John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Thinking out loud…while wondering whatever happened to the New England Tea Men…
- If you haven’t watched, or aren’t watching World Cup soccer, I suppose I understand. You know, the whole “watching grass grow or watching paint dry is better” way of thinking? Not enough offense to satisfy your insatiable appetite for action and scoring points in our pinball/video game-need-instant-gratification sports society, right? Did you forget the basic tenet of producing winners, our time-honored adage of “defense wins championships?” Remember that one, football fans?
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- Here’s the thing. You don’t like soccer? Ok, fine. But then you’re really nothing more than a stereotypical “ugly American.” You don’t get it. Or, maybe you don’t want to “get it.” You have that right of course, but you’re not in tune with the rest of the planet…which is partially why the rest of the sporting planet frowns upon you/us. Be that as it may…it has taken some time for the sport to grow in my own personal pantheon of sporting priorities, at one time ranking just behind cricket…
- Seriously though, poorly-played futbol is tough to take, and it’s because we’re spoiled as sports fans. Our athletes and our games are brilliant, and most of the rest of the planet plays catch-up to our abilities…except in soccer. But now, we’re catching up to the Earth’s powers-that-be. Our best soccer players now seem to prefer soccer…and can make a living playing the game here and abroad. That’s a huge factor behind our improved international stature. And if you noticed, well-played futbol can be very entertaining – even exciting to watch – as the USA vs. Portugal match last weekend proved. For those that see soccer as an endless string of turnovers…which certainly in a negative sense it may very well be…how about looking at it as “hey, we’re finally getting good at something we’ve never really understood before?
- Rarely does a loss ever feel like a win…but in the USA’s case, the 1-0 defeat to Germany was just that. A win. Surviving the so-called “group of death” (Life after Death?) and advancing while Portugal and recent nemesis Ghana go home is a huge step in the right direction for American futbol, er, soccer. Still not sure winning after losing sits well with me, however. Getting to the knockout, single-elimination Round of 16 for a 2nd straight World Cup – for the first time in US Soccer history – does set the bar higher. Just sayin’…
- Will the USA ever be on a par with the global giants (Germany, Spain, England, Brazil…even Portugal)? Not until the Americans learn to possess the ball for longer periods of time and become more aggressive in the offensive third of the pitch. Wow…may have pulled a mental “hammy” with that bit of analysis…
- The bigger question - will soccer ever surpass our Big Four or Five (football, baseball, basketball, hockey, auto racing) in this country? No. But does it have a place on the sports menu? Golf and tennis have their places, and they aren’t at the top of the aforementioned list. Soccer belongs in the conversation as well…especially every four years, just like the Olympics (track & field, swimming, wrestling, weightlifting, etc). Nothing wrong with that. Plus, if we have the athletes that can compete internationally and knock off a Euro-heavyweight every once in a while, it’ll keep our attention. Didn’t we learn that from Rocky Balboa’s conquest of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV? Painting a brick wall or mowing the lawn can’t give you that…
- Still not sold? Welcome to the minority opinion. USA-Portugal was the most-watched soccer match EVER on US television, with more than 25 million viewers. Outside of NFL and college football, there hasn’t been a higher-rated program on ESPN. Ever. WEEI broadcast USA-Germany on Thursday, pre-empting (gulp!) sports talk. Bring on Belgium…
- And what does it say about us that Providence was one of the cities where the USA-Portugal match was most-watched? That we’re hip? With it? In tune with the world? That we love soccer more than most? Providence was #6 in the TV ratings, behind Washington DC, Columbus OH, New York, Boston and Hartford. Might also have something to do with the Portuguese-American population in the northeast, too…
- Bruce Springsteen said it best. You were born in the USA. Maybe your grandfather or grandmother were born elsewhere, but you were born right here. Why do you pull for another country? What did they ever really do for YOU? And why would you root for that country over your own? I don’t get that. Now, if you were born in another land, fine…this is a free country, root for them if you like. But just remember why you came here, and for everyone else…maybe remember why your ancestors most likely came here in the first place?
