Friday!!!

Work has once again reared its ugly head and interupted my postings, but here is a quick one before the weekend. The Arsenal got a terrific win against Porto this week and won 2-0 off another header (yes, I said header) by Henry off a cross from Eboue (yes, I said Eboue) and a nice shot from Hleb. It seems he was told to start taking shots when the opportunity arises, so he did and as a result, he slotted one home. Keep it up Alex! This win put the Arsenal in a great position to move out of the group stage. One more win against Moscow and we should be golden.

Tomorrow the Gunners travel to the Valley to take on Charlton Athletic under new skipper Iain Dowie. The club has lost 5 of the last 6 matches, but you can never tell with a Dowie side. He did well at Palace. Also, Gallas will be out with a hamstring injury from the Porto match, Djourou may be out, and of course Big Phil is still sidelined with a shoulder injury. That could make the back line a bit shakey. Wenger has suggested putting in Gilberto (well, OK) or Song (please God, NO!!) in the CB position. I'd like to see the reserve captain Connolly who actually plays CB get a start. We'll see. Match will be on Setanta at 10 eastern, 9 central.

Plymouth travel to Coventry for their match tomorrow. Aljofree is fit again after getting cracked in the skull. Hopefully they'll pull out a win.

In college ball, my Texas Aggies take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the home of Aggieland, Kyle Field. This will be a tough match, and I think teh Agg's can pull it off as Tech hasn't been playing as well as they should be lately. Gigg Em Ags!!

Finally, before I rush off to a meeting, I promised to give a shout out to my sister for getting tickets to the Dinamo match this weekend. So here you go Jess. BIG UPS!!

Adios.

No Diving Please...

Tonight (or this afternoon here in the States) is the Champions League match that sees Porto traveling to London to take on the Gunners at Ashburton Grove. A win here will make passing on to the knock-out stages a much easier task after beating Hamburg a few weeks ago. Porto and most Portuguese clubs are not to be taken lightly, but Arsenal have been playing well and for the most part have the same players available that were part of Saturday’s win against Sheffield United. Hopefully Porto come to play and don’t stick 10 men behind the ball hoping for a draw. Also, I pray that the diving seen so prevalently during Mourinho’s reign is gone. Confidence is brimming at the Grove right now and I see a 2-1 win to the Gunners.

Here is the full lineup for today’s matches:

Real Madrid v. Dynamo Kyiv
Steaua v. Lyon
Benfica v. Man. United
Celtic v. København
CSKA Moskva v. Hamburg
Arsenal v. Porto
AEK v. Anderlecht
Lille v. Milan

In the aftermath of the Ryder Cup loss by the American side, there have been tons of theories as to why they lost and even Woods has posed some (though they are weak, in my opinion). Woods felt that they just didn’t putt well, that the need some younger players (youngest was 30), and that their ‘home course advantage’ when playing in the States is lost because they don’t really play those courses much. That may be part of the case, but I feel it is a lack of them coming together as a team. I know golf is inherently an individual sport, but so is tennis yet they play in the Davis Cup which is a big deal. However, the American golfers all fly around in their private jets, avoid contact with one another all year, and concentrate on only themselves. That is fine, to an extent, for the regular season, but look how it translates to group and international events. I agree with some of the pundits who suggest that the US team needs a tougher captain who is more like a coach and not afraid to chew one of these guys out if they aren’t pulling their weight. At the same time, the golfers need to care about the win and get excited. I for one really enjoy playing in group and match play tournaments. There is more excitement and teamwork is a fun part of a sport that usual doesn’t require it. Maybe the American golfers should play some amateur charity events where first prize is a new shirt and the pride/fun of winning rather than $1 million. It might change their outlook, but if getting your ass handed to you 2 straight times isn’t enough, what is?

And for those that don’t think golf is a sport, that is absolute rubbish and I’ll leave it at that.

Finally, a big shout out to my mom who has her birthday today! Hoorah!!

Adios.

Henry Header and USA Got SPANKED!!

