HexagonalBlog

New policy on comments

Effective immediately, I have decided to require that all commenters sign in on Typepad before submitting a comment.  Apologies in advance if this inconveniences too many people, but the spam comments are getting out of control.  If they persist I will pursue other measures.

So much to write about...

...But it will have to wait until next week.  I've been way too busy with personal projects (a couple of them related to this site) to blog about anything, and there really is so much to talk about.  From the opening games of the second Bradley tenure to the row within the Mexican national team to the final weeks of MLS regular season action, there are lots and lots of blog posts on the hopper.  But right now, I have to complete my final figures, pack my laptop and luggage, and head to San Francisco for NCSSORS, a Northern California symposium on statistics in sports.

Apologies once again for the sparsity of posts.  I'll make sure to refund everyone's subscription money to the site next week.

What's coming this weekend

I have not had time to work on some posts that have been in the pipeline for a while, but I hope to get to them by the end of this weekend.  Here are some posts that I'm working on, with the idea that if I mention them, perhaps I will be motivated to finish them:

• An exposition on what should be Jürgen Klinsmann's role in US soccer
• Why there is no 'curse' toward MLS teams in Mexico
• A roundup of league action in Central America

That's my wish; let's see if I fulfill it.

So what happened?

Taking a vacation during the World Cup is never a good idea, but the beauty of doing it in Europe is that you never miss any of the matches.  I traveled to Munich to take delivery of my new car, take it for a spin on the Autobahn, and check out as much of Europe as I wanted.  Let's just say that the Autobahn is as good as advertised -- there are more speed limits than Americans expect, especially in the cities, but the roads are impeccable and highly efficient.  It really was a thrill to see Porsche 911s and high-end Audis, Benzes, and BMWs rocketing past at over 200kph, as long as you remembered to get back into the right lane before they crowded the rear-view mirror!

Unfortunately I didn't see as much of Europe as I would have liked, but Bavaria and Baden-Württemburg in Germany and Tirol in Austria were just as nice.  I experienced different aspects of life there, from the big and medium-sized cities to Alpine towns and country villages.  My German wasn't that great, but I was understanding more of what people were saying by the end of the trip, and I was always able to find at least one person who understood English.  I stayed at the following hotels during my trip and highly recommend them:

• Hotel Königstein and Park Inn in Munich,
• Hotel Mercure in Garmisch-Partenkirchen,
• Hotel Gastof Ochsen in Kißlegg,
• Star Inn in Regensburg.

Now, as for the football...the original plan was to pick up my car and head out of town over the weekend.  But I realized that Germany were going to play England on Sunday, so I had to stick around for the public viewing party!  I went to the largest party in Munich at the Olympiastadion with about 30,000 other people.  It was a fantastic experience and a great opportunity to see German fan culture up close.

After the match, you could hear car horns honking all over downtown Munich.  There were flags hanging everywhere from buildings and cars, at every spot I visited during the trip.  There really is a lot of excitement about the German squad, and why not -- they are an exciting team with a big future in international football.

The matches are broadcast by multiple TV networks during the day.  Usually ARD (German public TV) would have one match and RTL the other, but there would also be broadcasts on Sat.1 and Sky, which are the cable TV sport channels.  The commentary and analysis of the matches was quite extensive and featured coaches and former players, a few of whom I actually recognized.  Jürgen Klinsmann was an analyst for some matches on RTL (I heard him during the USA-Ghana match), but of course it was in German so I couldn't understand anything.

Oh, and the last day of the trip I drove past the Allianz Arena on my return to Munich.  It's an impressive structure, but FC Bayern seem to come up with more ways to separate their fans from their money:

All in all, it was a memorable trip for so many reasons, and it was fun to follow the World Cup in a country whose team was in the latter stages.  It is really neat to see the excitement build throughout the country, and it was awesome to read about the excitement in this country, although it didn't last very long.

