“…the ball fell to me, and time kinda stopped…”

These words were Landon Donovan’s response just minutes after scoring the most clutch goal in United States Men’s National Team soccer history at the 2010 World Cup.  Donovan’s last minute goal against Algeria was the difference between his team going home, or going on.  It turn out to be one of the most important moments in the history of American soccer.

For the last four years, Donovan has had plenty to prove.  The overwhelming joy of the team’s astonishing quarterfinals appearance in the 2002 World Cup was all but forgotten after an utterly dismal encore performance at the 2006 World Cup, where they didn’t win a single match.  Being the face of the team is great when times are good.  But when crap hits the fan, it’s not much fun to be holding the bag.

Before each game, Donovan is militantly serious.  He’s the guy who barely blinks during the national anthem, choosing not to sing or even bow his eyes.  He gazes straight ahead, with his focus only on the filmstrip in his mind, mentally rehearsing the competition upcoming.  Each pass finds its way.  Each dribble is balanced and true.  Each shot off of his boot finds its way to the target.  Even with hundreds of millions of people watching, the man is a statue.

After this particular game, the mood was much different.  Donovan was different.  It was no longer time to prepare, it was time to reflect.  No more need to “Write the Future“, just to swim in the immediacy of now.

The live ESPN post-match coverage showed an interview with Donovan about five seconds after the camera started rolling.  Here’s that same interview, with the first five seconds in tact:

It’s incredible how quickly he gains his composure in this interview.  He knew this part would come.  As the face of American soccer since 2002, he’s given thousands of interviews.  This was his moment at the top of the mountain.  Time to share with the world how it had all gotten to this point.

He thanked his teammates, talked about the hard work he had put into everything, and compared the whole experience to a journey.  It was all true, and exactly the type of answer that everyone would expect.  He played the part just like the leader that he is expected to be.

I heard somebody somewhere say that “leadership leaks”.  The idea is that the influence that a leader has come less from conscious, deliberate methods or actions, but more from what leaks or spills out in an accidental or subconscious way.  The most important details of who we are often leak out the sides of what we are trying hardest to portray to others.

When a guy cries like that, he’s got a lot more than a soccer match on his mind.  What or who was on his mind leaked out at the end of the video, which was cut out of the ESPN feed above, but can be found in the last second of this clip on Youtube here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bianca Kajlich is Donovan’s ex-wife.  You can read online about their three-year marriage and eventual divorce.  Who blows a kiss to their ex-wife?  Even though the terms were reportedly amicable, a divorce is usually not something that anyone wants to celebrate.

In a great article about his growth from the failed 2006 experience and his failed marriage, Donovan talks about how much he has grown from it all.  From the time that you choose to get a divorce, to when it is finalized, there is a part of you that is happy to have a scapegoat for so many of your problems, struggles, and issues.  When the divorce is finally real, that scapegoat is gone.

“Bianca taught me a lot more about myself than I knew.”

The picture that I get from Donovan is that his ex-wife was a type of mirror for him.  She tended to show him his warts, and nobody really wants to stare at those.  You can argue with a mirror all you want, but it just reflects back to you what is truly there.

Once he realized that he was responsible for his failures on the field, and the ones in his marriage, it empowered him to make some changes.

“There are expectations from people and that’s a good thing, but what is most important to me is what I expect from myself.”

Redemption can be either be salvation from something you have done, or a return of something valuable that has been lost.  However his relationship with Bianca moves forward, or however his team finishes this 2010 World Cup, Landon Donovan’s time of redemption is at hand.

But, Steve Nash is at the World Cup, and he is actually letting me go with him.  Albeit through his video camera as he is a special correspondent for …CBS Sports.  Huh?  CBS Sports is known for two things:  college basketball games, and uninspired NFL broadcasts.  It’ is not a kind phrase, but they really are the poor man’s sports network.  I would not consider myself a fan.  I would not press the “Like” button.

However, in an apparent effort to broaden their appeal beyond white guys from the midwest, CBS Sports has hired America’s favorite international (South African born, Canadian raised) white guy to report on the goings on at the World Cup.  Well, it’s not really reporting.  They just want him to do funny videos with them like the ones on my link above, or this one that he did with Amar’e Stoudemire:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Maybe they are hoping that it will be the Steve Nash Effect in action outside of basketball.  He seems to bring out the best in others, and perhaps he is doing the same thing with CBS Sports.

