Ballon d'Doh!

Timing is everything.

And when you switch jobs abruptly, some things usually fall through the cracks. Like having the esteemed opportunity to vote on the top soccer player in the world!

I didn't realize this until a former colleague emailed me yesterday but I actually had a vote in the FIFA Ballon d'Or awards this year...check out the international voting list.

 

The annual awards go to the world's top soccer player -- men and women -- along with a coach and is voted on by each country's team captain, head coach and a media representative.

 

 

 

 

Since the U.S. Virgin Islands has its own soccer federation, its votes counted just as much as the USA, Germany, China or any other country that competes within FIFA. Sort of like how the USVI has its own Olympic team.

 

What a huge gaffe on my part!

 

Unfortunately, I was one of only four federation media people in the entire world not to cast a vote. I think because I changed jobs, the ballot got lost in email. Ouch.

 

The other three media representatives that didn't vote: the Bahamas, Burma and Kyrgyzstan. I don't even know where that third country is located and I'm not sure what their excuses were but we should all be ashamed of ourselves.

 

Not that my vote would have tipped the scales. Lionel Messi won a record fourth straight and Cristiano Ronaldo was runner-up for a third year in a row. I would have voted that way, too.

 

My old work emails have been forwarded to one of my former editors -- not a sports savvy one in the bunch -- and they probably disregarded the email as just an invitation to an appetizer party aboard a hot air balloon.

 

OK, that was a little harsh (Sorry, guys!) but you now understand my frustration.