for those that may not know, i basically post my thoughts and mumblings in two places. on this blog, as well as on gosounders.com.
Gosounders.com was started by another guy who did a great job of consolidating news as well as other sounders blog sites. but it wasn't his goal or desire to do the "color commentary" if you will. so he approached me b/c i was essentially the opposite. sure my thoughts are all loosely based on sounders news, but more from a fans opinion rather than just factual information based. this worked out great for me, b/c when you call yourself an "opinion" based writer, you can't really be wrong ;-)
well for those regular readers, you will also know that my postings have gone down. this is due mostly to me getting ready for baby number two. with prego wife at home with active 3 year old, my evenings are dedicated to giving her relief as much as possible. the descretionary free time has gone downhill in a major way, and i am sure it will not get much better, if better at all after the second kid comes.
so, what to do if i can't post as much. i don't know about you, but i really don't like it when the 5 or so blogs, that are part of my morning reading ritual, go many days without a post. i suppose this means that i like what i am reading from them, or i wouldn't visit so often. i don't mean to presume that this is how all of you would feel about this site, but quite a few of you show up every day, so maybe you do. because of this, i do indeed feel a certain obligation to post as often as possible, and if i can't, well, i need to remedy the situation.
so with that, i feel like it is best for me to 'retire' this site and only post on gosounders.com. this, however, should be a good thing for you. if you actually like my drivel, it will still be there, but with gosounders very up to date news postings. we also have the aggregation of all the other sounders blogs, schedules, roster, salaries etc etc so it is much more comprehensive.
thanks for your loyalty over the last year (almost) and i will see you at gosounders.com
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
all games can be heard on the radio
jose with the times has noted that he got word that all sounders games will be aired on 97.3 with Callabro doing the play by play...
my first thought was "great", but then my second thought was... wait, does calling a game for TV translate into a good radio broadcast?...
i honestly don't know. obviously baseball they have different tv and radio announcers. For basketball, it is usually the same play by play caller, at least it was for the sonics. I am pretty sure american football uses different announcers but i don't know that for a fact.
i have heard a lot of games called for soccer on the radio, and i am pretty certain that they radio centric, but i don't know the answer for sure.
anyone have any insight or opinion on this?
my first thought was "great", but then my second thought was... wait, does calling a game for TV translate into a good radio broadcast?...
i honestly don't know. obviously baseball they have different tv and radio announcers. For basketball, it is usually the same play by play caller, at least it was for the sonics. I am pretty sure american football uses different announcers but i don't know that for a fact.
i have heard a lot of games called for soccer on the radio, and i am pretty certain that they radio centric, but i don't know the answer for sure.
anyone have any insight or opinion on this?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
the sound wave experience
i have a good friend who is in the sound wave and i asked him to comment on the experience. you will note the complete sentences and capital letters, so you know i couldn't have wrote this... without further adu...
------------------------------------------------
Being a part of the first edition of the Sounders FC Marching Band, The Sound Wave, has been a thrill every step of the way. From auditions back in June to the Sound Wave's epic performance at the Seahawks vs Patriots halftime show at Qwest Field with the Blue Thunder Drum Line, the band has come a long way and is ready to rock the house at Qwest when the inaugral season starts on March 19th!
Here are some Sound Wave highlights from the first 6 months:
The Audition - It is a great understatement to say auditions can be intense and stressful. Many of the musicians arriving at Qwest that day already knew each other which eased the tension. But for those of us that did not know anyone there, introductions from friendly fellow musicians really helped and was a sign of the camaraderie to come within the Sound Wave. Band Director Keith Rousu (also director of Blue Thunder Drum Line) presided over the auditions. Besides the usual playing part of the audition was a short interview where Keith asked if we were soccer supporters, Sounders FC supporters and if we were ready to commit to not only rehearsals and performances but to be a part of making the atmosphere at Qwest Field special for the fans and the team and the success of the franchise in the MLS. I could tell right then that this was not going to be just your random band of musician mercenaries, but an element of the game experience and one of the faces of the franchise. Very Cool. (I made the band on Mellophone!)
Rehearsals - After auditions and new instrument purchases (sweet silver KING sousaphones, baritones and mellophones) we had our first rehearsal, to be followed by many other "firsts". From day one I could tell this band was going to be good with many very strong players in every section. We started out with about 50 members and held our first rehearsals on the top floor of Qwest Field parking lot. We started out with 3 songs but that number quickly grew to over a dozen as of today. Many of our charts are arranged by Assistant Directors/Brass Coaches Steve Baretich and Edd George. Edd and Steve are bringing hot, original arrangements to the Sound Wave including Low by Flo Rider, Fire by Jimi Hendrix, Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Get Ready by the Temptations and of course the Sounders Theme by Henry Mancini.
