Comments on: Another World Cup Sidebar

by: adam

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 04:20:59 +0000

now that i’ve read frank booth’s comment on lee’s world cup sidebar, i’m reconsidering everything i wrote about zidane. and now that we are back to the tour de france full time, i recommend that all bloggers take on water from the team cars while they can, as booth always raises the bar of sports erudition and is a danger to go up the road at any time. hold his wheel if you can.

next up from me: why the stages in the pyrenees are not hard enough and what that means for the overall.

apw.

p.s. booth, submit your e-mail to receive your password from the administrator.

by: apw

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 02:40:26 +0000

I can never hope to match the soaring eloquence of Lee on the subject of the beautiful game (nor, come to think of it, on any subject, but I have spent much of today defending Zizou from a veritable army of detractors, some of whom have infiltrated my office. Hey, what’s wrong wtih a little hardball play if one is willing to take the consequences? Isn’t that what red cards are for?

As Lee pointed out, the headbutt may be better theatre, but it hurts a lot less than a stinging clean tackle at full gas. And let’s not forget that Zidane’s header did underscore most beautifully one of the things Zidane may have been trying to “say” about gli Azzuri: they never miss an occasion to take a dive. I mean, I clicked the video of the “incident” 20 or more times just for laughs: Matterazzi does a complete back flip when Zidane’s forehead hits his chest. It may have hurt Matterazzi–but not enough so that he forgot rule number one of this World Cup: make it LOOK like it hurt; that’s the important thing.

Football–like basketball, like cycling, like baseball–is a physical game that purports to elegance, but has a healthy underbelly of pure, restrained, sublimated violence. Whether it’s Charles Barkley roughing up opponents in the Olympics, Fignon throwing waterbottles, or Clemens going upstairs on a batter, it’s all part of the sport, and there’s no doubt that Zidane plays the sport better than almost anyone else.

APW.

by: Frank Booth

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 01:54:21 +0000

The florid language sings a mixed metaphor. One can be “sensitive” to the plight of the muslim all one wants but the simple fact remains that Zidane’s head butt deprived France of his foot when it really mattered: kicking penalty kicks.

Jesse Owens, I’m sure, was called “nigger” more times than he could count. He still showed up to win.

Zidane’s head butt was the act of a colonial subject of a fallen empire: the futile act of a loser. He deserves only scorn for having lived up to his stereotype as a player who couldn’t keep his cool.

For old school types: watch films of what the world did to the phenom that was Pele. They stomped his ass. He went to the sideline, rubbed on the magic sponge, and then came out to score goals. That’s the way to renown.

Zidane earns only four out of five stars in the notoriety hall of fame. He and Georgie Best can share a boozie kiss of whiskey flambee.

Your pal,

Frank.