France Loses By A Nose

So I've spent the last few weeks championing the Futbol cause at the ol' firehouse. I have explained how I appreciate the game's simplicity; the fact that there are only about ten rules. I have explained how I appreciate the game's purity; no time outs, no intentional grounding, no intentional walk to avoid a good hitter, etc. I have also been heard remarking that a billion fans worldwide can't be wrong. It was hardest to defend the prat falls to draw fouls but I always countered that the greatness of the game was that it was the referee's decision to be made, right or wrong, without consulting a video monitor.

So how do I explain this? The "beautiful" game was anything but that Sunday after what can only be described as a very ugly final bow. A player who was spoken of as one of the truly great athletes the game has known was red-carded (ejected) from what was to be his final game before retirement afer he headbutted the other team. Instead of possibly leading his team to victory his actions may have cost his team the championship.

That's my problem. In match after match I found myself rooting for the underdog. Ghana surprising the Czechs was a real treat. But my approach to soccer has been of this same philosophy. I have gravitated toward it out of all of the sports because it is the underdog of American sport. I want it to succeed.

But this World Cup match will be remembered for one thing. Not for what it was but what it might have been if one player had been there in the end. And that's a shame.