Performances - Rehearsals are fun but for a musician it's nothing compared to performing. Especially when you are performing songs folks can move and groove to and that create a positive response. Every performance the Sound Wave has been quite different: the Kasey Keller press conference, the first Membership Association meeting with Drew Carey, the Holiday Parade (where Police Chief Kerlikowski's wife was caught dancin' in the streets to the Sound Wave's version of LOW with the parade crowd cheering her on!), the Fashion show - again with Drew, the big Seahawk halftime gig with the Blue Thunder and the SeaGals (two observations... 1. Blue Thunder are incredibly talented and really know how to work the crowd. 2. The SeaGals are pretty talented too and dance GREAT!) and the FX McRroy's Sigi Schmid greeting. Each and every performance brought cheers and positive reactions from the crowds (including spontaneous dancing in public!) and support for the band and Sounders FC. Also, we had the honor of playing at the Tuba Man's memorial service. An appropriate example of how the Sound Wave is going to be a positive and respectful part of the Seattle music scene.
Then there's Drew Carey, the man behind the band, who as it happens is a really terrific and down to earth guy. He came and hung out with the band after the Membership Association meeting and answered questions, cracked jokes, gave autographs and took pictures plus shared what his vision and goals were for the band's future. He has taken a very personal interest in the Sounders FC and the Sound Wave, which is really going to make this experience that much more unique in ways only Mr.Carey can. This is going to be a wild and fun ride!
------------------------------------------------
Being a part of the first edition of the Sounders FC Marching Band, The Sound Wave, has been a thrill every step of the way. From auditions back in June to the Sound Wave's epic performance at the Seahawks vs Patriots halftime show at Qwest Field with the Blue Thunder Drum Line, the band has come a long way and is ready to rock the house at Qwest when the inaugral season starts on March 19th!
Here are some Sound Wave highlights from the first 6 months:
The Audition - It is a great understatement to say auditions can be intense and stressful. Many of the musicians arriving at Qwest that day already knew each other which eased the tension. But for those of us that did not know anyone there, introductions from friendly fellow musicians really helped and was a sign of the camaraderie to come within the Sound Wave. Band Director Keith Rousu (also director of Blue Thunder Drum Line) presided over the auditions. Besides the usual playing part of the audition was a short interview where Keith asked if we were soccer supporters, Sounders FC supporters and if we were ready to commit to not only rehearsals and performances but to be a part of making the atmosphere at Qwest Field special for the fans and the team and the success of the franchise in the MLS. I could tell right then that this was not going to be just your random band of musician mercenaries, but an element of the game experience and one of the faces of the franchise. Very Cool. (I made the band on Mellophone!)
Rehearsals - After auditions and new instrument purchases (sweet silver KING sousaphones, baritones and mellophones) we had our first rehearsal, to be followed by many other "firsts". From day one I could tell this band was going to be good with many very strong players in every section. We started out with about 50 members and held our first rehearsals on the top floor of Qwest Field parking lot. We started out with 3 songs but that number quickly grew to over a dozen as of today. Many of our charts are arranged by Assistant Directors/Brass Coaches Steve Baretich and Edd George. Edd and Steve are bringing hot, original arrangements to the Sound Wave including Low by Flo Rider, Fire by Jimi Hendrix, Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Get Ready by the Temptations and of course the Sounders Theme by Henry Mancini.
Performances - Rehearsals are fun but for a musician it's nothing compared to performing. Especially when you are performing songs folks can move and groove to and that create a positive response. Every performance the Sound Wave has been quite different: the Kasey Keller press conference, the first Membership Association meeting with Drew Carey, the Holiday Parade (where Police Chief Kerlikowski's wife was caught dancin' in the streets to the Sound Wave's version of LOW with the parade crowd cheering her on!), the Fashion show - again with Drew, the big Seahawk halftime gig with the Blue Thunder and the SeaGals (two observations... 1. Blue Thunder are incredibly talented and really know how to work the crowd. 2. The SeaGals are pretty talented too and dance GREAT!) and the FX McRroy's Sigi Schmid greeting. Each and every performance brought cheers and positive reactions from the crowds (including spontaneous dancing in public!) and support for the band and Sounders FC. Also, we had the honor of playing at the Tuba Man's memorial service. An appropriate example of how the Sound Wave is going to be a positive and respectful part of the Seattle music scene.
