WORLD CUP USA ’94 / QUARTERFINALS : Spotlight : WRITE ON

A 30-foot high inflatable soccer ball tethered outside the Rose Bowl means different things to different people. For some, it offers a shady respite as the weary World Cup fan sits and chows down on a $4 hamburger. For others, it serves as a handsome backdrop for those “Hey Uncle Bebeto, wish you were here” family photos.

And for many, it’s an industrial-strength graffiti ball.

Among the scrawl found on some of the ball’s lower white panels:

“Go Jackie’s Army.”

“Tony Meola USA No. 1”

“Forza Italia, St. Louis”

And, from one wishful thinker:

“Go Scotland ‘98”