Generation Cam

Another Win and Beware of Captain Tackles...

2009-01-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

Lots has been going on in the Cam-universe lately. Actually, it has been happening for everyone’s benefit, but I’m the one talking about it here. Anyway, I’d like to first start off with the historic event yesterday of Obama’s inauguration. I was able to sneak away for an hour yesterday and I went down to the lower level food court here at my office building to watch the swearing in and presidential address. I was truly amazed and inspired by the event. I really feel that the new administration is going to put the country back on track and help it regain it’s place as a respected world leader. Right after the election, an English friend remarked, “Welcome back to the world, America,” or something along those lines. I think there is a lot of work to do, and there is never an instant change, but I foresee the US being back on the right track. The size of the crowds also show a renewed hope in our country. Having been to Washington and stood on the west Capitol steps, the Mall is an immense area and seeing it full was breathtaking. With that, I’ll leave my political statements aside and move on to more pressing matters. Namely football.

So my friend, the Gunners seem to be on a bit of a hot streak. Well, they aren’t losing, and that is a good thing. The lads traveled to Hull City and were looking for some redemption for their loss at home earlier in the season. As the match began, the Arsenal looked to be playing OK, but again, not getting much. Eboue played on the right wing and I didn’t see much to impress me. Arsenal had a couple of early chances from rocket free kicks by RvP that were either just wide or finger-tipped into the cross-bar by the Hull keeper. Not much else happened for awhile with OK play from both sides, but in the 30th minute, RvP whipped a corner into Ade who nodded it far post to go up by 1. This was the score at the half and it stayed that way with more OK play until Hull leveled in the 65th minute. Clichy should have dealt better with closing down their winger, but instead he nicked a cross that went straight to the head of Cousin (or Coo-zin as it is properly pronounced, in a snooty French sort of way) who then nodded it past Almunia. The match was now level and it really looked like Arsenal were going to draw the match. Bendtner came on for Eboue (thank goodness) and the formation switched to a 4-3-3 and it started to free things up a bit. Though it came late, RvP claimed a pass in the middle and was able to hold off the defender just long enough to play a beautiful ball into Nasri, who slotted it home far post to go up 2-1.

A few minutes later, RvP made another fine cross to Bendtner who knocked that home to give the Gunners a 3-1 win and 3 needed points. RvP didn’t have any goals, but he did wonders for setting them up. He’s really doing well and is showing some great creativity in the absence of Cesc. I hope he keeps it up. Nasri has also been doing quite well and isn’t afraid to shoot the ball, which is a nice change of pace from Hleb, at least in my opinion. So the Gunners now travel to the land of sheep to play Cardiff on Sunday in the FA Cup. Should be an interesting match and it sees young-un Aaron Ramsey return home. I hope he gets to play and sneaks in a goal or three!

In American football news, there isn’t much to comment on, at least as far as I’m concerned. The Steelers beat the Ravens, though I was hoping it would go the other way. Then the Cardinals did the country a favor by taking out the Eagles. Having a Philly-Pittsburg Superbowl would have been a bit annoying. Plus, I don’t like either team, so this way I can root for the underdog Cards and cheer for some crazy catches by Fitzgerald. What a good receiver.

Lastly, I’ve been watching more and more rugby over the last few years. And that’s union, not crappy league rugby. This has been partially spurred along by a Kiwi friend of mine and out enjoyment of watching the rugby and drinking beer. Plus, he turned me on to Jed Thian of the Rugby Roundtable podcast and Alternative Rugby Commentary. Those are truly great shows and a fantastic way to keep up with the sport or watch a match. Anyway, as a note to you, my one (I hope) reader, there is some good rugby coming up. The European 6 Nations tournament and the southern hemisphere Super 14 are about to kick-off in February. There should be some good matches and I’m looking forward to seeing Captain Tackles (aka Richie McCaw) back in action, even though he nearly knocked over my daughter! Ah, the joys of learning photoshop.

