Category Archives: Sports

Volveremos, volveremos…

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So Argentina is back in the World Cup finals. Against Germany again, just like in 1986 (the last time they won) and 1990. It’s hard to explain to someone who isn’t from a World-Cup-obsessed country what the World Cup truly means. As the popularity of soccer grows in the United States, the distance between our culture and those of soccer nations is seen all the more. Even people who are knowledgeable about soccer in the United States don’t seem to understand what international soccer is about. We certainly find it hard to grasp the depth of passion that the sport evokes. So let me offer some suggestions:

  • Don’t try and change the game. There’s a part of you that wants to whine about the flopping that is an integral part of international soccer. Suppress that part. You want to find a way to replace penalty kicks, hoping for a more equitable solution to tie games. Get over it. You have a thousand ideas as to how to make the game more attractive to an American audience. Accept the fact that international soccer as is is the most popular sport in the world; it doesn’t need American ingenuity to remake it.
  • Try to imagine a country united behind one team. We live in a fragmented country, with dozens of styles of music, hundreds of television channels, vast regional differences in food and speech. We’re also fragmented when it comes to sports. Football is king, yet NASCAR, baseball, tennis, golf… any of a number of sports can take first place in the hearts of individual Americans. In Argentina, for example, they are proud of winning the gold medal in basketball and producing world class golfers, tennis players, swimmers, etc. Rugby is very popular. But soccer defines them.
  • Sit back and enjoy the finals on Sunday! And feel free to root for Argentina.

Fun times for a sports fan

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140623_celebration_340x442It’s old news now, but I haven’t had a chance to comment on the Spurs’ winning their 5th championship. They did so in convincing fashion. Every game they won, they won overwhelmingly; the one game they lost was by two points.

I’m glad they’re getting some of the credit they’re due. The core of this Spur team won a championship in 2003, 2005, 2007, and then again in 2014. In this era of free agency, that’s unheard of. Three stars staying with the same team for 11 seasons. And always playing at a high level. Tim Duncan has never missed the playoffs in his career.

It was fun to see Manu Ginobili drape himself with the same Argentina flag that he wore after each of the other championships. As he said, it’s dirty and stained, but the symbolism is strong.

Anyway, I’m very proud to be a Spurs fan.

The World Cup has been a lot of fun. The Americas are doing amazingly well. Eight of the 16 remaining teams are from America. Six are from Europe and the other two are from Africa.

Argentina hasn’t played as well as they could, but well enough to win their group. The U.S. clawed through to the second round, surprising many.

Can’t wait to see the rest.

Basketballs and soccer balls, but no vuvuzelas

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work.5380329.2.sticker,375x360.no-vuvuzelas-sticker-v1Another sports Friday. What can I say about my San Antonio Spurs? If you’d asked me on Monday, I’d have told you that I was a bit concerned. The Miami Heat had won a game in San Antonio, and the good guys seemed vulnerable. What could they hope for when going to Miami? Eke out a win and come home with the series tied.

But they did far more than that. The Spurs demolished the Heat in two consecutive games, and now they have the series firmly under control.

Amazing to think that Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili won a championship together 11 years ago and have a chance to do it again. They dominated the NBA from 2003 to 2007 and are back on top. They came within a few seconds of winning last year; now they’re poised to win again.

Of course, it’s not just the “Big Three.” The Spurs’ rising star is Kawhi Leonard. Young and athletic, talented and unassuming, Kawhi was just what San Antonio needed. Hard to believe that he’s not much older than my oldest son. Maybe that’s why I love to see him do well.
His two-handed putback last night was the highlight of the game:

https://vine.co/v/Mjxn92jTzKp

And the World Cup is under way! I’ll try and write more about that next week. For now, I’ll just say

¡Vamos Argentina!

Another NBA Finals, another shot for the Spurs

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san-antonio-spurs-sports-illustrated-nba-finals-2013In 2002, I became a San Antonio Spurs fan. There were several things that influenced in that decision. We moved to a town about 35 miles from San Antonio, where everyone around us was a huge Spurs fan. Some of our friends had season tickets which they shared with us a time or two. And in that year, when we moved from Argentina, Manu Ginobili came to the Spurs. Manu, of course, is also from Argentina.

It hasn’t hurt that the Spurs have been the most dominant team in the NBA since then. Never missed the playoffs. Won three championships. Never won fewer than 50 games in a season. It’s been an amazing run.

Now the Spurs are in the Finals again, after fumbling away last year’s championship. They’re up against the same team as last year: the Miami Heat. While the media tends to swoon over LeBron James and the Heat, a Sports Nation poll suggests that the vast majority of Americans are rooting for San Antonio.

Game One was last night. Unfortunately, an electrical failure in the AT&T Center left the building without air conditioning, and the hot conditions seemed to affect the players. That’s unfortunate, because I think the Spurs would have won the game without that influence, but as it was, the Heat’s LeBron James had to leave the game because of dehydration, and the Spurs manhandled the Heat after he left.

Hopefully there will be no more glitches. The Heat have also won 3 championships over the last few years, and neither fan base will be satisfied with anything short of a win. Plus, we have to recognize that several of the Spurs’ stars are playing on borrowed time. This could be their last shot at glory.

So what else can I say… GO, SPURS, GO!

Let the Finals begin!

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san-antonio-spurs-sports-illustrated-nba-finals-2013 We interrupt our serious discussions for this important announcement:

Go, Spurs, go!

Bold Prediction #1: LeBron James will finally get a NBA finals win against the Spurs. No sweep for San Antonio.
Bold Prediction #2: Spurs in 6.