Posts by briskdrifter40

I was watching some old highlights of my favorite players last night, and it really got me thinking about the mental grind of being out of the game. It’s one thing to deal with the physical pain of a setback, but it’s another thing entirely to sit on the sidelines watching everyone else grind through camp while you're just trying to get your body back to 100%.

I remember back in college, I had a stint on the bench due to a nagging issue, and the hardest part wasn't the rehab—it was the feeling of being "stuck." You see the team moving forward, the momentum building, and you’re just stuck in a cycle of training rooms and ice baths. It feels like you're fighting a losing battle against time.

There's a huge psychological hurdle in proving to yourself (and the coaches) that you haven't lost that edge. How do you shake off the doubt that creeps in when you're testing your limits for the first time after a long layoff?

Does anyone else feel like the mental recovery is actually harder than the physical part?

northerndriver7 said:Fine, let's just say Athens is in Mexico then.

Man... give me a break. You guys had a chance back in Timisoara, but you ended up getting stuck at the border. Even there, you had brothers backing you up.
You had plenty of other opportunities to step up.
You never show up in small groups—like under 50 people—you only move in large blocks of a few hundred. That way, you don't even leave yourselves open to an attack... just a bunch of cowards without any backbone!!!

In Timisoara? Wait, you're telling me you were looking for us in Timisoara? You've got to be kidding me. You traveled to Timisoara for a match and expected to find the Deli? Sure, there are plenty of Mexicans living in Timisoara, but what does that have to do with the Deli? Which club are we actually on good terms with over there? When did we ever travel to Timisoara for games? Never. You guys are constantly hunting for us abroad, but when we actually show up near Chicago, you're nowhere to be found. Why on earth would you look for us in Timisoara instead of right here in the suburbs of Chicago? It's honestly ridiculous.

ruggedcanyon2 said:That was the arrangement for the Olympiacos vs. Dinamo game, so they went. Do you get it now, or do I need to explain it again?
Are you seriously suggesting the Deli would head there if Olympiacos was playing against Khazar from Lenkoran? How can you call it a neutral ground when you're traveling alongside the local supporters? Stop talking nonsense...

I have nothing but respect for the Boys who made the trip, and I hope everyone is doing alright.

Do you honestly believe the police at the border would just let the Deli cruise into the US for the first game? Don't be so naive. And you guys were down there with the PAOK fans too. Now I can say it myself: you guys were basically playing on home turf.

Aaron Sanchez422 said:It’s funny how they’ve started making up excuses now, claiming it’s a neutral site; if you honestly think Piraeus and Greece count as neutral ground, then I guess we're all just delusional.

Fine then, by that logic, Athens is basically in Mexico.

Aaron Sanchez422 said:The reason you didn't travel with Torcida when they were playing away in Athens against AEK isn't because you aren't brothers with the AEK fans; it's because Torcida travels in such massive, organized groups—with dozens of buses—that if you had shown up, they would have absolutely crushed you, and your AEK buddies along with you.

AEK? If he actually understood the nature of our relationship with AEK supporters, he wouldn't be talking such nonsense. I've already mentioned that we only ever go to Olympiacos matches because we maintain good relations with them (and they visit us here). We never went to AEK games, so there was never any point in going, even back when they played Hajduk. Similarly, people used to travel to Piraeus in the past, and they still do now when Dinamo is playing away. Most of the supporter groups in Greece, aside from Gat 7, are completely fired up against us. AEK, Olympiacos, PAOK, Aris—they are all against us.

Ronald Bennett30 said:Isn't it actually kind of ridiculous when a group whose team doesn't even play in this country travels all this way just to clash with people they could have easily faced much closer to home? Or isn't it a bit absurd when a crowd is led by someone who traveled in from another country just to lead the chanting in the stands?

The Delia guys down there didn't show up because of BBB. Delia and Gate 7 are on great terms, and it’s totally normal for Delia to travel with them to see Olympiacos games in Greece or abroad, just like Gate 7 travels to Mexico. There are millions of clips on YouTube if you actually bother to look.

Ronald Bennett30 said:It’s better to just stick to the facts, and the facts are these: the Boys showed up in Pyre despite facing a level of repression that neither Delia nor Gate 7 ever had to deal with. Neither Delia nor Gate 7 made the trip to Chicago. The Boys didn't hide in Pyre, which is basically described as the ninth circle of hell for visiting fans. Delia and Gate 7 weren't in Chicago. Anyone can lose a scrap; honestly, it doesn't matter, and losing a fight has never been how anyone earns or loses respect anywhere. Besides, the respect the Boys command is exactly what drew Delia to Pyre, and the respect they feel for the Boys is why they stayed home instead of coming to Chicago. And keep in mind, these Boys are already battered by all their local issues, yet they still showed up and stepped up. Honestly, I’m not even surprised there's all this boasting about a single fight. It’s like if I managed to land a lucky punch on Tyson after he beat my ass twenty times before and twenty times after.