Well, I think that is enough for one day (or week as these posts have been going… well at least I am posting, so stop with all the nay-saying. Jeez!!)

Adios

Bye Bye Bogey Team, Well, Pretty Much...

2009-01-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

Well friends, here we are. Another week on. Quite a bit has gone on in the land of Cam. My son Liam had his first birthday last week and did a very impressive job of smearing chocolate icing all over his head. And I mean all over. Face, eyes, hair, neck, chin. The boy loves icing, what can I say. The weekend that followed involved lots of friends, lots of wine, and lots of food. At least so I’m told. Let’s just say I’ve been drinking a lot of water lately.

As for the Arsenal, they played at home against Bolton on Saturday. Over the previous years and under Fat Sam Allardyce, Bolton seemed to be a tough team for Arsenal to defeat. The Wanderers haven’t been a powerhouse, but they always seemed to be able to stymie the Gunners, mostly because they would play tough, physical defense and not worry about scoring goals. It looked like we were in for the same this last match as Kevin Davies let everyone know he is an ass by getting into some rough challenges soon after the opening whistle. Arsenal did fairly well and had loads of possession, but it looked like another one of those days of “almost.” There weren’t too many shots, but a couple of good chances by Ade, RvP and Bendtner were either too slow, hit the post, or straight at the keeper. In the second half, Wenger made a tactical move and moved Nasri from the left and into the center.

This was of course something I suggested to friends at the beginning of the match, but that’s neither here nor there. This move, coupled with Vela coming on later and playing wide left, made it possible for Nasri to dictate play a bit more and be creative. After a few misses mentioned above, an RvP cross was slotted home by Bendtner in the 84th minute to give the Gunners 3 desperately needed points. It wasn’t a beautiful game but it got the result.

These last few matches, though wins for the Arsenal, have shown that the team is just barley getting by. At least in my opinion. The defense doesn’t look very solid, though Djourou is starting to show that he should be a starter. And the midfield. Oh my, the midfield. It seems so weird that just a season or two ago we had so many quality midfielders that there was cover 2 and 3 deep at every position. Now, we’ve seen an entire midfield made up of backup central mids! Rosicky is just gone it seems, Walcott is out for who knows how long, Cesc is gone until April, and we were light before these injuries (except Rosicky as he was hurt in 1912). I’m no football manager genius, but there needs to be some action in the transfer window this January, if anything, just to wake everyone up. There should be no automatic picks right now for the First XI. They should all be trying to prove they deserve to play.

Outside of Arsenal, there was playoff football, but I really didn’t care too much about it. It was interesting that the Cardinals won, but I don’t think they’ll go too far. They are the Cardinals don’t forget. Also, I was glad to see that the Giants lost, just so I don’t have to listen to their fans anymore. The Eagles won, but I am comforted by the knowledge that they tend to choke later in the playoffs.

Not much else has been going on, but I did see an interesting story where the titans of media “American Idol” are going after a small, wholesome outfit, just trying to have fun. A nudie bar in Austin is being sued by AI because of their event “Stripper Idol.” This fun event lets everyday ladies live their dream of being a dancer in front of an adoring crowd. Plus the can get 500 bucks! Leave these people alone Simon Cowell! You’ve already done enough damage to our fair country with your show and bringing Paula Abdul back to the limelight!! For shame.

And with that, “Cam Out!”

Adios

Hoping For a Good Time in 2009!!

2009-01-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Well chums, the new year is here and I'm back in the saddle. Well, back on the keyboard to some extent. The past year was a bit of a weird one. It started off great with the birth of my son, Liam, but then it seemed to go a bit potty. The Arsenal were top of the table in January 2008, but soon started to slip and finished 3rd. Ugh. The summer saw the beginnings of a global financial meltdown and quality players leaving the Arsenal, but none coming in. There was, however, a great US victory in the Ryder cup and some fantastic achievements at the Olympics. Soon after though things went back to crap in the autumn months with more financial chaos, sinking economies, and erratic Arsenal results.