Then there's Drew Carey, the man behind the band, who as it happens is a really terrific and down to earth guy. He came and hung out with the band after the Membership Association meeting and answered questions, cracked jokes, gave autographs and took pictures plus shared what his vision and goals were for the band's future. He has taken a very personal interest in the Sounders FC and the Sound Wave, which is really going to make this experience that much more unique in ways only Mr.Carey can. This is going to be a wild and fun ride!
regular season schedule released, and san jose sign up for pyramid scheme
MLS have just released the regular season schedule. not going to over analyze it too much at this point, other than to say we are top heavy on our home games towards the front of the season, and that obviously gives us a lot of away games at the end of the season. that could be good bad or indifferent... i told you i wasn't going to analyze... and i am not. full sounders schedule here.
in other news, a door to door salesman showed up on the training grounds of San Jose this week. before you call my bluff, have you ever been to the san jose training ground? they have a large door that says "solicitors welcome", so know you know my story is all true. anyway, a "salesman" mentioned to a club representative that if they just print a specific logo on the front of their jersey, and then they get some people to buy some of those jerseys, and then everyone that buys those jerseys has three friends to buy more jerseys and so on and so on, well they would make a lot of money. it sounded like a solid idea, and that is how san jose thought it would be a good idea to put AMWAY on the front of their jersey.
you may not like X-Box as a sponsor, but thank your lucky stars that you are not going to be the laughing stock of the errrr, people who... err... laugh at your shirt... sponsor..., or something like that anyway.
san jose... ha ha ha ah haha ha ah.... amway haaha ha hha hha *sigh*
in other news, a door to door salesman showed up on the training grounds of San Jose this week. before you call my bluff, have you ever been to the san jose training ground? they have a large door that says "solicitors welcome", so know you know my story is all true. anyway, a "salesman" mentioned to a club representative that if they just print a specific logo on the front of their jersey, and then they get some people to buy some of those jerseys, and then everyone that buys those jerseys has three friends to buy more jerseys and so on and so on, well they would make a lot of money. it sounded like a solid idea, and that is how san jose thought it would be a good idea to put AMWAY on the front of their jersey.
you may not like X-Box as a sponsor, but thank your lucky stars that you are not going to be the laughing stock of the errrr, people who... err... laugh at your shirt... sponsor..., or something like that anyway.
san jose... ha ha ha ah haha ha ah.... amway haaha ha hha hha *sigh*
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
lot's going on
got a call from a friend last night that reads this blog.
him "hey man, are you ok?"
me "yeah, why wouldn't i be"
him "you never blog anymore, just wanted to make sure everything is fine"
me "i am fine"
good story eh?
well here is the deal, i knew i was slowing down on my entries a bit, but not until this morning did i realize that i have only posted 4 times this month. that is just a poor showing on my part. i have many blogs that i follow and it irks me when they aren't updated at least every other day. so if i have irked you, my apologies. the reason for my poor attendance, if you care, falls into the "working all day at work, and then coming home and working until late late night on the house (painting, flooring, tile, etc) to get ready for the newborn that will come into this world via a stork on march 19th at the 22nd minute of our game against the red bulls no doubt. the stork will drop my new daughter from 100 meters high, montero will chest trap over to nyassi who will deftly chip a ball for nate to head in to the back of the net. don't worry about any harm to my daughter though, schmid has been working on everyones "soft touch" that she hardly felt a thing. oh, and there is a bed of pillow and feathers at the back of the goal, so she will come out completely unharmed.
see what happens when i don't write for a while?
now what was this blog about again? oh right, the sounders... let's see... has anything happened lately?
well other than the rumors... ahem.... about chelsea coming in the summer, the one thing that has been dominating the headlines is the players that we have have been signed, or invited to try out. there have been a windfall of players, sometimes 2 a day.
- Taylor Graham, former USL defender for the sounders has signed.
- Fredy Montero, Columbian Striker is set to join from Deportivo Cali (more on him in a minute)
- Quavas Kirk, former DC and LA midfielder is on trial
- Patrick Ianni, defender from Houston was signed for our 3rd (possibly 2nd) pick in the 2010 superdraft depending on appearances.
- Osvaldo Alonso, USL rookie of the year with Charleston is a midfielder who put up 7 goals and 2 assists has been signed. interesting to note that he as one of those that defected in 2007 from Cuba if you remember that story.
our team is really starting to take shape and I am very pleased to see a few defenders in that list. after the expansion and superdraft, even though we had picked up some defenders, it still seemed that we were lacking in that area, at least in experience. In Ianni, we have a player on the cusp of international play for the US, and says the coach,
now for mr montero.... what an interesting piece of business this is. if anyone has got the straight skinny on who owns what and how, why, where, i would appreciate you sending me a note. the best i can tell, we own 65% of the player (upon visa and paperwork being completed/approved). that 65% number appears to be valid b/c it comes straight from adrian, but everywhere i still look for info on this, nothing else is explained. my questions....