If there are fewer dove in South Texas today, I unfortunately had nothing to do with it. Not because I’m a bad shot (which I am) but because I never made it out hunting. The recent rain (and rain all day Sunday) made for poor hunting conditions, which coupled with the fact I don’t have my own hunting lease or ranch meant I stayed at home. Oh well, maybe a mid-week hunt will pop up and I can bag some.


On to more important things (sports and drinking). Friday night I got blitzed (in-laws were in town) and the Arsenal got their first league home win on Saturday over Sheffield United and the infamous Neil Warnock (see Friday’s The Fiver from the Guardian). Sheffield played physical and defended well in the first half, but the Gunners seemed to be trying too hard and the match was scoreless at the half. Henry wasn’t playing too well but as they say, Arsene knows, and he was left on the pitch to become the driving force in the second half. Henry lobbed in a cross into the 6 yard box the 63rd minute, which Cesc got a toe, that in turn set up Gallas for his first Gunner goal. Six minutes later Henry gathered the ball deep on the left and made a patented run around a defender to deliver a cross inside the box. Unfortunately for Jagielka (who had been playing a great game at CB) he lifted his leg and deflected the ball into the back of the net. Henry got the third goal by heading (yes, I said heading!!!) in a cross delivered by Eboue (yes, I said Eboue). See all the highlights here as you’re not likely to see Eboue deliver that good of a cross for awhile nor Henry nodding one in. It is a good 3 points and the first league win at The Grove will do wonders for the confidence of the team. Tomorrow the Gunners host FC Porto for Champions League match.

Plymouth also got their first home league win of the season by defeating Norwich 3-1 at Home Park. Plymouth went up on an own goal by Doherty. In the 47th minute Seip headed home a corner kick for Argyle followed by a 74th minute shot from Norris to go up 3-0. Earnshaw got a late consolation goal for Norwich in the 90th minute. Holloway was happy to get that first home win under his belt.

"We can move on now. It's always there that you haven't won at home and now we have. I thought we thoroughly deserved it and was delighted."

The mood wasn’t so upbeat at the Norwich office as Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn Jones (who are joint majority shareholders) released a statement voicing their displeasure at the club’s poor performance in the 3-1 defeat. They also stated “We wish to apologize particularly to the 776 loyal supporters who undertook the long and arduous journey to Plymouth.” (Graeme, everyone seems to think Plymouth is a long and arduous journey!!!) Who knew the Argyle could cause so much trouble!!!


Finally, yesterday Europe completed another total domination of Team USA and won by 18 ½ to 9 ½ yet again to retain the Ryder Cup. It is becoming an embarrassment that the US can’t put together a win. Europe won every aspect of tournament (fourball, alternating shot, and individual play) to complete the rout. The US is supposed to have some of the best players in the world (Woods, Mickelson, Furyk, Toms, etc.) but can’t even get enough points to scare the Europeans. I think the big difference between the two squads is that the Europeans actually give a damn about the tournament, work well together, and feed off each other. Look at Sergio Garcia. He has never won a major but he played like he was on a par with Woods all week. He lost his singles match on Sunday, but was 4-0 at the Cup until then. He played well, but most importantly he fired up his playing partners and teammates. Monty did the same, as he has done for years. The other talisman to the European side was Darren Clarke of Northern Island who has always been a cornerstone to the team. He recently lost his wife to breast cancer and hadn’t played (except for last week) since the British Open in July, but Ian Woosnam made him a Captain’s pick and the pick paid off. He played great and gave the side a purpose. When he sank the putt to win his match yesterday he finally let the emotions come forth and he wept in the arms of Woosnam. If you had a dry eye, you aren’t human. I don’t think that the US will ever be able to compete against the Europeans unless they get some focus and desire to win the cup for their country.

Whew, that is enough for today. Mas mañana.

Adios.

Ryding out the Weekend...

Today is a quick post as it is Friday and I plan on getting out and about early today. Tomorrow is the Arsenal at home against Sheffield United (at 10 am eastern on Fox Soccer Channel). This in one of the 3 clubs to move up from the Championship, but it doesn’t mean they are to be taken lightly. They are a physical side and will more than likely put 10 men in the box at every opportunity and hold out for a draw or a score on a fast break. I still think the Gunners will win this one though as they have been playing, passing, and even shooting better over the last few weeks as seen in the Man U match last week. Henry should be back in the squad, though this sometimes makes the other players think they need to always pass to him so he can take the shot. Hopefully this is all behind us now. I predict a 2-0 win by The Arsenal.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!




