Back in the Water Again and Adios Freddie

Monday is here and the day started off in typical Monday fashion. Huge rain storm and nasty weather made it a crazy drive to work. Then, I felt good about bringing my lunch and being stuck inside as it was still nasty out at 11, but now that noon is here, it’s beautiful out. Oh well, at least I saved some money.

A lot has happened since the last blog entry, so here we go. On Thursday evening, I got a call from my neighbor who was shaping me a new surfboard (here’s a link in case you need a new stick!), telling me it was ready to be picked up! Huzzah! It has been years since I surfed, owing mainly to losing my boards in the move to Corpus 3 years ago. But before then I hadn’t really surfed much for the 6 years I lived in Miami. So in the end, it’s been awhile and I was excited to get a new board and ready to do some floating in the Gulf. I went out first thing Saturday morning with my neighbor and we caught a little bit of waist to chest high swell. Well, he caught some nice rides and I did a lot of paddling, panting, and falling over. I wasn’t expecting much from my first time out in years, and I delivered! In the end though, I’m looking forward to getting out more and catching some waves. It truly is one of the few soul cleansing sports out there.

After all that paddling, I was pretty happy to sit around and watch the final 2 rounds of the British Open. On Saturday, Sergio was confident and hit some wonderful shots and he lipped out a birdie put on 18 that would have put him up by 4 strokes going into the final round. Instead, he started the day 3 up on Sunday and began the final day choke he’s been known for. Puts weren’t falling and shots were going errant. So, while he dropped strokes, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington gained strokes and was even one up on the 18th tee, two groups ahead of Sergio. It seemed Harrington was going to cruise into history, especially with the way Sergio was playing. But the famous Barry Burn (burn is a weird Scottish name for a ditch), which snakes along and across the 18th and did in Van de Velde in 1999, got to Harrington. He put his tee shot in the water, then hit another one into the burn as it crosses in front of the green. Double bogey was the best score he could hope for, and he sank his putt for a 6, putting him one back of Garcia. Sergio had caught a very lucky break and now only had to par the hole to win it. Seems easy enough, especially for a pro. Sergio hit a decent enough tee shot, but it wasn’t very long. He then put his second into one of the pot bunkers front left of the green. So now he needed an up and down to seal the win. He hit his bunker shot about 10 feet past the hole and in gut wrenching agony, lipped out the par putt for the win. So the two go to a 4 hole cumulative score playoff. Sergio gets in trouble right off the mark and bogeys the hole while Padraig sinks a birdie put. In the end, Garcia never recovers and Harrington is the winner. I would have like to have seen Sergio finally win a major, but he just can’t seem to hold on on Sunday. Sometimes you need a bit of luck in golf, and sometimes you need to be able to grind it out. Garcia got some luck yesterday, but wasn’t able to grind it out. Hopefully, he’ll not make too many excuses (though he already has) and learn something from the loss.

Finally, in Arsenal news, long time left winger and underpants model Freddie Ljungberg has left Arsenal for the London east end boys of West Ham United. I wish Freddie all the best as he was a die hard Arsenal player. It is sad to see such an experienced player go, but he was getting along in footballing years and had lost the extra step that made him so dangerous. Plus he hadn’t really scored for Arsenal for more than 2 seasons, had loads of injuries, and was on a very high salary (£70,000 per week), especially for someone who was likely going to be a squad player. So since he wasn’t going to get as much first team action, he decided to move on. I have no problem with that, but I do wish he wouldn’t use the exit of Henry and the supposed lack of big signings as a reason for his departure. It simply would have been enough to say that he wanted to play more. Oh well, such is life.

That is enough from me today. I’ve got some travel arrangements to make.

Adios.

Pumping Irons

Thursday midday and all is clear. Actually it is raining, but the path to the weekend is clear and near! The fam is back in town, but it will still be nice to have some Friday night cocktails with friends and the weekly Thai Friday meal. Yahooooo!

A quick one about the Arsenal as they play a friendly today (in one hour at 1 pm Central so I must hurry!!!) as part of their preseason training in Austria. I got an update from one friend today and the whole crew has arrived safely and are enjoying themselves. Not serious drinking incidents, but as the weekend nears, I’m sure there will be some. Anyway, pictures from the training show new signings Eduardo and Sagna in action, so hopefully we will get our first glimpses of them in the red and white today. I hope that Wenger still has a few more transfers up his sleeve, but I’m liking the look of the new team and can’t wait to see them in action.

The big event today is the first round of the British Open in Carnoustie, Scotland. Tiger Woods is looking to bag his third in a row, matching a record that goes back a long way. I can’t be bothered to look it up, but I remember hearing that they played with wood shaft clubs and feather filled golf balls! It will be interesting to see how he does on the course where he struggled so much in 1999. Also, he is new dad (congrats!) to a little girl Sam born on the Monday after the US Open. If Tiger doesn’t win the title, he can at least be happy that he got to spend time with his mates and some rest, which is a rarity with newborns!



