Archive for August 2007
Today’s News and Links
August 23, 2007 by f4denz.
Give & Go with Kyle Beckerman An interesting interview with Kyle from Goal.com
Keller finds a job Well, that is one less DP/Player rumor we have to worry about
Clash of Champions (US vs. Brazil) Update Well if you want to see some of the biggest names in the world, then Chicago is the place to be on Sept. 9th
US vs. Sweden Recap Our first match in Europe this year, went like most of last year’s World Cup
RSL news and links
August 22, 2007 by f4denz.
Here are the latest news links I could find with RSL news.
Boom or Bust? A DesertNews look at the 1st 3 seasons of Nik Besagno
Less than 3,000 tickets remain It seems that the RSL vs. LA Galaxy is a hot ticket (reality check they have sold 21,000 tickets and can chose to open more seating if the demand is there)
Cunny out for the rest of the season CBC sports reports that Jeff will be out for the rest of the season. Best wishes to Jeff and hopefully a speedy recovery.
Freddy has another new coach Benfica makes a coaching change after their first league match (1-1 draw with Leixios)
A closer look
August 22, 2007 by f4denz.
So I thought we should probably take a little closer look at recent events from a more honest perspective. There are always more than one side to an issue, and often there are even more perspectives to each side of an issue. Let’s try to understand why someone would try to draw a comparison between Mr. Murray and the leadership he has shown as the owner of Murray Energy and the leadership of a soccer coach in Jason Kreis? Did anyone who was not directly related to the coal mining in Utah know who Bob Murray was before the collapse at the Crandall Mine? So if no one knew anything about him, how could you compare him with a person who had dozens (225 results for a search of Jason Kreis on the desertnews website) of quotes, articles, and interviews in the local media in their brief coaching tenure, still under 4 months on the job? I know you find someone who the national media has portrayed as a loon, someone trying to respond to a tragedy in which he is at the center of and you compare them to someone you dislike. Yup, that is what you do when you have an agenda, when you have a bile filled hatred of someone or something. Sure enough that is what was done.
Is Bob Murray a saint? I don’t know? I can not pretend to understand someone based of media coverage of them over a 20 day period, to say that I understand him or how he leads his company would be a lie at best. I do know this that under great pressure, people respond in strange ways. Was Bob wrong to say that the mine collapse was a natural disaster? I don’t know because I was not given the information he was, it seems that the experts do not believe it was a natural event, but only time and research will truly tell us what happened. Was it his leadership that directly led to the safety violations at the mine? I don’t know, I am not a mine safety expert, and I would not try to determine where fault lies in something I know nothing about. I did take the time to look at their safety record for the last couple years and based on real data, their record this year was going to be the best in over 5 years, and below the national average for this type of coal mine. So in a time of crisis and tragedy most organizations public or private will have one main spokesperson, that person in this case was the co-owner Bob Murray, does that mean that he had intimidated other workers into silence, no I have read many articles and seen interviews with workers, family members, government officials. The next point from the cynic is that he is too optimistic, yes he should have come out on the day of the collapse and said “I’m Sorry they are all dead, we will make no effort to rescue them”, my god if you are going to be a critic of someone who holds out hope, and is willing to do everything they can to try and make a horrible, painful situation a little easier on the families, then go for it. I call that low and vile.
Now let’s take a look at Jason, and how the cynical view holds up. So how many of you have taken a new job in your life? How many of you were just out of school or working at a different job, without what many would consider the skills to fill the new position? Yes, it happens to almost everyone at some point in your life, now how many of you have had every word you utter, every action you take, and every facial expression examined while you were on that job? How many of you did it take weeks, months, and maybe even years to become an expert at what you do? Oh wait, a sports coach is different than that. Was Jason the best choice, I don’t think so. I would have loved to see a coach with years of experience, who had won major championships, who could with a roster of medium level talent do extraordinary things; does anyone know the name of that coach? But if the owner of the team has confidence that Jason Kreis can lead the team, then I have to respect his choice. It is his money on the line, it is his organization, and it was his decision. I can be critical, but to be cynical of someone from day one will never accomplish anything. Has RSL reduced it’s salary cap, yes, but it has yet to prove that it knows what to do with the available funds. Has RSL become a much younger team, yes they have, and while youth comes at a price (inexperience) it is critical for long term success. Look at how Houston built their championship team, get young players that everyone believes are talented and then let them develop into a powerhouse team. We can only hope that RSL will get to taste a sample of the success that Houston has over the past few years. So when was the last time that a NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS assistant coach held a press conference? Do they get interviewed? Yes, not as often as a head coach but they do, and yes the RSL staff has been interviewed. Does a coach who is taking over a team that has struggled, simply state on his first day ” Well we lack talent, desire, heart, and drive on this team, so we will just forfeit the rest of our matches this season” No, they hold out hope that their team can rebound.
