USSoccer

Let's be clear-are you referring to a guy who spends 10 seconds on the ground to help draw a card, or a guy who rolls around in agony, gets stretchered off, and comes back on 5 minutes later?

It really has nothing to do with Bonds. Watching your homeruns is more akin to the goal scoring celebrations. Flopping like a whiney baby and faking injury, for 2 seconds or 2 minutes, is pathetic. It's strategy, like 95% of the time. If Carlos Zambrano could get Albert Pujols kicked out of a game for exaggerating something, I'd expect him to do it.

You watch a ton more soccer than me, clearly, so I'm going to take your word on this that it happens infrequently. But if that's the case, why is the perception so prevalent that it happens all the time? Because for 25 years the perception of soccer has been that it's a sport for sissies and communists. The mainstream sports media pretty much hates soccer, and repeats the same lame talking points bashing the sport for being too low scoring, having ties, the diving/rolling around thing, the overly emotional goal celebrations, riots, etc etc etc. If you watch the game on any sort of consistent level, there aren't too many players outside of Italy or Cristiano Ronaldo (and he's cut back) that dive and act like they were shot in the head. It's a bad, bad perception perpetuated by the media. It just doesn't happen nearly as often as people think (unless Italy is playing).

How was MLS planning to break their own rules to make that happen?

Yep. Although it can depend on the teams. The US v. Germany in Soccer probably won't have as many flops as any Duke home game in basketball. I played soccer for a long time and enjoy watching it quite a bit during big tournaments. I do thnk that it will never become mainstream in the US simply for the flopping factor. I mean, there's no reason for anybody to be writhing around in pain on the ground, get carried off on a stretcher and be back out on the field playing full bore 5 minutes later. It's just dumb. If that was eliminated, I think soccer would garner a lot more support and fans in the US. This happens so infrequently, hearing criticism of a sport based on this just aggravates me. Maybe it's just my perception, but I feel like I see fake near fatal injuries every game. Maybe I just watch too much Italy. It's probably a combination of perception and Italy. Selling a foul to get a card drawn is strategy in general, but the Italians take it to an extreme due to the historically defensive nature of Italian futbol. And as others have pointed out, there's plenty of actual constant foul selling in the NBA. When Kirk Hinrich runs into Al Jefferson and the latter falls like he was hit by sniper fire, isn't that worse? But we were discussing sports, the NBA has nothing to do with it. Ha cha cha cha cha. Ok then, how about a catcher framing a ball off the outside corner. Isn't that "selling" a strike call? Isn't his complaint based not out of the "fakeness" of the strategy, but how much time it takes up in soccer? What you just described doesn't take up much time at all unless the manager is coming out to argue it every time. Then his complaint is extra horsecrap. How long are baseball games? How long do certain guys take between pitches? Stepping out of the box? Overmanagement of the bullpen? Double switches? Mound visits? It's a perception of non-maniless that drives this criticism. And from personal experience, there are going to be times where some stupid left back smashes into you on a 50/50 ball where you're going to get the wind knocked out of you and roll around like you were shot, and then be fine in 5 minutes.

Yep. Although it can depend on the teams. The US v. Germany in Soccer probably won't have as many flops as any Duke home game in basketball. I played soccer for a long time and enjoy watching it quite a bit during big tournaments. I do thnk that it will never become mainstream in the US simply for the flopping factor. I mean, there's no reason for anybody to be writhing around in pain on the ground, get carried off on a stretcher and be back out on the field playing full bore 5 minutes later. It's just dumb. If that was eliminated, I think soccer would garner a lot more support and fans in the US. This happens so infrequently, hearing criticism of a sport based on this just aggravates me. Maybe it's just my perception, but I feel like I see fake near fatal injuries every game. Maybe I just watch too much Italy. It's probably a combination of perception and Italy. Selling a foul to get a card drawn is strategy in general, but the Italians take it to an extreme due to the historically defensive nature of Italian futbol. And as others have pointed out, there's plenty of actual constant foul selling in the NBA. When Kirk Hinrich runs into Al Jefferson and the latter falls like he was hit by sniper fire, isn't that worse? But we were discussing sports, the NBA has nothing to do with it. Ha cha cha cha cha. Ok then, how about a catcher framing a ball off the outside corner. Isn't that "selling" a strike call?

