Blog update

Right off the bat, allow me to apologize for the lack of updates to this blog. What started out as my launching pad into soccer journalism has evolved into a showcase for my work on Revsnet.com, and the occasional informal mini-diatribe about global and local soccer.

Now, since my start at Revsnet, I've been trying to introduce some fresh flavors to this blog in the hopes of keeping it flavorful (that is, if journalism can actually entice a sense of taste upon one's tastebuds). Therefore, what I'm going to do is, in addition to what I already do - articles and informal posts - I'm also going to open the floor to you, the readers. Each Monday morning, I'm going to pose a question or two for you to respond to. Whether it be a one-liner, or a well crafted essay belittling me for asking the question in the first place, I will post all answers, comments, and any accompanying questions.

In essence, I want this blog to evolve into a veritable online soccer cafe, if you will, of informal, yet insightful banter about soccer, much like the cafes in Vienna during the 1920s and 30s.

The best part: no registration, no fees, and no worries at all. Everyone is welcome, from newbies to soccer experts. I hope to make this a forum for free-flowing ideas and topics to which we can all banter, discuss, and question.

In fact, at some point, I would like to organize a regular meeting at a local cafe to continue the discussions live and unfiltered. Tentatively, I am looking at the Coffee Exchange in Providence to meet every week to talk some soccer. If you are at all interested in participating, feel free to e-mail me and I'll arrange a regular date and time to get this little community together.

So, join me back here on Monday morning for our first series of questions.

Midnight Riders Meet the Coach 2007

It was a scene straight out of a sports fanatic's dream. You step into the offices of your favorite team. Once inside, you ascend upon two grand escalators and take a U-turn into an exquisite luxury suite filled with rows of fine wooden chairs neatly lined before a corresponding mahogany presenter’s pedestal. Upon arrival, you are politely welcomed and upon joining about sixty or so of your peers neatly seated. You listen to some of the questions posed by those around you. If you are just as curiously inclined, you ask the manager of your favorite sports team anything your heart desires about your favorite club. Anything.

Well, Revs fans (specifically the Midnight Riders, the team's unofficial supporter's club) young and old were treated to this very fantastical proposition Sunday afternoon - free of charge - as manager Steve Nicol took questions from the very fans who colorfully chide Freddy Adu with "Child La-bor!" chants. Needless to say, this was the type of affair that would certainly never take place at 4 Yawkey Way or One TD BankNorth Garden.

The questions, ranging from topics such as the much-razzed Gillette Stadium FieldTurf pitch, Clint Dempsey's departure, the Reserve Team, were honest and unfiltered. Even a "when we get our own stadium" comment from Nicol himself drew a few skeptical smirks and smiles among the crowd. The gaffer's answers were insightful, engaging, and even colorful, (when asked of his impression of rookie Wells Thompson, Nicol wittingly responded "I don't do impressions") which indicated a certain informal ease among Nicol and his club's loyal supporters.

Say what you will about Nicol and his on-field tactics and managerial decisions, but give the man credit for facing the fans, many of whom posed very insightful queries, and responding to each question with more than the industry-standard one-line, blanket answer. How many professional sports managers or coaches would have the cajones to do the same?

Try picturing the evasive Bill Belichick in the same casual setting. You can't either, can you? Ah, therein lies the beauty of this grand occasion. While I do not profess to know Mr. Belichick, I can tell you that Nicol has the outgoing personality of one you could have a pint of Guiness with. Again, you'll be hard pressed to visualize Belichick in a similar position.

Call me a pipe dreamer if you must, but this sort of event is precisely what is missing from the modern sports landscape, one in which billions upon billions are pumped in by its very own fans, only to have these investments reciprocated with minimal team/fan interaction. The romanticism of fans engaging in casual conversation with members of their favorite team has been largely lost in many professional sports forums. That being said, a tip o' the old glass to Stevie Nicol and the Revolution organization for providing a refreshing reminder of why their fans love their club.