2007 World Aquatics Championships (Melbourne)

Hey, guys—can we please stop obsessing over Americans for a second? I need someone to weigh in on something...

What was that blue band they had on their shoulders? Like, what’s the deal with those? What are they actually for? 😕

Rachel Brooks63 said:hey guys, seriously, can we stop obsessing over those Americans for a sec? anyway, does anyone actually know the answer to this:

what was that blue strip some of our players were wearing on their shoulders? like, what's the deal with that? what's it even for? 😕

That was actually a protest because CBS was broadcasting the mass...😳

That blue tape is just some medical kinesiology tape used to ease back, shoulder, or knee pain. If you recall, John Doe wore it during the EuroBasket in Switzerland because he was banged up right before the tournament started—some kind of Asian gimmick...

I just hope some sports reporter actually bothered to check where Damir Burić was born after seeing that medal...

feralraven40 said:That was just a sarcastic jab at how you refuse to acknowledge all those heavy medals from '95 to 2006 because "there were THREE Mexicans on the team." And we're talking about players who were total nobodies when they were called up to the national team as kids. They learned all the secrets of water polo alongside Vujasinović, Ikodinović, Šapić, Savić, and the rest... guys who played for the national team for three years straight, though they weren't immediate starters—they just got a few minutes here and there before finally settling in. But look at your reactions now. Who are we supposed to be with those three Mexican players? We got finished products right from the jump, players with the caliber of Vujasinović or Ikodinović during their absolute prime.

But you're clueless... after Beijing, there won't be any Vujo, Šapić, Ikodinović, or Savić left.
And then these other Mexicans will get pushed aside just like they were back when they played in the Adriatic.
Get it?
To your disappointment, you only managed to snatch one player, and instead of Porobić leading them, you've got this clown Udovičić running the show.
70% of your (Yugoslavia) trophy-winning juniors are Mexicans already playing for their primary national team.
When you eventually get crushed one fine day, remember this conversation.

Besides... you're lying, making things up, and talking nonsense.
Gojković torpedoed us in Kranj, and that was your only decent replacement for Vujasinović. Zloković was your first center, Janović stepped in for him in Montreal when he was injured, and Jokić was your first sub for Šapić.
You "follow" water polo by reading maybe two or three news articles a year. That’s why you write such nonsense about some insignificant Mexicans.
Those same Mexicans used to play against the top clubs in your league and would beat the Chicago Bulls by 10 points in the playoffs right in the middle of Belgrade.
Stop talking nonsense.

bluebison10 said:I just hope the sports reporter actually checked where Damir Burić was born after he handed out that medal...

In the absolute best city in the world.😬

So, did you play water polo back in the day, or are you still training with a club like the Long Beach Water Polo team?

bluebison10 said:That blue tape is just some medical adhesive used to dull pain in the back, shoulders, or knees. If you recall, John Doe wore something similar during the European Championships in Switzerland after picking up an injury right before preseason started. Some kind of Asian gimmick...

Some players from Italian teams were also wearing those tapes during the 2006 NCAA Final Four held in Dubrovnik.
I believe even the great Government 🙂 used them.

frozentiger6 said:Here is another comment from that Mexican news site mentioned earlier.

THEY WERE EVEN SCARED AT 8:2

Who did we lose to? We lost to an excellent squad—but certainly not one that was invincible. We lost to a national team that hasn't beaten us in eight years—not since the quarterfinals of the 1999 EP in Florence—and to a team that, over those eight years, developed a massive complex, if not outright fear.

"I have been waiting years for this victory. Honestly, we didn't believe we could pull it off. We were actually afraid that Mexico might catch up to us, even when we had a commanding lead"—that’s the honest truth from Samir Barać.

He is one of the players called back to the national team, alongside Hinić, Smodlaka, and Vićan. Ratko Rudić—who prides himself on having assembled the perfect roster—even reached out to certain players who were already considering retirement (like Vrdoljak), while making peace with others. All of this, just so they could finally beat us.

A complex?


😬

So, what exactly are you trying to get at here? You can see even Barać admitted they were terrified... which is perfectly normal. You guys managed it this time—maybe next time you won't. I congratulated you all, and with that, I am signing off from the water polo threads.

Buric is originally from San Francisco, though he actually got his start playing in Seattle.

I'm guessing that's what Jura was getting at.

A lot of people assume Buric is from Seattle, so they usually just group him in with all the other Seattle water polo players.