Here is the last video that he made himself just before teaming up with CBS Sports:

(If you just watch one of the videos in this article, watch this one.  It’s the shortest and the best by far.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

For some reason, his videos with CBS Sports don’t have the same type of pop that his other videos have.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As I watch these, I want to laugh and be engaged in the spirit of the video, but it’s just not happening.  I’m a ridiculously huge Steve Nash fan, and an even bigger World Cup fan, but the mixing of the two has not been a recipe for success.  The CBS Sports curse brings Steve Nash down a couple of notches in the funny department.

Oh well, he’s back in America now for his charity soccer match on June 23.  I’m sure that Steve will find his touch with the video camera again soon.

Just to show that not all of these grapes are sour, I will leave you with the one video that did actually have me laughing out loud.  Enjoy:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Let’s start with the titular moment of my list.

The crying North Korean player

Not much is known about what goes on in land of North Korea.  Because of government restrictions on just about everything, even less is known about what goes on in the hearts and minds of North Koreans.  Even the North Korean supporters in the stadium who were not hand picked Chinese fans for hire seem reticent to discuss anything, for fear of punishment from their government.  Secrecy, seclusion, and suppression are the modus operandi for this country.

But, on June 15th, 2010, the human heart betrayed all of that.  While the team has isolated itself from the other countries by holing up in it’s hotel, avoiding as much contact as possible with the media and other teams, it is impossible to do such at game time.  At the prelude to the kick-off, in front of tens of thousands of people, each team must face the crowd, and listen while their country’s national anthem is played.  Some players sing along, some look straight ahead with faces of stone, and in the case of Jong Tae-Se, the significance of the moment broke the hold that the fear had over him.  See it yourself:

Click here to view the embedded video.

For whatever faults the North Korean government has (and they are numerous), they were not able to break this man’s spirit.  Truly a touching moment.

Drogba getting subbed in with a broken arm

After breaking his arm in a vicious challenge less than two weeks prior:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Didier Drogba stepped on to the pitch, showing little effect of the injury.  You could see the determination in his face throughout the first half as he watched the game from the bench.  No real danger from him in the few minutes he played, but it’s amazing that he was able to play at all.  Looking forward to seeing him back in form.

Georgie Welcome

Honduras has a player named Georgie Welcome

Forget Kaka, Herculez, or even Tshabalala.  My favorite name of a player in this year’s World Cup has got to be Georgie Welcome.  It just sounds so wonderfully ridiculous.  I love the idea of a star-struck fan meeting this player and saying “You’re Welcome?”  ”Thank you, I am.” would be his response, for sure.  I love it.

I’m also bemused by the thought of teammates greeting him on the field with a smiling “Welcome, Georgie!”

Odd thing to be entertained by, I know.  But so be it.

Not much can keep the Danes from being happy

When Denmark’s Simon Paulsen broke a 0-0 tie with his head, he could hardly contain his ear to ear grin.  After all, Denmark is purported to be the happiest country on earth, so why wouldn’t he be smiling?

Well, Paulsen happened to put the ball in the back of his own net, as you can see here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I love the look on his face at :15.  To be fair, he’s probably more incredulous than anything.  But still, sometimes you just have to smile when the ball bounces like that.

Americans actually do give a crap about soccer!

If your Facebook and Twitter feed hasn’t been disrupted by passionate soccer fans this past week, you may just find yourself in the minority.  In fact, the 17 million people who tuned in to the USA v. ENG draw was more than each of the first four games of the NBA finals.  The Celtics and the Lakers are arguably the best teams that the NBA could hope for in drawing viewers in, and still the lowly sport of soccer won out.

Now, it should also be noted that a substantial number of people hated that the game ended in a tie, and many especially despised the sound of the vuvuzelas throughout every second of the match.  But hate is a step above indifference, and that is a step that most soccer fans are willing to accept, even with an awkward sense of satisfaction.

I’m deliriously happy with the World Cup.  I’m almost intoxicated with joy for this month and I’m sure that I’ve left a few things out.  Any favorite moments that I missed?