But now my friends, here we are with a new year and new hopes. And a new bed, at least for me anyway! I can't wait to have some nice long sleep-ins!

So let's get down to the brass tacks. The Arsenal started off the new year in 5th place. Not a great place to be, but they are only 3 points off ManU and Villa (3rd and 4th) and 10 from Liverpool who top the table. I don't really see the Gunners putting in a serious title challenge, but the way the league has gone so far this season, you never know. I just want them to make sure they qualify for the Champions League next season. Some new signings this January will be imperative, in my opinion, if they want to put in a serious bid for the top spot or in either the FA CUP or CL.

Speaking of the FA CUP, the Gunners played one of my favorite lower league clubs, Plymouth Argyle, in the the 3rd round last Saturday as the first match of 2009. The first half was bit of a bore, but both sides seemed to play OK (at least from what I could see on a crappy video feed, thanks a bunch Setanta!). After the break, things turned around quite quickly as Robin van Persie headed in a goal just 2 minutes in! It seems RvP can not only use his "chocolate leg" to score goals, but his chocolate head as well! A second goal (that looked to be an own goal, though Bendtner claimed it) came just a few minutes after. Arsenal seemed to by flying and hitting on all cylinders, but a Pilgrim goal soon after changed the tone of the match. Plymouth gained some belief and began to press the Gunners. However, the introduction of Carlos Vela started to turn the match back in the Arsenal's favor. Vela was put out wide left, which meant Nasri was able to move inside and dictate forward play. One of his passes sent RvP through and he took a deflected chip over the keeper and blasted it home to make it 3-1 to the good. It was a good win and made sure the Gunners made it to the next round where they will travel to Cardiff. It should also be noted that Plymouth had a very large away section (about 10,000) and they were great/loud fans. I've heard a number of reports that they were very gracious and had a lot of fun. Good on ya Green Army!

A lot of other stuff has happened over here in our football, but I can't really be bothered. The Cowboys missed the playoffs by being stomped by the Eagles. A&M, well, I don't really know how they turned out as they had another season to forget. The BCS championship game is on tomorrow, but I could really care less about Oklahoma or the Gators. I will put my very limited support behind Oklahoma though as I can't stand Florida. Ever. No thanks. Ugh.

Well, with that I'll call it a post. More to follow. Seriously!

Adios.

If That's Being a Slave, Sign Me Up!!!

2008-07-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how time flies these days. It seems I just posted to this bloody blog, yet it has been days! Well 2, but it seems longer. It isn’t the lack of sleep either as the boy slept through 5 am last night, which is nice. Hopefully it will last.

As I mentioned last time, the lads are back at London Colney and getting in shape for the upcoming season. Those that were in the Euros will be back later and are getting some rest. I’m sure Gilberto (if he stays) is hoping one of those players gets knocked back to the squad so he can step back into the starting lineup, kind of like what happened to him last year after Copa America. Anyway, the first match of the 08-09 season is nearing!! It is just a reserves friendly against locals Barnet, but it is a match nonetheless. There aren’t too many new players in the squad yet, but I’m sure there will be a few new faces before the season starts (or even the transfer deadline at the end of August). I’m looking forward to the match just to get a look at the squad and some of the younger players. Plus it means the regular season is near, that we’ll see goals, and just, well, fun stuff.

In other football news, the long standing saga of Man U player Cristiano Ronaldo (aka purse-boy) continues in the media. If you follow football, you’d have to have been under a rock since May to not know what is going on. Real Madrid have issued many media reports that they are interested in the player and want him to join their club. At the same time Man U have clearly stated he is not up for sale. The club even went to FIFA with a complaint that Real were trying to stir things up in their favor so they could sign purse-boy. Of course this is a bit rich from the club that employed the same tactics last summer toward Bayern Munich when they wanted Hargreaves. Anyway, the latest saga is that FIFA president Sepp Blatter (sounds like an infection, doesn’t it?) has backed Crynaldo’s desire to move and has likened the new, long-term contract to slavery. Those are pretty harsh claims in my opinion, especially as the poor lad plays for a very successful club that won the League and the Champions League last season. Oh and he is on 120,000 quid a WEEK! Poor little fella. It is all a bit ridiculous, but I hope he does get his way and leaves United just so I don’t have to see him week in and week out.

