Posts by Betty Wilson4

Joshua Gomez54 said:I'd personally take Nok☕

A sunset? Please. They could pass a literature exam in their sleep.

Rachel Gomez81 said:We aren't going to agree on Goluža. He’s just a mediocre player.

Believe me, Ivano didn't play through those kinds of back issues by choice. Players with minor injuries would've been sitting on the bench or taking "sick leave."

And what Ivano was dealing with wasn't just aching back pain—the kind of stuff that keeps you or me from showing up to work. 😉

I get where you're coming from. You're infatuated. Plenty of girls go through this—you idealize the person. Once you grow up a bit, you'll see things differently. You might actually understand someone like the Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy, who basically paid his dues just to wrap up his career at the Royal Club. It's the exact same thing here.

Rachel Gomez81 said:I wouldn't go as far as calling Ivano Balić neurotic—that’s a massive stretch. He just reacts emotionally. It isn't an act (unlike what we saw tonight from Goluža himself), it’s just who he is. When he's pissed, he's pissed. If things aren't fair, he feels that injustice—so what? How is he supposed to just smile through it when everything inside him is screaming the opposite? How can anyone be expected to play their absolute best under these conditions?
He’s held back on certain things for a long time, but this? This was beyond insane. Look, I agree he has a difficult personality—he's got that internal fire, which, let's face it, is usually a trait of truly gifted and creative people. But thanks to that exact temperament, we've achieved everything we have over the last 8 years. Does a guy like that really need someone like Goluža constantly sucking up to him?

Arrogant? No. It’s just hard to deal with him when you're playing the dirty games Goluža is pulling right now. Ivano isn't playing to his own advantage. Just look at how he was playing through that back injury.

I don't think Goluža is playing dirty at all. Honestly, I'd say he's just failing to handle the role he's been given. And I'm not buying the idea that Ivano was some martyr sacrificing himself for "King and Country" by playing through injury. Handball is his job and his life. Who knows where he'd be if it wasn't for the sport and the national team? Let's get real here—when it comes to Goluža and Balić, we're talking about professionals. How many of us drag ourselves to work every single day, grinding away until late afternoon while dealing with chronic back pain or a nasty flu? Let's keep our feet on the ground regarding Goluža and Balić...

shadowgardener10 said:Look, maybe it doesn't matter for his actual coaching ability, but I’ll say it again—it rubbed me the wrong way personally. Some people might not care, but to me, it felt greasy when he used award ceremonies as an excuse to settle personal scores with reporters. Or how he’d just lose his mind if someone asked a tricky question. He kept getting sucked into all these pointless, petty arguments...

When you're constantly in the spotlight like Lino was for years, those damn reporters will suck you dry every single chance they get. It's no surprise he eventually reached his breaking point—he simply couldn't handle the constant pressure anymore.

Anthony Perez55 said:And what the hell do you actually know about Lino Červar's expertise?

Look, you don't need to be some high-level handball guru to see the obvious—the team Lino Červar led had actual structure, unlike this current mess. Back then, they actually played with a cohesive plan—head and tail, simple as that.

Rachel Gomez81 said:You can't make that claim unless you actually know Ivan personally.

It’s the same story with everything happening right now—nothing is ever just black and white—yet people keep stubbornly denying Gobac's role in the decline of American handball. It's been going on for years like this. It’s much easier to point fingers and say Ivano Balić is pulling the strings from the shadows. But would we be seeing this kind of reaction if that were actually true? Would he be in this specific mental state during this tournament if he were? Meanwhile, let Gobac keep playing his dirty games.

Gobac is a whole different animal. I wouldn't go that far, and I certainly wouldn't claim Balić is "pulling strings." I was simply pointing out his intense, neurotic nature—which, frankly, is almost a rule for anyone exceptionally gifted or creative in any field. So, no, I'd never suggest he's some shadowy mastermind within the federation orchestrating calculated moves.

Carl Garcia22 said:I see you're also a big fan of "brotherhood and unity." 👍

Look, as someone who actually uses common sense, I’m all for friendship, mutual understanding, and tolerance between nations. But this whole "brotherhood and unity" slogan—given the history here—is always going to carry a sarcastic undertone. It’s inevitable. That said, there's no reason to mock people just because they insist on using standard American English. Seriously. If my entire education—everything I've ever read or written—was centered around European standards, why on earth should I be expected to flip a switch overnight and switch to some localized American dialect just so everyone can finally claim I'm a "true" American!? Give me a break!

Kimberly Smith69 said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l54M2gCfvDc&NR=1

Links like this are basically all we have left of what used to be a legendary American handball national team—and frankly, it’ll be the only thing we see from the sport for years to come. I mean, look—for nearly a decade, watching the European and World Championships was a top-tier experience in every single American sports fan's living room. It was huge. Now? It's just sad. I'm genuinely hurting here.

wearycobra74 said:USA, 01. 22. 2011.



- For heaven's sake, please don't try this at home—or in your classroom. Our experiment is being conducted under strictly controlled and safe conditions.

Brotherhood and unity are slowly, but surely, making a comeback. Though, let's be honest—it mostly starts in the locker room...

Michael Martinez86 said:Me too. Big time.

