10/24/2007
Vamos, Pumas!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007: Late yesterday afternoon, The Pumas, the Argentine Wonder Rugby team was taken from their hotel on Calle Carlos Pellegrini in downtown Buenos Aires to the Casa Rosada. There was a crowd outside Hotel Panamericano and TV cameras as well as lots of security. The President of Argentina personally congratulated the guys on being chosen the third best Rugby team in the world. The players wore grey suits and shiny pink ties. They signed autographs for their fans before boarding the huge bus taking them to the President. People took pictures of them with their cell phone cameras.
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08/13/2007
To George
Monday, August 13, 2007: I appreciate your reading the blog and saying it is interesting. No, I am not angry. In fact, I am going back to my country soon. There are good things about Argentina, but there are also plenty of bad things. Read the papers and you will see. I am pointing out what needs fixing so we can all enjoy the good ones.
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08/12/2007
No Football
Sunday, August 12, 2007: Because several club authorities have received death threats, the game between River Plate and Newell´s that was to be played this afternoon has been suspended. Authorities fear that after Gonzalo Acro´s murder eatlier this week, the violence between the rival club gangs will escalate. It is also said that the River Plate gang is no friend of the Newell´s barra brava.
In the meantime, Jose Maria Aguilar, River Plate´s president, has decided that the best place for him to be is Europe.
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08/10/2007
Mafia Style
Friday, August 10, 2007: Earlier this week Gonzalo Arco, the 29 year old member of a barra brava, a Hooligan gang, was gunned down as he was walking down the street with friends. He was the right hand man of a River Plate Stadium gang boss. His death is a vendetta and today, at his wake in the traditional barrio of Villa Urguiza, reporters and photographers were beaten and injured by gang members. His friends have vowed that Arco´s death will be avenged and they are saying so all over the Internet. In the meantime, Jose Maria Aguilar, the President of River Plate stadium, denies any knowledge of anything having to do with the gangs. Funny because if he doesn´t know, who does?
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03/29/2007
Maradona
Thursday, March 29, 2007: Yesterday Argentine football icon Diego Armando Maradona was taken to a private clinic located in the always trendy barrio of Palermo. He had to be medicated because he simply did not want to be hospitalized. Maradona has been gaining weight lately and his alcohol intake worried his friends and family. Apparently, he had been at the airport of Eizeza waiting to board a plain for Switzerland on his way to drug rehabilation clinic when he began to feel ill. It is also rumored that his 2 daughters had not been in favor of his new romantic relationship and that made him want to drink more.
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02/16/2007
River Plate´s Carnaval
Saturday, February 17, 2007: River Plate Stadium authorities are playing down, way down, last weekend´s shooting incident. It was no big deal, they say, and boys will be boys. To celebrate the wisdom of this statement, they´re making preparations for the Carnaval Festivities, which will be held this weekend.
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02/12/2007
River Plate Shooting
Monday, February 12, 2007: Things got hot yesterday afternoon when two rival hooligan leaders started shooting at each other while people were reclining in their beach -like chairs by the pool. Everybody, of course, ran for cover. Nobody knows (or will say) who let these two guys enter the prestigious River Plate Club with guns in their pockets. There is talk that activities in the club will be suspended while an investigation is going on. Some are comparing this new football-related incident to Chicago style shootouts.
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11/19/2006
Football Money
Sunday, November 19, 2006: Two football teams were recently involved in something called corruption or game fixing. One team was paid to lose a game. There was talk that finally somebody would have the courage to say who paid them. But, when the time came to name names, nothing was actually said. Same old story.
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08/15/2006
Prison Games
August 15, 2006: In a remake of the 2006 World Cup, some prison inmates played football pretending they were, for instance, Sweden against Australia. This is a new activity for people who have to spend a lot of time in jail. They get to feel useful and they get to be outdoors for a change. Even the governor of the provincia of Buenos Aires, Felipe Sola, attended the game.
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06/30/2006
Loss
June 30, 2006: Argentina´s loss today in the game played in Berlin against Germany has saddened the entire country. All hopes were pinned on this World Cup and now they are gone. The streets and the busses were practically empty while the game last for over 2 hours. Afterwards, there were no big cheers, no big celebrations, like the ones last Saturday when Argentina defeated Mexico.
