• To those of you who do NOT play Fantasy Scout

    From milivella@milivella@gmail.com to rec.sport.soccer on Tue Jul 7 21:20:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    It's not a problem. You're OK. Your life is good.

    But why not make it great?

    I mean, if you join Fantasy Scout, you may find yourself discussing the literary merit of rhyming the names of different Brazilian forwards with Futbolmetrix via email late at night (not something that happened to me).

    The game requires no time commitment, and it's simple. The new cycle,
    where everybody restarts from zero, will start on 1 August. Come join us.

    Minimal description of the game (but the rules, that you can find over
    at https://fantasyscout.altervista.org/ , are not much longer):
    - You play by picking players from the major nations that nobody has
    picked so far and that have fewer than 2 international caps.
    - When you pick a player, you lose 10 points.
    - For each international cap a player you picked gets in his whole
    career, you get 1 point. For each international goal he scores, also 1
    point.
    - There is a different ranking for every two-year period of picks.
    - But the players keep scoring points even after the two years! So there
    will be a ranking based on the career of all the players picked in
    2026-28, and this ranking will keep evolving for the next 15+ years (the ranking for the 2007-10 period is not fully decided yet!).

    If you have questions, ask away.

    (No, seriously, it didn't happen to me. They were WhatsApp messages, not emails.)

    --
    Cheers
    milivella
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Futbolmetrix@futbolmetrix@yahoo.com to rec.sport.soccer on Tue Jul 7 15:59:26 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    On Tue, 7 Jul 2026 21:20:05 +0200, milivella <milivella@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    It's not a problem. You're OK. Your life is good.

    But why not make it great?

    I mean, if you join Fantasy Scout, you may find yourself discussing the >literary merit of rhyming the names of different Brazilian forwards with >Futbolmetrix via email late at night (not something that happened to me).

    (No, seriously, it didn't happen to me. They were WhatsApp messages, not >emails.)


    Ugh...I actually don't remember this. What rhymes did we come up with?

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Real Mardin@realmardinrss@proton.me to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Jul 8 00:15:16 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    On 07/07/2026 20:20, milivella wrote:
    It's not a problem. You're OK. Your life is good.

    But why not make it great?

    I mean, if you join Fantasy Scout, you may find yourself discussing the literary merit of rhyming the names of different Brazilian forwards with Futbolmetrix via email late at night (not something that happened to me).

    The game requires no time commitment, and it's simple. The new cycle,
    where everybody restarts from zero, will start on 1 August. Come join us.

    Minimal description of the game (but the rules, that you can find over
    at https://fantasyscout.altervista.org/ , are not much longer):
    - You play by picking players from the major nations that nobody has
    picked so far and that have fewer than 2 international caps.
    - When you pick a player, you lose 10 points.
    - For each international cap a player you picked gets in his whole
    career, you get 1 point. For each international goal he scores, also 1 point.
    - There is a different ranking for every two-year period of picks.
    - But the players keep scoring points even after the two years! So there will be a ranking based on the career of all the players picked in
    2026-28, and this ranking will keep evolving for the next 15+ years (the ranking for the 2007-10 period is not fully decided yet!).

    If you have questions, ask away.

    (No, seriously, it didn't happen to me. They were WhatsApp messages, not emails.)

    --
    Cheers
    milivella


    I only played this one cycle back in 2018ish.

    Just reminded myself I picked Joao Carvalho when Nottingham Forest
    signed him from Benfica. He was touted to have a bright future but ended
    up at Almeria, Olympiacos and currently Estoril. He was 21 when I signed
    him, now he's 29 with not a single senior cap to his name.


    I'll try to join the next cycle but somehow don't think I'll be
    troubling the top places in the leader board!


    RM
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Real Mardin@realmardinrss@proton.me to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Jul 8 00:30:27 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    On 08/07/2026 00:15, Real Mardin wrote:
    On 07/07/2026 20:20, milivella wrote:
    It's not a problem. You're OK. Your life is good.

    But why not make it great?

    I mean, if you join Fantasy Scout, you may find yourself discussing
    the literary merit of rhyming the names of different Brazilian
    forwards with Futbolmetrix via email late at night (not something that
    happened to me).

    The game requires no time commitment, and it's simple. The new cycle,
    where everybody restarts from zero, will start on 1 August. Come join us.

