I say yes!! Too many good players are sending the ball sailing. Louis Fabiano, with the ball at his feet facing goal 18 yards away DOES NOT send that ball high and outside.... I'm not saying all the atrocious shots are the fault of an Adidas ball too light and flighty BUT definitely some. If you recall, in 2006 the ball favored the strikers, 'moving too much in the air' a constant refrain by the keepers. So this shit really does happen!
And Poobah, No, I think Howard deserves a Top 5 ranking. Give me five others. I can think of four. Turtle boy Petr Cech is scared now that he lost part of his skull. He is not on my list. Good point about Buffon, though I think he still plays the rest of this tourney.
Just sayin...
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I wouldn't be shocked at all if the balls varied a little from game to game event they are not supposed to. When Denver first fired up its baseball team, they stocked it with baseballs that were 3/4's of an ounce underweight. They curve more, and are easier to hit for home runs in the thin air. It is conjecture, but some think Denver hired sluggers and junk ball pitchers because it couldn't afford anything else as an expansion team. It took the league two or three years to catch on.
ReplyDeleteThere are some pretty interesting studies about the difference in air density between Jo-burg & Cape Town, for example. It's as much as 20% under certain conditions. So, is it the ball or the atmosphere @ altitude?
ReplyDeleteJabulanis for every one for Christmas once they go on clearance? Since you all are defenders I should think you'd like them for game balls.
ReplyDeleteNice point Stewart, but I think the affectation of the air density on the ball applies to clearances, goal kicks and lofted long-range through balls a bit more. A striker has trained their whole life to hit the ball clean and true straight through the middle of the ball and I'd like to think this would still keep the ball down, albeit perhaps in a more erratic manner.
ReplyDeleteHmm... that's kind of your point.
Anyway, watching Argentina today showed that players are coming to terms mostly with the weight and tendencies of the Jabulanis, so more than anything, probably just the usual learning curve adjustment.
And Dave, I'm a half back. I make and break goals on both sides of the field.
Yeah...I forget who said it, but a FIFA spokesman or something criticized the teams for not practicing with the balls enough beforehand to get used to it.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly, they were tested in a wind tunnel and should fly straighter than old balls. I still think that the majority of low scores thus far are due to the defensive approach of a lot of teams, playing tight formations...BUT that Mexico/France match was certainly entertaining as far as pace and watchability.
Back to the subject of Tim Howard...let me clarify that he might, might be top 5 in the tournament...But I don't think he is quite top 5 in the world. Keep in mind that not every great keeper is in the tournament.
ReplyDeleteBelow is a link from FIFA rankings 2009...granted this is from last year, but it excludes some of the younger guys like Hugo Lloris and Guillermo Ochoa. Note that Howard is at #9 (exactly where I place him).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFFHS_World%27s_Best_Goalkeeper#2009