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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

USA Defeats North Korea in Group Stage 2-0

The United States women's national team defeated North Korea in the teams' opening Women's World Cup game in Germany. The US was led by goal scorers Lauren Cheney and Rachel Buehler.

The US started out playing a short passing possession game. In the first half, they struggled to execute offensively against the high pressure North Korean defense. Poor first touches and sloppy passes by the US gave North Korea a few goal scoring opportunities, but Hope Solo did well to protect the goal. The first half of the game was evenly matched and it looked like either team could win.

The second half was a different story. The US seemed to realize that they were unable to break the North Korean defense by playing short passes and started to play a mixed approach, favoring the long ball. North Korea suffered from fatigued and did not put the US under intense pressure as was the case in the first half. This allowed the US to move the ball up field without being penalized for their poor ball control.

In fact, the two goals were products of offensive movements that started from a long ball down the field. On the first goal, Abby Wambach made a run behind the defense onto a long ball played into the corner. She did a cutback that gave her the time and space to get off a cross to Cheney who scored with a fantastic header.

The second goal was a result of a long ball that came off of Korea for the US corner. After a few missed tackles and missed opportunities for clearances, the US made Korea pay with a slotted shot by Buehler.

This game showed that if the USA wants to win, they will need to stick with what they know: the long ball offense. It is clear that the team doesn't have the technical ability to play possession and, when they play against fit and athletic teams, the US will pay for their poor technical ability.

Watching the EPSN post game commentary the last 24 hours has been very amusing as well. The American announcers all ignore the fact that the US won because North Korea was not as fit as they should be at the international level and don't mention that the US scored off of long balls as they failed at playing possession. The non-American announcer was the only one to cite North Korea's lack of fitness in the 2nd half as the turning point for the US, but the other announcers disagreed and credited the success with the US. I thought it was rather funny.

here are highlights of the two goals, via youtube.com:

Friday, June 24, 2011

Liverpool Sign Henderson from Sunderland

22 year old Jordan Henderson has completed a summer transfer from Sunderland to Liverpool. Henderson enjoyed a good run of form during the season, but the transfer of Sunderland's number one striker, Darren Bent, saw the team struggle to gain results. His transfer fee may reportedly rise to £15 million depending on the clauses included in the transfer contract.

I think that Henderson is a great transfer. When he was playing with a great striker, he excelled. Luckily, Liverpool have Suarez and (hopefully) Carrol will hit form, which will give Henderson some attacking outlets to play the ball to. Henderson is a young midfielder with a lot of upside and I expect him to grow a lot under Kenny Dalglish.
Here are some videos of Henderson in action, via youtube.com, that highlight his touch, finishing, and passing abilities.
 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Adidas reveals adiPower Predator

I couldn't resist posting about this. I am literally drooling at the idea of wearing this shoe and may have to start playing soccer again as an excuse to purchase it.

Adidas has released images of the newest installation to its Predator line: the adiPower. Its initial release will be featured in two colorways (black/white/red and blue/electricty) and is currently up for pre-order at prices ranging from $200-250.

In my opinion, the adiPower brings Adidas back at the forefront of football boots. It is absolutely stunning and I am excited to try the technology out for myself. My only worry is that it is not very durable. Only time will tell.

Read about the details over at Soccer Bible.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Dalglish Signs 3 Year Deal

It is official: Kenny Dalglish is Liverpool FC's new manager.

This is not a surprise as Kenny has led a turnaround at the club, saving the Reds from the bottom half of the table (at one point it seemed possible that we could be relegated) and bringing them up to 5th place. The culture of the club has changed and its nice to see that he can stay and keep it going.

This is probably the biggest "no-brainer" decision that the Fenway Sports Group has had to make since taking over Liverpool. The future is exciting and I look forward to Dalglish taking us to bigger and better things.

Read more about this story at Liverpool FC's official website.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Liverpool to Sign Kit Deal With Warrior

Wait, what? Weird.

Liverpool are going to switch kit suppliers from Adidas to Warrior, an American based company known for its lacrosse gear.
Warrior is a subsidiary of New Balance

The Details of the deal are that Liverpool will sign a £25 million pound deal with Warrior that will start for the 2012-13 season. It is interesting to note that Liverpool have not won a European cup while wearing an Adidas kit, so... maybe this will change our luck!

As a business major, I have to admit that this worries me from a branding and distribution standpoint. Adidas has both strong brand recognition and a worldwide distribution system that helped make Liverpool the fourth highest selling football jersey in the world. I don't know much about Warrior or New Balance, but I think that says a lot about its brand visibility.

