Fox Hates Soccer....and Kittens......and You!

To quote one of my favorite programs...."he doesn't hate Easy Company, he just hates you!". In reality, Fox doesn't hate soccer (Fox Soccer Channel = same guy), Fox hates everything. You may have heard the term "If it bleeds, it leads" when someone is referring to the tendency of journalism to lean toward bad news. There's a reason for that. Most people, call it human nature if you will, love the drama and the "agony of defeat". The more spectacular or bizarre, the better. We love to rubberneck on the highway, we love our 30 car pileups at the NASCAR track on Sunday. Fox news, if not every media outlet, relies on controversy, argument, fear, and hate for their ratings. If it doesn't scare you, piss you off, make you crap your pants, or make you go "ooooooooohhhh", they know you'll turn the channel. Advertising dollars don't come runnin' for 30 minute programs of frolicking kittens. For those of you painfully unaware of how this game works, I recommend you find a copy of "Culture of Fear", you can read on your way to the hardware store to buy duck tape and plastic when the Department of Homeland Security announces the next terrorist anthrax attack.

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We're creeping up on a month until the MLS season begins, even though we're not sure where Beckham, we'll start without him if we have to! Spring is in the air and the new additions to other MLS teams are sprouting everywhere. The question for most of us is what will RSL look like when the whistle blows on March 28th in Seattle? We have trialists that have come and gone, but nothing has been solidified. Is this cautious optimism; JK & GL looking at EVERY possibility before they sign anyone? Or is a new trend emerging? Are we falling in love with someone only to find out that they have a boyfriend/girlfriend back home? Signing a player, especially from a foreign country, is a complicated game. Clearly it's not enough to have a good team and great home support. What kind of money would it take for you to pickup your life and move to another country? Sure Salt Lake is nice, great stadium, beautiful mountains, but what if next year I could go to New York? One would think we have great ambassadors for culture shock experiment in Javi & Jamison. Do we have the money to sign the right players, or is this simply how the negotiation process works: offer - threat - counter offer - sign/reject. One thing is for sure, other MLS teams are solidifying their rosters, how long can we/should we wait to solidify ours?

You talkin' to me...

David Beckham has disrespected the MLS. Whether or not he returns to the Galaxy, I for one hope the fans in MLS show him no respect in return. To be sure, the women will still show up in hopes that he removes his shirt, and the stars in LA will come out to see the Becks-Posh show, but the rest of us should turn our backs. Is he still a quality player, yes, the best player in MLS, no. The quotes we have seen from Golden Balls himself have damaged the credibility of MLS. Now, realizing he may be coming back to LA, he's changed his tune.The league has grown and year by year attracts more talent from around the world. We are gaining respect every year that we are in operation as the quality of the product improves. No longer does that growth require talent from Europe (if it ever did). We seem to be attracting more than enough talent from South America to fill each teams needs. We have passed the threshhold of begging for talent and attention from across the pond. What do you do with an employee that you know doesn't want to be there. Right, now what do you do with that employee when you know they're the one that puts butts in the seats. How does this play out when Becks walks out of the tunnel on opening night for the Galaxy? To show the rest of the world we can stand on our own two feet, we must hold out for what's right, a resepectable amout of cash and perhaps a player, because the idea that Becks will pout and tank his game in the midst of World Cup Qualifying is ridiculous. I'm with you Mr. Garber , no one player is bigger than MLS...finally!