Plymouth plays at Home Park against the canaries of Norwich City tomorrow. Hasney Aljofree, who got bashed in the face last week against Southampton is out and Dutch defender Marcel Seip will make his first start for Plymouth in Aljofree’s place. Left back Lee Hodges (knee) is also out but Paul Connolly is fit after missing two games with a foot injury. Match is also at 10 am eastern, but no TV coverage here in the states I’m afraid. If anyone is interested in following them online, they do have a subscription service similar to Arsenal’s TV Online.

The Ryder Cup started today and the Woods/Furyk fourball pairing won their match and Cink/Henry pairing halved theirs. But Clarke/Westwood defeated Mickelson/DiMarco 1 up and Garcia/Olazabel beat Toms/Wetterich 3 and 2. So the score now stands at USA 1.5 and Europe 2.5. The second round is just underway. Hopefully the boys in Red White and Blue will get it together and pull out a 2 to 3 wins to take the lead going into the second day. This looks to be a tight race.

Finally, dove season opens here today in south Texas so I’m hoping to get out this weekend and bag a few. It has been really rainy lately so it isn’t ideal conditions, but we’ll see. It is a good excuse to fire shotguns and drink beer!!!!

Have a great weekend.

Adios.

Na na na na na naaa........

Hump Day and all is quiet on the sporting world front. There are no mid-week games to report of, managers are busy getting their players back in shape, and American golfers are flying to the K Club in Ireland for the Ryder Cup that starts on Friday. The US team got spanked at the last Ryder Cup, but did a bit better at the President’s Cup last year. However, they are still the underdog and all eyes are turned to Tiger Woods who is now the leader of the pack, so to say. I would imagine he will be paired with Jim Furyk as they played well together at the Prez Cup. Woods’ teaming with Big Phil at the ’04 Ryder Cup was about as successful as Lindsey Lohan was in keeping her kojak out of the tabloids. The Euro team has some hot players now with Paul Casey (won last week at the Match Play Tourney, Luke Donald, and spiritual leader Darren Clarke, who lost his wife to cancer recently, and was one of Captain Ian Woosnam’s picks. The American’s have four rookies in the squad this year, but that may help and hopefully they all come together to pull off the win. Here are the complete squads:

Team USA
Captain: Tom Lehman
Assistant Captains: Corey Pavin, Loren Roberts
Team Members:
Tiger Woods
Phil Mickelson
Jim Furyk
Chad Campbell
David Toms
Chris DiMarco
Vaughn Taylor (R)
J.J. Henry (R)
Zach Johnson (R)
Brett Wetterich (R)
Stewart Cink (Captain's pick)
Scott Verplank (Captain's pick)

Team Europe
Captain: Ian Woosnam
Vice Captain: Peter Barker, Des Smith
Assistant Captains: Sandy Lyle, Sandy J. Russel
Team Members:
Darren Clarke (Captain's pick)
Paul Casey
Luke Donald
Sergio Garcia
Padraig Harrington
David Howell
Robert Karlsson
Paul McGinley
Colin Montgomerie
Jose Maria Olazabal
Henrik Stenson
Lee Westwood (Captain's pick)

Too bad we don’t have Ty Webb on our team.








The matches start on Friday and I hope that the Americans do better than I did in my mini-Arsenal-Ryder Cup match last year as I lost 3 and 2 (or something like that) playing against my buddy Rick when in London. I was playing with someone else’s clubs that were too short and it was some crap weather. Seriously, they wouldn’t have let me on the course in the States with the weather we played in. Cups were full of water and the greens were a bit soggy. Of course, that had nothing to do with my crap swing that day. Hopefully I’ll get Rick over here and we can settle the score Texas style!

Enough for today.

Adios.

Hold the Mayo and Iceland - Where Inbreeding Worked!

