The Armada

Under the Microscope: America's Number One Public Enemy
01/15/2009

I’ve been sitting here for days trying to figure out how to put my thoughts on paper regarding everything I’m seeing and hearing lately. Honestly, I don't even know where to start or which part of this mess stinks the most. Should I dive into the new "fan law," the absolute chaos over at Seattle Sounders FC, or maybe the national tournament down in San Diego? Whatever direction I take, it’s heavy stuff. I’d much rather be writing about something actually pleasant. Trying to craft a coherent sentence about the Administration's latest legislative move feels redundant anyway, since our fan club pretty much said it all in their official statement. But what really gets under my skin is how they’re pushing this law to the front of the agenda. They’re making it a priority right when they’re claiming there is no recession—even though thousands of people are terrified for their jobs, we’re dealing with gas shortages, corruption, doctor strikes, and shady deals involving local shipyards. It’s hard not to feel like fans are being cast as the ultimate scapegoat again, just so the government can pick a fight with us. Case in point: they just bought two new water cannons for the police, though God knows if anyone in the US has ever actually needed them. Maybe the powers that be just want to shield themselves from other types of unrest by using "hooligans" as a convenient distraction. Isn't it just another classic political spin? Pivot from the real, systemic issues to side quests to keep the public distracted. It’s incredibly hypocritical. They love to point fingers at fans, citing the massive fines our clubs and the USSF had to pay because of hooliganism in Europe, yet they conveniently forget how their own policies have tanked America's international credibility and caused economic losses measured not in thousands, but in billions of dollars. And of course, the yellow press is loving every second of this. Since they’re clearly running low on actual news, they just keep pushing the narrative that fans, hooligans, and anyone with a strong political stance are the nation's greatest threats. Sure, we have those immature, "intellectual" idiots among us who show up at the wrong time and place, giving journalists more ammunition to dissect us and turn an already hostile public against us. When people act like that, it makes it impossible for the rest of us to build any constructive arguments. All that’s left for fans, regardless of what colors they wear, is to sit down together and figure out a game plan. Honestly, yesterday was already too late, but we can't keep going like this.
While we’re busy dealing with all that, back at our beloved Seattle Sounders FC, we’re falling into the same old trap: starting preseason preparations without any real signings or a clear vision. Everything seems to hinge on one single sale. It feels like we’re constantly improvising and walking a tightrope, living hand-to-mouth. How else can you describe the disgraceful way they're handling the sale of our best player—who also happens to be the former captain? It’s embarrassing to read about him openly stating his desire to leave for our biggest rivals. Why do we keep letting the kids from this neighborhood end up wearing blue or white jerseys? Didn't the club decide we'd only sell players to overseas teams? Then they act surprised when nobody respects us and big clubs offer us crumbs for our top talent. In all this nonsense, I can't even blame Anas; he’s a bit cocky, sure, but he just wants to play for an ambitious side, and this place definitely isn't it. For years, we’ve just settled for mediocrity, celebrating minor wins and beating teams that aren't even a threat. So, next time you see one of our guys in a rival jersey, take a second to think about why it happened this way.

Before you start pointing fingers at anyone, maybe do a little homework first..

The navy showed up.. from what I can gather, it was just about 14 or 15 people all crammed into a single van...

And now the police are basically turning them away right in front of the arena because there's "no room" and they can't "guarantee safety"...

That lip was just a dream compared to when the Los Angeles Dodgers got absolutely washed out 0-4 at San Francisco.. 😢
Everything has been said.. by the way.. the cost of those water rescue vehicles runs into millions of dollars.. 😉

darkstag4 said:these guests have better bodies than the girls from Ohio.. 😁

Shame they didn't toss the jerseys at the end.. neither ours nor theirs..😁

I can picture the scene if jerseys were thrown. The crowd would probably swarm the jerseys and the players.. there would be sexual assault charges flying by the end of it..
🤣 🤣

Anyway, I'm looking for a newspaper article. The page won't load so I can't post the link. It mentions a historical torch and jersey tossing..🤣 🤣

I think I might be able to lend you a hand with that...