Are Bob Murray and Jason Kreis clones as far as leadership, no, and to try and find a way to tie them together is simply deceitful, dishonest, sad. If you claim you know all there is to know about Bob from the last 20 days of press coverage, then you are simply a liar. If you think you know how Jason will end up as a leader after less than 4 months in charge, then you have a mighty good crystal ball.
For RSL fans this has been a very tough season, play on the pitch has been less than expected, public image has been tarnished, and cynics, critics, and haters abound. Yet, still 10-12,000 people show up to support their team, the stadium is moving forward at an incredible pace, and we have seen some bright spots from several of the new players on the roster. The future is not a rose garden, but it also is not a compost heap.
OFF MY SOAPBOX
Sad and pathetic
August 21, 2007 by f4denz.
OK, I have poked fun at how negative RSLFM can be. I have called a spade a spade (RSLFM=RSL Hater), and nothing proves that I was right months ago like the posting put up today (http://rslfm.blogspot.com/2007/08/082107.html) in fact today was the last time I will ever visit that site.
To try and draw a comparison between “leadership” of RSL and Crandall Canyon Mine is just sick and wrong. To think that you are doing anything but what I accused you of weeks ago “offering a RSL snuff site”, would be dishonest. You are drawing a comparison between a sports coach and sports team to a mine operator and one of the most dangerous industries in the world. You are drawing a comparison between a bad sports season and a tragedy that appears to have left at least 9 people dead. If you want to claim that your not sure what your doing (like you did with the Ellinger in Hell statement), you can but sorry your true colors are showing and now everyone can see them.
I encourage all readers of my blog, to refuse to visit RSLFM.com ever again. While the author may gather many interesting links, the underlying tone has gone from a bitter, jilted, cynic to those of a hateful, evil, sick, twisted mind. I can honestly say that I have been sickened by some of the obvious RSL hate in the past, but to leverage a tragedy like the Crandall Mine incident to boost your hate of RSL and Jason Kreis is just plain sad. I am not sure what is behind this cry for attention, but I am out of it. I will no longer visit that “RSL snuff site” again. If you are not sure what a “snuff site or snuff film” is, it is where the subject of the site or film is the abuse and killing of an innocent victim, and that is exactly what RSLFM has become the author of.
In an effort to offer a better option for fans of RSL, MLS and the overall state of the beautiful game, I will try to update my blog more often and I will attempt to create more links to coverage of RSL from the local and national media. I am sure I will not come close to what RSLFM’s site was last year, which was a fountain of information with the occasional opinion, but I will do my best to offer all of you something that will never sink to the sad pathetic state that RSLFM.com has become.
OFF MY SOAPBOX
Happy birthday, Mr. Findley
August 5, 2007 by f4denz.
Well, we went from a Christmas in July with our performance against our two international foes, to a nail biting loss to New England (in part thanks to the lack of professional officials in MLS), to a birthday celebration victory over defending MLS Champion Houston.
It was an interesting match with some stars missing on both sides, Houston was without Mr. MLS Dwayne De Rosario, and RSL was missing both Esky and Andy Williams. RSL’s starting line up featured a set of Browns, but their performances were very different. Klye Brown put forth a solid effort and tried to use his speed to provide some offensive opportunities, and Chris Brown looked like the reserve of last year, who looked more like a brown stain on the pitch than he did a quality player. Incomplete passes, jogging on attacking runs, more turnovers that the rest of the lineup combined; all were part of Chris’s effort against the Creamsicles. He has lived too long off a couple lucky minutes in LA and a good shot against the Red Bulls.
Other than the Brown’s, RSL got solid efforts from Kipre, Sturgis, Pope, Beckerman, and Wingert; while Talley, and Kotschau put in half-hearted or at least half-efficient efforts. Nick Rimando, again proves why he is my choice for MVP of the team this year, and the birthday boy put in the goal of the match in the 84th minute. Thank you, Robbie Findley, you have been a breath of fresh air, for a team trapped in a funk.
I do have to say that the giant cardboard creamsicles were a real highlight of the night:
(photo stolen from Julia Fizer)
And for those who did not attend the match, the announced 13.000 attendance was overstated by probably 4-5,000, and most likely that drop is a direct result of the poor performance on the pitch. Even Carnival Real, was at less than 50% of capacity as it appears that many of the vendors and partners that fill the tents of the pre match entertainment are simply losing interest. That is too bad, it was a great match, a super result and for one of the new faces of RSL, one hell of a birthday.
OFF MY SOAPBOX