These People Have No Clue On How To Run A Press Conference.

Since I was bored this morning and was doing my usual flipping between CNN, ESPN, and MSNBC, I decided to watch the spectacle that was the Beckham press conference, and it speaks not only to the level that MLS is at in the sporting world that it looked so awfully manufactured, but also provided moments of complete unintended hilarity. Dan Steinberg live-blogged it at the DC Sports Bog. Quick thoughts on this:

1. Whenever anyone talks about the sports effect that Beckham will have on L.A., please remind them that the Galaxy, and Chivas USA, play in Carson, about a half-hour or so out of L.A. proper. The press conference was held at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The L.A. Galaxy aren’t quite as bad as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (at least Carson is in L.A. County, I think), but it’s still far out.
2. Those confetti cannons were so awful, it wound up being funny. That, plus the music that didn’t really start on time when Alexi Lalas introduced Beckham. Really, Alexi never should have shaved or cut his hair. It didn’t help that the pool feed froze in the middle of the MLS commish talking for about a minute and a half.
3. Why was the MLS commish welcoming Beckham to the U.S. in Spanish as well? Token gesture to the Latino community?
4. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa just needs to lie low for a while, avoid photo op crap like this. It makes him look like a carpetbagger (Carson has a mayor, don’t you know), and the lusty booing over his lusting with Ms. Salinas should be a sign, if the lukewarm response to “WHO SAYS LOS ANGELES DOESN’T LOVE SOCCER?” after that wasn’t enough.
5. Very classy, Lalas. Remind everyone on the way out where to pick up some jerseys after that display of technical difficulties and general ridiculousness.

(Photo: AP/Nick Ut)