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For Most Part, But Could Use Less Fake Injuries

by Randy Gardner

It has been a great three weeks of World Cup soccer. Myself along with many others have been glued to the TV as we have watched teams that were supposed to win get beaten, and teams that were ranked last become a Cinderella story. The biggest story line for the World Cup has to be the Ronaldo and Messi debate on who is the best.

If you look at strictly goals, especially in this World Cup, you would have to say Ronaldo . . . but as a player myself I would have to say Messi is in a class all by himself. Although he has not done very much in this cup, his presence on the field creates a lot of opportunities for other players to make plays.

If they end up advancing further than the knockout rounds I think he will find his place on the field and be a person to contend with in this tournament. It is awesome to see the world stop during this month and everybody come together as one around the game of soccer. This truly shows that this is the greatest sport in the world, although many would argue with me.

   If there is one thing that even I cannot stand in the game, it is all of the diving. By that I mean acting like you got fouled and your leg is going to fall off and they barely touched you. That is definitely a sore spot in the game that even outsiders cannot understand.

I think many would agree with me that if a player goes down injured and they have to sit off for 10 minutes each time, that would stop the crazy nonsense. The instant replay of fouls, goals, penalties and all sides, I think are great for the game. It has cleared up a lot of confusion and has changed the results of a few of the games where a referee has missed a call.

So many people hate this aspect of the game in all sports, including baseball, soccer, football, and basketball but in reality it’s getting the call right even though it slows down on the game and takes a few minutes. I think in the end every player and coach and owner agrees that these are the best things for the game.

Never Count Those Cardinals Out This Early

As far as the St. Louis Cardinals, it continues to be a bumpy ride for this team and the bumpy bus ride seems to be getting worse for Coach Mike Matheny. I am a huge fan of the way he coaches but I think the performance, both offense and defense, out of this team had been pitiful over the last month. In fact, so much that many average fans that I have talked to are questioning this team.

I say you at least let this season ride out and see what happens. They had come back with three straight wins earlier this week (prior to Tuesday night’s game) Anything can happen especially when the team gets on a hot streak near the end of the season heading into the playoffs.

It always seems like this is what happens to the Cardinals. They are up and they are down but they always find a way to make things happen. Just like life, be patient and good things will happen. I hope things are going well for everyone during the first month of the summer. Remember to get out and exercise, eat right, and enjoy life.

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