The_Man, on 13 Jun 2014 - 08:47 AM, said:OK, which one of you is Boston Globe columnist Christopher Gasper, and why are you stealing my HotTakes for
your column today?
Some of you are probably still smoldering from the conflagration about Jurgen Klinsman's defeatism that I touched off on D-Day with this opening salvo:
The_Man, on 06 Jun 2014 - 12:30 PM, said:Seventy years ago, when faced with a seemingly impossible task against an overwhelming adversary, did Dwight Eisenhower make excuses? Did he surrender before the fight even began? Or did he outline a bold vision that inspired his men to achieve more than they thought possible? And in the process change the world.
I’ll let Ike give the answer in his own timeless words, from the Order of the Day he issued to launch the D-Day invasion:
“We will accept nothing less than full victory.”
Gasper obviously is, since he stole it in today's paper.
My Take
QuoteCompare that to the cowardly utterings of Jurgen Klinsman, ironically a German
His Take
QuoteWith Klinsman’s blunt assessment of the United States’ chances in the World Cup, he has revealed himself to be indelibly German.
NOTE: Even in his thievery, Gasper couldn't stand the heat and had to tone down "cowardly utterings"
My Take
QuoteWhat kind of words would an American coach offer to an American team before they began an international competition against impossible odds? I think Herb Brooks could offer some insight:
“Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over.”
His Take
QuoteCan you imagine the late Herb Brooks, coach of the gold medal-winning US men’s hockey team, carrying this attitude into the 1980 Winter Olympics? Do you believe in miracles? Nein, if you’re Klinsmann.
Note: Clever use of the German vernacular here, but as I'll demonstrate below, that too was thievery.
My Take
QuoteThis is why soccer rightfully will never catch on in America. Because an American coach coaching an American team playing an American sport would never admit defeat before the game even begins.
Auf wiedersehen, Herr Klinsman. I’ll start caring about U.S. soccer when our so-called national team starts demonstrating our American ideals.
His Take
Quote[SIZE=12pt]This is simply not the American way, conceding ultimate defeat before the competition has begun. It’s not how we play sports or follow them. America espouses — but doesn’t always live up to — the ideals of meritocracy, upward mobility, and self-determination.[/SIZE]
NOTE: OK, this is just straight plagiarism.