    Minimal description of the game (but the rules, that you can find over
    at https://fantasyscout.altervista.org/ , are not much longer):
    - You play by picking players from the major nations that nobody has
    picked so far and that have fewer than 2 international caps.
    - When you pick a player, you lose 10 points.
    - For each international cap a player you picked gets in his whole
    career, you get 1 point. For each international goal he scores, also 1
    point.
    - There is a different ranking for every two-year period of picks.
    - But the players keep scoring points even after the two years! So
    there will be a ranking based on the career of all the players picked
    in 2026-28, and this ranking will keep evolving for the next 15+ years
    (the ranking for the 2007-10 period is not fully decided yet!).

    If you have questions, ask away.

    (No, seriously, it didn't happen to me. They were WhatsApp messages,
    not emails.)

    --
    Cheers
    milivella


    I only played this one cycle back in 2018ish.

    Just reminded myself I picked Joao Carvalho when Nottingham Forest
    signed him from Benfica. He was touted to have a bright future but ended
    up at Almeria, Olympiacos and currently Estoril. He was 21 when I signed him, now he's 29 with not a single senior cap to his name.


    I'll try to join the next cycle but somehow don't think I'll be
    troubling the top places in the leader board!


    RM


    Just seen you can filter all the Scouts to see your previous picks. Wow,
    I'm bad at this. 7 players picked and only 5 points scored!


    I saw Borja Garces play for Atletico de Madrid in some pre-season international tournament, honestly he looked great. Surely he would go
    on to be capped for Spain?

    No.

    His career took him to Feunlabrada (??), Leganes, Tenerife, Elche and
    most recently Kutosija in the Croatian second divison. Looks like a knee injury cut his momentum short when he was at Atletico. Shame.


    My only pick to score me points was Cervi, who I picked when Benfica
    signed him from Rosario Central. He made 114 appearances for Benfica
    over 5 seasons and is currently at Celta Vigo. He played four times for Argentina in 2018 - and scored once! Thank you Franco Cervi for saving
    me from nil puan!


    RM
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From milivella@milivella@gmail.com to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Jul 8 21:05:49 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    Futbolmetrix:

    On Tue, 7 Jul 2026 21:20:05 +0200, milivella <milivella@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    It's not a problem. You're OK. Your life is good.

    But why not make it great?

    I mean, if you join Fantasy Scout, you may find yourself discussing the
    literary merit of rhyming the names of different Brazilian forwards with
    Futbolmetrix via email late at night (not something that happened to me).

    (No, seriously, it didn't happen to me. They were WhatsApp messages, not
    emails.)


    Ugh...I actually don't remember this. What rhymes did we come up with?


    You didn't come up with anything, *because you don't listen to more than
    30 seconds of the musical masterpieces I keep sending you!*

    Anyway, here is the original Italian and the translated text of my
    flamenco song about Igor Thiago (a pick of mine), which features a
    reference to Matheus Cunha (a pick of Futbolmetrix's).

    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Con la palla tra i piedi tu sei proprio un mago
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Di vederti in campo non sar|# mai pago
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Anche se sembri Otello, sei furbo come Iago
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Poi vedo Mateus Cunha, vado in bagno e [dramatic music change] Con le
    violette e le roselline
    La donzelletta orna il suo crine...

    Igor... Igor Thiago
    With the ball at your feet, you're truly a magician
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Seeing you on the pitch will never satisfy me
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Even if you look like Othello, you're as cunning as Iago
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Then I see Mateus Cunha, I go to the bathroom and [dramatic music
    change] With violets and little roses
    The little damsel adorns her hair...

    I will not explain what rhyme one would expect in the last line in
    Italian, because I am not _that_ shameless. What I can tell you is that
    the line that replaces the shameful one is a reference to Giacomo
    Leopardi's (one of the greatest Italian poet) "Il sabato del villaggio" ("Saturday in the Village", one of his most famous poems), which
    contains verses about exactly a little damsel adorning her hair with
    violets and roses. Three notable (?!) things:
    - As expert botanics and MH will tell you, roses and violets bloom at
    totally different times of the year. You can guess how many literary
    theories about Leopardi's intent this detail spawned (or if you don't
    want to guess, you can ask HM---I bet he knows this as well).
    - Even if the words are basically the same, my rhyme (roselline/crine)
    is different from Leopardi's (viole/suole, crine/vicine).
    - This silly littl... I mean, this masterpiece of a song recently got an
    even deeper level. Leopardi's poem is about how Saturday (the day before
    the holiday) is sweeter than Sunday (the holiday), because expectations
    are sweeter than the real thing. Let's just say that my expectations
    about the World Cup performances of Thiago and Cunha were a bit optimistic.

