No Live Blog Today

I don’t want to act like the world is hanging on this news, but a couple of people wrote to ask if I’d be doing one. I’m not, because I want to pay real attention the match, and live-blogging fosters a sort of crazed hyper-attention in which you’re aware of the individual atoms moving as the leaves rustle outside the stadium but forget each discrete action the instant you’ve finished transforming it into a joke about the number of Chelsea corners. I might drop by at halftime, but otherwise I’m just watching the match.

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited. I just switched on ESPN2 to hear somebody (Robbie Mustoe?) talking about “the passion English fans demand from their players,” and it stressed me out to the point that my fight-or-flight reflex almost kicked in. For the record, that’s not because I think this match or Barcelona winning the Champions League would have some sort of power to redeem football or transform the way the game is played. I’m more committed to the legacy of this particular Barcelona team and to the hope that every now and again, a style of play that seems consonant with the reason I watch the sport will be validated by the judgment of the result.

Anyway, as in all good things, I agree with Fredorrarci’s conclusion on this. See you soon…