As it stands right now, Woods finished the day at -2 and Sergio Garcia is in the lead at -6 through 14. US Open winner Angel Cabrera is also up there with a round of -3. Also, Arsenal loving Ian Poulter is in, but is a bit off the mark at +2. For more info and up to date scoring, go here.

In a related story today, Gary Player has told the press that he knows of golfers using performance enhancing drugs, ranging from steroids to human growth hormones (HGH). He hasn’t named any names, but says their use is growing and that it is a problem. This seems to be a problem that runners and cyclists have, so why would it pertain to golf many are probably saying. Well, it will help players become fitter, hit the ball further, and most importantly, heal faster. There will never be a replacement for a good swing and touch, but 20 extra yards on a drive can mean a lower club and more control on approach shots, which could in turn lead to more birdies. It is really interesting how the landscape of golf has changed with the arrival of Tiger. It used to be that golfers weren’t too concerned with fitness. Arnold Palmer used to smoke all the time on the links and Jack Nicklaus was a somewhat pudgy guy all through his career. Nowadays, pros are hitting the gym and treadmill as much as they are the range, just so they can stay competitive. Amazing stuff. I don’t really think drugs are going to be a huge factor in the sport and many current pros say they don’t know of any use at all, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Finally, my wife's cousin is in a band called The White Rabbits and they are going to be on David Letteman tonight. So, if you are up, or remember to set the DVR, check them out! They are pretty good and here is a link to their MySpace page where they have a few songs you can check out.

Well, that is enough for today as I’ve got to get ready to shirk some work and watch the Arsenal play!

Adios.

Strudel and Foosball!

My days of watching football all day in my underwear are now over my friends. The family returns today, but even though I’ll be forced to watch Noggin again on weekend mornings, it will be nice to have the wife and kiddo around again.

Over my sporting weekend, I managed to watch the first Arsenal pre-season match against Barnet. I missed the first 20 minutes and Adebayor’s goal because I was sleeping off a late night, but I’m sure it was spectacular. Arsenal kid Barazite got the second, which I saw, and it was a nice shot from the right. A lot of the other kids got a run out as well (in fact there was a complete change of all 11 players during the match) and there was some promise shown. Theo was pretty good and seemed ready for action after his shoulder surgery at the end of last season and Toure looked like a kid out having a blast on the pitch. All in all, it was good to see some Arsenal football, even if they were wearing the crappy new away white kits. No matter what people say, I don’t like the white kit. I prefer the yellow on the away kit. Simple as.

After the win on Saturday, the team dug out their lederhosen and packed their bags for preseason training camp in Bad Waltersdorf Austria. While some of the big clubs do tours of Asia and the US for marketing and monetary purposes, Wenger likes the low key, small scale feel of training at a spa in the Alps. Sounds like a good idea to me! The travel isn’t too far so jet lag is diminished, and the whole time spent there isn’t a media circus. As part of the camp, the Arsenal will play a series of friendlies, with the first being against Turkish side Genclerbirligi. Try saying that 3 times! Heck, try just saying it! Anyway, the club name translates to “Union of Juveniles” so the Arsenal kids should feel right at home. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the new signings get a run out and hopefully they slot in well. Also, I have a number of friends over there for the training camp and I’m looking forward to trying to spot them yelling drunken abuses during the matches.

BECKHAM BECKHAM BECKHAM!!!! Just in case you weren’t already completely inundated with news coverage of Becks’ arrival here in the states, there you go. His move over has been reported everywhere, even the local rag the Caller Times here in CCTX. They hardly ever mention football, but had a big article and color photo of Becks in the paper over the weekend. Even stick-like Posh and her grapefruit half boobs is everywhere and was on a show on NBC last night. “Victoria Beckham comes to America.” Please. I watched a few minutes where she made her new assistant feel about 3 inches high and tried to cheat on her driver’s exam. Then, when she got her license, she had her staff touch up her makeup before the picture. The best though is that in one scene, the test monitor told her she passed and joked that now she could go get a Mercedes or something, to which she replied that she didn’t need one as she drove a Bentley. In the next scene, she then acted as if she was embarrassed to talk about money issues with Beverly Hills socialites. Come on. Anyway, all this craziness will be over soon and Beckham can just get down to playing football. I hope he does well as it should help the American game.

In golf news, the British Open is coming up and it will be played at Carnoustie this year. Tiger Woods had an awful time with this course 8 years ago, but seems to be liking the way it is playing this time. Woods will be vying for a 3rd straight title when The Open starts on Thursday. I’ll talk more about it then.

Not much else is going on, at least that I’m in the mood to discus.

Adios.

Freedom!!!

