FanSpeak for Sunday, June 23

Cup is best of the best

I'VE BEEN watching World Cup soccer games, not because the U.S. team is on a roll but because it is an opportunity to see the game played by the world's best teams and players. The games are well played and exciting. First of all, the action is continuous with no time outs. I would love to see Brazil play Senegal without all the holding, pushing, tripping, shirt grabbing and phony dives and flops. It would be a creative, wide open poetry in motion display of soccer skills and running endurance. And why is the U.S. team on a roll? Because 20 some years ago, there were bunches of Howard Aslingers and Alice Temm all over America. These were people who put in many hours organizing youth soccer programs. Their hard work paid off and is now on display in Korea and Japan.

We'll miss you, Jack

I WOKE up this morning and I thought , "What's wrong? What's different?" I hurt. I felt beside myself. I am one of millions this day. Jack Buck was baseball to me, and I feel honored. I wish I was half the man.

I'm already a fan

I'M NOT watching more World Cup now that the U.S. advanced further than they ever have because you can not increase on 100 percent unless of course you count watching the games again on tape. The World Cup exposure has been tremendous because now all the games are on TV. Newspaper coverage has increased significantly. I guess the better question would be, do you think the media is paying more attention to USA soccer because the team is winning? The answer to that would be "yes."

Leave the players alone

I REALIZE that most high school sports involve some politics, but it's embarrassing how bad Cape Girardeau sports are. A select group of men decide who will play and what position, they are not even school coaches. They appear to have the Central coaches in their back pocket, and now I see that even summer sports are subject to their unfair practices. Talent, hard work, willingness to play where needed, these qualities will get a young man no where in this town. What a crying shame.