tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post3828023904208129019..comments2023-11-05T03:31:19.545-08:00Comments on Sideline Views: Abby is outA.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03617669285297119500noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-45615580573476112202008-07-18T04:21:00.000-07:002008-07-18T04:21:00.000-07:00Joseph,I wish you nothing but the best for the fut...Joseph,<BR/><BR/>I wish you nothing but the best for the future.<BR/><BR/>I hope you were also able to empathize with the incredible inner strength Hope Solo showed by getting through it all. <BR/><BR/>That just may be the one postive all of us can get out of that very difficult and sorry situation?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-5682379945146453722008-07-17T18:00:00.000-07:002008-07-17T18:00:00.000-07:00Coach, I do understand what you're trying to do. I...Coach, I do understand what you're trying to do. It's just that the behavior of the WNT reminded me of much of the behavior that I saw and personally experienced in my life. If I'm guilty of anything, it's perhaps in over-empathizing w/Solo. In any event, my blood boils when I see the innocent being abused and I want to do something about it.Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-7437937665166097692008-07-17T17:56:00.000-07:002008-07-17T17:56:00.000-07:00Joseph,I do agree with you to a degree. As you may...Joseph,<BR/><BR/>I do agree with you to a degree. As you may or may not be aware, I (and Ghost as well) were outraged at the treatment that Hope Solo endured because she had the odacity to speak what was on her mind at a very emotional time for her. <BR/><BR/>Coach Ryan's decision was wrong or at best a very bad coaching decision. Hope Solo speaking her mind to the press was wrong because you MUST respect your Coach! The reaction by some of her teammates & Coach were completely wrong & over the top.<BR/><BR/>Three wrongs, more so then two, will never make a right. But to not forgive would be a fourth wrong. I do believe the ladies of the WNT are doing a good job of working on this aspect to this day and the fans of the WNT should too. <BR/><BR/>That is why I made up that little song a while back - to lighten the load - to move forward - and to encourage forgiveness.<BR/><BR/>Win GOLD USWNT!! As long as it's NOT Canada you're playing in the Final! <BR/><BR/>:))Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-79531252036944966972008-07-17T16:49:00.000-07:002008-07-17T16:49:00.000-07:00One more thing, Meredith: If Abby is such a "great...One more thing, Meredith: If Abby is such a "great person," then why did she participate in the conspiracy against Solo? Carli Lloyd is <I>truly</I> a great person for resisting it!Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-25656900696467510672008-07-17T16:29:00.000-07:002008-07-17T16:29:00.000-07:00Besides, Meredith and ghostwriter, there's a big d...Besides, Meredith and ghostwriter, there's a big difference between "making a mistake" and <I>deliberately conspiring against another person!</I>Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-16700423186378476002008-07-17T16:28:00.000-07:002008-07-17T16:28:00.000-07:00coach, many thanks for understanding where I'm com...coach, many thanks for understanding where I'm coming from, regardless of whether we agree.<BR/><BR/>meredith and ghostwriter, unless you've been there, then sod off.Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-73266544703425372472008-07-17T15:55:00.000-07:002008-07-17T15:55:00.000-07:00Joseph, I have some experience with depression, bu...Joseph, I have some experience with depression, bullies, etc. from raising my kids & coaching.<BR/><BR/>I understand your strong reaction to what happened. But one of the most important human traits is the ability to forgive which will allow some closure to the past. <BR/><BR/>I'm not sure if this helps at all but I hope it does and it would make my day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-62950247331710307662008-07-17T14:30:00.000-07:002008-07-17T14:30:00.000-07:00Joseph and Charlton,You make me SICK. I am as big...Joseph and Charlton,<BR/>You make me SICK. I am as big a fan of Solo as anyone, but I still love Abby. Like Solo, she made a mistake, and I don't plan on holding it against her for the rest of her life. You guys need some freaking anger management or something. you should also look up the definition of karma because wishing injury on Abby or anyone else for that matter is its own bad karma. Abby is a great player AND a great person. It is going to hurt this team and make it a hell of a lot harder to win gold period. If you want to continue to complain about Abby or anyone else for that matter, be my guest but I will no longer read your comments.Meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02445858556067761267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-29896761103767840082008-07-17T14:09:00.000-07:002008-07-17T14:09:00.000-07:00Joseph,I suppose I should let it drop and just say...Joseph,<BR/><BR/>I suppose I should let it drop and just say we'll agree to disagree, again. That, however, concedes some authority to your position which I cannot accord. <BR/><BR/>Your attitude, allowing no latitude for human emotional frailty, is precisely that which fueled the torture of Hope in response to her "transgression" of team protocol. Was the mental torture of Hope Solo more obnoxious than your celebration of a serious physical injury to Abby Wambaugh? I'll leave that to your contemplation, but at least Hope Solo had acted in a way that directly infringed on Abby and the rest of the team. What, pray tell, did Abby Wambaugh do to you?