- Yeah. Ugly American. That’s me. My way, or the highway. Love it, or leave it. Even though football, basketball and baseball may have been what I grew up with, I can admit it. I happen to like me some soccer, too…
- Although haters…I will give you the clock thing. How in the world soccer/futbol can’t figure out the running clock (in soccer, it starts at 0:00 and goes UP), and extra time is beyond my comprehension. Extra time? What happened to simply stopping the clock when someone gets hurt or you need a timeout? Why does the clock keep running, then you get added “extra time” at the end, which is up to the jurisdiction of the lead official…who may, or may not, be hired by the crooked, world soccer cartel known as FIFA? But I digress…
- So Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez is a biter? That we’re talking at all about someone who apparently feels the need to bite his opponents on occasion in order to gain an edge is a plus for the sport…the very unsportsmanlike conduct notwithstanding, of course. I realize the world doesn’t need the poor PR, but suspending him misses the point. Fix the problem by giving Suarez’ opponents (in the EPL, too, as he plays for John Henry’s Liverpool club) garlic to rub on themselves. That should do the trick…
- Tweet of the Week I – from @MikeWatersSYR: “Ha! Soccer refs make Higgins/Burr look awesome! @idiotsonsports can’t we still find a way to blame Higgins and Burr?”
- As the 4th of July approaches, we now return you to your regularly-scheduled all-American sports diet…Breakfast at Wimbledon…
- This is progress? RI’s unemployment rate for May was 8.2%...which leaves Lil’ Rhody as the ONLY state in the USA still above the 8% unemployment mark. Woo hoo! Leading the nation in in joblessness for seven straight months. Stupid is as stupid does…
- How does one-time teen golfing phenom Michelle Wie celebrate winning the US Women’s Open? By twerking, of course…
- Remember when Wie was 16 years old and nearly ripped through Newport Country Club at the US Open in 2006? She finished tied for 3rd then…and seemed to fall off the radar thereafter. Not necessarily. Wie merely went to college, a novel idea for today’s prodigies, while maintaining her presence on the LPGA tour…and has now finished in the top 10 in seven of her last eight events played…
- Getting the feeling, more and more, that the Red Sox should NOT try to climb back into the playoff chase this year by going after guys like Matt Kemp, for instance. Why? Wouldn’t that put them back closer to where they were a couple of years ago when they were mostly the LA Dodgers East? Keep the prospects, re-sign the pitchers you should (Lester) and re-do a few deals (Lackey). And go get more bats in the off-season…
- Did the Red Sox play last week? The games were so late in Oakland and Seattle…and the results? Well, let’s just say TV ratings have seen better days. Or nights…
- Can’t help but think that not only did Stephen Drew’s addition to the Sox lineup not do a thing for the offense, but it also temporarily (we hope) stunted the growth of Xander Bogaerts. Sure, on paper it looked good, and looked like an improvement on offense as well as defense. Reality bites, however…
- Bogaerts is still just a 21-year-old rookie, and chances are strong he would have experienced a stretch like he’s having (5-for-52 through Monday) at some point this summer. But with so much of the focus on getting out of the “team” funk that has plagued your defending World Series champs (remember that?) this season, has the focus on individual player growth and improvement also been blurred? It’s a question worth considering…
- Along the same lines, I understand the urge to move a guy like Mookie Betts up to see what he can do. His numbers have certainly been a bright spot within the Red Sox minor league organization. But if his call up has no effect on the big club in a potential pennant chase, why risk any “shock factor” when things seem to be going so well as they are? Let him learn to really play the outfield while in Pawtucket. That’s his future, if he has one with Boston…
- Gotta admit, minor league baseball teams “get it.” And that they get it at the expense of those who should “get it” is even more gratifying. When NCAA poo-bah Mark Emmert suggested a week ago during his testimony in the Ed O’Bannon trial that minor league sports “aren’t very successful, either for fan support of for the fan experience,” a minor league baseball team in Ohio took exception. The Lake County Captains, a Single A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians, will next week host a “Mark Emmert Appreciation Night” where fans can transfer to a different seat after a one-inning waiting period, among other ideas. Fans who win contests won’t win prizes, but will rather be rewarded with the satisfaction of having won those contests. And the best idea – the team mascot may or may not shake hands with fans wearing certain college jerseys, who may or may not receive $100 in return for their loyalty…