I've read comments from Europeans who have never heard of Warrior, so that shows that Warrior doesn't have worldwide brand equity and that they do not sell their product worldwide and don't have the infrastructure to distribute Liverpool jerseys internationally at a low cost.

In the end, I don't think jersey sales have the same impact as £25 million injected directly into the club on a yearly basis, so the benefits outweigh the costs.

Read more about it at the UK's The Daily Mail.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Terp's Head Coach Search: Moving to Plan C, D, and So On

Arizona's Sean Miller, Maryland's number one target in its search for Gary William's replacement, has turned down the opportunity to be the head coach of the Terps. Initially it was being reported that Miller would be revealed as Maryland's new head coach on Monday. This rejection is a major blow to the search process as Maryland's athletic director, Kevin Anderson, had to move onto plan B: Butler's Brad Stevens.

Things went from bad to worse when Butler's coaching prodigy, Brad Stevens, also turned down Maryland to remain in Indiana. Now on to Plan C, D, and probably plan E. This is pathetic.

Not only are we having to settle for a lesser-known coach, everyone knows that we are getting turned down left and right. This makes our basketball program look like a joke.

Plan C is Notre Dame's Mike Brey. He's from Maryland and has found success at Notre Dame, but isn't a bomb hire that Stevens or Miller would have been. This is serious business, because if we don't get a respectable coach we risk losing some of the most talented recruits we've gotten to sign letters of intent in a while.

One has to wonder if Gary Williams was really planning to retire, or is it just a coincidence that we get a new athletic director and instantly the coaches of our revenue sports (that support the other 25 sports that don't bring in any money) are fired or retiring. What a coincidence that is. Only time will tell us if these changes are positive for the program.
Wonder what he is thinking right now...


If these coaching replacements are busts, Kevin Anderson will be affecting more than just football and basketball. He'll be affecting every sport. In the event our two big sports don't bring in as much money as in the past, that revenue lossed means we won't be able to fully support the 25 other sports. Let's keep our fingers crossed that that doesn't happen, even though I've already heard rumors on campus that some varsity sports will be cut next year.

Do I trust Kevin Anderson to make an exciting hire? No. See Randy Edsall. Do I trust Kevin Anderson to make a good hire? To be determined. I'm going to wait to see his new coaches in action over the next several seasons.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Gary Williams to Retire

Gary Williams has announced his retirement from coaching after 22 years as head coach of the University of Maryland's men's basketball team.
Terp's head basketball coach Gary William's signature fist pump

There will be a press conference tomorrow, May 6th, at 1 PM in the Comcast Center. 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Liverpool Return to Form, Dalglish to Thank

Liverpool FC currently occupy fifth place in the English Premier League, which qualifies them for the Euoropa League next season. Early in the season, Liverpool were three points above relegation. What changed?

Two things come to mind: The Fenway Sports Group and Kenny Dalglish.

FSG replaced the previous owners and immediately made changes to the club. The best decision, by far, was the firing of Roy Hogdson and the hiring of Kenny Dalglish - the main topic of my article today.

Photo from the Independent


Dalglish made immediate changes to the club. Primarily, our style of play switch from the long-ball orientation to the short passing style that Liverpool employed during the height of the club's success in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Not only is the short passing more enjoyable to watch, it has proven to be very effective given the players we have at the club. Dalglish recognized that we possess speed in our defensive backs and precision passing in our central midfield.

The long ball approach was taking our talented midfield players of Maxi Rodriguez, Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, and Lucas out of the game and making them nonfactors in the offensive movements. With the implication of short passing, we got them more involved in the offensive build up and became more threatening in the final third of the field. I think nothing supports this change more than the performances of Dirk Kuyt. Always the hard worker, Kuyt struggled under Hodgson (as did many other players), but as soon as the short passing approach was introduced he seemed to have more of an effect on the final score line.

Dalglish's greatest contribution of all has to be the most intangible: his altering of the atmosphere at the club and improvement of the attitudes of its fans and players.

It is no secret that many were unhappy with good old Roy and that the players looked more than a little disillusioned on the field and fans were getting angrier and more worried by the day. Dalglish's appointment sparked interest and optimism amongst many people.

