman Susan Goodenow said.
Walt
I've always seen stands outside Busch stadium selling Cubs caps, btu I always thought it was so Cards fans could have bonfire material.
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