In other sports, baseball is being played, NBA teams are signing players, and football is about to start its preseason. There you go.

The British Open (or The Open to snobbish UK’ers ;), mmm, mmm! ) is a week away and I’m looking forward to it. The course this year is Royal Birkdale, which hasn’t host the Open since 1998, and it is located in northern England, just north of Liverpool. The course was the site of Arnold Palmer’s 1961 title and since ‘71 has pretty much been dominated by Americans. This year may be a bit different though. Lately, the European based players have been doing very well in the Open and will put up a good challenge. More on all of this later so that I’ll have something next week!

Well friend, that is all for today. Time to get back to work, or at least look busy. I think it is about time to grab a printout and walk around the office.

Adios.

They're Baaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!

2008-07-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

Ah, the joys of teething babies. Oh how I love the incessant crying through the night! Tis truly one of the great wonders of childrearing. What could top this nighttime joy? Why, bed wetting by the older child and the need to change sheets at 1 am could be the trick! I think I need some more coffee.

Now that I’m slightly coherent, what all is going on in the world of Cam? Well, pre-season training at Arsenal has begun! Hooray!!! Huzzah!!! High-five-ah!!! Finally,
we get to see some of the lads running around, training, laughing, etc., but most importantly it means that Arsenal matches are around the corner and we can all, to some extent, move past the constant barrage of silly season rumors. The transfer window is still open almost 2 more months and there are supposedly more transfers in the works, but with the upcoming friendlies, we can watch the players who are here and ready to play for the club. There are a number of fans who believe that the current board is limiting the manager, that proper signings aren’t being made, and that basically the club is slipping. I, however, am not one of those fans. I think the manager will do what is best for the team and I feel the Board and their overall direction is good. Nothing is perfect, but I look forward to another exciting season. The lads really showed a lot of mettle last season and I think it will carry through to this one.

In other Arsenal related news, former player Ray Parlour has announced that he is likely to retire. The Romford Pele spent 20 years at Arsenal don’t you know!! He signed as a schoolboy at 12 and played until he was 32, 12 of those as a regular first-teamer. He was a strong force on the pitch and scored a goal in the 2002 FA Cup to give the Gunners the Double. He was always a favorite of mine and I was sad to see him go on to Boro once he knew he wouldn’t get much first team football at Arsenal. Since the move though, he didn’t play much and injuries are forcing his retirement. I wish him all the best and hope he continues on with TV commentary or coaching. A recent petition has been started to let Ray have a testimonial at Arsenal upon his retirement (which typically occurs when a player puts in 10+ years of service, but was waived once he left for Boro). If you like, you can go here to sign. I’d love to see him get the accolades he deserves as a true Arsenal man.

Prior to all this Arsenal related news, there was some tennis to keep me in front of a TV, not doing chores. The men’s final at Wimbledon was on Sunday and featured Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. As mentioned previously, I wasn’t too excited about the matchup because I’ve seen it plenty of other times. Besides the recent French Open, typically it was a match that we all knew Federer would win. He had won the previous 5 Wimbledon title, two by beating Nadal, and seemed to win most everything else, but Sunday was a bit different story. Nadal came out and played well, taking the first two sets. It seemed like he had things going his way but a rain delay let Federer regroup and he took the second two sets in tie-breakers. Nadal even had 3 championship points in the last tie-breaker, 2 with the serve, but he couldn’t close the deal. On to the 5th it went and there was more tension as each struggled to win their service games. With no tie-breaker in the 5th set, rain delays, and diminishing light, it looked like the match would be finished the next day. Nadal rallied though and broke Federer to go up 8 to 7. He then had the serve to win the title and nearly lost the game, but he held on and got the win when Federer hit a shot into the net. It really was a good, nail-biter of a match and I was glad to have watched it. Plus it was raining out so there wasn’t much else to do. Anyway, congrats to Rafa and Spain who seem to be winning quite a bit lately! I bet little gets done on the Iberian peninsula this month.

