On the sixth day of Gheorghemas, Big Gheorghe gave to me
Five musicians from San Antonio known as the Sir Douglas Quintet
A four-part Japanese life strategy (as told by our man in the OBX)
Three 80's Baseball Sports Looks
Too Many Entries
and a Cameo That Will Go Down in History
What do you get the guy who has everything? I know that's the thought running around your brains when you think about me. So in the spirit of the season, I'm here to give you some ideas from the footie world. Altruistic all the way down, I am.
I've even started on the list, saving you from having to get all six. My Liga MX kit is taken care of after my Xolos jersey showed up a few weeks ago.
You know about my favorite Premier League (for the moment) side. Fulham are currently perched precariously above the drop zone, 17th of 20 teams, having won twice in 11 games. But their gaffer, Scott Parker, is inarguably the best-dressed manager in the league, and they've shown real improvement over the past month. I'm not backing them to stay up just yet, but I'm sayin' there's a chance. I've got a jersey from several years back because my youngest is an excellent, if moody, kid, but it's a bit form fitting (thanks, Kappa!), so you could send either of these 2020/21 tops my way:
I've never really settled on a favorite Serie A side. I was partial to Roma for a while because they were owned by a Bostonian named Jimmy Pallotta and featured the legendary Francesco Totti. Because of my longtime Red Sox fandom, I reflexively hate Juventus, with their Yankee-like hegemony over the league and acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo. But within the past month or so, I found new love. Diego Maradona's passing gave me occasion to dig into his history. His relationship with the people of Naples, as chronicled in the excellent documentary, Diego Maradona, was remarkable. I've long admired Napoli's swashbuckling style of play, and their manager, Gennaro Gattuso, was a snarling pit bull as a player - a defensive midfielder I admired. And then Napoli busted out these kits in the first game after Maradona's passing as an homage to the Argentinian's national team jerseys:
Closer to home, my MLS rooting interest is a function of geography. D.C. United are a storied side, boasting the second-best haul of MLS Cup trophies, trailing only L.A. Galaxy. Those four cup wins are increasingly ancient history, with the last of them coming in 2004. And they dismissed my guy Ben Olsen after ten mostly mediocre (and definitively undermanned and underinvested) years. But we don't get to pick our teams from the top of the deck (unless we're Yankee fans), so Vamos United.
My family lived in Germany for three years, so you'd think I'd choose a Bundesliga rooting interest from one of the teams nearest to Stuttgart, where we were based. But Mainz, Hoffenheim, and Eintracht Frankfurt never stirred my footie passions. No, much like my initial support for Fulham was based on the club's history of successful American players, I support Borussia Dortmund because of Christian Pulisic. And now Gio Reyna (Did you see the goal he scored yesterday? An American did that? Holy shit. We're winning the World Cup.). It doesn't hurt that Dortmund are the Red Sox to Bayern Munich's imperious Yankees. Their kits are pretty dope, too.
But Spain is an entirely different story. I do love Lionel Messi, and I do despise Real Madrid, but Barca isn't my team. I back Athletico Madrid for their gritty workmanlike style and their permanent underdog status in their own city. Diego Simeone might be the world's best manager, and young Portuguese forward Joao Felix is one of the best players in the world. Los Colchoneros currently sit atop La Liga, though yesterday's dismal performance against Real Madrid was bleak. Their kits haven't changed much over the years, so I'll take one of these classic models:
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14 comments:
Still can’t quite believe Florida lost last night because a bad defensive back threw an opponent’s shoe.
sole crushing loss
Jerseys! The coolest soccer jersey, in my opinion, are the 2016-17 Japan men national team away. They were white with this snowy pattern that formed a samurai mask. They were impossible to find, even in Osaka. I know this because we are friends with a family from Japan and their oldest asked me to get him a Kagawa away jersey. Apparently this was THE cool thing to have if you were a 13-year-old Japanese boy in 2017, in part due to scarcity but mostly because they really were fly as hell.
I found one after scouring a not insignificant number of stores in the Umeda neighborhood, but it was on the mannequin in the window and not for sale. The kid agreed to settle for the blue home jersey which is nowhere near as cool. You could get an old Kagawa Dortmond jersey and split the difference, rob.
Here's a photo, it was much more impressive in person:
https://www.footballkitnews.com/17477/new-japan-soccer-jersey-2016-adidas-japanese-samurai-blue-football-kits-16-17-home-away/
I hate you, Rob.
60 degrees in the dirty Jerz and everyone had their Sunday drivers out. If you have a convertible drop the top and get out there.
Beautiful day in Jerz indeed. Got one last bike ride in. Forecast calling for cold and snow this week, so that may be it for the year.
the bad guys finally got john le carre
TR came across some Tito Landrum cards during his recent dive through his baseball card collection. He was kind enough to offer to send them to me. I eagerly accepted. And because he’s such a mensch he threw in a Tommy Herr card and a league leaders card featuring Keith Hernandez and Bob Forsch (sneaky great hitter for a pitcher). Major thanks to a guy I’ve never met.
Nothing is sexier than a 50 year old man in a football jersey. I'm ordering smalls. Squeeze into it, Rob.
Glad you got them. Hope my ghetto packaging was okay.
Probably helps if the audience knows that Tito Landrum is part of your Twitter handle, which started this. Would be weird if I just offered to send some Tito Landrum stuff out of the blue.
Chris Simms and I have the exact same haircut (although I don’t update mine weekly like he does).
Not sure I’m proud of this, and pretty sure I had it first. Back off, Chris.
I think Anderson Cooper had that do first, right? I wish I had enough hair to warrant a particular style.
That’s an important detail, TR.
New post up. Sorry to step on Day 6, but it's immature and timely and the editorial board decided to plow ahead.
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