Hank Weldon’s WWII Navy UDT crew helped pave the way for the SEAL teams

Hank Weldon (center, with arms on shipmate's shoulders) with his crew for training on Catalina Island in 1944.

The full crew of UDT teams that trained on Catalina in WWII.


By DAN KIDDER

The United States Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) teams are a fighting force that has seen action in six major conflicts, been the subject of a handful of movies and has even been featured in a line of video games.
From the beginning, the heroes who have served their country in the field of special operations and unconventional warfare have been trained to be an elite force that finds a way to complete the mission and get home, no matter what.
Valley Center resident Hank Weldon knows what those beginnings were like.
Weldon was one of nearly 40 sailors selected to take part in the U.S. Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), which were formed in 1943 under the direction of Rear Admiral Richard K. Turner, and eventually came to be recognized as the beginning of the SEAL teams.
Weldon, who will turn 88 in May, recalls that he didn’t exactly know what he was getting into at the time.
“I was one of a hundred and eighty recruits, and after we had graduated, there was an Army Master Sergeant and General [William Joseph “Wild Bill”] Donovan came through looking for swimmers,” he says. “Well, I had been a lifeguard at a country club back home in Tulsa, and when they said it’s for a swim team, I had to go and open my mouth.”
General Donovan was the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII, the forerunner of today’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The team Donovan was putting together was to train for reconnaissance, underwater demolition, infiltrating and exfiltrating by sea and intelligence gathering.
“They had us doing things like diving down ten feet and bringing a manhole cover back up, just to show what we could do in the water,” Weldon says. “After I graduated, they picked out four of us and told us, ‘Here’s your orders, get your rig and get moving.’”
The unit did a bit of traveling before settling in to its new home, and Weldon says that they were still in the dark about what, exactly, they were training for.
“At first we trained with an Army Ranger battalion at Camp Pendleton,” he says. “Then we trained with the OSS at a yacht club in San Clemente, then we went back down the coast to Pendleton. Nobody knew what we were doing.”
The training intensified when the unit went to Catalina Island, and Weldon remembers stealth being of the utmost importance
“We got a rubber raft with a car battery and a motor with a small propeller to haul our demolition equipment,” he says. “When we got to White’s Cove [on Catalina Island], we trained with the OSS. There were about thirty or forty of us, in big part there were ex-lifeguards and guys from the Coast Guard. For practice, they gave us a bunch of dummy TNT at high tide, dropped us off about a half-mile offshore and told us to plant it all along the coast while our COs [commanding officers] kept watch. One of the COs said he thought he saw something, but they didn’t see us. When daylight came, the tide went out and all you could see was the dummy TNT all along the shore.”
The Navy UDT squads served in 12 different missions, mostly in the Pacific Theater of WWII. Weldon and his team were nearly deployed to China during the war, but, as he recalls, “MacArthur wouldn’t let Donovan into the Pacific.”
The team did see action in the Battle of Peleliu, a fight for control of a small, Japanese-held island in the South Pacific that had the highest casualty rate of any battle in the Pacific during the war. The UDT squads went in ahead of the Marines to clear the beach of obstacles, and despite the battle’s high death toll, Weldon remembers every one of his shipmates making it through unscathed.
Both of Weldon’s older brothers also served in the war. His oldest brother, Robert, was a B26 bomber pilot in Europe who flew more than 60 missions. His brother William was a Navy pilot who escaped death twice; the first time, he saw a kamikaze pilot hit his landing ship just before he came in, and a few days later, he had just taken off from a different ship when it got hit by a kamikaze.
After the war, Weldon served in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for 28 years and was a part of the original metro unit of the force. He was even involved in the police efforts to quell the Watts Riots in 1965.
“I worked with this hotshot lieutenant, and when the riots started, he told me to grab my shotgun and come with him,” he recalls. “We headed to 103rd Street, where it was just getting started, and I noticed these jokers running back and forth from the gas station across the street. So I went over and told the owner to shut the station down. He didn’t want to, so I cranked off a shot in the air, pointed my shotgun at the nearest pump, and told him he had thirty seconds to shut it down. When I went back to the lieutenant, he asked what I was up to. I told him, ‘You don’t want to know.’”
Weldon later worked as a jail supervisor in Los Angeles and had to oversee the incarceration of Charles Manson. He also worked in the records bureau of the LAPD and was a part of the initial electronic transfer of fingerprints.
Weldon originally moved to Valley Center in 1967. Today, Weldon and his wife, Donna, live in Skyline Ranch. Throughout his life, he has been an offensive lineman at Villanova University, an oil rigger, an underwater demolition expert, a police officer, a jail supervisor and an amateur woodcarver.
To this day, Weldon says that one of the most important things he’s learned in his life is to follow the Golden Rule.
“I think it’s important to treat everybody else the way you want to be treated,” he says. “When I was in the Navy, we had a yeoman who we all knew was, you know, a homosexual, and it didn’t bother us. Well, we had shore leave once, and a few other guys were giving this guy a hard time. I went up there and grabbed them and told them, ‘You’re going to start running as soon as I let loose, and you’re going to keep running until I can’t see you anymore, got it? You don’t bother one of our shipmates.’ They took off running. At one of our reunions back awhile, it turns out this yeoman paid for a big part of it because he wanted it to be something special for all of us.”

