At the request of one of our regular readers, I am taking a break from moving (I wish I were kidding, given it's the middle of the quarter and all, but I'm not...tomorrow's the big day!) in order to bring you an update.
If you're anything like me, you're probably still riding high from Tuesday's PK shootout. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of the best footballers in the world.* One of the things that really impressed me was the demeanor of the team before the PKs. While Madrid's players stood around in small groups, Bayern was united as one. It was Basti who was keeping them focused and psyching them up and it was Basti who finished what they'd all begun (I almost said 'saved the day,' but I think that goes to Manu...those were two impressive saves during the shootout!). And they celebrated as a team.
But, if you're anything like me, you're also a little sad today. Not because we lost the league to Dortmund (though that does suck, especially since it's Dortmund), but because today was the farewell match for Jorg Butt. I have told this story a million times, but it bears repeating here and now because it's the best way I can think of to pay my respects to the man who made me fall in love with a team, with a game.
A few years ago, I would have scoffed at you if it was suggested that I would ever come to love soccer. I loved football and baseball, but I considered soccer to be incredibly boring. And then Sam (yes, my fellow FC Hollywood writer) made a deal with me. You see, she'd been talking about soccer for a while and I just didn't get it. So the deal was this: watch one match and if, after it was over, I still thought it was horribly boring, she would never talk to me about it again. I figured it was an easy win for me, because there was no way that I was going to care about soccer.
Until I tuned into the match. It was Bayern vs. Juventus in the CL in December of 2009. And I happened to tune in just in time to watch Bayern's keeper take and make a PK to put Bayern up 1-0. I was confused. I knew enough about the sport to know that keepers aren't usually the ones called up on to score goals, even PKs, and that moment had me hooked. Within a few months, I was a jersey-wearing, early-rising, obsessively-informed fan. So obsessed, in fact, that I am writing my dissertation about the social ethics of soccer and, in November, will be presenting at paper at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting about Bayern's actions during the period from 1933-1945 and how they are the foundation of what I believe a social ethic within a club should be.
All of this because of one man. To say that I am sad to see him retire is an understatement; if today's match proved anything, it's that he may be older than you, but he's still faster. Watching the third place match during the 2010 World Cup, where Jorg started in goal, was something I will never forget. As keepers kept dropping like flies prior to the WC, I kept complaining to Sam and anyone who would listen that Jorg was one of the best keepers in Germany and deserved a spot on the squad. I may have squealed with excitement when he (finally!!!) was selected. And no offense to Tim Wiese, but I was SO glad he was sick and Jorg got the start instead. It makes me so happy and proud to know that he is staying on with the team and will be helping with our youth system.
And so, on the off chance that he enjoys doing Google searches for himself, I'd like to say something directly to him (please pardon what will likely be a butchering of your native language...I'm still learning and most of what I know consists of impolite things I can yell at referees):
Vielen Dank für alles. Es gibt keine Worte um auszudrücken, wiedankbar ich Ihnen binweil sie mich verlieben sich in diese Mannschaft.
*I would say the best, but I firmly believe that you can only have a best player at each position. Oliver Kahn would have made a terrible striker and, while Thomas Muller may have some chops in goal, I think we can all safely assume that Messi would be a terrible keeper. So thus, I'll just say one of the best.
