Ted's Polish-Mexican Page
29 marca 2007
Bob Bradley Made My Child Cry
Darnit!
Okay, instead of complaining about last night's game, I will instead complain about the jerseys.
They've worn them twice. I don't like them.
They look a lot like the jerseys for the national teams for Central American countries. There is nothing about it that says "USA Nats" to me. Geez. Whose idea was this?
Heck, looking at it again, it could be a fancier AYSO jersey.
Luckily, it is the "Third" jersey...that makes it not home or away, but special. If you were a soccer fan, you'd understand.
Gawd.
Eddie Johnson...gawd.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Okay, instead of complaining about last night's game, I will instead complain about the jerseys.
They've worn them twice. I don't like them.
They look a lot like the jerseys for the national teams for Central American countries. There is nothing about it that says "USA Nats" to me. Geez. Whose idea was this?
Heck, looking at it again, it could be a fancier AYSO jersey.
Luckily, it is the "Third" jersey...that makes it not home or away, but special. If you were a soccer fan, you'd understand.
Gawd.
Eddie Johnson...gawd.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
26 marca 2007
Before You Like Them Too Much, Remember That Their Name For "Lightning" is "Blitz"
Tom was poking around for some ukelele information and found out about a country band called Texas Lightning. Oh, I know what you are saying, a country band from Texas. What could possibly be so special about them?
Well, they aren't from Texas. They are from Germany.
As a matter of fact, they were Germany's entry in last year's Eurovision song contest (the only country act ever to qualify). They came in 15th, well behind eventual winners Lordi from Finland (if you haven't seen those guys, you must. They must be seen to be believed.)
Despite the trainwreck that a group of faux hicks from Hamburg (you expected Monchengladsbach?) picking banjos could be, these guys are actually pretty good. Many of their songs are country-fried versions of other pop songs, but it seems to work. The only trouble is, a bunch of obviously teutonic folks with names like Uwe dressing up like Gene Autry and covering ABBA can come off as a novelty act, and this could make it hard for them to get taken seriously.
By the way, a bill passed the Texas legislature declaring them honorary citizens.
Here is a video of their cover of Madonna's "Like a Virgin":
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Well, they aren't from Texas. They are from Germany.
As a matter of fact, they were Germany's entry in last year's Eurovision song contest (the only country act ever to qualify). They came in 15th, well behind eventual winners Lordi from Finland (if you haven't seen those guys, you must. They must be seen to be believed.)
Despite the trainwreck that a group of faux hicks from Hamburg (you expected Monchengladsbach?) picking banjos could be, these guys are actually pretty good. Many of their songs are country-fried versions of other pop songs, but it seems to work. The only trouble is, a bunch of obviously teutonic folks with names like Uwe dressing up like Gene Autry and covering ABBA can come off as a novelty act, and this could make it hard for them to get taken seriously.
By the way, a bill passed the Texas legislature declaring them honorary citizens.
Here is a video of their cover of Madonna's "Like a Virgin":
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
25 marca 2007
Poking Around on the YouTubes
I'd been poking around for this one for a while. I found this ESPN "This is Sportscenter" ad from 1997 on YouTube. It features Alexi Lalas and was, if I remember right, voted one of the more popular Sportscenter ads that year.
You may notice that Lalas is wearing the strange but fondly remembered 1996 New England Revolution Jersey over his tie-dyed shirt. Yes, I have one in my closet. The jersey, not the tie-dyed shirt.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
You may notice that Lalas is wearing the strange but fondly remembered 1996 New England Revolution Jersey over his tie-dyed shirt. Yes, I have one in my closet. The jersey, not the tie-dyed shirt.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
22 marca 2007
Pancho Goes to College
Ruben Reyes's movie Pancho Goes to College, will be premiering at the Screening Room tommorrow at 7:30, and will also be showing on Saturday and Sunday, as well as Friday, Saturday and Sunday of next week.The story is about Pancho, a chicano student who leaves home for the first time to attend the U of A. But you figured that out from the title, right?