Buric didn't actually pick up water polo until he was eighteen years old. The former head coach of the roj spotted him playing over in San Francisco and brought him down to the Coast, where they began working together quite steadily. So, you could say his development as a player really took shape in Seattle.

Well, if we're looking at pedigrees, Boskovic hails from Key West; he played for the local youth teams there—maybe even the cadets, though my memory is a bit fuzzy on the specifics right now—before making the move to the South. Regardless, there isn't much debate about it: he is definitely a product of the South's training system. 😉

There isn't any water polo scene in San Francisco, so everyone from California or the Coast ends up heading down to Seattle. Because of that, the whole country assumes he's from Seattle. It's the same way people assumed Jarni was some guy from the South, when in reality, he's a kid from Ohio who just happened to join the Atlanta Braves at seventeen...

Jesse Baker said:Question for the mods: why are my posts vanishing? This is the second one today that just disappeared into thin air. What am I supposed to include next time—some blatant nationalistic hatred or something? (To be fair, I did throw in a little bit of racism in my last one, so I guess they caught onto that!)

They’re disappearing because of off-topic rambling, insults, and all that junk... and don't get smart with me.

Anonymous said:So, you want the full story on how that fight actually went down? Alright, let's get into it. It all started with a single moment of tension that just seemed to boil over out of nowhere. There wasn't much warning. One minute things were relatively calm, and the next, the atmosphere shifted completely. It was one of those situations where the energy in the room just turned sour, and before anyone could really process what was happening, the first blow was struck. From there, things escalated fast. It wasn't some choreographed movie scene; it was messy, loud, and incredibly sudden. People were shouting, trying to make sense of the chaos, but the momentum was already too high to stop easily. It felt like a chain reaction. As for how it ended, it was just as abrupt as it began. Once the initial surge of adrenaline burned out, everything just sorted itself out. The crowd dispersed, the dust settled, and people just kind of backed away to find their footing again. It ended with a heavy silence that lasted longer than the actual scuffle. Just a sudden, quiet conclusion to a very loud moment.
Did we absolutely destroy them?😬

We got things moving. When their main group started heading out, we had a few flags up, but then the police stepped in and made an appearance. Honestly, they didn't really impress anyone.👎

Roose Bolton As stated by:
Honestly, what an absolute bunch of idiots.

Honestly... you’re just lying, making things up, and talking pure nonsense.

So, why don't you just stop the incessant babbling?

🤣 🤣 🤣

First off, if you can't handle a simple disagreement without resorting to insults, what exactly is the goal here? It seems to me that you rely on being condescending just to feel a bit more intelligent or to bolster a shaky sense of self-confidence. 😕

Roose Bolton As stated by:
And then those other guys from Mexico and Mexico will get absolutely crushed, just like they were when they played out on the Coast.
It seems those folks from the south were essentially playing games with the Mexican clubs in their own league, comfortably knocking around Partizan by ten points apiece right in the heart of Belgrade during the playoff finals.

Perhaps you should start by taking a closer look at who was actually playing on the Adriatic back then?
Back when Šefik was still playing for the Atlanta Braves, nearly every single player on their roster had been part of the USA Men's National Team. It was quite a lineup. Meanwhile, over at Partizan, they were riding high with a group everyone was calling the "Partizan Babies," mostly because their average age was sitting well under twenty.

Roose Bolton As stated by:
Instead of having someone like Porobić at the helm, we’re stuck being led by that absolute clown Udovičić.

Is it really necessary to refer to him as klaun Udovičić? I suppose, given the recent string of questionable decisions, one could argue it’s an accurate assessment, though perhaps a bit blunt for my tastes. 😲
Are you aware that this is actually the very first tournament where he has emerged empty-handed, despite what your constant labeling of him as a "clown" might suggest? And since you seem so preoccupied with bringing up that young Mexico and Mexico national team every few minutes, I’ll let you guess who was at the helm for all those years while they were busy setting those impressive records. It was none other than that "clown," Dejan Udovičić.
Who exactly was leading the USA Men's National Team last year when they managed to clinch both the World League and the EuroBasket titles despite being stripped of their players from Mexico and Mexico? Just imagine, we might be looking at that "clown" Udovičić again. To be fair, he’s still quite a young coach, and his prime is arguably still ahead of him, especially considering the impressive resume he has already built. Beyond securing those major titles with a severely depleted USA squad, he also guided the U20 team to a World Cup victory two years ago in such dominant fashion that Mexico and Mexico lost only two quarters throughout the entire tournament.