Yep. Although it can depend on the teams. The US v. Germany in Soccer probably won't have as many flops as any Duke home game in basketball. I played soccer for a long time and enjoy watching it quite a bit during big tournaments. I do thnk that it will never become mainstream in the US simply for the flopping factor. I mean, there's no reason for anybody to be writhing around in pain on the ground, get carried off on a stretcher and be back out on the field playing full bore 5 minutes later. It's just dumb. If that was eliminated, I think soccer would garner a lot more support and fans in the US. This happens so infrequently, hearing criticism of a sport based on this just aggravates me. Maybe it's just my perception, but I feel like I see fake near fatal injuries every game. Maybe I just watch too much Italy. It's probably a combination of perception and Italy. Selling a foul to get a card drawn is strategy in general, but the Italians take it to an extreme due to the historically defensive nature of Italian futbol. And as others have pointed out, there's plenty of actual constant foul selling in the NBA. When Kirk Hinrich runs into Al Jefferson and the latter falls like he was hit by sniper fire, isn't that worse?

If they loan him out it probably means that Rui Costa isn't actually retired. Honestly, I don't get how Benfica handled him, but if it gets him starting XI minutes in Serie A, then whatever.

Yep. Although it can depend on the teams. The US v. Germany in Soccer probably won't have as many flops as any Duke home game in basketball. I played soccer for a long time and enjoy watching it quite a bit during big tournaments. I do thnk that it will never become mainstream in the US simply for the flopping factor. I mean, there's no reason for anybody to be writhing around in pain on the ground, get carried off on a stretcher and be back out on the field playing full bore 5 minutes later. It's just dumb. If that was eliminated, I think soccer would garner a lot more support and fans in the US. This happens so infrequently, hearing criticism of a sport based on this just aggravates me.

What's this all about, now? Loan or transfer?

God our system sucks.

Russia's offense is no joke. I don't expect the Oranje to lose, but I do expect it to be a pretty open game. 4-2, maybe.

I feel bad for Wolf. It looked like Ribery broke his leg. EDIT: Only ripped up his ankle and knee.

this is coming from a guy that likes soccer. You know the old saying about soccer and golf. We love to play it because it is so boring to watch. Not even close to the same thing. In golf they hit a shot, walk 200 yards, then stand over the ball for 30 second, then walk around it for few more, talk to the caddy and then hit the shot. Putts are even worse because they walk around the ball for a minute looking at every single angle and slope, then take some practice swings, look at the lie a little more, take a couple more practice swings and then finally shoot the ball. And in soccer, players kick the ball around the field, and the ball is never close to the goal for 95 percent of the match. It's without a doubt the most boring sport I've ever tried to watch. WOW

I really doubt we can take on that much salary at this time. I'm thinking that payroll isn't going to keep us from winning this year. We have some money coming off the books next season, Burnett isn't likely to stay beyond this season, and all indications are that Hendry and Kenney are in complete "Win Now" mode.

One could probably get both Beltran and Burnett, but it would probably completely gut the system (not that there's much to gut anyway). If you look at having Pie, Colvin, Ceda, Marshall, Hill, Patterson, Murton...probably Cedeno available for deals, along with some other guys you could use... Maybe Marshall, Pie and someone for Beltran, and Hill, Murton and Colvin for Burnett? Is that enough? I tend to think that Burnett would be more costly than Beltran.

It's somewhat comforting knowing that the US jus beat holy hell out of the staff of the Mariott Barbados resort.

Holland looked like a fricking machine. They dismantled Italy and France without really being tested. So far Spain, Holland and Not Spain look to be the class of the tourney so far.

Did he leave the booth and go back to counting his dolla billz that I'm working for as we speak?

Old people are useless. GO BACK TO BLEEDING MY SOCIAL SECURITY DRY, MERVIN

I helped segregate a lunch counter and then accused my boss of being a dirty Red.

Is that the same step Rothschild took with Rich Hill? I didn't know Cub coaches posted here. Yeah, Rothschild is 100% to blame for Hill not throwing strikes... :roll: At least he's quicker to the plate now. That's the most important thing.

Germany is a weird collection of players that don't seem all that good on paper. They're going to advance, but I feel about them like I did prior to WC2006-just kind of meh.

Matt Murton is going to snap and start to slaughter livestock with a spork.

None of this is correct. We have at least 4 better options. Altidore. Donovan. Demspey (despite this not being his best position, he's much better at it than EJ). Ching. Cooper. Davies. Adu, even, would be a better #9. Johnson has speed, yes, but also has zero idea how to properly use it. He has no idea how to read an offsides trap, time his runs, or angle his runs. His first touch is godawful. His shot is as weak as hell is hot. He's terrible in the air. He's not a target guy. I could go on, and on, and on. He shouldn't be an option. He's not even a Colaship-level player. He should be our 5th choice striker at best, and I swear to god if he finds the net against Barbados and anyone declares him "back" I'm going to blow a gasket.