Today is Thursday and as I write this I’m finishing off some Sesame Chicken, so all is right in my world. Friday is nearly upon us, which means I can here freedom beckoning. Actually, that was two beer bottles clinking together, but same difference.

There has been some movement in the transfer window for the mighty Arsenal this week. It seems Wenger has signed French player Barcay Sagna from Auxerre over in Frogland. Sagna is a right back and will get Cashley’s number 3 jersey. Now, if you follow Arsenal, you may be wondering why Wenger signed a right back when at the beginning of the summer our two existing right backs had their contracts renewed. That’s a good question, and I’m sure Wenger has an answer. What it is, I don’t know, but they don’t call him the professor for nothing. My intuition is that Eboue will be moved up to right mid and play as a winger. He has great pace and overlapping skills, but isn’t always the best defender.

This transfer of course has brought out even more Chicken Little’s on the message boards who believe Arsenal are doomed, but I feel good about the coming season. It just goes to show that Wenger is always working, even if it doesn’t seem to be played out in the press. I think some people just like to be neighsayers (sorry, there was no need to bring Ruud Van Nistleroy in to this conversation).

The first preseason match against Barnet is also very close and I can’t wait! Even though I have to watch a 3” display on my computer screen at 9 am on Saturday morning, it will be worth it to see the boys playing again. Close season is utter madness for fans! The players get to fly off on fancy holidays, sipping pina coladas with their supermodel girlfriends on sunny beaches. Meanwhile, us shlubs sit in offices anxiously awaiting any news of a transfer so we can pour out pages of dribble on inane rumors. Oh well, at least there is rum to dull the pain.

For American soccer-ball fans, Becks is on his way across the pond and will be unveiled as a L.A. Galaxy player tomorrow. I would love to see Alexi Lalas pull a giant sheet off of Becks, but I’m sure he’ll just hand him a jersey instead. This is going to be an interesting time for the wonder boy as there is tons of expectation hanging on him. There will be no time for fashion shows as I would imagine that many Americans will be expecting him to run circles around other teams and bang in tons of goals. But that just isn’t going to happen. He is a right winger and is known for sending in well placed crosses for others to bang in the net. He may get some good goals off of free kicks, but he has never had a huge goal tally. We’ll just have to see how he adjusts and if he can elevate the team, which is much needed after the Galaxy were beaten by a 3rd division team the Richmond Kickers in the U.S. Open Cup. Ouch.

In other important news, important to me that is, I am going to be single over the weekend as my wife takes the kiddo to Houston! Huzzah! What will I be doing with my time? I may try to sneak out to see the new Harry Potter movie. It is supposed to be really good and I can’t wait. Of course, if I do that, the next night I’ll need to gather a posse of men, drink a handle of Jim Bean, and go to strip club just to even everything out.

Well, that is enough for me today.

Adios

I'm Glowy and Buzzy!!

Friends, it’s a Sunday afternoon that is being made even better with a few Modelo Especial’s. Just had a nice little sandwich after being out at the beach all morning. So, I’ve got a full belly, a little sun glow, and a slight buzz. If I nod off during the blog, please give me a good shake. I was hoping to have my new surfboard for the beach trip, but alas it wasn’t to be. Can’t really put too much faith in surfers being timely.

So on to news and events of the day. Absolutely nothing has happened with the Arsenal in the last few days, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. I’m looking forward to the first preseason match against Barnet on Saturday. Seeing the red and white in action will be nice, even if it is with kids and few vets.

Roger Federer, who is more Feder than most people, won a fifth straight Wimbledon title this morning over Nadal. I was pulling for Nadal, though I would have rooted for anyone against Federer. I have nothing against the Swiss man, but I was just hoping to see someone else win for a change. Anyway, it was a long and hard fought match that went back and forth. The win for Federer tied the record of Bjorn Borg who was there to watch the proceedings.

Also today in London was the beginning of the Tour de France. London? That’s what I said. Oh well.

In golf, I’m watching the AT&T tournament or something or other, and Aussie Stuart Appleby started the day with a two stroke lead. However, since teeing off, he has been playing like I do, which is bloody awful. He was 6 over through 7 holes a little while ago. Ugh. Woods is the tourney host, but he isn’t doing too well today. Seems it is now a shootout between Korean K.J. Choi and Steve Stricker. We’ll see how it goes. It will go even better with a few beers. Speaking of, I’m in need of another, so I’m calling it a day.




Adios.

Gimme a Bat and I'll Get You in the U.N.

Good day to everyone, and by that I mean the one person who reads this, and I hope all are well after the mid-week holiday. I went out to a friend’s house for some drinks and dinner, but kept it in check. However, I do feel off today from having the day off in the middle of the week. It feels like a Monday, but I know it is almost the end of the week. I guess there are worse positions to be in!

