Go Al's go!!!

You go Bruce, looks like your team is doing good! Alouettes win 32-14 over Lions.

Vikings defeat Atlanta. A "W" is a "W"! It isn't pretty but it's a victory, nonetheless. Good defense!

Well the Bears lost.

Hey guys, you hadn't had to do me this.

First of all, what you call "soccer" should be called properly "football": the ball can't be played with hands but by the goalkeeper.
Seems to me that in your "football" nobody kicks anything. So what ?
By the way, our "football" comes from a game played many centuries ago in Florence.

In second hand, our "football" is played EVERYWHERE ALL AROUND THE WORLD and doesn't seem boring at all.

Then, don't mix up the game with some (the worst) of its supporter.

Dave, pleeease! "Soccer" IS NOT a "game where everyone seems to be constantly running around in circles and a 0-0 score at the end of regulation time is cause for rapturous gasps from the crowd".
It's a game where teams can be such well-balanced that no one can win the other. And if it's necessary to have a winner, an extra time (30') can be played. If it's necessary, after 90' + 30' the game ends with penalties (this is BREATHTAKING . You can take it from me, that's how Italy lost the 1994 WC final v/s Brazil ... ).

G.C., you too ... ? (Tu quoque ? said Caesar as being killed in 44 BC ... )
You "sometimes" hear about fans throwing urine and blood bombs onto the field and about the refs being attacked by dissenting fans. Those people - absolutely a meagre minority - are criminals. England has absolutely solved the problem, Italy is working at it.

Digdmr. No, it isn't soccer games where stampedes seem to be an ordinary occurrence. I mean, in Europe. I don't know how they end in the USA ...

Friends, these all are cliches.

I admit I don't know "american football" rules, as well as most of Europeans; but - as an ignorant spectator, and don't take me wrong - looks to me as a sport where you have a lot of idle times and when the players go, often you can't understand what they do because many times you can't see where the ball is ...
From the USA, I like much more baseball.

After this "revengeful section", I can't help noticing that ITALY is the best National Team.
We're World Champion (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)...

Club Teams: MILAN AC is the most winning team worldover ... , and, btw, European Champion.

My deeply favourite team, however, is BOLOGNA FC (7-times Italian Champion).

... don't banner me ...

Fredo, Good points, every one of them except for the fact that in American Football the ball is kicked to the other team after a score, (which may be made by "kicking the ball" between the uprights) or by crossing the goal line with the ball or catching the ball past the goal line in the end zone for a touchdown.

Football may not be aptly named but it is the only, true team sport where everyone has a function on every play.

The hooligans are what we read about and see on the cable news over hear much like many in Europe who see the US as a gas guzzling, polluting war machine.

I still think soccer is boring but I support your enjoyment of it.

Fredo, thanks for clearing up the facts about soccer. Obviously, most of us in the U.S. don't know much about soccer. We definitely love our "football" as much as Europeans love their "football/soccer."

Here is a link to various sporting event stampedes:
http://www.emergency-management.net/sport_ev.htm

Unfortunately, soccer does seem to have quite a few, but it's probably because people are so passionate about the game.

quote:

Originally posted by fredo:
Club Teams: MILAN AC is the most winning team worldover ...

Hi fredo, you were doing so well.....
and then you mentioned Italy....yes they did do well to win the world cup again in 2006 but then you mentioned the great AC Milan but you didn't mention the match fixing scandel in 1980 where AC Milan & Lazio were relegated to the division below the top division.
In july 2006 the Italian football federations prosecutor called for all four clubs at the centre of the most recent match fixing scandel to be kicked out of series A.....this was juventus,fiorentina,lazio ....oh and your beloved AC Milan.
AC Milans final punishment doesn't seem as bad as the others who were banned from the UEFA cup or champions league but they still suffered a 30points deduction and a home game behind closed doors.
So my point is whilst the Italian national team can be seen as a good example for people new to football......due the the actions of a few top Italian clubs.....some may look a football (soccer ) with a tinge of suspicion.
At least there has been an major effort to clean up the scandel by banning several people for a few years from football.

