And Today on "Let's Bash John Terry"....

Well actually, I was navigating my way around old stories in hopes that I found some great Wayne Bridge on John Terry quotes (prior to the infidelity issue), when for some reason, I decided to shift my attention towards the John Harkes-Eric Wynalda-Steve Sampson love triangle of 1998.

Now just to go on the record, I happen to be a big Eric Wynalda fan, both the player and analyst, so much that at one point I wrote several letters under different email addresses to ESPN, requesting him to come back on the booth and send Harkes out to cover NCAA games… of Women’s Lacrosse… Ivy League Lacrosse.

I must say, trying to dig up old articles written pre-1998 World Cup is a bit tough, HOWEVER, it just so happens that I found myself a gem of an op-piece written by John Haydon of the Washington Times. In it you will find great quotes like:

“As far as I’m concerned, when he cut John Harkes he tore the heart out of the team and threw it on the floor and expected us to pick up the pieces,” -Eric Wynalda

“This World Cup was not about the U.S. national team,” Wynalda said. “It was Steve Sampson trying to prove his worth. He wanted to prove he didn’t need experience and he didn’t need anybody or anything. It’s sad. It’s just sad.” -Eric Wynalda

“A lot of hard work and sacrifice went into qualifying, but Steve forgot that,” Harkes said. “Steve broke up a great chemistry.”-John Harkes

Now, I am no genius… but I call bullshit!

Why, after 12 years, did Wynalda change his stand on the matter? I mean really, we’ve been blasting the original Captain America for the last month over something that probably never happened!

As of lately, I’ve been very confused over my 12 years of bottled in hate dislike for Steve Sampson, as a matter of fact, those several email addresses that I used to request Wynalda back on the air with, I also used to send hate dislike mail over to Steve Sampson, what can I say, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I feel like I should take it all back… or not.

But it’s not 1998, we cannot blame Harkes, Wynalda, or Sampson for what happened, so much time has passed that it wouldn’t be fair to any of them.

Coming to think of it, there is one person we can blame for all this, that’s right folks, blame John Terry.