Landon Donovan will get his proper farewell

While his national-team career did not get the ceremonious reception it deserved, Landon Donovan will say goodbye to the American public in the best way possible when it comes to his club career.

The American striker advanced to the MLS Cup after the LA Galaxy defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-1 in the Western Conference final. A player that has helped the MLS grow more than any other player (perhaps excluding David Beckham), extends his career one more day as he looks to win his four MLS Cup and third in four years.

“It seems perfect,” said Donovan after the win. “I really want to go out a champion.”

It is hard to find a more lopsided final when it comes to experience and expectations.

 The New England Revolution are the Buffalo Bills of the MLS. They are still seeking their first title, despite making consecutive finals in 2005 2006 and 2007. Since then, they have been in a process of rebuilding before making a surprise run to the MLS Cup this year after defeating Thierry Henry and the New Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Final.

On the other endis a star-studded Los Angeles team with  four MLS Cup titles under its belt. It is strange to see a situation in which an underdog as big as the Revolution will have an entire nation rooting against them.

Donovan will go down in history as one of the best players in U.S. history, despite spending most of his playing career in the MLS. He decided early on—after modest spells in England and Germany---to dedicate himself to staying with the local league and helping it grow. Now the league is close to paying him back with a fairy tale ending. 

Se viene la revolución en México

En el minuto 43 del amistoso entre Holanda y México, el público cambio su cantico famoso por uno de “Justicia! Justicia!” en honor de los estudiantes desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa. La tensión en México sigue creciendo después de una de las tragedias más grandes en la historia del país. Si el país se encuentra en un estado de turbulencia y luto, la selección nacional muestra algo completamente opuesto.

En contraste con la revolución política viene una dentro del campo para El Tri. Si bien no se puede comparar la seriedad de la crisis política de México con un partido amistoso, los mexicanos pueden sacar consuelo con el estado del equipo nacional. Después de una gran presentación en el mundial que termino con la dramática eliminación ante Holanda, se vino la revancha en Ámsterdam durante la fecha FIFA.

Toda la atención previa al partido fue para Carlos Vela, quien regreso a la selección nacional después de una ausencia de más de cuatro años. El delantero de la Real Sociedad aún no ha explicado su ausencia, principalmente explicando que fue para concentrarse en su carrera al nivel de club. Si esa fue la razón, al fin ha sido justificado con su gran momento en la liga española.

Para los que piensan que su ausencia se debía a un choque con la federación mexicana, no hubo mejor insulto que el golazo que metió Vela en solo el segundo minuto del partido. Al fin el delantero anoto dos goles en su regreso. Chicharito anotó el otro gol del partido en la victoria.

Dentro de la victoria (y la derrota ante Bielorrusia) se vino una lección importante y obvia para la selección mexicana. El futuro de El Tri se encuentra en Europa.

En la victoria ante Holanda, Chicharito, Vela y Andrés Guardado fueron las estrellas del partido. Los tres jugadores que han tenido éxito en Europa. En el segundo partido, con un equipo B compuesto en mayor parte por jugadores de la Liga MX también fueron los europeos que destacaron: Los hermanos Dos Santos, Tecatito Corona y Raúl Jiménez.

Siempre se ha sabido que el futuro del equipo depende de jugadores probando sus fortunas en Europa. Parece que el reciente éxito de jugadores como Chicharito y Vela ha convencido a los jugadores aztecas a destacar sus talentos en el viejo continente. Aunque sean jugadores en la banca, como Diego Reyes con el Porto, ya se ve su maduración futbolística solo por estar expuestos al talento de las ligas grandes.

No solo se trata de jugar con los mejores, pero de competir con los mejores. Despues del reciente paso de la selección por Europa, el técnico Miguel Herrera estresó la importancia de jugar más amistosos contra los mejores equipos del mundo y espera tener más experiencias en Europa no solo para los jugadores si no para el equipo.

La estabilidad del equipo técnico con Herrera y el crecimiento de los jugadores en Europa (que estarán en un so apogeo para el Mundial del 2018) le da un gran optimismo al equipo. Ya esta fuera el estereotipo de que mexicanos no pueden o no se atreven a florecer en Europa. La revolución se viene en el equipo, ¿se podrán mantener los resultados cuando importe? 

Serie A must accept it is a second-rate league

Roma looked to have made its way back to the top spots in European soccer. The Serie A team is second in the Italian league with just one point behind Juventus. In their last Champions League apperance, Il Capitano Francesco Totti ignited hopes as his goal lead to a draw against Manchester City.

The expectations were so high that the Olimpico Stadium in Rome was sold out for the first time in five years as the team prepared to host German giants Bayern Munich. The game was promoted as the game to watch in this Champions League fixture. Instead of signaling Roma's return, it showcased just how far behind other top leagues the Serie A has fallen.

Pep Guardiola's men humiliated the Italians in a 7-1 victory, outclassing their opponents as they hurried to a 5-0 lead before the 40-minute mark. To be fair, the win may signal more the juggernauts that Bayern are were it not for the general pattern Italian sides have shown in recent years in Europe's greatest competition.

