Becks Breaks Yanks' Hex, Crowned Rex at LAX

Last year Major League Soccer (USA) rewrote their by-laws 
to allow each team to sign two "Designated Players" who 
could receive a salaryhigher than the maximum $400,000 
per year that all clubs currentlyare allowed.  Half in jest it 
was called "the Beckham Rule."  Well the rule certainly lived 
up to its name when David Beckham, Golden Balls himself,
through an amazing negotiation involving Real Madrid, his 
agents, BillionaireMLS backer Philip Anschutz, and actor Tom Cruise, decided to reject Real's two year offer and go 
for a five year contract with the LA Galaxy of the MLS worth
an estimated $250,000,000.  The insider account is here
in Sports Illustrated. You will be able to see how the MLS
is not paying that entire amount out of its own pocket.

The resulting worldwide media publicity storm mixed sport
and entertainment as LA-Hollywood embraced the glamour 
team of Becks and Posh Spice with a welcome that burst its 
banks and spilled over into talk shows, comedians' jokes and a
tabloid papparazzi photo frenzy that exploded when Posh
flew to LA to mansion-hunt.  Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Lopez
and Rod Stewart put down for season tickets at the LA Galaxy's
home pitch and Hugh Hefner said he would buy a luxury box
and install a mini PlayboyClub at matches.  Yes, Pele created a
similar buzz when he signed for the NASL NY Cosmos back
in 1975, but American futbol has come a long way since then.
There's no danger of the league going under like last time thanks
to careful financing, deep pocketed owners, soccer-specific stadia,
a reserve league, internet links for supporters, and millions
and millions of child and youth players who now have a megastar
to look up to and emulate.  It's all good and it's bound to get better,
provided the Beckhams don't do something silly, like buy
Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch (yes, the rumor was true).

I was already an LA Galaxy supporter before the signing, complete
with a uniform top and a scarf, the only ones in Western Japan.  
It's a giddy feeling to have your team pull off a coup like this
but he has to arrive in one piece in LA in August with both feet in
fine form.  Then we'll see how it goes.  With any luck I'll be able to time
a visit to my hometown San Diego during the season so I can see
the phenomena myself.  Stay tuned.