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Another sport to my list

By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
  It has taken 25 years but I have become a fan of soccer.
  Not a fan of professional soccer, but after a few years of just trying to
understand the game, I respect and enjoy watching high school soccer in
Highland County.
  My favorite sports are and always will be football and baseball, but
there is a place on the mantle for yet another sport to enter my life.
  I spend too many hours with sports as it is, spending most of my free
time either reading, talking or watching some sort of sport, but I never
have with soccer.
  The first time I ever covered soccer I probably couldn't have told you
the difference between a red or yellow card. OK, sometimes I still don't
fully understand the rule infraction it takes to be forced to stand by an
official who is holding one of the cards in the air for all to see.
  I know both send you to the bench, and that's about it.
  Remember I am still a work in progress fan.
  The thing I respect the most about the game are the players.
  The student-athletes it takes to play this sport, well, let's just say I
never could have played the game of soccer.
  There is way too much running and not enough breaks.
  I am pretty sure I wouldn't survive one half, much less one entire game
of soccer. The players run almost the entire time. I couldn't be the keeper
either as I am not, nor have I ever been, mobile enough to be the goalie
either.
  But really there is no way I could get into that kind of shape to run
that much.
  Another reason that I respect soccer is to have the mental stability to
not pick up the ball and throw it.
  I know its legal sometimes to do that, but I would end up using my hands
at some point in the game and well, that¹s a no-no.
  I may sound clueless (and that's OK) but I never realized soccer had so
many different schemes and setups used in a game until I started watching
high school events.
  When I gave the sport a chance I started to see how plays are set up and
if all goes well, how they can score points. Its really a cool thing.
  I know I will never be talented enough or possess the skill it takes to
play soccer at a competitive level, but I have learned to understand and
respect the game.
  But there is one thing I don't quite get: What does bend it like Beckham
mean?

  Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can
be reached at:sforsha@gmail.com
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