World Cup...humbug

As most of the world knows, it's World Cup time again.  But here in the US, we're frankly oblivious to it. I'll go on record in including myself as one of the Oblivious.  And in a way, I'm ok with it.
In a world that is constantly changing with new cell phones every minute, a new must-have toy for kids, an overabundance of news and breaking news, emails, texts, it is reassuring to know that one thing doesn't change: Americans still do not care about soccer.  The rest of the world calls it "football" or "futbol" or some variation thereof; but we don't even care enough to acknowledge the name of the sport--we just call it whatever we want.  It is THAT unimportant.
Yes, I have already sat through several fans regurgitating the repeating message of "soccer is going to be huge in the US!".  It's not.  Really.  It's not.  When teams ties at an alarming rate and a "blowout" is a 2-0 game, it's really not meant for Americans. We like scoring.  We like winning.  Soccer has neither.  We like big cars, speeding, dunks, home runs, touchdowns, and even goals.  Which is why 90+ minutes of soccer for 1 goal is just un-American.
But scoring aside, I have several other concerns with the game:

• Scoring: Yes, I said "scoring aside", but this cannot be ignored. I can't watch a 2-hour event to see 2 seconds of scoring.  99.9% of the game has the ball in a position where a goal is not even possible.  Quit kicking it back to your own goalie!!!  Go score!!!
• Faking: this definitely exists in other sports, but in the few soccer games I have watched in my lifetime, I see a player get sneezed on, collapse in agony, and wriggle around on the ground like he's been hit by a cannonball--only to hop up and jog off once the other player has received a card from the referee.  Bottom line, it sucks to get tripped.  It hurts.  But be a man and just keep playing.  
• Extra time:  Just stop the clock when something happens.  Why complicate it by having a seemingly random amount of time added onto the end of a game.  
• Ties: Should simply not happen. Someone needs to win these games.  I've even heard recently that a tie was an acceptable outcome for a game.  Who plays to tie?  Why play then?  You start the game 0-0...just  don't play the game then. 

However, I'm not just going to rip soccer...I'm here to fix it.  

• Get ride of offsides.  Let people stand wherever they want.  If the defense wants to guard them, go for it. If not, let them stand and run around anywhere.  Hopefully someone would score if they didn't have to stand where the defense was defending them.
• Turn the entire match into sudden death.  The worst part of soccer is after the first goal.  When the "winning team" sits back and just tries to keep the other team from tying the game.  A sudden death match always adds a sense of suspense. 
• Play with two balls in play at the same time.  That would definitely add a bit of excitement to an otherwise boring sport. 
• Prevent passes backwards past midfield. Like basketball, once you get in the front court, you can't go back.  This would hopefully force some more action near the goal.

I think some of these things could actually work.  But, in reality, I'm ok with the continuing anonymity of the sport in the US.  The rest of the world loves this sport...lives this sport...breathes this sport.  Let's just quit playing so they can have it.  We have basketball, baseball, football, many Olympic sports.  Can't we just bow out and give them this one?  By default, it appears we do.  After 2 games and 2 ties, the US is on the brink of elimination again--before the tournament even gets "exciting".  Maybe it's part of our international relations strategy...or maybe we're just that bad yet again.  But it appears that within days, the World Cup, at least from an American standpoint, will be over.  The world keeps spinning and most Americans were none-the-wiser that their national pride was apparently being tested.  But in this country, no one will care--until we McDonald-ify the sport.  

  

Tar Heels Unconvincing Start to 2009

In tuning into the Tar Heels this weekend, I had a few realizations. One, never re-heat pizza that didn’t even taste good when it was “fresh”. Two, that pizza isn’t any better cold. But the most important, though, of these realizations was simply this: we’re not that good. Explain to me how a team with average returning talent, an exodus of top talent, a track record of average seasons even starts the year in the Top 25. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?


Now, we simply have to accept the “reality” that actually has UNC in the Top 20, but let’s break this down a little and see what we’ve got:

A complete lack of speed on offense
No break-away speed. Period. Our WRs are backup running backs. Our running back is a former-defensive back. Our QB scrambles like an egg in the desert if someone sneezes in the student section. I’m not sure we have a member of our offense that could outrun Bobby Bowden in a footrace. This may not be a huge problem except for…the next point.

A coach that thinks we have speed on offense
Yates can’t run. Little and White (our WRs) are easily “balanced” running backs at best or possibly even power backs if lined up in the backfield. Screen passes are not going to work with this bunch. They win the matchup downfield with their power, but have to be delivered the ball beyond the line of scrimmage. Which brings me to my next point.

An uninspiring playbook and/or bad play-calling
I admit I have never set eyes on the UNC playbook; but I have witnessed the product of it. Let’s roll back a year. Start of 2008 season in which the Tar Heels surprised a number of teams with a strong start and an offense that will spring the long ball at any stage of the game (thanks for the memories Hakeem and Brandon). Then, as we hit the national stage, Butch pulls out the trusty “play-not-to-lose” playbook. We immediately lost quite a bit of punch when Tate went down, but Butch turned to screen plays (HB and WR) in hopes of tying every game 0-0. We’re seeing a similar playbook this year as we start the year in the national spotlight. I’m willing to be we have a 5-yard pass and a HB draw on the Hail Mary page of the playbook.

No fire (or an overabundance of composure)
This one is just an observation; and I do not think composure is a bad thing, but the Heels appear flat from time to time. I give them the benefit of the doubt that they are simply “composed”; but man, when you are losing, light a fire.

Some early season concerns for me:

• Greg Little has to play with passion and run people over like people of his size can do. If he can get the ball 10 yard downfield with a safety or corner back on him, he’s money. But he’s showing no fight to get there. In fact, in today’s game he actually just stopped (with the ball in his hands) on a screen play that was sniffed out.

• TJ Yates has to get better at delivering the ball with some zip and on time. He’s got a decent clock—evidenced by his pocket elusiveness; but he’s got to get rid of the ball more often.

• Development of a TE. Pianalto had a break out game, capitalized with a break down of his knee. I hope he’s ok, but it didn’t look good.
We’ll we’re 2-0, but far from impressive in my opinion. Today’s effort at UConn was uninspiring and we’re more than lucky to have won a game in which we were dominated for 98% of it. I think we’re in for a very humbling stretch of games later in the season if we can’t get this machine churning with some power.