HexagonalBlog

And I'm back

It's been a while since I've written a post on this site.  Not everyone follows my Soccermetrics site, but I've been focused on making it a viable startup company since I moved to Atlanta in June.  Two weeks ago I was at Chelsea FC to attend a conference on sports performance and seek out potential clients.  You can read about it here.  Bottom line is that I'm encouraged by the level of response and interest of football clubs in my work, but there is a lot more work to do.

In the meantime, so much has happened!  Bob Bradley has gone to Egypt, the World Cup qualifiers are rolling on, the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League is reaching its conclusion, Major League Soccer's regular season is in the final week, and to top it all off, Chuck Blazer is retiring!  It makes for much to write about, and not all of it is too dated, either.  I can't be too lucky sometimes.

There are some changes that I would like to make to the site, but it will take a while to implement them and I don't have time to do so right now. I'll get back to regular blogging soon, but I'll be happy with semi-regular posts.

WWC final post coming tomorrow

So I had spent a large amount of time preparing a writeup of the Women's World Cup final and I was on my final paragraph, when I clicked on one of the Nike banner ads at the ESPN site and froze up my browser.  So I ended up losing 90 minutes of work.  Just great.

I'll try again tomorrow.  My irritation might subside by then.

The movers are here

I was going to write a couple of posts about the Gold Cup and that WSJ article that I tweeted about yesterday, but all of that is on hold because the movers will arrive in less than 24 hours.  So I have to be packed and ready to go by tomorrow morning!

I leave Tucson on Monday morning and I will check my mail from the hotels on the road.  I might write some posts tomorrow night and Monday, but Tuesday and Wednesday are my long driving days (10+ hours driving both days through west Texas and then through east Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama) so I won't be in much of a state to write about anything.  I should arrive in Atlanta by Thursday afternoon.

Thanks to all of the friends I've made in Arizona over the past four years.  Return visits for MLS preseason are in the works for sure, but I am very happy to be returning to the Southeast.

Major Announcement

Last night I said that I would make a major announcement about the future of my two sites - HexagonalBlog and Soccermetrics.  (There's also the Spanish-language version of HexagonalBlog, but I left it dormant due to lack of time and readers.) 

I'll just get to the point.  I have decided to quit my current day job and make Soccermetrics my full-time job.  (I created an LLC a year ago with the intention of launching it as a startup company.  Two weeks from today it will be a reality.)  I have also decided to relocate to the metro Atlanta area, which is a homecoming for me as I went to university there (Georgia Tech) and am originally from that part of the country.  Okay, South Florida doesn't have anything in common with the rest of the Southeast, but you get the idea.  I go into a lot more detail at my Soccermetrics site.

So, what does that mean for the future of this site?

And another thing...

I don't even know why I'm wasting my time in responding to that character, but I want to point out something.

This is a blog about selected events in CONCACAF and my take on them.  I'm interested in the region beyond what happens in the USA and Mexico, and I started the blog so that I could learn more about the region and shine a light on a corner of world football that is often ignored. 

That said, HexagonalBlog is also a blog about American soccer.  I am an American, I am a fan of MLS, and I am a fan of US Soccer in general.  So yes, I do shout goals scored by American players and clubs a little more strongly.  Yes, I do hope that Real Salt Lake win the final over two legs starting next week.  Deal with it.  I comment on things as I see them and I attempt to see them as fairly as possible, but I do not apologize for being a fan.  If you don't like that, the blogosphere is a big place and there are plenty of other soccer blogs to suit your tastes.

That's about 200 more words about the subject than that character deserved, but there they are.

A word about recent comments

First of all, "X" has been blocked from making comments on this site.  All of his comments have been deleted.

Second, I will not tolerate profanity in the comments.  AT ALL.  I take pride in making comments about soccer as calmly and intelligently as possible, and I expect my readers to do the same.  That this is the first time that I have to had to write such a post is a testament to the quality of readers that I have.  If you want to be a hooligan and be obnoxious, go to BigSoccer or somewhere else.  Or better yet, go get your own blog.

Administrative Stuff

I closed my Post Office box today, so I've removed my mailing address from the site.  I wasn't receiving items often enough to justify spending the money for it.  From time to time I receive offers from publishers or other people to send me books and other soccer-related items; if you wish to send me something, send me an email and we can make arrangements.

I might open a new Post Office box at some point in the future.

NFL jerseys done soccer style

It's Super Bowl Sunday, so it's a good time to link to this Medio Tiempo gallery that guessed what NFL jerseys might look like if done soccer style.  I'm just realizing how garish some of the NFL team colors are, but it's a fun collection of pictures nonetheless.

Releasing the hounds

I've decided to modify the existing policy on comments.  Effective immediately, commenters will no longer be required to authenticate themselves using Typepad, Facebook, or other social networks.  Instead, those who choose not to authenticate will be asked to enter an alphanumeric code before their comment is accepted.  The previous comment policy did the job of eliminating comment spam, but it also reduced the comments to almost nothing.  I like Eric, but I would like to see more commenters than just him!

It is my hope that this change will make it easier for my readers to comment on what I wrote with a minimum of annoyance or intrusiveness.  I will observe and modify as appropriate.

Well, time to go for a while

I'm off to Florida to see family and friends over Christmas and New Year's and go play Uncle Howie to my nieces and nephews.  So there won't be many updates to the two blogs over the holiday period.  Maybe I will write a piece or two if I have some quiet time in the hotels, but I don't expect to have much time.

The anniversaries of my blogs are early in the new year, so I would say a note of gratitude there, but at this time of year I want to say how thankful I am for the many people from all over the world who come and take a look at HexagonalBlog and Soccermetrics, especially during a World Cup year like this one.  There was so much that I wanted to write about and didn't get to, but I will make an effort to clear my to-do list in the New Year.

So, as a gift to my readers, here are some Christmas sweets prepared by some wonderful British eye candy.  So don't say I never gave you anything.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!