Two prominent signs in the U.S. Cultural Center Library which announce the new WiFi system of free on-line computers. Actually, the library is great with a huge DVD selection, current American magazines and lots of English language books on Middle-Eastern affairs.
It was a dark and stormy night...; really it was.
For the whole last week I have been planning to attend the big soccer game between Beitar Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The 21,000 seat Teddy Stadium, which is an eyesore to my friend Vardit, dominates the view outside my bedroom window so the joy and novelty of walking to the stadium was a big turn-on for me. At 3 in the afternoon I laid down for a nap and at 7:30, was awakened by a brilliant lightning strike and huge thunder clap which shook the house. I should point out that my first thought as I was startled awake was that the “end of days” had finally come to Jerusalem, but alas that was not the case.
For the whole last week I have been planning to attend the big soccer game between Beitar Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The 21,000 seat Teddy Stadium, which is an eyesore to my friend Vardit, dominates the view outside my bedroom window so the joy and novelty of walking to the stadium was a big turn-on for me. At 3 in the afternoon I laid down for a nap and at 7:30, was awakened by a brilliant lightning strike and huge thunder clap which shook the house. I should point out that my first thought as I was startled awake was that the “end of days” had finally come to Jerusalem, but alas that was not the case.
I jumped out of bed, threw on my clothes, and rushed out the door. I heard Vardit say, “don’t worry you are only a half hour late.” This is the same person who recently asked me if football is the game that uses the ball shaped like an egg, so that pretty well captures her level of sports comprehension.
As I approached the stadium, the rain was coming down and there were no people milling around outside; curious I thought. I went up to the darkened ticket window and tapped on the glass. A face peered out and when I asked for a ticket, it responded, “we’re closed.” I said, “I want to go to the game.” The face answered, “sorry it’s too late” and disappeared. I couldn’t believe it and at that instant an old Arab man approached me holding a wrinkled ticket and imploring me to buy it in some language I didn’t understand. The image was so weird; here I was on a deserted parking lot, alone with an Israeli scalper and cheers of fans wafting up from the stadium. I said, “how much” and I thought he said in broken English, “whatever you want.” The smallest bill I had was 50 shekels ($12.50) and he seem ecstatic, grabbed the money, delivered the ticket and disappeared into the darkness. An Angel of Mercy, so Jerusalem I thought. I have since learned that the ticket was a free complementary one for no charge; what an American Sucker, the angel must have thought.
An empty stadium, a steady downpour of rain and a kosher hotdog, it doesn't get much better that this.
As I entered the stadium it appeared about 75% empty, but the 25% of the fans in attendance were predictably going nuts. To make a long and very wet story short, the match went on and on to a 0-0 tie at the 90 minute mark. The monotony was broken up by intermittent rain, a surprisingly good, kosher hotdog, and the spectacle of hysterical soccer fans cheering numerous missed shots on goal. It will always be a mystery to me why soccer fans get so excited about missed shots. Anyway, the game went into the injury time. (for those unfamiliar with the rules, after 90 minutes the game can continue for a short time to make up for minutes lost as players rolled around on the ground in pain from being injured) The phenomena is especially interesting because the main scoreboard clock is stopped at “90” and nobody, except the referee knows how long the injury time will last, the only sure thing is that the time will not be long. While keeping one eye on the field, everyone was dejectedly heading towards the exits, resigned to a uneventful tie game.
Magically and unpredictably as this always seems to happen in soccer, there suddenly were a lot of players directly in front of the opponents goal, the ball was rolling around exposed on the ground, everyone assumed that time must surely have run out by now and then BANG, BANG there was a shot, a goal and the game ending whistle. It was the most amazing and cathartic ending I’ve ever witnessed. The crowd was stunned; frozen in time and then exploded with excitement. What a dumb, stupid, exhilarating sport is this game of soccer. It is truly unfathomable to my American sports mind.
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