Dear Masters of the Football,

Finally, the Ramadan break is over and the World's Greatest Show begins again in Indonesia. But before we look ahead let's recap Was war passiert? (as the Germans say). Recall the write-up in the last newsletter about the DOIT boys going for the trophy this season? Well, my prediction came true! DOIT Satu Lagi finally beat the former almighty Wanderers 3-2 at BIS Stadium on a sweltering day a week ago last Saturday. I thought that it was a rather slowly played match but they made their chances count. And they ran more and ran faster than the league champions did which, in the end, gave them the victory. I have to say that some of the Wanderers actually felt happy for them because they were so happy after the match. And then all of the emails going back and forth keeps the momentum going for DOIT as well. The only thing that I thought wasn't really sporting is the name that they keep giving the Wanderers in their match reports. They are calling them Dale's Deadbeats for some reason. Now that seems a bit harsh considering that the so called 'deadbeats' have a load of former professionals including World Cup veteran and former captain of Cameroon with 65 caps to his name, Jules-Denis Onana, who was chosen in the World Cup '90's Super 11 along with Franco Baresi, Roger Milla, & Lothar Mathaus among others. And considering that cultural icons like the great Fandi Ahmad play for the same club.  Not to mention national heroes like Eladio Rojas-Reyes who was a former Chilean Player of the Year and country's Top Goalscorer.  And this is without even mentioning Max Belli who is everybody's favorite and a former DOIT champion himself. So, I guess that they either hate Dale for some completely inexplicable reason or something else as yet unidentified is going on here but, regardless of that, it should not mean that they hate the team nor the players on that team just because they hate the one man. Does it? In fact, I would think that the players in this league would be happy to have such talented former professionals in the league. Surely there is something to learn from such esteemed colleagues? 

When I was growing up we were starved for anybody who even knew anything about football.  We flocked around any guy who even had a English accent excitedly asking him about England and the teams and players there and what it was like to see a real English match live and then suddenly the NASL (precursor to the English Premier League) arrived in 1974 with the New York Cosmos signing the world's greatest player, Pele, and which then saw the entire league proceed to fill itself with every great player in the world including Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, George Best, Bobby Moore, Johan Cruyft, Johan Neeskens, Geoff Hurst, Alan Hudson, Trevor Francis, Chinaglia, Rodney Marsh, Ace Ntsoelenge, Nene Cubillas, Carlos Alberto, Mike England & Dennis Tuart, just to name a handful that immediately pop into my head and that you too might recognize). It is even the place where Harry Redknapp got his start as a manager as the Seattle Sounder's 'B' team coach under Jimmy Gabriel. Bruce Rioch, Mel Machin and Jocky Scott were other players who ended their playing careers and started their coaching careers there. That was 30 years ago when the NASL pulled that off. But I guess that this might be a cultural difference that perhaps cannot be bridged. I don't know really.  I find it rather confusing actually. I, for one, am happy that the former stars still ply their trade amongst us. But maybe I am alone, a bit old fashion, or just out of date it seems. Perhaps times have changed and people would rather try to knock those former heroes down with ridicule and banter. Too bad. Makes me miss my childhood yet, at the same time, helps me recall how good it was to go every week and see all of the world's greatest players play live every Saturday from 1974-1984. I had a lucky childhood with 10 years of the world's best players ever. I was lucky and blessed really. Hmmmm.... the NASL... what a great league that was.

Best,

Your Hero