A quick bit of gratitude to express, then on to this week’s debate.

Last year I underwent a quadruple coronary artery bypass to “re-plumb” some heart blood vessels that had been subject to years of abuse.

Since then, including the past four weeks, I have from time to time had other related health issues come up, some of which were in the potentially life-threatening category.

I’m cautiously happy to report I am still alive, Norwegian and kicking, given one more chance to live the Montana life-style I love so much.

Along the way, I have received some outstanding support from friends, family, co-workers and folks who enjoy my stories.

There have been tons of prayers mixed in, which are what I feel have helped me so much down the road to recovery.

Thank you all so much for your kindness, support and encouragement. As I like to tell folks, “I ain’t going anywhere, I’m Norwegian and from Montana”.

God bless you all and thank you from the bottom of my rebuilt heart!!

Now to get back into the fray, I’ve decided to address a sports issue the likes of which the First Amendment was penned so many years ago.

Soccer. Love it? Or hate it?

There are many out there who are swept up in the euphoria of the current World Cup, which is billed as the largest of the great sports tournaments and represents the most fans on the planet.

Soccer, or dare I say “futbol” the fanatics say, is Earth’s game. It is played on every corner of the globe, including places where “soccer moms” no doubt get the kids to practice by donkey, wooden cart or bullet train.

It has become the mega-dollar business that causes fans to dress in exotic costumes, paint their faces and brawl in the stands of the world’s most cavernous stadiums and sports palaces.

It is played everywhere, even right here in ‘Merica!

On the other side of the debate are mostly American sports “purists”. They wretch when told of a really “great” soccer game that ended in a 0-0 tie. Several hours of wasted energy per scream of “gooooalllll”!!

Antagonists note that a 1-0 score after all that time is slightly higher on the attention chart than watching paint dry or whittling on a stick.

And perhaps most appalling to fans of other sports, is the injury factor.

During last week’s World Cup match with Iran, they point out, was a scene typical of soccer’s phony front.

One of the American stars, shortly after scoring the game’s only goal, collided in the net area with the Iranian goalkeeper. The poor lad lay almost motionless on the ground while a squad of medicos poured over him. An ambulance was called and the player was taken from the stadium and rushed to the nearest trauma center.

After “tense” hours of examination, he was diagnosed with...a bruised tummy.

American football players cringed.

And just a few hours later, the USA player was released from the hospital, vowing to return two days later to rejoin his teammates in battle.

I saw an American football player set his own nose back in place before the next play after the schnoz had been knocked to the side of his face.

Not to worry soccer fans. There is a path to appeasement.

Shrink the damn field and reduce the size of the nets. This would no doubt result in more scoring, which American fans demand and the rest of the world would latch onto over time.

Make faking an injury, no blood no foul, a part of the game for which a player could be penalized.

Just these two changes, I believe, could dramatically increase the scope of the American audience and the jillions of TV dollars it attracts.

I’m not anti-soccer. I actually admire the physical skills and conditioning it must take to become an elite player at any level. Running more than 100 yards in one day is usually (okay, always) more than I sometimes like to drive.

Give me a 10-8 soccer score and I would be a happy camper.

And do something about the costumes at games. Can you imagine a Raiders fan dressing weird and fighting in the stands?