<BR/><BR/>And just as an aside, though we disagree rather sharply here, I certainly don't hope you break your leg or anything of the sort. :) <BR/><BR/>And that'll be 'nuff said on this topic (at least by me).<BR/><BR/>ghostghostwriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04432818511519917053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-16275854384163474832008-07-17T11:53:00.000-07:002008-07-17T11:53:00.000-07:00Ghostwriter, I want you to read this opening to Gr...Ghostwriter, I want you to read this opening to Grant Wahl's artile on Solo in <I>Sports Illustrated:</I><BR/><BR/><I>Only the bathtub brought relief. In the days after the 2007 Women's World Cup, amid the grief and the anger and the despair, Hope Solo sought refuge in the one place that eased the pain afflicting her entire body. She repaired to a corner of her home in Kirkland, Wash., drew the hottest bath possible, lowered herself into the water and dozed off, stirring only to crawl out and lie flat on the bathroom floor when the temperature became too much. The routine would go on for hours: tub, floor, tub, floor, tub, floor. <BR/><BR/>"I couldn't sleep in my bed because my body just ached, so I'd start the bathtub," she says. "If that's what depression is, I think I hit it. I was a wreck."<BR/><BR/>Solo's world was collapsing. Her father, Jeffrey, had died of a heart attack in June, three months before the World Cup in China. Her best friend, Elizabeth Duncan, had been struck by a car and killed while jogging in Seattle in April. Now Solo's career was hanging in the balance. In late September, on the eve of the Cup semifinal against Brazil, U.S. coach Greg Ryan had made the stunning decision to bench her in favor of veteran Briana Scurry, despite Solo's three straight World Cup shutouts. After the U.S.'s 4-0 loss, Solo erupted. <BR/><BR/>"It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that," she told a Canadian reporter, adding that it was no longer 2004 -- a jab, many thought, at Scurry, the keeper on the U.S. team that won the Olympic gold medal in Athens. Then came the kicker: "There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves."<BR/><BR/>Dissatisfied with her qualified apologies, Ryan and Solo's teammates banished her from the third-place game against Norway, from attending the medal ceremony, from eating at team meals, from the team's flight home. Solo returned to Seattle and faced a decision. With the Olympics less than a year away, should the U.S.'s top goalie give up soccer at age 26? Leave America for a club team in Europe? Or rejoin her still-angry U.S. teammates in St. Louis for a three-game tour just two weeks after the World Cup, as her contract called for.<BR/><BR/>For two weeks she retreated to the bathtub. She lost 10 pounds. She stopped answering phone calls and e-mails from friends. "I wanted to give up," Solo says. "Why show up somewhere where 20-plus people hate you? But I was going to be there to prove to everybody that you can't determine somebody's career by whether you like them or not."</I><BR/><BR/>I have suffered from depression. I know what it's like to feel lethargic, isolated and constantly sad. I even know what it's like to have suicidal feelings. <BR/><BR/>This is why my reaction is so strong. If Solo's teammates knew what she was going through personally with the death of loved ones before her outburst and really cared about her as a human being, then they wouldn't have tortured her the way they did -- and torture, I believe, is not too strong a word.<BR/><BR/>A broken leg, by comparison, seems a small price to pay. Sorry if that bothers you but that's not my problem.Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-10792918151042164352008-07-17T11:24:00.000-07:002008-07-17T11:24:00.000-07:00Re-reading the "Always In Mind" blog com...Re-reading the "Always In Mind" blog comments from July 9 is scary! Premonition?<BR/><BR/>Watching this game again just re-confirms how damn "borderline" dirty - I'm trying to be diplomatic here - the Brazil team is. <BR/><BR/>A dangerous kick to the head broke the nose of "Tank" in the Canadian game I went to. She's one of the Cdn teams best. Hmm<BR/><BR/>I would not at all be surprised if their indeed was a method to their madness. Abby was taken down several times in the first 30 minutes of this game. <BR/><BR/>Although the play in question looked 50/50 as both players were aggressively going for the ball (Abby got to the ball just ahead of the Brazil player, thus her leg was more extended & exposed) only they know for sure what their intentions were.<BR/><BR/>There sure were a ton of aggressive tackles. Mostly directed at Abby! <BR/><BR/>:(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-46397766418923449702008-07-17T10:49:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:49:00.000-07:00Coach,Thanks for the account. Guess I was wrong a...Coach,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the account. Guess I was wrong about the team not getting amped up too much for these friendlies and saving some "tricks" for the Olympics.