Weldon (left) with shipmate Leonard Barnhill on shore leave in Hollywood.

Weldon (left) with Wright Travis, who later was the best man at his wedding.

Weldon doing some laundry on Catalina...

...and the caption on the back of the laundry photo.

Another shot of the UDT sailors on Catalina.

Weldon received this special coin from the SEAL Association.

Weldon's green beret.

A motorcycle carved by Weldon.
Some more of Weldon's wood carvings.

The Best & Worst From The 2010 World Cup

With a single flick of his right foot, Andres Iniesta gave Spain its first world championship and put a fitting cap on the delightful brew of excitement, controversy, and drama that was the 2010 World Cup.
Iniesta’s one-hop goal was mesmerizing — he stayed just onside, locked in on a tough-to-handle bouncing pass, lined it up and sent it past Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg for the game-winner. Neither team played an outstanding game; it looked like they were both too afraid of making a critical mistake that they didn’t take very many chances.
But when they did, the goalkeeping was outstanding. Iker Casillas earned his honorary title, Saint Iker, with this performance, and Stekelenburg stood very tall until Iniesta’s blast got past him.
Honestly, the most exciting play for me, a fledgling indoor soccer goalie when time permits, was Casillas’ save on Arjen Robben early in the second half. Robben took a perfectly-timed pass from midfield, split the Spanish defense, and had a one-on-one chance that all but the poorest strikers would have buried in the back of the net.
But Casillas came off his line, held his ground at the penalty spot, and got a foot on Robben’s shot as he dove to his left. I’m still amazed that Jabulani ball isn’t on its way to the Netherlands as a trophy of conquest.
The big save in the biggest of spotlights was only one of the enthralling moments from this World Cup.
Here are my awards for the best (and worst) the 2010 World Cup had to offer.

Best Goal
This one was a toss-up between three different goals — David Villa’s long-range strike against Chile, Diego Forlan’s knuckleball free kick against Ghana in the quarterfinals, and, of course, Landon Donovan’s heroic, last-second goal against Algeria in the final game for the USA in the group stage.
Villa’s goal might be the most amazing just because it was so unlikely. The Spaniards cleared out a Chilean advance, sending Spanish forward Fernando Torres after the long pass. Chile keeper Claudio Bravo came way off his line to get to the ball first, sliding into it and clearing it away. But instead of sending it out of bounds, Bravo cleared it only as far as Villa, who was following up the play along the sideline. From 40 yards away, Villa curled the ball with his left foot into the vacated net for an astounding goal.
On the other hand, Forlan scored what I consider to be the best technical goal of the tournament. Uruguay pushed up the field on offense against Ghana in the quarterfinals, and earned a free kick to the left of the goal, just outside the penalty area. Forlan took the free kick, sailed it over the wall and past his onrushing teammates and into the top corner of the goal. Other players scored on free kicks in the tournament, but what makes this goal stand out is the fact that Forlan had such complete control over an otherwise uncontrollable Jabulani ball. The replay shows that the ball was dipping and diving in an erratic path to the net, but Forlan hit it exactly where it needed to go. That, and the fact that was the equalizer in an eventual 1–1 tie that went through extra time and into penalty kicks, makes it one of the best goals I’ve ever seen.
But as far as importance and unbelievable timing, Donovan’s goal against Algeria cannot be summed up in words, although I’ll do my best to try.
I’ll start by having you go immediately to your computer and search for video clips of reactions to this goal. You’ll see a series of American fans gathered together to watch the game, hoping for a goal that will send the USA through to the knockout stage. You’ll see the excitement build as the American players push the ball up the field, Donovan in control of the ball. You’ll see the tension build as Donovan sends the ball ahead to the feet of Jozy Altidore, who crosses the ball in front of the net to Clint Dempsey. You’ll see the look of abject despair as the keeper saves the shot. But then — oh my, the goosebumps — you’ll see the eruption of unbridled joy as Donovan sweeps in and drives the rebound into the back of the net.
As far as the skill of the goal, it wasn’t as impressive as the other two I’ve mentioned. But in terms of sheer importance, this goal came at an unbelievable time from the player who most needed to step up in that situation. It was an amazing goal at a critical time in the game which was so important to our team.
Honestly, I can’t decide which of these was the best goal of the tournament. I like them all. If you want to write in and tell me what the best goal was, please do by writing to me at sports@valleycenter.com. You may even have a different goal that you thought was the best. Let me know what you think, and I’ll be sure to pass on your thoughts to our readers.
And now, back to the column.

