Some thoughts on the end of the world cup. I still can't shake the bitter taste in my mouth days later. Charles Barkley always proclaims that American basketball stars are not to be revered as heros. They are just basketball stars. We turned Zidane into an idol, especially this last year as he came back to the French team. 'Dieu est de retours' said Thierry Henry; 'God is back.' Even as he slowed our game against Mexico and then in competition against Switzerland, he was still controlling the match. Raymond Domenech doesn't seem to take shit from anyone, he's a man who (is not a great coach but at least) speaks his mind. But even Domenech couldn't take Zidane out of a game when he wasn't performing up to his expected perfection.

I digress. I'm trying to say that the headbutt brought Zidane back down where he belonged, on earth. Materazzi is a primo douche bag, I've thought that throughout the competition. The French commentators in looking for a feeble link in Italy chose him, and I agree. Too bad their feeble link robbed me of my great happiness. Materazzi is a douche bag and it is my supreme hope that we learn whatever nasty comment he made to Zidane, if only to burn that motherfucker forever.

Other comments:
1. I'm obviously glad things turned out the way they did, but Scolari, honey, you watched Nuno Gomes perform in the cake game gift to Germany; now will you finally put him in your starting lineup? I've been asking nicely now for a while. Just because Pauleta has the stats doesn't mean he has the desire.

2. At least Ribery was hungry for the ball for the first 5 games, that covered for his complete lack of finesse. In the bar in San Francisco at which I watched the France-Brazil match someone catcalled, 'Ribery' everytime he had the ball which only highlighted for everyone his persistent fumbles, his overshoots (did I blog about how he's playing rugby out there?), and his lame passes back to his idol (see above), Zidane.

3. We missed Cisse. We missed him badly. That spark on offense was missing throughout. Of course, Italy had no Cisse, certainly not in Luca Toni. You can't win a World Cup with only one striker goes my father's adage, well the Italians proved that one wrong.

4. At least we showed that 1998 wasn't a mistake, that we belong up there with the other World Cup winners (and maybe, if I may vaunt, in spite of our draw to them in the 2002 World Cup), above Uruguay.

5. I especially liked Thuram's quote from before the match, something like 'It'll be the first time 6 players from Serie C play in a World Cup final.'

6. Allez les bleus, allez les bleus. La victoire est toujours en nous.