A key development in the improvement of the team atmosphere is found in the transfer of Fernando Torres. It was obvious by his on-field attitude that he did not like life at Anfield. Many questioned why we would let him go to another club in midseason, let alone those Blue rent boys in London! However, this seems to have been an amazingly good move on the part of the Red management.
Luis Suarez celebrating a goal with Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard

Not only did Dalglish remove the poison from the water, he brought in two footballers that have brought this club to the level it should be in Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. Carroll's move has been hampered by injury, but his few short appearances have been positive. As for Suarez, he has been nothing short of sensational in my book. His energy and attitude have been inspiring and have led to fantastic performances thus far.



To summarize, the appointment of Kenny Dalglish as caretaker manager has been brilliant in every sense of the word and I wish for him to become permanent manager of Liverpool FC. He is taking this club in a great direction and I want him to be able to take us as far as he can.

If Dalglish is made manager,  I will look forward to watching the Reds play next season and will be optimistic of their position in the table this time next year (as if I ever don't look forward to watching them play!).

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Best Quote In a While: Cathal Kelly


On rare occasions, the way in which a game is played rises to the level of art.
Not here, of course. North America’s just-win philosophy in all athletic disciplines precludes developing a young talent for its own sake. We are the Spartans of sport, routinely celebrating mediocre players and bad eggs who manage to eke out ugly victories. - Cathal Kelly

The article continues on as to why Americans are considered sport snobs because we don't value talent as much as we value winning. It also highlight's Barcelona's style of play and looks ahead to their game versus Arsenal which is taking place... as I write this post!

 This is one of the first article's I've read and really appreciated in a long time. Go and read the rest of the article here

Friday, February 4, 2011

Opinion: Maryland Will Not Get Into NCAA Tournament

The University of Maryland men's basketball has had a terrible year. They've managed to beat terrible teams, but completely disappear when they play decent teams. Imagine my surprise when I read stories about how the Terps are sitting "squarely in the bubble" or how they'll squeak their way into the tournament if they win out the rest of their season. They are situated very far on the wrong side of the bubble and can't squeak their way to home win against Virginia Tech (who are considered a bubble team).

Maryland's Predicted Final Destination
Wake up to reality, people. The Terps are not even average: they are bad. Plain bad. Look at how they performed in their biggest home game of the season versus Duke on Wednesday... they didn't even show up. It was a nationally televised game and Maryland's players didn't even make a decent effort towards earning a respectable result. Maryland is a one man team and one man teams don't make it into the NCAA tournament; one man teams make it into the NIT. And this Terp team won't even make a decent run in the NIT. Prepare for major embarrassment.

So, stop saying how the Terps will make it into the field of 68. They won't.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pre-Maryland vs Duke

Inside the Comcast Center, home of the Terps
It's that time of year again when you start to see shirts with "Beat Duke"( or worse, "F*ck Duke)" being worn around campus. It's that time to spend 7+ hours being squished between two tall, drunk frat boys outside of the Comcast Center's student entrance.

The administration has taken a preventative approach to the game this year, sanctioning and supporting the "Beat Duke Week" initiative headed up by the Student Government Association (SGA) in an attempt to reduce rioting. You can see the site at BeatDukeWeek.com

Not only will there be a post-game bonfire, but 60 SGA members and about 40 regular students have been given tickets for special admission. They get in a special entrance at 5:00 and have had their seats reserved (plus they each get to save "one" seat for a friend with a regular ticket). These students and SGA members have pledge to not chant any profanities during the game and will therefore be strategically placed to sit near ESPN's microphones (aka strategically placed in the best seats in the house).

Duke is without Kyrie Irving, who they lost to a foot injury earlier this season. With Irving, the Blue Devils looked unstoppable; without him, this is a winnable game if three things happen:

1. Terps successfully defend the 3 point shot: The Blue Devils are traditionally a very efficient team from long range. They are very vulnerable when they are ineffecient from 3 point land as we saw when Duke went 1-13 from the arc in their loss against St. John's over the weekend. Maryland has had issues defending the 3 as we saw in their outing at Cameron Indoor, but if they can be successful at shutting Duke down or if Duke goes stone-cold from the 3 point arc, Maryland has a shot.

2. Duke has limited second-chance point opportunities: If Maryland forces Duke to take tough shots, the Terps have to rebound and convert Duke's misses to Maryland points. The Terps give away second chance points too often and have the losses to show for it.

