Maestro Gerard Schwarz of the Seattle Symphony got the scarf in the opener, and then conducted the band for the national anthem ... I found that to be a nice start to the season as he is retiring this year.
Here is a list of potential mostly soccer related Gold Scarf potential recipients and why I think they make good choices.
1) The Yugo Duo of Preki and Steve Zungul
- to honor the original Tacoma Stars
2) Fernando Clavijo
- to honor the Seattle Seadogs
3) Harry Redknapp
- current Spurs boss and NASL Sounder player and asst. coach would be an awesome recipient in conjunction with a friendly with Spurs
4) Neil Megson / Laurie Calloway / Bernie James
- old coaches day
5) Bruce Arena
- to honor the ASL Tacoma Tides and this would have been cool before the opener in a bit a gamesmanship
6) Kasey Keller
- this could happen before his final home game in the fall or at the start of 2012
7) Marcus Hahnemann
- Marcus is reportedly out of contract this summer and it would be awesome if he decided to come home, train in the fall with the SSFC, receive a Gold Scarf, and then sign to play 2-3 seasons back home in Seattle to finish his career where it started.
8) 1977 Cosmos - Pele by McAllister, Beckenbauer or Chinaglia ...
- Really tap into the rich history of the Sounders name with members of the 1977 Soccer Bowl teams some August.
9) John Harkes
- Harkes clearly loves the atmosphere of the XBox Pitch and it would be cool to honor the USMNT's only ever crowned Captain For Life.
10) Kevin Callabro
- the 2010 experiment did not work out, but it was worth trying and since KC has been such a part of the sports landscape for so long it would be a nice touch to bring him back to get a cheer
11) Marshawn Lynch
- his run in the playoffs triggered a fan response so severe it was measurable on a fault line
12) Bob Robertson and Bob Rondeau
- The Bobs are the voices of the Cougs and Dawgs and have a history with soccer in this region.
13) Lauren Jackson
- to honor the 2010 WNBA champs and because she is awesome
14) Washington Stealth
- to honor a team that won a title in 2010 and to give exposure to other local teams
15) PDL clubs
- bring in members of the various PDL clubs for a chance to expose the lower tiers to a major audience
16) The Winnebago Man Jack Rebney
- the Holy Grail of Gold Scarf potentials as Rebney was actually the NASL Sounders GM in the early 1980s
17) Me
- if I ever finish and publish Oxymoron
I would hope to see all of these eventually get the Gold Scarf, but we have years and years to see ...