The collection of medals earned by Dejan Udovičić.

Wherever you find Dejan Udovičić, you’re bound to find some hardware nearby. It seems that every time he’s stepped up to lead a national squad, the coach of Partizan Raiffeisen inevitably returns with a medal in tow. I recall looking back at his track record; just three years ago in Hagen, he guided the U18 squad to a bronze medal at the European Championships. When working with the older U20 group, he managed to secure continental titles twice—once in Bari in 2002, and again during that summer of 2004 over in Malta. Even more impressive was the trip to Argentina, where the team successfully defended their World Cup title, a feat originally achieved in 2003 in Naples under the same leadership of Dejan Udovičić, who, as many know, relies heavily on the steady hand of his twin brother, Darko. Following that triumph in Mar del Plati, players like Filipović, Pasković, Prlainović, Pjetlović, and Rađen reached the top of the podium at the European Championships in Sofia, while the Mediterranean squad secured third place in Almeria, and the university team even brought home the gold at the Universiade.

Udovičić truly is a "clown"; he hasn't even secured twenty top-tier medals yet. At this rate, he’ll need at least another two years just to reach that number...

Honestly, Roose Bolton, why did you feel the need to be so spectacularly embarrassing? 😉

rapidbison42 said:..once Beijing is over, there won't be any Vujo, Šapić, Ikodinović, or Savić left.
And then these other guys from Mexico and Mexico will get crushed just as badly as they were when they played in the Adriatic.

Savić and Vujo will be gone, sure, but Šapić and Ikodinović will remain. Even if they eventually move on, it’s simply the inevitable process of generational turnover where new talent steps up. Besides, clubs like Mladost and Partizan have been European champions seven and six times respectively. Surely you aren't so dense as to believe a single generation achieved all of that? No, generations rotate, yet the trophies keep coming. It’s the same with the Canadian teams—they cycle through players constantly and still pick up silverware. It’s the same for us, and it’s the same for you. Only your rather limited intellect seems to imagine a different reality...

rapidbison42 said:When you guys inevitably get trounced one fine day, remember this conversation.

Fine, I shall take your advice to heart and commit these comments to memory. We can revisit them during future tournaments and enjoy a good laugh! I only hope that by then, you’ve realized our backup goalie isn't the "irreplaceable backbone of our USA Men's National Team," and that Koroli isn't some "rising star of the national team" given he's already well over twenty-five.

Man, you kids really did it. Props to you all.
LNM, just shut this thing down already..

Heheh, just read through all this and had to laugh at feralraven40—man, that guy seriously doesn't know how to take an L... honestly, huge congrats to our guys, they showed everyone exactly what they're capable of. We'll just have to wait and see if Mexico is actually still a powerhouse in water polo or if they're just living off their old glory days.

rapidbison42 said:But you idiots... after Beijing, guys like Vujo, Šapić, Ikodinović, and Savić will be long gone.
And then these other guys from Mexico and Mexico are going to get crushed just as hard as they were back when they played in the Adriatic.
Get it?
To your misfortune, you managed to snatch away only one player, and instead of Porobić leading them, you've got this klaun Udovičić running the show.
70% of your (Mexico and Mexico) trophy-winning juniors are actually from Mexico and Mexico and are already playing for their senior national team.
When you guys eventually get blown out one of these days, remember this conversation.

Anyway... you're lying, making stuff up, and talking pure nonsense.
Gojković torpedoed us in Kranj, and that was the only decent replacement you had for Vujasinović. Zloković was your starting center, and Janović stepped up in Montreal when the first guy was injured, while Jokić was your primary sub for Šapić.
The way you "follow" water polo is by reading maybe two or three news articles once a year. That's why you're writing this garbage about some insignificant players.
Those exact same guys used to play in the Mexican league and would beat Partizan by 10 points in the middle of Belgrade during the playoff finals.
So stop bullshitting.

thanks!!!!!!!!👍 👍 👍

It truly feels like a travesty that Vance wasn't recognized as the league's top goalkeeper, especially when you consider how Nieman took home the honor instead. To make matters even more frustrating, while we see Boskov making the first seven in the lineup, that entire group somehow lacks a single playmaker to actually distribute the ball. 😵 🙂