Best Team
I have to say that Germany had an unbelievable World Cup. After losing starter after starter to injury before the tournament even began, the Germans came up with a series of young replacements that ended up leading the team to an impressive third-place finish.
The talents of Mesut Oezil, Thomas Mueller, Lukas Podolski, Sami Khedira, Jerome Boateng and goalie Manuel Neuer, all of whom are under the age of 26, will certainly make Germany one of the favorite squads in the next World Cup.

Most Fun Team To Watch
I’ll just go ahead and say it — the French. Les Bleus were so otherworldly awful that you just couldn’t look away. It was kind of like watching Megan Fox try to show genuine emotions on the big screen — it could be considered a crime against humanity in some countries, but you just can’t help but watch. France scored a single goal in the tournament, a score that came in the 70th minute of the final game of group play against South Africa. Their top striker, Nicolas Anelka, got sent home for his profanity-filled tirade about coach Raymond Domenech. The rest of the team went on strike because of Anelka’s dismissal, which is exactly what you want to do when you’re struggling to score goals — skip practice. They were so bad, it was comical.
A close runner-up for most fun team to watch would be the Netherlands, who were absolutely rife with infighting and personal grudges amongst teammates. Striker Robin Van Persie nearly broke a teammate’s ankle on a rough challenge — in practice. Nobody wanted to let anyone else take free kicks. Van Persie and midfielder Wesley Sneijder had a feud going back two years. Forward Arjen Robben was visibly incensed when another Dutch player would take a shot because he thought he was the only one who could score. There’s a particular angle on one of the video replays of Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s goal against Uruguay in the semifinals where Robben clearly thought he was open. When Van Bronckhorst — the Dutch captain, by the way — took the shot, Robben has a look of absolute fury on his face, quickly replaced by begrudging acceptance when the shot found a tiny opening in the top corner of the net for a goal. These guys really hated each other, and it made their run to the final that much more entertaining.

Most Fun Name To Say
Again, this one’s a toss-up, with some real gems in there. I’m just going to list the names off, you can say them all out loud and decide which one you like best. Here we go: Per Mertesacker (Germany), Kaká (Brazil), Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greece), Duda (Portugal), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Mexico) and Xabi Alonso (Spain). All of these names make me smile when I hear them, so there is no wrong answer.

Most Unfortunate Name
Hans-Jörg Butt (Germany). Middle school was probably a daily nightmare for this poor guy.

Most Exciting Young Players To Watch
This tournament had plenty of important veterans on the pitch, from the aforementioned Mexican forward Blanco (who was the oldest non-goaltender in the tournament at age 37) to German striker Miroslav Klose (age 32) to goalie David James of England(age 39).
But the youngsters took center stage in this World Cup, from Oezil and Mueller of Germany to Giovani Dos Santos and Javier Hernandez of Mexico, to Keisuke Honda of Japan. So many African players were under age 25, a stat reflected in the fact that Ghana had the youngest average age in the tournament at 24.1. The USA fell right in the middle of the average age bracket at 26.8, showcasing some promising talent, such as Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu, which should come in handy for the 2014 World Cup.

Best Game
It would be hard to find a game more entertaining than the Uruguay-Ghana match in the quarterfinals. The action went back-and-forth all game; one team would get momentum and create scoring chances, but the other team would hold steady and steadily take the momentum back. Ghana scored in stoppage time of the first half on an excellent goal by Sulley Muntari from outside the penalty area. Uruguay countered with the aforementioned goal by Forlan not long into the second half.
The second half and eventual extra time were both exciting, but the most unbelievable moments came right at the end. With stoppage time running out in the second extra period, Ghana attacked with a flurry of shots on the Uruguayan goal as the ball bounced around like a beach ball that fans inexplicably bring to a San Diego Padres game.
After a save by goalie Fernando Muslera, Ghana headed the ball back in toward the net as Muslera scrambled to get back to his feet. Uruguay striker Luis Suarez, standing on the goal line, stuck his hands up and punched the ball away, which resulted in a red card for him and a penalty shot for Ghana.
On the final play of the game, Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan took the penalty kick that was sure to send Ghana through to the semifinals… but he hit the crossbar. Ghana fans, and really all African fans, were absolutely stunned. Uruguay celebrated, knowing that they were still alive for a penalty shootout.
And they cashed in on the opportunity, winning the shootout 4–2 on the strength of some very confident shots (look up Sebastian Abreu’s game-winning shot) and some inexplicable misses by Ghana (look up John Mensah’s weird one-step kick, followed by Dominic Adiyah’s ultra-conservative attempt).
From start to finish, this game had everything you look for.
Worst Game
Any match involving France.

