Escandalo en Europa Occidental

La Federacion Espanola de Tennis esta pensando en llevar a Canal Plus France a la Justicia Europea, por haber utilizado su logotipo en un video que hace mofa de Rafael Nadal y otras variaciones sobre dopage en el pais.

En un trozo del video se ve una marioneta enmascarada con la cara de Nadal, orinando en el tanque de gasolina de su coche. Este coche sale a alta velocidad, hasta que la policia lo detiene.

En seguida se percibe en la pantalla el logotipo de la federacion de tennis y de otras federaciones, afines, tales como ciclismo, futbol, etc.

La Federacion Internacional de Tennis esta apoyando a su filial espanola para que los franceses no continuen con insinuaciones degradantes.

Mientras tanto, el mismo Guardiola esta aconsejando a Contador no cesar en su lucha por el veredicto que lo ha destrozado, ya que Guardiola sufrio vejaciones del mismo estilo durante su epoca como jugador en Italia.

¿El pato muerto, herido, o todavía el deporte nacional de Argentina?

El deporte de pato

Pato fue el deporte nacional Argentino declarado abajo la administración de Juan D. Perón,  pero los que juegan con otro balón quieran cambiar tradición histórica.

Claro que parece semejante a polo (o tal vez una mezcla con baloncesto) pero yo no sabía que todavía se pueda jugar al pato (hoy: Horseball).  Hace años que sustituyó el Pato vivo con el "Horseball" abajo.

Ahora El Pato se encuentra bajo de la presión:  Vea el video viejo del Wall Street Journal de junio 2010: en Pato herido para una explicación.  

O si tiene ganas de aprender como jugar al pato, por solo $500  se puede hacer una recorrida de Buenos Aires que dura solo un día para llevar al cabo su esperanza: Blue Parallel Travel

Tal vez nuestros amigos Argentinos entrarán el el comentario: ¿Este post será mejor colocado aquí:

        Offbeat festivals or sport?

Pato en Wikepidia

La Liga: "How Spanish greed is fixing soccer"

As today's Wall Street Journal Friday section points out,  Barcelona http://www.fcbarcelona.com/ and Real Madrid  http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/Home.htm  are doing a disservice to Spanish soccer aficionados by garnering top soccer talent.  According to Castrol Powers rankings/ and goal.com (http://www.goal.com/en/ ) 5 of the world's top 7 players, and 10 of the world's top 20 players play for these two teams.  The result, unlike other European leagues, has meant there is no parity in La Liga.     In Spain there are "two classicos, and a bunch of walkovers."  This is unlike the Premier League where far fewer points separate the first place team from more lowly rated teams-meaning  more balance and widespread fan interest.  This might not be the case if so much talent was not concentrated in Spain.

The full Wall Street Journal article can be found here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204630904577056202393365684.html?mod=ITP_fridayjournal_3

Getty Images

The Beautiful Game

While living in Latin America I became an aficionado of the "Beautiful Game." For non aficionados I refer to the game played with one's feet and a round ball.

Club Vasco da Gama (Roberto dinamite, Marco Antonio, Andrada) was my team of choice in Brasil,  due to close personal Carioca friends ( Thanks Quincas!) long associated with the Vasco club. (http://www.vasco.com.br/ )

At one point I remember taking in a Rio league championship match at Maracaná ( stadium with 177,000 participating fans in attendance).   It remains to this day the most exciting sporting event I have ever attended.  One mistake was made during those years-I posed as a press photographer getting credentialed to be on the field behind the cage.  One learns quickly not to stand up to take photos.  Being the recipient of not so gently tossed bottles speeds ones understanding that perhaps blocking the view from those standing in the moat a few meters away isn't advisable.

I think the attendees in the Rio league games must have declined over the years as the more skilled Brazilian players opted to play for more money in Europe.  Meanwhile, Maracaná stadium has been rebuilt with much less capacity than the 1950's world cup final witnessed by 205,000 fans.

