Tag 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.

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!

Benching your star

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spursOK, I don’t talk sports very often on this blog. However, I’ve made it no secret that I’m a fan of the San Antonio Spurs. There is a lot I like about that organization, beyond the fact that they win a lot.

The team focuses on basketball. Not a lot of flash. Not a lot of drama. They just play basketball and do it well.

Since Tim Duncan was drafted in 1997, things have revolved around him. People call him “The Big Fundamental,” and even as he ages, he continues to play remarkably well. In fact, 2012-13 has been one of his best seasons.

But when the Spurs beat the Golden State Warriors the other night to end their playoff series, Duncan wasn’t on the floor. It was a close, hard-fought game. And Duncan watched the last 4:28 minutes of that game from the bench.

You see, Golden State was taking advantage of Duncan’s age and lack of quickness. For that one specific instance, he was a liability.

So Gregg Popovich pulled his 2nd team All-Defensive player, his perennial all star, his franchise player. He put in Tiago Splitter, a younger and quicker player.

And nobody made a big deal about it. Not Duncan. Not Popovich. Not the Spurs. Because for them, it’s not about egos. It’s about winning basketball games.

I should draw some spiritual lesson at this point, but I don’t have one. I was just reminded of one of the reasons why I really respect the Spurs organization.

And why I can say with pride: Go, Spurs, go!

Casual Friday, NBA Playoffs Edition

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Well, it feels like casual Friday here in The Kitchen, so let’s take a break from the serious stuff. With the playoffs starting this weekend, it’s a good time to talk about the NBA.

Since moving back to the States in 2002, my family has been San Antonio Spurs fans. We moved into the San Antonio area, and the Spurs reign supreme there, except during high school football season, of course. Plus, Manu Ginobili is the first Argentine to make it big in the NBA, and he came to the Spurs the same year that we moved.

So as I write about the NBA, you might notice a slight bias toward a certain team that wears silver and black. But only slight…

  • I’m no fan of the Heatles. Sorry to all of my friends in Miami. I don’t care for the whole attitude of that team. And I’m not really convinced they can pull it off.
  • The Celtics were the Heatles a few years ago, of course. They’ve grown out of that. I tend to think they’ve got a very good shot at winning the Eastern Conference, though trading Kendall Perkins was a huge blow to their team.
  • I don’t know that Chicago has what it takes to go far in the playoffs, but I like them better than the other top teams in the East. I guess my head says Celtics, but my heart would like to see Chicago do it.
  • So much for the East. The West had an incredible year, as always. Even as big name players keep jumping to the Eastern Conference, the West remains dominant overall. Not always in terms of the top teams, of course. But top to bottom, the West remains on top.
  • The Southwest division, however, is no longer the dominant division it was. The Rockets have slipped. The Hornets failed to become the team they looked poised to become. The Mavs are still very good, but don’t seem to have the edge they had in years past.
  • I find the Lakers to be every bit as distasteful as the Heat. I don’t like Kobe Bryant. I certainly won’t miss Phil Jackson. He’s a good coach, but too much of a whiner for my taste.
  • The Thunder look downright dangerous. More than the Lakers, I think the Thunder pose the biggest threat of knocking the Spurs out of the playoffs.
  • And so we come to my beloved Spurs. A few thoughts…
    • When I mentioned whining, I’m sure some people laughed. Who’s whinier on the court than the Spurs? Here’s my thinking. During a game, the Spurs will protest every call, claim innocence on every foul, “embellish contact” to draw a foul. (Flop? Who said flop?) It’s called gamesmanship. Once the game is done, however, the Spurs own up to their losses. Even when every sports writer in the nation points out a call that cost the Spurs a game, I’ve never yet heard Popovich or any of the current Spurs players blame a loss on officiating. I think that’s class.
    • Second accusation against the Spurs: they’re too old. Back in January, the Hoopism site took a look at the numbers. You can see their findings here, both in terms of overall team age and the age of the players that play the most minutes. In overall age, the Spurs are #7, behind these struggling teams: Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Celtics, Magic. That’s an impressive lineup, folks. Not only playoff teams, but title contenders. When age is weighted for minutes played, Spurs move up to #5, behind the Mavs, Lakers, Celtics and Suns. So if someone says that the Spurs are too old, I have to ask: Compared to who? (whom, I know. But it sounds pretentious.)
    • But let me be honest about age. The Spurs aren’t old. But Tim Duncan is, at least in terms of basketball. That’s why the Spurs seem old. Tim used to be such a defensive presence and dominating offensive player that the Spurs could ride on his shoulders. Not any more. (Age also took out Bruce Bowen. A lot of people didn’t like him, but he played a major role in the last three Spurs championships)

Still, I think the Spurs have a legitimate shot. So here are my picks.

First round East: No one cares. Celtics-Knicks will be interesting, but Knicks can’t take the series. Top seeds win.
First round West: It’s trendy to pick Blazers over Mavs, and I certainly enjoy watching Dallas lose. But I think the Mavs are better than they’re getting credit for. Three top seeds win easily. Thunder will have a challenge with the Nuggets, but I think they win. No upsets here either.

Second round East: Here’s where the playoffs begin in the East. I think the Bulls beat the Magic and the Celtics beat the Heat.
Second round West: Spurs handle the Thunder in a rough series. Mavs-Lakers to seven, with the Lakers winning at home.

Championship: Yeah, I skipped a round. But I’m going heart not head and picking the Spurs over the Celtics in the finals. Should be fun.

ESPN has a fun Playoff Predictor. I’ll run it one more time and get their prediction: Ugh. They went Lakers over Bulls in the finals.

World Cup final

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The World Cup ends this Sunday. It’s the world’s biggest sporting event. For those of us that love to study cultures, it’s a great time.

You can see the different playing styles, watch the dress and reactions of the fans, view the ways that the announcers from different countries approach the game. The attention of the whole world is focused there (even if many in the U.S. still haven’t made the effort to try and understand why).

Still, it comes down to some soccer matches. My predictions were only 50% right last week; here are my picks for the last two games:

Consolation:
Germany over Uruguay

Championship:
Netherlands over Spain