Derby della Madonnina

This wouldn't be MY blog if I failed to mention what went down this past Saturday.

FC Internazionale, or Inter Milan, squared off against their city rivals AC Milan in the 200th edition of the Derby della Madonnina.

Translated for American audiences: it's a game between two of the biggest soccer teams in the world that's been played twice a year for the last 100 years. And just to make things a little more tense, the two teams have shared the same stadium for the last 62 of those years.

This game has moved beyond rivalry to a spectacle that catches the attention of the entire world of football.

With the series tied at 37 wins apiece, the stage was set for a colossal clash.

Inter got the memo. Milan didn't.

It took Inter 6 minutes to get their first shot on goal. It took Milan over 60.

What resulted was an ass kicking of a magnitude that Milan hadn't suffered in 11 years.

All of this comes after a transfer window where Inter sold one of the top 5 players in the world and still came out on top.

And for that all I can say is: Grazie Moratti. Grazie Mourinho. Grazie Nerazzurri.

These are a few of my favorite things...

A person I consider a mentor once told me, "People always say they hate advertising. But what they really mean is: they hate BAD advertising."

This is a picture of Ecuadorian team Barcelona Sporting Club's stadium Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo.

With a little black paint and some manual labor, Sony grabbed themselves 180,000 eyes staring at their logo for 2+ hrs. In the ad world, that's damn near priceless.

Modern day soccer is so dominated by advertising (ever heard of Red Bull New York?), it's easy to become jaded. So, it's nice to see an original idea.

I think the reason I love this so much is because it manages to be subtle, while it's punching you in the face. Like your girlfriend telling you a story about how she broke her new pumps today, while going through your wallet.

Why Do I Play Soccer?

On Sunday, I was at my bi-weekly pickup game/therapy session that is soccer with my Guatemalan buddies. I had finished lacing up my boots and started heading toward the field. On the way, some gringos playing football (not futbol but football) started hassling us about going to playing soccer with the "Mexicans."

Let me clarify, growing up playing soccer in rural West Tennessee has prepared me for the "Football v. Futbol" debate, many times over. I was not frazzled by these Frat-daddies in the least bit. But I knew the longer that I tried educate these unbelievers about the beautiful game the more soccer I would miss out on. So, when one of the MENSA candidates pipped up and asked "Why play soccer? Why don't you play football?" I simply replied "Leo Messi is why I play soccer."

They continued to shout and jump around and stand uncomfortably close to one another but I walked off knowing that if they ever took the time to look up "Leo Messi" that they would know I had won that argument, many times over.

5' 6", 21 years old, arguably the best player in the world, heralded as the "new Maradona"by the man himself, and not a hint of ego: Leo Messi.