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06/25/2006
Paper
June 25, 2006: Paper and rain all over the city. And in the provincias, too, because of the victory against Mexico yesterday. Young and old alike wanted to join in--and they did. Now Germany this coming Friday.
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06/24/2006
Rain and Football
Saturday, June 24, 2006: It is raining today in Buenos Aires, this day when Argentina has a big, important match in Germany against Mexico. Everything more than wet, more than windy! And the country will come to a stop at 4 P.M., local time, when the game starts.
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06/22/2006
Empty
| Thursday, June 22, 2006: All the streets were empty yesterday when Argentina was playing against the Netherlands. The colectivos were nearly empty. They were all home or somewhere else watching the game. |
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06/21/2006
Tie
Jun2 21, 2006: Atie between the Netherlanda and Argentina today in Germany. A little disappointing.
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06/17/2006
Next
June 17, 2006: What will he next game, te one between Argentina and The Netherlands do? Who will win it? Next Wednesday seems far away but it isn´t.
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06/16/2006
Argentina Won!
Friday, June 16, 2006: Argentina was victorious in the World Cup game against Serbia Montenegro. The score was 6 to 0 .All over Buenos Aires, people cheered, cars honked their horns and somebody inside waved an Argentine flag. The big gathering is always at the Obelisco in Downtown Buenos Aires. Madness there as well.
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06/11/2006
Won
Sunday, June 11, 2006: Argentina won against Ivory Coast yesterday. Some say the team was npt at its best, but I doubt fans care about that. It won, and that is the main thing.
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05/31/2006
Not Enough
May 30, 2006: There is excitement in the air over the World Cup in Germany but it does not feel like it. Not feel like it enough. Sportscasters talk about it all the time on the radio here, and people are enthused but they are need to be more into an event that comes once every 4 years, an event that could change the fate of 23 players--and more.
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05/16/2006
23
May 16, 2006: 23 players were chosen for the World Cup in Germany. Some surprises, some disappointed fans.
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05/07/2006
World Cup
Sunday, May 7, 2006: The World Cup in Germany. That´s all everyone talks about here. It´s being pushed, the players are being chosen. Frenzy everywhere. Will Argentina win? Will it be beaten by Brazil or the Netherlands?
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03/26/2006
Boca-River
Sunday, March 26, 2006: They have been rivals for years. Boca is the football team of the masses and River has been called el millonario, the millionaire. Today they´re playing against each other and the fans go wild. Both men and women are fanatic about this all important game.
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02/19/2006
Maradona Again
Sunday, February 19, 2006: It´s Diego Armando Maradona, the guy who can´t do wrong. He´s back again and the country has spoiled him rotten. Some people have said that in order to understand Argentina, one must first understand him, with all his over the top behavior.
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Maradona Again
Sunday, February 19, 2006: He was the Golden Boy of Argentina once, and after a lot of bad publicity, he´s on top again. The guy can´t do wrong. His country has spoiled him rotten. Somebody has said that in order to understand Argentina, one has to understand Maradona with all his excesses.
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12/22/2005
More Trouble for Diego?
Thursday, December 22, 1984: This did not happen in Argentina, but it´s got to do with Diego Maradona, the famous football star of years past. He was in Rio de Janeiro, at the airport in fact, when he started to get angry. The reason for his outburst was that he had missed his flight to Buenos Aires. The airport police took him somewhere to see if he was drunk or something else. They say the police in Rio like to make a big fuss over things, but obviously, this incident gives Diego more bad publicity. Bad publicity he doesn´t need.
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12/15/2005
Boca Campeon
Thursday, December 15, 2005:It is the football team of the masses, the one the fans always cheer, the team that is followed anywhere. Yesterday it won another game, and even dogs were wearing T-shirts with the distinctive Boca blue and bright yellow colors.
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11/15/2005
Saint?
Tuesday, November 15, 2005: Now Diego Maradona is a saint? Now he is I don´t know what sort of deity? He has come back, but isn´t being a saint a bit much?
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