Well, well, well, lookie here, it’s another one of them Vasco da Gama and Atlético-MG games. I heard some folks talking about it down at the market. Them young’uns with their fancy phones, always showin’ me things. I don’t know much, but I hear them two teams is at it again.
They say that Vasco da Gama, they’re gonna play them Atlético-MG fellas. I seen one of them games once, lots of runnin’ and kickin’. My old knees ain’t what they used to be, but I reckon even I could kick that ball a bit, given a chance. They got those lines on the field and everything. This is a real big thing, you know?
I heard some fellas sayin’ Vasco da Gama might win. They say the “bookies” put some numbers on it, like 2.50 for Vasco da Gama. What’s that even mean? Sounds like chicken feed prices to me. And then there’s the draw thing, it’s 3.20, they say. I don’t know, seems like a whole lot of fuss if you ask me. They are all just numbers!
That Atlético-MG team, though. They’re a tough bunch, I hear. They gonna play on a Sunday. Lord, that’s a day for rest, ain’t it? July 21st, they say. 19:00 UTC? What in tarnation is UTC? Is that some new-fangled thingamajig? In my day, we just looked at the sun! We didn’t need all these fancy letters and numbers.
These young’uns, they got all sorts of things to look at. “Live results,” “H2H,” “stats,” “lineups,” they say. Sounds like a bunch of gibberish to me. I don’t need no “H2H” to tell me who’s gonna win. Just watch the game, that’s what I say! And there are “player ratings”. What does that mean? They are all good players if you ask me.
They say Vasco da Gama is 4th. 4th what, I wonder? 4th best at kickin’ that ball? I reckon there’s a lot of teams out there kickin’ balls. It’s all a bit much for this old brain, if you ask me.
- They got this thing called “shotmap.” What a silly name.
- “Team forms”, another one of them. What form? Like a square or a circle?
- “Insights”, “Odds” this is too much!
I remember when folks just played games for fun. Now it’s all numbers and these “bookies” and whatnot. I even heard them talking about something called “ESPN”. Is that like them ESP things? Readin’ minds and such? Lord have mercy. This world is gettin’ stranger by the day. I guess if someone can “read minds”, they can tell you the score of the game before it begins, right?
They talk about these teams like they’re some kind of prized hogs. “Recent form” they say. Well, my old Bessie, she was in fine form last spring, birthed a whole litter of piglets. Is that what they mean? I doubt it. They are talking about the games, I think. But who can really understand those young people these days?
And this “algorithm” thing, I heard them sayin’ that too. Sounds like something you’d need a doctor for. Is it some kind of sickness? Maybe it’s a new kind of dance? I used to be a good dancer in my day, you know. Could do the waltz and the foxtrot. Never heard of no “algorithm” dance, though.
Vasco da Gama, Atlético-MG, it’s all the same to me. Just a bunch of young’uns chasin’ a ball around a field. But I guess it’s important to some folks. It’s a big deal, I know. Makes a lot of noise in the town. If they enjoy it, then that’s all that matters, I suppose. It keeps them busy, out of trouble.
I reckon I’ll just stick to my garden. Got some nice tomatoes comin’ in. Don’t need no “stats” or “lineups” to tell me they’re gonna be tasty. Just good old sunshine and water, that’s all it takes. You can’t get much better than that, you know? They say it is going to be a good game, but my tomatoes are better!
So, if you like this Vasco da Gama and Atlético-MG, you go right ahead and watch. It will probably be a good game. Me, I’ll be here, enjoyin’ the simple things. Like a good cup of tea and a nice, juicy tomato. That’s the life, if you ask me.
