Last night, I attended the first half the final round of the Copa Libertadores. I have been to many soccer games here in Argentina, but never one with so much riding on it (the South American/Mexican Championship) as last night. Words can’t fully convey the incredible experience, but it was something like standing in the middle of a revolution. We arrived more than an hour before the game began, and the crowd was already packed in and at fully frenzy. The videos that follow were shot by me personally, and all took place just before the game began.
That was just the start. Things got real crazy a few minutes later. It was impossible to see the field or anything else when the smoke wafted toward us. Check out the 4 year old with the smoke torch about 1:07 in.
The game ended 0-0, unfortunately, but only because the goalie for the Brazilian side was spectacular. Here’s an incredible save on a shot by Veron, La Brujita.
I’ve said it before, but you haven’t truly experienced sports until you’ve stood in the middle of that kind of crazy. That was the best 30 pesos I’ve ever spent.
Links:
Florio is utterly insane. He’s been pushing a conspiracy around McNair’s death for days. I hesitate to even link to it, but it’s so surreal that feel compelled. I only checked his site on this issue because it was the best way to track developments in the case. How can anyone take this psycho seriously at all?
Big Sexy is going crazy this week. His piece on Serena was strange (I understand NOTHING about women’s tennis, so I won’t comment). But now he goes after McNair. Personally, I don’t think of McNair as a hero, but I do respect what he did on the field. What Whitlock says is deeply confused, however. He says, “It doesn’t matter that McNair cheated on his wife, just that he abandoned his sons”. We don’t like to say so these days, but to do the one is to do the other. What does it say about a society when we say, “I don’t care how a man treats women, just how he treats his boys”? The two issues are more linked that Whitlock would have us believe.
There’s no need to moralize McNair’s death. You either have a problem with his lifestyle or you didn’t. Most of us don’t need anyone else to tell us how to fe
el about his choices. What I do have a problem with is anyone saying, “Kids matter. Wives don’t.” If you don’t want to make a big deal out of his lifestyle, that’s your choice, but you cannot take care of your sons while mistreating your wife. If he’s ‘not a hero’ for not being there for his sons, then he’s not a hero for cheating on his wife. Women are just as important as children.
Oehser looks at Tim Jennings. It’s very interesting to read that he was banged up in his first two years. It gives me real hope. He’s clearly a work in progress, and there is no substitute for health on the football field. The worst thing any fan can do is confuse a player being hurt with a player being bad. That’s made it difficult to evaluate the Colts for almost two full seasons now, as EVERYONE has been banged up.
Fort Wayne checks in! It says that Manning was pushed by McNair.
Derek sends in this video of the top 5 WRs. Mr. Wayne is featured about three minutes in.
On that topic, Prisco has a similar notion.
No offense MVN, but this list is not well done at all. It should read:
1. Manning
2. Freeney
3. Wayne
4. Mathis
5. Saturday
6. Clark
7. Brackett
8. Sanders
9. Gonzo
10. Hayden
Or something similar (didn’t spend a ton of time thinking about it just now). Remember, is a ‘most valuable’ list, not a ‘best player’ list. Freeney has to be #2, and Mathis can’t be any lower than 4 or 5. No one who watched last year’s team can think differently. We saw in 07 that he was not “the product of a system” when he kept producing AFTER Freeney went down…until he got hurt too.
Wayne would be impossible to replace, and we saw the effect of playing without Saturday. I love Joe Addai, and think he’ll have a great season, but Kelvin Hayden is more valuable right now. Really, that list was more a “who has a big name on the Colts” list. Didn’t like it.
Bob Sanders is a smurf? Then he’s one badass smurf. Zombie Smurf (shudder).
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