- who owns the other 35%, am assuming still deportivo cali
- why is he still consistently linked to this real betis move/loan. maybe this is residual from prior to our signing, but i still see loads of this talk going on.
and then the ultimate question.... how much did he cost? i got lambasted on this blog a few months back at the original news that we were about to spend a few million on this kid. i still can't see this being in the millions. this must surely be why deportivo cali only would sell 65% of him b/c they want to see some profits in the future when he heads off to europe... come on, you know he will end up there if he lives up to his hype.
i am not a big fan of this partial ownership... it has a chance to get very messy, a la carlos tevez. but heck, if it gives us yet another goal scoring threat, and we can get 2-4 years out of him, bring it on i say.
anyway, i am sure the truth in all the ownership and price is out there. if you know for a fact how this is played out, please drop me a note.
so, with nyassi, ljungberg, le toux, montero, zakuani, and jacqua, there is no shortage of attacking options and that doesn't even take into consideration the two fullback players that we picked in the draft that are both considered wide attacking minded threats.
this is all good and exciting if our defence can handle the counter attacks that we will surely have to endure when we leave ourselves open. so having those defender numbers increased helps calm my nerves a bit.
well there, i guess we have caught up to present day. i will do my best to keep up on my posts, at least better than i have been.
for those that are reading this on www.soundersfootblog.com, might i suggest to you that you start to read www.gosounders.com instead. my posts are all there as well as the other blogger who does a GREAT job on aggregating the news.
him "hey man, are you ok?"
me "yeah, why wouldn't i be"
him "you never blog anymore, just wanted to make sure everything is fine"
me "i am fine"
good story eh?
well here is the deal, i knew i was slowing down on my entries a bit, but not until this morning did i realize that i have only posted 4 times this month. that is just a poor showing on my part. i have many blogs that i follow and it irks me when they aren't updated at least every other day. so if i have irked you, my apologies. the reason for my poor attendance, if you care, falls into the "working all day at work, and then coming home and working until late late night on the house (painting, flooring, tile, etc) to get ready for the newborn that will come into this world via a stork on march 19th at the 22nd minute of our game against the red bulls no doubt. the stork will drop my new daughter from 100 meters high, montero will chest trap over to nyassi who will deftly chip a ball for nate to head in to the back of the net. don't worry about any harm to my daughter though, schmid has been working on everyones "soft touch" that she hardly felt a thing. oh, and there is a bed of pillow and feathers at the back of the goal, so she will come out completely unharmed.
see what happens when i don't write for a while?
now what was this blog about again? oh right, the sounders... let's see... has anything happened lately?
well other than the rumors... ahem.... about chelsea coming in the summer, the one thing that has been dominating the headlines is the players that we have have been signed, or invited to try out. there have been a windfall of players, sometimes 2 a day.
- Taylor Graham, former USL defender for the sounders has signed.
- Fredy Montero, Columbian Striker is set to join from Deportivo Cali (more on him in a minute)
- Quavas Kirk, former DC and LA midfielder is on trial
- Patrick Ianni, defender from Houston was signed for our 3rd (possibly 2nd) pick in the 2010 superdraft depending on appearances.
- Osvaldo Alonso, USL rookie of the year with Charleston is a midfielder who put up 7 goals and 2 assists has been signed. interesting to note that he as one of those that defected in 2007 from Cuba if you remember that story.
our team is really starting to take shape and I am very pleased to see a few defenders in that list. after the expansion and superdraft, even though we had picked up some defenders, it still seemed that we were lacking in that area, at least in experience. In Ianni, we have a player on the cusp of international play for the US, and says the coach,
He’s very strong in the air, which is something we need to add to our team right now.That type of endorsement makes it sound like he is very much being considered a starter. we have a pretty well known quantity in graham. he has been fantastic over the years, but you still don't know how great he will be in the next level up. i wouldn't expect him to do poorly, but sometimes, it is the smallest of skills that he may be lacking, that could get exposed at the highest level of the game in our country. at the very least, he is a solid back up no doubt. now if we can sign Parke, i will consider the center midfield position relatively strong. you can never know until you see them play together however, but it wouldn't be a glaring hole no doubt.
now for mr montero.... what an interesting piece of business this is. if anyone has got the straight skinny on who owns what and how, why, where, i would appreciate you sending me a note. the best i can tell, we own 65% of the player (upon visa and paperwork being completed/approved). that 65% number appears to be valid b/c it comes straight from adrian, but everywhere i still look for info on this, nothing else is explained. my questions....
