Really hoping there's still only 1 point between them on the final match day. That game at the Camp Nou should be an amazing one to decide La Liga, as some predicted months ago.

No clue. If only Adu was mentioned in the post somewhere...

Is Ben Roethlisberger a total pain in the ass to coach?

This seems as good a time as any to shamelessly plug my old post here.

This seems an appropriate time to share a passage from my upcoming biography, "Hyperbole As A Thesis: The Billy Haisley Story."

Come on, man, this is Billy Haisley. It has to be Barca, and it HAS to be Messi for him to take notice.

Sneijderman gets it. Also, as you and I would certainly agree, being a fan of a specific European powerhouse and your local MLS team are not mutually exclusive.

What's your point here? No MLS supporter is going to pretend that it's near the same on-field product that you'd find in a major European league. Pointing out the obvious is just as obnoxious as the insufferable MLS die-hard that you paint an exaggerated caricature of. So does the fact that it's not yet a top-tier…

Greg, wanna join my spring soccer team?

Well, yeah, I have a decent idea of what records to buy. It's the actual record player where I'm at a loss.

Help! My dad's turning 70 in a few weeks, and I want to get him an old record player with some good stuff on vinyl that an old man would like.

Excellent stuff. I'm a big fan of scallops, when I can afford them. But you didn't mention the difference between wet scallops (booooooo!!!!! salty, chewy garbage!!!) and dry scallops (yayyyy!!!!!!).

I think Perez sells Lopez to a wealthy suitor in need of a world class keeper - say, Man City or PSG - in the summer. They're more or less equal on form, but Casillas is a living legend for Real and the Spanish national team. This rotation policy is untenable long term, so something's gotta give this summer. But I…

Hey, I'm a stupid Real Madrid fan! The complaints against Bale are hyperbolic and mostly bullshit, with one caveat. When he's not playing his best, he looks a lot like Di Maria did last season - sprinting headfirst from the flank straight into a pack of defenders, instead of crossing or holding up play. He's doing…

Out of curiosity, any reason you don't go to a chiropractor? I've had minor back pain for a while, thanks to being tall and thin with terrible posture. A few years ago, I saw a chiro twice a week for a quick adjustment and I honestly felt better than I have in my whole life. A lot of people think they're full of shit,…

I understand all that. My point was in response to the comment above saying just "don't foul the attacker", which is stupidly simplistic.

Not really. A keeper's instinct is to attack the ball directly when facing a one on one - sometimes you're able to grab the ball, sometimes you take down the attacker, either inadvertently or out of necessity and desperation. Sitting back to wait for the shot and/or hope the attacker fucks up is a tactic much less…

If you just take out attackers at will, you'd still be giving up penalties.

I've read more about this specific to goalkeepers. Basically, if a keeper trips up an attacker in the box, the penalty is awarded, but no red card is given unless it's an obviously violent play.