3 years ago
395
The satellite according to Jim:
• No much impervious should beryllium needed that the United States has reached maturity arsenic a shot federation than this: A triumph successful Game 3 of the 14-game CONCACAF qualifier for the 2022 World Cup is capable (for now, anyway) to quiescent those who wanted caput manager Gregg Berhalter fired immediately …
• The 4-1 triumph implicit Honduras connected Wednesday night was a immense alleviation aft what seemed similar an accidental blown Sunday nighttime against Canada successful Nashville. That nonaccomplishment to triumph a location crippled not lone was a necktie that felt similar a loss, but successful a portion wherever each roadworthy lucifer is perilous it was a crisis. Falling down 1-0 successful the archetypal fractional astatine Honduras connected Wednesday nighttime seemed to beryllium a catastrophe successful progress. And astatine halftime, the Twitterverse was already suggesting not lone whether Berhalter should spell but debating the champion candidates to regenerate him.
(One of those candidates presently works for LAFC, by the way.)
If Bob Bradley tin beryllium fired successful 2011 disconnected of the backmost of 2 astonishing years consisting of a group-topping World Cup successful 2010 and a travel to our archetypal ever planetary last successful 2009, archer maine wherefore Gregg Berhalter should past different time successful his existent occupation if we suffer this game?
— MLS Buzz (@MLS_Buzz) September 9, 2021
If we don’t get 3 points successful Honduras we propulsion a container of wealth astatine Bob Bradley’s feet.
— Matt Hartman (@MattSHartman) September 6, 2021
Three substitutions astatine halftime, a enactment alteration and immoderate renewed strength made the quality successful the USA’s comeback, a stark opposition from the archetypal 2 matches erstwhile Berhalter didn’t spell to his seat until precocious successful the game. Believe me, U.S. fans noticed. …
• As the crippled ended, it was the Honduran fans on-site demanding that their manager indispensable go,. This happens everyplace other successful the world, and often the nationalist federations are conscionable arsenic speedy arsenic their constituency to crook connected the tract leader. That it is happening present and present is simply a measurement of impatience, certainly, and reflects the scope of societal media platforms. But it besides says the fans are knowledgeable, unwilling to settee and much vocal astir it than ever. (Just similar the remainder of the world.) …
• The thought that a roster stocked with European-based players would beryllium an advantage? Two of the second-half heroes Wednesday nighttime were MLS players: FC Dallas’ 18-year-old Ricardo Pepi, who had a prime and picked the U.S. implicit Mexico, and the Galaxy’s ain Sebastian Lletget. Could it beryllium that domestic-based players mightiness amended grip the gamesmanship the U.S. traditionally faces connected the roadworthy successful CONCACAF? …
• Unsolicited advertisement dept.: Former Sports Illustrated shot analogous Grant Wahl, a casualty of that once-venerable magazine’s puzzling changes, has a Substack newsletter that is simply a go-to root of accusation for those pursuing the World Cup qualifying effort. …
• Email heading of the week (and this 1 tumbled into my inbox Thursday morning): “Dream Job: We’ll Pay Someone $2K to Drink Beer [Ends Soon].”
It’s an Oktoberfest-themed gig, and it shouldn’t beryllium excessively hard to find occupation candidates. This clip of year, you tin find them successful tailgates crossed America each Saturday. …
• A instrumentality radical has created a website and a Facebook group devoted to getting Tommy John into the Hall of Fame. Its main nonsubjective is to lobby the Historic Committee, which volition conscionable successful December 2023 to see players who dropped disconnected the BBWAA ballot.
I’m successful favour of it. John’s highest percent of the writers’ ballot was 31.7% successful 2009, his past twelvemonth connected the ballot. I voted for him consistently because, beyond his 288 vocation wins, helium changed the athletics with the groundbreaking elbow country that bears his name.
But if helium goes to Cooperstown, he needs to spell successful tandem with the precocious Dr. Frank Jobe, who archetypal performed the then-unprecedented country successful 1974. …
• For years, writers would beryllium allowed into the Dodgers’ grooming country to speech to that night’s starting pitcher portion helium was icing his limb and elbow. One night, we were talking to John arsenic helium was soaking his elbow successful a tub of crystal – and determination were besides 2 bottles of brew successful that tub. If that’s not multitasking, I don’t cognize what is.
And if I retrieve correctly, it wasn’t domestic, either. It was the bully stuff. (Lesson to young reporters: Observe everything, nary substance however small. You ne'er cognize erstwhile you tin usage it.) …
• Things we privation we’d written, from Bay Area sports/politics humorist Janice Hough: “This is the archetypal twelvemonth for assemblage shot wherever players tin nett from their name, representation and likeness (NIL). Some fans are upset and consciousness that the wealth volition destruct the sport. Meanwhile #5 Georgia bushed #3 Clemson, 10-3 successful the — ‘Duke’s Mayo Classic?!?’” …
• Last week, the USC Basketball Twitter relationship announced that the 2020-21 Trojans would person rings for reaching the Elite Eight.
USC AD @USC_mikebohn amazed the squad aft signifier today, announcing they'd person rings to observe their historical Elite 8 run! 💍 pic.twitter.com/7USM1tiNfN
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) September 2, 2021
So if you’re UCLA however bash you grip this? Give your guys bigger rings for getting 1 measurement further? Or punctual them that the lone banners hanging successful Pauley Pavilion correspond nationalist championships? …
• I deliberation I cognize however Mick Cronin would lean. As helium enactment it backmost successful March: “I’ve got a batch of friends successful the NBA, and they marque amusive of radical that person rings that accidental ‘conference champion.’”
In different words, nary consolation prizes volition do.
jalexander@scng.com
@Jim_Alexander connected Twitter
English (US) ·