- Up until his workouts for teams began, I didn’t think Bryce Cotton would be selected by an NBA team in the draft. After hearing the reports of his exploits, I began to think differently. So, like many Friar fans I wonder what happened for him to go undrafted? A couple of things: 1) While he went great lengths to prove otherwise, Cotton remains primarily a shooting guard in a point-guard body. The NBA (like the NFL, MLB and NHL, too) craves a physical presence and “type.” While his vertical measurements and ability to shoot were apparent, no one could overcome the clear, physical limitations he has at 6-feet tall; 2) There was no definitive “fit” with another team. In the 2nd round, finding a “fit” is everything. The right fit just didn’t exist in the end. Now comes the challenge of finding a fit through free agency for a legit shot to make a roster…
- Am I the only one who believes Bill Simmons brings absolutely ZERO to the table as an ESPN/ABC NBA “analyst?” Simmons said “I really like that pick” after almost every selection Thursday night. Gee, thanks Bill. That’s just astute commentary right there…
- The Celtics’ pick of Marcus Smart wasn’t. Smart, that is. He’s Rajon Rondo all over again…who I suppose they’ll try to trade now, right? Unless you’re Wyc Groesbeck, who said Smart’s selection will have no effect on Rondo. What exactly was the point of picking Smart? Now you have two PG’s who can’t shoot. James Young, the Kentucky sharp-shooter taken at 17 overall by Boston, was smart(er)…
- Really, really good points made by former Patriots’ QB Doug Flutie to the website MMQB this week…on how the up-tempo game in the NFL is so much like what the Canadian Football League has done for the past 30 years. Loved his tale of calling his own plays in the CFL, then in the NFL having to wait for coaches to tell him what to do. The CFL was more of a game…and “a lot more fun…”
- Countdown to Patriots Training Camp…we wouldn’t be obsessing over this if the Red Sox were playing better. It’s all their fault…
- 13 spring practices for the Pats, about half of which media were invited into some portion to witness. What was seen – some encouraging signs from heir apparent QB Jimmy Garoppolo. What was not seen – some reliable targets for him and the other QBs (Brady, Mallett) to throw to…
- Again, as has been stressed previously, there was no contact for the players during mini-camp or any of the OTA’s conducted. So to get a true read on improvements or lack thereof will require a few days of actual football before proper judgments may be rendered. And considering that teams hit less and less during camp sessions these days than they did before the current collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon…accuracy will be challenging for everyone, including the coaches…
- Colleague Chris Price mentioned this week on weei.com that Brady is approaching several statistical milestones this season…50K passing yards for one, and moving up the ladder on career completions, attempts and (ahem) interceptions. It’s simply a by-product of a) having a long career, and b) throwing a lot of passes…
- It’s not exactly summer vacation for the players over the next few weeks. Rookies are taking part in the annual NFL Rookie Symposium – where new players are taught things like workplace conduct and how to take care of themselves, both physically and financially. In other words, the NFL version of Vacation Bible School…
- So LeBron James is opting out of his Miami Heat deal to try free agency. Whoop-de-doo. Pat Riley couldn’t guilt him into sticking around, and he surely won’t try “The Decision” again, will he? Wake me up when it’s over…YAWN…
- Melo, too…Carmelo Anthony is also a free agent, which should make the NBA off-season one of the more interesting off-seasons in recent memory, that’s for certain. But the biggest move of the off-season might have already been made, with Tim Duncan deciding he’ll be back for another run in San Antonio…
- Best guess – James stays in Miami, restructuring a deal to allow for more bench help. This year, the best “team” (the Spurs) won. Melo? Someone will overpay for his services…
- Tweet of the Week II – from Yahoo sports columnist @DanWetzel: “Hate to see anyone unemployed. Best of luck to LeBron in finding work…”
- What happened to the furor over Kevin Love coming to Boston? That kinda died out quickly, didn’t it?
- The Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron is the new face of EA Sports’ NHL ‘15 video game? Bergeron nosed out Montreal’s P.K. Subban for the honor. Hey, at least the Bruins beat the Canadiens in something…
- The highlight of the PC hockey schedule released this week is Providence playing Brown in a home-and-home series (January 9 & 10) for the first time in 32 years. After reaching the NCAA tournament last season for the first time since 2001, the Friars will open the new season at Ohio State October 10th, but won’t open officially at home until Halloween against BU. PC will face the USA U-18 team in an exhibition on Oct. 17…
- Sign of the Apocalypse…Robert Morris University (based in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, IL, not the one in Pittsburgh) is offering athletic scholarships to astute video game players who excel at the “League of Legends.” I kid you not. The video game team members will be referred to as e-athletes, and $450K will be used to fund approximately 30 annually-renewed scholarships…
- Collegiate StarLeague, which runs national championships in three games and claims to be the premier place for college students across the country to play and share their passion for gaming — "StarCraft II" and "Dota 2" are the other games where tournaments are offered — has gone from about 20 schools at its start in 2009 to 550 schools today. Where were these guys 35 years ago when “Pong” was huge in my dormitory?
