He may have his deficiencies as a basketball coach, but I'm glad he represents our university the right way.  Now beat Sparty!

If any of you follow my Twitter feed, Facebook status, or just otherwise know me personally, you know I am ecstatic about a recent bit of soccer news. On Saturday night, the US Men's National Soccer Team qualified for the 2010 World Cup that will be hosted in South Africa Next June and July. This occurrence has an added dash of significance as Candice and I are making the journey to SA for what we anticipate to be a spectacular vacation.

Those who are not familiar with the international soccer scene may think, "whatever...we're the USA, of course we're in the World Cup. Don't we get automatically invited cos we're home to O & O...Obama and Oprah?" Sweet as that is, most non-followers don't understand the effort it takes to merely qualify for the world's greatest sporting event.

World cup qualifying is a long, grueling affair that spans multiple years. There are about 215 national teams with the opportunity to eventually win the Cup and lay claim to be the best team in the world. Sorting out who deserves to be in the final 32 is quite a conundrum.

The qualification journey for the United States Men's National Team began on 15 June 2008 when the squad shellacked Barbados 8-nil. When a team doesn't score in a match, we call it nil, not zero, fwiw.  That was the first of 18 total matches in the qualification process for our region, CONCACAF.

Also consider these athletes play professionally. They essentially play year round. The national and professional schedules are somewhat aligned. Because the professional teams pay the checks, the national teams must ask for permission for the players to leave the squad and join the national team.

The World Cup process culminates in a one month, two-phase tournament that is known as the FIFA World Cup Finals.  When the 32 teams assemble for the final, they first face a three match, round robin affair called the "Group Stage." In the Group Stage, the results can be win, lose, or draw (Burt Reynolds not involved). The top two teams from each group advance to the "Round of 16" where they are placed into a single elimination bracket which is played put until one, exceedingly well deserving nation is crowned World Cup Champion for the following four years.

For the first time in an unknown number of years, I dusted off my soccer duffel bag in preparation for the first game of a co-ed recreational season beginning tomorrow night.  My friend Michelle from back in the day at MHS reached out to me on Facebook and asked me to join her team.  I’d been meaning to jump on a team this fall, but never followed through, so it was a welcome surprise.

Anyway, I descended into our basement storage space to retrieve the filthy black Adidas bag.  The contents sufficiently amused me to inspire this post:

• 1 pair size 11 back and red Adidas soccer cleats
• 1 pair small Adidas shin guards
• 1 pair green Shin Pals (tiny, foam, micro-guards), donated to me by Scott Schinto when he was our coach junior year in High School - great coach…man was psycho for soccer
• 1 1/2 pairs soccer socks, unwashed for all these years
• Carlos Hernandez’s #9 XL Mundelein Mustangs jersey from his senior year - funny thing is I already graduated when he wore that jersey so I’m unsure how it came into my possession - let me know if you want it back, ‘Los
• 1 black neoprene thigh wrap (for pulled hammys)
• 1 box Titleist DT So/Lo golf balls
• 1 red ball pump with 2 needles
• 1 US penny, date 1985

On Monday, Andy Roddick lost a controversial tennis match to Gael Monfils, eliminating him from the 2009 French Open in the Round of 16.  I was able to listen to a live internet radio stream of the commentary while at work, and what I heard was disappointing on many fronts.

For those of you unaware of the story and its controversy, here is the situation.  Due to a longer than expected women’s contest immediately prior, the Roddick-Monfils match  started at about 7:45 pm local time in Paris and was played on Suzanne Lenglen court which is not equipped with lights for night play.  Down a set and at 2-5 in the second, just before 9:00 pm, Roddick angrily addressed the umpire and indicated he was having trouble seeing the ball.  Having played in twilight/dusk conditions before, I can attest to the fact that it’s VERY tricky to adjust your eyes and play tennis effectively in those hours.

But the umpire and the tournament supervisor agreed to continue play, despite the deepening obscurity of nightfall and cloud cover.  Oh, and allow me to mention that Roddick’s opponent Monfils, clearly in the drivers seat at that point, is a Frenchman and had overwhelming, momentous crowd support behind him.

The match concluded at 9:37 pm local time in Paris with a 6-4 6-2 6-3 Monfils victory.  Roddick’s personal best run at the French was over.

Now let me be clear…both Roddick and Monfils played on the same court in the same conditions.  There was no inequality, per se.  I also want to be clear that Roddick let his frustration with the playing conditions erode (eliminate?) his focus on executing his game.  That’s all on him.  You have to be mentally tougher than that and he admitted as such during his press conference.

However, it is absolutely ridiculous to force two of the world’s top players to compete in a Grand Slam tournament past 9:00 pm on a court without any lights.  Just absurd.  I don’t care how “light” it might seem at that hour, the players deserve better.  They’ve earned the right to compete in the best conditions that are practically possible.  It is not uncommon to suspend play over night and resume the next day.  This happens all the time at Wimbledon when spouts of rain showers interrupt play almost daily.  I refuse to believe that the match must be finished that night for scheduling/ticketing purposes.  It’s just nonsense.  I believe laziness and favoritism were at play in this mess.

I still hold the French Open in high regard and it remains my favorite tournament in the Slam.  But the decision not to suspend the match and resume it later in more optimal playing conditions is a blemish on the Roland Garros reputation.