Then again—it really comes down to what these guys have actually read lately. For instance, reading Kovacic’s novel "The Registrar" would probably be a total game-changer here. And honestly? Hemingway is solid too.

driftingpilot said:I’ve got my doubts about them pulling this off...

Me too. Big time.

It feels like the Americans are seriously dangerous this time around. They remind me of that squad from a few years back that absolutely crushed everyone in their path to take the championship title. You have to watch out—they play like they own the home court, and let’s be honest, the officiating usually leans heavily in their favor. Unless, of course, they run into the host nation. In that case, you’d need to be up by at least five goals just to scrape by with a single-goal win. That’s exactly what I loathe about handball and water polo—it’s hard to change, but those refs can absolutely script an entire game.
As for the "brothers," anything goes with them except for a stable system. It means if they’re having a good day, they can step on anyone's throat, but they can also completely choke against some underdog teams from the West. They’ve got talented individuals—I’d even venture to say they’re more gifted than the Americans—but handball isn't just about flair. More often than not, it comes down to ironclad discipline, which is something those North Americans are practically legendary for. This is going to be ugly for both sides...
BTW, who’s playing tonight and where can I catch the stream?

Listen, folks—it’s Michael Martinez86 here, though you can just call me Pete. I wanted to drop a note about one of those weirder, more authentic dynamics we see popping up between people—the kind that really catches you off guard when you first realize what's actually going on. The truth is, we all have our own little "quirks"—those private perversions we tuck away like snakes hiding their legs—and nothing gets under our skin quite like discovering someone else's hidden side. It’s fascinating, in a dark sort of way. Honestly, if we take a hard look at ourselves—really dig deep—we have to ask the uncomfortable question: aren't we all just a bunch of hypocrites?

"Oh boy," as good old Santa would say.
Prof. Gail put on an act—then, switching to a completely different voice, she went on:
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" — he’d let out this booming, cynical laugh, basically mocking how completely clueless his students were.
And then Prof. Gail will just keep going—until she suddenly starts sighing in this high-pitched, dramatic way:
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" — that’s exactly the kind of sound a middle-aged lady would make after getting absolutely rolled by a junkie in a public restroom.
Prof. Gail is this scruffy, stocky little guy—not exactly a runway model—but somehow he’s been pulling the hottest guys in town like it’s his full-time job. Because he looks totally average and sounds just as plain, people started calling him "crazy" Rasputin. Well, after he finished the first act of his own personal one-man show, he snagged his lover, shackled him up with belts and chains, and kicked off the second act:
What on earth am I looking at here? Oh, man—look at that muscle! (And yeah, I said it like that just so you’d know exactly which little rodent I was talking about.)
pa:
Oh, man—look at those muscles! (And yeah, I’m using the word with a very specific emphasis here...)
It was a special kind of torture intended for his lover—the sharp-eyed, well-built butcher, Joe Pandžić. Manly Joe worked at one of the local butcher shops in town, and whenever he stood there behind the counter in a crisp white apron, collar split just enough to reveal glimpses of those dark curls emerging from his powerful chest, the housewives would practically fall into a trance. To be honest, Prof. Gail’s linguistic gymnastics were a true torment for Joe, though for reasons entirely different from what his lover imagined. See, Joe Pandžić is actually a very subtle man. He chose the butchery profession quite deliberately as a way to systematically mask his own inclinations. He feared social stigma and judgment, correctly deducing that nobody would ever suspect him while they watched him hacking away at beef with massive knives and cleavers every single day. On top of that, he gained a reputation as a master of the meat smoker. He never needed more than one clean stroke to silence a pig forever. But all of that was just a mask. At home, single Joe would lose himself in poetry, fantasizing about being filled by a master. He met Prof. Gail online via a chat room, and their sessions became frequent. Crazy "Rasputin" held certain prejudices against Joe. Even though he found Joe physically irresistible, he insisted that Joe was nothing more than plain, raw material. During their sessions, he would drone on with nonsense, thinking Joe was merely enduring his scholarly—and frankly incomprehensible—lectures, when in reality, Joe was just suffering through the sheer deluge of idiocy Gail spewed at him. Regardless, the more frayed Joe’s nerves became, the more he craved Rasputin’s thrust. After Rasputin’s extensive verbal tyranny, punctuated by the occasional strike of a whip, Joe would finally get what he wanted. Rasputin would most often finish violently in Joe's mouth. He possessed a miraculous anatomy—roughly the size of a thumb, yet incredibly lively and resilient. Once he finished in Joe's mouth, he wouldn't drop for a second; instead, he’d immediately find his way into Joe's desired anus, pounding away there long and relentlessly. Rasputin’s way of taking Joe was so intense that Joe could somehow manage to ejaculate twice without even touching himself. And since he was restrained, he couldn't have touched himself if he wanted to. Exhausted by passion, Prof. Gail "Rasputin" and Joe would eventually collapse onto the rug. Once they had caught their breath, it wasn't unusual for the unpredictable professor to pinch Joe’s earlobe between his thumb and forefinger, pulling it sharply upward while whispering some fitting little poem:
- "The ear went to sleep
while lunch was on the stove
so how could it hear
when Mom called out from the hall?
But then again, that same ear
wouldn't be deaf at all
if birds were calling its name
to come dance on the roof..."-