The Headbutt Heard Round the World

Posted on July 10, 2006 by Chris

Of all times for France to forsake its pacifism, they choose the 110th minute of the World Cup Final?  Mercy.

Help me out here, Bixby:  Why that?  Why then?

Filed under: The Junk Drawer

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19 Responses to “The Headbutt Heard Round the World”

  1. bob bixby, on July 10th, 2006 at 1:48 pm Said:

    Well, I was sorely disappointed. I have some philosophical remarks to make (if I decide it’s worth it, but for the time being here’s my understanding:

    Materazzi (the guy Zizou nailed) is infamous for very dirty play. There is also plenty of well-documented stories about his racism. The French side claim that Materazzi made a racial slur against Zinedine. Zinedine being “pied noir” (Algerian born). I have no doubt that is true. I’m thinking that he had been dirty all along - most players try to get away with everything they can. (Remember Eddie Johnson of the American side the day before the US played Italy? He said that they would scratch, poke eyes, punch, hold shirts, etc. as much as they could without the ref seeing.) — and the racial insult was merely the straw that broke the camel’s back.

    Zinedine’s response, however, was atrocious. Very disappointing. Uncalled for. He deserved the red card, and I’m glad he got it. Those refs don’t give the stars a pass. However, if you are going to deal with someone 5 inches taller than you, I would agree that a very quick head-butt to the chest is a strategic move. Wouldn’t you?

  2. Chris, on July 10th, 2006 at 2:44 pm Said:

    Speaking as a pastor: (ahem!) any such response is reprehinsible.

    Speaking as a sportsfan: just wait half an hour and head-butt him, pull his nose hair, do whatever you want…but do it after you win the World Cup!! O well, there’s always next year. Or not.

    I’m trying to think of a modern sports equivalent, and I’m coming up empty. Sure, Mickelson choked at the US Open a few weeks ago, but it’s nothing compared to this. He was playing in a major–one of 4 held every year, not an event held once every four years. He didn’t approach the 72nd hole, grab his driver and whack his opponent, thus forfeiting his right to finish. And he disappointed himself and some fans, but not an entire team and nation.

    Sure, Chris Webber of Michigan’s Fab Five called the brainless time-out many moons ago, but he at least finished the game.

    Maybe the closest would be the snowboarding girl who pulled a trick at the end of her race & biffed during the Olympics, but it’s still not as bad as this.

    I’m at a loss as to how something like that happens. It wasn’t “jitters,” like a missed field goal or an ill-timed fumble. It was “road rage.” On the soccer field. At the worst possible time.

    Unbelievable.

  3. Andy Efting, on July 10th, 2006 at 9:05 pm Said:

    There was Woody Hayes, head football coach for Ohio St., punching out the Clemson receiver in the Gator Bowl after he intercepted an Ohio State pass. That’s the closest thing I can remember from a stupidity standpoint.

  4. Larry, on July 10th, 2006 at 9:43 pm Said:

    I thought Roger Clemens throwing the broken bat at Mike Piazza was pretty outrageous. And there was a deal in the NBA back in the 70s I think where Rudy Tomjonavich got punched in the eye and I think it ended his career. I can’t remember. Then there’s Dennis Rodman kicking a reporter. And wasn’t Bill Romanowski guilty of spitting in the face of an opponent during an NFL game? (That was a Denver Broncos deal, Chris.) The Woody Hayes thing was bad. I remember that. What about when Jerry Sichting of the Celtics got in a fight with Ralph Sampson (I think it was.) That was probably mid-80s.

    But I must admit, this one was horrible. Soccer is a dirty game, and there is a lot of clutching and grabbing. People who say soccer isn’t tough don’t know what they are talking about. But whatever was said, Zidane may have cost his team the World Cup. Hard to tell what would have happened in PKs with him there. But we will never know.

    It’s too bad he got the Golden Ball award. You don’t deserve it when you do something like that.

  5. Greg Linscott, on July 10th, 2006 at 10:06 pm Said:

    How ‘Bout Them Red Sox? :)

  6. Don Johnson, on July 10th, 2006 at 11:06 pm Said:

    Most of the voting on the Golden Ball award was completed before the incident.

    But… what a weaselly way to end a match, shootouts. They should play till someone scores.

    And last, does anyone really like watching soccer, especially on TV? It seems to beat watching paint dry, but just barely. I don’t get the mystique, obviously.

    Regards,
    Don Johnson
    Jer 33.3

  7. Chris, on July 11th, 2006 at 12:11 am Said:

    Larry, Clemens & Piazza isn’t even close. It might be if Clemens had thrown a bean ball at Piazaa…in the 11th inning…of game 7 of the World Series…with the bases loaded.

    That’s the kicker. It’s not just an outrageous thing to do; it’s the time when he did it. Think he wishes he could have that one back?

    I think that Rudy T thing is when his skull was partially dislocated from his spinal cord…something like that. They say he could taste the spinal fluid. Nice.

    And who’s Bill Romanowski? Didn’t he finish his career with the Raiders? Now that fits.

    Andy, the OSU thing is a good call, but it’s still not at the same level: it’s collegiate, not international; it’s a bowl game, not a championship, etc.