Best Uniforms
Another toss-up, this time between the beautiful sky blue shirts of Uruguay (featuring a very nice watermarked pattern of a sun taken from the Uruguay flag) and the orange or green-and-white jerseys of Ivory Coast. I especially like the green-and-white stripes of Ivory Coast’s change kit, because they were intentionally designed to look hand-painted. Combined with the affinity of the African players of wearing skin-tight shirts, it created a standout look.

Worst Uniforms
Anything with the word “France” on it. Also, why couldn’t they get the same shade of orange for the Dutch jerseys and shorts in the final? That’s probably why they lost.

Best Royalty
Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain. I mean, come on — he married a commoner because he fell in love! He didn’t want to marry for stature or for stuffy tradition, he married a woman who was independent and modern! And that is probably why they won. Let that be a lesson to you, Prince William and/or Harry.

Thing I’ll Miss Most About The 2010 World Cup
I’m going to miss the thrill of watching the best soccer players in the world put everything they have into competing for their country. The drama of hard-fought matches, the way the English commentators make even the most mundane happenings sound like classic poetry, and the skills of the world’s elite players coming to light at the most critical moments. It was a great tournament, and I can’t wait until 2014.
As always, if you have any thoughts you’d like to share about the World Cup or anything about sports, send me an e-mail at sports@valleycenter.com and we’ll get a good discussion going.

Reader Response: Thoughts On The World Cup

Hey Dan - enjoyed your article in the Roadrunner regarding the World Cup. As I was reading it some thoughts came to mind:

1. Since there are so many diverse nations represented at the WC, what language are the players speaking when their talking to (a) the ref (b) the opponent? For instance, Japan is playing against, say, Mexico, and the ref is from England. Ok, so as the Japanese player is complaining/shouting to the ref about the Mexican player and vice versa, what the heck language are they speaking to each other? Same when I see the ref talking to players...warning them to stop pushing or something...or even at the start during the coin toss...does the German ref say "heads or tails"...does the Spanish player respond "heads"/"tails"...must be quite a funny scenario.

2. Will the vuvuzelas (loud, obnoxious horns) infect American sports? The closest thing I know of is in Minnesota and the Viking fans. I think they have a loud vuvuzela type of horn they blow there. Hope it doesn't spread to other sports/cities here in the USA. Maybe vuvuzelas can be banned at the customs...no one allowed to bring it in to the country. Did you know that the vuvuzela is banned from Yankee Stadium?

3. Here's something I've always wondered. In the USA we call the sport "soccer", while the rest of the world calls it "futbol". And, as we know, "soccer" is a relatively new sport in the USA...ok with that said, who's the wise-guy that came up with the name "soccer"? And where did the word come from? And why that name? And what does it mean? Seems like our own football is misnamed. Our football is mostly carried in our hands/arms. On few occassions during a game is the foot used (kick-offs, punts, PAT's, field goals)...otherwise most of the time we use our hands...yet we call the sport football. Let's see if I have this right...baseball has bases...handball uses the hand...basketball we throw the ball into a basket...racketball we use rackets...track & field is held on a track and field...volleyball you volley a ball...and football you hardly ever use your foot...huh? Should it be renamed to something like "tackleball" since almost every play involves tackling? Seems like the word "football" aligns better with the sport of soccer/futbol since most of the time the ball is kicked by the foot!

4. Will instant replay (IR) be used in high level soccer (er, futbol) tournaments like the Euro-Cup, or WC, etc. Maybe have a 5th official "in the booth" that can help the center-ref get it right on certain circumstances...like an obvious handball in the penalty box...or an obvious "offsides". The IR would only be available for the refs...no red flag like the NFL. I've told my wife that I don't think this will happen because socc...er, futbol is like baseball...lots of tradition, and very much a subjective sport. Like umps...each one has a different idea where the strike-zone is. However, baseball does use IR for fair/foul balls, homeruns, etc...maybe s...er, futbol could have a very limited use of IR too, like baseball.