The movie was filmed in Tucson and I myself was an extra in one crowd scene that they shot at Sharks. I don't know if I made the final cut.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Calvert DeForest
Of course, the apex, nay, zenith, of his career was appearing in the Run-DMC video for "King of Rock."Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
21 marca 2007
I've Got Your Loch Lomond Right Here, Mate
I read this interesting report about Poland being invaded by drunken Scotsmen whose, well, traditional manner of wearing the kilt is causing problems for locals.The money quote is from Angieska Gaspar, a resident of Krakowa:
You can't go round the corner without seeing a Scot showing off what he has under his kilt while one of his mates photographs him.Is nothing sacred? Next thing, they'll complain about Britney and Paris.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
No Season 13 for Number 13
Cobi Jones announced that he will retire at the end of this coming season. As I said before, I didn't like the way he seemed to get whinier as he started losing his pace (although he had a renaissance last season), but he's been a fixture in this league from the beginning. Plus, I think this leaves Pat Onstad as the only player my age or older.
But, Jones neglected the real reason he decided to stay with the Galaxy for one more season: he wants to shower with Becks.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
19 marca 2007
Hats!
So, I had to go over to Arizona Hatters to get them to steam an older wool hat I have because it was getting a bit ratty. The brim was in a shape resembling a verticle contour graph of Wisconsin. The woman working there was not sure if it would work, but it looks almost as good as it did on the shelf at the Togglery in Willcox when I bought it seven years ago. All that for three bucks.
The floors are stacked with boxes of cowboy hats. If you have trouble making a decision, two posters are on the wall to give you advise on a question dogging young men all over our rural communities: Resistol or Stetson? According to the posters, George Strait endorses Resistol, and Alan Jackson endorses Stetson. Hmm, decisions, decisions. Someone tell me what that poseur Toby Keith wears so I can buy the other brand.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
The floors are stacked with boxes of cowboy hats. If you have trouble making a decision, two posters are on the wall to give you advise on a question dogging young men all over our rural communities: Resistol or Stetson? According to the posters, George Strait endorses Resistol, and Alan Jackson endorses Stetson. Hmm, decisions, decisions. Someone tell me what that poseur Toby Keith wears so I can buy the other brand.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
17 marca 2007
Scouting Report
Okay, I really don't have a scouting report for tonight's contest between the Furious Truckstop Waitresses and Iron Curtain. All I know is, no Fisti Cuffs....-sob-Couple of things though. The former Lucy Lunchbox of FTW is now Cheap Ore of the Copper Queens. That one is definitely on my next "All Name" squad. I'm just mad that none of them have incorporated Schist into their names. Or even Gneiss...Gneiss Gams...the possibilities are endless.
I also should pass on this report of the Mobtown Maulers of Charm City versus the Long Island Roller Rebels. The score: 289-16. Ouch.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Who Will Wear #13 Now?
The Los Angeles Galaxy has announced that Cobi Jones will be having a press conference on Monday, leading to some speculation that he may announce his retirement. Jones has been in the line-up of the Galaxy since the team's first season (making him one of the few 1996 class of players still in the league, and, I think, the only one still with his original team). He has racked up an 66 goals in his more than 23,000 game minutes.He had also played in England for Coventry City and much was made of his being picked up by Vasco da Gama (Making him the first American to get a place in a Brazillian club). He never played a match for Vasco's first team, however.
Jones was a fixture on the national team, earning 164 caps (a team record). Jones was one of the players on the 1994 US Team (born only 15 days and twenty miles from teammate and now his GM Alexi Lalas) who managed to parlay his wee bit of celebrity into a career. He had a stint hosting MTV's shortlived "extreme sports" program Megadose, and managed some time here and there on commercials.
I got a bit tired of Jones though. I became frustrated with him way back in 1999, when he did a duckwalk to taunt Walter Zenga when his team was blowing out the New England. He had this whiny, nasty side to him that came out in games, but most folks that have met him say he's a nice guy.