    For the plain senseless rage of it, Tyson’s taking a bite of Holyfield’s ear is probably in the conversation.

    I love sports. What a bunch of goons.

    Don, I’m a football, baseball, basketball guy, but even I thought the save on Zidane’s late header–the one when he hit the ball–was an amazing sports moment. I think it’s like hockey: you might wait 2 hours for a score, but that’s what makes it such a rush.

    Oh…and the Red Sox? THAT’S IT! The head butt is the dumbest sports moment since the trade of the Bambino…which doesn’t bode well for France’s chances over the next 80+ years. Nice job, Greg.

    (This edition of Around the Horn was sponsored by PB Blaster. Thanks to our panel of, um, experts. Greg, you’re the winner, so you get 30 seconds of “face time.”)

  8. Andrew, on July 11th, 2006 at 4:05 am Said:

    Chris,

    I guess I am just calloused, but I saw much dirtier play by Basil against us :)

    Andy,

    Huge difference. You see, Clemson would have to be playing for some kind of championship for it to be a valid comparison. And since we know that never happens, this is apples and oranges, my friend.

  9. Ted, on July 11th, 2006 at 8:19 am Said:

    Andrew–That’s quite an accusation to make…and hard to imagine. Basil did worse things to members of your team than giving a headbutt to someone’s chest in an unguarded moment? (No, I wasn’t in Basil, so I’m not defending my own–I played against them too).

  10. Andrew, on July 11th, 2006 at 8:32 am Said:

    Um, Ted, I was just joking, hence the happy-face (which, by the way, is much like saying “bless his heart…” here in the south; you have complete freedom to say whatever you want following those words and you do not look bad). I was mainly trying to get a rise out of my friend, Larry Rogier.

  11. Andy Efting, on July 11th, 2006 at 8:51 am Said:

    e.g., Pastor Henderson is about to get a church full of Florida Gator fans, bless his heart.

    Going after Larry? Right. We all know you were going after Dave Doran. Bless your heart.

  12. Ted, on July 11th, 2006 at 9:26 am Said:

    Andrew–oops. (Now how do I make that little smiley face that’s blushing instead…)
    Back, Larry, back!

  13. Chris, on July 11th, 2006 at 9:33 am Said:

    Back off, Andrew & Ted. You’ve both earned Yellow Cards, and my eye is on you.

    This all reminds me of Larry’s famous “header.” :-D

  14. bob bixby, on July 11th, 2006 at 11:09 am Said:

    Chris has a great video link of Materazzi (the guy Zidane dealt with so effectively) for all of you who think that soccer is a pansies game. I would give it to you, but I don’t approve of the music. I’m sure Chris would be glad to inform you where the link is.

  15. Chris, on July 11th, 2006 at 11:49 am Said:

    Well, here’s the link which Bob sent me:
    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5142970568688502787&sourceid=igoogle.

    Since I haven’t seen it myself, the only disclaimer I can give is that Bob’s sending out video links that don’t even make it past my computer’s filter. What kind of garbage are you recommending, Bob?!

  16. bob bixby, on July 11th, 2006 at 12:43 pm Said:

    Good grief. Now I have to write the disclaimer that I was too lazy to do.

    The music is wicked. Seriously. The only way to look at the video is with the mute on. After the first expletive, I muted the whole thing. The music is appallingly cultural (not cultured). It represents, Materazzi’s character and reputation.

  17. Larry, on July 13th, 2006 at 7:40 am Said:

    Is that my jealousy meter ticking wildly?

    And my famous “header”??? Which one are you talking about?

    I think Zidane’s header was probably the most egregious thing in sports that I can recall … very funny to watch though. I would have never thought of doing something like that, which is probably a good thought on my part. I hate to see a career end like that, but he apparently has a history of doing it.

  18. Chris, on July 13th, 2006 at 8:20 am Said:

    I’m talking about the header you made with your fist. :)

  19. Larry, on July 13th, 2006 at 9:30 am Said:

    So far as I remember, the whistle didn’t blow. So it wasn’t a handball. And we all know the refs never miss anything. I think it was what Diego Maradona called “the hand of God” when he scored a goal using it in the Wordl Cup in 86 I think. I won’t call it that, but how in the world do you remember something like that? Was that against you guys?

  20. Doug, on July 13th, 2006 at 10:20 am Said:

    As an Ohio State fan, I need to clarify one thing; the Clemson player SPIT at Hayes after he was shoved out-of-bounds into the OSU team side line. Woody punched the Clemson player because the spit hit Woody in the face. Woody was asked to leave the football program, or he would have been fired. Woody admitted he was wrong, but there was no apology from the player who spit at Woody. Earl Bruce was promoted to head football coach, and asked that Clemson check into the player’s conduct. Nothing was said about the incident, and now it’s in the history books as though all of it was Woody’s fault, and the only reason Woody hit the kid was because the player intercepted the ball.

    BTW, I was watching the game at the time the incident occurred. Though Woody’s conduct was reprehensible, so was the Clemsen player’s conduct. So, the question is, would any of you take a swing at someone who spits in your face in a heated game?

    And Greg, if you have a son, you may want to name him Douglas! :D

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