- who owns the other 35%, am assuming still deportivo cali
- why is he still consistently linked to this real betis move/loan. maybe this is residual from prior to our signing, but i still see loads of this talk going on.
and then the ultimate question.... how much did he cost? i got lambasted on this blog a few months back at the original news that we were about to spend a few million on this kid. i still can't see this being in the millions. this must surely be why deportivo cali only would sell 65% of him b/c they want to see some profits in the future when he heads off to europe... come on, you know he will end up there if he lives up to his hype.
i am not a big fan of this partial ownership... it has a chance to get very messy, a la carlos tevez. but heck, if it gives us yet another goal scoring threat, and we can get 2-4 years out of him, bring it on i say.
anyway, i am sure the truth in all the ownership and price is out there. if you know for a fact how this is played out, please drop me a note.
so, with nyassi, ljungberg, le toux, montero, zakuani, and jacqua, there is no shortage of attacking options and that doesn't even take into consideration the two fullback players that we picked in the draft that are both considered wide attacking minded threats.
this is all good and exciting if our defence can handle the counter attacks that we will surely have to endure when we leave ourselves open. so having those defender numbers increased helps calm my nerves a bit.
well there, i guess we have caught up to present day. i will do my best to keep up on my posts, at least better than i have been.
for those that are reading this on www.soundersfootblog.com, might i suggest to you that you start to read www.gosounders.com instead. my posts are all there as well as the other blogger who does a GREAT job on aggregating the news.
Friday, January 16, 2009
the seattle times makes the grade, but the pi falls short, again.
well i walked up to my bus stop this morning, and sure enough, the plane crash gets the headline (as it should), but was there anything, above the fold, about the #1, and very first draft pick, for the Seattle Sounders.
the times had "zakuani goes first" and a picture in the upper right hand column directing you to the sports section, fair enough i say.
the PI? nothing... the sports blurb at the top was about the huskies. a team that will play over 30 games this year, and every year. never mind that this was the VERY first draft ever. never mind that it was the #1 pick of the draft.
i am sure the sports editor would justify it until he is blue in the face to me... but i say to him, you just don't get it.
oh well, maybe in a few months there won't be a PI for me to get mad at.
the times had "zakuani goes first" and a picture in the upper right hand column directing you to the sports section, fair enough i say.
the PI? nothing... the sports blurb at the top was about the huskies. a team that will play over 30 games this year, and every year. never mind that this was the VERY first draft ever. never mind that it was the #1 pick of the draft.
i am sure the sports editor would justify it until he is blue in the face to me... but i say to him, you just don't get it.
oh well, maybe in a few months there won't be a PI for me to get mad at.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
will the papers make it front page?
i have given both the times and the PI a lot of crap the last 6 months b/c i think that their coverage of the sounders has been VERY poor.
recently, i retracted a bit b/c they both have sounders sections and even blog sections... the times has done quite well with timely updates as well i have noticed.
but i wonder if our number one draft pick will make the front page of either tomorrow. it should. it would for the seahawks, mariners, or sonics when they played here. however, i recognize that the plane that crashed today heading ultimately for seattle is "real" news and probably will, and should get the prime spot....
but if we don't make a nook or cranny on the front page, even one of those dumb little logos in the upper left that only says "sounders draft zakuani" i am going to let them have it for sure.
as for the draft itself, it certainly speaks to the offensive minded attacking play that we are all wanting (or at least i am). we got arguably the best striker in the draft, and both defenders, left and right wing, are quite attack minded if i understand correctly...
the only thing that surprised me was a lack of a center back. but i am sure there is a plan, i am just not privied to it.
this is one of those things where only time will tell.
recently, i retracted a bit b/c they both have sounders sections and even blog sections... the times has done quite well with timely updates as well i have noticed.
but i wonder if our number one draft pick will make the front page of either tomorrow. it should. it would for the seahawks, mariners, or sonics when they played here. however, i recognize that the plane that crashed today heading ultimately for seattle is "real" news and probably will, and should get the prime spot....
but if we don't make a nook or cranny on the front page, even one of those dumb little logos in the upper left that only says "sounders draft zakuani" i am going to let them have it for sure.
as for the draft itself, it certainly speaks to the offensive minded attacking play that we are all wanting (or at least i am). we got arguably the best striker in the draft, and both defenders, left and right wing, are quite attack minded if i understand correctly...
the only thing that surprised me was a lack of a center back. but i am sure there is a plan, i am just not privied to it.
this is one of those things where only time will tell.
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