Been a couple weeks off away from the gripe desk, but I’m back, so let’s do this thing.

War is bullshit. I don’t care where you are on the political spectrum, wars haven’t been a winner for either side since the first Gulf War. The amount of money we’ve burned in the Middle East is staggering, in the multi-trillions of dollars. I don’t give a fuck what they said on state run tv, no one other than Osama bin Laden ever hit us in a real way. And he was a non-state entity. So what the hell are we doing kicking the hornet’s nest in Iran? Aside from the obvious, trying to distract the public logic, which is so cynical it makes me cringe, I just can’t understand why we keep going back to this well. Stick to sports, got it.
MLS kits are boring. I understand that MLS is single entity, but does that mean all creativity has to be sucked out of the kit game? It’s depressing as hell, especially when you head down the tiers into USL and further down. So many great kits! By the way, I know a lot of our readers don’t watch USL, so look at this kit from El Paso. Nothing in MLS is even close.
eMLS is ridiculous. Phil writes about gaming on the site, so I’m not going to go crazy here, but I do have thoughts. If your league was #1 in your country, trending on social media, attracting the best talent, etc (in other words, had your game entirely together), then I would understand. But you have to run before you walk. It’s like a doughnut shop who has mediocre doughnuts but wants to expand to breakfast burritos. Get your house together before you expand. And I know MLS has been around 25 years, but even fans of the league have to admit it isn’t really connecting outside the most diehard domestic fans. Making announcements about your “e league” is the stupidest reach in logic from a struggling league propped up by expansion fees. GTFO.
Coffee is a hellofa drug. I’m not saying that like the mormons mean it, but that the feeling you get from a great cup of coffee is very similar to when a drug hits. Not that I’m getting crazy high all the time, but I’ve dabbled in my lifetime. But I’m halfway through this iced coffee and I can feel the controlled euphoria rising inside. Just a tiny bit of crazy being activated. And that’s a lot like a drug. Inject it into my veins, friend.
Holiday season is officially over and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a wonderful thing. People can get back to being normal assholes, instead of the hyped up crap that we have to deal with for a month and a half. Good riddance to the holiday season which will kick off mid October this year, I’m sure.
Anyone else seeing what Maryland Bobcats are doing on social media? We’ve retweeted them, but you should really take a look at the content the club is putting out. Slick graphics and polished videos, all while staying connected to the local soccer that made them so successful in Maryland Majors as WCP. The rest of the NPSL should be taking notes, because they are doing things the right way. I cannot understand why the league continues to flounder in this area. Go to a local college/university and hire a couple of interns to craft a digital strategy. Of course pay them if you can, but at least you get a bunch of sharp minds who are getting the chance to put classroom teaching into real world context. It’s a win win! Just do it!
Purity tests have to go. Last week my wife and I picked up season tickets for El Paso Locomotive, our local USL side. There are some that follow us that will shit on me for buying into the Don Garber machine, but I couldn’t disagree more. Of course, I worry about authenticity and connection to grassroots soccer, so I’m sensitive to the shot. Locomotive has been a model of how to connect to the local fan base - smart promotions, success on the field, signing local talent, tapping into the city’s culture. They’ve done things the right way because they are owned by locals. Maybe that makes them different from some of the boogiemen in the league, maybe it doesn’t for you. I was skeptical when they set up shop, but they won me over. I didn’t sell out, I bought in. But don’t expect me to post about USL here, this isn’t that sort of site.
Travel is amazing. On another personal note, in 29 days (yeah, we’re counting), my wife and I are headed to Europe for 14 days. Paris, London, Amsterdam on the docket. Pretty pumped. But before you ask, no, I’m not doing any soccer matches on the trip. We had discussed it, but I could tell the wife was not interested. So I let it fade off the itinerary. I will be in London when Chelsea hosts Manchester United, but I love my wife too much to drag her there. She puts up with enough of this stuff already.
Is there anything more terrifying than dementia? There was a time when our ancestors were just trying to survive, dying by 45 after incredible cruel and horrible lives. But now we get to live so much longer due to advances in medicine, cultural stability, developments in technology. Little did we know what that would mean. Now we have a host of diseases our ancestors never had to face (because of all the sabertooth tiger related killing). Losing your mind is easily the scariest thing I can imagine. The pain it inflicts on those around you. I don’t know what I’d do, but maybe I’d follow the path of Hemingway. On that note, I love this quote from a friend of Hemingway after he killed himself - “I know that 'Papa' [Mr. Hemingway's nickname] wouldn't give a damn how it came out in the papers.” I hope all of you know I’d feel the same way.
Music for the Day. Proud of You - EARTHGANG
EARTHGANG is one of the best hip hop groups on the rise. Happened to catch them opening for JID two years ago and wow. I had always been reluctant to show up at hip hop shows because I’m a middle aged white man. Doesn’t mean I don’t listen to a bunch of great artists in the genre, but in person I feel like an imposter, or even worse, an interloper. But at that show, I took a chance, it was in a small club in El Paso and my wife, who has none of my fears, encouraged me to come along. So glad. This group is so much fun and reminds me of Outkast in all the right ways. Not saying they are as great as Outkast (because maybe no one is?), just remind me. Anyway, this song is great and you should listen to it. nuff said.