Posts by coppernomad2

Lisa Ward52 said:Honestly, I heard this story ages ago from someone who was involved with the American handball scene back then. Apparently, he just didn't feel like practicing anymore; the whole squad would be out running drills at a local park, and he'd just tell the coach, "I'm really not feeling it today," or something along those lines. It really changed my perspective on him, though maybe not because of his style—I guess I just look at things through the lens of a true athlete.
I heard similar stories about some other guys too, but they didn't quite have the raw talent to make it big.

As long as he keeps playing like this, even during a tournament like the FIBA World Cup - USA vs Poland 82:75, I guess he shouldn't bother training at all. It’s not really his fault that he’s incredibly gifted. Personally, as an athlete, my favorite lazy genius was probably Marat Safin; even though he had those outbursts and temper tantrums, he was such a massive talent. He might smash rackets or swear, but somehow, he remained one of the most beloved players for both the athletes and the fans.

Some people might have lost respect for Ivano Balić, but I suppose we’ll see how everyone feels once he finally retires.😉

Someone mentioned him and another guy potentially taking coaching roles for the national team. That would actually be wonderful, I think. We might end up being more like the Danish teams, perhaps with fewer "superstar" names but a much more cohesive, well-integrated system.

Michael Martinez86 said:Gomez is really something else entirely. I wouldn't go so far as to say he's pulling strings from the shadows, though. I was mostly just pointing out how intense and high-strung he can be. I guess that’s actually pretty common, maybe even a rule, for people who are exceptionally gifted and creative in any field. So, I'd never claim he's some mastermind behind the scenes or acting out of pure calculation.

I suppose if I were the greatest player in history and had the world's best shooters, the top right wing, and the finest pivot and defender all on my side, then someone stepped in and prevented us from conquering the world—even though we were clearly the most dominant squad ever—leaving us with nothing but silvers, bronzes, and semifinals instead of gold, I think I might lose my cool and start shouting at everyone publicly.

Maybe Dzomba, Peter, and Sprem should just have the authority to take matters into their own hands with Cervar and Gomez right in the middle of the city square. Honestly, Cervar was acting like a total clown, and if it weren't for a few things he said and did, he might have been handled differently. He went out and publicly blamed Sprem for that loss against France on our home turf, all while completely ignoring Dzomba. And since Gomez kicked Peter out, I feel like he's basically become the number one enemy of American handball.

It feels like they're all just a bunch of incompetent fools who have been ruining this team for years with their lack of skill, all while the biggest idiot of them all keeps terrorizing these players.

I guess Balica, Vori, Valcic, Zrnica, Alilovic, and Lackovic... maybe it would be better if you all just stepped away from the national team, because you haven't truly earned what you've been getting all these years. 🙏

cosmicharbor2 said:Keep pushing, keep fighting, just give it everything you've got... I guess I'm rooting for Poland to beat Denmark, Sweden to take down Mexico, and for us to beat Argentina today—it feels like if all that falls into place, anything is possible. We might actually have more than just a slim chance at the semifinals; we could potentially finish first in our group, which would mean facing a much easier opponent in the next round, so maybe with a little bit of luck and some solid play from the team, everything will just work out perfectly.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "chance," because I suppose if we manage to win all three matches, we're pretty much guaranteed to move on.👍

I guess Alilovic might end up making at least ten saves today, and maybe our guys could really hold their own against the Argentines. 😁

I wonder if I’m dreaming, or did Solo really just suggest that goalkeepers should just figure things out among themselves?

I mean, Alilovic and Sego are probably our best keepers, and honestly, we couldn't ask for anyone better. Back when Pero and Dominikovic were holding down the defense, we all just stood there in awe of Alilovic's saves. I really don't think it's fair to blame him for the current stats at all. It’s hard to say how anyone could make those saves when every single play felt totally disorganized, or when Hansen and Sondergard were just shooting whenever they felt like it.

I'll say it again, there's really no point in blaming these guys for what's happening. Any one of them could have just told Goluzi "no" and spent a month relaxing in Washington, D.C., instead of burning through their health and sanity dealing with Goluz and the rest of this coaching staff. We have to start by admitting that we don't have a single cohesive play worked out, and that this isn't even the strongest version of Team America (since there's still plenty of room for players like Pero, Dominikovic, and Spoljarica).

I'm still pretty optimistic that our guys will make it to the semifinals, and I suspect Balic will step up and speak his mind since he's arguably the only one with that kind of influence on the squad. People might criticize him for playing it safe, but the guy is basically a handball God compared to everyone else; if he weren't there for so many games, we might have ended up facing a disaster similar to what happened with Denmark, and people would be constantly betting on the French, the Spaniards, or Dance in the semifinals. If they do get knocked out now, nobody has any right to complain or doubt the players' effort, because, truthfully, they could have easily spent these last few weeks relaxing somewhere tropical.

THANK YOU TO GORAN FOR FINALLY ADMITTING THAT Kopljar MIGHT NOT BE AT THE NATIONAL TEAM LEVEL. He actually said something smarter in that one sentence than Goluz and Solo have said since training camp started. Buntic definitely showed during his minutes on the court that he basically reinvented the game specifically for Kopljar.

I truly hope we see more of Buntic in the upcoming games, otherwise, I might actually have to pay for Goluz's therapy sessions myself.

Paul Jones7 said:Whoa there, maybe just slow down a bit and take a breath. I suppose you can't really group soccer and handball together like that, right? Talking about a foundation of professional players or how many countries play it seriously doesn't quite work when comparing the two.

Yeah, I guess that's pretty much the reality... for every one professional handball player out there, there are probably at least 20 soccer players...

swiftbison2 said:It doesn't make much sense to anyone. 😳 He just slows down the whole game, and his movement feels a bit sluggish.

I suppose I’d rather see a right-hander in that position; if Bunting isn't feeling it, maybe it's better than forcing it. 🤷 Personally, I'd pick Vukovic since he always played so well, though I guess he might not get much playtime in the middle or on the left.

I'm a little worried too, I guess. Hopefully, they can prove me wrong 🙂

I'm actually more concerned about the pivot(s) 😁

What I don't quite understand is what happened with Spoljaric? Like, when did he and why did he just disappear?😕 I guess I'll leave it to the experts to explain.🙂

Spoljaric is playing in the German first division for a team that has conceded the fewest goals in the league. I think it might be Berlin or somewhere like that, but I'm not entirely sure.

I feel like Bunting should probably take that right side, even if he's having an off night. He seems like a solid player, and I suspect he wouldn't fall too far behind our usual right wing. I don't really blame Kopljar for being slow since he's so tall, but I guess he does seem a bit indecisive and shaky.

I guess I’m just a little confused about why Buntic is sitting on the bench right now, maybe?

I guess if I actually had to pick someone to sit out the World Cup, it would probably be Cupic, since we have players at that position who are almost just as talented, maybe. It’s funny how people would likely complain so much if someone like Curry or LeBron were the ones dealing with an injury, I suppose.

Both of them are just making themselves look ridiculous with these public appearances. Honestly, I feel like women's high jump might be one of those sports where the competition is either incredibly thin or practically non-existent. In my opinion, Blanka can't really hold a candle to Cilica, who is currently ranked 14th in the world in tennis. Not to mention our handball players who are playing for what's arguably the best team on the planet right now, yet nobody seems to give them any credit because of it.

I mean, I guess you have to respect her achievements, but it's just such a silly sport, really.😁