<BR/><BR/>Justice... I don't think any of these guys who remain morally outraged because many USWNT members, Abby prominent among them, saw a team incident differently than they did would know justice if they fell over it. <BR/><BR/>There is NO justice involved in an injury occuring in the run of play. It's an accident and suggesting somone deserves the bad accidents that happen to them is not only callous, it's bush league, at best.<BR/><BR/>What was wrong with Abby et al's reaction to Hope's screw up at WC was that it was callous and over done, non proportional and, hence, not justice. No accident changes that, or makes up for it, or is "justified" by it.<BR/><BR/>Justice would have been if Abby, while defending a corner kick by Brazil in the 89th minute of an Olympic match US led 1-0, headed the ball toward her own goal only to have Hope Solo appear out of nowhere and flick it wide and have to admit (to herself anyway) latter (maybe while hugging Solo for preserving the W), jeez, maybe she WOULD have made those saves at WC...<BR/><BR/>In the meantime Abby is going to end up with a titanium rod in her leg. She may or may not ever be the same player again. No matter how we felt about the injustice to Hope after WC, we do noone any credit, certainly not ourselves, by rejoicing in that for the slightest instant. <BR/><BR/>ghostghostwriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04432818511519917053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-11396630029944670892008-07-17T10:19:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:19:00.000-07:00Lisa, some things are more important than medals. ...Lisa, some things are more important than medals. And if Hope was one of the first to call Wambach, then she was a much better teammate to her than Wambach was.Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-6280394489283670772008-07-17T10:15:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:15:00.000-07:00lol ... I typed in "Ghost" instead of Coach under ...lol ... I typed in "Ghost" instead of Coach under my name! <BR/><BR/>:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-67002456255294489852008-07-17T10:14:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:14:00.000-07:00Ghost, you will be able to see the play in about 2...Ghost, you will be able to see the play in about 20 minutes at the following link:<BR/><BR/>http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-fox-soccer-channel.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-58293077102883543222008-07-17T10:12:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:12:00.000-07:00Jeez Joseph no need for the hating. The team will...Jeez Joseph no need for the hating. The team will miss Abby for sure but they have the intestinal fortitude to pull through and win one for the Wambach. This is not the best case scenario for them but they will overcome this obstacle. Go USA.<BR/>And if I was a betting woman I'd put $ that Hope was one of the first to call Abby and check on her.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-52018825107290238312008-07-17T10:06:00.001-07:002008-07-17T10:06:00.001-07:00No, truth, some of us believe in justice for those...No, truth, some of us believe in justice for those who cruelly mistreat others -- especially those of us who have spent much of our lives being bullied by people.<BR/><BR/>What Wambach, Lilly et al did to Solo was beyond despicable. It was diabolical.Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-39379641585201056762008-07-17T10:06:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:06:00.000-07:00The guide is wrong, it's the game from last night ...The guide is wrong, it's the game from last night being replayed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-52805663987729062912008-07-17T09:46:00.000-07:002008-07-17T09:46:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-15918131474317584762008-07-17T09:45:00.000-07:002008-07-17T09:45:00.000-07:00lol Joseph, tell us what you really, really think ...lol Joseph, tell us what you really, really think of Abby & company!<BR/><BR/>Yes, the Soccer Gods appear to have spoken in all the cases you mention.<BR/><BR/>Did you by chance see the following quote: <BR/><BR/>“I was very emotional,” U.S. captain Lindsay Tarpley said of seeing Wambach taken off the field. “She is one of my best friends.”<BR/><BR/>Hmm, I wonder what "They" have in store for her? I again find it difficult to stomach the "she is my best friend" line. They aren't 14 any longer!<BR/><BR/>I still wouldn't wish anything like this on my worst enemy. I'm too damn nice a guy! <BR/><BR/>Enough said, for ever & ever, AmenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-5678044900986567152008-07-17T09:40:00.000-07:002008-07-17T09:40:00.000-07:00All you people posting here that what has happened...All you people posting here that what has happened to Abby is karma and somehow deserved: If what you believe is true, your wishing her ill will come back to bite all of you in your collective -- donkeys. And you are all a bunch of donkeys.