- Going old school…some schools’ answer to coming up with new streams of revenue for their ever-increasing costs is to simply give their fans what they had years ago as students, and what they want now as fans and alumni…alcohol. SMU, for instance, is one of just a handful of schools this fall that will offer beer and wine sales for their on-campus football games. The inherent conflict between the tradition of not selling it at many big-time football schools, academia and the need to increase revenue will be watched closely by many, I’m sure…
- Not for nuthin'...but did you see where the Seattle Times newspaper has decided to ban the use of the name “Redskins” in all references to the Washington NFL team? I’m sorry, but when did a journalistic entity decide to become the social conscience for its readership? They can choose to do whatever they want to do in this regard, as it’s a free country, but the job of the media isn’t to tell us what’s “right and wrong.” It’s the job of the media to tell us “what is.” Period. Offer an opinion – like we do here – that’s fine. But to issue a publication-wide ban over something they deem offensive? They’ve overstepped the boundary of simply reporting the news, by creating it themselves. Shame on them…
- And before you say “shame on me” for my take, let me explain something. I am part Native-American. True, I did not grow up on a reservation, and I’m certain I didn’t experience the level of discrimination that countless others may have because of their heritage, their race or their color. This particular issue is about media wielding improper influence. Don’t preach to me, let me decide for myself. Offer an opinion, and I’ll decide if I side with you, or not. Don’t eliminate the subject of discrimination as if it doesn’t exist, because it does. Ignoring something doesn’t wipe it out…engaging in meaningful dialogue keeps it alive for all of us to consider. That is what’s fair…
- The USA national U-18 men’s basketball team, coached by former Friar Billy Donovan and current PC coach Ed Cooley, won the FIBA Americas gold medal going away, blasting Canada 113-79 this past week. The 34-point margin of victory was their closest game. As a head coach, Donovan is now 19-0 with various Team USA age groups, and has three gold medals to show for it. How much longer until he’s given the chance to guide the Olympic team?
- As for Cooley, it was his first official foray into game-coaching international basketball at the national team level. Cooley reported at his radio show taping Thursday (for later playback on 103.7 FM) it isn’t settled yet, but depending on his schedule next summer, he could be on the sidelines for the USA U-19 team…with this team a year older…at the World Championships. And, the Friars will most likely play three games in Italy this August, one in Milan and two in Rome...
- Two “blasts from the past:” 1) Remember Larry Shyatt? Shyatt was an assistant coach at PC under Rick Barnes from 1988-94, and was responsible for much of the recruitment of the 1st Friar team to win a Big East championship. He followed Barnes to Clemson, and this week signed a five-year extension as head coach at Wyoming. Shyatt is in his 2nd tenure as coach there, 78-50 in his previous four seasons. 2) Tate George, the UConn legend who hit a last-second shot in the NCAA Tournament in 1990 against Clemson that helped put the Huskies on the basketball map (and a former 1st round NBA draft pick), has had his sentencing delayed until August for ripping off investors in a Ponzi scheme. George has been in a New Jersey jail since last fall after his conviction on four counts of wire fraud…
- Tweet of the Week III – from @Gehrig38 (former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling): “As of yesterday (6/24) I am in remission. Start the 5 year clock!” Schilling had been undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer, announced earlier this year…
- Greatest “fan-cam” moment ever? That this happened at a Miami Marlins game makes me question the validity of the statement, but the kid who saw himself on the big screen and proceeded to gyrate himself into internet fame this week sure has a future on the dance floor, somewhere…
- My buddy Statbeast sez when he last went dancing, he told Mrs. Statbeast “honey, I want to dance like this forever!” Then she replied “What? You don’t want to get any better?”
- If you’re a soccer fan going back to the late ‘70’s, then you’ll remember the New England Tea Men, who played in the old North American Soccer League for three seasons (’78-’80) at then-Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro. What you might not recall is that they also played a year of indoor soccer as well, using the Providence Civic Center as their home. At the start of the ’80-’81 season, the Tea Men (the original owner was the Lipton Tea Company) relocated to Jacksonville, FL. The old NASL – it currently operates as a lower pro level than the original incarnation – lasted from 1968 through 1984, with stars like Pele and Franz Beckenbauer…
- From the mailbag this week – Dennis from North Providence, RI via Twitter, on the four-year suspension at Oregon of former PC player Brandon Austin: “Somebody’s in trouble out in Oregon. Looks like to me PC did the right thing. I believed in schools’ decision then and do now.” Dennis: It sure is a shame, isn’t it? The young man has completely thrown a once-promising athletic career in the dumpster, and he’s lucky he’s not behind bars. I feel for the victims, their families, and yes, I feel for him, too. But at some point, life’s lessons are truly learned only when you become responsible for your own actions…
- Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to [email protected]. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
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