There are only two teams from the Serie A in the group stage, with new-and-improved Napoli being eliminated in the playoffs by Spain's Athletic Bilbao. Roma had done great before this with their aforementioned draw against City and a dominant win against CSKA Moscow. Juventus continue to underwhelm with a win and a loss so far in the competition.

Since Inter Milan won the Champions League with Jose Mourinho five years ago, no Italian team has made it to the semifinals of the competition. In fact, only two teams have made it as far as the quarterfinals. Its time to call it: the Serie A is a second-rate league and the quicker we accept it the quicker we can realize what it means.

The poverty and corruption of the Italian league have hurt the star power of the league. The biggest stars of the Serie a are aging legends Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo. It does not have the name or the money to bring it the top young talent or even aging stars--who may prefer the MLS or the United Arab Emirates.

With proper management, the top teams in the league could still make great runs in the tournament. To do so they will have to play smart as they fail to compete with the cash cows like Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. Until the Serie A realizes it is a proverbial underdog, and starts playing like one, it will continue to fall down the UEFA hierarchy

Del Bosque at the heart of Spain's struggles

The Spanish national team continues to struggle on offense. Excluding 5-1 and 3-0 wins over minnows Macedonia and Australia respectively, La Roja can't get the ball into the back of the net. It is not a new problem for the team, but one that was masked by success that has not been found since the 2012 European Championships.

With the declines of David Villa and Fernando Torres, the team has struggled to find a proper replacement with the team's mot recent result being a shocking 2-1 loss against Slovakia.

The current man of the hour is Diego Costa, but the Brazilian-naturalized-Spaniard has struggled to translate his club form to the national team. Many thought his burgeoning relationship with Chelsea teammate Cesc Fabregas would help but it was not enough to break through yet another defensive opponent.

That is precisely the problem with Spain. With teams still respecting them with extremely defensive lineups a target man, like Costa or the likes of Roberto Soldado or Fernando Llorente, may not be enough to break through.

The real problem is not in personnel but in tactics. Spain does not have the same team that dominated games and possession in 2010.  There's a need for a quick, dynamic player like Andres Iniesta to help break stalemates in that scenario.

In that regard, there may be better options in including someone like Pedro or Callejon alongside Diego Costa in the attack to help free up the poacher. Del Bosque added the Barcelona striker in the 58th minute of the game though he also struggled to break through.

There is also still hope in other young strikers like Morata and Jese Rodriguez, when he returns from injury. This is a new team with different talents and the national team manager seems reluctant to adapt the game plan to better fit not only its best strikers who have, for the most part, succeeded at a more direct style of play.

It is not just the strikers that are at odds with the tactics. With only three Barcelona players still as regular starters on the national team (Iniesta, Busquets and Pique), it makes no sense to retain the Tiki Taka styles.

With players from Madrid, Atletico and Chelsea (who dominate the roster positions) used to more direct counter-attacking styles, Del Bosque should adapt. 'Bigoton' has failed to do so and is revealing himself to be one of the most overrated managers in the game.

One shining example comes at the other end of the field with Iker Casillas, whose mistake lead to the first goal against Slovakia. Its time for the passing of the guard to David de Gea, but Vicente is too scared to shake the status quo.

Herrera must give up on the Peralta, Chicharito duo

Miguel Herrera has confirmed the starting lineup that Mexico will use for its friendly against Honduras on Thursday with the manager taking little chances when it comes to the team's attack.

While Piojo will take chances in defense and midfield, with players like Oswaldo Alanis and Alfonso Rios, there will be little changes when it comes to the always underwhelming duo of Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez and Oribe Peralta. 

Game after game it has been proven that the two players do not work together up front, due to the similarity in their play. While Peralta is more willing to step back and cede the poaching responsibilities to Chicharito, it is still not his forte. This is why the preferred attack should be Chicharito or Peralta paired up with Giovani dos Santos.

Dos Santos is not available due to injury, leaving Herrera with the options of Javier 'Chuletita' Orozco and Erick Torres.

The Chivas USA player looks to be a more dynamic option up front, though still not a facilitator, while giving the manager a chance to test new players.

To be fair, the dual '9's could work under the 5-3-2 system preferred by Herrera with the full backs expected to push in plenty of crosses in their runs forward while Marco Fabian and Hector Herrera are the perfect type of creative players to feed them the ball.

There is no conflict with two poachers on the team when there are a lot of reasons to expect they will get the ball played to them. The problem is that Chicharito and Peralta have never quite gotten the chemistry down together when it comes to moving off the ball.

Herrera needs to split his stars. One night should be Peralta paired with Orozco or Torres and the other two strikers (Chicharito and Peralta/Torres) playing in the second game. Eventually, the options of Raul Jimenez and, perhaps, Carlos Vela will be available as will the aforementioned Dos Santos.

For now, however, it makes no sense not to take a look at the local talent when finally playing friendlies at home. Speaking of local talent, perhaps we will see Eduardo Herrera get a chance in the next Mexican call-up.

We know what Peralta and Chicharito are capable of doing and there is no need to waste them in useless friendlies like  these: Chicharito is looking to adapt to a new team while Peralta is already 30-years-old and going through a scoring drought. It's time to look beyond the proverbial sons.