With a Guinness in hand and high hopes in my heart, I sat down like most everyone else last night and watched the All Ireland Final between Kerry and Mayo. The match started with Kerry absolutely tearing in to Mayo. At one point they were up something like 2-4 to 0-0. For those that don’t know the Gaelic football scoring rules, there is a goal, like a soccer goal, and is you get it in there it is 3 points. There are also goal posts that rise above the soccer-type goal like rugby or American football field goal posts. Get a ball through there and it is 1 point. The score lists the number of goals first then the number of scores (field goals if you will). So a score of 2-4 is actually 10 points. Either way it seemed a rout was on. Then in the last few 15 minutes, Mayo started to come back and got a goal and a score to get to 1-1 and somewhat back in the game. Kerry then got another goal and a few scores to get to 3-6 (or so, can’t remember the details… stupid Guinness). Mayo then turned it on and got 2 quick goals and 2 quick score just before the half. Seemed we had a game on our hands. To see 6 goals before the half was quite unique in a football final, at least that’s what the guys on the telly had to say. But, as the second half started, Kerry again started to dominate possession and started scoring. Mayo seemed to try a bit too hard and couldn’t find their rhythm again. The rout was on again and the final score was Kerry 4-15 and Mayo 3-5. It was a fun match to watch though and I’m looking forward to next season for sure.

Speaking of dominations, in my excitement about the Arsenal win I forgot to mention that England’s Paul Casey completely owned Shaun Micheel at the Match Play Championships on Wednesday. Micheel, who sent Woods packing and gave Luke Donald a spanking lost with a staggering 36-hole score of 10 and 8. That means Casey was 10 holes up with 8 to play, and there was no way Micheel could win enough holes to draw or win the match. That is a big margin of victory and he may be giving the Americans something to think about this weekend. For his efforts, Casey won £1 million (or about $1.88 m) which is a tidy sum for sure. Not bad for a few days work. I wonder if he needs an overweight caddy?


As the new English football season rumbles out of the gate and the Champions League matches get underway, Icelandic side FH Hafnarfjordur (don’t ask me how its pronounced) were the first to put their name down for the qualifying stage of the 2007-8 season. The Icelandic season wrapped up last weekend (I wonder why they don’t play in the winter there?) and they beat Vikingur Reykjavik 4-0 to wrap up their 3rd domestic title. Great stuff. For the trivia minded FH hails from a fishing town about 10 m from Reykjavik and is known as "the town in the lava" because its in the middle of some dramatic volcanic rock formations. I suggest checking it out not only because it sounds like a cool place to visit and there is some good football, but the stories I’ve heard about Icelandic women and their casual attitudes makes me wish I was single! (Just kidding honey, trying to connect with my reader).

Adios.

Ade Boy!!!

1 Nil to the Arsenal!!! Well my friends, the boys traveled north to the Devil Bowl, without Henry or van Persie and still came away winners with an 86th minute toe poke from Adebayor. It wasn’t a fluke win either as the Gunners should have been up after a saved penalty from Gilberto and a few other near misses. The Arsenal played really well in my opinion and looked in better form than ManU. It was one of those matches where we played better than our ranking indicated, the Mancs played a lot worse than their top of the table spot. Even Wenger who is pretty collected did a little jig on the sidelines!

ManU wasn’t without their chances though and a missed assignment by Eboue nearly saw Crynaldo blast one in, but Lehmann’s face stopped it from hitting the back of the net. Mad Jens then let O’Shea know how he felt about getting pelted in the noggin (though the poor kid had nothing to do with it) by grabbing his jersey in the ensuing corner and snarling at him. Lehmann then went on to get a fingernail on a curler from Solksjaer to keep a clean sheet. I am glad Jens is on our team as he is good and a bit of a nutter!

All in all it was a very important win for the Gunners the 3 points took them from 17th to 10th, with a game in hand. Arsenal can make up some points now as they take on the 3 newly promoted clubs and Charlton for the next 4 league matches.

