September 6th 2008. The setting: the entire peninsula is devastated after what we saw at the Euros three months earlier. Our illusions of the solidarity, the watertight defense, and the inability to fail all shattered after the thrashing against Holland. Sure, we screwed up a few times during Euro 2008 qualifying, but the last major tournament before that one set the benchmark quite high. Probably too high. So in the post-mortem of the Euros, we were looking to quickly bounce back. I think in hindsight that getting a win was the most important thing for us to put the Euros well and truly behind us, and get a win we did. Buffon was majestic as always- FootballItalia suggests that perhaps he alone of our current squad is world class, and that much alone is indubitable- and Di Natale scored us a winner deep into overtime.

This was a new feeling for the Azzurri, and one that we have been feeling more and more frequently: that is, luck. We won out of luck, and no one knew how to react. We had one the last world cup with some luck, but more through determination, team spirit, and Zidane’s craziness. At the previous Euros, not a single thing seemed to go our way, but here on the road to South Africa, luck (and Buffon) alone gifted us a winner. It seemed a mixed bag at the very least. We got the three points but a struggle to beat Cyprus is nothing to write home about.

October 14 2009. A similar scene plays out. Gilardino has the match of his life and scores 3 goals in 14 minutes to give us a win over Cyprus. We were dour for most of the match, although most of it was played by B squad members given that we already qualified. Lady luck again seemed to be on our side, and it left us all very confused. Should we be happy that we won? After all, the sign of great teams is winning when you play badly. But how long can we count on lady luck to guide us through?

If you’re interested in re-reading the details of our entire qualifying campaign, goal.com has a great writeup. I don’t want to focus on each game, but rather players and themes that occurred throughout the campaign. In general, I would like to point out that we finished very respectably, with 7 wins, 3 draws, and 0 losses- and even the love of the footy world right now (England, the apple of every newspaper’s eye) had a loss. We scored 18 goals and conceded 7. Our play varied from good to poor but it wasn’t all too convincing.

Perhaps the most noticeable thing over the last year or so is that Marcello Lippi is an obstinate man. Marchisio and Chiellini aside, he likes to stick with the aging players that won us the Cup in Germany and will not call up Cassano at all. Period. We need creativity and inspiration but it appears that that will come from someone else- maybe Totti, maybe Rossi, or maybe no one. We really don’t have a clue as to how Lippi will solve this problem, but it’s safe to say without some spark we are not going to beat the big teams next year.

Buffon is without a doubt the best player we have right now. He was the best player in 06 (aside from Canna), and he still is. Shrines should be erected in his honor the day he retires, but luckily for us, that day is far away. As long as we have Buffon guarding those two goalposts, no matter how badly we play, there is always a chance that we can still stay in the game- a much bigger chance than any other team has. An Italy without Buffon is one that will not win the World Cup. Forget Cassano, forget Pirlo, forget Amauri- if Buffon for some reason does not make it to South Africa, be it injury or a sudden act of insanity from Lippi, we can kiss the world cup goodbye. He is the most important member of our squad, and when every other player should be questioned and doubted, Gigi more often than not shouldn’t.

In wider terms, our play for much of the qualifying campaign has been disjointed at best. We all think Cassano might solve the problem, but we really don’t need to have a trequartista. Spain gets by without one and play majestic football, so it is possible if the rest of the team ups their game and plays as a true unit.

And without a doubt, these players cannot come to South Africa: Amauri, Zambrotta, and Pepe. Others are debatable but these three have no business being on the plane. Amauri for one because he’s not Italian and hasn’t even scored for Juve in nearly 9 months. We have enough problems with Italian strikers scoring and we don’t need a Brazilian choking as well. Zambrotta has lost it entirely, and with Criscito and Motta waiting  in the wings (no pun intended), our fullbacks should be younger and more aggressive. Finally, Pepe has done shit all and doesn’t deserve a spot.

Gila, on the other hand, has fully earned it. Say what you want about him only scoring against lesser teams, but someone has to do that and no one else has stepped up. Ever since he went to Fiorentina he’s been a much better player, and after single-handedly saving Lippi’s ass he will be on the plane. For once, we can’t complain. Moreso than any other striker, perhaps, Gila has proven his worth. Maybe not as a starter, but he does have a role to play.