BT – I don’t know if it’s because I’m a devoted fan or because I’ve got precious little of value happening in my own life, but I’ve put in several hours over the last month soaking up all of the info I could find to prep myself for the next few weeks in South Africa.

Throughout all of what I will loosely term “my research,” I was surprised to find that one thing kept occurring to me: Landon Donovan is an A-Hole. In every interview, whether it was video or print, he comes off as smug, arrogant, and irritated that people are interested in talking to him. Not exactly what Team USA wants from their most famous player. Thoughts?

ZP – Alright Benny, I can’t argue that Donovan is an A-hole. Everything that you have read and seen is probably right on the money. I have to concede that number 10 isn’t going to win any congeniality competitions.

But, with that being said, isn’t that what you want from a competitor? Look at the second greatest French footballer ever, Eric Cantona. He set new heights (lows?) with his disdainful attitude and behavior. He drop kicked a fan in the middle of a game!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Manchester United’s captain in the 90’s was a bit over the top in his A-holeness, but I would argue that you need something like that from a team leader. He’s not playing the game to make friends, he’s there to prevail over his opponents.

People hate Kobe for the same reason, but that cold blood is exactly what makes him such a lethal killer. There is no way to argue that Kobe doesn’t have those the self-worshiping, douche-bag qualities in spades. But he wins, and this covers a multitude of sins.

I can vividly remember Donovan being interviewed about the U.S. National Team’s burgeoning rivalry with Mexico in 2002. He was so matter of fact about how it wasn’t much of a rivalry because of the way the U.S. had dominated them so thoroughly in their last several contests.  He even used the phrase “kicked their ass”.  It was a classic, “Put up, or shut up” type of comment, directed right at our neighbors to the south. It was also classic A-hole, and I loved it.

What would you attribute his captainship to?

BT – Important to note that Donovan is not the captain of Team USA. Carlos Bocanegra is the player-voted captain. When Bocanegra isn’t on the field, and Donovan often inherits the armband, I would imagine that it is out of seniority as much as anything else.

Keep in mind, I’m not condemning Donovan as a soccer player. I believe Landon Donovan is a victim of circumstance. A huge responsibility was placed on Donovan’s shoulders, a responsibility that he cannot possibly live up to. US Soccer presented Donovan as its messiah, giving fans the impression that he would dominate games from end line to end line. This is simply not the type of player that Landon Donovan is.

But what Landon does, he does very well: He gets the ball into the finishing third of the field, and makes smart decisions and crisp passes once he gets there. You rarely see Landon blast one fifteen rows into the seats, and numbers don’t lie: USA’s top-dog all time in goals and assists.

Like him or not, Landon Donovan is to US soccer what Kobayashi is to hot dog eating contests, or what beer is to, well, anything. That may attribute to his pseudo-captainship. Who else is there really to challenge him for the crown?

ZP – Alright, I can buy the “victim of circumstance” argument. Although, if you remember DeMarcus Beasley had a similar amount of expectation as America’s new golden boy in 2002, but he crumbled with the pressure. Tip of the cap to Donovan for standing strong thus far.

As far as a challenger to the U.S. Soccer crown, maybe we should differentiate between the best player and the rightful wearer of the captain’s armband.

With as much sense as it makes to designate a man who’s name means “black mouth” to be your communicatory ambassador to the referee, Bocanegra is probably the best choice. Claudio Reyna seemed to give the U.S. less than nothing on the pitch each time out, but the players steadfastly preferred him as captain during his tenure. Boca seems to have the same level of respect.

As far as the best player argument goes, how about your boy Clint Dempsey? I don’t follow the Premiership as closely as I should, but this Fulham chant speaks volumes about his reputation across the pond:

“He scores with his left, He scores with his riiiiight, That boy Clint Dempsey, Makes Drogba look shite!”

Make an argument for Deuce, I’m all ears.

BT – One of the most overused terms in soccer analysis is “creativity.” Analysts throw it into their critique of every midfielder that steps on the field. It’s frustrating because it cheapens what truly creative players, like Dempsey, do so well.

