Check out my books at Duresport, including a look at the historical and cultural forces that will keep the U.S. men’s soccer team from winning the World Cup, histories of Major League Soccer and women’s soccer, tips for improving your soccer club’s website, and personal takes on MMA and youth soccer.

My posts

2022 in pithy quotes and shared links
After trying and failing to come up with a year-in-review that was entertaining and enlightening, I’ve decided to be lazy — I mean, creative — and regurgitate old quotes in the name of narcissism — I mean, find relevant and informative excerpts from my writing this year to highlight the best and worst of the…

A quick word before we move on from the midterms and Trump *
* Before we move on, though, don’t forget Georgia and the quest to make it a clean sweep against dangerously underqualified and undemocratic (small “d”) candidates. Donate to Raphael Warnock and send nonpartisan reminders to voters at Vote Forward. THEN we’re done. Congratulations to the Democratic Party for … meeting low expectations. The narrative changed…

Out: RINOs. In: CINOs. (Christians in Name Only)
Beau of the Fifth Column (not me, because even though I’m a Beau from the South, I have neither this accent nor this beard nor this way with words) eviscerates the idea of anti-Trumpsters being “RINOs,” pointing out that Trump was an independent, a Reform Party supporter and, yes, a Democrat before deciding to join…

X Marks the Pod parodies 60 Songs That Explain the 90s
I love the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the 90s, by The Ringer’s Rob Harvilla. It’s now inaccurately named, having gone beyond 60 songs. Rob goes on entertaining personal digressions. He has a unique style. Which, of course, I have felt compelled to parody, like Weird Al doing Eat It or Ridin’ Dirty. So this…

A social contract (updated for 2022)
Most of us don’t want a civil war. Most of us want politicians who are smart enough to understand the issues and humble enough to know when they need outside expertise. Most of us want drivers at a four-way stop sign to go in the order of when they arrived at the intersection. And yet…

The legacy of George H.W. Bush
Originally posted to Facebook 12/6/18 … I’ve been wrestling with the legacy of George Bush the Elder this week. It’s complicated. The negatives that go beyond simple presidential competence (any president can have a recession) … Brutal overt and covert action in Central America and the Middle East, including Iran-Contra and an unnecessary Gulf War.A…

Why bother with news?
The Washington Post has informed me that I’m not the only journalist with decades of experience who’s gotten pretty bloody tired of “news.” Then one day a journalist friend confided that she was avoiding the news, too. Then I heard it from another journalist. And another. (Most were women, I noticed, though not all.) This…
Mostly Memorable Media: Links for July 7
A irregularly published assortment of the best reads on the web. The future Whither office parks? Younger workers would rather live and work in cities (NYT). But aren’t cities prohibitively expensive? Seems easier to spruce up these parks with nice strips of restaurants and other diversions. That’s basically what Tysons Corner is doing on a…

Farewell to a great SNL group
Once upon a time, Saturday Night Live went through waves of wholesale changes, allowing us to divide the show into several eras. Original 1975-80: The original Not Ready for Prime Time Players dwindled from their 1975 debut to the end of their fifth season in 1980. Chevy Chase left after one season and change, later…

No signs of intelligent life out there (and don’t mention ours)
So remember, when you’re feeling very small and insecure,How amazingly unlikely is your birth;And pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space,’Cause there’s bugger all down here on Earth! — Monty Python A recent post making the rounds: “NASA spokeswoman Trish Chamberson has publicly acknowledged the existence of alien civilizations, noting that the state…
Appeals court lets travesty stand, leaving soccer trainer in prison
Maybe their hands were tied. Maybe they couldn’t hold the overzealous prosecutors, prodded by influential snowplow parents (snowplows are indeed useful in upstate New York), responsible for soccer trainer Shelby Garigen’s plea deal. In any case, an appellate court snuck a decision past me in late January, deciding they didn’t need to take a real…
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