Anyway, not much is going on this week with my beloved Arsenal. Most of the players and Arsene are back in London and started pre-season training on Tuesday. It is nice to see some action and know that the team is starting to get ready for the new season. I for one can’t wait. The close season can be long, especially with all the crazy rumors flying about. Hopefully Wenger has a few more transfers in the works and they can join up with the boys before they head off to Austria. Before then there is a match against Barnet on July 14th. It will only be shown online, but I am more than willing to sit in front of my computer for two hours to get a taste of Arsenal football!

News reports today spoke of Beckham flying out to join up with the Galaxy and he’ll be introduced to the club on July 13th. The Galaxy are set play a friendly with Chelsea on the 16th and he may play after scans showed the ankle injury he picked up with England against Estonia is healing. I really don’t care what is going on with Golden Balls, but every person I meet that finds out I follow soccer asks me what is going on with Beckham. And since I am such a giving person, I like to be able to tell them what is going on.



The U.S. men’s national squad are in Venezuela right now for Copa America, but since they sent their B team they’ve lost recent matches to the Argies and Paraguay. A number of starters (Donovan, Beasely, etc.), who helped the U.S. win the Gold Cup a few weeks ago, were sent back to their clubs and a few kids who had no international experience were given the nod. However, there was some good play from the younger kids and some chances on goal that should have been converted. So, even though they won’t make it out of the group stage, there are a number of players that show promise for the future.

Finally, Taiwan has tried 14 times to gain entry to the United Nations, using tactics such as presidential appeals and media campaigns, all to no avail. So where do you turn next? Ozzy Osbourne? Surely they can’t be serious. Well, they are serious, and stop calling me Shirley! Actually, the government is promoting a local Taiwanese band backed by Ozzy on a tour that will be accompanied by media materials promoting Taiwan’s acceptance into the international body. When asked to comment on the tour, Ozzy said “Yeah, mmekr dfjh ekfdj fjl; dfjg afd;dg. Hah. SHARON!!”

Enough for today. Time to wrap things up here in the office and get ready for a trip to South Padre tomorrow. I get to wake up at the crack of dawn, drive 3 hours, and take samples from the bay bottom. But hopefully it won’t take too long so I can get back early and enjoy a few frosty bevies!

Adios.

We Got a TP! Top Player That Is!

Friends, it seems there has been a bit of bathroom humor going on over at the Arsenal lately. Titi is out and Dudu is in. For those not in the know, this is about Henry (nickname of Titi) having left and Wenger bringing in 24 year old Brazilian-born-Croatian Eduardo de Silva (aka Dudu. I know, but I didn’t make it up. It’s true!) Eduardo comes from Dinamo Zagreb and was dumping in goals left and right! He managed to flush out 83 goals from 119 appearances. He also squeezed 7 international goals out of 12 appearances from the Croatian national side. Let’s face it, this kid seems to be the shiznay!

Ok, enough of the toilet humor. But he does appear to be a good signing. I hope it isn’t Wenger’s only summer signing, but he is off to a good start. Many Arsenal “supporters” have been complaining though that he isn’t a big enough name, that he isn’t a good replacement for Henry, and that the Croatian League is horrible. But so what?! For starters, you can’t ‘replace’ Henry. Simple as that. But it seems to me that he was a good buy for the money (reportedly around £8m, though some have speculated it is £16m which is highly unlikely) and he has a nose for goal. I can’t begin to list the number of times the ball was put into the 18 yard box by the Arsenal, only for the chance to be squandered. If Eduardo is able to get in a quarter of those chances (which is a lot) then he’ll lead the Prem in scoring. Give the kid a chance I say and let’s hope he can make Cashley and Terry look just as worthless next season!



The weather has been quite a bit soggy down here in Texas the last few weeks, especially up north of us. In Corpus we’ve had some big rains, but I welcome it. Don’t have to water the lawn and it helps keep the air conditioning bill down. Also, the rain and poor traveling conditions provided some entertainment last Sunday. I was driving down from beautiful (ahh, not so much) Beaumont and enjoyed a fun filled hour of schadenfreude as I watched an old man in a Buick try and pass me on the right between Beaumont and Houston. There was loads of construction and the traffic was kind of slow due to the work and the rain, but this old guy was determined to get around me on the right. He would whip over into the right lane and go speeding past me, only to get stuck behind a slower car and watch in fury as I passed him again and waved. We kept this up for about 45 miles. Good stuff.

Finally, if you are having a keg party this holiday, please mind the shell and take it back promptly! It seems that thieves have been stealing kegs and taking them to scrap yards to cash in on rising metal costs. I don’t really care about hurting the cheap American swill out of Bud, Miller, and Coors, but really hurts the smaller brewers. So, if you love beer as much as I do, take the keg back once it is tapped and the Advil has kicked in!

Hope everyone (in the U.S. or a U.S. citizen) has a great 4th of July. The rest of you can bugger off!

Adios.