<BR/><BR/>All the best to the Wombat, the best power striker in the women's game. The USWNT will really miss her, and our chances of a medal nosedived as she went down. Now defenses will be able to concentrate on Kai and she and Rodriguez won't be getting service from Abby who has been playing wide a lot this year.<BR/><BR/>I'm bummed, for Abby and for the team.truthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17680784637898273973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-63657234673244856662008-07-17T09:21:00.000-07:002008-07-17T09:21:00.000-07:00One more point:The grist mills of the gods grind s...One more point:<BR/><BR/>The grist mills of the gods grind slowly, but grind finely, indeed.<BR/><BR/>And, no, I have no sympathy for Wambach.<BR/><BR/>Karma, indeed, is a bitch.Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-18860460316855411132008-07-17T09:19:00.000-07:002008-07-17T09:19:00.000-07:00To Meredith and all those who have no idea how "ka...To Meredith and all those who have no idea how "karma" applies to Wambach, let me explain:<BR/><BR/>Wambach (along w/Captain America, Lilly) instigated the vengeful conspiracy against Hope Solo in China. Read Grant Wahl's recent story in <I>Sports Illustrated</I> (to which a.c. linked earlier).<BR/><BR/>Now, it's very interested what has happened to many of the protagonists of that conspiracy:<BR/><BR/>Lilly: Pregnant and unable to compete in the Olympics. International future uncertain.<BR/><BR/>Briana Scurry, who could have ended the whole controversy with one public word yet refused to do so: Demoted to third on the depth chart. Olympic action unlikely, international career likely over.<BR/><BR/>Cat Whitehill, who sold out her "best friend" (Solo) by accusing her of manipulating her father's death to get publicity for herself: torn knee ligament. Out of Olympics, international career uncertain.<BR/><BR/>Wambach: Devastating injury. Out of Olympics, international career uncertain.<BR/><BR/>Now, I have no problem with such players competing in the WPS. I just want their sorry self-absorbed posteriors off the WNT, now and forever.<BR/><BR/>Karma, indeed. Justice, as Charlton Heston said, is the more appropriate word.<BR/><BR/>And, yes, I hope the U.S. wins gold in Beijing. That will secure Pia's tenure as head coach and spell doom for the international careers of Wambach, Whitehill, Lilly and Scurry.Joseph D'Hippolitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15571554907399914529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-77084266079660435492008-07-17T08:09:00.000-07:002008-07-17T08:09:00.000-07:00Fox Soccer Channel has the game from Sunday on-lin...Fox Soccer Channel has the game from Sunday on-line at 1:00 P.M. today. <BR/><BR/>I guess some of the enthusiasm has been dampered though? :(<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-fox-soccer-channel.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437561489188679737.post-71517064681469127622008-07-17T07:34:00.000-07:002008-07-17T07:34:00.000-07:00Ghost, Both players went after a loose ball near t...Ghost, <BR/><BR/>Both players went after a loose ball near the top of the box at full speed and had a violent leg on leg collision. I thought at first it was knee on knee.<BR/><BR/>Both players threw any sense of caution to the wind & Abby paid for it. :( <BR/><BR/>Unusual for Abby, but she wasn't the one that got up & walked it off this time. <BR/><BR/>Previous to this happening, Abby was playing her usual aggressive game but she appeared to have turned it up a notch. There were a number of collisions that could have resulted in injury prior to the fateful blow. I think she was pissed at some non-calls & wanted that goal # 100. <BR/><BR/>At any rate, she appeared to be on a serious mission out there, a mission that maybe should have been saved for the Olympics!<BR/><BR/>I had a sense that something bad was going to happen based on what I was seeing out there. Abby wasn't willing to back down one bit from Brazil's aggressive play, which under the circumstances maybe she should have? I didn't feel very good about what I was seeing. <BR/><BR/>Abby will be sorely missed. Having said that, I find it truly amazing how some teams can really turn it on when they lose one of their top players that maybe they have become too dependent on. My Leafs without Mats Sundin is an example of this. They always seem to play well without him which makes NO sense as he is a top notch player, one of the best in the world. A swede too - maybe a friend of Pia's? lol (They may just have to find a way next year without him as he hasn't re-signed!)<BR/><BR/>I truly believe this team is one of those teams - especially in the aftermath of the WC fiasco & all they have been through.<BR/><BR/>We won't have long to wait & see! <BR/><BR/><BR/>I understood what the Karma comment meant. When it happened, I had that brief thought also regarding the "soccer gods", etc. I'm not saying I agree, just that there are a whole lot of folks out there not happy with the conduct of Abby at the WC, as we have discussed ad nauseum. :) <BR/><BR/>Maybe Anons name is "Earl". <BR/><BR/>Go USA & Canada!<BR/><BR/>P.S. C.H. just made a post that indicates he is one of the folks I refer to above? Poetic Justice C.H.? <BR/><BR/>I wouldn't wish something like this on my worse enemy and this team WILL prevail!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com