Ok, so this post is not what you're thinking, really I've just had a couple "requests" of things to post.
First of all, sorry Heidi, I didn't get any pictures of the cast, I do have a picture of my nose right after it was broken on my phone, however, I cannot post it because we do not have internet service on our plan. One of these days I'm going to get internet service for just a day so I can buy some more games and ringtones and such-on said day, I will be sure to e-mail the picture to myself and then I can post it.
Secondly, there was a request for more info on the nose. So, as already mentioned, I had surgery on it. When he did the surgery to move it back into place, it kept trying to move back. To help compensate he shoved a sponge up my nose to hold it in place. Basically at my follow-up appointment he just pulled the sponge out (which hurt a little, but not too much, my eyes just watered for a minute or two) and said "Be careful, don't hit it again." It took about 5 minutes. We walked in, he ripped out the sponge, and we left.
Lastly, Matt Montgomery asked that I post the critical e-mail I sent to Amy Donaldson.
Brief summary of her article if you don't want/have time to read it: The NBA just came out and said that they might start fining players for "flopping." Originally she was against this, but after taking a trip to Europe and watching a little more soccer, she realizes how "critical" it is that we avoid letting the NBA become European soccer. Ridiculous. As you will see momentarily, I went a little overboard, maybe my blood sugar was high or something, I don't know, but some of the things she said (as you will see) really ticked me off.
Mrs. Donaldson,
I just read your article “Flipping opinion on flop rule” and although I understand your viewpoint, I was aggravated by your presentation. These 4 sections of your article were particularly frustrating:
1. “After just two matches, I saw more grown men writhing around in alleged pain than I did shots on goal. If another player even got within spitting distance, and had a shot at stealing the ball, the fragile athlete fell to the turf with more grace than a ballet dancer and a look of anguish that would make Clint Eastwood proud.” And flopping will “make you look like the world’s wimpiest man…”
First of all, your comparison of flops to shots on goal is ridiculous; at least 75% of a soccer game is played in the middle third of the field. Of course there were more “flops” than shots on goal! Defenses are good enough that shots on goal in professional, particularly EUROPEAN professional, soccer are rare and usually there are less than 10 shots on goal. Secondly, the reference to a soccer player as a “fragile athlete” is most disgusting. Allow me to relate some facts about soccer to prove my point:
(At this point I had a chart comparing soccer to basketball such as "Length of field/court: soccer, 100 yards bball 60 feet; length of game: soccer, 90 min. bball, 48 min. this is not to offend anyone, I was just making a point about how athletic soccer players are. Also, I was not saying that bball players are not athletes either, simply that some parts of soccer require a different level of endurance/conditioning than bball.)
As I’m sure you know, soccer players are running at least 80% of the game. To refer to such an athlete as “fragile” is, as I said, disgusting.
2. “I don’t want to see the NBA go the way of International soccer” and “After watching a few international soccer matches this week, I’m beginning to believe we better nip this trend while it’s still a stinking bud.”
My only issue with these statements is the lack of assessment and abundance of opinion-stating. As far as I’m concerned, we read your columns to get accurate, reliable assessments of events and facts relating to sports, not hear you badmouth sports you don’t like.
3. “I had to flip the channel to a Lifetime movie after three consecutive flops embarrassed even an Oprah-loving bawl-baby like me.”
Are you kidding? If you would put a particle of effort into thinking about how incredibly talented and athletic the players you are watching are, it would far surpass the annoyance of an occasional flop. Also, you far exaggerate the frequency of flops in soccer, they’re there, but not as you’re suggesting.
4. “That seems to be the case in soccer. Officials not only reward the floppers, they pick them up, dust them off and scold the player who got too close.”
Once again: Are you kidding? What soccer are you watching? The last time I watched a professional soccer game (Champions League final, you should check it out, I saw a minimal amount of “wimpiness”) the ref did no more than blow his whistle when he saw a foul. The scene you are describing is not exaggerated, it’s just flat-out a figment of your imagination.
I’m not denying the presence of flopping in soccer, and I don’t like it either, but your portrayal of soccer players and competitive soccer as a bunch of wimps running around and falling to appeal to the ref is ignorant and uneducated.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Reader
6 comments:
wow, you seem pretty ticked in that response thing. OMG josh, i almost called you about this: i've been watching the european tournament going on right now! i thought you'd be so proud of me. i've actually watched a couple matches and find myself really getting into it, it's actually pretty intense if you break throught the "oh it's soccer" barrier. ya, so just thought i might tell ya and make you proud.
Oh man, you nailed that! I couldn't believe how many things you threw at her. It's crazy how many people think that international soccer is just full of a bunch of wimps instead of some very talented players. I hope she feels like an idiot for writing that. She obviously knows nothing about soccer.
And just fyi, if you have bluetooth on your phone you don't need internet. But again that's if you have bluetooth.
Nice one Josh. I would say the majority of European players who hold their legs and roll around actually did get kicked on the play. Maybe you should put cleats on and kick her in the ankles so she can see why grown men fall of the ground and grab their leg in pain.
Wow, if there was a bullseye you would have nailed it in the center. I cannot complain with any remarks you made toward that article. Very nice choice of words throughout the email.
!Matt!
Wow, very nice. Not gonna lie, I'm impressed. Usually when I write to columnists like this, I try to be very one-sided, but I don't get the point across very well. So, nice job.
I was just noticing that when I commented on "the update...", it came across as I was supporting her view on flopping, but I seriously was not. You've gotta admit, some players do fake the injury to receive a call, and they can still be incredibly trained and talented individuals. I just think it's a little obvious when they roll around on the ground like they are in horrific pain, and five minutes later, they're running like they haven't skipped a beat. No dose of Advil can do that to you.
Eye yi yi! I hope I never write anything that you would disagree with! :) Awesome writing!
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