#95: wwf and us presidents

From an outsider's perspective, US presidential campaigns are a repackaged World Wrestling Federation bout.

• They are between two parties/players – one in the red corner and the other in the blue. But in reality they could not be any more alike each other.
• They go at each others' throats with all their pettiness and irrelevant campaigns. They could not care any less about the referee either.
• But then they are both elaborate shams – more hype than substance: a made for television theatrical performance of posturing (and rehearsed sound-bites).
• The pundits, the wonks, the spin-masters, and girls in tight bikinis are just ornamental.
• Everyone knows how it will play out, and yet they go to watch the next episode with religious fervour.
• The one with the deeper pockets always wins.

That is a sad advert for "democracy", or the form the Administration is trying to export beyond its shores. Caveat emptor, all potential buyers.

#91: the summer that it is

DC is going through its usual spate of muggy days and sapping humidity without rain. And I am going through the paces of teaching two dozen students about the fickle-minded foreign exchange markets. They better pay attention: it will hit them hard soon whether they travel overseas or not.

My adventures in MD/DC this summer so far have been limited to a Nats game at RFK stadium, and to the hoopla (aka mania) around the last potion of Harry Potter magic.

Can someone tell me why cricket gets branded as a slow game when there is baseball? Ahhh, the double standards. If only anyone at the stadium really paid any attention to what was going on! I am sticking to futbol.

Potter mania was as much a celebration of capturing kids' (and adult) imagination in fairy-tale fiction as much as an elaborate corporate merchandising exercise. I won't be surprised if it morphs into a federal holiday soon: more sales, discounts, and shopping! Downtown Silver Spring got renamed Diagon-Alley for an evening. People in all sorts of witchy costumes walked about or waited in long serpentine lines for their copy of Volume 7. I think I'll be the Grinch and give out the end in the final exam in class. They will have to read it since it will be in the exam!! The last laugh is the best!!!

#50: still got some wheels

10 miles in 78 minutes. I'll take this any day, and twice on a Sunday! I had serious doubts this year. "Will I be able to pull it off"? The only thing I've pulled in recent months are my quads and groin. It made it all the more satisfying. Truth be told, had Meghan not run next to me step for step all through it, I may have stopped long before the finish line. Thanks. I kept pace just to save face!!

This may have been my last one in DC. Who knows where I'll be in a year's time. It's been an exciting experience these last 6 years.

#19: bowie baysox

Those who know me well might find this disquieting. Why is baseball desecrating my sacred football blog? Worry not, my allegiance to the beautiful game remains unflinching and resolute. I am just expanding my horizons. Nine years in this country; it's embarrassing that I don't know who or what a short-stop is.

To a game of the Bowie Baysox I was invited. It's an affiliate team for the Baltimore Orioles – where players on the fringe of the MLB team keep their sharpness and try to force their way up, and those who have lost it come to regain theirs. In England this would be a reserve team. But here they are an establishment and play in a regular league of similar affiliates all through the season. A very neat arrangement.

For the fans, it's a lot more accessible option to indulge in "America's pastime" and have a good time. It's a hidden treasure lurking in the shadows of MLB fanfare and spotlight (aka hoopla). As Sean put it, "There is hot-dog, beer, frisbee contest, friends chatting and soaking up the fine evening weather, fireworks after every game .... and oh, there's a game going on too." The Baysox lost 8-2, but not many people there seemed to be overly concerned. They were more eager to grab a fly-ball, jig about at the 7th inning break, and watch the fireworks at the end. I suppose so was I.

Oh, and I overheard the obligatory pot-shot at cricket from the bleachers across the aisle.

#10: saadhu-samba

Finally some football news from India!! It's not really the headline that threatens the established football super-powers. But who knows what divine intervention can do.

If you can get the movie The Cup, watch it. You'll love it .... I guarantee it. It's a tale set in a Buddhist monastery in the remote hills of Sikkim, India. Among the monks are some eager 12-16 year-old disciples who are football-crazy. The light-hearted story traces the extreme lengths and extraordinary risks some of them take to fulfil their appetite for watching World Cup action. The movie was shot on site and without professional performers. The effect and emotions captured could not have been any simpler – yet so sincere, transparent, and touching.

I have lost interest in this year's World Cup. I have switched to making "philosophical" reflections on the sport in general. I can't wait for the Premiership season to begin. Maybe I'll get some "closure" then.

#9: déjà vu

England lost in a penalty shoot-out. It was 1998 and 2004 all over again. There was a sense of inevitability as I watched the game .... the lack of ingenuity on the plays compounded by a dubious red card, an Argentine "hand", and the "super-stars" of England shanking their penalty kicks.

