Der Adler:
Thanks for the response.
Well, you know, when it comes to sports my absolutely favorites are swimming (both in the sea and in the pool) and sea surfing. I am a devoted surfer, and this summer I will spend my entire 5 week vacation period surfing in the mexican pipeline (souther pacific coast of Mexico).
I do not enjoy TV at all but when it comes to watching sports on TV, my absolutely favorite is baseball.
I do enjoy the baseball environment. It is far more classy and educated. It mentally demands more from those who play it.
It is not daring to say the overwhelming majority of all-time stars of the Major League of the USA are chivalrous, nice and educated people.
I had the chance of seeing Nolan Ryan, Dave Winfield, Steve Carlton, just to name some, and they were all incredibly nice guys; open to kids and elder alike for signing autographs, cards, etc.
Oddly, I have noticed the same does not occur with the majority of soccer stars.
David Beckham is, for instance, a vulgar low budget corner prostitute that suddenly became a "personality".
I told my mom she should be ashamed of the Queen who has gathered with that particular tramp on one occasion.
I happened to be at Mexico City´s international airport last year, went to I went to London to visit my parents, that I saw one of the most important Mexican football players next to the counter where i was checking in: Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
He can be the Mexican version of Diego Armando Maradona -just never as internationally famous as the argentinian ass-.
Nearly illiterate and of very poor origin, who became multi-millionaire playing in the one of the most powerful mexican soccer teams: America (Mexican first division).
Just like the argentinian jerk, Mr. Blanco is a totally unpleasant, rude and tight-asshole. I saw when some guys approached him to ask for an autograph or photo and the idiot resorted to throw some scornful expression on his face. What a stupid imbecile.
This thug, Blanco, makes no less than US $95,000 a month playing in the mexican league (note mexican soccer league, faaaaar behind many european soccer leagues)
Quite an opposite thing happened when I came across a Mexican base-ball player, Viny Castilla, currently playing with the Washington Nationals, who in 2004 led the NL in RBIs with a total of 131. He is a real star in the best baseball league in the planet.
Again, a totally well mannered, educated and easily accesible guy when kids surrounded him for autographs.
So there is a real pattern here. Soccer stars tend to be arrogant bitches; Baseball stars are real gentlemen.
Re-taking the David Beckham case, I have friends from Spain who live here, and are totally head-over-heels for the Real Madrid team. You could not believe how furious he was when an utterly ridiculous set of photos showing David Beckham allegedly sleeping were published to prove that even when sleeping "he is still beautiful".
It was like the ultimate shit Real Madrid fans could expect. Most took serious offense, for after all, the trafalgar square punk did not perform any good in the Spanish team.
I wish Brazil wins the Confederations Cup.
Mexico City is FULL of Argentinians, and believe me, most of them are totally unpleasant people.
Near to my place here is a Capoera gym (Brazilian martial art). Lots of Mexican and Brazilian guys practicing Capoera -lots of rythm-, and the Brazilian guys are very cool.
It is hard to determine where this odd sense of superiority most argentinians display comes from, for after all Argentina is the typical case of a sub-developed latin american nation, with no technological readiness, rotten to the bone in corruption and with a minimum of 50% of their population living either in poverty/ misery.
I am with you when it comes to the German soccer team. If I recall correctly it´s been a while since Germany´´s team does not enter a world Cup displaying a list of "super-stars" the way Italia, Brazil or England do.
Karl Heinz Rummenigge and Klinsmann are two of their more recent big names, is that abut right?
But, it is German mentality. Focused, tough and never hesitating even when the odds seem unsurmountable. They might have no "big names" in the list, but they are always opening their path either to semi-finals or finals of world cups.
That is German power.