See you in 4 years, Soccer

I watched the second half and the extra time of the World Cup game between the USA and Ghana.

It was exciting and I was indeed rooting for team USA (it's about time someone knocks Ghana down a peg or two!)

And while the overtime rules confused me (wait, there are TWO over time periods?) I felt bad for the USA players when it was done.

And I REALLY felt bad for the ESPN and ABC execs who are still in South Africa wondering how low the World Cup ratings in America will be from this point forward.

That's it for American soccer interest until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when we will all be told that THIS is the year that Americans will get hooked on soccer.

It's not happening... We love skiing and curling every 4 years as well.
Without rehashing all of my previous arguments, I will just prove to you that the MLS in America is a second rate minor league.

Today while the World Cup was playing in South Africa and the best players in the world (including the best American players) were passionately focusing on the same prize... the MLS had teams playing.

Today the New York Red Bulls were playing the Kansas City Wizards... and there were other games as well.

So you KNOW the players playing in those games were the players by definition not good enough to play for the World Cup teams.

When the Winter Olympics play, they hold off the NHL for a few weeks because the best players are going for the Gold. You KNOW the NHL has the best players.

Americans will treat a minor league accordingly.

It's a fringe sport here.

Call us in 4 years and we'll get excited again.

I'll admit... that was an exciting soccer game

Hey, I may still be of the opinion that soccer will never catch on in America as a professional sport... but you'd have to be dead from the neck up to not be excited by today's 1-0 win over Algeria.

That's right... we knocked Algeria down a peg or two!

I love that because of another lousy call against the USA, some people are grumbling that the World Cup is stacked AGAINST America.

Yeah, that makes sense. That's EXACTLY what the World Cup wants... America's interest LESSENED!

Now the USA is involved in the elimination round. It should be fun.

By the way, speaking of Algeria, if you've never seen the classic film The Battle of Algiers, do yourself and rent it. It is an amazing movie.

Not that that has anything to do with anything, but when will I ever have another context on this blog to plug that movie?

We do NOT need vuvuzelas at baseball games!

Seriously... who thought "Hey let's take the most OBNOXIOUS part of the World Cup and bring it to America!"?

Obviously someone at the Florida Marlins promotions department, and I hope that person is currently looking through Craigslist for a new gig.

Whether you like the World Cup or it bores you to tears, we can all agree that the vuvuzelas are beyond annoying.

They are those horns that when everyone blows, they sound like a swarm of bees. And because they are always being blown no matter what is happening on the field, I can only assume the fans are just blowing them and not paying attention to the game.

It reminds me of something I noticed at the Chinese New Years parade I went to in Los Angeles this year. There were a few kids (and their parents) standing near us who had those little fire crackers that you throw on the ground and it makes a pop like a cap gun.

And they kept throwing them on the ground for 10-15 minutes.

Throw *bang*.

Throw *bang*.
Throw *bang.*

It went from annoying to obnoxious to "Do these brats even have parents?"

But here is the kicker. The kids throwing them didn't look they were enjoying doing it.

They had a bored expression on their face as they threw it. And the explosion was a dull "snap." They seemed to be saying "Whatever" as they listlessly threw them to the ground.

So why did they keep doing it? It wasn't fun and NOBODY was enjoying it. Was it the strange obligation to have crap explode at a Chinese event?

Which brings us back to the vuvuzelas.
Are the people blowing them enjoying it? Is it fun to blow a horn for hours at a time?
There MUST be a point where the thrill of sounding like a bee wears off.

At least at the World Cup there is the excuse of this being a South African tradition.
They are NOT a Florida baseball tradition. Having a low payroll is a Florida baseball tradition.

Sorry soccer, you are a "Once every 4 years" sport in America

So the English team wet the bed today allowing the USA to finish with an exciting 1-1 tie in the World Cup today.

Wow. I don't think that's going to whip America into a soccer frenzy.

Look, I know the World Cup is cool. My family lived in Europe in 1982 and I went to a school full of kids from different countries. And during the World Cup it was remarkably exciting and the energy was infectiousness.

And Americans enjoy the World Cup every 4 years the same way they like skiing and track every 4 years.

Now there will always be people writing articles about why Americans haven't embraced soccer like other countries. But knock it off. It's simple.

The best players don't play in America. They play elsewhere. And there is no way the MLS can outbid AC Milan, Manchester United, Real Madrid et al for the best players. So only second rate players will be playing in America... and it will be a minor league except for every 4 years when Soccer begs America to watch it.

Americans will watch competitive hot dog eating if they know they are the best hot dog eaters. And the BEST ONES come to America.

I covered all of this before but in the name of Freddy Adu... soccer... be happy with the rest of the world! It's a HELL of a consolation prize.

Now let's get back to the 0-0 ties.