The thoughts and experiences of a father, husband, soccer enthusiast, cycling lover. And whatever else I feel like talking about on any particular day.
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Why You Should Hate Soccer
Don't mistake the title of this post for me hating soccer. I love it. I love to watch, play, talk about and generally everything to do with soccer. However, there are some aspects that I find infurriating with the way the game is played these days.
SIMULATION
My first complaint is common among many people, especially those that are casual fans, or not fans at all. It is the simulation (a.k.a. diving, flopping.) When players fake contact and the resulting injury. This is unnecessary and takes away from the game. Sometimes the officials are fooled and will award a free kick. Other times the officials do not take the bait and simply instruct the player rolling on the ground to get up and continue playing. It is at the discretion of the official if a yellow card should be administered for such a simulation. Too often cards are not issued. I am afraid this tactic will only continue and likely get worse.
FREE KICKS
When a free kick is awarded, all opposing team players are to be a minimum of ten yards away from the ball. I have noticed more and more players standing directly in front of the ball not more than ONE yard away. These people have been playing this game nearly their entire life. They know the rules. The reason is to slow the game and prevent a quick free kick from being taken before your team's defense can be set. I would like to FIFA add a consequence of a yellow card for players that institute this unlawful tactic.
VIDEO REPLAY REVIEW
Some purists may disagree with me on this point. In some instances a video replay review should be implemented. With soccer matches often being low scoring affairs, one bad call can adversely impact a team. One of the more recent examples of this would be the peru goal that was allowed against Brazil in the Copa America. It was clear upon review that the goal should have been called back. This goal, the only goal in the match in which Brazil needed a draw to advance, eliminated Brazil from the competition. UEFA may have the next best solution, additional official on the endlines. This puts an extra set of eyes on the game and also in the critical Penalty area. We already have "Goal Line Technology" to determine if a ball completely crosses the goal line, it is time to take the next step and implement video review.
PENALTY KICKS
This last is more of a personal complaint. Penalty kicks are too frequently in favor of the penalty taker. The penalty spot is 12 yards from the goal line. Goalkeepers are only allowed to move side to side along the line. If they move toward the penalty spot before the ball is struck, the officials may order the kick to be retaken. However, penalty takers often vary the run up speed and nearly pause to confuse the keeper. I say the penalty spot should be moved back three yards. Give the penalty taker a slighter chance of missing the goal completely. Also it would give the goalkeeper more time to decide which area of the goal to defend.
I was asked by a co-worker to create some Revit families from CAD blocks. They are 2D plan representations of people. I asked the requester if she wanted them named any certain way because this is what I saw.
This past weekend we took a trip to the mountains of Virginia. It is an area we have visited before with the Boy Scout troop, but this time we went without the scouts. I have been riding consistently again for nearly a year after I bought a new to me cyclocross bike. You can read more about that here . After more than 2,800 miles on that bike since last June, it needed some more work. The headset was pretty much shot and would not be repaired in time for our planned trip to Virginia. So Gina suggested that I get a new bike. I ended up getting a Giant Revolt Advanced 2 from Giant Wake Forest . We arrived at our rental house very early Saturday morning. 1:30am in fact. We found a place to stay that was literally steps away from The Virginia Creeper Trail . Saturday was to be a day we went hiking at Grayson Highlands State Park . We met Gina's co-workers at the park just after 10:00 am and started our hike. We have camped at this park before with the Boy Scouts but have never ...
Well, it's been nearly a year since my last blog post . Fittingly that was about my then new turntable. Ever since I received that wonderful gift I have been increasing my collection of vinyl records. This year when the list of records was released for Record Store Day I became very excited. There were several releases which I was looking forward to purchasing. Bingo Hand Job - Live at The Borderline 1991 Green Day - Live at Woodstock 1994 The Minus 5 - Stroke Manor Rush - Hemispheres (40th-anniversary picture disc) Various Artists - Music From and Inspired by the motion picture South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Violent Femmes - Hallowed Ground Each of the records is a special edition released specifically for Record Store Day 2019 and are limited in quantity. This is what makes this day so special to someone like me. I started my Saturday, April 13, 2019, at 4:00am. I arrived at the first store of the day, Schoolkids Records , there was already a sub...
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