We will discuss who does deserve a spot closer to next June. For now, I think it’s good enough to say that those three don’t.

Finally, a preliminary word on South Africa 2010. For the good of Italia, whether we win or lose, Lippi needs to go with youth. If we win, it will be because our young players who can deal with the pace of the modern game put in the performance of thier lifetime. If we lose with youth, they’ll be ready for the next Euros and 2016. But if we lose with older players, we will need to transition anyway and the young ones will have no experience for the next Euros/World Cup, which would be nothing short of disastrous.

But for now, we celebrate. Celebrate that we are in the World Cup, fully qualified when at times it seemed uncertain if we even deserved it. Celebrate the fact that we have the greatest goalie in the world and top class young players who can make a difference. And most of all, celebrate the fact that we are the Azzurri, that we live and die with this team as they win and lose; celebrate that we can experience the joy, sadness, shock, amazement, and love for the game with the players next summer.

And what a summer are we going to have in store.

So when he retired from international play in 06 (It wasn’t official till 07, but his last game was the World Cup final), people split into two groups. One group thought that this was a huge mistake. They believed his vision, passing, and creativity were necessary on a team that always thrives off a trequartista. The other group believed he was overrated, past it, and not necessary on the Azzurri anymore.

No matter what group you’re in, the issue has finally been settled. Lippi has seemingly ruled out a Totti return once and for all:

“There is a great deal of respect between us, but he made his decision and I have no intention of going back on it”

It seems like Lippi is in the latter camp. For the record, so am I; I think the squad needs to focus on youth, and we have at least 2 ready-made trequartistas ready to follow in Totti’s footsteps. One is in his prime but being ignored by Lippi, and one is getting there but being ignored by Ferrara. Totti is undeniably good- say what you want about his discipline and treatment of the referees, but in terms of pure footballing prowess and skill, he was blessed by the football gods. But he’s not the only one, and it may be time to move on from this issue for good.

I have the hope, I underline hope, to try and win the World Cup again. To do that I need to focus on the players with the most international experience and therefore the 2006 squad.

I received messages from Thiago Motta, Ledesma and Taddei about wanting to wear the Azzurri jersey. I thank them, but these are not roads that – for the moment – I intend to go down.

There are just some things that baffle me. I don’t understand how black holes work. I don’t think I’ll ever get why the Jonas Brothers are such a big band when their music is so horrendous. And why Lippi refuses to see what seems so obvious to us is another one of those good ol’ moments where I’m just left baffled.

Let’s look at the first quote. He wants to win the world cup… so he has to use the players that won it last time? Ignoring the effects of aging and discounting the merit that young talent can bring to the side? No one is doubting that we have guys with a ton of experience. On one hand, it’s hard to blame Lippi for wanting to stick with guys who have gone the full green mile and know how to win the world cup.

But I think that most of us feel that today’s game is played with a pace and vigor that most of our ‘06 guys can’t really match. Guys like Canna, Zambrotta, and Toni have the experience but are either too slow to too old. As we saw against Brazil and Egypt recently, teams that can play quick football seem to be our downfall. Furthermore, Lippi is ignoring one huge aspect here: the fact that these guys won it already. Are they going to be as motivated as players who really want to win the cup for the first time; players who really do have something to prove?

Lippi thinks that experience can overcome that, and for our sake, he better be right- though it’s hard to see how he could be.

As for the second quote, well, we talked about the Oriundi a short time ago, and Lippi’s stance now seems to be: mostly no. Camo, yes; Amauri, maybe; but anyone else, get back to Brazil/Argentina/your birth country.

For the rest of the article, see here.

In basic terms, “Oriundi” refers to people not born in Italy, but who are immigrants to the country and have ancestors who originally from the peninsula. It’s not a sport-specific word, but you hear it often in connection with Italian soccer. See, Oriundi can play for the Azzurri if they become citizens of Italy or if they have close enough natural ties to the country. And this is where it gets controversial.

Many people think that Oriundi should not play for the national team at all. Our league actually took that path from 1966-1980, when no foreigners at all were allowed to play at any Italian clubs (foreigners were blamed for the prolonged decline of the national team, who lost to North Korea at the ‘66 WC). Some people think that since these players were not born in Italy, they have no right to play for the Azzurri.

