"Big hulking deuce
Spittin' truth in the booth
Stop drop and roll
I brings down the roof"
--Don't Tread on This, Clint Dempsey
I've been meaning to write about Deuce for a couple weeks now, and I've finally found the proper motivation to do so. It's the latest "literally" fiasco (coming on the heels of a text message from Side this morning: "O.J. gets away with murder...literally"--you're literally killing me, Side). Check this gem from Nick Webster on the wonderful FoxSports.com (granted, it was more than a week ago, but I have a lot to read, so I'm not always on top of it):
Well, in my humble opinion, he played the finest game an American outfield player has ever produced in the Premier League as he literally carried the Cottagers on his shoulders to a surprising and dramatic late draw.
I watched that Tottenham match, and while I did see Clint Dempsey rack up a goal and two assists in Fulham's comeback draw, I don't recall him placing ten other dudes on his shoulders and walking around with them at any point during the match.
Herculean feats of strength notwithstanding, the pride of Nacogdoches, Texas has been amazing lately. So he picks up the goal and two assists against Tottenham. Then he joins up with the national team and scores against Brazil. Then he's recognized as
Fulham's Player of the Month. Pretty good couple weeks, right? Is there a better American footballer right now than Clint Dempsey?
I fell in love with Deuce (no, not literally) when he was a rookie with the New England Revolution. His goals and celebrations (several are viewable
here--the dancing vs. Japan, the baseball swing vs. DC United, the stop drop n' roll against Chicago) with the Revs even allowed me to get video of him on Best Damn once or twice (the baseball swing at RFK was a genius touch) and while I was sad to see him leave MLS, I'm stoked that he's played his way into the starting lineup and is really proving himself in England.
I'm hoping to make another pilgrimage across the pond in March, and though I've been there once already, Craven Cottage (Fulham's home) has to be one of the desired destinations (others include, but are not limited to: Anfield in Liverpool, St. James' Park in Newcastle and Stamford Bridge in London).
One more Deuce note, because I don't think I mentioned it when it happened. At the end of last season, with Fulham struggling to stay up (relegation: if you don't get it, sorry, I'm not bothering to explain it), Clint grabbed
the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Liverpool, a win which essentially kept Fulham in the Premier League.
I know I don't really write about anything except soccer anymore, so I figure I should branch out a tiny little bit before closing up shop today. Since the fall television season technically kicks off next week, it makes sense to share a little bit of what I've been watching, what I'll be watching, and what I hear other people might be watching.
STUFF I WATCH:
Sunday: "Fox NFL Sunday" (don't have much choice, since I'm in the building and working on the show); various NFL games (again, because of my location; only Charger games by choice); "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (hasn't been very good so far this season, but I'll probably hang in there) is the HBO show du jour, since "Entourage" and "Flight of the Conchords" are done; and of course, I Tivo one or two Premier League matches (and maybe even something from Spain as well, if Barcelona or Real Madrid are playing)
Monday: "Prison Break" (back in prison for the season premiere, which makes more sense than last season's on-the-run premise); "My Boys" just finished up its season, and for some reason I liked that show; eventually "24" take's Prison Break's place
Tuesday: UEFA Champions League on ESPN2 and Setanta Sports
Wednesday: more Champions League; waiting for "Lost"
Thursday: Tried "Mad Men" for a couple of episodes, and it's really good, but I don't have time; "30 Rock" for sure; "My Name is Earl" lost some of its luster for some reason, but I'll give it another shot this season, as long as there's time
Friday: "Psych" always gets Tivo'd and watched sometime over the weekend;
Simmons says I need to try "Friday Night Lights," so maybe we'll give that one a shot
Saturday: all kinds of English Premier League action from Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports--usually I watch Newcastle, Fulham and Manchester United's matches in their entirety, and scan for goals from the other guys; MLS games on FSC, depending on the quality of the matchup (or if Chivas is playing)
STUFF OTHER PEOPLE LIKE:
"Heroes" - I'm sure I would like this, but it's another hour I don't have time for
"The Wire" - Simmons worships this one, and a bunch of people in the office enjoy it as well; unfortunately, it's another hour I just don't have
"The Office" - Every time I've watched this show, I love it (and I have the Season 3 DVD's to catch up on), but for some reason I never make time (probably because I'm already trying to watch one and half shows that night--never as they air, always on Tivo--and it's overwhelming to have more than that)
"Rules of Engagement" - sorry, nobody likes that show, my bad
"Grey's Anatomy" - mostly females, I think, and since a) I'm not female, and b) there's no female consistently watching television in my presence these days, I'm shying away from this one
And yeah, that's about it.
One thing before I go: I'm noticing that as I neglect this blog and as I struggle to write when I do occasionally pay it some attention, I'm only capable of expressing creativity in a certain number of venues at any given time. Unfortunately for the blog, those venues currently include my next Top 50 show (Dynamic Duos), Best Damn's daily shows (mostly the elements involving our new female cast member), and some pretty fun stuff with Chivas USA (all the Chivas USA features found
here). Oh yeah, and some other writing on the side, which is a nice release as well (and may lead to something bigger, who knows).
Done for today, back to work. Jose Mourinho out at Chelsea. Wow. Peace.