3. Duke plays man-to-man defense: If Duke comes out playing the zone, I expect a long night for the Terps. It is no secret that Maryland struggles with their outside shooting and the zone forces them to take those long-range shots. The best example of this is the Virginia Tech game; the Hokies played a zone and, as a result, the Terps struggled offensively. Jordan Williams, the Terp's main offensive threat, all but disappeared from the game. If Duke plays man-to-man, Maryland will be able to run an offensive with which they are familiar and comfortable.

The game starts at 9pm and will be on ESPN.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Liverpool: Torres Out; Suarez, Carroll In

Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres has completed a £50 million ($79.5 million) transfer to Chelsea, which is highest transfer fee ever for any English club. Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll move to Liverpool for £22.8 million and £35 million plus add-ons, respectively. Fan reaction to the transfer of Torres to a league rival has been quite negative, with images surfacing on the web that feature 'Pool fans burning the ex-number 9's jerseys in the streets.

Torres has already spoken of his delight with the move to Chelsea, stating that, "It's always very tough to play against Chelsea, they are one of the biggest teams in Europe, always fighting for everything. So after that there is no more to look forward -- it's the top level and this is the target for every footballer."

Harsh words coming from a man that had previously feinted love and admiration for Liverpool, but hardly surprising. He left Atletico Madrid for Liverpool and the higher wages and a chance at Champions League football. Now he has left Liverpool for Chelsea and the higher wages and a chance at Champions League football. It is clear what is most important to the Spaniard.

Andy Carroll
Liverpool scrambled to find a replacement over the last 24 hours, with Newcastle's Andy Carroll being the player that the club decided to bring in on a five and a half year contract. He has the qualities that New England Sports Venture (NESV) designated they wanted in their signings: youth, marketability, and visibility. He is a tall striker that has been on a hot streak this season, netting 11 goals in 19 league games. Carroll has spent the majority of his career in the Championship division, but he has been projected as a star for the future and earned his first cap for England this past December. Carroll will become Liverpool's new number 9 and will have a lot to prove thanks to his hefty transfer price of £35 million, the highest transfer fee in Liverpool Football Club's history.

Unfortunately, Carroll has been quoted as saying that he did not want to leave Newcastle, his boyhood club, and was forced out of the Toon for the money. The Independent reports that Carroll said "I'm gutted to be leaving my hometown club, I was told to go. I didn't want to leave that's why I signed a five-year deal [with Newcastle in October]. I was pushed out of the door." This revelation certainly puts a damper on the new signing. Who knows how this could mentally eafect Carroll's performance on the field.

Luis Suarez is LFC's new number 7
Prior to the Torres saga, Liverpool managed to lure 24 year old Luis Suarez from Ajax to Merseyside on a five year and a half year deal. Suarez was captain of the Amsterdam club and has made 38 international appearances for Uruguay. In 2010, he scored 35 goals in 33 league games on his way to claiming the title of Dutch Footballer of the Year. Hopefully his goal scoring ability translates well to the English game.

In the end, Liverpool must be happy with their lot this January transfer window. Getting £50 million for Torres was a steal as he has not performed well enough over the past two years to justify that amount. While Carroll's transfer fee is somewhat overpriced, his monthly wages will be nowhere near the' £110,000 a week Torres was receiving. So, if Carroll is as good a player at Liverpool project, this transfer will remembered as a fantastic piece of business. Suarez's signing had reignited the hope of the Liverpool faithful and he is seen as a perfect striking partner to the tall Carroll.

The new signings will have a chance to showcase their talents when Liverpool play host to Stoke City this Wednesday.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Robbie Keane On Loan to West Ham

Robbie Keane has completed a loan move from Tottenham to West Ham.

Robbie Keane during his time at Liverpool
Robbie Keane was the Tottenham captain before he completed a transfer move to Liverpool for the 2008-2009 season. His time at Anfield was marked with a scoring drought and a dip in form and ended when he returned to Tottenham during the January transfer window. Things were never the same for the Irish captain as he struggled to return to his pre-Liverpool form. Keane was loaned out to Scottish side Celtic during last year's January transfer window and will be with the Hammers for the remainder of this European domestic season.

A Case in Journalism Ethics: Erin Andrews

Erin Andrews, an ESPN sideline reporter, wrote an article in which she mentioned TCU players were slipping around the field in their Nike shoes. It has been revealed that Andrews has a deal with Reebok, a Nike competitor, to endorse a new sneaker line that has been developed. This is a good case to discuss journalism ethics.

The industry standard is that news organizations prefer their reporters do not sign endorsement deals, as it creates a possible conflict of interest and may compromise journalistic integrity. This situation is not without precedent, but what is without precedent is that Andrews wrote negatively about a competitor's product before anyone knew she had a Reebok deal. Does that compromise her journalist integrity?