In the other Premiership showcase on Sunday, Chelsea beat Liverpool by 1-0 at the Bridge with Tiger Woods in attendance. Chelsea didn’t look that great and Ballack was sent off after introducing his studs to Sissoko’s thigh. But ‘pool weren’t much better and had some mediocre finishing which resulted in pretty standard saves from Cech. And although I can’t stand Drogba, his goal was one of the great shots so far this season. Check it out on the news programs or YouTube (everything is on that site).

Plymouth didn’t fare as well as Arsenal and were defeated by the popular scoreline of 1-0 at Southampton. They also had a scare as defender Hasney Aljofree received a head injury.

"He was knocked out on the pitch and there was blood coming from his mouth. That's why so much concern was shown." said Holloway to the club’s website.

Uh, yeah, bleeding from the mouth is typically not a good thing. Anyway, they have slipped in the table to 15th and their next match is on Saturday at home against Norwich.

Finally, tonight is the big final Gaelic football match pitting Kerry against Mayo!! I know it was yesterday, but luckily the local news doesn’t scroll GAA scores. I’m rooting for a Mayo win, but we’ll see. This seems like a good excuse to drink some Guinness and Jameson’s, not that I really need one! Well actually I do as the wife doesn’t like the constant drinking. At least it isn’t in the morning anymore I say to her!!

With nothing else of cultural value to discuss,

Adios.

The Beast and The Ogre

If you taped yesterdays round of the WGC World Match Play Championships and watched all 36 hole (like I did not) you would have seen the utter dominance of 77th ranked American Shaun Micheel over Tiger Woods. The match wound up being 4 and 3, which was Woods’ worst performance in this event (which has a HUGE payday of $1.83m for the winner). Micheel is no Judge Smails, who is a tremendous slouch, and has won the PGA Championship (2003) along with was runner-up to Woods this year. Too bad he isn’t on this year’s Ryder Cup team as he is giving a similar lashing to England’s Luke Donald today. I guess the force is stronger in Shaun than Luke.

As previously mentioned, this Sunday is the big matchup between the Gunners and the Mancs up north in the Trafford Devil Bowl. Wenger is now saying that Henry is a 10 to 15% chance of playing. Translation: he’ll play. These kinds of tactics happen every year when Wenger face Sir Red Nose, who spouts out a few choice comments as well. So it seems Kolo is in, RvP is out, but Rosicky is in and up for the challenge. He is not afraid of being kicked off the pitch like Reyes was a few years back. Here is what he has to say about the match:


"I know it will be physical at Old Trafford," Rosicky said. "I remember the game at Old Trafford with what happened with Van Nistelrooy. Everyone remembers that one. I'm looking forward to it. I know it will be tough but I said when I joined Arsenal that you will never see me jump when the tackles come in. I'm not as strong as some but I'm not scared either."


Good on ya son. And if you didn’t see his cracker of a goal against Hamburg, here you go.


With RvP most likely out and Henry, well likely playing but who knows, the up front player(s) are up in the air. Adebayor has been OK, but maybe he can take it up a notch against ManU. He is a good aerial target, but if Eboue is crossing not even Crouch could get a head on one of his row Zed passes. Walcott may be on the bench and may even see some game time, which would be interesting. But I think Baptista is the perfect man for this situation. Big strong guy who can score goals. Plus, it would be fun to see “The Beast” go up against The Ogre!!


Oh, and if you live in New York City or the surrounding area (though I know where my 2 readers live) there is a big Arsenal America and Man U Supporters Club meetup in the City this weekend. It should be a lot of fun and I went to the one last April in Chicago. There is a 5v5 tourney on Saturday and the whole group is meeting at Nevada Smiths to watch the match. For more info go to ArsenalAmerica.com (link on top right of page) or contact our fearless President, Mikey at mikek@arsenalamerica.com.

Finally, I am passing on a new music recommendation, though I haven’t heard any of their stuff. Lou Reed gave these guys a big ups at the VMA’s a few weeks ago and my boy Fresh Bread thinks they are the dizzle. Okkervil River is the group and their album “Black Sheep Boy” is highly recommended. So give them a listen and maybe we can all swap notes on Monday.

I am off soon to get some more rum and maybe enjoy a nice evening on the porch listening to my hip new music.