Due to the lack of breaks in action, soccer is very much a game of rhythm, not unlike ping pong or Barrel of Monkeys. As such it is easy for players and teams to fall into a lull of predictable repetition which is easy to defend. Creative players like Dempsey change games by taking chances on risky plays and passes, not always to see direct dividends, but more often just to keep the defense from getting too comfortable. (Oddly, this was also my original strategy when I burst onto the semi-professional monkey-stacking scene in the mid-80s.) Dempsey is the first truly creative player I’ve seen in a US jersey. This creativity speaks to his incredible skill and swagger, and is invaluable to a US program that is very average in most areas.

I think that Dempsey is probably the most talented player on the US roster, but in terms of achieving results, talent can only take you so far (see Portugal, which basically runs out a roster full of Dempseys every time they play). While I’d certainly prefer to get into a dialogue about Dempsey’s fabulous beard stubble, I instead will ask you this: Would saddling him with the captaincy interfere with his wildcard mentality, and keep Deuce from being Deuce?

ZP – I agree with you regarding Demsey’s talent, swagger, impact on the game, and even his attractive beard stubble. I’m not sure if I would call him a creative player, but I like the picture you present of him being a disruptive force to another team’s equilibrium.

As far as being captain goes, I do think that it would be a bad idea for Clint and his fragile emotions. He plays on a tight-wire of tension, aggression, and PMS quality emotional rawness.

When I first saw Clint Dempsey crying at the end of the Confederation’s Cup final last year, I was encouraged by it. Maybe he was exhausted after the effort that he had put forth and simply didn’t have enough strength to control his tear ducts. Perhaps he was reflecting on the death of his sister as a child, and the subsequent opportunities that had given him the opportunity of that moment. In my view, I believed that he understood the historical impact of the result that his country had just earned. I believed that he was devastated by falling short of his personal goal. By all accounts, I was right.

But here is my problem.

When Michael Jordan won the NBA title, he embraced the Larry O’Brien trophy, and cried like a baby. Adam Morrison and Tim Tebow wet their collars while the clock ticked down to a loss. When Steve Nash finally swept the Spurs in the playoffs this year, he went into the locker room and bawled his eyes out. When the Lakers finished the Suns within a fortnight, not a tear was shed.

Winners cry when they win.

Who cries when they lose?

I’ll give you the last word.

BT – I feel as though I’ve seen many players cry when they lose, though no examples immediately pop into my brain. That is probably because the losing team gets fewer articles written about them and as such their tears are significantly less publicized. Everything you said about Dempsey being an emotional player is spot on, and I agree that being saddled with any resposibility other than being a wildcard would severely cramp his style.

That said, if Clint Dempsey is not a creative player then I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one. I mean, seriously:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If this is the last word then I suppose a verdict must be rendered: Who is better for US Soccer, Donovan or Dempsey?

In this World Cup? Donovan. This team is going to give up some goals, and they need him to play and play well in order to get those goals back on the offensive end. It’s very possible that Dempsey could finish with more points than Donovan, but the threat of Donovan’s speed on one of the wings is crucial to open up space for the rest of the team to operate.

For the long run? Dempsey. If the US is going to make an impact when they hopefully host the Cup in 2018 or 2022, that means that America’s next generation of superstars are in junior high and high school right now. It’s important for those kids to know that you don’t have to be from South America or Europe to have world class soccer skill, and important for them to see a player who is truly unintimidated by the traditional powerhouse soccer countries. Dempsey is the player who shows displays these attributes most clearly.

Plus, Landon Donovan is an A-Hole…

In the fall of 2003, at the age of fourteen, Freddy Adu became the youngest athlete to sign an American professional sports contract in over a century.  Along with his MLS contract, a very lucrative deal with Nike had thrust the Ghana-born US citizen into the spotlight.  The hype surrounding his signing with Major League Soccer had caused quite a stir.  Was it possible that the best young soccer player in the world was actually right here in the shadows of our nation’s capital, and would one day lead the red, white, and blue to international glory on the pitch?  Major League Soccer certainly thought so.

Freddy gets a kiss from Pele

Adu was signed to DC United and made his first appearances with them in 2004.  The pundits were skeptical.  Some feared for the boy’s safety, while others claimed that if he were as good as they claimed that he should be sent to one of the top youth academies overseas.  Other players were skeptical as well.  Just because a kid is quick and skilled does not mean that he should be competing at the professional level.  However the US soccer program had already dubbed him as their white knight, and there would be no turning back.

