Oi, Big Nose! NO!

Today is hump day in the work lexicon, and D-Day for the Arsenal as far as the Champions League is concerned. In fact, this match could play a major role in the rest of the Gunners season. As it stands, Arsenal and Porto are level on 10 points, with the Gunners on top due to our having spanked them earlier this season. However, CSKA Moscow is looming just below them in the table at 8 points and are playing Hamburg, who are yet to win in the CL this season. A draw for Arsenal means that most likely, they and Porto go through to the knock-out stages. If the Gunners lose and CSKA wins, then the Arsenal are out.

Seeing as how only a draw is needed to go through, many are predicting that this match will be a snoozer and both teams will be happy to take it easy and keep their players healthy. But, as expected, both Wenger and Jesualdo Ferreira of Porto claim they are telling their teams to go out and win. I surely hope this is the case, at least for the Arsenal, as I don’t care to experience again the horror, nervousness, and anxiety I had to live through in the second leg of the Villareal match last season. A quick goal and staunch defending would be a good plan to me. Let’s hope they can do it.

To get the win they’ll need the help of the youngsters as Henry, Gallas and Rosicky are out. I would imagine that Robin van Persie and Ade will get the nod up front with Hleb on the left, Walcott on the right, Cesc and Gilberto in the middle, and a back line of Clichy, Senderos, Toure and Eboue. Hopefully Baptista can get some time in as well. Elimination from the next round of the CL will mean a huge loss in revenue for the club who are paying off the new stadium. But more importantly, it will mean that we have only the League Cup and FA Cup as far as silverware this season, and those competitions can be a crap shoot. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!

Also, I didn’t get to this earlier due to my excitement about the win over Sperz, but to my buddy Mikey’s dismay, the might Dallas Cowboys beat the New Jersey Giants to go top of the NFC East with a record of 8-4!!! These Giant’s fans can say all they want about how if Strahan was in they’d have won, that we were lucky, that the planets were out of alignment, etc., but the fact remains that Dallas won. Period. Don’t be like Gator fans and come up with a million reasons why they should have won. As a wise friend once told a Gator fan, there’s a reason they keep score: it’s to see who wins! Sometimes luck is on your side, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes you have key players out, other times you don’t. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out, and other times it does. Thems the breaks and that’s football. HAH!!

Down in the latin heat of south Florida, reports are buzzing around that Bernie Kozar is interested in coaching the University of Miami after they fired Coker for a 6-6 season. Kosar played for UM in the early 80’s and led the Canes to a national championship. He was a fan favorite and I’m sure that many would like to see him back, but I don’t know if there is enough room for his nose in Miami now. There has been a lot of development since the 80’s and space is at a premium.

Finally, as I was writing this post, I got a mass email from corporate (it’s my lunch hour dammit, I can post then!!) that discusses, in essence, how to be a better person. This month’s topic was to cleanse your soul and forget/forgive. This seems like sage advice, but if I were to just forget and forgive, plus wipe out my anger, I think I’d be a shell of a man. Granted, I do need to curb some of my instant anger, rash jumping to conclusions, and long held grudges, but some of this is such a part of me that I’d feel naked without it. Plus, what would be the fodder for my biting wit? Anyway, in total disregard for the announcement, I wanted to rant and rave over my need to stop ranting and raving.

And I’m spent.

Adios.