Furman has two players in World Cup

That's pretty impressive nobody how you gauge it. Especially for a school of an enrollment of 2500 students.

Furman says Clint Dempsey is the first grad to make the cover of Sports Illustrated. I guess they would know, but I thought Betsy King or Frank Selvy, the man who scored 100 in an NCAA Basketball game woulda made it.

Congrats to soccer players Ernie Robbins and Ed Bonn, two futbollers I knew when the program was kicking in in the early 70's. And Stuart, whose last name I can't recall at the moment. I think he was from Georgia.

I'm learning things like Uruguay has a population about the same as the state of Iowa and has won two World Cups.

http://www2.furman.edu/Lists/Press%20Releases/DispForm-PressReleases.aspx?List=f3a3efbf%2Df75d%2D4e3d%2D8191%2Df3599d9900fa&ID=274

And Dempsey on the Cover:

http://www2.furman.edu/Lists/Press%20Releases/DispForm-PressReleases.aspx?List=f3a3efbf%2Df75d%2D4e3d%2D8191%2Df3599d9900fa&ID=276

Profile of Dempsey from NY Times, via Columbia State:

http://www.thestate.com/2010/06/06/1318956/time-to-shine-for-ex-furman-soccer.html

ABC announcer for Dempsey's World Cup Goal against England today called it: "one of the softest goals you'll ever see at this level of futbol."

I'd say it was some Paladin cunning.

Congrats to Furman and the USA and getting through to the next round.

If Collinsville will work with me, maybe we can get Dempsey there for Inspiration for Collinsville's Soccer Program which has strong resonances to Paul Cuadros a Home on the Field.

5:18 pm June 12
The Clint Dempsey story it turns out has aspects of a Cormac McCarthy novel.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/melissa_segura/06/09/dempsey/1.html

And this sublime memoir from Daniel Alarcon, with whom I had several email exchanges a few years ago.

http://www.tnr.com/article/world/75256/my-fathers-game

If not Furman why not bring Alarcon to Collinsville as well.

Or great Furman panel would include Clint Dempsey; Alarcon, Paul Cuadros and Steve Roberts; Cokie's Husband who has recently written great book about the immigrant experience in America.
Roberts has Furman connection through the Haynsworths, his neighbors on the SC Coast.
It can happen; it should happen and looking for two of the four to filter on down to Collinsville for an inspirational day.

Beth Templeton, point guard, of the Ruhama Community, the class of 1997 Collinsville High School, is at the World Cup FIFA games in South Africa. I last saw Beth late evening of circa March 10,2007 in Ft. Payne near the Cracker Barrel.