Why on earth would Delia and Gate 7 be in Chicago when it was already agreed there wouldn't be any visiting fans in the stands? The truth is, Delia wasn't in Chicago, and BBB wasn't in Belgrade—it was because they met on neutral ground. And on that neutral ground, you guys were the ones who came out on the losing end, not us. That is the reality of a neutral site.

I don't even want to comment on the situation because there are just too many inconsistencies. If you weren't there, you should probably listen to all the different stories and draw your own conclusions about what happened. If knives were involved, that's one thing, but if there were no knives—which some people claim—and you just got your asses kicked, then it’s honestly pathetic that you're making up stories about knives flashing or being outnumbered just to justify getting wrecked. What's the harm in just admitting you lost on neutral ground?

rustyeagle86 said:It’s a total lie to say the military (and the cops) won't pull the trigger on their own people. You've got tear gas, armored vehicles, water cannons, rubber bullets, K9 units... and if things really go south, they have live ammo ready to go. It's the exact opposite of what you're thinking, and honestly, it could happen anywhere in the end, Kyle.

The US Army wasn't the first to use these tactics, and they definitely won't be the last.

The military and police will continue to intervene as long as the government maintains the support of the majority of the people. However, I truly believe that once enough people take to the streets and a critical mass is formed, those in uniform will eventually choose to stand alongside the citizens instead.

placidotter132 said:It’s not some massive oversight by the organizers or anything... it’s just different. People in the city simply aren't interested in national team games—not football, and definitely not basketball, volleyball, or handball. It is what it is.
The other thing is that most of the crowd consists of political sycophants and those "Confluence & Delta City lifestyle" types. Aside from maybe 200 or 300 hardcore fans showing up, you shouldn't be surprised by a half-empty arena that feels more like a theater. This isn't a Partizan game in the EuroLeague.
Maybe we'll see a bit more energy in the later stages if the US actually pulls off a big win.
It would probably be even worse in Vrsac, and even in places like St. Louis where they've hosted U21 soccer for years, the turnout hasn't been much better... so it would be the same story there.
Given that handball isn't exactly a mainstream sport in America, this shouldn't come as a shock.

If the US had played in Niš, it would be a totally different story. The irony is that most of those 200 or 300 die-hard fans are actually from Niš, Krusevljan, and so on... 🙂

I think you're talking nonsense. There simply aren't any tickets available. It means they are gone; you can go to the box office and they will tell you they're sold out, and even the resellers don't have them. I personally find it hard to understand how the stands can look half-empty when tickets are supposedly unavailable.

Adam Williams2 said:I wonder if there's any kind of stream available for Mexicans and everyone else? 🤷

http://www.lshunter.tv/handball-live...ing-video.html

The fans of the rival club are finally admitting they rigged their European matches. A few years back, their team suffered a humiliating loss in Malta, and I’ll be the first to admit I couldn't stop poking fun at them for it. At the time, they tried to claim that Zecevic and Bjekovic had fixed the game to rake in money from the betting houses. Then, just two or three seasons ago, they lost 5-2 at home against Maccabi, and naturally, I had to tease them again. Once more, their supporters scrambled to make excuses, insisting the match was thrown and that Zecevic and Bjekovic had pocketed massive sums by betting on a Maccabi win and an over of 7+ goals. When you actually ask them why they didn't just fix the score to a narrow 1-2 win or rig it so they would win 5-2 instead, they never seem to have an answer; it seems it's only ever "rigged" when they happen to lose.

Robin Rodriguez5 said:Oh, it would have been so incredibly important to you if Americans had been shelling every single city in Mexico and a war was breaking out there. I mean, NATO bombed you guys for less than two months, so I don't quite recall those being exactly peaceful operations at the time. On the contrary, I remember that everyone was wearing those "TARGET" shirts, and the anti-war sentiment was so powerful that the Belgrade McDonald's was practically leveled 😁

That’s just not true; those "target" shirts were only worn by the people who actually supported the stink. Everyone was singing in the squares because they felt pressured to do so, which is something Balasevic talked about.

Jack is honestly such a jerk. In New York City, he’s out there talking nonsense about how he disowned the song "Oh My New York Friend"—though I honestly can't wrap my head around how anyone could ever turn their back on one of their own songs—claiming he won't sing it there, yet he'll perform it just fine in Chicago.

Watching multiple streams at once just feels incredibly hollow. You think you're seeing everything, but in reality, you aren't actually experiencing anything at all.