Others take a different stance. Some argue that since these players have Italian blood in them, and live in Italy, they have all right to play for the team. These people tend to believe that birthplace has no matter in the issues of citizenship and callups.

Either way, they are allowed into the team currently under Lippi. Camo, as we all know, often starts for the team and helped us to win a world cup, even though he’s technically Argentine. No matter what your specific stance is, no matter how clear, this is probably going to be a hotly contested topic for as long as Calcio is around. Italian pride and views on foreigners means that Oriundi are never going to be universally accepted as native born players, at least not on the Azzurri.

The potential for national side call-ups from Sicily’s “other team” is usually slim, as players with promise have usually moved on before they attain national attention. This year is a bit different, however, as there are two candidates that would be a good fit on Gli Azzurri today.

The first is striker Giuseppe Mascara, a Sicily native, who has bagged a team-leading 9 goals for Catania so far this season, and is a part-time captain. He is neither the fastest, nor the best-looking of Italy’s potential strikers, but had a deft touch around the goal, and is prone to scoring timely goals in key games. Of course, he featured in one of Serie A’s highlight goals this season, scoring from midfield in the Sicilian derby a few weeks back. He would certainly not be a starter on the international stage, but could be a nice late substitute when a scoring touch is required.

Second, goalkeeper Albano Bizzarri has been nothing short of spectacular this year, and it is not unreasonable to credit him alone for Catania’s nearly-assured survival in Serie A. Though the Rossoblu’s defence has generally played stoutly in front of him most games, he can always be counted on for 2-3 critical saves during any given match. I can’t think of anyone playing better between the sticks in Italy this year, Buffon notwithstanding. Not only should he be on the Italy squad, he should be playing. The downside is, if he keeps playing like this, it probably means his stay in Sicily will be short.

Catania thus have two players, a striker and a goalie, who have a valid shot at being in the Azzurri one day in the future. But probably not with Lippi at the helm.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, the Great Man is refusing to give a reason as to why he won’t call up Cassano. The only thing he is saying is that it’s not related to his temper. An excuse which I find to be utter bullshit. Listen, we- and by “we” I speak mostly for myself- have given Lippi a pretty loose leash. We begged for him to come back, hoping it could erase the memory of Donadoni’s Azzurri. Has it? We’re joint top of our qualifying group but only after shoddy displays and hugely questionable decisions. We’re still not playing with the vigor and desire that was so evident in Germany, and it baffles me that none of the guys on the pitch seem to know how to beat an opponent one-on-one. We’ve seen zero real difference compared to what Donadoni did, besides the fact that we seem a bit luckier. Luck does not last forever.

Cassano isn’t just any player. No, he’s one of the few who can call himself one of the most naturally talented players out there. He’s not super fit but he can just do things with the ball most other guys can’t even think of. Lippi does need to tell us why he’s not calling up Cassano. Cassano deserves it, as he undoubtedly has the skill to not only be on the team, but start and even have the entire team work around him. We as fans deserve it, because we deserve to see Cassano play. We need the dynamicism and pace that Cassano brings. If Lippi is willingly choosing to ignore that, the least he can do is explain why.

Some would argue that we just have to take the call ups for what they are and move on. And to an extent, that’s true. But Lippi, by refusing to call up Cassano, is showing that he’s actually inferior to Donadoni to a degree. The Don at least called up Cassano and played him for the Euros. Yes, his starting 11 was often baffling, but at least we had all the guys who really deserved to be there get called up. Lippi is ignoring players and not even giving us reasons. That my friends seems to be a rather large step back. Donadoni, in the end, at least brought the best guys with him (well, mostly). Lippi isn’t.

For more thoughts on the Cassano situation, check out Francesco’s views on the topic.

Tomorrow: A preview of the game against Montenegro.

I’m kinda at a loss for words. Nesta has a tendency to get injured a lot, and he’s missed at least a couple international tourneys because of injury. But he was always my favorite Italian defender. Canna was our Berlin wall, and Maldini gets most of the praise on Milan, but Nesta has always had a tremendous calming presence about him. I feel like when he does play, the entire Milan team are more at ease that they won’t concede goals. In a sense, he’s a quiet leader.

Nesta’s won just about everything there is to win in footy. He starting playing at Lazio but was sold to Milan in 2002. He’s won the Champions League twice, the Club World Cup, the World Cup, and individually, Serie A Defender of the Year four times, UEFA Team of the Year four times, and FIFPro World XI twice. He’s got accomplishments most defenders can only dream about.

