In a search for a video of Landon Donovan’s appearance on Wednesday’s episode of ESPN’s “Outside The Lines,” I came across a rather riveting piece recapping the Yanks’ summer.
Developed under the OTL/E-Ticket brand, Wayne Drehs offers readers an engaging game-by-game account of the team’s trials and tribulations during the World Cup qualifiers. This is not simply some ink-and-paper job that serves as a good bathroom read, but rather a time capsule of the Yanks’ summer replete with photos and pertinent video highlights. Simply put, ESPN finally gave the Yanks their due with Drehs’ “Fevered Pitch.”
What fuels the collection of articles is not necessarily the author’s prose, rather his willingness to step aside and let the emotions of each player come through with his “fly on the wall” approach. This is best seen when he writes about Donovan receiving an e-mail from his father along with the inclusion of a photo of the U.S./Russia “Miracle on Ice game.” The timing of the e-mail? Just prior to the USMNT’s upset of Spain.
While we generally don’t vigorously promote the works of other soccer sites, I encourage you to peruse Drehs’ offering. Over-stylized? Sure, but don’t blame Drehs for working at organization willing to overpay graphic designers to construct LeRoy Neiman-esque images to compliment his writing.
To view the article in its entirety, click here.