Condors Blogs

Team USA is awful - as usual (bartls blog)

Monday, June 29th, 2009 | The Many Faces of Bartl

Watching the Confederations Cup final on Sunday, i got sick and tired of listening to the coddling from the broadcasters.  I don’t care who the US was playing, surrendering three goals - actually, FOUR goals, with that missed call - in one half is a disgraceful close, in a sport where three goals in an entire game is better than average.

the game was over when Brazil scored in the first minute of the second half, and everyone watching that game knew it.  they were outshot by a 3-1 margin, the subs were awful, the whole second half was a festival of turnovers.

this team, this program, will never shed their underdog image (which really means that no one thinks they’re any good) until they are held to a higher standard.  this isn’t a club team, or a professional team, its the National Team.  when you are on a national team you are expected to be among the best in the world, and live up to a global standard.  but apparently, everyone in front of a camera or a microphone wants US Soccer to be held up to their own standard, and not the standard the rest of the world has.

*   *   *   *   *

it’s embarrassing, but the same can be said about all American team sports.  when on the world stage, they never fail to disappoint.  what is wrong with this country and its inhabitants?  Americans are nothing short of abject failures in team sports on the world stage - specifically, in soccer, hockey and baseball.  its almost like there is no pride anymore in winning.  there certainly is no extra pride in winning for your country.

every time the olympics come around the US hockey team puts up at least one dreadful performance that takes them out of the running altogether for gold.  i point to the Nagano Olympics as the standard that the US holds themselves up to - lose, look awful doing it, trash your hotel room partying afterward.  every player involved in that fracas that year should have been banned for life from USA Hockey for embarrassing our entire nation.  THAT would be our standard.  but instead it’s been nothing but disappointment out of the Americans since, they’re awful every year: no goaltending, no finesse, putting 40-year olds on the team, etc.

nobody in this country cares about the World Baseball Classic because the American team stinks.  Japan - no disrespect to them, but the Japanese national league is more like AAA here in the states, if that - takes it, while the US loses to Venezuela (VENEZUELA??!?!!!  can you even name nine Venezuelans in the majors??) in the Quarterfinals.  we ought to be able to throw out our third-string team and crush everyone. 

even in golf, the Americans regularly are pounded by the Europeans in the Ryder Cup, including that loaded 2004 team that was pulverized.  how they actually pulled that victory off last year, i’ll never know.  basketball’s the only team sport on the world stage that we have going for us… but for how long?

*   *   *   *   *

Closing random thought: When i watch Eric Milton pitching for the Dodgers, am i the only one who thinks: “He’s wearing Kal Daniels‘ number”??