5. If soccer is such a popular sport here in the USA at the youth levels, and its growing more at the adult levels, why has it not really caught on at the professional level? I suspect the main reason is commercials! All other popular USA sports are packed w/TV commercials (aka money)...however, there's no commercial breaks in soccer except during half-time...if there are few opportunities for commercials, then there's not a lot of money dedicated in ad budgets, thus, soccer remains a "grass-root" kind of sport.

6. Some day, mark my word, goalkeeper gloves in soccer will become the craze in football. The moment some big NFL star receiver starts wearing them it will catch on with other NFL receivers, then every receiver will be wearing them...college, high school, Pop Warner...you just wait and see. The same thing happened in the NFL with kicking field goals and kick offs. It used to be that every kicker would kick the ball with his toe...then the sidewinder-soccer style kicker came on the seen...at first just a few, then more...now all kickers at all levels kick "soccer-style"...no one toe-pokes anymore.

7. Finally, someone once said that soccer is a gentlemen's sport played by gentlemen, American football is a "animal's" game played by gentlemen, and rugby is an "animal's" game played by "animals"...sure hope our USA "gentlemen" do well!
GO USA!
Cheers (that's how soccer players say goodbye)
Mario Cozzi

-- -- --

First of all, thanks for writing in; I love being able to dissect the many aspects of sports, and it’s so much fun to get a good discussion going. I have a few thoughts in response to your thoughts, so let’s get right to it.

1. I wondered about the language barrier as well, and I’ve heard it referenced a few times in the tournament thus far. I know that when Brazil played Portugal in the group stage, they had referees from Mexico, and the announcers made a comment about being able to communicate a little more easily since Portuguese and Spanish are similar languages.
I have to imagine that the common language for most matches is English, especially when you have teams from different parts of the world with officials from an altogether different area, like when Japan faced Cameroon with referees from Portugal. Sometimes, especially in matches with European teams, you could find a different common language, like French or German, but most of the time I would bet that the middle ground of language is English.
There was also the story going into the USA vs. England match at the beginning of group play, which focused on the referees (from Brazil) taking a crash course on English (or rather, British) slang so that they would know what words were considered profane.
Otherwise, I’ve noticed a lot of gesturing and other basic forms of body language, including the ever-popular “that’s enough” movement of hands from the referees. However they do it, they seem to get the point across. Unless the game involves Koman Coulibaly (more on that later).

2. Unfortunately, the vuvuzelas have already made an impact on American sports. The Florida Marlins had a vuvuzela night on June 19, and a quick online search for “Marlins vuvuzela” brings up links to at least a dozen pages featuring very negative responses to the giveaway. And they only handed out 15,000 of the plastic horns; imagine if the whole stadium of more than 23,000 had been honking throughout the game.
My initial reaction (and sincerest hope) is that the vuvuzela will quickly go the way of the Rally Monkey, the Thunder Stix, and the Snuggie.

3. Most people probably wonder why the sport is “soccer” to us in the USA and “football” (or the equivalent) to everyone else in the world.
I got together with Valley Center soccer guru Ron Norris in the summer of 2008 to discuss the European Cup tournament, and one of the things he mentioned was how the name of American football came about.
He said that football (soccer) was already a popular sport, but when the game started to morph into rugby, that sport became known as “rugby football.” When the game came to America and the rules were modified, the “rugby” part was dropped (because rugby was now its own established sport) and the football was left.
I dug a little deeper (ie, searched Google for “origins of soccer”) and discovered that soccer and rugby officially split in 1863, when a meeting was held in England to decide on the official rules of the game. Those who wanted to be able to carry the ball and play with full contact went with the rugby association, while those who favored the more traditional style stuck with the football association.
Interestingly enough, the term “soccer” also comes from England, as a nickname for football. When the sport began to form associations, the English would abbreviate it as “assoc.” and the nickname “soccer football” was applied to association football. The English are known for creating shortened versions of words for amusement, such as “ruggers” for rugby, “brekkers” for breakfast, and “ciggy” for cigarette.
When soccer started gaining popularity in America, we already had a sport called football, so our national soccer federation went by the name “United States Soccer Football Association” for about 30 years before they just dropped the “football” part and stuck with “soccer.”
So basically, we’re left with a nickname for association as the name for a sport in which you use your foot to kick a ball. And on the other side, we’re left with a sport that split twice, yet kept its original name after the second split, even though it was a completely different sport. And even though it would make so much sense to switch the names, there is far too much advertising invested in both sports to make it realistic.

