Soccer, Potter, O’Brian, and Over the Rhine

August 14, 2007 by wilmington.

OK - some self-study assignments for the interested and marginally motivated…

Major League Soccer (our top American professional league, for those of you who know only of the sports world presented by ESPN) is in the middle of its most interesting,and often exciting, year yet. All the Beckham drama has generated interest, media coverage, larger crowds and viewership, and merchandise sales - -  so people have no excuse NOT to be aware of the truly soccer-specific good things going on in MLS.

The Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution, and D.C. United (and a few others) play consistently exciting and often excellent soccer. With as much objectivity as I can muster as a Dynamo fan, I have to say that Houston has shown genuinely top class soccer for large stretches of its season. The SuperLiga game tonight (semi-finals in this new mini-tournament between top MLS and Mexican clubs) between Houston and Pachuca is the third time these in-form teams will meet within the last 6 months. It’s likely to be the best game played in this hemisphere this week. See it on Telemundo tonight at 9pm (central) and tell me what you think.

Finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this past weekend. It completes Rowling’s growth as a writer (or this stage, at least), and, though I won’t say yet that it’s my favorite or that it’s the best of the series - Goblet of Fire still has my vote for now - I will say that it is both satisfying and surprising. I think that’s rare for a series like this. If you haven’t already, see my previous note below for links to reviews and essays about the latest film and last 2 books (particularly the one by Thomas Hibbs).

Still letting the end of the Patrick O’Brian series sink in - but quite sure that I will never allow myself to finish two big series within a few weeks of each other. The surprising losses in the last 3 O’Brian books, reading the final book, plus finishing Harry Potter (and a graduate French class)….I’m pretty drained. Not quite verklempt, mind you, but talk amongst yourselves for a moment on a topic of your choosing.

Though it includes a “spoiler” about an important character (without mentioning the book in which the event happens), I’ll link here to an appreciation of “O’Brian by David Mamet (famous playwright, director, acting theorist, founding person in the Atlantic Theatre Company and its subsequent “movement”). http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/011700mamet-writing.html

Finally - no time for details, but I’m sending you to the Over the Rhine website to acquaint yourself with their music, writing, and attitude. You can listen to a decent bit of their stuff online, but I’m assigning a full album. Take a look and a listen at www.overtherhine.com    I haven’t been able to get the last 2 albums, but the newest seems to be something very special. I’ll suggest “Ohio,” and “Films For Radio” for a quick sense of the scope of their music and excellent writing. Often poetic and theologically interesting, great voice, great musicians, often moving.

To close with a prediction: Dynamo 2 - Pachuca 1.

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