Adios.

French Fried Hamburgers

The first Arsenal match of the new Champions League group stage was last night and the Gunners pulled out a 2-1 win over a 10-man Hamburg. The Arsenal went ahead on a penalty kick that was smoothly slotted home by captain Gilberto (rather than usual penalty taker Henry who was out with a foot injury). The penalty came from a foul by the keeper on Robin van Persie inside the box. At first look it seemed a clear cut penalty and the GK was the last player between RvP and the goal. The keeper was sent off and the burgers went down to 10 men. When looking at the foul in slow motion replay, there may not have been substantial contact, but considering the angle of the ref, the speed of the play, and the possible contact, there wasn’t much the ref could do. If I were a Hamburg fan I’d probably be pissed off, but that is because you hardly agree with a sending off in these circumstances, though that is what the ref is supposed to do. Lehmann was sent off in the CL final last May for a similar incident, so there you go.

Anyway, the team looked pretty good with the midfield doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Robin looked good as well and hopefully the knock he picked up trying to keep the ball in bounds half way through the second half isn’t too serious and he can play on Sunday against the Mancs. Toure went off with a knock as well, but he should be back for this weekend too. Rosicky also played very well and ran all over the place. Plus he had the second goal which was a cracker from over 30 yards out. Shots on goal do pay off!!! Hopefully this will continue by him and others, which helps to keep defenses honest.

The big weakness I see right now is the back line. Toure played well but came off after about ½ an hour. Hoyte came on for him but shifted to left back with new signing Gallas moving to CB (his best position). Gallas looked alright, but Hoyte and Djourou still have a lot of work to do and experience to gain. Eboue was OK, but his runs forward don’t seem to end up accomplishing anything and his crossing is horrible. Flamimi came on later in the second half to help shore up the right side as a result. Getting the injured defenders back (Lauren, Senderos, Clichy, Toure) will help tighten up the defense and provide some much needed depth.

Now, the next match is a big one for the Arsenal as they travel north (along with all the ManU fans) to Old Trafford and a showdown with the Mancs on Sunday. This will be a crucial match as the Gunners really need a win. It will be really hard to pull one over on the Reds at their home stadium, but it is vitally important for the morale of the team and will set a tone for the rest of the season. If anything, we need to get a draw, though this won’t help much as far as the table is concerned. I think the Gunners have it in them to pull it off and the back 4 will be key. We’ll see. I wish we still had Keown for matches like this.


The rain has finally stopped here and I may try to mow the lawn tonight. The grass is a bit high and as a result the neighborhood kids are playing Marco Polo in the front yard.

Tomorrow is Friday people, so get ready. Or at least make sure you stop by the liquor store. See you there.

Adios.

Chickens and Wolves

The sky is falling, the sky is falling! I don’t mean the first rain we’ve seen here in Corpus in many months, rather, after some not so hot performances by the Arsenal it seems the panic has set in with many supporters over whether the Gunners will ever win a match. (I had to steal my friend Dan’s avatar as it is perfect for the mood of many Gunners everywhere). It would be silly of me to not be disappointed in the club’s performances to date, but I am far from throwing in the towel on the season or trying to figure out who is to blame for the poor start. Rather, I see a team that is still getting its act together and has a lot of players still recovering from the World Cup this summer. Also, there have been only a few weeks of play and a long international break in the season so far. Give it time my Arsenal brethren and let AW work his magic. We have a great squad and some great players who will be returning from injury soon. There are 35 matches left to the season and some CL matches (i.e. Hamburg, which I’ll discuss tomorrow) to focus on.

And as a note, now that Cashley has gone to the Chavs, and he has published his rubbish book, there is no need to talk about his stupid antics. He’s gone and I could care less about what is happening in his life or what he is spewing to the world about his time at The Arsenal.


If you are a fan of sports and have a pulse, I’m sure you are all painting your faces and anxiously awaiting the Bank of Ireland Football Final at Croke Park on Sunday!!! By the cricket chirps I can tell not everyone is excited as I am about the matchup between Kerry and Mayo to see who will take home the Sam Maguire trophy. If you haven’t watched any Gaelic football, here is your last chance before the end of the season. It should be a really good match and Mayo has been playing some great football this season. The match will be shown on Setanta a day later on Monday at 6:30 Eastern.