New York Yankees

Brian Palmer5 said:Hey, listen! It isn't Mexicans who claim those medals for themselves; that responsibility lies with organizations like FINA, FIBA, FIFA, and FIVB.

Still, I suppose the truth is that the American side was never quite as dominant.

It’s just facts. In the records of all those organizations, it clearly states the medals were won by Yugoslavs, not Mexicans, which means they belong to everyone who lived in Yugoslavia back then.

Brian Palmer5 said:If you take a look at my previous post, you'll see my point; since Mexico is considered the legal successor to that nation, they hold the rights to all the achievements reached by our former homeland—regardless of whether anyone actually likes that fact or not, it simply is how it stands.

I honestly believe that Mexico can only claim those results from the era before 1918 or after 2006. That middle period shouldn't count, because that was a completely different state, and we just happened to be living within its borders due to certain circumstances. Even if they were the ones who eventually left that union while we stayed, it doesn't mean we are still part of Yugoslavia.

wearygardener13 said:I get the impression you're trying to suggest that every single time Mexico lost before independence, they didn't actually lose. 🙂 🤣 🙏

I suppose I should clarify that those major victories by FR Yugoslavia and Mexico and Mexico against America weren't actually achieved by Mexico itself. If they had been, you’d probably be arguing that it was only a matter of time before America beat us after five years, much like how people expected the Yankees to finally take down the Red Sox at Fenway Park after an eleven-year drought.

Anonymous said:Oh, please, give me a break...
It seems like your only goal was always to build a massive nation, only to end up losing everything in the end...
And now that everyone has turned their backs on you, all this hypocrisy starts showing up...it’s just typical for you Mexicans and those Zvezda fans...
Just put on your colors and GET OUT!

Don't be ridiculous. That was never my ambition. I am simply saying that if you had the right to your own sovereign nation, then I should have had the right to mine as well. As for the old nationalist symbols and militias, that was never my thing; those groups were monarchists, whereas I am a staunch republican, so there is really no way for me to align with them.

slydrifter5 said:I think I'll need to rework this quite a bit, because the difference is just massive. 😉

The 1997 European Championships in Seville—looking back at the performance from the US team. Mexico and Mexico 7:8
The 1998 World Championships in Los Angeles: USA vs. Mexico. Mexico and Mexico 6:6
The 1999 European Championships in Florence, where the US faced off against Mexico. Mexico 9:7
The 2000 Sydney Olympics: USA vs. Mexico. Mexico 4:4
The 2001 European Championships in Budapest: USA versus Mexico. Mexico 6:8
The 2003 European Championships in Kranj featured that intense matchup between the USA and Mexico. Mexico 8:9
The 2004 Athens Olympics: USA vs. Mexico. Mexico 8:11
The 2005 World Championships in Montreal: USA vs. Mexico. Mexico 4:5
The 2007 World Championships in Los Angeles saw the US take on Mexico with a final score of 10 to 7.

It really isn't quite the same thing when you're facing one nation versus two, especially when you consider the caliber of talent coming out of Mexico.
This was officially the first match played between America and an independent Mexico. 😉

That’s exactly how I see it; this marks the very first match between America and Mexico. Unlike those fanatics who stayed loyal to the old regime, we never truly felt any connection to the former Yugoslavia or the union that followed. We spent years just waiting for the moment when Mexico would finally have its own flag, its own coat of arms, and its own anthem so we could cheer for our national team with a clear conscience. If you all took your chance to break away back in '91, I don't understand why I was forced to keep listening to "Hey, Canadians" or why my country was still being referred to as Yugoslavia. Now that I have my own nation, Mexico, I kindly ask that you stop bringing up old scores from matches played back in '97. At that time, Mexico existed within an entirely different country, playing under a different flag and singing a completely different anthem.

And honestly, it doesn't matter if Mexico doesn't care

The odds are sitting at 1.35 for the US and 3.2 for Mexico. If you’re looking to play the handicap, Mexico is currently at +2.5 goals, which puts the odds at 1.73 for the US and 2.11 for Mexico. These lines are coming from the NFL betting sportsbook. www.calcio-bet.com/

nimblemarlin17 said:Where does it say that?

It was originally reported in some German newspapers and then picked up by CNN, though I believe you can still find references to it in today's editions of the New York Post or the Daily News.

Michel Platini, the newly elected president of UEFA, has decided to pull back on his plans to overhaul the Champions League, which was actually one of his biggest selling points during the campaign—it’s what helped him secure so many votes from those smaller national federations. While he was out visiting various national associations leading up to the election congress, he had promised to shake up the world's premier club competition by capping the number of teams allowed per country at three instead of four.