Some Galaxy fans over on Big Soccer doubt he will retire, it may be wishful thinking though. They point out that he has been very active in the pre-season, scoring twice in a game against PDL squad Fresno Fuego. The Galaxy's packaging for pre-season ticket sales has included Jones's image. He may be announcing that this will be his last season. Some fans think that the press conference may just be a scheme to introduce the Galaxy's anticipated new logo.
Love him or hate him, it will be weird being an MLS fan without seeing him around.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
16 marca 2007
Old Paulin Motors Torn Down
Okay, folks can correct me on this one. Was it Paulin Motors that used to be at Plummer and Broadway? Well, they are tearing it down. It's been unoccupied for years. I don't know what they are planning to build there.
The dealership was remarkable for a couple of reasons. One was Sputnik. Sputnik was a strange sign that used to be out front that was two hemispheres with long lighted spikes. The hemispheres would rotate in different directions. I remember it was a big deal when they took that sign down back in the 80's, as it became a landmark. Like a lot of oddball signs from Tucson, it apparently ended up in Sonora. The sign would be way illegal now in our current regulations.
THe other was that the owner was a very conservative Republican. I know, it's shocking to find such a thing among usually progressive automobile dealers. Mr. Paulin was the one that funded the portraits in the President's lounge in the old Student Union. The portraits went from Washington to Reagan and stopped there. It wasn't a political statement, that was just the time that his dealership went out of buisiness. Paulin also stepped into the Evan Mecham impeachment controversey when his support for his fellow Pontiac dealer led him to rip the state seal off of a lectern when Rose Mofford gave one of her first speeches as governor.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
15 marca 2007
Call the SWAT Team...Wait, They Are Already There?
I heard what sounded like gunfire from the now-abandoned Martin Luther King Jr. Apartments on Congress. The place was surrounded by rather bored looking cops.
Am I the only one that didn't know that the SWAT team is using the building for exercises now? I don't know if they were live fire, but they were loud.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Am I the only one that didn't know that the SWAT team is using the building for exercises now? I don't know if they were live fire, but they were loud.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
09 marca 2007
The Miracle Match/The Game of Their Lives
A copy of the DVD The Miracle Match arrived at my doorstep the other day. This movie was originally called The Game of their Lives, and recieved a lot of buzz in soccer fan circles four years ago when a preview of it was shown at MLS Cup (another movie previewed for fans at that game: Shaolin Soccer). Release was delayed after one of the production companies involved folded, but it did manage an extremely limited release in a few cities. It has finally been released on DVD with a new name, although oddly enough, the name The Game of Their Lives is still up over the closing credits, and the original promotional website still is up too.
The name change could have been due to the fact that this is the second movie released over the past few years with that name. The other one was a documentary released in 2002 that had a similar theme: it was about the North Korean team that beat Italy at the 1966 World Cup.
This movie is about United States team that beat England at the 1950 World Cup (gosh, did I ruin the ending?), based on Geoffrey Douglas's book. The squad was a rag tag group of amateur players that included a hearse driver and two mailmen. Yep, a group of scrappy underdogs finds out something great about themselves and achieves victory, sounds like, I dunno, Hoosiers. Oh, the box says "From the creators of Hoosiers..."
I liked the movie, cheesy, but you want movies like this to be cheesy. The soccer scenes are actually pretty good too. The opening scene is actually at the 2004 MLS all star game, and features, of all people, Fox Sports commentator Sean Wheelock playing a, I know this is a stretch, an eager soccer reporter. Wheelock's daughter is also in the scene.
Some of the actors in the movie are actual players. Former Miami Fusion player Nelson Vargas plays John "Clarkie" Sousa and Derk Droze, whose MLS career was spotty but had success in Denmark, has a role as well. Scottish-born Ed McIlvenny is played by former DC United player John Harkes. Harkes has only two lines in the whole film, one of which ("Horse poppy it is...") he blows with a nearly comical Scottish (generic British, really) accent. You'd think his time with Sheffield Wednesday would have helped him out a wee bit with this.
Interestingly, since retirement, Harkes and Droze have played with amateur club Hollywood United with Anthony LaPaglia and Vinnie Jones.
