Time to play 'catch up'

You may find out that we're big television fans here at "Final Buzzer," and since the summer time is really the dog days for viewing, I'd like to give some of you a chance to catch a show you might have missed during the previous TV season.
NBC's "Friday Night Lights" was recently picked up for a second season, mainly due to the critical acclaim it received. Yes, some of the episodes had cheesy endings and the football scenes sort of stretched the limits of imagination, but this show goes well beyond the field. The character development on this show was second to none. One of the big problems I had with the movie version of FNL was that the characters were so unlikeable that, I didn't care if they won or lost. There was no emotional investment for me.
The TV show was a different story. In the pilot episode, I found many of the characters to, once again, be unlikeable. But, I stuck with the show (mainly cuz the chicks were so freakin hot!) and I was glad I did. By the end of the season, I was emotionally invested in nearly all the characters and, when the finale ended, I was emotionally drained.
The show didn't draw huge ratings, partly because it was up against American Idol for half of its season and I think partly because most people expected it to just be a football show. But, anyone who watched it will tell you that it went way beyond.
So, below is the link to check out the show on NBC.com, where all the episodes from Season 1 are available to watch. I strongly recommend you check it out.

Check out Friday Night Lights!

Holy Crap!

Que golazo!

Benny Feilhaber one-times the go-ahead goal. Kid out of UCLA, now playing in Europe, now making his mark for the National Team.

And Brian Ching comes a post away from putting it away.

2-1.

And we've got a game . . . . .

Landon Donovan gets a PK to tie it after Brian Ching taken down in the box. The right call.

And Donovan vs. Mexico gets another chapter.

Busting the Cherry . . . . . .

Welcome to the Final Buzzer.

As an early indicator of the spectrum of discussion we plan to run, we begin with United States Men's National Team soccer. The Nats are facing Mexico in the final of the regional championship, the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is packed with fans wearing green and red, cheering on the Mexican team to victory.

Or is that Soldier Field in Chicago, 2/3rds full of Mexican fans?

And that's it . . . . Mexico has scored in the 44th minute. Oguchi Onyewu was beaten by the passer, Guardado was wide open on the left side, and Mexico has scored on the U.S. in the U.S. for the first time since the Clinton Administration. 1-0, Mexico, with an eye to ending their long losing streak against us on our soil.