Some Foreign Field

My travels have taken me to a couple of matches in England. It is fun to see their game and the fans are interested in a Yank who follows "footy." I get asked why I like football and why the rest of America doesn’t.

We aren’t taken too seriously there of course. I was stopped in London by a workman this summer.

"Whose kit is that?"

"U.S. They play Germany today in the World Cup."

"Five-nil," was his disparaging prediction.

I grinned back at him. "I’d take those odds if I were you."

His mood changed and he made a fist. "Stuff ‘em for us!"

If only we had . . .

Serious fans in the United Kingdom know about Major League Soccer, but only because some of their players have slipped here beyond the statistical reach of the known soccer world. Fans are more likely to have heard of the "North American Soccer League." Hence the query, "You used to have a soccer league didn’t you?"

It made me eager to show off the MLS, so I was very happy when a Scottish friend came for a visit.

Graham is a Rangers fan. He wanted to see a baseball game and a soccer game. I taught him to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game!" He reciprocated by teaching me what to sing after a bad call:

"Who’s the bastard?

Who’s the bastard?

Who’s the bastard in black?"

I knew this would be fun.

My Ranger buddy was amazed to hear beer would be sold at the game and asked me twice as if I might be mistaken. I gather the pre-game activities in Glasgow include trying to find beer on the day of the match and avoiding capture.

I was quizzed on what the atmosphere would be like. He took his girlfriend once to see Rangers, as he would say. The train ride with the fans to the park was too much. They left the train and stood on the platform. She was crying and he put his arm around her. He describes the trains going by and the fans chanting, "Shag her! Shag her!" They didn’t get to the match and she is now an ex-girlfriend. I told him not too expect quite that much atmosphere.

Tailgates had to be explained, especially the part about fans from the rival team being welcome. Rarely at a loss (he is a beat poet) his voice trailed off at the idea of Ranger fans eating with Celtic fans before the match.

The match was a revelation too. "They are really trying." Graham was surprised at how seriously the players took the match. Some of the shot selection was questionable, even by MLS standards, but when Wolff scored by boldly dashing into the box with the ball, I heard, "That was brilliant!"

Nowadays with the Internet, fans can always find out that vital score information. By coincidence, Rangers were also playing this day. After the Fire victory, I checked on Graham’s team. He read how they whupped Motherwell One-nil and was ecstatic. Then he gave me the satisfaction I was seeking.

"We saw the better game tonight. I’m glad we saw the match we did. That goal was brilliant."

My Vietnam Related Websites:
Women in Vietnam ~ Read about ALL the women who served . . .
Dusty's Home Page ~ Poetry and prose by a woman who was a nurse in Vietnam
The Irish on the Wall ~ An effort to locate the Irish who died in Vietnam
Tim O'Brien's Home Page ~ National Book Award Winner and Americal Vet
Emily's Poetry ~ By a Red Cross Donut Dolly
Shrapnel in the Heart ~ The most moving book you will read on Vietnam
All About Vietnam ~ An annotated bibliography of books about Vietnam for sale thru Amazon Worldwide!
Battle Dressing ~ The Journey of a Nurse in Vietnam
Project Hearts and Minds ~ Help put Viet Nam back together
Photos from a Holts' Military History Tour ~ My trip to Vietnam, February 1998

My Other Websites:
Maybe Later . . . ~ My Creative Nonfiction
Irish in Korea ~ Irish men and women who gave their lives in the Korean War
Literature of the Korean War ~ Don't let the literature be forgotten
Samuel Pepys ~ One of my favorite authors
Chicago Theatre Z - A ~ This is the best theater town in the country!
Soccer Literature ~ I'm a fan and I read
O'Leary Lantern ~ Fire! Fire! Fire!
Gil Thorp ~ THE Coach (apologies to The General!)
Poetry of the First World War ~ Owen, Hardy and others
Chi-COW-go ~ Cowz plus Commentary (this used to be a cow town)
Graham Fulton, Scottish Poet ~ Charles Manson Auditions for the Monkees

Other Important Websites:
The Truth About Caroline ~ a really good Young Adult book by my niece, Stacey M. Lane Grosh
Remember Oklahoma City ~ The Civil Service and Military will NEVER forget!

United States

United Kingdom

Germany

France


Page last updated April 16, 2004