LeBron James didn’t need The Decision to create a bunch of non-fans, though it certainly drove the number. Plenty of observers preferred that he not succeed at the highest level, and long before “taking my talents to South Beach” was uttered into an ESPN camera. People like me.

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I have watched nearly every minute of England’s Euro 2012 campaign, and after looking at them for 270 minutes, what most impresses me about them is this: They really are not very good.

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Even two weeks ago, it was “only” 105 here in Abu Dhabi. I stuck my head out the door, waited for the heat to slap me in the face … and decided I could make the 25-minute walk down to the supermarket. And I was right. Though I may not have wanted to go another […]

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I am a bit stunned at the idea that people get their “news” from Twitter. The system is fine for instant opinion or random complaints or raves. But it’s less believable, as a new source, than just about any medium ever invented. “No filters” is the operative phrase here. The guy sitting next to you […]

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A couple of friends of ours are leaving Abu Dhabi in 10 days. They are not coming back. We sometimes use Vietnam-era terminology to describe the concept of being expats in a place far from home. “The World” being the U.S., then as now. Being “short” means the days before you can leave are few. […]

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I’ve seen a lot of soccer, over the past 25 years. From AYSO to the World Cup. Hundreds of matches. Maybe a thousand. But I still do not know this game in the way that someone who grew up playing and watching it does. I don’t know soccer like I do baseball, basketball, (American) football, […]

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The good news about Harry Redknapp being fired as coach of the Tottenham soccer club: Galaxy fans won’t be tempted to spend $50 to listen to him describe a practice session. It was a curious news release, from the Galaxy, which tumbled into my inbox. In part, it read:

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For months, I’d seen the kid in the newsroom. Maybe 26. One of our drivers, waiting for an assignment. He always wears a baseball cap. Backwards. Jauntily. With “Chicago” in script on the front of the hat — which puts it on the back of his head. It is not a look we commonly associate […]

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At The National, I have done my level best to write and edit in British English. It is more difficult than you might imagine. I have made a mental note about 500 times now to keep a list of all British usages that run counter to those in America. It would be a very, very […]

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He came, he saw, he stunk it up. If anyone has the Latin for that (after the veni, vidi part) … feel free to pass it along. Diego Maradona‘s first season as a coach in the UAE came to an ignominious end on June 10 when his Al Wasl team blew a 3-1 lead after […]

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