ESPN'S Davis Satlin writes about the team - Deportivo-La-Coruna.com Forum

anuroc · 20-11-2003, 22:40

Season's greetings

David Satlin
ESPN International

The holiday season is right around the corner. Some people loathe this time of the year. But despite all of the craziness of cards, gifts and travel that only the holiday season brings, the winter holidays give us a chance to reflect on the past year, plan for the new year, but most of all, the season allows for time to visit with family and friends.

And in this day and age, those chances to visit with loved ones seem to get fewer and farther between. We can only hope that it is the memorable occasions such as holidays, weddings and reunions that bring us together.
Soccer is said to be a sport that unifies peoples from all different cultures and backgrounds. Soccer is a sport that brings people together and for me, there was a specific event last week that allowed me to catch up with friends from places near and far.

You see, my team, the beloved Deportivo from La Coruna, Spain, gave up eight goals to Monaco in a Champions League match.

By halftime, my phone was ringing off the hook and people from all over ESPN were stopping by my desk. "What happened?", some would say. "Ah-hah", others would tease. The phone kept ringing the next day as others saw the results in the newspaper and on websites. "Were they playing with two or three players down?" Nope, there were 11 on the field.

What could I say? My team gave up a snowman on the scoreboard.

(I could only think of what Mike and the Mad Dog might say on WFAN. "Eight Goals Mikey!!!! How can you give up eight goals in a soccer game."

"Dawg, this Monaco team, I haven't seen a lot of them, they play in the Italian league, but that's a bad job out of Deportivo. Even Ricktah had a couple of bad games for the Rangers in goal, but not this bad.")

But here was my answer. First, when people poke fun at me when Deportivo loses, it does not bother me. Twenty years ago, when I first traveled to La Coruna, Deportivo was a struggling second division club and La Coruna was a struggling city. The region of Galicia was often forgotten under the Franco regime (which was weird because Franco was from Galicia).

What was once an area of peasant farmers has since seen a boom of development, especially in the last decade. On the soccer the field, since Augusto Cesar Lendoiro took over the club, Deportivo has moved into the first division, renovated an aging stadium, won one league title and two Copa del Rey trophies. In Europe, Depor reached the Champions League quarterfinals two straight seasons.

Not bad for a tiny club from a poor region. So when friends call to make fun of the team after a loss, it doesn't bother me. Deportivo has won a league title. Everything else is gravy.

Second, Deportivo is apt to have a couple of slips every season. Superstars such as Bebeto, Djalminha, Rivaldo, Diego Tristan and Mauro Silva have played in the Riazor stadium and Deportivo has quietly emerged as one of Europe's most consistent teams.

In the last ten years, Depor has finished among the top three in La Liga seven times. But this is Depor, not Arsenal, Real Madrid or Milan. The team will have at least three poor performances per season. Even in the 1999-2000 championship season, Coach Javier Irureta's side lost to Numancia and Racing Santander - both at the Riazor stadium.
The Monaco game was a big slip, but not the end of the world.

The net result was that the Monaco debacle brought people together. OK, so maybe it would be nice if the scoreline was reversed, but would those same people have called or stopped by to say hello? Probably not.

In the end, the Monaco rout brought an early start to the holiday season by providing the first of many Season's Greetings and oddly enough, by the end of the weekend, Deportivo returned to the top of the Spanish Liga Primera table.

And that's not so bad.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=283113&cc=5739

Feliuk · 20-11-2003, 23:10

Great report

DREAMFUSION · 21-11-2003, 07:10

well well well. we have an ally in soccernet. that's good news in both senses of the word

Leon · 21-11-2003, 09:55

Nice to see such reports around the internet!

Depor_Vin · 21-11-2003, 10:02

Nice report. Nobody can really argue with that. Well done to him!

dip14 · 21-11-2003, 12:03

great.....

Although i dont know how it effect ESPN ...who just want to **** realmadrid and Barca player's _____ every time........

Sorry .......but i cant resist

mig_superdepor · 21-11-2003, 14:25

This is a great report, and applies to many proud depor supporters. Every great has slip-ups now and then.

caabrego · 21-11-2003, 14:30

I knew of him, He is the "famous" David who receives the jokes of ESPN commentators (of Latin America) because he is a Depor supporter, there is a "fight" on ESPN because some commentators support R. Madrid (Luis Omar Tapia of Chile) and others Valencia ("Maravilla" Velasquez of Colombia) and Barca (Quique Wolff of Argentina).

Abou him ESPN said: David Satlin has been the lead soccer researcher at ESPN International since 1995. He has covered the last two World Cups and the 1999 Women's World Cup for ABC/ESPN.

GIULY_BEST_THAN_PELE · 21-11-2003, 18:34

what is ESPN International

anuroc · 21-11-2003, 18:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by GIULY_BEST_THAN_PELE

what is ESPN International

For the yankees International = Foreign

caabrego · 21-11-2003, 19:05

ESPN is a Sports network in USA property of Disney Cia.
They Telecast NFL, NBA, MLB, NL Hockey, Golf, International Football...
They have also networks for Latin America and Asia.