I wonder if american football has had any match fixing allegations ?

quote:

Originally posted by Chef Ken:
Vikings defeat Atlanta. A "W" is a "W"! It isn't pretty but it's a victory, nonetheless. Good defense!

well done to you and greyson .....your team did ok,looks like the falcons will be having tough time in their other games as well.Plenty of matches still to come.

They did well but both Ken and I know not to hold our breath. They always kick butt in the beginning, then decide to take vacation or something. When we make the play-offs, then I will get really excited. Until then I will just watch and pray each time they play.

On a serious note, my thoughts are with the family of Kevin Everett, the Buffalo Bills TE who was severely injured last night.

Jack, of course I know that italian football has been overcome by a great scandal.
AC MILAN - it's my point of view, surely I may be wrong - has been punished for a venial sin (no high level manager involved, just maybe a single little episode as a reaction to an injustice...), and mainly to avoid the risk of a furious reaction by the supporter of Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio.
Please note that one of the fixed matches has sent Bologna FC into Serie B (second league) and there it lies these days.
About 1980 scandal, it was 27 years ago and I think them all deserved the downgrading. At last it didn't do any harm: that wreck gave the chance to mr. Silvio Berlusconi to buy AC MILAN and re-create it as we know it today.

Jack and Ken, the point is that mass media influence people between one nation and the other.
I would have mind that the "fixing thing" had had to be perceived abroad in a far different way.
Mass media often give prominence to news that look interesting, most when a confrontation between countries is possible.
The same happens regarding USA. Ken, you can be sure I don't care what is said about "war pollution" and so on, I showed this in many posts.

Good and bad is everywhere, many of these arguments are cliche-based.
It's hard but necessary to go beyond some lazy prejudices, even if deep-rooted.

I don't think to Germany as a den of nazis, to Great Britain as a weird people of tea-at-five drinkers, to USA as a people sleeping with a gun under their pillow or so on: but these are images which many journalists are fond of.

By my side, believe me: Italy is not "mafia spaghetti pizza e mandolino".
At least, it ain't only that.

It's also "mamma" ...

Back to american football.....well not knowing too much about the game, I thought fair enough the vikings had played better than the falcons....but I think I now know the real reason for the vikings win.

Have you seen the size of that b***dy huge viking mascot !! Gosh if I'd been a falcon player and seen the size of that huge monster Ragnar or whatever his name is ( I'll call him "sir" ) it would have put me off my game.

Looks like the vikings have an unfair advantage

No unfair advantage, the mascot has been around for years. We just have a better team this year it looks like. I am going to cheer them on no matter what happens, but I have a feeling this is going to be a good year. I also heard about an employee of the Patriots getting caught for taking pictures during the game, from the side line no less. NAUGHTY NAUGHTY

Well he was possibly trying to catch the moment they went in the history books!! Come on Patriots!!

Kentishgirl, you are getting into the spirit of American football, good for you!

Do you still live in the U.K., or are you living in the U.S. now? You said you are from the U.K. and are new to American football.

I still live in the U.K. Watched the Patriots game on t.v. on Sunday. Some of it was quite exciting but I still don't understand all the rules. I wish there wasn't so many breaks in the game, it doesn't flow like our soccer over here.

Did you see the Patriots staff videotaping the Jets staff passing plays to the players with signals? This is against NFL rules and the video has been confiscated for an investigation. The Patriots may be sanctioned. I hope so!

Nope didn't see it! I'm sure it was all innocent.

Dave, I am still learning the lingo. What do they mean by "sanctioned?" I hope the Patriots lose their behinds this year, only because they got our whiny baby of Randy Moss, also because my friend loves the Pats and rubs it in everytime they make it through the play offs.