4. The point you brought up about instant replay is the one that got me fired up the most, especially after the first few games in the round of 16.
For those of you who didn’t see either of the World Cup games on Sunday, there was a no-goal that should have counted and a goal that should have been disallowed, both clearly proven by instant replay, and both having a dramatic impact on their respective contests.
The goal that should have counted came off the foot of England midfielder Frank Lampard, who lobbed a volley over the head of German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer that hit the lower half of the crossbar, hit the ground at least a yard past the goal line, then bounced back outside the goal. Lampard and a few of the English players started to celebrate, but none of the officials stopped the action as Neuer sent the ball back down the field. Every angle of the replay showed the ball was clearly over the line, but the officials were all so far away from the goal that none of them saw what happened. England had just scored a goal a minute earlier to make the score 2-1 in favor of Germany, so if the goal had counted, as it should have, the game would have been tied. Germany went on to win 4-1, but the outcome might have been much different had the score been tied at two.
The goal that shouldn’t have counted came in the match between Argentina and Mexico. About midway through the first half, Argentina striker Lionel Messi sent a lovely pass through the Mexican defense to forward Carlos Tevez, who took a quick shot at keeper Oscar Perez. Perez made the save, and the ball ricocheted back to Messi, who sent the ball back toward the goal. Tevez tapped the ball into the net for the game’s first goal. However, replay showed that when Messi sent the ball back into Tevez after the save, Tevez was at least two yards behind the last Mexican defender, which should have been called offside. The goal was initially counted, but the head official went over to talk to the assistant on the sideline, presumably to ask if Tevez was offside. Both teams crowded around the officials and offered their opinions during this little chat, but it did not change the outcome. Argentina went on to win 3-1, but once again, the game might have played out differently had the early goal been properly disallowed.
FIFA is notorious for resisting technology, saying that any technological changes would not be universal throughout the various levels of the sport. Obviously this is not a problem for the other major sports in the world, and some have even pointed out that the FIFA officials all wear microphone headsets to be able to communicate with each other, and that this isn’t universal throughout the sport.
To me, it really wouldn’t be hard to institute instant replay for the big matches; international tournaments bring in enough money to make it easily viable, and it wouldn’t have to take much time at all. They have a fourth official on the sideline who can help the head referee make decisions. Have a replay monitor right there for the guy, give him 30 seconds to watch the replay and make a decision, and clean up the really egregious errors.
But if technology is really the issue, then at least put more officials on the field for the big games. Put a guy by each goal. Put one more guy on each sideline. Put a guy on each corner. Just put more officials out there. In the Major League Baseball regular season, a crew of umpires consists of four. When it comes time for the World Series, the size of the crew goes up to six, as they add one more umpire down each outfield line. How hard would it be to add two more officials for World Cup games, one by each goal? You have to think that both blown calls on Sunday would have been overruled by an official standing right by the goal. If you’re going to resist the answer that gives the most clear result, at least provide a compromise of more pairs of eyes to make the best call possible.

5. Going back to the topic of advertising, I think you’re right on with your supposition that it affects the popularity of the sport here in America.
But honestly, I think the biggest reason why soccer isn’t as popular here is because it is distinctly un-American. We didn’t invent it, we didn’t perfect it, we’re not really even that good at it. To make things worse, the English are the ones who made it into what it is today, and there will always be something about American culture that resists things that come from across the pond. I mean, they drink tea, so we drink coffee; they play cricket, so we play baseball; they have a parliament, so we have a congress. Of course we’re not going to go all ga-ga for soccer, we have our own version, and it’s much louder, nastier, and so very American.
We are starting to see the fruits of the American youth soccer explosion of the late 80s/early 90s, as the kids who were shuffled off to soccer practice every summer are now old enough to compete at the international level. Guys like Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu were all growing up in the late 80s/early 90s, and the talent level inherent in playing a sport all of your life is starting to show up more and more as those numbers from the soccer boom sort out into some really talented American players.
Still though, soccer will always have a distinctly foreign feel, just from the characteristics of the sport. The clock doesn’t count down to zeroes, it counts up to 90. The game doesn’t end with a loud buzzer, it just kind of peters out when the referee decides that enough time has been allowed for stoppages. The game just keeps going, even when a player goes down. The strategy is much more patient; there aren’t nearly as many opportunities for one player to “put his team on his back” and carry them to a win. You have to let the play develop; you can’t force the issue. None of these characteristics are very fan-friendly, especially to American fans who are used to the NFL, where you get time between plays, you get a definitive clock, and you get athletes who can carry the game.
Since soccer isn’t going to change its very fundamental being, there really doesn’t seem to be much hope of it catching on in America the way other sports have.