    ...But of course Futbolmetrix will never know any of this, not even now
    that I have posted this her, because he stopped reading this post after
    the first line.

    --
    Cheers
    milivella
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From milivella@milivella@gmail.com to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Jul 8 21:11:22 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    Real Mardin:

    I only played this one cycle back in 2018ish.

    Just reminded myself I picked Joao Carvalho when Nottingham Forest
    signed him from Benfica. He was touted to have a bright future but ended
    up at Almeria, Olympiacos and currently Estoril. He was 21 when I signed him, now he's 29 with not a single senior cap to his name.


    I'll try to join the next cycle

    That's great news!

    but somehow don't think I'll be
    troubling the top places in the leader board!

    Don't worry. I know I have zero chances to crack the podium nowadays,
    but I play anyway, because my aim is to beat my brother (Alberto) and Futbolmetrix.

    Low bar, I know...

    --
    Cheers
    milivella
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From milivella@milivella@gmail.com to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Jul 8 21:30:57 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    Real Mardin:

    First of all, I forgot to tell you: welcome back!

    Just seen you can filter all the Scouts to see your previous picks. Wow,
    I'm bad at this. 7 players picked and only 5 points scored!


    I saw Borja Garces play for Atletico de Madrid in some pre-season international tournament, honestly he looked great. Surely he would go
    on to be capped for Spain?

    No.

    His career took him to Feunlabrada (??), Leganes, Tenerife, Elche and
    most recently Kutosija in the Croatian second divison. Looks like a knee injury cut his momentum short when he was at Atletico. Shame.

    Also Joao Carvalho and Cervi may have been injuried in key moments. It happens. :/

    My only pick to score me points was Cervi, who I picked when Benfica
    signed him from Rosario Central. He made 114 appearances for Benfica
    over 5 seasons and is currently at Celta Vigo. He played four times for Argentina in 2018 - and scored once! Thank you Franco Cervi for saving
    me from nil puan!

    Maybe he shouldn't have left Portugal?

    Your other picks:
    * Joao Carvalho is a good player, no? Winning the Conference League with Olimpiacos, performing well in the Portuguese league. Unfortunately, Portugal's playmaking spot in one of the most staked in the world!
    * Gil Dias could get points... for highest number of leagues visited.
    * Gabrielzinho has played _both_ in UAE and China? lol
    * I bet Diogo Goncalves is the only player with a Portugal -> Denmark ->
    USA -> Turkey career path.
    * Miguel Luis: part of the U19 team that won the Euro together with
    Diogo Costa, Dalot, Diogo Jota, Rafael Leao... But his career took a
    different turn.

    --
    Cheers
    milivella
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From milivella@milivella@gmail.com to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Jul 22 03:36:36 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    milivella:

    Anyway, here is the original Italian and the translated text of my
    flamenco song about Igor Thiago (a pick of mine), which features a
    reference to Matheus Cunha (a pick of Futbolmetrix's).

    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Con la palla tra i piedi tu sei proprio un mago
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Di vederti in campo non sar|# mai pago
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Anche se sembri Otello, sei furbo come Iago
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Poi vedo Mateus Cunha, vado in bagno e [dramatic music change] Con le violette e le roselline
    La donzelletta orna il suo crine...

    Igor... Igor Thiago
    With the ball at your feet, you're truly a magician
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Seeing you on the pitch will never satisfy me
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Even if you look like Othello, you're as cunning as Iago
    Igor... Igor Thiago
    Then I see Mateus Cunha, I go to the bathroom and [dramatic music
    change] With violets and little roses
    The little damsel adorns her hair...

    I will not explain what rhyme one would expect in the last line in
    Italian, because I am not _that_ shameless. What I can tell you is that
    the line that replaces the shameful one is a reference to Giacomo
    Leopardi's (one of the greatest Italian poet) "Il sabato del
    villaggio" ("Saturday in the Village", one of his most famous poems),
    which contains verses about exactly a little damsel adorning her hair
    with violets and roses. Three notable (?!) things:

    [snip]

    Also, of course the scent of the flowers mentioned in the replacement
    lines is in contrast to the smell implied in the shameful rhyme!

