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Is the new Kris Kristofferson album out yet? I'm not sure because, as a powerful member of the media, I got it for free in the mail a month ago. If it is out you should buy the album because it's super good.

There isn't a single interesting competition going on right now in the top European soccer leagues. Every single one is an absolute yawner.

Chelsea has had the English Premiership wrapped up since December. Barcelona could rest Ronaldinho the rest of the season and still finish atop La Liga. Serie A? I can't hardly watch it because they spend the whole time flopping around on the ground like epileptics. But disregarding that momentarily, Juventus has thoroughly crushed the competition from beginning to end. France (Lyon) and Germany (Bayern Munich) are almost as lacking in suspense and intrigue. You could almost make a case for the Eredivisie still being up for grabs, but even there I'd bet my entire John Prine collection that PSV will end up Dutch champions.

Why do soccer fans tolerate this complete lack of competitiveness in the top leagues? What is the point of Chelsea playing Sunderland? How can they in good conscious charge people to watch Treviso take on Juventus? Who could possibly be interested in such matches? Thank god for the Champions League.

Flaws and all, I'm ready for the MLS season. The talent may be suspect, the payrolls pitiful, the play ugly and uninspired, the refereeing dicey, and the playing conditions occassionally comic. But it's our league, damnit, and at least every team (okay, except for Chivas) has a legitimate chance at winning the title. (Of course, the regular season is rendered rather meaningless by the fact that pretty much every team makes the playoffs. But I'm going to gloss over that for now.)

Who would've possibly thought that the San Jose Clash, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston 1836, Red Bull Baton Rouge (whatever the fuck that team coached by Dom Kinnear is called) were capable of putting up the season they did last year, finishing with a league-best 18-4-10 record?

There have been many strange happenings around the MLS in recent weeks. I'm not smart enough to know if they're all good or bad. Probably a mix of both. But three weeks from tomorrow I'll be in Kansas City to witness the start of season eleven, as the Wizards take on the Sigi-fied Columbus Crew. Yeahaw.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 9, 2006 4:18 PM

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