The NFL football season has officially kicked off this past weekend and it is good to see the pigskin thrown around once more. My Dallas Cowboys didn’t fare to well and lost to Jacksonville (17 to 24) and Miami also lost. But it was great to see the Bears totally whip up on the Packers. Chicago has had some pretty crappy football over the years and maybe it is starting to turn around. You never know though. I will also take this opportunity to plug one of the best football writers, the Tuesday Morning Quarterback, Gregg Easterbrook. He has returned to ESPN2.com and his take on the game is one of the best in the business. He is also a well respected author in The New Republic and has authored books such as “The Progress Paradox” which is an interesting read. Go check him out and tell him I sent you!


Finally, I have to give much respect to Ryan who recommended that I listen to the band Wolfmother quite some time ago. I could have been the cool kid on the block and had their album before anyone else, but I didn’t give the band the attention they deserved. Since then I have listened to their album many time and I now see that they rock!! I have heard comparisons to Zeppelin when discussing their style, but I think there is more to them than that. I hear influences from Yes on some of the keyboard licks and some of the guitar riffs have a Cream-esque sound to them. But they seem to meld all of this and other classic and modern rock sounds that has crested, at least in my opinion, one of the few true Rock’N Roll bands around today. Give them a listen and I think you’ll be happy. If not, got to Fresh Bread and complain to Ryan! Link is to the right.

Enough for today. Time to get back to the grind.

Adios.

Back in the Saddle

I am finally back from my trip out west, and I apologize to the 2 people who read this blog that no updates from the road were posted. There wasn’t really much to say, but I did get all my free drinks at the conference "meet and greet".


San Diego was a lot of fun and got to hang out with Dave (a fellow Gooner) and his family one day. Then the wife, kiddo, and I went up to San Clemente, which is about half way between San Diego and LA. What a great place and it was great meeting up with my buddy Graeme. This is the guy who is the Plymouth Argyle supporter and proudly represented the club by wearing the new kit to the Barca – Chivas match last month. He is a good friend and not afraid of a drink, which is why the return leg of the trip was not so fun. Anyway, on to the trip and the town. It was a lovely little place with great restaurants and bars (which is a requirement of mine). We stayed at a little place right off the beach and the pier, and to the left is a view of the sunset from our hotel porch (where we did plenty of drinking). If I win the lotto, I may buy a house out there as that is the only way I can afford California real estate. It is good to be back home though and in a routine.

On to the Arsenal. Quite a lot happened since the last post and this one. Cashley went to Chelsea with Gallas coming our way. Reyes hot-footed it to Madrid and he passed Baptista who was on his way to The Grove. The team then played on Saturday against Boro, and my reliable source (Mikey) gave me the scoop. In essence, it was bit of the same. Jim Morrison broke on through (it’s Mikey’s crappy line, not mine) to score an early goal to once again leave Arsenal down. Then Boro went to 10 men and we only got a goal from another flop from Eboue in the box. Henry put it home to even things up. I am kind of glad we got a tying goal, but I am dismayed at the continued diving of Eboue. This needs to be put in check before it gets out of hand. New signings Gallas started the match at left back, and Baptista came on in a rare (well, at least for AW) triple sub. It is still early in the season and the players were away for 2 weeks on international duty, so they aren’t clicking yet. Hopefully the will soon and the missed attempts will start pouring in.

Plymouth had another draw (1-1) against Holloway’s former club QPR and the Argyle have yet to get a home win. Holloway wants of course to get a win, but put it this way:

"If you win away and draw at home it's four points the same as if you win at home and draw away.”

Good enough I suppose. Argyle takes on Cardiff at home tomorrow, so remember to set your alarm. One of these days they have to play on Setanta and I’ll be able to follow the match.

I think that is enough for today. I’m still a bit worn out and it is rainy here, so I am ready for a nap.


Finally, in remembrance…
















Adios