    --
    Cheers
    milivella
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Mark@Pammiesheart@yahoo.co.uk to rec.sport.soccer on Mon Aug 3 19:36:44 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    milivella wrote:
    For each international cap
    a player you picked gets in his whole career, you get 1 point. For
    each international goal he scores, also 1 point.

    That's the bit I don't like. It rewards picking forwards too much. You
    get penalized for picking defensive players. That's probably why I've
    never played it.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From milivella@milivella@gmail.com to rec.sport.soccer on Thu Aug 6 23:47:33 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    Mark:

    milivella wrote:
    For each international cap
    a player you picked gets in his whole career, you get 1 point. For
    each international goal he scores, also 1 point.

    That's the bit I don't like. It rewards picking forwards too much. You
    get penalized for picking defensive players. That's probably why I've
    never played it.

    That's fair.

    I don't want to change your mind about FS generally or this rule
    specifically, but let me reply with two things:

    (1) If you join, you can propose a change to this rule. :)

    (2) Ranking of players picked between 2007 and 2010 (practically all
    retired from international football) by caps+goals:
    1. Neymar
    2. Muller
    3. Di Maria
    4. Busquets
    4. Otamendi
    6. Lloris
    7. Kroos
    8. Bonucci
    9. Neuer
    10. Wijnaldum

    Do you find this ranking too forward-heavy?

    By caps only:
    1. Di Maria
    1. Lloris
    3. Busquets
    4. Otamendi
    5. Muller
    6. Neymar
    7. Neuer
    8. Bonucci
    9. Kroos
    10. Pique

    Do you find this ranking better than the former? (both are
    non-rhetorical questions!)

    --
    Cheers
    milivella
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Mark@Pammiesheart@yahoo.co.uk to rec.sport.soccer on Sun Aug 9 19:39:31 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    milivella wrote:

    Mark:

    milivella wrote:
    For each international cap
    a player you picked gets in his whole career, you get 1 point. For
    each international goal he scores, also 1 point.

    That's the bit I don't like. It rewards picking forwards too much.
    You get penalized for picking defensive players. That's probably
    why I've never played it.

    That's fair.

    I don't want to change your mind about FS generally or this rule specifically, but let me reply with two things:

    (1) If you join, you can propose a change to this rule. :)

    I propose a change to the rule. (You didn't say I couldn't propose it
    if I don't join.)

    (2) Ranking of players picked between 2007 and 2010 (practically all
    retired from international football) by caps+goals: 1. Neymar
    2. Muller
    3. Di Maria
    4. Busquets
    4. Otamendi
    6. Lloris
    7. Kroos
    8. Bonucci
    9. Neuer
    10. Wijnaldum

    Do you find this ranking too forward-heavy?

    It's not too bad. Better than I might have expected.

    By caps only:
    1. Di Maria
    1. Lloris
    3. Busquets
    4. Otamendi
    5. Muller
    6. Neymar
    7. Neuer
    8. Bonucci
    9. Kroos
    10. Pique

    Do you find this ranking better than the former? (both are
    non-rhetorical questions!)

    It's a bit better.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From milivella@milivella@gmail.com to rec.sport.soccer on Sun Aug 9 23:22:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer

    Mark:

    milivella wrote:

    Mark:

    milivella wrote:
    For each international cap
    a player you picked gets in his whole career, you get 1 point. For
    each international goal he scores, also 1 point.

    That's the bit I don't like. It rewards picking forwards too much.
    You get penalized for picking defensive players. That's probably
    why I've never played it.

    That's fair.

    I don't want to change your mind about FS generally or this rule
    specifically, but let me reply with two things:

    (1) If you join, you can propose a change to this rule. :)

    I propose a change to the rule. (You didn't say I couldn't propose it
    if I don't join.)

    Touche! :)

    (2) Ranking of players picked between 2007 and 2010 (practically all
    retired from international football) by caps+goals: 1. Neymar
    2. Muller
    3. Di Maria
    4. Busquets
    4. Otamendi
    6. Lloris
    7. Kroos
    8. Bonucci
    9. Neuer
    10. Wijnaldum

    Do you find this ranking too forward-heavy?

    It's not too bad. Better than I might have expected.

    By caps only:
    1. Di Maria
    1. Lloris
    3. Busquets
    4. Otamendi
    5. Muller
    6. Neymar
    7. Neuer
    8. Bonucci
    9. Kroos
    10. Pique

    Do you find this ranking better than the former? (both are
    non-rhetorical questions!)

    It's a bit better.

    Thanks for answering.

    --
    Cheers
    milivella
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2