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/8788/hfuohw2.th.jpg

Rome to the King, memories last forever..

If anyone could tell me the original English title of this "way of life" letter you all posted... I heard it mentioned on the radio the other day and it's been bugging me ever since. Thanks in advance...

original

Kim Wilde - Cambodia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI2K8d-52rE

Mark Wilson72 said:the original

Kim Wilde - Cambodia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI2K8d-52rE

thanks, man.

USA vs South Korea Handball World Cup
01/19/2009

Whenever a major World Cup comes to the States in a sport that actually matters, it’s worth showing up—especially when they build these shiny new arenas. The national federation set aside some tickets for the fan groups, though obviously not for free. Given how broke everyone is in January, there wasn't exactly a massive rush to head down to Miami. Still, we made a deal to show up for the opener against South Korea at Madison Square Garden.

It wasn't cheap, but you can't just sit this one out, especially with handball. We remember the old days of cheering at games in San Francisco, Oakland, Kansas City, Switzerland, France, or Tunis... but man, those feel like a lifetime ago. Our national team is known for being "The Hellraisers," so they really needed a hellish crowd to back them up. We figured with ticket prices and sponsorship deals, we wouldn't see much more than a few thousand fans, but even that was an understatement. The turnout was honestly a shock for all the wrong reasons.

Once we managed to get up to the second level of this massive building, we were greeted by some local folk songs about the coast, the kind of stuff you hear at Dodgers or San Diego games. We sort of expected it, so we just laughed it off and found a spot above one of the entrances. There was no way in hell we were sitting there banging those pathetic, branded inflatable drums provided by sponsors—not a chance.

We actually tried to do things the right way by registering a banner to follow the new rules, but they told us banners had to be dropped off by 11:00 AM—while we were still grabbing coffee back in San Francisco. So, we ended up having to smuggle our American flag into the arena. The high-tech police surveillance spotted us almost immediately; two guys in plain clothes showed up trying to seize the flag, which had already traveled further through the stands than those guys have ever seen. But it didn't work. We tucked the flag away and moved along because we couldn't stay put with no backup behind us. The little game of cat and mouse with the security and cops went on during the opening, while the crowd chanted "Mustafa, Mustafa!" and we, split into two groups while cheering, were somehow being stared down by the folks in the seats.

Eventually, we all huddled near an entrance because there were about ten Wildcats standing there. Thank God they were actually cheering too, so the guards couldn't pull the "you're causing a disturbance" card on us. We joined the Wildcats for about ten minutes before deciding to hang the flag on a railing next to another one. Of course, the cameras caught the "unauthorized" flag, and acting on orders from Times Square, they decided this kind of hooliganism had to be shut down immediately. This time, the plainclothes guys showed up in larger numbers, backed by riot police. They came at us from behind, making a huge scene and shoving people, trying to detain us one by one. We managed to rip the flag off the railing just before the cops reached us and hid it in the crowd.

Three people were detained. The reason? Who knows, since we weren't even pushing anyone. Outside the arena, the cops were hunting for the disputed flag, and when they couldn't find it, the commander just gave his best guess: "visibly intoxicated." Honestly, compared to the dead atmosphere inside where nobody was cheering or singing anything besides the stadium announcements, hanging out with the police was actually more entertaining.

In the end, after the late-game euphoria (which they tried to pin on California), the crew managed to sneak the flag out of the arena. We made it back to our neck of the woods through the freezing winter safely. Better to just bolt back home for a beer in the early hours than to stick around for the festivities or the official Fan Zone.

The whole thing was basically a festival of corporate tickets, corporate songs, corporate drums, and choreographed chants. It created an atmosphere so hollow that the players kept looking to the crowd for support every few minutes. Even the official commentator was overstepping his bounds trying to hype up the energy, but it just wasn't happening.

Good luck to the handball players. Those guys deserve it given their history of sacrifice and success. Unfortunately, a high attendance number doesn't guarantee a hellish atmosphere, especially when the visiting fans get a free pass and the locals are treated like the villains—as if the unspoken rule is that we're the ones being tested.

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9480/arophk3.jpg

And here's one more update from the volleyball scene...

