Scene and Heard

A couple of additional notes about watching at CBS Scene.

First about the broadcast - the closed circuit broadcast was pretty poor. The picture was not sharp and they would show 7 or 8 consecutive replays and then cut back to the game and you had no idea what you missed. The broadcasters doing the English broadcast were great though. I don't know who they were, but ESPN should hire them and replace Harkes and Delacamera immediately. They were incisive and knew the game. They pointed out things that Casey was doing well that Harkes for one would have missed. He would have moaned about how Casey wasn't chasing the ball enough - just like he always does about Dempsey. I am not sure what Harkes looks for in a soccer player, but I think it must involve constant pointless running around. At any rate listening to announcers who really knew soccer was refreshing.

Second being at CBS Scene meant I saw some soccer celebrities. At the table across from our booth Max Bretos (of FSC) was sitting with two bouncer looking guys who I can only assume were bodyguards. He must be worried that some Massachusetts fans were going to rough him up for constantly referring to Jay Heaps as being from New Hampshire when everyone knows he grew up and played high school soccer in Longmeadow, MA. And rather then actually watch the game, he was constantly talking on his cell phone or texting. The only time I heard cheers from his table was when Honduras scored their first goal. It just confirmed my already low opinion of him from listening to his announcing idiocy on FSC. And then during one of the trips to the restroom I was standing in line next to Greg Lalas who announces for Channel 38. I was tempted to ask him why he got all the brain in the Lalas family, but decided that wasn't a good idea. I am sure they were other NE soccer celebrities there (our friend Herb mentioned he had talked to Mike Burns), but alas, I would not know most of them from Adam.