To wrap this post up, the annual Finnish wife-carrying races were held recently and Estonian Alan Voogla carries\d his wife Kristi Viltrop to win the title! Not only do the winners get immense bragging rights, but they win their wife’s weight in beer! This truly is a noble sport, and one of great strategy. You see, you want to carry a wife that will get you plenty of beer if you win, but you also want one that is light enough to make the winning more plausible. It really is a game of balances. Congrats to the Estonian couple and the others who competed.

That’s enough for me today. Let’s hope for sleep tonight.

Adios.

Beer Time!!!

2008-07-03T11:35:00.001-07:00

Today is the 3rd of July and all are preparing for the holiday tomorrow. I am looking forward to some time off and some pints downed. The forecast calls for rain here in CCTX, so it will therefore be sunny and hot.

No real football news still this week. I think it is going to be pretty slow on that front for a few more weeks. I believe that pre-season training (for non-Euro 2008 participants) starts up next week so there should be a bit of news then. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the new players in the friendly matches as well as getting the rest of the transfers sorted. It has well and truly been one of the silliest of silly seasons so far.

At Wimbledon, it looks like it is yet another Williams sisters final with Venus and Serena vying for the title. Bore. It could be a good match, but I am tired of watching them play and win. They have combined for something like 7 of the last 9 titles. It gets a bit old. And in the men’s, Nadal is through to the semis and so is Federer (who is more Feder than most). Another typical matchup. But I guess if there isn’t the competition, these guys will keep winning. We’ll see what happens and I’ll probably watch, but only because I’ll need something to do while I drink water and recover from the previous night.

Finally, I read today that Utah is the first state to move to a 4 day work week. Now this is a plan that I like! I already put in 9 hours a day and would have no trouble taking on one extra for a 3 day weekend. Hopefully it goes will out there and it starts to spread across the country. I doubt my firm will ever adopt it though. Such is the life of a consultant.

Seeing as I’m about ready to leave early for the holiday weekend, I’ll keep this short. Hope all have a great holiday weekend and doesn’t get in too much trouble. Be somewhat responsible and don’t crash your car into a store and then try to buy some beer! It probably won’t work! Time to head to the golf course (man, I wish my local looked like that!).

Adios

Be Careful Michael Phelps!

2008-06-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

Ahhh Monday. Here we are again. The work week begins anew and clock is reset on waiting for the weekend. At least this is a short week and the 4th of July is on a Friday this year. I prefer it later in the week so that the holiday comes early in the long weekend and not after three nights of partying. With my sister and her friend coming in plus all the events this weekend I’ll be looking forward to a day of rest on Sunday!

On to current events. Well, there isn’t too much going on, at least in terms of football. The Premiership is still in close season and Euro 2008 finished yesterday. It’s Gael Clichy week on Arsenal.com if you’re interested. Summer transfer rumors still abound, but I typically pay them no mind as it is mostly all rubbish. I would talk about the MLS, but I don’t really follow it and would have to look up a bunch of scores. I did hear through friends that DC United beat the Galaxy. Hurray.