So please, leave your thoughts on the great Italian defender. He may return yet to play, but if he doesn’t, anyone who’s watched him knows how great he was.

My first thoughts on the game-we effin’ sucked. It was a horrible effort, there was no unity, we were exposed on the counterattack, we really need a trequartista, screw the 4-3-3… I was pissed to say the least. But after thinking about it, I really stand by what I said in my last post. We had a horrible first half and a good second half. Not “World Champs” good, but we could’ve tied and possibly won with just a little more luck. If the linesman didn’t suck. If Grosso’s kick had just a tiny bit more bend to it. If Cesar didn’t save Toni’s shot.

If, If, If.

The problem with the team we put out there is age (the true problem is that Lippi chose to put that team out there to begin with, but more on that in a bit). I understand that Brazil, like Spain, is a joga bonito, fast team by nature. And that’s fine. Italy aren’t like that, just by nature. We tend to prioritize defense and hit on the counter, and hey. It’s won us 4 World Cups and gotten us close to many others. It works. But if we’re not going to play a fast smooth passing game, we have to be efficient. Basically, if we’re not going to be Guardiola’s Barca, we have to be Mourinho’s Chelsea. Well, maybe not AS boring as they were, but basically, we have to be something. This week, we were just nothing. It was bodies on a pitch with no teamwork. It was just sloppy passes, lazy movement, almost no running.  The guys were just too old.

The second biggest problem was a lack of talent and just horrible performances. Let’s look at it player by player:

• Pepe. He can’t even start for Udinese, a club languishing in the bottom half of the table. And yet he started over frigging Giuseppe Rossi, who’s absolutely en fuego this season. Was it really a surprise to anyone that we only looked dangerous up front when he got subbed in?
• Gila. A bag of potato chips could’ve played for him and registered more passes, more attempts on goal, and more running.
• Aquilani. A year ago I was all aboard the Aqui hype train- and as a diehard Roma fan, I still have a soft spot for the kid. But he’s 24, not 19. He has to stay healthy and start to play at a top level; he can’t remain pure potential for his whole career. He has a wicked shot from long range- see last year, Roma vs Real Madrid- but this week, I saw him less than Gila. There’s no point in putting players out there if they’re not going to actually play.
• Monto. See Pepe. Just not national team caliber.
• Pirlo. What I’m about to say is going to be very controversial. People are blaming De Rossi for his performance (How sad is that?), and everyone loves the guy to death. But you know what? It’s time to drop him. I love him for what he’s done for us. Years ago- hell, even last year- he was world class. He would orchestrate and set up passes, and he even did that a lot this week. But he’s clearly losing it. He hasn’t been consistent on Milan, and he singlehandedly cost us the game by giving Robinho the ball. I don’t want Italy to become player dependent. He’s already 30, and if we don’t start weening the Azzurri off of him now, how long are we going to wait?

And that’s just problems with each player individually. There were a lot of other problems as well. Cannavaro and Legro just doesn’t work as a CB pairing. I mean when the youngest defender we have is over 30, its sad. I realize GC was injured and we don’t have many alternatives, but the defending was just shocking overall. Buffon was left high and dry for both goals. Even moreso, the midfield and attack are too disjointed. We need someone who can connect the two, and not just the fullbacks. And that leads into the final problem- we’re too predictable. Grosso and Zambro were our only means of getting the ball into the box. Where’s the dribbling (besides Rossi)?

I’d drop those guys, at the least. I was all for dropping Toni, but he played with a hunger and a form we haven’t seen in a long time. Let’s give him one more chance. Christmas should also go, too. So who should be called up instead?