The thing that was funny for me was Jimmy Jean-Louis playing Haitian immigrant Joe Gaetjens. Jean-Louis is familiar to fans of the show Heroes where he plays a character known as "The Haitian." See a pattern here? By the way, Jean-Louis has also played for Hollywood United.The thing I find funny is that although Gaetjens was half-black, he is always described him as "light skinned." The only pictures I have seen of the guy have been black and white, so it is hard for me to judge, but he seems no more dark skinned than his Italian-American teammates. But hey, with all of the black characters in novels that magically get transformed into white ones when those novels get made into movies, it is about time it happens the other way.
Gaetjens was described as "quirky" and "enthusiastic" by his teammates (Walter Bahr said he was "a little cuckoo"). In the movie, they make him heavilly into voodoo. I don't know if this was the case (I saw no reference to it in Douglas's book). They have scenes of Gaetjens doing prayers before the game. I told my friend Prairie Rose Clayton that I thought they laid this on thick, and she said, "Yeah, if he was a 'keeper, I could see it." (Gaetjen's goal, by the way, wasn't a fluke. He went on to score well over half the goals for his otherwise dismal team, Brookhattan, and was picked up by French team Racing Club of Paris.)
My favorite player from that squad, center-half Charlie "Gloves" Colombo, is played by Costas Mandylor. And yes, he wears the gloves. Mandylor played when he was younger, but an injury forced him to stop. Manylor's brother, Louis, plays Gino Pariani.
Former Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale plays Stanley Mortensen. They make him an arrogant ass, which fits in perfectly with the attitude that the English approached this tournament with.
My favorite player from that squad, center-half Charlie "Gloves" Colombo, is played by Costas Mandylor. And yes, he wears the gloves. Mandylor played when he was younger, but an injury forced him to stop. Manylor's brother, Louis, plays Gino Pariani.
Former Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale plays Stanley Mortensen. They make him an arrogant ass, which fits in perfectly with the attitude that the English approached this tournament with. There are a couple of details that only geeks like me would care about. They portray the team playing, and losing badly, to an England XI team that consisted of players that the movie notes, weren't good enough to play for the national team that they would face in Brazil. The trouble is, they actually held the England XI to only one goal in an impressive performance by Frank Borghi. The team that spanked them on their pre-cup warm-up was actually Turkish side Besitkas, who shellacked them 5-0. This was probably necessary for story telling though.
At one point in the movie, Bahr, played by Wes Bentley, convinces the team to play a 4-4-2. The team actually played a 2-3-5. I only note this because the formation was considered antiquated, and the lack of knowledge of the latest tactics was one of the reasons the team wasn't taken seriously.
Then, we come to the World Cup. The England game is portrayed as the first game that the team played. It was actually the second, the first was a game against Spain, which the US led 1-0 until a late game turnover by Colombo causes the wheels to come off and Spain made a comeback and won 2-1. The performance by the team in this game is what probably gave them the confidence to defeat an arrogant England squad.
The detail of Stanley Matthews taking himself off of England's roster is correct, he took the day off to "rest" on one of Rio's beaches. This was read as a sign that neither England's coach or players took this game seriously and believed that they could ride through the tournament easilly.
The details of the game itself are correct. I won't totally ruin the movie for you.
Aside from all that, I thought it was a fun movie and it was too bad it didn't get wider release.
Aside from all that, I thought it was a fun movie and it was too bad it didn't get wider release.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
The other day, I posted a picture of Mark E. Smith that I pilfered from a site called Kristiecat. Interestingly, I also found photos of Howe Gelb doing a show with the Voices of Praise Choir there.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
08 marca 2007
Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track
While at the Dust Devil, I picked up a copy of Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track by Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan. Melicious was one of the original Texas Rollergirls that are considered the pioneers that started the current "flat track" roller derby craze at the turn of the cenutry. Cool that I can say "turn of the century."The book is written in a punk rock jargon, and occasionally profanity, ridden style, which conveys the sport and its fandom perfectly. She goes through the early days of the Texas league, which started as some project by a mystery man from Tulsa, then was taken over by women known as the She.E.O.'s and eventually controlled entirely by the skaters. Her warts and all descriptions of the sometime petty rivalries that existed in those early days is fun reading.