Movie Articles: Almost Famous--William meets Stillwater

As my latest project I have begun writing articles from famous movies as I think the characters would have written them and in some occasions how I would have written them myself. I started with Almost Famous (not the best idea in retrospect) and decided to put it in a magazine layout. Here goes!

I'm including the text alone here in case the text in the layout isn't visible. All comments, suggestions encouraged :)

Text:

“One of those people is going to save the world and that means that ROCK AND ROLL CAN SAVE THE WORLD---all of us together.” 

I grew up with music as my savior thanks to my sister, Anita, who introduced me to Cream, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, and Miles Davis.  Upon giving me the CD of The Who’s “Tommy”, she claimed “Listen to Tommy with a candle burning and you will see your entire future.

In what was a strict and, admittedly, strange household, music soon became the liberation movement, along with writing. So what better way to spend my life than writing about the magic of Rock and Roll?

Upon giving me my first assignment, my childhood hero, Lester Bangs proclaimed, “You got here just in time for the death rattle, the last gasp. The last grope.” But what a mighty grope it turned out to be once I got a grip on it.

I couldn’t have gotten off on a worse foot when arriving at a Black Sabbath concert on my first assignment. As we drove up, my mother yelled “Don’t Take Drugs,” as I exited the car to enter the San Diego Sports Arena, causing raucous laughing from the concert goers surrounding us. Then there was the challenge of actually getting inside.

Upon approaching the back entrance, I was told that I was not allowed in and was sent to the top of the ramp “with the girls”. It was there that I met Estrella, 17, and Penny Lane, who presented themselves as “Band Aids” (do not ever call Band Aids groupies, “no more sex, no more exploiting our bodies and hearts…just blow jobs”, they exclaimed).

Penny Lane was beautiful, with flowing blond curls and enough charm to make you fall in love with her with one look. Estrella was blonde and innocent, despite the talk of sex and drugs surrounding the scene atop the ramp.

As I spoke to the girls, Stillwater approached on their Bus, “Stillwater Tour 73”, painted on the side.  The band was composed of Russell Hammond, the star guitarist, Jeff Bebe, the singer, Ed Vallencourt, the quiet drummer and Larry Turner, the bass player. The director of the grand orchestra was band manager, Dick Roswell.

Upon first meeting them, the band refused to talk to me, claiming journalists were “frustrated musicians”. It was not until I praised the song “Fever Dog”, that they believed I may have been a legitimate fan and not just an enemy trying to infiltrate the camp. It was my saying, “and the guitar sound was incendiary” that really won over the guitarist. 

Russell then began to open up, giving me the first one-on-one interview of my career; however hurried it was amid the chaos backstage. I had my handy tape recorder and, despite evidence to the contrary, felt like the coolest man in town.

“Rock and Roll is a lifestyle, and a way of thinking. It’s not about money and popularity. It’s a voice that says here I am and FUCK YOU if you can’t understand me,” he began as he smoothed the strings of his guitar with a dirty cloth. 

Russell would go on to explain how it was chasing the “Buzz” that had gotten them out of Troy, Michigan and touring across the country to share their message. 

“We’re here because we needed to fucking be here, not just 'cause we needed to be away from Troy, Michigan, WHICH WE DID... but what it all comes down to is that thing,” he continued. 

Then he stressed the quote that most got me hypnotized: 

“One of those people is going to save the world and that means that ROCK AND ROLL CAN SAVE THE WORLD---all of us together. 

It was then time for the ring director to corral then band and get them to stage to open for Black Sabbath. The band huddled together, touched feet, “broke” and headed on to the stage, before I knew it I was surrounded as well, as much a part of the band as the colorfully laminated suitcases carrying the instruments.

In a blur of time, the band was on the stage, Jeff transformed with the microphone in his hand while Russell showed off, playing with his guitar cord for the fans—becoming the star almost immediately. They began with the song, “If you Say Nothing” and within the first thirty seconds the crowd was completely invested. The show had begun.

The show passed in a flurry as I watched with the girls, Russell shining against the rest as a consummate star with the lights barring down upon him. After the show, I was invited with the band to the Continental Hyatt House in Los Angeles, which they affectionately called “The Riot House”.

The warning from Bangs before my mission rang out “Once you go to L.A. you’re going to make friends, but they’ll be fake friends. They’re going to try and corrupt you. You can’t be friends with Rock Stars.” 

Jaded throughout, Bangs claimed upon sending me out that “they will ruin rock and roll, strangle everything we love about it.” 

But right now, at least for me, the dream was alive. And I was part of the family. The initial embarrassment that had come when I was sent to the top of the rank was long forgotten. For here was a sense of comradeship I’d never experienced. For once there was no overarching worry that I didn’t fit in, that I was younger, that I wasn’t one of them. 

Black Sabbath began playing, and despite it being my assignment, I was busy outside the arena getting Penny Lane’s number in case I “needed a rescue”. She talked of flying off to Morocco just the two of us, and my new world expanded. 

I stumbled home dreaming of jam sessions at the Riot House and a private tour of Morocco with Penny Lane, still wearing her fur coat under the blistering heat of the desert.