• Rossi. I can’t say enough about how good he was. If you saw the game, you saw how great we became once he was put in. He’s the exact type of player I’m talking about us needing- talented, skillful, fast, but ultimately, a player for the team. He needs to start every game from here on out.
• Cassano. I know I said we shouldn’t be dependent on one player. But in tough games, you need a moment of genius sometimes. I don’t know why Lippi refuses to call up the most talented Italian player out there, but he has to. It’s time to put pettiness aside and start Cassano IN THE MIDDLE. NOT on the left. He needs to play behind two strikers, doing what he does best.
• Motta. I realize I’m jumping the gun here, but did you see him play for Roma against Genoa? He put in a superb performance, playing in a game that meant a ton to Roma. He was quick, could beat his man, and is a defender- three things that most of our guys aren’t. He didn’t choke under pressure, and is the Captain of the youth side. It’s only a matter of time before he steps up

Finally, drop the 4-3-3. It doesn’t work in Italian football. Not for Inter, and definitely not for us. We need a 4-3-1-2. A front pairing of Rossi and Toni/Quags, playing in front of Cassano. Behind him we need a mix of guys from: DDR, De Ceglie, Marchisio, Camo, Brighi. And in defense, we have to start giving Santacroce, Motta, hell maybe even Santon starts.

This doesn’t have to be an abrupt, all at once transition- that’d be disastrous. But we’re running out of time, We only have maybe a dozen games and a year and a half till the next world cup. The transition needs to happen now. Players need to be called up based on form- so guys like Pepe shouldn’t've been called up at all.

It’s time to build a new Azzurri- one that doesn’t rely on players from 06, but instead relies on young talents who can give us World Cups and Euros for years to come. We shouldn’t need a Pirlo at all. We cannot rely on a single talent to make us great. We need a team cohesive enough to win on teamwork alone. Lippi did it in 06. Can he do it again?

The Pros:

• He deserves it. The man is a walking legend, and arguably, this is the least we could do for him to show our support.
• It’s just a friendly right? So why not call him up?

The Cons:

• We have enough age problems on our team as it is. Yes, it’s just a friendly, but any more age to the backline is a golden invitation for Pato, Robinho, and Kaka to just score goals. Just because it’s a friendly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it seriously. Lippi’s got a record to keep up.
• He would just take the spot of someone else who deserves it. If this was a tribute game, then fine. But considering we have a World Cup to defend next year and our backline still isn’t set, this is one more chance for Lippi to test out what works. Why not call up Santacroce instead? We can’t live in the past.

• Let’s not forget, it’s Maldini’s own choice that he’s not in the national team right now anyway. He retired after the 2002 World Cup, and resisted calls to the subsequent Euro and the 2006 World Cup. If he hadn’t retired, he’d have a World Cup winner’s medal.
• People are saying that Totti and Nesta are scum for choosing to retire and now possibly being called up, so why would they support Maldini? Similar situations.

Just my two cents. What do you guys think?

But a lot has happened in this year. Looking back now, a few things stand out. We crashed out of the Euros. Lippi returned. Rossi and Giovinco are well known- at least to Juve/Villareal fans and readers of this blog- and Luca Toni is well, in a poor run of form. And some guy named Julian took over the Italy World Cup Blog.

Overall it was a poor year for the Azzurri. I think when we look back on 2008, more than anything we’ll remember it as a transition year. The Euros showed us that our squad is just too old, and we need to get younger guys into the mix. Donadoni showed us that he really wasn’t ready to coach the national team, or any team that has any ambition to achieve anything. But more than that, we saw hope. A poor Euro showing is nothing if it means we can use the experience to defend our title in 2010.

So for the year in review, I’m using a report card format. And because I’m lazy, I’m only doing a few key players. Feel free to argue about this in the comments section:

Lippi: B This squad under Lippi has been an interesting one. The united, defense-first squad that was in Germany isn’t there. But neither is the ball out attack and scrappy play Donadoni went for. It’s somewhere in the middle. We don’t look quite as disjointed as we did a year ago, but we’re nowhere near looking like the squad that overcame all in 2006. Our play is rather predictable, as our attack is still mostly based on the fullbacks crossing the ball to a big target man. And with defense looking weak, we need to change it up. Lippi so far has shown a calculated, careful method. He’s slowly integrating youth and new guys into the team. So while it hasn’t been eye dropping joga bonito, we are getting results. Numbers don’t lie and we haven’t lost under Lippi since what, 2005? We’ve had close calls- see his first game when he took charge for a second time- but a combination of luck and skill keep us going.

He needs to introduce a trequartista/ attacking CM asap. We need to play more up the middle, and we are in desperate need of guys who can dribble. Cassano’s exclusion remains a mystery, and why he sticks with Toni while shunning explosive bombs like Quags is unkown. But he’s doing what Donadoni couldn’t- winning, and winning consistently.