Club America ( http://www.clubamerica.com.mx/home/ ) caught my fancy while living in Mexico after taking in a few games at Estadio Azteca in the DF, due to the then skilled striker named Enrique Borja.  It is nice to see the Mexican national team playing better, after several years of less than favorable results.  Clearly the Mexicans like their Chicharro!

Over the years I have lost touch with club soccer I previously enjoyed following, but  recently discovered that the FIFA website reports club football results on a  timely basis, having noticed  that a Vasco da Gama/ Flamengo match is being played today!  In spite of winning the Brazilian championship recently "Vascainos" have lost a game or two recently.

The FIFA website is here: http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/index.html

Cycling Spanish History

In the October book club meeting the Sociedad Hispana book club will read La Voz Dormida, a story of imprisoned women during the Guerra Civil -written by Dulce Chacón.

Wouldn't it be great to take a 2-3 week bicycle trip, through Spain, visiting the many places associated with the Guerra Civil,  while reading some of the great novels about this conflict?  George Orwell, Hemingway, Javier Cercas, etc.

If I were going I would want to include the basque area-the subject of a book I am currently reading called the Basque History of the World.  I confess however,  the subject is somewhat difficult to understand, and I need to read a few more books on the subject!

One self directed bike tour that looks interesting is linked below:

http://www.biketoursdirect.com//?location=tourdetail&tid=625&cid=17

The above referenced books:

Doylestown Arts Festival/Univest Grand Prix Bike Race

The combination of a professional bike race combined with the Doylestown Arts Festival is an entertaining way to spend Sunday Sept 18 in Doylestown.  For Sociedad Hispana followers who haven't attended before it is great to watch the "criterium" bike race which begins at 11:00AM and follows a roughly oval course of about one mile within the borough.  This has the advantage of seeing the riders pass every few minutes, while also attending the art fair that occurs within the oval bike course.  If one attends the Tour de France(Tour de France history:
http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/HISTO/us/index.html ) , for example, the riders pass by once-maybe lasting a minute or two-and that's it!  The links to the bike race and the Doylestown Arts Festival can be found here:

http://doylestownartsfestival.com/




http://www.univestgrandprix.com/

The 50 most valuable sports franchises according to Forbes

Forbes magazine annually updates its list of the 50 most valuable sports organizations around the world.  The list has importance for reasons of finance, as well as general interest among those who follow sports.  I think it is interesting to note that while the list changes due to currency fluctuations, Manchester United,  the New York Yankees, and the Dallas Cowboys are seemingly always at, or near the top of the list.  Click on the next button after opening the link below to see the list in order.  Having had several European clubs playing friendly matches in the US, it is interesting to see some of the visiting teams at the top of the list, including ManU with its no. 1 valuation.  While the list is dominated by the National Football league,  Real Madrid appears as #6, Barcelona #25, and Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan, Juventus and Chelsea also make the list.  It is also interesting to note that two racing teams (Ferrari and McClaren) also make the list.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/20/most-valuable-athletes-and-teams-business-sports-sportsmoney-fifty-fifty-teams_slide_2.html

Book club reminder, Billy Goat Curse, and the Fox River Valley

We are currently visiting family west of Chicago in the lovely Fox River Valley (for our international friends see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva,_Illinois)  and have enjoyed our stay which ends shortly.

We were able to see the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team add to the Chicago Cubs "Billy Goat Curse" ( http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs#The_Billy_Goat_Curse)- a little folklore for both local and international Sociedad Hispana members. 

For those who might be visiting Chicago in the future, the city has an amazing architectural history that can be enjoyed via the Chicago river tours ( http://www.chicagoline.com/architectural.php) or by reading the great book The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen.

Book ClubReminder

July 27  7:00PM Doylestown Giant coffee shop, Mi Pais Inventado ( http://una-biblioteca.blogspot.com/2008/02/1-mi-pas-inventado-isabel-allende.html ) by Isabel Allende.  (Rocio Higney)

Latino Baseball Players: Dominican dominance coming?