In Design 2

Here's my second attempt. Added infographic and made two smaller posts on the bottom rather than one long one. Changed some of the colors/placement. Let me know what you guys think (this one is made up of actual original material).

In Design 1

Hey Y'all.

Just got In Design to mess around with. Trying to make a bunch of designs and upload them hoping to get constructive criticism so I can learn how to work with it/learn good design visuals and such. So critique away.

Athlete Profile: The Life and Death of Esteban de Jesus

I came upon Esteban de Jesus when I was compiling a list of the greatest Puerto Rican boxers of all time. De Jesus didn't make the final cut, mainly because I could not find a picture to be used.

The only agency photo I could find was a picture of Roberto Duran, considered one of boxing's greatest villains, courageously holding up his dying friend, De Jesus.

I say courageously because at just 37 years of age De Jesus was dying of AIDS. And, with the AIDS epidemic still kicking off and information about the disease still minimal, Duran was not scared to call De Jesus and show him compassion when many were reluctant to even be in the same room as AIDS patients.

Esteban de Jesus had the brightest moment of his career eleven years prior, when he knocked out the then undefeated Duran in one of the greatest fights of the decade.



For most of the 1970's Esteban de Jesus was one of the best lightweight fighters in the world. Had it not been for Duran he may be considered the best of all time.

It was around that time that the mighty train began to derail. Like many boxers of his generation, and even today he found himself falling victim to another epidemic, drug addiction.

In 1981 injected himself with cocaine before getting in his car. Sometime during his drive he shot 17-year old Roberto Cintron Gonzalez in the head during a traffic dispute. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.

He supposedly turned his life around once in prison, becoming a born again Christian and giving daily sermons. He was released from prison on a government pardon when it was announced he had HIV. He was released on the condition that he go directly to a clinic specializing in AIDS, a common practice at the time.

He was sent home to spend time with his family and friends, including his former nemesis Duran who hugged and kissed him upon his visit. De Jesus died one month after his pardon.

De Jesus is an epitome of the greatest and worst aspects of boxing. The same highs and lows that can lead to the drug use that destroyed his life could lead to the same friendships that surrounded him as he died in 1989.

UFC vs Boxing Saturday Night: The Winners and Losers

Saturday night offered a premier event to see which contact sport, boxing or UFC, will be the future star. FOX offered a heavily promoted premiere for UFC on broadcast television while boxing offered much of the same, relying on the name of its big star Manny Pacquiao.

It should come as a surprise then that the heavily promoted event was more satisfying for viewers, and the old outdated boxing event was more useful for promoters.

UFC did all it could. It created an amazing set and set all its wheels in motion in a greatly organized event. Everyone could foresee that having only one premiere fight was a bad idea--it called for an early knockout to ruin all logistics. And it did.

Except it didn't. The most exciting moment in any fight, however disappointing it may seem, is a first round knockout. It proved that UFC is real fighting, not guys wrestling on the floor for hours, pounding each other's faces in.

It worked. It was a light, sensational entree to the sport.

Personally I would have placed a lightweight fight at the beginning, to whet the appetite. You know the type, the one with acrobatic kicks and punches that show the real athleticism of the sport.

But this isn't sex. Length does not matter. It was a sensational part. It'll help Dana to plan future events and it got people talking about the sport. That was its goal. Viewers won, promoters won. Numbers came in showing the 18-45 male demographic showed up. That's all the UFC wanted.

Now on to that other sport and proof that length doesn't matter. There was a spectacular premiere fight. It wasn't one sided, it was close and contested with the underdog out boxing the favorite.

During the conference call prior to the fight with Juan Manuel Marquez my first fight question was, "Do you need to knock Manny Pacquiao out to win the fight?"

He was reluctant to respond, but it was clear to anyone present in the first two fights that it was true. Pacquiao also knew he needed a knockout to silence critics. Neither man delivered and Pacquiao got the benefit of the doubt for having a more aggressive style and, here is the kicker, being the fighter controlled by the promoters.

I was just added to the boxing beat late in the summer. My first fight was the fiasco between Mayweather and Ortiz. Every boxer in that card controlled by Golden Boy (if Mayweather is counted as a Golden Boy fighter as he is in this instance) won in what seemed questionable calls by the judges.

That's the problem with boxing. It's controlled by the promoters, and the promoters won. And that's all that matters. The fight may have been stolen, but how many people will show up to watch the fight again when HBO repeats it this Saturday to confirm their thoughts? Much more than if it had been a clear victory for either fighter.

The fight is being talked about, boxing is dominating national discussions. Marquez lost out, but the promoters won out.

Now Marquez-Pacquiao IV seems a genuine rematch, not just a redundant one. And more importantly Pacquiao vs Mayweather Jr. is still alive.

The only real losers Saturday night were Cain Velasquez and Juan Manuel Marquez.

The Penn State Scandal and an Unspeakable Crime

The story around former Penn State Defensive Coordinator is so horrifying, so grotesque that it tests the boundaries of human interaction.

Everyone involved in the scandal, from those witnessing to those reporting to those prosecuting, seem at a loss for words and actions. There is no appropriate way to address any of it except, perhaps, a return to the middle ages where Sandosky can be hung on the town square and we can all feel clean, safe, purged.

