what a way to go ...

i am sure most of you know that i am a sports nut/freak/whatever. my favorite sport rolls around for the world to participate in every 4 years. no it is not the olympics, although the sport is an olympic sport.

my favorite sport is futbol. aka, soccer. this year the world cup was held in germany. the u.s. team was ranked high, and got slaughtered by their bracket ... again.

what made start this post was not to talk about how poorly the yanks played in germany, but to talk about a man who will sadly be remembered by what he did as his last act on the professionaly pitch. below is an excerpt from espn's page 2 article. it about a great man. a great soccer player. no matter what you think of france.

ZINEDINE ZIDANE
"Zizou" ranks among soccer's all-time greats. He led France to its only World Cup win in 1998, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year three times while starring as the sport's premier midfielder with Juventus and Real Madrid from 1996 until 2006.

That's what European fans and American soccerheads will remember him for. But most Americans will forever remember him as the guy who delivered that awesome head-butt in the 2006 World Cup final. The instant his head slammed into Marco Materazzi's chest, his status went from obscure European athlete to household name in the United States. He also helped changed the "wussy" image many people have of soccer -- and maybe even of French people in general.

And while that may seem wrong or unfair, it's actually great for the growth of soccer in the United States. In a World Cup that saw Team USA bounced in pool play, Zidane had casual American sports fans talking about soccer.

Think of the two most iconic soccer images in recent memory: Brandi Chastain showing her bra and Zidane head-butting Materazzi. Sex and violence -- two of America's greatest loves. Perhaps we need more of both in soccer if it is ever truly going to become a major sport here. I, for one, hope it does, and that we soon see Zidane participating in ribbon-butting ceremonies at new soccer stadiums all across our great land.
-- DJ Gallo

btw, dj i second you on the comment that i hope soccer does become a major sport here in the u.s. it really is a great sport ... just ask someone who plays. what a way to be remembered. i even talked to my wife about him. she saw me typing this, and i described him to her. she didn't know who i was talking about until i mentioned the head butting incident. what a way to be remembered by.

what do remember about this year? what are some things that happened this year that you remember? some about alabama football come to mind ...