Andrews has social a status that few other sportscasters have attained. Andrews has called herself an "entertainer," and I have to agree that she is more of a television personality than a traditional journalist. The issue with that is that many people recognize her as a journalist, not an entertainer, and therefore her statements and articles are assumed to be written to honor journalistic integrity.

ESPN stated that they will disclose Andrews' endorsement with Reebok in her future articles. Maybe they should disclose that Andrews is not a journalist, but a television personality. That would help avoid any future confusion.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Red Sox Fans Show Their Support

This video was taken on Disability Awareness Day at Boston's Fenway Park. The man singing suffers from Autism and got a case of the nervous giggles midway through the song. Watch to see what the Red Sox faithful did to show their support.

From my experiences at sporting events, I was expecting the fans to laugh or to hear harsh words being spoken. Thankfully, that did not happen. This video really moved me and I felt compelled to share.

Michael Bradley Set For Aston Villa

USA's Michael Bradley
Aston Villa have finalized a loan deal for American international Michael Bradley. Bradley has two years left on his contract with Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach. He had an impressive campaign for the United States at the World Cup this past summer and should be a good short term solution for the Villan's midfield woes.

Liverpool Rejects Torres Transfer Request

Liverpool turned down a reported bid of 35-40 million pounds by Chelsea FC for striker Fernando Torres and, hours later, Fernando Torres filed an official transfer request with the club. Liverpool rejected the request and have asked that Torres honor the final two years on his contract.

Fernando Torres is looking to leave Liverpool

It looked like things had been turning around for Liverpool when they agreed to a 23 million pound deal for Luis Suarez, a player that many projected to be a great partner for Torres. If the Spanish international moves to Chelsea before the January transfer window expires, his first opportunity to play for the Blues will be a February 5th game at Stamford Bridge against Liverpool.

As a fan:
It is hard to not be disappointed with this situation. I remember the excitement of Torres's signing three years ago. I immediately got his name and number on a jersey. Jumping on a player's wagon so early on in his tenure at Liverpool is a very rare exercise for me as I tend to be more conservative with my fandom. Also, the Bounce is one of the best cheers you can find in any sport and really showed the love that LFC fans had for him. Less than a month ago Torres publicly stated that his "head is with Liverpool and saving our season" and that he will "honor his contract" because he is "professional." His biggest folly may be his timing; with only one business day left in this transfer window, we may be scrambling to find a decent replacement. Going to Chelsea will be the worst part of this for me, because they are a league rival and a club that I do not have positive feelings towards. However, getting 40 million pounds in exchange for Fernando would certainly make the wounds heal a little faster. Think about it, that's money we could spend on two or three world class players and we'd also get to offload a player that no longer has love for this club.

Having him stay might be worse than him leaving... the silence at Anfield when he is in possession of the ball will speak a thousand words.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Liverpool See Fulham Off 1-0 at Anfield

Liverpool continued their pervious game's form in the first two-thirds of the field with strong possession and sharp passes, but they lacked the final element in their offensive third. Despite the lack of finishing, they left the game winners courtesy of an own goal by Fulham's defender, John Pantsil.

Six minutes into the game, Raul Meireles made a fine pass to Fernando Torres who put the ball in the back of the net. The goal was then called off by an offsides call made by the line-referee, but replays suggest that the wrong call had been made.

The team carried on undiscouraged by the call and had a fair number of chances on goal. Fulham rarely had a chance to put together an attack because of a fine display of defensive by the Liverpool squad. Glen Johnson had a superb game at left back and got in a few well placed crosses.

Torres got another chance at goal at the 51st minute mark. His shot was defelcted into the post, but created havoc on the bounce-back. Pantsil had two chances to clear the ball, but his clearance was mistimed and instead he sliced the ball into his own net.

Fulham's came back strong after that, but their best offensive threat culminated in Meireles clearing the ball off the Liverpool goal line.

This win moves Liverpool up to seventh in the Premier League standings, while Fulham are now in fifteenth. The own goal was a lucky break for the Reds, but it is a good sign that they can find a way to win, even when they are not clicking at all cylinders.

The Reds currently lie nine points away from a Champions League qualification spot.
premierleague.com

Here is a video of the game's highlights:
[video credit to Free Football Highlights Online]

Monday, January 24, 2011

Liverpool FC's On-Field Revival Begins With a 3-0 Victory at Wolves

Was this really the same team that lost 1-0 to Wolves at home under Hodgson? All hail King Kenny!

