I love to watch soccer on TV. Instant replays, national and international updates and clever commercials at the half aside, I have the pleasure of throwing the little foot rest thingy up on the Lay-Z Boy and stretch out without decapitating anyone in front of me (unless I catch the cat unawares as she strolls by with that regal "can't touch this" attitude. Even a near miss is worth it). Refreshments and facilities are nearby and readily available, and there's no waiting. ABC and that rowdy bunch at ESPN have done a marvelous job of bringing in camera operators and producers who obviously know how the game is played so that wide shots and close ups are choreographed in a way that enhances the viewing. And considering that the run of play is continuous, there is no need to inject alternate entertainment, aka commercials, into the mix which is necessary and critical when it comes to broadcasting baseball and football (you could probably throw in a feature length movie during a golf match and no one would notice). The only thing left to do is relax and watch "the beautiful game" unfold in all its vivid full color, High Definition, surround sound magnificence.
Unless you're watching FC Dallas and the infantile hijinks of their notorious striker Carlos Ruiz. Nothing infuriates me more when watching soccer than to see a player attempt to augment a lack of talent or finesse (or maybe it's ignorance of how the game is supposed to be played) with cheap shots, foul play and exaggerated theatrics. Carlos Ruiz is a poster child (with heavy emphasis on the term 'child') of this type of player. And maybe 'player' is giving him more credit than he deserves. He's a participant by virtue of his attire, and certainly not because of his performance. I don't care how many goals he's scored. Diego Maradona scored a lot of goals, but I wouldn't put him on any role model pedestal either. Carlos Ruiz is a small time punk who makes it very difficult to promote soccer as the world's greatest sport.
Less than 20 minutes into last Saturday's MLS match against the Houston Dynamo, Ruiz and Houston's Eddie Robinson leapt into the air to contend for a 50-50 ball. There was a nasty collision at the apex of the leap and both players fell to the ground. Robinson fell heavily but quickly regained his feet, holding the side of his head in obvious pain. Ruiz, the consummate drama queen, lay face first on the pitch holding the back of his head, in what appeared to be such agony that one suspected that if he were to remove his hands his brains (or whatever is in there that keeps his ears apart) would spill out. The referee stood over Ruiz waiting for him to get up, all the while holding a yellow card in his hand. And then they showed the replay. As Ruiz was beginning his leap he deliberately extended his elbow so that it would make contact with the side of Eddie Robinson's head. As the slow motion replay continued it became even more obvious that the only part of Carlos Ruiz that made contact with Eddie Robinson was his elbow. The headshot and the resulting performance to deflect punishment from the act were disgusting, reprehensible and beneath contempt. What makes this even more disturbing is that both sides soon divided their attention and focus from the run of play as Houston became actively involved in looking for a little pay back. And then to further exacerbate the situation Ruiz happened to be in the six yard box when a through ball bounced off his foot into the back of the net. As Ruiz was rushing towards the sideline he roughly shouldered his way into and past Adrian Serioux. Luckily for Ruiz Serioux didn't do the reflexive thing and take Ruiz's head off and hand it to him.
Carlos Ruiz has somehow equated soccer with roller derby or TV wrestling. He has removed any semblance of class or expertise from his limited repertoire and replaced them with dirty tricks and B-movie theatrics. I love the game of soccer and am saddened and ashamed whenever I see anyone corrupt it with this kind of behavior. Maybe I'm overly critical or unwarranted in my opinion, but I've seen the game played well and I know the standards to which these athletes are held. Carlos Ruiz is sub-standard in all aspects.
