I freely and routinely admit that I’m an idiot. I don't understand a lot of things. Things like string theory, the Dave Matthews Band's popularity, Basque, calendars, short stocky women who wear knee-high boots, the iPad, the appeal of items decorated with Burberry plaid or those weird Gucci and Louis Vuitton logos, why people buy Saturns, the factors that led to World War I, people who aren't lactose intolerant but nevertheless don't like cheese, Sarah Palin, the midget in front of me at Obama's motorcade, Flemish sours, the DC area's snow removal policy or lack thereof, the evolution of the Supreme Court's commerce clause jurisprudence, religion, transplant surgery, how anyone ever came up with the idea for circumcision and said "eh, let's give it a try and see if it pans out," the telegraph, telephones, television, telekinesis, kinases, knitting, silent k's, why the "g" is silent in "gnat" but not in "gnu," and the final scene of the final episode of the Sopranos.
And soccer. I just don't get it. It seems like everyone around the world is head-over-heels* in love with soccer. I’ve tried to watch but it’s just terrible. Nothing happens. I thought the problem was that I just don’t understand the finer points of the game, or that I haven’t seen an excellent display of soccer prowess. So I looked around on the ghooghles for some soccer clips and I found “The Goal of the Century.” Should be pretty amazing right? It has to be! It’s The Goal of the Century!! Wanna see it? Here it is:
I still don’t get soccer. Particularly if this is the best soccer-related occurrence in the last 100 years.
But with the World Cup nigh upon us I felt that I should try to adopt a team to root for. The US team was a logical choice until I looked at the roster. The closest thing to a zman on the team is "Jonathan Spector." It might be fun to root for Herculez Gomez because then I can yell "Herk-a-LEEZ! Herk-a-LEEZ!" like in the Nutty Professor. But they'll probably lose early so I need another team if I want to follow one deep into the tournament.
So I sloppily searched the FIFA World Cup site for zmen. It appears that there isn’t a single Zoltan to be found on anyone’s roster. Slovakia has a Zdenko and a Zabavnik. The Serbs really bring the zheat: Zeljko, Zdravko, Zoran, and Zigic all rock the kokarda. Ivory Coast has some dude named Didier Zokora which seems cool at first but I'll wind up making "Didier, I hardly know her" jokes and that gets old fast. Brazil has no zmen, probably because they're a bunch of fatherless bastards - about 69% of the team has no last name. One Brazilian is named "Grafite;" maybe he's into mechanical pencils? Cameroon has a Zoua and cool jerseys but I can't find their country on a map. Slovenia has a Zlatko AND a Zlatan, and I work with a cool guy from Slovenia so they have good watercooler potential. The Nordic teams have no zmen but they have tons of names with no consonants, as opposed to the central Europeans who would like to buy some vowels.
Accordingly, I'm rooting for the Slovenians. I understand that they may be even worse than the US team, which means my approach to finding a team that can go deep in the tournament is less than scientifically sound. But this also means I'll likely have an excuse to stop watching the World Cup without having to admit I don't understand why it's entertaining or even interesting.
I'll try to drum up more information on the Slovenian squadron from my inside source. Keep an eye out for some Slovenian/Ghostface crossover fillah.
*I also don’t understand the phrase “head-over-heels.” My head is always over my heels unless I’m executing a bicycle kick. Which will never happen.
Showing posts with label Ohio high school basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ohio high school basketball. Show all posts
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, October 09, 2009
Movie Month: Once More with Feeling
“Basketball is a vehicle…,” says Dru Joyce Jr. as the camera pans slowly across an empty gymnasium. The metaphor introduced in the opening scene of the aptly-titled More Than a Game powers a poignant and textured story of brotherhood, fathers and sons, and friendship.
First-time director Kris Belman benefited from both good timing and good fortune. The project began as a 10-minute film-school assignment (that earned Belman a B+) and might have been relegated to obscurity but for a real-world narrative arc that would make Disney’s screenwriters envious. Belman brought his camera back to his home town of Akron, OH just as five boys were beginning their high school basketball careers. He finally wrapped shooting seven years, three state championships, one defining loss, and one rocket ride to stardom later.
The film, which opens nationally today, will garner a great deal of publicity because of LeBron James’ involvement. The truth, though, is that the NBA star’s story is just one of five. Perhaps the most compelling scene in the movie comes at the end of the five teammates’ career at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School. On senior night, when players walked to center court accompanied by their parents, LeBron (whose love for his mother is clearly documented in the film) chose to make his final entrance with Sian, Willie, Romeo, and Dru III.
We’ve spent some time documenting the themes of friendship and loyalty in More Than a Game. But if the movie’s soul is the friendship between the teammates, its heart lies in the relationship between Dru Joyce III and his father. The elder Joyce set out to do what million of other fathers do (and many more should) – he set out to be there for his son, coaching rec league and then AAU teams. It was only an accident of fate that put him on the bench as the head coach of St. Vincent-St. Mary’s after the Vikings had won consecutive state championships. The following season tested his faith, his belief in himself, and his relationship with his son.
We love sports because they reveal character. In the end, More Than a Game succeeds because of this fact. Failure teaches Coach Joyce a lesson in humility and perspective, and he in turn offers the same gift to his team. “My job is not basketball,” he says, “my job is to help them become men.”
My biases with respect to More Than a Game are clearly established, so let’s get that on the record. But despite the fact that I’m in the tank for the film based on a unique personal experience, it definitively exceeded my expectations. This is anything but a star turn for LeBron James, and his emphatic refusal to promote the movie as such speaks highly of his love for the people that helped him get where he is today. We give it 70 Gheorghes out of 77.
First-time director Kris Belman benefited from both good timing and good fortune. The project began as a 10-minute film-school assignment (that earned Belman a B+) and might have been relegated to obscurity but for a real-world narrative arc that would make Disney’s screenwriters envious. Belman brought his camera back to his home town of Akron, OH just as five boys were beginning their high school basketball careers. He finally wrapped shooting seven years, three state championships, one defining loss, and one rocket ride to stardom later.
The film, which opens nationally today, will garner a great deal of publicity because of LeBron James’ involvement. The truth, though, is that the NBA star’s story is just one of five. Perhaps the most compelling scene in the movie comes at the end of the five teammates’ career at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School. On senior night, when players walked to center court accompanied by their parents, LeBron (whose love for his mother is clearly documented in the film) chose to make his final entrance with Sian, Willie, Romeo, and Dru III.
We’ve spent some time documenting the themes of friendship and loyalty in More Than a Game. But if the movie’s soul is the friendship between the teammates, its heart lies in the relationship between Dru Joyce III and his father. The elder Joyce set out to do what million of other fathers do (and many more should) – he set out to be there for his son, coaching rec league and then AAU teams. It was only an accident of fate that put him on the bench as the head coach of St. Vincent-St. Mary’s after the Vikings had won consecutive state championships. The following season tested his faith, his belief in himself, and his relationship with his son.We love sports because they reveal character. In the end, More Than a Game succeeds because of this fact. Failure teaches Coach Joyce a lesson in humility and perspective, and he in turn offers the same gift to his team. “My job is not basketball,” he says, “my job is to help them become men.”
My biases with respect to More Than a Game are clearly established, so let’s get that on the record. But despite the fact that I’m in the tank for the film based on a unique personal experience, it definitively exceeded my expectations. This is anything but a star turn for LeBron James, and his emphatic refusal to promote the movie as such speaks highly of his love for the people that helped him get where he is today. We give it 70 Gheorghes out of 77.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
