Well the results are in. And we lost. Woo hoo!
Oh wait, losing is bad, isn't it?
It appears that, despite our parents telling us otherwise, we are not actually the Best Soccer Blog. US Soccer announced the winners of its 2008 Best of... and we ain't on it. The sadness is almost palpable.U.S. Soccer has announced the first four winners of the 2008 Best of U.S. Soccer Awards following nearly three weeks of fan voting online at ussoccer.com. Fans can view a special episode of Studio 90 on ussoccer.com, where the winners for Best Soccer Specialty Store, Best Soccer Bar, Best Soccer Blog and Best Fan Photo are revealed. Studio 90 will be back throughout the week, as eight more winners are set to be unveiled.
If that Studio 90 is anything like a special episode of "Facts of Life" I'm not sure I could in good conscious recommend you watch that. Really, I'm never going to be able to scrub that image of Natalie having sex from my cerebellum.
As far as we're concerned, the only result that matters is for Best Soccer Blog. And that fucking honor goes to Soccer By Ives. So congratulations Ives. If we've learned anything, it's that we'll have to redouble our ballot-stuffing efforts next year. Either that or be better.
To our readers who voted for us, well, we can't thank you enough. It tickles us to no end that you click over to our site on a daily basis or thereabouts. And it tickles us even more that Mike Georger feels compelled to comment on every thread. Here's to hoping that more of you join him.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Maybe It's Because We Use the F-Word Too Much
Friday, October 3, 2008
Your Favorite Soccer Sites
EPL Talk has a post asking its readers to list their favorite soccer websites...which is a really cool idea. We have our expanding blog roll over on the right, but we are always looking for new places to get soccer news and opinion.
So have at it...show us your's and maybe we'll show you ours. Our favorite blogs, we are not a bunch of Chris Cooley bloggers.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Blogs are bad, m'kay?
Athletes should stay away from blogs. Unless you play in the DC metro area (Cooley, Agent Zero and Clinton Portis spring to mind), you will do something stupid and embarrass yourself and your team.
Today's TMI on a blog comes from Japan, where goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa brags that a yellow card he received was intentional and now the league is mad at him.
Nishikawa got his fourth yellow card of the season on Sunday, and bagged a one-month suspension for his efforts. After the game, he bragged to his online friends that he got the card, and suspension, on purpose. The reason being that he is off for international duty in the Olympics, and would miss the month anyway.
The J-League got wind of the post, and dragged him into a sort of tribunal to explain himself. Nishikawa capitulated, saying that the post was in jest, and summarily removed it from said blog. The damage was done, though, and we here at UF are not so sure of his explanation.
On the face of it, intentionally getting the card was a wise move. The suspension would happen almost entirely while Nishikawa was unavailable for his squad. The timing also allows him to get rid of the three yellows hanging over him, and lets him to return to his club with a clean slate after the Olympics. Keep your mouth shut, and no one is the wiser.
The problem is, as always, Nishikawa publicizing that he attempted to circumvent the rules. Organizations that mete out punishments prefer you to take said punishment with a wince, not a knowing smile.
Besides, what does a keeper have to do to get four yellows in a season? The J-League has only played 18 games to date, and Nishikawa has seen yellow in over 20% of his team's games. Has he run afoul of FIFA's "no taking your shirt off" rule to entice the ladies? Did a series of refs sanction him for not tucking his shirt in? He's a keeper for goodness' sake. Four yellow cards are something to garner over two to three seasons, not half of one.
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