One bit of Arsenal discussion (or ranting) for today is that on Arsenal.com they recently put up 75 players to be voted on for the 50 all-time best. The results for awhile were almost as you’d expect, but recently there have been some surprises, at least to me. Now, I know the voting was supposed to be based on performances on the pitch, but to me you have to consider how these players performed off the pitch as well, especially when they are being considered as Arsenal greats. The first player that snuck up was Anelka. He only played for a couple of seasons and buggered off at the first sign on money. Since then he has played at a different club practically every season. Not really an Arsenal man in my opinion. Then came Ashley Cole. I couldn’t believe it. Not only should he have been banned from the list for his action when leaving Arsenal, but he was ahead of real LB greats like Winterburn. Truly poor judgment. The latest is what I saw today and prompted my wanting to comment on this “list.” The number 15th all-time Arsenal great was Sol Campbell. This is just getting to be too much. I know that there are many who don’t know all the older players, me included, but I have made an effort over the years to learn of Arsenal heroes and I also can spot one who isn’t. Granted, Campbell, for the most part, was a good player while at Arsenal, but he came from Sperzs and actually walked out on the club DURING a match. Then he asked for a transfer so he could play overseas. What club did he go to? Portsmouth. Nothing like lying to get your way. Oh well, I know it is just a silly list but this is what happens when there is no football being played to comment on.

Back to the blog and less ranting, at least for a bit. Yesterday evening, I watched a little of the Olympic trials and saw Tyson Gay break the world record in the 100 meter dash. Those guys are crazy fast and it is amazing how races are won on 100ths of a second. If I were in the races those guys would be halfway through their interviews with Bob Costas before I crossed the line. I never was a fast runner. I know it is hard to imagine, but it is true. I was slow in swimming too and could never get the flip-turns down. I always spun wrong and got water up my nose. I was such an athlete.

Speaking of swimming, Michael Phelps turned on the heat as he was chased by his friend Lochte in the 400 IM. Phelps took and early lead but Lochte came on strong in the breaststroke to even it all up and it remained that way until the final flip turn where Phelps was able to pull out a small lead for the win. The two of them finished WAY ahead of the others. There has been plenty of talk lately about the new speedo swimsuits and how they may be giving an unfair advantage to those who use them. Well, considering Phelps and Lochte smoked the rest of the contenders who were for the most part also wearing those suits, I don’t think they suits helped that much. I will say that those swimmers must shave everywhere because one false move by Phelps (who wore only the low-cut pants) and Mr. Happy would be making a surprise visit!

Finally, I know I’ve done some stupid things while drinking, like singing “Tommy” at the top of my lungs at my own Christmas party, falling out of a black cab in London, etc. etc., but this story ranks up there. It seems a Swedish guy got loaded over in Denmark and drank all his ferry money. So, in order to get home, he decided to steal a boat and row the 3 miles to Sweden across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Predictably, he got tired and sleepy about half way over and took a nap in the boat. Luckily some Danish police found him. Those wacky Euros!!

Well, that’s enough for today. Time to get back to work and look busy. I may need to do the old grab a file and walk around for awhile trick.

Adios.

The Finals and Queso. Mmmmm......

2008-06-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

This post isn’t an immediate follow-up, but it is close enough. I had a trip to the Houston area at the end of last week and got to see my sister on Thursday. It was fun but I had a splitting headache the next morning. Stupid pints. Actually, they were tasty, and so was the wine at dinner. Guess that was the problem!

Anyway, what has been going on since last we spoke? Not much for Arsenal, other than a story the Gael Clichy signed a new contract with the club. He told his agent that he wanted to sign only with Arsenal and to not even look around at other clubs or
more money deals. That is a true Arsenal man. I wish some others had the same attitude. I know it is a bit different for us fans who would love more than anything to be paid millions and be associated with the Arse. But there is such little loyalty in sports today. As a result, I do like it when a player moves and finds the grass isn’t greener. They may have some more money but that should never be the ultimate decider in life, unless you have absolutely no money, but then even with a grain of salt.

Wow, that was a bit of a ramble.

