The View From Cartagena

Vacation time is over, but it was fun while it lasted. Our hotel was right next to some futbol fields, so I got a few shots of Colombian rec league soccer. They played all day on Saturday and Sunday, a parade of little league games and adult matches. I did not get to see a bicycle kick, but did witness a goal in the few times I stopped to watch the action.

We ventured into the foreign equivalent of Wal-Mart and found these chips.

For some reason, they seem to love chicken flavored potato chips down there. I didn't try any, but in hindsight I should have bought this value pack, if only for the celebrity endorser. Many of you may have forgotten him, but he is one of the great diversionary figures in the sports world.

The endorser's name: Carlos Valderrama. What a name! As for his hair, I remember seeing a quote in which he said all the men in his village had hair like that and he didn't understand why it was such a big deal. It's good to see Carlos has landed a cushy chicken flavored potato chip endorsement deal after his days on the pitch.

In 1994, he and the Colombian national team lost a famous soccer game to the USA at the World Cup. The game eventually cost a Colombian player his life. Andres Escobar was murdered shortly after returning home, presumably because he scored an own goal, costing the Colombians the game and a fair amount of face internationally.

I'll be back to American sports soon, hopefully tonight.