When I heard about Freddy Adu, and saw the approach that was being taken to groom him for stardom, I laughed.  This was going to be a disaster.  My logic was simple:  If you are grooming somebody to be a dominant athlete, the worst possible thing you can do is make them a role player.  Freddy Adu had been taken from playing against high school kids, where he could learn to take over games and dominate competition, to playing against men twice his age, where he would be relegated to coming off the bench and playing on the outside midfield.

Then, a rare thing happened:  I turned out to be right.  In the seven years since, Adu has had a journeyman career.  He has played for six clubs in the last five years, and was not even invited to US National Team camp last month.  He is currently plying his trade in Greece, and no more than an afterthought on the American soccer landscape.  A disappointing, though not surprising, result of the path that was set for him seven years ago.

All hope is not lost for Freddy.   At age 21, he will still have two more chances to perform on the world’s biggest stage.  While his current situation can be attributed to decisions that were made for him as a fourteen year old, Freddy still has the opportunity to look inside himself (or, at least into his reflection in a bottle of legally purchased beer) and set his own course for the next decade.

My left eye burst open as the all too familiar shrieking of my alarm clock pierced the calm silence of my bedroom this morning.  Still not fully aware of what was happening, muscle memory had located and silenced the offender within a matter of seconds.  The right side of my face still buried in a pillow, my left eyeball scanned the room for some sort of explanation of what in the name of Jake Gyllenhaal’s beard was happening.  Slowly things started to come together.  It’s 5:30… it’s Saturday… hands are a little clammy… forehead is a little warm.  It’s all vaguely familiar.  I remembered a similar sensation from a few summers ago.  Ah, yes… yes I remember now.  The Fever.  I’ve come down with a case of the World Cup Fever.  Symptoms include rising with the sun every day for a month, regularly throwing back a pint with breakfast, and overuse of terms such as “match” and “pitch” in place of the more Americanized “game” and “field.”

World Cup fever is definitely back, and despite being six days out of the official start of the tournament, I found myself stumbling out to the recliner at 5:30 Arizona time this morning to watch the US take on Australia in their final tuneup “match” before taking to the “pitch” against England next Saturday, June 12.  The contest came and went in very similar fashion to their two previous friendlies against Czech Republic and Turkey.  There were some offensive highlights, some defensive miscues, and overall I came away with a sense that I had just watched a team that is still struggling to figure out exactly who they are.  Which begs the question:  Who exactly are these guys, and what chance do they stand of making a name for themselves amongst the world’s elite over the next few weeks?  I’m glad you asked.

The Roster

The US roster is a relatively inexperienced one, in terms of international competition.  While names like Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Tim Howard are fairly well-known in the worldwide soccer community, the rest of the roster has traveled to South Africa in relative anonymity.  From head coach Bob Bradley on down, the team as a whole is putting on a confident front going into the competition.  An attitude to which they may be entitled, considering that most experts are picking them to advance out of their group into the knockout stages.  However, those predictions are most likely based more on the teams the Americans will be facing, rather than on the roster itself.  Algeria and Slovenia, while not pushovers, are considered among the weaker teams in the field of 32.  As a result, England and the USA are really the most logical choices to advance from Group C.

The roster itself suffered a big blow when striker Charlie Davies was severely injured in an auto accident last fall, and suffered another big setback less than a month later when top defender Oguchi Onyewu tore his patellar tendon in a qualifying match.  Onyewu returned to training early this spring, but still seems very uncertain on that knee, and it is starting to become obvious that he is still quite a ways out from being the dominant physical presence that the US need him to be in the heart of their defense.  Davies, despite a miraculous recovery to return to training in the spring, was left off of the World Cup roster.

The one area in which the Americans can be comfortable, is goalkeeping.  Top keeper Tim Howard is regarded as one of the world’s best, and he is not only healthy, but also playing at the pinnacle of his career.  Backups Marcus Hahnemann and Brad Guzan are very adequate if they need to be called upon.