I am always amazed at the number of US  major league baseball players coming from Latin America-more specifically from Spanish speaking Caribbean locales-The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela,  Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

I know it doesn't generate the interest in many countries that a good Barca/Real Madrid or a Vasco da Gama/ Fluminense or a Benfica/Sporting Lisboa or a ManU/Chelsea match-on and on, but the history of baseball fascinates me.

Nonetheless, the degree to which Latino players are successful is amazing.  In the 1950's it was Minnie Minoso or perhaps Chico Carrasquel (sp?).  Later came Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, Fernando Valenzuela, and today's under rated Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz-to name but a few.  As the Wall Street Journal points out in the article below,  baseball scouts looking for future ballplayers are more and more focusing on Domos.  The Domincan Republic, with 10 million inhabitants, is fertile ground for scouts.  History recalls Tony Peña, a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates known as the "best bad ball hitter" in baseball.  I think he was among the first Dominicans to become a home country hero due to his success in the major leagues.

Is there any professional sports league in any country where non-indigenous players are so successful?

The link to the article can be found here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303544604576431984202154592.html

FC Barcelona history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Barcelona#Birth_of_FC_Barcelona_.281899.E2.80.931922.29
On the day of yet another Real Madrid Barcelona "classico," I find the Wikipedia history of this most successful of all European teams interesting.  Like the Green Bay Packers, and a few other teams it is owned by individuals (in Barca case about 170,000).  US sports enthusiasts might not be familiar with some athletic clubs of Europe and South America.  Many of them field teams in many sports, including volleyball, basketball, swimming, tennis etc.  In addition, they serve as social clubs/meeting places for member/owners.  Clearly football is the main draw!

It would be as if the Green Bay Packers were an athletic/social club-one of whose sports offered is football.  While this is not the same everywhere (some European teams are corporately owned), it is different in many cases than in most US pro sports teams.  If the New York Athletic club owned the NY Giants, and it were a non profit.. maybe similar?  I can remember attending a track meet in Rio de Janeiro most of whose participants represented the then big four athletic clubs known more for football than anything else. (Vasco de Gama, Flamengo, Botafogo, Fluminense)

Barcelona crest/logo (source:Wikipedia)

Since its foundation the club has played with a crest. The club's original crest was a quartered diamond-shaped crest topped by the Crown of Aragon and the bat of King James, and surrounded by two branches, one of a laurel tree and the other a palm.^[92] In 1910 the club held a competition among its members to design a new crest. The winner was Carles Comamala, who at the time played for the club. Comamala's suggestion became the crest that the club wears today, with some minor variations. The crest consists of the St George Cross in the upper-left corner with the Catalan flag beside it, and the team colours at the bottom.^[92]

The blue and red colours of the shirt were first worn in a match against Hispania in 1900.^[93] Several competing theories have been put forth for the blue and red design of the Barcelona shirt. The son of the first president, Arthur Witty, claimed it was the idea of his father as the colours were the same as the Merchant Taylor's School team. Another explanation, according to author Toni Strubell, is that the colours are from Robespierre's First Republic. In Catalonia the common perception is that the colours were chosen by Joan Gamper and are those of his home team, FC Basel.^[94]

Feliz cumpleaños Seve Ballesteros

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/telediario/feliz-54-cumpleanos-seve/1069558/

La Fundación Seve Ballesteros publicó que el gran golfista Seve cumple 54 años hoy.  El torneo de golf, Master's de Augusta, Georgia (Ballesteros gaño el campeonato dos veces 1980, 1983) , y las canales de la televisión siempre hablan del caballero Seve... Ballesteros no pudo venir a Augusta este año por causa de cáncer.

Esta semana Phil Nickelson rendió homenaje a Ballesteros en la cena anual de Augusta que precedió la abertura del campeonato.  El enlace se encuentra aquí:

http://www.wincountry.com/news/articles/2011/apr/05/masters-mickelsons-augusta-dinner-a-tribute-to-bal/