20-11-2003, 22:40	#1
anuroc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: A Coruña Posts: 3,007	ESPN'S Davis Satlin writes about the team Season's greetings David Satlin ESPN International The holiday season is right around the corner. Some people loathe this time of the year. But despite all of the craziness of cards, gifts and travel that only the holiday season brings, the winter holidays give us a chance to reflect on the past year, plan for the new year, but most of all, the season allows for time to visit with family and friends. And in this day and age, those chances to visit with loved ones seem to get fewer and farther between. We can only hope that it is the memorable occasions such as holidays, weddings and reunions that bring us together. Soccer is said to be a sport that unifies peoples from all different cultures and backgrounds. Soccer is a sport that brings people together and for me, there was a specific event last week that allowed me to catch up with friends from places near and far. You see, my team, the beloved Deportivo from La Coruna, Spain, gave up eight goals to Monaco in a Champions League match. By halftime, my phone was ringing off the hook and people from all over ESPN were stopping by my desk. "What happened?", some would say. "Ah-hah", others would tease. The phone kept ringing the next day as others saw the results in the newspaper and on websites. "Were they playing with two or three players down?" Nope, there were 11 on the field. What could I say? My team gave up a snowman on the scoreboard. (I could only think of what Mike and the Mad Dog might say on WFAN. "Eight Goals Mikey!!!! How can you give up eight goals in a soccer game." "Dawg, this Monaco team, I haven't seen a lot of them, they play in the Italian league, but that's a bad job out of Deportivo. Even Ricktah had a couple of bad games for the Rangers in goal, but not this bad.") But here was my answer. First, when people poke fun at me when Deportivo loses, it does not bother me. Twenty years ago, when I first traveled to La Coruna, Deportivo was a struggling second division club and La Coruna was a struggling city. The region of Galicia was often forgotten under the Franco regime (which was weird because Franco was from Galicia). What was once an area of peasant farmers has since seen a boom of development, especially in the last decade. On the soccer the field, since Augusto Cesar Lendoiro took over the club, Deportivo has moved into the first division, renovated an aging stadium, won one league title and two Copa del Rey trophies. In Europe, Depor reached the Champions League quarterfinals two straight seasons. Not bad for a tiny club from a poor region. So when friends call to make fun of the team after a loss, it doesn't bother me. Deportivo has won a league title. Everything else is gravy. Second, Deportivo is apt to have a couple of slips every season. Superstars such as Bebeto, Djalminha, Rivaldo, Diego Tristan and Mauro Silva have played in the Riazor stadium and Deportivo has quietly emerged as one of Europe's most consistent teams. In the last ten years, Depor has finished among the top three in La Liga seven times. But this is Depor, not Arsenal, Real Madrid or Milan. The team will have at least three poor performances per season. Even in the 1999-2000 championship season, Coach Javier Irureta's side lost to Numancia and Racing Santander - both at the Riazor stadium. The Monaco game was a big slip, but not the end of the world. The net result was that the Monaco debacle brought people together. OK, so maybe it would be nice if the scoreline was reversed, but would those same people have called or stopped by to say hello? Probably not. In the end, the Monaco rout brought an early start to the holiday season by providing the first of many Season's Greetings and oddly enough, by the end of the weekend, Deportivo returned to the top of the Spanish Liga Primera table. And that's not so bad. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=283113&cc=5739 __________________ Ante todo mucha calma

20-11-2003, 23:10	#2
Feliuk Administrator Peña Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Watford, England & La Coruña Posts: 13,840	Great report __________________

21-11-2003, 07:10	#3
DREAMFUSION Seasoned Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,668	well well well. we have an ally in soccernet. that's good news in both senses of the word __________________

21-11-2003, 12:03	#6
dip14 Seasoned Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: india Posts: 1,247	great..... Although i dont know how it effect ESPN ...who just want to **** realmadrid and Barca player's _____ every time........ Sorry .......but i cant resist __________________

21-11-2003, 14:25	#7
mig_superdepor Regular Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: London Posts: 682	This is a great report, and applies to many proud depor supporters. Every great has slip-ups now and then. __________________ Through the good times and the bad times, SIEMPRE DEPOR.

21-11-2003, 09:55	#4
Leon Banned Peña MemberBanned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Posts: 8,649	Nice to see such reports around the internet!

21-11-2003, 10:02	#5
Depor_Vin Veteran Peña Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kent, UK Posts: 6,202	Nice report. Nobody can really argue with that. Well done to him!

21-11-2003, 14:30	#8
caabrego Administrator Peña Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: El Salvador Posts: 24,879	I knew of him, He is the "famous" David who receives the jokes of ESPN commentators (of Latin America) because he is a Depor supporter, there is a "fight" on ESPN because some commentators support R. Madrid (Luis Omar Tapia of Chile) and others Valencia ("Maravilla" Velasquez of Colombia) and Barca (Quique Wolff of Argentina). Abou him ESPN said: David Satlin has been the lead soccer researcher at ESPN International since 1995. He has covered the last two World Cups and the 1999 Women's World Cup for ABC/ESPN. __________________ Surviving at Primera División

21-11-2003, 18:34	#9
GIULY_BEST_THAN_PELE Beginner Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 21	what is ESPN International

21-11-2003, 19:05	#11
caabrego Administrator Peña Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: El Salvador Posts: 24,879	ESPN is a Sports network in USA property of Disney Cia. They Telecast NFL, NBA, MLB, NL Hockey, Golf, International Football... They have also networks for Latin America and Asia. __________________ Surviving at Primera División

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