Northwest native Maria Dahvana Headley lived an interesting dating life when she was a drama student at New York University in the late 1990s. At one time she only dated intellectuals, which didn’t turn out so well. As she told Publishers Weekly, “I felt like I’d dated and then hated every man in Manhattan.”
At that point she did something that could have come straight out of an old Sex and the City episode. She decided that for one year she would agree to go out with anyone who asked her on a date. The only exceptions were drunks, druggies and cheating husbands.
Headley went out with some interesting people: a mime, a homeless man who thought he was Jimi Hendrix, a man who only spoke Polish, a Microsoft millionaire who still lived with his mom, and a divorced man — 25 years her senior — with two children. The divorced man stole her heart, and they eventually married.
Headley, who is an author, wrote a book chronicling her adventures a few years ago. The Year of Yes remains in print. If you’re single, 2013 is still young!
Soccer season. We’re just a couple weeks away from Portland Timbers training camp getting underway when players and coaches report on January 19.
Soccer is a big deal in Portland, also known as Soccer City, U.S.A. My alma mater, the University of Portland, has a long history of fielding powerhouse men’s and women’s teams. Kasey Keller, Tiffeny Milbrett, Steve Cherundolo, Christine Sinclair, Conor Casey, Megan Rapinoe, Heath Pearce, Shannon MacMillan, Nate Jaqua and Sophie Schmidt all starred as Pilots.
The new professional National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is launching with Portland Thorns FC this spring. The Timbers begin their third Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign in March. My year-round adult coed team, Fish Tacos FC, is also getting ready to start a new season later this month. There will be plenty to write about. What I have to say about my own team is enough for a short novel! Today, however, my thoughts are on the Timbers.
As an expansion team, Portland had a decent inaugural MLS season in 2011. Their 11-14-9 (wins-losses-ties) record was good for 42 points, placing them sixth out of nine teams in the Western Conference and 12th out of 18 overall. The Timbers had a goal differential of -8 (eight more goals given up than scored.) It must have been a mirage.
In 2012 ownership and management talked playoffs, and it looked like a reasonable goal. Soccer can be a cruel game, though, and the season was an utter disaster. The Timbers had an 8-16-10 record, which was good for only 34 points. They placed eighth out of nine teams in the Western Conference and 17th out of 19 overall. The goal differential was also worse than in 2011 at -22. Ouch.
The 2012 season was memorable for many other reasons, too. A breakdown follows.
The Good: A 3-1 home win against Philadelphia on a wet opening night on national TV. Emergence of central defender David Horst as a starter on the back line. Return of Sal Zizzo after off-season knee surgery. Winning the Cascadia Cup in the Portland-Seattle-Vancouver rivalry. Beating two of the top teams at home: Kansas City and San Jose. Attending four games, which were all wins for the Timbers. What luck!
The Ugly: A dreadful 1-0 loss at home to amateur club Cal FC in the U.S. Open Cup. Fans yelling at players and players yelling at fans following the loss. Losing central defender Eric Brunner for a majority of the season. Firing of head coach John Spencer mid-season. Mind-boggling trade of best player, starting goalkeeper Troy Perkins. Vitriol aimed at general manager Gavin Wilkinson by the Timbers Army. Not winning a road game until late October.
The Beautiful: Beating Seattle 2-1 at home in June. The beautiful Steven Smith to Kris Boyd cross for a goal at 00:46 in the video below.
It has been a busy off-season for the Timbers. New head coach Caleb Porter has come out of the college ranks and is with the team now. After great success at the University of Akron, Porter is taking his first professional job as head man. (This is our version of Chip Kelly leaving the University of Oregon to coach in the NFL.) Porter brings an interesting style of play and a great tactical mind to the Timbers.
The front office has been busy making trades and more moves are certain to come. While it is frustrating that the team is in rebuilding mode in year three, there’s guarded optimism — and some unbridled enthusiasm — that the Portland Timbers are finally on the road to success. The regular season opens March 3.
As the clock winds down on 2012, my wife and I will be eagerly anticipating the new year. After a mountain of challenges, due mostly to my current work, we look forward to a fresh outlook in 2013. Good things lie ahead for us, and I hope for you, too.
Thank you so much for reading my blog over the last several months. In the new year I’ll continue the Newport Tales series, which has been rather popular. I’ll also be tackling new subjects. Keep reading…and best wishes to you and your family in the coming year.