Adult after adult came in contact with it and failed to report it, not knowing how to react to the claims. The blame is not only on Penn State and the recognizable names, its on a society that makes these subjects so taboo.

Joe Paterno, upon being told, went home to his bosses, horrified, disgusted, and petrified and told them to take care of it.

None of them are justified in their reactions, but what comes to light is that there needs to be new education. There need to be clearer laws to avoid something like this happening again.

A crime like this cannot become so unspeakable that people cannot find a way to report it. I do think Penn State was trying to protect its ass, as were some of the schools, but to ignore the other side of it, the side that refuses to accept acts like this can occur is hurting the children involved.

This case needs to become an opportunity for adults and children to learn a way to speak about something like this without guilt, without hesitation.

Unfortunately we live in a world were this happens more than we care to imagine, now is the time to bring it to the light and reveal the many Sandusky's not associated with a big time football program and get them to justice as well.

Uruguay vs Mexico: Which dream team is for real?

Two teams have found constant success in international competitions at all age groups, nope not Argentina, not Brazil, not Spain: Uruguay and Mexico.


With a bronze and gold respectively in the Pan-Am Games, the teams continue to be two of the fastest up-and-coming teams in international football.


Here are the spots where the teams have finished in the Top 4 in the past year and a half.


Uruguay: 4th place World Cup, Runners-Up in U-20 World Cup, Copa America champions, Bronze medal in Pan-Am Games.


Mexico: Gold Cup champions, U-17 World cup Champions, U-20 World Cup third place, gold medal in Pan-Am Games.


Are these teams truly looking to become big players in international soccer, or is it just a fluke?


It’s easier to take Uruguay more seriously; they’ve done it against greater competition, and now for a more consistent length of time. Also, Mexico in at least two (with the Gold Cup being an easy third) competitions have benefited from home field advantage.


Ultimately, Uruguay is clearly the team with the most promise, although to counter they are also relying on an older generation. On the other hand Mexico can feel confident, but should not expect to be a Top 10 powerhouse just yet. It won’t be able to do that until the officials are committed to working with the clearly extensive talent pool in Mexico.

The Anonymity of Success: The USA’s delegation to the Pan-Am Games

AP recently put out a story detailing the seeming phenomena of Mexican athletes winning medals in the Pan-Am games immediately becoming national stars. Seemingly, this is because the games are being hosted in Mexico, and that is definitely a huge part of it, but it’s not the only one.

As a Mexican, I’ve grown up accustomed to following the strangest sports in which Mexicans have the rare opportunity of winning, dominating. There’s a reason the LPGA was huge in Mexico during the time of Lorena Ochoa’s reign as the top women’s golfer in the world. There’s a reason we got up in the morning to watch the 20-km walk, a reason we know the difficulty level of a 3.5. Backwards dive (3.8).

The US on the other hand has three of the top five professional sports leagues in the world (MLB, NFL, NBA, La Liga, Premiere League as final two), dominates/is highly competitive in practically every team sport except rugby and cricket.

They don’t need to find heroes; rather they try and weed through them, to see which one is really worth ‘hero’ status. There are gymnasts, American gymnasts that have not lost competitions in 5 years and the US couldn’t care less.

I can name at least ten Mexican medalists out of the 33 they had in the Pan-Am games when I started writing this. I can name two Americans off the top of my head Shawn Johnson (because I remembered her from 2008) and Elisabeth Best (because my boss made a quip about her being the ‘Best’).

Point is, with approximately two days left in competition (and despite almost being entirely absent from medal races in track) the US has twice as many gold medals as the next opponent (81-40) and twice as many medals (201, 102), yet aside from followers of niche sports like handball and water polo. Who cares?

“Yes, we won. We should win against those damned third world countries also taking up space in the Americas.”

It’s not about the US necessarily thinking it is better, or having it validated on the medal count, its actual pragmatism. For writers not dedicating themselves to the Pan-Am Games, and even those that are, do you have the time to profile all 202 winners?

Half of those? One tenth of those? Instead there’s bland score recaps, listing of winners. And no one in their right mind will be enthralled by that.

Does the national media focused on the World Series, football, and an NBA lockout care that the US now holds practically every title in shooting?

The US sent a mix of future stars and has beens to the games and dominated against some of the best athletes in the Americas. But the expectation of success, and the subsequent apathy towards it, seems to have erased the narrative from the national minds.

Who’s Jorge? Being a (co) Sports Editor at the University of Miami

Towards the end of our tenure as Sports Editors for the Ibis Yearbook at the University of Miami, my co-editor and I were asked to write a letter to the next editor of the section giving our advice, thoughts, reactions, comments, warnings, etc. Being the stellar editors that we were, we both utterly forgot about it (at least, I’m assuming he did too and if he didn’t I’m furious that he did not show me what he wrote).

Per the request of said editor, I have decided to write the letter as a blog, for future and past school editors to enjoy.

Dear Jorge,

I learned more in the year I spent as (co) Sports Editor of the Ibis Yearbook than I did in any other year during my time at the University of Miami. It’s a great hands-on experience. Just the same, it was not a breeze which is probably why it was that useful.

