I hear where you're coming from Heald, but personally I'll settle for it. It's better than none at all, eh? For a while I thought they wouldn't be able to implement it.
I've been pretty happy with Mario Strikers' online so far, though I'll admit I've never been an avid online gamer, so I haven't been exposed to the aspects of actually well-implemented online.

I'm a tad bummed about the messages being disabled vs. anyone, though. Yes, protect the children, but how about an option to disallow it if you choose, rather than just preventing it outright? Ho-hum.