The defense in front of Howard has looked shaky at best over the last few weeks.  Onyewu remains a question mark, and fellow central defender Jay Demerit does not seem to have the awareness to orchestrate the defensive organization.  The outside defenders have repeatedly been caught watching when the attacks come from the opposite side of the field, giving opponents numerous clear looks when they crash in on the back post.  As a general rule for outside defensive players:  The fewer times the announcers mention your name, the better your performance.  I have been hearing the names Spector, Cherundolo, and Bocanegra far too often, and I feel that if the US is to have a chance in this tournament, these players need to figure out a way to step up their game.

The good news in terms of midfield is that Bob Bradley seems to have his lineup figured out, they seem to be healthy, and three of the four starters are legitimate international level players.  The bad news in terms of the midfield is the fourth starter: Ricardo Clark.  I have never seen a central midfielder do less on a soccer field.  This morning against the Socceroos he played the entire game, and I think I heard his name called two or three times.  This has been his motif since he became a regular on the national side a couple of years ago.  He must be an amazing practice player, because Bob Bradley is sticking with him, and most games I have no idea he is even on the field until the oppositions center midfield makes a wide open run through our defense and I scream “Who’s man was that!”   If it weren’t for Tivo I’d have no idea how bad Ricardo Clark really is.  Michael Bradley is a very capable center midfielder, and Donovan and Dempsey on the wings will give defenses fits from both sides.  Personally, I’d rather see Dempsey start at forward with Stuart Holden on the wing, but Bob Bradley does not return my calls.

In the front, no one really knows what to expect.  The team’s most experienced striker, Jozy Altidore, is twenty years old and may have a bum ankle.  If he can go, he will be one of the starters, and despite the young age he is a rare combination of size and speed that will certainly make a difference for the US.  The other three roster forwards: Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley, and Hercules Gomez, have almost no experience on the international level.  Gomez has scored goals in two of the last three games off the bench, and I think could be a very effective super-sub coming late into games.  Edson Buddle put two in the back of the net today, possibly earning himself a starting spot against England next weekend.  Findley made the team because he is the closest thing the US has to Charlie Davies.  His speed will keep the defenses honest and create spaces for the offense that won’t be there when he is on the bench.  Findley has had some ups and downs in the last couple of contests, and is a bit of a wildcard going into the tournament.

Analysis

As a unit, I think the US has played below their potential in the three tuneup matches.  They seem to be lacking consistency because they don’t quite know what type of team they are.  This identity crisis is the difference between this team and the one from last year’s Confederations Cup.  Last summer the team hunkered down on the defensive end, and relied on their speed and athleticism to catch teams off-guard and create dangerous counterattacks.  My feeling is that with the available personnel, this same strategy is the United States’ best chance of success.  They don’t have the talent to control and move the ball like a Brazil or an England, and if they get stretched their defense is not good enough to hold without help from the midfield.

As of the writing of this sentence, we are faced with six days, nineteen hours and twenty-six minutes until we find out what the boys in blue are capable of.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ve watched it myself about a dozen times over the past couple of weeks, sharing it with as many people as I can think of.  It’s just fascinating to think that gods and goats can be formed on the pitch in a matter of seconds. If Zidane’s header off of Buffon’s glove in the 2006 Final would have struck home, we would be telling our children about the spectacular honor we had to have been able to see the greatest player of a generation, in his finest moment.  Instead, the save was made, Materazzi disparaged his sister, and Zidane left the pitch and his shot at immortality on the table.

Without a doubt, my favorite scene in the Nike commercial is Wayne Rooney’s flash forward into a bleak future, where his errant past has caused the end of his professional football career, the collapse of the British economy, and the continuance of the fatalistic dread that England’s fans have become so comfortable with every four years.  As he steps out of his pikey trailer (Snatch reference?) at about 1:15 in the video, the guitar driven rock song in the background takes a crazy twist, with some melodic yodeling.  Somehow, it fits perfectly with the vibe of the song.

My first thought was that the artist singing was Matisyahu, the Hasidic Jewish reggae star.  Yes, you read that correctly.  A lot of his songs have a type of yodeling vibe to them, and he is as good of an international music intermediary as anyone else, right?

Wrong.