I think more than any other section the sports section allowed us to have a real life experience. We had to deal with red tape, breaking news, and at times a lot of creative freedom.

The most important thing you’ll need is patience and persistence. It sounds cheesy, but its true and I’m not entirely sure we had enough of it. The University of Miami is a very big, important business and as a student publication you are its last thought, especially for the athletic department.

This is not an attack. It’s understandable. We are at the bottom of a hierarchy that includes ESPN, CBS, NBC, The Miami Herald, Sun Sentinnel, etc. We are also, understandably not the most adept at knowing how to request, follow up, etc on our requests.

In my experience, the best approach is to be persistent and early with your requests. Don’t just rely on email. Call, go to the sports media office, cultivate a relationship with the SID’s.

This is not to say you will not get people that seem out to make life difficult beyond just blowing you off/not making you a priority. One SID in particular, who shall remain unnamed, did the following:

 

*Repeatedly complained, refused to provide information without being allowed to review the article in question. Or complained after the fact that the article was wrong/flawed because we specifically did not run it by him first and let him review it.

*Called my co-editor Jorge. Despite our names showing up in the bottom of all our emails, including the one he was replying to in that specific email. Minor issue really, but in the context of the email absurdly and unnecessarily rude.

*Refused, Ignored, Rejected our requests without reason, at times not acknowledging multiple requests.

Just the same, there were also SID’s that went out of their way to help. Keep those close and be thankful to them. Make it clear that you are there to help them as they help you as well.

Now, regarding the people you are working with. Things go wrong, there’s a lack of organization at times which may be common to publications relying on full time students. The publication cannot, and should not, be the priority of students.

There’s people working there that perhaps do not belong, are disrespectful, etc. This is going to happen in every job you have and honestly dealing with in on a school paper where the repercussions (losing your temper, quitting, biting your tongue) are less dire it is also a great experience. I would propose biting your tongue if you do care about the publication and speak with your actions, also if necessary and possible, go above/around their heads to get what you think is best for your section.

This is not to say this was a bad experience. I loved it and learned a lot and I am extremely thankful for getting the opportunity. I am also extremely thankful for the wonderful plaque I received at the end of the year from the staff, which I will place front and center in my office if I’m ever successful enough to have one.

Sincerely,

Ibis (co) Sports Editor

UM v FSU

UM 84—68 FSU

The orange pieces paced quickly to their seats,

Some entered with hope, some other with bribes,

The first whistle blows; the ball the first rim hits

The minutes pass, slow score—no vibes.

The teams throw punches, tit for tat;

The numbers rise, the other counters

Defensive fury as the offense falls flat,

A slow new rhythm as the half flounders.

Canes start second as the Seminoles rise

To a second half lead; then the defense again

Gains the power; FSU can’t play nice

And foul troubles compile as the canes take the gain

An 18-0 run as the arena explodes to a twenty point lead,

To protect their home undefeated: opponents take heed.

World Cup Team Profiles: South Africa

South Africa, the first African host of the World Cup, qualified automatically as the host nation. They will open up tournament play against Mexico on June 11th at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. They are ranked 81st in the world, the lowest ranked team in the tournament.

South Africa was banned form the World Cup due to their apartheid policies from 1961 to 1963 due to their discriminatory policies that conflicted with FIFA standards. They were officially expelled from FIFA in 1976 after the Soweto Uprising. It was not until 1991 when Apartheid began to be lifted that South Africa again played an international match.

It is their third appearance in the World Cup. They participated in France ‘98 and Korea/Japan 2002. South Africa has never progressed from the group stage at a World Cup. If South Africa does not make it through the group stage in 2010, they will become the first host nation not to make it past the group stage.

Rainbow Nation’s star striker is Stephen Piennar who plays for Everton in the English Premier League. He takes the spot of Star Striker Benni McCarthy who has not been called by manager Carlos Alberto Parreira.

El Peso del Dinero

Si en algun momento se podia preguntar de verdad, cuanto pesa la camisa, ese dia ya esta muerto. Si la notiica del  no es como las Chivas, y especificamente Vergara deshonraron la historia de Ramon Morales en Chivas, la noticia es que no es nada nuevo. La noticia es que no hay controversia porque al fin del dia esto es un negocio y cualquier corporacion del tamano y (poder) de Chivas se deshaceria de un empleado igual que lo que se ha hecho con Ramonsito.

El peso de la camisa se mide en lo que cuesta, y que ironia que la camisa valga mas una ves roto el contrato.

Si Vergara no es un desgraciado por correr a un hombre como Ramonsito, entonces tampoco Ramon Morales es un desagradecido por no irse a Chivas USA. Ramon no tiene porque dejar su pais y con lo que le ha dado al futbol mexicano merece irse al equipo que quiera EN MEXICO.

En los dias de prestamos (Beckham en Milan, Suazo a Zaragosa, Donovan en Everton) el futbolista ya no carga la camisa con el mismo orgullo: la renta para el que aporte mas dinero y poder.

