World cup starts in 2 Days

[Gerald_G]

Wasn't there a Canadian football league? Or is it my imagination?

Yes there IS a Canadian Football League. Interestingly it expanded into the USA for a brief time (1994 & 1995), and had a few USA teams. Those teams no longer exist in the league, but the league still goes.

The pre-season is starting right now in fact - Go Esks !!!!!

Here's a link to the CFL (Canadian Football League).

http://www.cfl.ca/

We have bigger fields and bigger balls than the NFL :-) Also only three downs to get a first, not four.

And I personally find that while soccer with some friends is fun to play, watching it on TV is pretty slow. Too much passing the ball back and forth, and the other team doing the same, and not enough ACTION like scoring, rushes, saves etc. (But that's just my take, I know there are a lot of folks who do not find it so - and I respect that.)

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Gerald

Thats exactly how I feel about American football, they make a play then hang around, our football is mainly continious action, strange that we both find the opposite thing to each other (still it would be a boring thing if we all liked exactly the same stuff)

One thing I have always wondered, why do they call it the World series when only American teams play in it?

[asianflava]

Doesn't the CFL have 2 teams with the same name? You think they would have stopped them before they actually made the name official.

[Ira]

One thing I have always wondered, why do they call it the World series when only American teams play in it?

Canadians too. Plus, half of the players are from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, other Latin countries--and now, a bunch from Japan.

But the main reason is that we don't give a crap about the rest of the world, and to us, the U.S. IS the world.

But if you guys would stop kicking that ball around with your feet and learn to face a hardball whizzing by your head at 90 plus miles an hour, you're welcome to join us!

As long as the TV revenue is sufficient, mind you. In this case, we want nothing to do with it.

For God's sake, next year, some of these guys are gonna have to survive on just $10 million a year!

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Ira

It was my understanding that no team played in the world series unless it was an American team, isthat not correct?

Do you mean just that people from those other countries play for American teams?

[Ira]

You're basically right, George. It really doesn't make any sense.

There used to be two Canadian teams, but the Montreal Expos franchise folded a few years ago, so now there are only the Toronto Blue Jays. But it was called the World Series even BEFORE there were any Canadian teams in the leagues.

I guess the name originated from the fact that for years and years, this was the only country that played baseball in the first place. We're talking about going back a long, long time--so these final two teams WERE the best in the world.

I forget the name of the REAL world series that was recently held, where various countries competed.

It's just that our U.S. teams play like 160 games a season, fans follow them intensely, so it's a real marathon for us that lasts for MONTHS. A team that's at the bottom mid-season can make it to the top, so when we get to the playoffs, we're totally psyched.

And those other baseball competitions are more like exhibitions to Americans. We really don't care all that much about winning from any nationalistic standpoint, as the rest of the world does with the World Cup.

We're simply not "fans" of that team the way we are with our individual favorites.

GO YANKEES! BOSTON BEAT US LAST NIGHT! THAT SUCKS!

[Gerald_G]

Hi Gerald

Thats exactly how I feel about American football, they make a play then hang around, our football is mainly continious action, strange that we both find the opposite thing to each other (still it would be a boring thing if we all liked exactly the same stuff)

Have you seen the Canadian version ? There are some different rules that make the game faster than the American game. Yes it's still stop and go, but faster. CFL has only half the time of the NFL to start a new play. Only having 3 downs to make ten yards also seems to encourage more passing plays.

And yes there used to be two teams with the same name, but we Canadians did'nt mind. We knew the difference :-) One of the teams however has folded, restarted under a new name, and folded again.

That's why HOCKEY is great. Best of both worlds. Continious action, contact sport, lots of shots offence, saves, more goals than soccer, etc. Also the fastest sport that man can play on his feet.

[Ira]

Well, I just saw Germany beat Costa Rica 4 to 2. And I simply can't explain how exciting it was!

God bless the world, but please stop trying to convince us Americans that this is a sport we should embrace.

I'd rather watch paint dry.

[asianflava]

I think I heard somebody at work say that Ricky Williams is going to play for the CFL. The Heisman Trophy winning, Ex-Miami Dolphin from University of Texas who loved his pot so much that he gave up a career in the NFL for it. What a dumb a$$.

[Ira]

I think I heard somebody at work say that Ricky Williams is going to play for the CFL. The Heisman Trophy winning, Ex-Miami Dolphin from University of Texas who loved his pot so much that he gave up a career in the NFL for it. What a dumb a$$.

They can HAVE him.

[dmb90260]

Well, I just saw Germany beat Costa Rica 4 to 2. And I simply can't explain how exciting it was! I'd rather watch paint dry.

I'm impressed that you watched or was work too boring???

[homeroast]

The Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa Rough Riders were in different leagues that merged to become the CFL. The Ottawa team folded and came back a few years later and are now called the Ottawa Renegades.

NFL is followed more closely by most sports fans than CFL is, from what I've seen.

Ricky Williams 'habit' is more of a 'hobby' to many of us. He'll fit right in.