In Nike’s quest to Write the Future, they took a page directly from the past.  The band is from the 1970s, by way of the Netherlands, and they called themselves Focus.  The name of the song is “Hocus Pocus”, and if you think that the Ocarina of Time is a magical instrument, wait until you see the rock flute.  Seriously, just check this guy out.  It’s bizarre and hypnotizing.  It may just change your life.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m not sure who looks more ridiculous:

or

What a way to start the Cup.

Rock on, rock flute.

Part of speech: noun

Definition: person who takes chances, departs from accepted course

For a long time, I was politically drawn to Arizona Senator John McCain.  A lot of it had to do with the fact that he was my “home” senator from AZ, but I liked how he seemed to cross party lines to do what he believed was best for his constituents.  While the definition above seemed to fit, I didn’t really realize that he was known as a “maverick” until the 2008 pairing with vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and all of the subsequent media fervor.  Over the last few months, McCain has begun to resemble a maverick less and less.

Nash (right) with Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki

Before you start thinking that this is a political article, you should know that my new favorite maverick isn’t a politician at all.  Steve Nash, technically speaking, isn’t actually a Maverick either (as in the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA).  While I have articulated my man-crush for Steve in the past, that was mostly tongue in cheek.  I have a genuine fascination with why he is who he is, and how he does what he does.

What he does, on a regular basis, is dominate basketball games. Many of these games are played with men who are stronger, faster, bigger, and younger.  He leads his team by example, and doesn’t need to preach.  What he does, works, and people want to know how.

To say nothing of his mental toughness, the guy takes amazing care of his body.  He doesn’t have bulging biceps or a washboard stomach, but he can run up and down the floor for 36 minutes a night and often saves his best moves and shots for the end of games.  He doesn’t take special pills or sleep in a hyperbaric chamber.  He just avoids sugars, red meats, processed foods, and anything fried.

That’s right, I’m looking hard at the Nash Diet.

Now that I’m on the other side of 30, I’m actually starting to feel it in my body.  The golden arches don’t send a rumble through my tummy anymore.  Well, actually they do.  But, it’s the yucky kind or rumble.  It seems to happen precisely after I’ve finished consuming one of their lovely paper-wrapped salt bombs.  The garbage disposal that has been hitherto known as my stomach, is starting to beg for mercy.

We’ve had some good times.  A glorious Monte Cristo sandwich with a plate full of fries.  Been there.  Ten White Castle cheeseburgers and a pitcher full of Big Red.  Done that.  One time, I actually managed to eat an entire DiGiorno’s Stuffed Crust Pizza and a 6-pack of Honey Brown lager.  In a very real way, food makes me happy.

But I’ve wondered more and more lately about how food affects my mood.  I can affirm my delighted demeanor until I am blue in the face, but my mind sometimes has trouble overcoming all of the crap that I put in my body.  I don’t want to live from energy drink, to coffee, to whatever emotional high I get from some sort of greasy meal that my tongue loves.

Steve Nash’s diet, according to him, is pretty basic.  5-6 small meals per day, lots of fruit, nuts, grilled chicken, and fish.  Oh, and drink plenty of water.  And probably a bit of vitamin water:

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, I’m not ready to make some sort of public commitment and post my progress online (yet…).  I’m just interested.  My reticular formation is tuned in to what I am eating, and how it is making me feel.  This is definitely something maverick for me.

But, I have to hand it to Dennis Erickson and the Arizona State University Sun Devils.  Now that it has officially been reported by Ted Miller on ESPN.com, I can talk about ASU enlisting The Pacific Institute to take the their football team through PX2 this spring.

Considering what happened with the University of Alabama since they went through PX2 over the past two seasons, I will not be surprised if ASU challenges for the Pac-10 title in the coming years.  They may even develop into a national championship contender.

So, I’m not ready to change my allegiance, but consider my hat tipped to head coach Dennis Erickson and the decisions makers at ASU who made this choice.  If you are a football coach looking to turn the tide, why not take a look at what “Turned the Tide“?

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you are a coach, athletic director, or even an athlete looking for a every ethical edge you can get, maybe you should check out our PX2 program and see if The Pacific Institute can help you and your team to do more of the things you know you are capable of.

Congratulations again coach.  You definitely deserve it.