Jugadores como Lampart y Gerard son cosas del pasado, aunque parece ser que los jugadores ingleses e italianos (fuera de Bekcham) son de los pocos jugadores que todavia respetan el peso de la camisa---si solo brindaran ese orgullo en el nivel internacional. Quien ve a Rooney saliendo de Manchester? Tampoco parece que se valla de Real Madrid Raul en ningun momento iminente: pero es un caso especial, siendo sin duda el corazon del equipo.

La diferencia clara es que estos jugadores, aunque no lo acepten los respectivos tecnicos, controlan sus equipos. Lampart, Gerard, y Rooney tinen el poder que quieran en el plantel y el talento para mantener ese control. Si cualquiera de ellos bajara su nivel no seria la misma propocision.

Hay que aceptarlo, Ramon bajo su nivel. Ya no era titular y se dejo deslumbrar por los jovenes en los que chivas depende cada ves mas. Tiene la mala suerte de jugar para un dueno que ha hecho claro que cualquier jugador y director tecnico es desechable—menos que el equipo, menos que la compania.

El resto de los jugadores de Chivas tienen que darse quenta de la compania en la cual toman parte—los jovenes que crecieron idolizando al equipo quieren que entender que esto es mas que un sueno—es un negocio.

Por cada Gerard y Roonie hay miles de jugadores que desaparecen, que dan su vida a un equipo para perderlo todo al proximo dia. Ninguna liga esta mas preparada para hacer sus jugadores menos que la liga mexicana.

Con suerte algo bueno puede salir de esto. Con suerte, al ver lo poco que valen en mexico mas jugadores saldran mas de mexico a jugador en el extranjero—aprendiendo que si van a ser desechables, mejor ser desechables en una liga que vale algo no en una liga corrupta que existe solo para hacer mas ricos a los duenos al sacrificio no solo de los jugadores si no de los equipos chicos.

Una Victoria Cegadora

 

No por fulminante. No por el futbol extraordinario que mostro, si no por lo que le ha hecho a una nación. En lo que millones de mexicanos despiertan todavía sintiendo el tequila del festejo de anoche tendrán que aceptar la terrible verdad: nada ha cambiado.

Seguimos en cuarto lugar. Seguimos sin ganar fuera. Seguimos vivos por una razón, y solo una. No las maravillas de nuestro técnico ni las hazañas de nuestros jugadores, si no la imponente posición del Coloso de Santa Úrsula.

Sin duda, México domino el juego. México jugó mejor, sin contar los primeros diez minutos del partido. Pero al fin, la única razón que gano México fue por un golazo de Israel Castro y suerte en el gol de Sabah. Un gol que nunca hubiera sucedido sin un error de la marca estadounidense que dejo a Sabah solo en el área de frente al arco.

Estados Unidos ya no podía correr entrando al segundo tiempo. En parte su culpa por haber llegado apenas un día antes del partido, sin darse tiempo para acostumbrarse al cambio de altura y clima. Pero con un Estados Unidos completo, no entorpecido por el Azteca y un horario manipulado por la Federación Mexicana de Futbol sin haber dado una razón lógica, esdificil creer que el resultado hubiera sido el mismo.

Ningún jugador, aparte de Efraín Juárez y Cuauhtémoc Blanco, tuvo una presentación deslumbrante el miércoles. Todos hicieron lo necesario, nada más. Eso no se puede aceptar en un juego que para la selección era de vida o muerte.

Ahora, para el técnico. Que estaba haciendo Aguirre con sus cambios?

Primero saca a Blanco, uno de los mejores jugadores en el campo cuando le quedaban fácilmente otros diez minutos de efectividad para meter a Vela que en su tiempo en el campo hizo lo mínimo posible. Con su velocidad no tuvo el valor para atacar a una defensa que ya estaba llena de amarillas. Aunque no hubiera pasado fácilmente pudo haber causado una segunda amarilla, especialmente con un árbitro que en todo el juego siempre marco a favor de México.

El segundo cambio fue un fracaso. Saco a Andres Guardado por Nery Castillo. De nuevo, Aguirre no saco a Franco que en todo el juego solo sirvió para estorbar y patear a los oponentes. La salida de Guardado está bien, no metió centros y ya venía tocado de la rodilla. Pero Nery?! De nuevo demostró que no tiene la madurez para estar en la selección. De nuevo no aporto nada de futbol, solo aporta su actitud negativa.

Debió haber recibido una tarjeta por agarrar a Davies, y debió haber recibido la segunda por altercar al portero Howard. Por suerte no dejo a México con 10, cuando todavía seguían empatados así arriesgando que perdiera su selección.

El único cambio bueno que hizo Aguirre fue meter a Sabah por Franco, el cambio que debió haber hecho veinte minutos antes. Cinco minutos después de entrar, Sabah ya había anotado el gol de la victoria.

Si el gol fue por suerte, fue buen rebote. Pero también Sabah estuvo en el lugar correcto y supo definir perfectamente. En 76 minutos de juego Franco no había hecho nada.

Franco y Nery representan el problema principal de México. No es el futbol, el futbol está ahí y con un poco de paciencia y de estabilidad ( por dios Aguirre ya no cambies la alineación!) mejorara a un nivel mejor, no competitivo para ganar un mundial pero seguro para calificar.

