Perspective II

On Sunday evening, as I was watching the Columbus Crew effectively deal with a ten-man Colorado Rapids with a 4-1 victory, I wondered if it was some weird new metric football formation that MLS was trying out.  The inability of the Quakes to do the same on the previous day was still rankling, and I decided I was still far too depressed to cook.  A quick phone call to my favorite Chinese restaurant, and twenty minutes later I had some high-fat and therefore incredibly delicious food – well, you have to give your Lipitor something to do. The meal was completed with the obligatory fortune cookie, at which point I unfurled the paper and found:

“Dispel negativity through creative activities”.  

Taking the message to heart, I determined that my next post would be more positive, and for the second time this season I took a look at perspective based on a couple of items from the Earthquakes web site.  

• The Aztecas of Watsonville: The ESPN documentary, “The Save”, is one in a series of six short documentaries collectively known as HERoics that focuses on women’s courage and perseverance; they will be aired on ESPN during the Women’s World Cup. The film tells the inspirational story of probation officer Gina Castañeda, who designed a gang intervention program based on soccer – The Aztecas. San Jose Earthquakes players attended a special screening in Watsonville.  “When I first heard about the Aztecas program, I was excited to get out there and interact with their kids. Their story is an inspiration to me and my teammates,” said Earthquakes midfielder Ellis McLoughlin, who was joined by Steven Lenhart, Joey Gjertsen and Kelly Gray. The Earthquakes have also donated tickets to The Aztecas program to attend the July 2 match against the New York Red Bulls at Stanford Stadium. 
• Community spirit:  Quakes forward Matt Luzunaris knows the ravages of cancer all too well, and he takes every opportunity he gets to join forces with local children's hospitals.  Matt and Sam Cronin hung out and took photos with eleven children fighting various illnesses at Benioff Children’s Hospital, and handed out mini soccer balls and Quakes stickers. The San Jose Earthquakes put a lot of smiles on their faces, and were asked to visit again soon.  Later in the week, Matt and Anthony Ampaipitakwong later visited the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital 20th Anniversary celebration in Palo Alto.  While Ampai’s slender hips hindered his participation in the hula-hoop contest (thirty seconds is pretty weak), Matt progressed to the final:  "I gave it everything I had, but Hailey was on cruise control - there was no chance I was going to outlast her".  The pair spent the afternoon signing autographs and posing for photos with young soccer fans who had fun trying to pronounce Ampaipitakwong:  "Seeing the smiles on kid's faces is as rewarding as it gets - it's an honor to be a part of such an amazing milestone for the hospital".

These are both examples of how life can throw anyone some pretty serious and dangerous curve balls, and how the Quakes have stepped up in support of these organizations, and the players have shared their time with people in need of a smile or encouragement.  

So, the Quakes had an embarrassing performance at home - with salt in the wound from the fact that it was against the LA Galaxy in the California Clasico.  Quakes fans had to put up with the jeers of the Galaxative fans - and frankly I didn’t have any snappy comebacks for them.  The outcome of the game has obviously sparked extensive discussion, and many have been vociferous in their criticism - I vented my own viewpoint as a fan in the bleachers on Sunday.  Now, I've readjusted my perspective and I'm ready to move on and accept the result; I'll be in in my seat, next to my buddies, supporting the Quakes at their next game.

In the meantime, for anyone who still needs to drown their sorrows, or would just like a refreshing cocktail on a summer evening, Messrs. Ring, Morrow and Beitshour will serving drinks at The Old Pro pub in Palo Alto on Wednesday June 29^th from 7 until 9 PM.