The non-handshake today between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra just proves to me that sportmanship is dead.

On October 15, 2011, Luis Suarez of Uruguay was accused of using racial slurs against Patrice Evra of France during a soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United. Following an investigation by the FA, Suarez was found guilty and handed an eight game suspension along with a £40,000 (approx. $63,000 USD) fine.

It just so happened that Suarez’s first game back on the pitch would be Liverpool facing Manchester United at Old Trafford, the latter’s home field.  As tradition dictates, the two teams starting line-ups will shake hands prior to kick-off, and much had been written about whether the two men would follow the tradition.  Both team’s managers said that they indeed would, but apparently something changed at the last moment for Suarez.

As you can see in the video, Suarez elected to skip shaking the hand of Patrice Evra and went on to goal keeper David De Gea.  Evra attempts to pull Suarez back to give him another chance, but he shakes him off and moves on to Rio Ferdinand, who elects not to shake his hand.  (Ferdinand’s brother had been caught up in another racial altercation of late on the England national team that led to the dismissal of some of the top brass.)

Reports indicate that at halftime Evra attempted to approach Suarez outside the locker rooms to discuss matters, and the two teams nearly came to blows with police and stewards being called to the tunnel to break it up. If true, it would explain why Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney came back on to the field on fire and scored two goals in the span of three minutes leading to the final score of 2 – 1 for the home team.

Post-match Evra went overboard in his celebrations, including doing it in front of Suarez to the point that he was guided away by the referee, and it looked as though the two teams may explode into a fist fight.

Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United said of the pre-game incident during an interview, ”He is a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club.  He shouldn’t be able to play for Liverpool again.”

All of this just begs me to ask the question of what has happened to sportsmanship.  Suarez can complain all day long about his punishment, but in the end he was found guilty by the ruling body of football, and it’s done.  His actions pre-game were not only childish, but potentially dangerous as he was on the home field of Man United with a stadium filled with fired up fans.  He could have quite possibly put not only his own life in danger, but those of his teammates as well.  Suarez was booed every time he came in to contact with the ball, and at least once it was believed something was thrown towards him from the stands while he was on the sidelines.

And I don’t just blame Suarez.  Evra’s post-game antics were tasteless.  He had the opportunity to walk away the bigger man, and instead he hopped around the field like an insane rabbit in an obvious attempt to goad Suarez and rub the team’s victory in his face.  It was very unsporting of him and, in some ways, I feel it made him look just as bad as the handshake incident that started today’s insanity.

No one is coming out of this smelling like roses, that’s for sure.  And it just adds fuel to the fire that athletes are over paid babies.  Suarez began all of this in October, and you can’t let it die by February?  What are you, 12?  Get over it, you messed up, you did your time, you move on.  As for Evra … just stop.  You have to let it die.

It’s hard to describe the feeling one gets when they finally ascend the stairs of a stadium that they have dreamed of going to for years, and then being confronted with the reality of it being right in front of you. Before Manchester United had even hit the field, I was already a happy man.

After more than a decade of following Manchester United, I finally got a chance to see them in their home stadium today against Newcastle United, and even though the final result was 1 – 1 (it really should have been 3 – 1 … that penalty kick and the off-sides call are going to haunt me for some time), it was still worth every penny I spent to get here. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, but the odds of the chances presenting themselves again are fairly slim. So, even if I never get to do it again, at least I have this one time to remember.

Now, normally this would be where you would assume I would insert a picture of the game or the inside of the stadium, but they actually have extremely clear rules about posting photos from inside the stadium to the Internet, so, instead, I bring you the Wall O’ Scarves from the official store in front of the stadium.

Scarves of your favorite football club is darn near an industry onto itself, and it amazed me just how many they had stocked up.

… I bought four different ones.  Hey, they’re only £10, leave me alone!

This trip was made possible due to several people helping with scheduling and making sure I got here, and while I would love to name them, I know they would rather I didn’t.  They know who they are, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for an amazing day at Old Trafford, also known as The Theater of Dreams.

As trips go … I’ve had better.

After an excruciating seven hour layover in O’Hare, I was able to get a great exit row seat with no chair in front of it, and I was sure I was set.  Sadly, my tailbone totally disagrees as it’s stil hurting almost 17 hours later.  A situation I definitely need to figure out before I return home.

Beyond that, the flight got in nearly an hour early and that meant getting to the hotel way before check-in, but they rushed to get a room ready for me and by 9:30 I was back on the streets and heading over to Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United.

Some shopping (you have to have the right gear for the game … right? That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!) and then off to a mall and … back to the room for sleep. While I’m normally not a fan of taking a nap on the day arrive somewhere, there just wasn’t an option this time. So, four hours later and I was off to dinner at a Chinese restaurant and then an open air Christmas market that was just insanely crowded, and cooked things in open pits that would make me think there is a high number of employee injuries. (and I still don’t get the hats …)

Overall a fun first day, and we’ll see how the game goes against Newcastle United … because I’m sure you’re all desperate to know.

Fun notes:

• Wash clothes are called “first clothes” … at least by the maid staff.
• The people of Manchester are amazingly nice and helpful.
• Some folks have had trouble understanding my accent …

I’m big on holidays; always have been, always will be. There was a time where the idea of spending the holidays away from home was just so foreign to me that I couldn’t comprehend it.

… Greetings from the O’Hare Terminal 3, Concourse K American Airlines Admiral’s Club.  Below is a picture of my cubicle in the business center where I am camped out until my flight to Manchester, England starts boarding at 5:20 PM CST.

When the opportunity for this vacation came up, I was reluctant at first to go at this time of year because it is the holidays, but too many things lined up to make this the nearly perfect trip: I get a few extra days of vacation without using up time from work, I get to see a Manchester United game and I get to see England all decorated for Christmas. It seemed like a pretty winning combination to me.

I still asked my family multiple times if they were okay with me being gone for Thanksgiving, and they assured me that while it wasn’t ideal, they totally understood that it was just too sweet of an arrangement to not do it.

So, that’s how I find myself killing seven hours in O’Hare airport.  (I took an early flight to allow for problems and there would be backup flights.  Note to everyone: Airports are ghost towns on Thanksgiving Day and planes are only about 75% full.)

I wish you all a happy and wonderful Thanksgiving, and thanks to everyone who helped make sure I got out on this much needed vacation.  When next you hear from me I shall be in England for the first time in my life.  (And, yes, I will be blogging every day as I usually would.  I’m not breaking my streak at this point when I’m coming up on my 7th anniversary.)