Off to Europe tomorrow

And now I am off to pack my bags and get ready to fly to Germany tomorrow!  I arrive in Munich on Thursday, pick up my nice and shiny thing from a three-letter company, and get to know the German countryside and perhaps Switzerland, Italy, and Austria as well.  I might be able to watch part of the USA-Algeria match tomorrow, but I definitely won't be able to watch all of it as I have to make sure I catch my midday flight.  I probably won't be able to blog too much except for Twitter posts and a few posts on the mobile version of TypePad. 

I'll be back on the 3rd of July, in time for the fireworks and the semifinals of the World Cup.  The last time I was abroad during the World Cup, the USA advanced to the quarterfinals.  I hope history repeats itself this year.

Thanks for following the blog, and I hope everyone liked my blogposts on the CONCACAF sides during this World Cup.

Some news

I was hoping to publish some sort of brief preview of Mexico's and the USA's opening matches in the World Cup (Honduras can wait since they don't play until next Wednesday), but I was out late on a commitment that I didn't want to break.  I'll try again tomorrow. 

I do have some news that is kind of related to the World Cup, or at least, my experiencing of it.  In two weeks I am going to Europe for ten days in June and July!  The trip involves going to southern Germany to pick up something nice and shiny, and then travel through Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria, and then back to Germany.  It's going to be an exciting trip, and if I'm lucky I'll be able to witness the local reaction to the World Cup firsthand as I'll be there for the first two knockout rounds.  (I was in Argentina for the 2002 World Cup expecting to see a big party as the national team marched to the title, but it turned out to be something very different.)

The laptop will come along with me, but I'm not sure how much posting I'll be able to make.  Twitter looks like the best way for me to make updates.

That was fun!

I'm on my way back to Tucson after an epic weekend in the Phoenix area.  It was good to meet Peter and John at the little meetup for the Champions League final yesterday at Churchill's in Chandler.  It's been a while since I've been there -- and it wasn't even for soccer -- but I was pleasantly surprised that the owner remembered who I was!  At any rate, it was great to connect some faces with names of people I've corresponded with and make a couple of contacts as well.  I was so engrossed in conversation I think I paid attention to at best 50% of the match, but that's fine because I recorded it at home. 

I look forward to doing this again at a future time.

A spot for the meetup

BUMPED.  New posts below.  I'll keep this on top until Saturday.

I've decided on a location for my Champions League Final viewing party on the 22nd.  It will be at Churchill's Pub and Grill in Chandler.  I actually know where this pub is, having attended an AFL Grand Final party there.  It's on the corner of Alma School Road and Warner Road.

The match starts at 11:45 local time, so I'm thinking of arriving a few minutes before.  I look forward to seeing you there if you're in the Phoenix area.

Want to send me something?

I continue to be surprised at how much stuff people are willing to send you if you have a semi-decent blog.  I have received several offers to review books and soccer-related merchandise, but I was reluctant to take them because I didn't want to give out my residential address to too many people. 

After a lot of thought I've decided to open a Post Office box to receive correspondence from people related to my two websites.  Here is the address:

Howard Hamilton
PO Box 90947
Tucson, AZ 85752-0947 USA

I can't promise that I'll review everything that I receive, but I will make an effort.  If I do, I'll post a link to the book or business and place it in the respective category.  I don't accept advertising banners on any of my sites -- I don't need the money, and I don't want to compromise myself either.  Of course, my policy on receiving and reviewing merchandise is subject to change.

Anyone up for a meetup?

I'm going to be in the Phoenix area on the weekend of the 22nd of May, and if any of my readers in the Valley are interested perhaps we could meet up, have an adult beverage or two, and watch the UEFA Champions League final.  You can leave either a comment or send me an email. 

While you're at it, please suggest a spot where we could watch the game as I am not very familiar with the soccer bar scene in the Phoenix area.  My first preference is for a location in Tempe, Scottsdale, or elsewhere in the East Valley.  I am open to other options, however.