Return of the King:
In stark contrast to Hodgson's approach to the beautiful game, Daglish has encouraged the players to play a pass-and-move style of play reminiscent of his Liverpool teams of 1985 to 1991.

 [(Not-so-) Fun fact: Liverpool won the league championship three times over that time span and have failed to win it since)].

You could see hints of the style of play in his first few games in charge. Thankfully, as the players have had time to adjust, it seems that they are beginning to thrive under Daglish's managerial approach. One can only wonder what words King Kenny has said to bring the morale of this team up, getting even the recently deadpan Torres looking like the passionate player he had been when he first arrived at Anfield. It looks like a 4-3-3 (sometimes 4-1-4-1 when Gerrard is healthy) is Daglish's current formation of choice.

This is a clip of Fernando Torres's goal at the 91st minute. It summarizes the beauty of the pass and move approach; 31 passes were made and nine players had a touch on the ball before it found its way to Torres and was subsequently buried into the top of the net.
I must admit that I giggled out of delight while watching this clip; pass and move has that effect on me.

Final Take:
I am usually wary of being overly-excited for the teams that I support, but if this game is any indication of the future, we have some great football to look forward to from Liverpool FC under Kenny Daglish.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Hokies Pummel Terps On Their Way To a 74-57 Win

Virginia Tech came out of the gate running, taking a 12-0 lead minutes into the first half and it was clear who had the momentum in this game. The Hokies played an effective 2-3 zone defense that shut the Terps down for the better part of the game with Jordan Williams, the Terps number one offensive threat, disappearing from the game for minutes on end. The Terps' shooting did not help their cause, either, as they 35.7% from the field and 30% from 3 point territory. Mix the disappearance of your star offensive player to your consistent lack of successful fundamentals and you have the illness that the Terps have been suffering from for the majority of this season.

The Hokies were extremely effective on their defensive end. Their 2-3 zone and quick transitions from offense to defense forced the Terps to play in the half court offense, which has been a major weakness of theirs.

Maryland got an offensive spark off the bench in Haukur Palsson, who caused some havoc for the VT defense with his energy off the ball. His movement on the court created passing lanes and opened up opportunities to get the ball inside to players like James Padgett and Jordan Williams. He may have been able to make a stronger contribution, but was limited to seven minutes on the court.

Defense is usually Maryland's strong point, but not in this game. Their defensive rotation was off, leaving a VT player open on multiple occasions. This Terps seemed to lack the mental sharpness they had against teams like Duke and Villanova, and it cost them big time.

If there is one element of the game that should be highlighted, it should be the difference in energy levels of these two teams. VT came out ready to play and the Terps did not and this is the results that Maryland is left with.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

If You Like to Beat a Dead Horse!

And the award for January's Best Technique When Beating a Dead Horse goes to...
Malcolm Delaney on Maryland: 'They might have the worst fans ever.' 
....and anyone else who has written a similar article in the last two years gets honorable mention (too many names to mention).
This one is brought to you by the Hokies Journal over at the Washington Post.

Summary:
Maryland fans are bad. Maryland fans are mean. I don't like Maryland fans. They are gross. They say whatever they want. There is no limit to the bad and mean things that those Maryland-fans-that-I-don't-like will say. If you've read one "Maryland students are poorly behaved" article, then you've read them all.

Reaction:
Why do I feel as if I have read this article before? Oh, because I have.
I have been around obnoxious Maryland fans during home games, but that is all Maryland fans are: obnoxious. I have been to away games, been around obnoxious fans of other teams, and have heard the same words spoken by opposing team's fans. For whatever reason, being a jerk at a sporting event is only a faux pas in the 20740 area code. Consider me confused.

Sure, there are times when I am embarrassed by my fellow Terps. It is the same way I am embarrassed when my mother tells random people the story of how I took off my clothes at the grocery store and ran down the aisles naked when I was two years old (what can I say, grocery shopping makes me do crazy things). It is a story that I would prefer to keep on the down-low, but it is not that bad when said out loud and it can be funny if the comedic timing is just right.


Come on, ye of thin skin! Toughen up a bit! Complaining that someone said "you suck" is so fifth grade. And blaming poor composure and lack of mental toughness on a phantom slur that only you hear is not fooling anyone. And if you are hearing things like that you may want to talk to someone about it, because "hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the Wizarding World."