ReelSociety Forums

Ron, you're looking for trouble with our North American friends here... (although as a non North American, I must say... well... you know)

Its called the World Series because the best players in the world play Major League Baseball. If you want to argue that there are professional ;leagues out there that could hold a candle to the talent put on the Major League fields each night, then by all means do.

That said, I agree with your other point, that if you don't follow baseball meticulously and truly love the game, it can be boring. Same is certainly true for soccer though.

The same is usually true of any sport you didn't grow up with and don't understand intimately.

Me, I like baseball because I grew up playing it and appreciate all the nuances. And I like the fact that every pitch leads to a tangible result: a ball, a strike, a hit, a walk, etc., so the game is always moving forward. By comparison, soccer seems like a bunch of running around and jockeying for position in the midfield, which seems about a million miles away from the nearest net. And unfortunately, the way hockey has taken on a defence-first mentality in the NHL, it can be almost as boring as soccer sometimes.

France-Germany, NOW !!! Allez les Bleus !!!

Sorry, Chien. I missed most of the match but caught the last 20 minutes, and Germany were the better team. More in control. Typical German arrogance

Shoot. Experience triumphs over youth. Federer dumps Raonic in straights sets, Djokovic beats Dimitrov in four.

I'll root for Federer, simply because he doesn't have many Grand Slam Finals left in him.

Geezer wrote:That said, I agree with your other point, that if you don't follow baseball meticulously and truly love the game, it can be boring. Same is certainly true for soccer though.

Completely agree, I find football absorbing to watch, finding the intricate battles between opposing numbers, but American football to me is something I just can't get into. The Super Bowl this year were 3 hours completely wasted, and the game was only half way through. How you can sit there for six hours watching guys pummel each other is something I will never get. Like a few have said, if you don't grow up with that deep understanding of a sport, it can be very difficult to find something to excite you as you only notice what's on the surface of it. While not a fan, I'd rather watch rugby than American football, same with cricket to baseball, as I have just a better understanding of the sports.

I've always found the Super Bowl the most overhyped sporting event ever. They spend two weeks building it up and it's over in four hours (and it's rarely ever the team you want to win). The day only seems to exist as an excuse to get drunk.

The second most: March Madness. It's always the same few teams that win (hint for your next bracket: always pick the teams wearing blue).

numbersix wrote:Sorry, Chien. I missed most of the match but caught the last 20 minutes, and Germany were the better team. More in control. Typical German arrogance

Germans played the ball better for sure. But there was enough space for us to do something had Neuer not been the great keeper he is. German defence was messy as hell. I would have loved Neuer not to put his hand across that last shot from Benzema. Physically the french were superior, we lacked technicity today. Didn't try enough.

After all the excitement and drama leading up to the quarter finals, I thought the two games last night were disappointing. Probably a consequence of how important each game is becoming, but the free flowing attacking nature that's been so prevalent was mostly absent from each game. Most disappointing was the Brazil - Colombia game, which the referee should have taken a hold of. The amount of dirty fouling, from both sides but mostly Brazil, ruined what I hoped would be the best game of the quarters. James Rodriguez was kicked from pillar to post, and then Brazil's only decent player is injured and won't play and further part. Some yellow cards should have been handed out earlier, but even then maybe that would not have improved Brazil's play. Just kicking the ball from one end of the pitch to the other with 25 minutes still to play is not the football we've come to expect this tournament, and certainly not the Brazil way. If Brazil do go on to win the cup, and I doubt it, it will mostly be due to the crowd jeeing up the players and referees scared to reprimand any dirty play from their players. There's no magic in this side, nothing of the really good Brazilian teams. Germany have been decent, a kind of Germany of old, and for once I hope they knock the hosts out for their anti-football.

Anyway, roll on the Costa Ricans!

Saturday's games were also a little ho-hum. It's a shame Netherlands won on penalties as they should have scored way before that. They dominated the game, even if they were flawed.

Didn't watch too much of the Argentina game but sorry to see the young and excited Belgian team go. They just couldn't seem to handle begin one goal down.

I predict Germany will beat Brazil, and Netherlands will beat Argentina. Another European final! My hope is for the Dutch to finally win a World Cup.

The bitterness of France defeat combined with my Korean film binge-watching those last few days to complete the line up for my Korean Film Festival kept me away from the World Cup this weekend. I'll try and catch the semis though.

I can't believe the first half isn't even over, and Germany leads 5-0 against Brasil. Damn.Incredible match.

It's now 7-1 in injury time. The amazing thing: Germany has only taken 13 shots (10 on goal) the whole game. That's fewer than the number of shots Belgium had against the US (a game that was scoreless in regulation).

A historical game. Must hurt to be Brazilian tonight. Must feel great to be German.