She has a very loving look at the sport's fans. Infamous fan (and borderline stalker) Costas gets three paragraphs. Three! What do I get? Sheesh.Actually, when I met Melicious at the book signing I found her very nice and very gracious to the fans. I got the book signed, and the next day she even called over to me to say hello again. This is a woman that was mobbed every break in the action by autograph seekers, but she made time for all of us. Cool as hell.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Hotel Congress Follow Up
KGUN actually sent a reporter and camera crew to Hotel Congress to expose the anti-military agenda that opresses our brave boys. It's stupid ass alarmist non-stories like this one that have made me stop watching local television news.
You can also check out Kevin Smith's story from this morning's Star. Yep, front page even.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
You can also check out Kevin Smith's story from this morning's Star. Yep, front page even.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
07 marca 2007
Mountain Out of a Molehill Department
Gawd.
There's a band called Brightblack Morning Light playing at Hotel Congress tonight. I normally wouldn't bother noting this (the band is too hippy-dippyish for my taste), except the show has causes a big hoo-hah.
Congress Pooh Bah Dave Slutes had a conversation with Star entertainment reporter Kevin Smith, where he basically said, "Hey, Kevin, have you seen the silly thing this band has in their contract?"
The contract stated that "No U.S. Military entities in any form allowed within the event." Slutes wasn't even sure what that meant, and he just blew it off. Smith thought it was interesting enough to put on his blog he has on the Star's website.
That's when the stupidity started.
Numerous posters on the site are saying that they will never attend an event at Congress again. The funny part is, I don't know how many of these posters (many of whom claim to be older veterans) could tell you where the place is, much less set foot there. How many of these folks have even looked at Smith's blog or the Caliente section, much less posted there before? This would sort of like me threatening to boycott Cactus Moon.
All sorts of bizarre (and threatening) phone calls have been made to Hotel Congress. Of course, "KGUN 9 On Your Side" has gotten involved, apparently trying to ferret out anti-military sentiment at Hotel Congress.
The language in the contract is apparently there to discourage military recruiters from trying to recruit at their shows. Um, how often do they even try? People that have talked to the band have said that they do seem naive, and don't understand why the contract language would offend anyone. This is more a pair of sincere but mostly out of touch folks trying to make an anti-war statement, nothing more.
Just goes to show it doesn't take much, does it?
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
There's a band called Brightblack Morning Light playing at Hotel Congress tonight. I normally wouldn't bother noting this (the band is too hippy-dippyish for my taste), except the show has causes a big hoo-hah.
Congress Pooh Bah Dave Slutes had a conversation with Star entertainment reporter Kevin Smith, where he basically said, "Hey, Kevin, have you seen the silly thing this band has in their contract?"
The contract stated that "No U.S. Military entities in any form allowed within the event." Slutes wasn't even sure what that meant, and he just blew it off. Smith thought it was interesting enough to put on his blog he has on the Star's website.
That's when the stupidity started.
Numerous posters on the site are saying that they will never attend an event at Congress again. The funny part is, I don't know how many of these posters (many of whom claim to be older veterans) could tell you where the place is, much less set foot there. How many of these folks have even looked at Smith's blog or the Caliente section, much less posted there before? This would sort of like me threatening to boycott Cactus Moon.
All sorts of bizarre (and threatening) phone calls have been made to Hotel Congress. Of course, "KGUN 9 On Your Side" has gotten involved, apparently trying to ferret out anti-military sentiment at Hotel Congress.
The language in the contract is apparently there to discourage military recruiters from trying to recruit at their shows. Um, how often do they even try? People that have talked to the band have said that they do seem naive, and don't understand why the contract language would offend anyone. This is more a pair of sincere but mostly out of touch folks trying to make an anti-war statement, nothing more.
