OFFTOPIC: Urge Overkill

Last Tuesday, I woke up thinking to myself........"WOW, WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND IF WE HAD YET ANOTHER FEATURE ON SHINJI ONO?". My wish was granted.....Soccer Magazine Report had a cover feature on the big Ono. El Golazo had another feature on the Urawa Reds. Turn on the sports report and it's all Ono, all the time. WTF.

I have a feeling that this will continue all season if Urawa plays up to their potential. Ono scores his first goal, Ono talks to the fans, One eats a doughnut, Ono laughs at practice, Ono takes a poop.............you get the idea. On and on this will go until something else happens, like Shunsuke Nakamura does something or Hide Nakata does something or the media falls in love with some new guy who has moderate success in a big Euro league or huge success in a lower level Euro league.

Don't get me wrong, Ono is one of the best players in Japan and him coming back to Urawa is a huge story. But.......and let me emphasize BUT....it's not the only story. I'd like to see more about the Gamba renovation and how it's going to impact their title defense. I'd like to see more on Yokohama and the possibility of them regaining their championship swagger. I'd like to hear more about Cerezo, JEF, or Kashima who were all in shouting distance of bringing home the championship (JEF actually won a cup).

I'd like to blame this all on the Urawa hype machine but I can't. Although Urawa has dominated the news for all of 2006 (deservedly so.......I don't like it but they have been out in front on and off the field) they didn't start the hype machine. It all really began with a team in green who used to play in Kanagawa and decided they needed to move to Tokyo. It all started with a team who was owned by a huge daily newspaper who tried to duplicate the monstrosity they created in baseball. And they still are trying to keep in the public eye.

Before Ono, there was Rui mania. Rui becomes a coach, Rui takes over his old squad, Rui wears a green coat and plays in the snow. Sport rags haven't really gone into huge detail on the wrecking ball and renovation of this once proud franchise but they have shown Rui holding himself while watching his troops.

Before Ono, there was the King. The King goes to Europe, The King goes to Kobe, The King goes to Yokohama FC, The King plays in the WCC for Sydney, The King returns in a bright orange coat.

Urawa might be wise to take a look at Verdy now. This might be their future in ten years. Santos as coach, Ono trying for one last time at J3 squad Alos Hokuriku, Keisuke Tsuboi writing a tearful letter to the fans that he's leaving for Consadole Sapporo because he can't imagine playing in J2 for Urawa. It's the hype machine, it's builds your ego up to an inordinate level and then causes you to crash hard. Right now, the hype machine has built Urawa and Ono up to such an untenable level that there is no room for error. Hell, they already have won the 2006 championship, haven't they? All that's left are the games, right? Urawa, and more specifically Ono, have absolutely no room for error this season. It's unfair, but Japan's team asked for it.

ADDENDUM/APOLOGY: The Hirano transfer story was not my finest writing. I was in fact a little bitter because I was tired of the guy not making up his mind sooner so we could put the thing to rest. Hirano was a decent player for Verdy and I hope he has success with Yokohama FM. I think at this stage in his career it's a smarter move than Croatia or Europe for that matter. Ganbatte Hirano