Chiellini: A+ I feel like I talk about him all the time on the blog, but 2008 should go down as the Year of the Giorgio. How important was he?

Game 1 of the Euros: Chiellini doesn’t play, Italy concedes 3.

Games 2, 3 and 4: Chiellini plays, Italy concedes one, and only due to a poor decision by Zambrotta.

And he’s only 24. It’s all too common to hear people complain that Italy isn’t turning out world class Nestas and Maldinis anymore. But Chiellini and Santacroce could be the two to prove those people wrong. Watch him.

Toni: C Earlier in this year, he was unstoppable, and it’s easy to forget that. From June onwards, he was as useful on the field as a baby hippo, only with less pace. He’s on the wrong side of 30 and it really seems like Lippi should drop him. But how? He’s still great in the Bundesliga, and we really don’t have any other target men to replace him. Until Balotelli or Acquafresca explodes (or Gila fulfills his destiny), I don’t think Lippi will drop him.

But just because it’s from the Jefferson’s don’t mean it ain’t true Lippi won’t drop him, doesn’t mean that he gets off the hook. I realize he’s never been a pacey player, but he has to start scoring again. If he could recapture his form from earlier in the year, I’d be thrilled. He could potentially earn a higher grade for next year, but for this year he was average- his first six months were great and the last 6 sucked. Like the rest of the team, he just needs some consistency.

Amauri: F After all that hoopla, he finally comes out and says:

“I know that Italy are considering me, but I am Brazilian. It’s an honor to know that both teams want me, but if the Seleçao’s call up came I would realise a dream. Since I heard Dunga’s words about me, I’m the happiest person in the world.”

And you know what? I agree and I’ve been saying the same thing the whole time. The man is Brazilian. He’s not Italian, and no piece of paper can make him Italian. But he gets an F for dragging out this whole affair. This was quickly becoming the Christiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid or Man U? of national teams. I wish him the best on Brazil- just not against us in January.

Me: ? While watching the Euros over the summer, I first found theoffside.com and I quickly fell in love with it. When I found out that they had openings to post, I was thrilled. I applied for the job here, and I was ecstatic when I got it. I still feel the same way now as when I did when I first started blogging- I love it. How have I done so far? What would you grade me?

Let’s end this on an uber cheesy cheer!

2008 wasn’t so great.

2009 could be fine.

And in 2010, let’s do it [win the world cup] again!

No more cheers like that from me- I promise.

• Amelia is out and will not play in the upcoming qualifiers. He picked up a back injury in training and word is that the doctors don’t want to risk the injury being any worse. Which is a shame cause he was really starting to grow on me. Buffon and De Sanctis are still there, but a third goalie could be called it. Who might it be? Smart money’s on Abbiati of Milan fame, or if Lippi is feeling courageous, maybe young Curci who was loaned out from Roma. Whoever gets called up (if anyone) won’t play anyway as long as Buffon and DS don’t get injured (and what are the chances of that?) so it doesn’t really matter. Both picks have their advantages-Abbiati has the experience while calling up Curci would be a much needed confidence booster for the young lad.
• Sepp Blatter, head of FIFA and all things idiotic, gave Italy the World Cup yesterday. 2 years after we actually won it. He didn’t present Italy with the trophy after the actual final in Germany because he claimed he “didn’t want to cause problems” considering Zidane got sent off and the crow was supposedly hostile. That’s absolutely bullshit. How could the president of FIFA wait 2 years to present the winners of the freaking World Cup with their trophy? Oh, and what did he say when he finally presented the trophy? “Better late than never”. Abate, head of the FIGC, was understandably pissed, saying: “This has never happened before, so you can see how FIFA considers Italy.”
• Acquafresca was ruled out of the upcoming U-21 Championship qualifiers. To replace him, Casiraghi has called up Michele Paolucci, who plays for Catania but is owned by Juve. I know little about the guy but he’s got huge pressure on him considering someone’s gotta score and both Rossi and Freshwater are injured, so they can’t. The good news is that a win against Greece, who the Azzurrini face in their next game, would secure qualification for them. They lead Group 1 with 22 points, four more than second placed Croatia.
• And the new FIFA world rankings are out, and we’ve moved up to 2nd. Spain is still in first, and England just keeps dropping down the list.