Kick

Kick - the word of the day. There was, of course, the big field goal Kick. But first there was more kick-ass World Cup. Here is a brief recap of the action:

10:20 - I don't have cable just yet and with the big Kick just hours away, I didn't think I should be in the bar drinking stout at this hour, so I checked in on the Japan - Australia score online over a tasty egg, turkey, and cheese sandwich and some fresh ground/brewed coffee. Japan 1 - 0. Should be a cakewalk from there. Surf time.

11:20 - Australia 3, Japan 1. What the fuck? Apparently the Socceroos scored 3 times in the last 8 minutes. *shaking head*

11:40 - I do some very minor stretching of my legs. Nothing too big. Don't want to pull a hammy pre-Kick.

12:00 - I arrive at the Plough and Stars and, due to my apparent blindness, don't see my friends sitting 3 stools away in a near empty bar until they hear my big mouth and call me over.

12:45 - Despite controlling possession for big stretches of the first half, the US is down 0 - 2 to a very big and very talented Czech Republic side. Not looking good. The sports bookie ticket in my pocket may have reached the end of its long journey from the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas.

1:15 - The 2nd half kicks off and Czech Republic is now playing without their 6 foot 8 inch striker, who left the game in the first half with a pulled hammy. I hope this isn't a portent of things to come. We're now watching the game at the Field. Better luck?

1:45 - No. Czech Republic scores again. The US is screwed. I rip up the sports bookie ticket and throw it to the ground.

2:00 - US loses, I hand the pile of ripped up paper to the Boston Globe reporter and we head off in search of a football, a tee, and a field that has field goal posts.

2:30 - Ball in hand. After a slice of pizza pie, we look for a field. I convince the gang that I should get a practice kick to calibrate myself since I've had 3 pints. They agree on the stipulation that the calibration kick does not count and it's the one after it that is The Kick. Of course. There's only one Kick.

3:00 - No field goal posts to be found. We settle for the center portion of a baseball backstop and walk off 35 yards. Dewy24 and Trivmaster squib a couple kicks as I'm warming up and stretching. They inform me that it's tough.

3:10 - I line up the kick and walk off the 4 steps and the 2 side steps. I take a couple swipes at air. Then I tee up the ball for my calibration kick - laces forward.

3:12 - The calibration kick is wide left, but I got some good foot on it. It felt pretty good. good distance. good height.

3:14 - The Kick:



3:15 - 3:30 - I miss the next nine kicks, but have some pretty good attempts. One actually flies over the backstop, just wide right. That one might have been a 45 yard kick if it was on line in a real field. But it was wide right. Had the power and the height. Just didn't have the accuracy.


the great thing about outrageous guarantees is that no one really expects you to succeed, so when you fail, it's no big deal. But when you come through, when it works out ... now there's some glory, right there. Which is why I will now guarantee that I will hit a 45 yard field goal by the end of the summer. Place your bets.