El problema es la lealtad que les damos a estos jugadores que no aportan nada. Franco no ha hecho nada; Sabah desde la copa de Oro ha sido el goleador que buscábamos. No es la solución permanente, pero funciona.

Nery lleva dos años sin aportar nada. Sigue metiéndose con los periodistas. Sigue metiéndose con los oponentes y sigue metiéndose con los árbitros. Junto a él, Cuauhtémoc blanco parece un ángel caído del cielo porque por más que la gente quiera criticar su actitud, Cuauhtémoc siempre lo mete todo al campo, y siempre cambia le personalidad del equipo cuando está en el campo.

Si Aguirre quiere tener jugadores naturalizados, que meta a Sinha, no ha niñitos con problemas de actitud o jugadores que ni siquiera pueden encontrar un club.

Quantity over Quality

On Sunday, the US pulled off one of the most imponderable results in international competitive soccer by defeating Egypt 3-0 and taking advantage of a 3-0 Italian defeat at the hands of the Brazilian national team to advance to the semi finals of the Confederations Cup.

At the end of the day, Italy and the US ended up tied in points (3) and goal difference (-2). So how did the US manage to pass through to the next stage?

According to FIFA tiebreak rules in the group stage are as follows: 1) Goal difference in all group matches  2) Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches 3) Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned.

Sound iffy to anyone? What this is saying, setting aside the individual results of this tournament, is that the fact that the US scored one more goal is more important in determining which is a better team than the fact that Italy beat the US 3-1 less than a week before.

How is a head-to-head encounter not the best way to judge which of two teams is better?

In the current case, there’s a sense of redemption since it was an unfair red card in that early game that allowed Italy to take such a strong lead and probably to take a lead to begin with against the US.

Aside from ‘fairness’ and logic  there is another problem with this form of judgment. This tiebreaker gives preference to a style of play.

Without a doubt, and as made clear in this tournament. The importance placed on goals scored gives preference to offensive teams while hindering teams, like Italy that play a defensive style of play.

It seems natural that FIFA would give preference to il jogo bonito of Brazil. Maybe this is a reaction to Italy’s win in 2006 in which everyone was willing to criticize Italy for winning with its defensive, rough and lets admit unattractive style of play while mourning the demise of Brazil’s jogo bonito in the quarters.

Yet, the commentators admitted that while the Brazilians played pretty they did not play well and while the Italians played horrible style football they got the results they needed.

For now, FIFA’s strategy has backfired. The viewership and attendance that an Italy v. Spain semifinal would have garnered would have been infinitely better than a US. v. Spain semifinal.

The only game that had sold out in the group stage was the Italy v. Brazil game. Hopefully this gets Blatter to reassess the FIFA rules and bring some logic and fairness back to the game.

Iran, The Politics of Soccer

The Iranian Soccer team took the Iranian protest of the recent election to a very international level yesterday, when seven players entered their World Cup Qualifier Game against the Republic of South Korea wearing green bands symbolizing their support for reform leader Mir Hossein Moussavi. The protest also extended to the Iranian supporters who were not nearly as subtle as the Iranian players.

The protest, miniscule in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of protesters lining the Iranian streets, has given it an amazing visibility and symbolism especially in light of the growing censorship of local and international media in Iran. While the government can censor the information on their TV it would be impossible to censor the World Cup Qualifier, with soccer being the most popular sport in Iran.

The players were forced to take off their armbands in the second half as they were not part of the official uniform. The game gained even more emotional baggage when a goal from Park Ji-Sung 9 minutes from the end of the game tied the game and ended Team Mellis chances to qualify for the South African World Cup.

The Question is then, who is in a more perilous spot at the moment: the regime or the players?

It’s unlikely that a regime already ceding to some of the pressure would have the audacity, or rather the strength, to go after these soccer players which after yesterday have an even greater superstar status within the country.

This is not to take away from the players. What they did was extremely brave and courageous. It is yet another response from Iran that should give hope and inspiration throughout the world.

The real question is, how much damage can this do to the regime? It’s just armbands, right?

The Iran team, like in many countries throughout the world, holds a symbolic importance within the country that explains the government’s constant control of the team.

Sometimes the policies of the government and the team is hard to differentiate. In 2006, the team was temporarily suspended when from International play when the government backed Physical Education Organization removed Football Federation Chief Mohammed Dadkan due to the teams negative results in the 2006 World Cup. They did not make it past group play.

Dadkan reported that he had been personally abused after the teams elimination and was even called a “Zionist Collaborator”, a strong claim coming form a government that forbids competition against Israeli teams or athletes.

There were many protests prior to the 2006 World Cup calling for the removal of the team from the tournament when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied the holocaust had ever happened, calling it a “myth that they call the massacre of Jews and they consider it a principle above God, religions and the prophets”

These remarks came months after Ahmadinejad had claimed that Israel should be '”wiped off the map”

Ultimately, it was decided that the words of the supposedly democratically elected leader did not represent the opinions of the Iranian people and much les the Iranian national team. A claim that holds even greater importance after the disputed elections and a claim made clear by the green wristbands worn by the players in support of Moussavi.