6. Speaking of catching on, I wonder if your prediction about goalie gloves will ever come true. American football players generally have a thing about looking cool when they’re playing, so it would take a high-profile receiver (Chad Ochocinco, anyone?) to make the attempt. I love the spongy feel of goalie gloves, and they probably would help receivers hang onto a football a little better. I remember back when quarterback Doug Flutie played for the Buffalo Bills, and as a way to keep a better grip on the ball during the cold winter months, he found a pair of glass-cutter’s gloves that he wore with apparent success. They were rather large and a bit unorthodox, but they seemed to work for him.
But, as I’ve seen exemplified in a national sportswriter’s column about the World Cup, the general consensus about keeper gloves seems to be that they make your hands look like giant Twinkies. If a wide receiver ever does give them a try, however, I’ll remember your prediction and I’m curious to see if it will become a trend.

7. I just want to point out that Mario wrote his response before the USA was eliminated from the World Cup, so hopefully we can all understand his optimistic patriotism. Either that, or he’s just really looking forward to 2014, when the World Cup rolls into Brazil. If that is the case, then go USA!
And if anyone else out there has anything to add, or wants to take us to task on anything we’ve discussed, please send us your thoughts to sports@valleycenter.com and we’ll get more people in on the discussion.

Five Things To Love About The World Cup

Two years ago, it was the European Cup.
Last year, it was the Confederations Cup.
This summer, soccer’s biggest event is all the rage, and you’d better believe that I’m right there in the middle of it once again.
You may or may not remember (if you don’t, it’s OK) that I never used to be a soccer fan. I was one of those “typical” Americans who believed that if you can’t use your hands, it isn’t a real sport. Granted, I was also once a fan of the WWF (before it became the WWE) and considered that to be a real sport. But that was back before Hulk Hogan became a parody of himself.
Anyway, somewhere along the way, I started becoming interested in soccer. I think it stemmed from an invitation to play goalie for an indoor soccer team with some friends I met when I moved out here to Valley Center. I had never played soccer before, but I used to play goalie when the kids from my church youth group back home would play floor hockey, so I figured it was pretty much the same thing.
Turns out it was a lot of fun, and the more I saw how exciting soccer is, the more I wanted to see the high-quality, professional version.
And it doesn’t get much better than international soccer, where players are playing for more than just a ridiculous paycheck.
The past two summers have featured some outstanding soccer, from Spain’s big win in the Euro Cup to the thrilling run the USA had in the Confederations Cup last year. When the weather started to warm up this spring, I had June 11 circled on my calendar and I was devouring everything I could find to read about the tournament.
Thus far, the World Cup has fulfilled all my hopes and more. I’m far too lazy – er, busy – to get up at 4 a.m. to watch the matches as they happen, but thanks to the magic of digital video recording (DVR), I’ve been able to watch all but a few of the matches. I’m sure that some people care about matches like Serbia vs. Ghana, but I tend to like watching matches that involve at least some degree of interest.
With one more match for each team in the group stage left to play, I’ve started to appreciate some of the really great aspects of the tournament, while also lamenting some of the downfalls.
Here is a list of my five favorite and least favorite things about the 2010 World Cup so far.

