Comments on: If I were the dictator of the world… http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422 Cutting straight to the point Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:14:34 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Rajan R http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422/comment-page-1#comment-9904 Rajan R Wed, 14 Jun 2006 04:38:59 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422#comment-9904 chsw: Baseball is much like what the Commonwealth girls play: rounders. Only with gayer outfits. There's of course American football - rugby with sissified rules and even more sissified uniforms. Basketball is alright in my books, though :-P chsw: Baseball is much like what the Commonwealth girls play: rounders. Only with gayer outfits. There’s of course American football – rugby with sissified rules and even more sissified uniforms. Basketball is alright in my books, though :-P

]]> By: Drew W http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422/comment-page-1#comment-9874 Drew W Tue, 13 Jun 2006 15:36:05 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422#comment-9874 At least there was a little good news from the World Cup host country (and this snippet is from Reuters no less): <i>Bavaria's Interior Minister Guenther Beckstein told the protesters waving Israeli flags and banners reading "Viva Israel -- long live freedom" that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not welcome in Germany, the World Cup host country. "A criminal like Ahmadinejad is not welcome in Germany," the minister told the rally in a central square of the southern host city. "Only his diplomatic passport would prevent his arrest."</i> As for the soccer-part, who cares? A couple weeks ago, I had a conversation with an Argentine-Israeli friend who could barely contain his disappointment (and incredulity) that Americans didn't care about the World Cup. I told him that lots of American kids have been playing soccer at least since the '60s (when I started playing it at recess), but for some reason, it just never became a national obsession, like baseball or football. Unsurprisingly, that makes us a snake-pit of racism in the eyes of much of the world. I tend to see sports as akin to any other national custom or trait or what have you. Americans and Canadians love ice hockey, but it doesn't do so well amongst the Japanese. Are the Japanese a bunch of xenophobic, slap-shot-averse reactionaries? Australians love their Vegemite, but the rest of the world is by and large resistant to its charms. Should we all feel ashamed of our self-centered, anti-Vegemite intolerance? Hey, world. Have a nice game. If you need to contact me on Father's Day, I'll be at Shea Stadium with my daughter, watching the Mets and the Orioles playing that really boring game that most of you don't like. At least there was a little good news from the World Cup host country (and this snippet is from Reuters no less):

Bavaria’s Interior Minister Guenther Beckstein told the protesters waving Israeli flags and banners reading “Viva Israel — long live freedom” that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not welcome in Germany, the World Cup host country.

“A criminal like Ahmadinejad is not welcome in Germany,” the minister told the rally in a central square of the southern host city. “Only his diplomatic passport would prevent his arrest.”

As for the soccer-part, who cares? A couple weeks ago, I had a conversation with an Argentine-Israeli friend who could barely contain his disappointment (and incredulity) that Americans didn’t care about the World Cup. I told him that lots of American kids have been playing soccer at least since the ’60s (when I started playing it at recess), but for some reason, it just never became a national obsession, like baseball or football. Unsurprisingly, that makes us a snake-pit of racism in the eyes of much of the world.

I tend to see sports as akin to any other national custom or trait or what have you. Americans and Canadians love ice hockey, but it doesn’t do so well amongst the Japanese. Are the Japanese a bunch of xenophobic, slap-shot-averse reactionaries? Australians love their Vegemite, but the rest of the world is by and large resistant to its charms. Should we all feel ashamed of our self-centered, anti-Vegemite intolerance?

Hey, world. Have a nice game. If you need to contact me on Father’s Day, I’ll be at Shea Stadium with my daughter, watching the Mets and the Orioles playing that really boring game that most of you don’t like.

]]> By: The Doctor http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422/comment-page-1#comment-9870 The Doctor Tue, 13 Jun 2006 14:09:51 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422#comment-9870 No problem, Meryl; I would never want to touch your shtick... No problem, Meryl; I would never want to touch your shtick…

]]> By: Scott http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422/comment-page-1#comment-9862 Scott Tue, 13 Jun 2006 04:46:04 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422#comment-9862 Soccer is a game for poor people who cannot afford real games. Soccer is a game for poor people who cannot afford real games.

]]> By: chsw http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422/comment-page-1#comment-9860 chsw Tue, 13 Jun 2006 03:27:00 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422#comment-9860 Heading the ball for years causes Parkinson-like brain damage. Look at Pele in his later years. Look at a few other soccer stars once they reach their sixties. And people won't let their kids play baseball? chsw Heading the ball for years causes Parkinson-like brain damage. Look at Pele in his later years. Look at a few other soccer stars once they reach their sixties. And people won’t let their kids play baseball?

chsw

]]> By: Meryl Yourish http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422/comment-page-1#comment-9857 Meryl Yourish Tue, 13 Jun 2006 02:29:05 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422#comment-9857 Hey Doc, If you're going to steal my shtick, you're going to have to get your own blog. Hey Doc,

If you’re going to steal my shtick, you’re going to have to get your own blog.

]]> By: The Doctor http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422/comment-page-1#comment-9854 The Doctor Tue, 13 Jun 2006 02:22:44 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422#comment-9854 If I were dictator: Nerds would get scholarships and jocks would have to wait tables to get through school... If I were dictator:

Nerds would get scholarships and jocks would have to wait tables to get through school…

]]> By: Jack Rich http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422/comment-page-1#comment-9851 Jack Rich Tue, 13 Jun 2006 01:46:32 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2006/06/12/1422#comment-9851 Sweden 0, Trinidad and Tobasco (or was that Toboggan?) 0. And the crowd goes...comatose. Rather watch paint dry than watch soccer. Sweden 0, Trinidad and Tobasco (or was that Toboggan?) 0. And the crowd goes…comatose.

Rather watch paint dry than watch soccer.

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