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Originally posted by Groundhog Boy I wasn't getting all excited about it. It's just a common theme I've seen in this forum all World Cup, and the padding comment has been made repeatedly and I just don't get it. If you look at the way those guys hit each other, it'd be inhumane to send them out without pads. Soccer players get fouls called for minimal contact quite a bit and it's for their protection. In American football, they aren't fouls because that's how the game's played, and it's designed to be more violent, thus they need the padding. It's like saying boxers are pussies because they use gloves and don't bare-knuckle.

the comparison isnt with football/soccer but with rugby..its a game of similar physical contact but much much less padding..but i appreciate that american footballers are hard bastards, and very good athletes

I still dont understand how people can justify zidanes action with "oh he was being taunted" or "oh he was being harrassed and agressed during the whole game". I give him credit for being a great player and not whining, that gets respect in my books, but blatant agression like that is never justified in a professional game. Anyone who has played any sport at tournament levels knows that taunting, agression and intimidation are part of all sports. I agree that this is being blown out of proportion, but there is no excuse for hitting someone like that in the middle of a tournament game and less in a final. I will also say this, it was a selfish action. At such high levels of play your playing for your team, your part of your team, and your team takes precedence over you. A player with his experience should know this, his actions were inexcusable. My vote goes for inexcusabe ovbiously, and seriously stop justifying, there's no excuse, he probably gave materazzi the greatest pleasure possible when he headbutted him cuz in the end materazzi got exactly what he wanted, zidane expelled, and a slight edge for italy during the rest of the match.

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Poetry>Byron//Blog>TheMean

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Orbax At that point you kind of crossed the rubicon and you might as well lay siege to Rome

I don't really agree with that column.

Did Materazzi deserve to get his bitch ass taught a lesson? Yes.

Was it appropriate for Zidane to whomp his ass in the middle of the game? No.

Make whatever comparisons you may. This is football. If you strike someone intentionally, you will get sent off--those are the rules. While Materazzi may have deserved it, Zidane was the team captain and playmaker. Prior to that moment, France was completely dominating a tired, poorly showing Italy. When he got sent off, France lost a lot of its leadership and momentum.

Now, no one can say absolutely for sure that France would have won had Zidane remained on the pitch for those final 10 minutes. But no one can deny that they would have had a much better chance to (I'm talking about in regular OT, not penalties, in which Italy's keeper gave them the advantage anyways).

In a personal, man to man sense, props to Zidane for busting that ****** good. But this is a team game, and his action hurt the entire team. That makes it unappropriate.

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Originally posted by nrjizer (I'm talking about in regular OT, not penalties, in which Italy's keeper gave them the advantage anyways).

FYI, buffon got voted as the GK for the world cup best XI while barthez made the world cup worst XI.

Materazzi put on a good show. Check out the slow mo replays. He kicks his legs forward after the hit which makes for a nice little dive in typical Italian fashion. Prima donnas to the end...

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mmmm.. delicious...

bah

any Zidane haters need to STFU.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYUt...w&search=Zidane

No player of this generation is capable of things like that. He is, or was, today's (or yesterday's) Pele.

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"No offense, but you're stupid"

No one is saying that Zidane shouldnt have gotten a red card - trust me, the red card was VERY WELL deserved (despite the fact that it seemed like Buffon was being a lil cry-baby, telling on Zidane, but whatever).

Zidane did get a red card, he deserved it. But was it a bad thing to do? not really. I probably would have done the same thing if some ass was to say something racist (if that's wot was said) to me.
But then again, i am very short-tempered.

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Originally posted by Dj Smitty20 bah any Zidane haters need to STFU. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYUt...w&search=Zidane

I'm not trying to accomplish anything with this, so regardless of whether you hate him or worship him, just watch this video:

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> S u s h i p u n k . P h o t o g r a p h y <

^truly a master.


he'll be missed.

quote:

Originally posted by Deejiuana i am very short-tempered.

i don't know of any middle eastern who is not

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[/IMG]http://i54.tinypic.com/ngycqo.png[/IMG]

I REALLY hope to see him again.

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Originally posted by Porky *right click + save as*

"right hand unzip, stroke, repeat, release the doves, wipe, zip up" is more like it

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quote:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

--Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)