A total disaster. Then again, it was the expected outcome. If the crowd had been decked out in clown hats or wearing jerseys from Karl's or whatever sponsor was paying the bills, and if they’d just grabbed those idiotic foam sticks and started swinging them around like morons, there probably wouldn't have been an issue. Death to the fans, long live the corporate shills and circus performers. Bravo, Police Department.👎👎

That’s exactly what I was just thinking—he was visible in the arena for a little while, but then he vanished almost immediately... honestly, it was pretty jarring.

Honestly, you just have to look at the crowd showing up for the national handball games to see where things are headed...
So now, leadership is busy debating whether the ZDS is patriotic or straight-up extremist. It’s funny how nobody was making a scene back in the early 90s when our guys were wearing those exact symbols on their uniforms while heading out to defend our towns and cities, right?
And those flags—the ones with that first white field? There were thousands of them flying around Times Square during those big speeches and inaugurations back in the day, even on the front lines. Now, suddenly, they're "undesirable"...
Give it twenty years. They'll probably start shutting down anyone who dares to say Operation Storm was our liberation movement, trying to twist it and compare it to Srebrenica or Vukovar, calling it ethnic cleansing...

Does anyone else vividly remember that match against the Dodgers (I think?)—the one where the West Stand stayed almost entirely packed, just chanting away for another 45 minutes after the whistle blew?
I can still hear that song, "Srcu mome tiha patnja..." echoing through the stadium... does anyone recall which season that was, or even the specific cut they were playing?

silentsurfer19 said:just look at who actually shows up to support the national handball team...
So now the leadership gets to decide if ZDS stands for patriotism or fascism. Why wasn't anyone making a fuss in the early 90s when our people were out there defending towns and cities wearing those very symbols on their uniforms?
Those flags with the first white field—there were thousands of them in Times Square during the major speeches and inaugurations back then. They were everywhere, from the front lines to the rallies, and now suddenly they're undesirable...
In twenty years, they’ll be shutting down anyone who calls the liberation operation what it was, trying to equate it to Srebrenica or Vukovar as if it were ethnic cleansing...

Take a look at Times Square🙂

My stories, man... they’ll find a way to fix that little rooftop square easily enough. I mean, ivo says we can't even use the ZDS because the Ustaše trashed it, and then we can't use First White Field because they did that too, and so on... Give it a little more time and they'll probably ban the national anthem next, since they used that once as well...☕

This is exactly what our politicians want to see at our soccer stadiums—this kind of mess. Honestly, if we had actually hosted the FIFA World Cup 2014, it would have looked just like this. Thank God we didn't.
The sad part is that there’s still some actual quality in handball, whereas soccer? It's just non-existent... I mean, maybe once they finally build decent stadiums and get rid of those terrible hooligans, people might actually stop to wonder why nobody is in the stands (you know, moms, dads, grandparents, kids...). But by then, it’ll probably be too late...🙄

/ some new photos at the bottom..

High-tech cameras and security mean nothing compared to the sheer persistence of the fans..
It’s pathetic. Truly pathetic how this crew has to deal with all this just for the American flag. If they were abroad it would be one thing, but they're being treated like this in their own country..👎

Kudos to the fleet in San Francisco👍

This is the one and only American flag you're talking about:

http://i42.tinypic.com/1pw2eo.jpg

not this:

http://i41.tinypic.com/f0yqu1.gif

..that was the first one..

And as for the second thing, nobody has any right to complain. If the flags are allowed until 11, then they stay until 11; that’s what the organizer decided, and that’s how it’s going to be. If you came here to cheer, nobody's stopping you... if you want to watch handball, nobody's stopping you... anyone else just doesn't belong at an event like this. Why didn't you just put the flag back in the van and walk in without it if you actually wanted to achieve your goal of cheering..? ..because you didn't have that goal in mind..

And yeah, clearly drunk..you could've taken a breathalyzer if you were actually sober👍

..I know some people will never change, even as times move on and certain things won't exist in the future, yet they just stubbornly insist on being arrogant and acting out..and it's always at the expense of the fans..