The "world's best" were expected to deliver on the world's grandest arena, and they did not even show up. It's results not reputation, performance not promise – that win games.

So my World Cup ends with the usual heartbreak. I am more upset that the "Three Lions" bowed out without much of a whimper (forget the roar). This might just have been their best chance in generations.

PS: England's football team gets its nickname Three Lions from the official coat of arms.

#8: obiaa nye obiaa

Translation from Twi, spoken in Ghana: "Nobody is anybody - we're all equal".

What a wonderful phrase, and an elegant way to put the World Cup in perspective. And why it is so much more captivating than to watch elite superstars assembled by petro-dollars and billionnaire-patrons battle among themselves in lop-sided national leagues. I'd take Ghana any day over Chelsea, Real Madrid, the Yankees, and the Lakers.

In every WC there is one team or another that embodies the pure spirit of the sport. Corporate sponsorship, endorsements, reputations, and egos – all take a back seat. Remember Roger Milla of Cameroon? He remains my hero of WC1994 for reminding the mighty Argentinians the perils of underestimating the "nobody".

And I won't get started on how it is anything but equal in other aspects of life – among countries, among regions, among people. "Obiaa nye obiaa" shall remain a utopia. I am just glad that every four years, I get to share a piece of that dream.

#6: cafeteria chatter

Overheard in the lunch line:
"When does a dive earn a penalty kick? Anytime Italy plays".

FIFA and its high priests deserve the red card for spoiling this World Cup. Their intension to clamp down on foul-play and deception was noble. But the changes were drastic and hastily implemented. The players and referees were inadequately prepared. It's ended up in inconsistent rulings and a record number of cautions in the games. Even overzealous job-seekers would be more restrained in doling out cards.

But can we really blame the refs for running around with cards plastered on their forehead? They are just following instructions of the governing body – possibly a bunch of bureaucrats in pin-stripe suits who have never set foot on a football pitch in their life.

#5: god save the queen

I'm stuck on World Cup (WC). It's mighty tough not to be.

England take on Portugal next week. It'll be a tough test for Beckham's men. The pundits are cautiously optimistic – mindful that the opposing Coach "Big Phil" Scolari has scripted England's demise in the last two tournaments (coaching Brazil, WC2002 and then Portugal, Euro2004). Will England break the jinx this time? Ironically, reaching the last 8 in 1966 has been Portugal's best showing in WC. They lost to England then. And England went on to win the WC!! History cuts both ways here.

About the other teams: Brazil and Argentina will always be favourites. Italy just squeaks (dives) through somehow, everytime. Gary Linekar, the ex-England striker once said, "Football is a game of 11 on 11 and the Germans always win". And this time they have vocal home support too.

But my heart shall root for the "Black Stars" of Ghana. I admire their spirit; they are fearless and are not shackled by reputation or expectations. They have uncerimoniously gatecrashed into an "exclusive black-tie party". And I hope they go all the way, even if it costs me my $5 WC Pool.

#4: opium of the masses

When Marx said religion is the opium of the masses, he clearly forgot about football. Or no, maybe he was mis-interpreted. Football is religion almost all over the world.

Well, almost all over. This is my third World Cup in the US. In between, the men's team reached the quarter-finals ("elite eight" to some) in one and rose to a world ranking of #4, the women's team won their WC and came close in the Olympics. But sadly perceptions haven't changed much – among the public and in mainstream media. Men and women of all ages still troop out on weekends to play in recreational leagues, "soccer-moms/dads" take their kids to soccer games and skill camps. Yet I wonder, where and why does it fail to translate into sustained following for the game?

The whole world is celebrating this magical month of the "beautiful game" – from those who travelled to Germany to 1.2 billion arm-chair experts in a country ranked #137 in the world (guess which one). Countries come to a halt during the game, and that does not surprise me one bit. Crowds go delirious and a global carnival takes over. I have seen it .... in India, in England. My scouts in Quito and Accra say the same.

But here it's just a footnote at best – a passing mention in newspapers, and shunned by TV news stations. Granted that the US lost, and was undone by an atrocious penalty call .... but 16 of the 32 teams are still standing and still giving it all that they have. And everyone goes home a winner. That in itself is something worth cheering for.

It has it all. If you want a cinderalla story – there's Ghana and Australia; for David and Goliath – watch Ghana take on mighty Brazil; if you desire theatrics – just watch the Italians (Azzuris) dramatise every tumble; if you seek colour, just look at the flags, the jerseys and the paints on the faces; and if you want to see chokers succumb to the weight of hype – may I recommend England and/or Spain. Whatever you prefer, it's all there for 90 pulsating minutes in every game.

If only I could go door to door and get everyone just one potion of this intoxicating opium. I'd start with the media moguls first.