Favorites

1. Patriotism
Like I said, it’s one thing to watch an athlete play a game to earn a bloated salary. Elite athletes are elite regardless of what they’re playing for, but there is a little extra something when a team of individual talents comes together to represent their country together. You see a little bit more heart, a little bit more emotion, a little bit more hustle, and just a little bit more exuberance. I guarantee that every one of the players in this tournament has thought about what it means to represent his country on the field, and it shows in how they play.
And while the focus on national pride brings out a spirit of friendly competition, the tournament can also help bridge a gap that can be otherwise un-bridgeable. The fact that North Korea has a team in the World Cup is a testament to the breaking of barriers that a tournament like this can accomplish. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the North Korean team heading into the tournament, from their players to their tactics to even their uniforms.
But when they’re on the field, they’re just like all the other players. They run, they pass, the fall down at the slightest bit of contact (spoiler alert for my least favorite section), and they look like they’re having fun. Well, except during that 7-0 drubbing that Portugal handed them. Something tells me that I don’t want to ride any subways or visit any tall buildings in Portugal for a while.
See though, that’s what is so great about this tournament – even though there is a very real tension between North Korea and… well, pretty much everyone, the World Cup is a way to help us all see that they are real people. Even if their leader (reportedly) has a secret communication link to the coach so he can talk to him during the games, the players are out there for the same reason as all the other players: to represent their country by playing a game they love.
2. The British commentary
My wife likes to tease me for thinking that I’m English, which I like to encourage by telling her that I consider myself to be English. In reality, my ancestry is English, but I really enjoy the mannerisms, and especially the witticisms, of our neighbors across the pond.
Whether we’re hearing from Martin Tyler, Derek Rae, Adrian Healey, Ian Darke, Efan Ekoku, or Ally McCoist, it’s just fantastic to hear their descriptions of even the most mundane on-field (or on-pitch) activities.
In the last two summers, I’ve noticed that English commentators refer to a country in the plural, as in, “England are attacking with a purpose tonight,” or something along those lines. There are lots of other terms specific to the sport, such as “pitch” instead of “field,” or “boot” instead of “shoe,” or “good ball” instead of “nice pass.”
But the one phrase I’ve been especially excited about this year is the way the commentators talk about a team that is creating some opportunities on offense. You’ll see a player bring the ball up the field and start to make headway, and the commentators will say that the player is “asking all sorts of questions of the defense.” I don’t know why it’s so fantastic, but I love the way they say it. Honestly, a person with a British accent can make just about anything sound cool, but these guys take it to a whole new level.
Another fun thing about international soccer is the informal nicknames given to the teams.
Among the many nicknames out there, the English are known as The Three Lions (because of the three lions on their crest), the French are known as Les Blues (because they wear blue jerseys – leave it to the French to come up with something so clever), the South Africans are known as Bafana Bafana (The Boys, a term of endearment in Swahili), and the Australians are known as The Socceroos. American sports teams have names, some nostalgic but most often fueled by marketing purposes. But there’s something about a name originating with the fans that adds a connection to the team that goes just a little deeper. It’s like when you get to know why your friend John is called Turtle by all his other friends. For the record, I’m pretty sure it’s because he really loves those little chocolates with the caramel and pecans.
3. The flair
Everybody’s got their own set of fashion rules these days, and the players in the World Cup are definitely not an exception.
From frosted tips to bleached braids to a collection of faux-hawks that stretches farther than the eye can see, the players inject their own flair into the proceedings.
But even more impressive than the individual styles are the fantastic uniforms (aka “kits”) worn in the tournament.
From the classic whites worn by the English to the light-blue-on-white vertical stripes of Argentina, to the trademark orange of the Dutch, to the mint-crème green of the Algerians (aka The Desert Foxes), so many of the jerseys this year are fabulous. Some teams even have a watermark-esque design on the shoulders, as seen in the form of a fox on the Algerian jersey, or an elephant on the jersey of the Ivory Coast.
Granted, there are some aberrations, like the beauty-queen-ish sash look on the blue USA jerseys or the cartoonish bright-red-on-bright-blue look the Spanish are showing us this time around.
But overall, most of the kits in this tournament are fun to see, and I think it adds another dimension to the proceedings.
4. The French are awful
I admit it. When I saw that French striker Nicolas Anelka got sent home for a “profanity-laced tirade” against his coach, the soon-to-be-dismissed Raymond Domenech, I chuckled. Then, when the rest of the French squad refused to practice because of the dismissal, I wondered who was sharpening up the guillotines.
France have yet to score a goal in the tournament, and they look old on the pitch. They made us suffer through a scoreless tie against Uruguay on the first day of the tournament, then gave all of Mexico another excuse to throw a party after a 2-0 loss to the Mexicans. The team is in disarray, the coach bases his lineup around the signs of the zodiac (I’m not making that up), and when you do a Google search for their best player, the top three suggested searches are Franck Ribery scandal, Franck Ribery scar, and Franck Ribery prostitute. None of that can lead to anything good.
5. Underdogs
Nothing makes sports more fun to watch than the fact that, as commentators have often said, the games aren’t played on paper.
Whether it’s the 1-1 tie between USA and England, or the 1-0 win for Switzerland over European champion Spain, or the 1-0 win for Serbia over a German team that was coming off a four-goal romp over the Socceroos.
Big-name players are getting lost in the shuffle of unlikely heroes, from Tshabalala for South Africa to Gabriel Heinze for Argentina to keeper Diego Benaglio of Switzerland.
Goals are at a premium, perhaps in part due to the new Jabulani ball that the players disparage so much, but the quality of play looks good so far, and for the fans who enjoy good soccer, it looks like there is plenty more to be had.
Next week, we’ll discuss some of the things I’m not so fond of in the World Cup, which may or may not contain a reference to Tim Donaghy. Stay tuned!
And if you have any thoughts of your own about the World Cup, drop me a line at sports@valleycenter.com and let me know what you think. I’ll even put the good responses in next week’s issue.
Unless you write in French, in which case you should just give up. Like the rest of the French.