So, for example, when you point out that the Galaxy can’t win games without Beckham on the field, I know you say that because you’ve done the research to back it up. And you would never say something like that if the actual record for 2007 and 2008 were to show that in the games that Beckham played the Galaxy’s winning percentage was .406 and that games that he missed it was .477.

Oh wait…

Maybe you should actually, I don’t know, pay attention to what’s going on on the field before dropping by here and proving your ignorance.

But I have a hard time blaming Beckham for the situation.

The theory is that he ruined our team because by signing him we had to trade away most of our good players to meet the salary cap. But the present lineup proves that that’s not true. We have one of the best starting lineups in Galaxy history, but Beckham’s salary hasn’t changed.

To me, that means it has to be a management problem. Lalas lacked experience and made some bad decisions. Yallop was unable to impose himself. AEG apparently didn’t trust it’s management team (maybe with good reason) and themselves made some poor choices. The result was disastrous. But do you really think it would have been like that had Doug Hamilton not tragically passed away and Sigi not been fired as the head coach?

I can blame Beckham for not living up to the captain’s role and dealing with the situation disrespectfully. But it is hard to fault him for wanting to play for a better team and for his national team when he realized he still had the opportunity to do so.

With respect to Becks though, I find it hard to blame him for our situation.

The argument goes that he ruined our team because we were forced to give up most of our good players to get him and stay under the salary cap. But we now see proof that that’s not true. His salary has not changed but the Galaxy are now fielding the best starting lineup possibly in their history.

My conclusion is that it must have then been bad management. Lalas lacked experience and made some bad decisions. Yallop failed to stand up and take command of the situation. AEG pushed poor choices, maybe because they lacked confidence in their staff. The combination was disastrous. Do you really think things would have been as bad if Doug Hamilton were still alive and Sigi had not been fired?

I do blame Beckham for not behaving like a captain. But I can’t blame him for being frustrated with the team or wanting to play for Milan and Engkand when he realized he still had a shot.

Now, extending that loan beyond the start of the MLS season, that’s a little off-putting, but I (we?) can live with that. No, the real problem is that when Beckham has been here, he hasn’t really been here. He found himself on a sinking ship in 2008, and rather than trying to right that ship–like any true captain would do–he desperately sought to abandon ship at the first convenient opportunity. Then, you add in all the garbage surrounding his entourage’s hijacking of the team’s management–and shame on AEG for allowing that to happen–and it’s difficult to support the guy. Donovan was right to question the guy’s professionalism, which was only further confirmed by Beckham’s horrific handling of the Riot Squat on Sunday.

Beckham doesn’t need to add the Galaxy crest to his collection of tattoos. But he does need to demonstrate that he is committed to helping the Galaxy win. Again, we want the footballer, not the celebrity. This is exactly why we don’t begrudge Landon Donovan pursuing loan deals, either. #10 has earned it, because he has been nothing short of completely devoted to the club (and MLS) as long as he’s been here.

You do realize that he did just that in 07 and 08, right?