Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Wait, what?

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

“Alexa, change the president.”

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

You are here: Home / Sports / El Clásico Open Thread

El Clásico Open Thread

by | 32 Comments

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Sorry for the lengthy absence. I’ll have some additional points for discussion tomorrow on several football (i.e. soccer) issues tomorrow, but right now have at it regarding what may be the most legendary rivalry in sports.

Both teams are coming off disappointing mid-week Champions League semifinals. Will Barça keep its recent run against Real Madrid going or will the Merengues emerge victorious at the Nou Camp?

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32Comments

  1. 1.

    Violet

    I don’t watch much soccer outside of the World Cup, but in the past month or so I’ve seen headlines of two young soccer players on European teams having heart attacks. The first was a player from somewhere in West Africa (I think) who played on a European team and had a heart attack on the pitch and was in intensive care in the hospital. The second was in the last week or so and this player died on the pitch.

    Most fit young men don’t die of heart attacks. Is there a drug problem or something else going on in professional soccer? Or is it just coincidence?

  8. 8.

    dollared

    Tough call here. If I were Guardiola, I’d put my 1A squad out here and save Xavi and Iniesta for Tuesday. They aren’t gonna catch Madrid.

  12. 12.

    SST

    ESPN bought rights to broadcast La Liga games so that on the day of El Clasico, they can show… Jon Gruden’s QB camp.

    Or World’s Strongest Man on ESPN2.

    Special.

  14. 14.

    Amir Khalid

    @Violet:
    Bolton Wanderers midielder Fabrice Muamba, the first player you mentioned, is out of hospital and looks to make a full recovery. There is hope he might even resume playing football before the year is out. Udinese midfielder Piermario Morosini appears to be one of the unfortunate cases that slipped through one of the most rigorous prevention programs in sports: in Italy, all registered participants in sports undergo heart screenings twice a year. A friend of Morosini’s (and fellow footballer) said that if that still couldn’t catch Morosini’s case, then nothing could have.

  15. 15.

    Amir Khalid

    @Violet:
    Further to my reply:
    Cardiac arrest in fit young athletes — both Muamba and Morosini were in their twenties — is not common, but also not unheard of and not unique to football. In the 30 years since Italy introduced that heart screening program for athletes, they’ve cut down the occurrence by some 90%.

  26. 26.

    Tripad

    Given the economic state of Spain and most of the clubs, I’d wager a talent exodus from La Liga is on the horizon.

  27. 27.

    Wyrm1

    @SST:

    ESPN doesn’t have the over the air rights to the game in the US, Gol TV does, but is allowed to show it streaming. I am sure they would be showing it on ESPN2 if they could.

  28. 28.

    Violet

    @Amir Khalid:
    Thanks for the info. Sorry I’m so late back to the thread–I got called away. I know young folks can have heart problems that go undetected but it seemed kind of coincidental that two happened so close to each other. I’m glad the first guy is getting better.

  29. 29.

    dollared

    Well, it’s all moot. How long has it been since Barca lost two matches in a row? Tuesday will be very, very interesting.

  30. 30.

    D-boy

    I must say that this was the first soccer game i watched in its entirety and I enjoyed it completely. I suppose the massive amounts of beer and pizza I consumed watching it had no impact on my enjoyment of it either

  31. 31.

    Chet

    OT, but the Chisox’ Phil Humber pitched the 21st perfect game in modern major-league history vs. Seattle today.

    (Well the 21st according to the record book. The 22nd, says this Tiger fan.)

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