Like the popular snack mix, I'm going to break down these news hits into the flavoured Shreddie (the best part), the Cheerio (you never see it coming), the pretzel (you've got to acknowledge it, like it or not) and that cheese-stick thing (what the hell is it?).
The Shreddie: There will be only one
This is not news to anyone who can even tangentially call themselves a follower of the league, but, there will a 20-something Canadian centreback on the roster of the Eastern Conference representative in this year's MLS Cup.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Andre Hainault's Houston Dynamo hold a 3-1 aggregate lead heading into the second leg of the conference final -- and appear poised to play in the big game for the second straight season -- but Dejan Jakovic's DC United will be buoyed by a raucous home crowd and (maybe, just maybe) the return of another Canadian, Dwayne De Rosario.
What does this mean, in the immediate sense? Well, nothing really. But the more "big game" experience our Canadian players (particularly defenders) can acquire, the better it is for our national team. And yeah, I realize that going into Los Angeles or Seattle won't be the same as going into San Pedro Sula or Panama City, but what the hell, just gimme this one, would you?
The Cheerio: Looks like football is taking over football
Popping into my inbox this morning was an email reminder from the CFL's Toronto Argonauts about the team's Eastern Final showdown at Stade Olympique this Sunday. But buried beneath the hype for next weekend's 100th Grey Cup was an offer I found quite interesting:
"SPECIAL ARGONAUTS SECTION BLOCKED OFF FOR THIS SUNDAY'S GAME. All orders must be directed to the Montreal Alouettes' office and ensure you reference that you would like to sit with the Argonauts section."
An... an away supporters' section? In a North American sport? Surely my eyes are deceiving me. Now, who knows, maybe this has become a common thing and this is just the first time I've heard of it. Either way, I'm glad that domestic leagues appear to be catching on and realizing the merits of organizing such sections, both for the in-stadium atmosphere and the safety of traveling fans.
Let's just hope the staff at Stade Olympique do a better job at dealing with the Argos section than they did with the Toronto FC section earlier this year... yeesh.
The Pretzel: A Toronto fanbase gets its offseason hopes up; what could go wrong?
Continuing in the theme of mentioning other sports... if you even casually follow baseball, you've no doubt heard of the gargantuan 12-player trade between the Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins. In one fell swoop, the Blue Jays were able to address nearly all of their pressing roster concerns, nabbing two bona fide starting pitchers, an all-star-calibre leadoff man and outfield depth, while also ridding themselves of a player who'd become a local pariah.
So that left me wondering... if Toronto FC were able to pull off a similar trade -- a singular transaction in which nearly all of their ongoing problems were addressed -- what would it look like? How many people would be included? Who would be involved?
Four hours later, when I woke up in a confused state on my kitchen floor, I vowed never to think of the matter again.
The Cheese Stick: Hey look, a bus! Let's throw the referee under it!
No doubt I'll be largely alone on this, but so be it: I do not like the head of the Professional Referees Organization publicly announcing that a crucial decision in last weekend's Houston-DC game was, in his opinion, wrong. Not one bit. Here's why.
1. While it's presumably being done in the name of transparency or some such malarkey, it sets a bad, dangerous precedent. While no one pretends that referees are infallible or above reproach, the game itself is hinged upon the belief that the referee is enforcing the Laws of the Game in a fair manner, to the best of their ability.
If the head of referees is publicly calling a referee's judgment into question, then why should the players have respect for the refs' decisions? Why should the fans? And, come to think of it, why should the referees? A ref should not let the idea that they may be publicly humiliated by their boss enter their mind when they're on the field trying to do their job. But now, it will. And no matter what job you're performing, second-guessing yourself can only lead to more doubt, and more mistakes.
2. The hypocrisy of PRO general manager Peter Walton is staggering in this case. As referenced in the above-linked article, he said immediately after the incident that he felt a yellow card was deserved (referee Ricardo Salazar didn't call a foul or show a card on the play). Then, days later, he published an article saying he actually felt it deserved a red card.
Hey! Guess what? Neither Salazar, nor any other referee, gets several days to ponderously ruminate over slow-motion replays before making their decisions. They need to make them instantaneously. Walton surely knows this. He can't not know this. So why on earth would he make this series of statements, which only reinforce the idea that referees should be held to an impossible standard?
3. Even if -- even if -- there is a perceived benefit to publicly second-guessing referee decisions, you would have to think that such belated explanations would come in the event of indisputable, objective calls. That is, something like a goal/no goal or offside/no offside improperly called, where a referee's judgment does not enter into the equation. But by publicly saying "nope, Salazar doesn't know how to call fouls" you're essentially poisoning the well on his career, all in the name of placating some fans in the immediate short term.
Look, I obviously want referees to get things right. And usually, if they're properly qualified and empowered, they will. Until we replace all officials (and players, and human beings) with automatons, though, mistakes will happen. And while saying "mistakes happen" is of little consolation to the fans whose team is at the receiving end of an incorrect decision, undermining a game official is not the way to fix a problem.
Reassign the referee, in private. Speak to the referee, in private. Use the incident as training material for future referee hopefuls, in private.
However, kowtowing to the fans who want a head on a pike does the game a disservice, in the end. And yes, feel free to refer to this elongated rant the next time a team I support comes out at the losing end of things, and watch me ignore everything I've written as I bray for the ref to be drawn and quarterered.
.