Just goes to show it doesn't take much, does it?
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Happy Birthday, You Complete Bastard
Today is Rik Mayall's birthday. People my age (see, I'm old and I can do that now) remember him as, well, Rick, from the Young Ones. He also starred in a number of other off kilter comedies like The New Statesman and Bottom, as well as the movie Drop Dead Fred.Because I'm addicted to posting embedded video now, I'm posting a classic scene from the Young Ones from the episode Bambi, where Rick and the boys represent their school on a College Bowl style program. Yes, Lord Monty is Hugh Laurie and Miss Money Sterling is Emma Thompson.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
And Is...This...Your Birthday?
I missed the birthday of Mark E. Smith, world's greatest Mancunian and certified Godlike Genius. How did I miss that? Am I still bitter that he tossed a mike stand at me?
You can check out some videos at this site, and this site. The infamous video (and friggin' brilliant) of Smith reading daily football results has been scrubbed from YouTube, but is still available here.
So, I get to post my own videos. This is actually not a Fall video, but instead a video by the band Inspiral Carpets. Any of you remember them? I bet Natalie Luna does. Anyway, they were the "Next Big Band From Manchester" back in the early 1990's. In those years, there was a new "Next Big Band From Manchester" every six or seven months. Anyhow, the quality here is not the best. Smith acts as guest vocalist and Manchester musical godfather here.
Going back a ways to the early days, this is the band performing the song "Totally Wired" in New York. This song is a favorite of, of all people, Rod Stewart, who used to play it over the PA as a warm-up at concerts.
Newer video, for the song "Fifteen Ways" from the album Middle Class Revolt.
This is a concert video from just last year. The song is "Blindness," which you may recognize as part of an ad for Mitsubishi that is currently running. The mighty Fall sell out!
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
03 marca 2007
Drink the Long Draft Down for the Big Prinz
Poking around on YouTube, I found this video of the Fall performing "New Big Prinz." Those of you that remember the old days of 120 Minutes may remember a video of this taken from an oddball ballet, this one is instead a performance on British network Granada TV's The Other Side of Midnight.
Keyboards in this line-up were played by my favorite brunette punk-rocker turned anesthesiologist, Marcia Schofield, who can actually be seen in a couple of shots in this video. She never seems to show up in other videos of this period except in passing. I have no idea what is up with Brix Smith. She is always so "fashion forward," but here it looks like she is trying out to back up the Mandrell Sisters.
The quality here sucks, by the way. Just a warning.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Keyboards in this line-up were played by my favorite brunette punk-rocker turned anesthesiologist, Marcia Schofield, who can actually be seen in a couple of shots in this video. She never seems to show up in other videos of this period except in passing. I have no idea what is up with Brix Smith. She is always so "fashion forward," but here it looks like she is trying out to back up the Mandrell Sisters.
The quality here sucks, by the way. Just a warning.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
02 marca 2007
Garlick Retires
MLS journeyman Scott Garlick has decided to retire from playing and become a real estate agent in Florida. There was some constrenation from Real Salt Lake fans on Big Soccer calling Garlick a "traitor." Garlick had only lived there what, a year?Of course, I think he's a traitor because he hasn't moved back to Arizona. Garlick was born in Phoenix and graduated from Brophy Prep. Maybe after his experiences in Utah and Colorado, he's had enough of the west.
Garlick had been gray haired throughout his MLS career, which saw him pass through nearly half a dozen teams. Each team seemed to find a new flavor of the month to replace him with (Tom Presthus, Jeff Cassar, Joe Cannon), but in the end he outlasted many of them.
Local soccer legend has it that Garlick tried out for the Tucson Amigos but didn't make the team. One version of the story has it that Garlick was bumped out of a spot on the team for one time Miami Fusion and current Charleston Battery 'keeper Dusty Huddock.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
01 marca 2007
Another Joke
I've been privy to a bunch of scenster jokes lately. Those musicians, such cards:Q: How many members of Calexico does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They can do it with two, but it is much better if they bring the mariachis.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
