By Way of Introduction…

By: Jeff | February 25th, 2008

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To paraphrase Admiral John Stockdale, “Who am I? Why am I here?”

(NOTE: Sorry to keep using that line. There’s just something about Stockdale’s performance in the 1992 vice presidential debate: to see a man of such accomplishment reduced over the course of one hour or so into a national punch-line; positively searing. Now I just hope I have the correct year…)

Hello, my name is Jeff Bull. You may remember me from such blogs as, It’s a Simple Game, Center Holds It, Angry Daydream, Goat Fancy, The Sally Field Admirer, and The Herpes Lighthouse - A Forum for Partners. (OK, only the first two - and I think I deleted the third). I volunteered/was strong-armed into writing about the Rapids this season - and possibly beyond - due perhaps to a project I assigned myself on January 7 of this year. You can read all about that here, read an update here, but, in basic terms, it’s a simple thing: between the Colorado Rapids and the Columbus Crew, which Major League Soccer (MLS) original club can revive its fortunes in 2008? And which can do it with the same coach at the helm.

I’ll concern myself here exclusively with the Rapids. At time of writing, I plan on posting that larger narrative on my current home - Center Holds It - but will link to those posts from here for those curious about the project. What holds the two together - in real terms? No clue. But it’s my stretch and I’m sticking to it.

Now, to brasstacks. I don’t think there’s an interpretation under which I could get away with being identified as a Colorado Rapids fan. That said, I do like them - especially since they picked up that “bit o’ nasty” toward the end of 2005 - and fully expect to feel a healthy mix of enthusiasm, joy, and pain as I follow their fortunes through the year. More to the point, they genuinely interest me - especially Fernando Clavijo’s decency-defying longevity. At the same time, I understand there’s a kind of awkwardness to this from a Rapids fan’s perspective. To give an analogy, it’s a little like having sex with a woman with whom your friend is madly in love and describing it to him afterwards.

So, no, I’m not going to give a certain perspective on all this - I’m not emotionally-equipped to do so - but can warmly recommend several sites to “real” Rapids fans where they can find and enjoy this kind of coverage. And, speaking for myself, I’ll link to and borrow from these cats throughout the season:

Black Panther - A Soccer Blog (and a good one)
From College to Pros (no link; my machine freezes on every visit)
FC Rocky (big media peeps - and good ones)
Rapids Class VI (very good, very heart on sleeve)
View From The Couch (good site and, c’mon, the title alone sells it)
We Want Rapids Man (dormant for now, but…who knows?)

That’s a respectable roundup, I hope. And I’m assuming you all know about Big Soccer. Anyway, I hope all these guys come by to correct what I miss and generally keep me straight on Rapids news.

But, wait, there’s less!

It seems fair to point out here that I’m not an inhabitant of Denver, never mind a Colorado. I live in the Portland, Oregon burbs. And, also, I just found out that, due to inexplicably spotty coverage from MLSLive.tv and a decision to air them on media I can access I will miss seven Rapids’ games this season - including the final two (all I can say there is, WTF?! The last two?!). And, yeah, that sucks.

So, what do I offer? Well, me, I guess. I try to make things enjoyable and, when possible, smart. I also try to be honest about my shortcomings and blind-spots, I try to credit others when they do the work, etc. At any rate, I enjoy this stuff and hope you’ll enjoy what I post here throughout the season.

Expect something later today…or tomorrow. And, no, they won’t all be this long.