Well, in Euro 2008 Germany scored a late goal, Turkey style, to beat Turkey in the first semifinal on Wednesday. On Thursday, Spain beat Russia 3-0 with some great play from Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas!! Wenger really needs to make this boy captain. He is only 21 but is way beyond his years.These results set up the final today of Germany v. Spain. The first goal was always going to be key in this match as Germany is well suited to sitting on a lead and defending, thus making it hard for Spain to break through. Spain would need an early goal to help open up play so they could get chances for a second, which considering their lackluster defending would be important.

The match started today with me sipping a Boddingtons and feeding my boy a bottle. Germany came out strong and put some pressure on Spain. At the same time Liam threw up a little on my shirt and shorts. Spain and myself regrouped and the Iberian youth pushed forward. In the 33rd minute a through ball sent Torres and Lahm chasing it into the German box. Torres then sprinted around the defender and was able to put enough of a loft-toe on it to send it over the diving Lehmann for the 1-nil lead. It truly was a good goal.

Spain kept it up and was able to see off some German attacks before half time. During the break, I heated up some plastic queso and sat down with another pint and chips to see the second half through. Spain continued their good play and Germany kept attacking. Both sides made subs, Spain’s were mostly defensive, and they managed a bit of luck in the remainder of the game. So Spain are now the European champs and Cesc has a winners medal plus no injuries. All in all a good summer for the lad. Now some rest and a good preseason will see him ready for club football.

Not much else has been going on. I flicked to the Ladies U.S. Open, but decided to write this instead. I was going to try and play golf, but sometimes things don’t work out. Now I’m rambling again. Maybe I should get another beer and watch Star Wars with my daughter. Guess I’m sorted now!

Adios

Here We Go Again...

2008-06-24T10:57:00.001-07:00

So friends, here we are. 6 months. Whew, that was way too fast. Guess I have been a bit behind on the old blog, eh? Now, after some serious berating by friends, I’m back. Or at least I plan to be. So why the long layoff? Well, things have been a bit crazy and here is my last 6 months in a nutshell:

Really, it is mostly because I got lazy, but my official excuse is the birth of my son. Liam came on January 8th and started causing trouble from the outset. Not only did he arrive 3 weeks early, but he decided to come ass first. Result was an emergency c-section. More money. Hurray. But really, he is a great boy and is growing up fast. My daughter loves him too, but we’ll see how she feels when she gets a bit closer to the teen years!!

On to the show. What has happened between post? I’ll summarize some, ignore other stuff, and perform my usual ramshackle reporting.

Arsenal. The last 6 months have been a true definition of highs and lows. The club came through the holiday period still on top of the table and they even took a sizeable lead over all the other contenders. Then came the match versus Birmingham. Up until this match, Ade was on a scoring streak and Eduardo was finally finding his place in the squad. Then, in one horrible moment, a tackle by Martin Taylor crushed Eduardo’s ankle and the team’s spirit. Eduardo had to be rushed to hospital and the break required major surgery. He is now out until sometime next season and who knows if he’ll be the same. I sure hope so as he is a great footballer and seems to be a good man.

Now, this match wasn’t really the reason for the bad season, but it is when the wheels came off in my opinion. The rest of the match was kind of a blur and Birmingham equalized on a late penalty (that was pretty dodgy). After this Arsenal couldn’t win games. Adebayor cut his hair and the goals stopped. Arsenal were drawing with clubs they should have stuffed. Then losses to Man U and Chavski in the league and crap decisions by refs against Liverpool in the Champions League saw Arsenal on a track to end without any silverware. It seemed like there was a black hole, drawing in Arsenal supporter’s early season high emotions as we watched the slow and steady decline at the end of the season. But this is football. Crap happens. The season ended with 4 successive wins (and a new funky dance by Ade!!) and it looks like there will be some good players coming in (we’ll deal with this later). I can’t wait for August!!

So what do we (or I) do with ourselves (or myself) until the Premier League season starts? Well, we watch the summer extravaganza known as Euro 2008!!! Hurray!! Well, it is something to do and it is football. Anyway, seeing as I’m late to update the blog, the tournament is almost over. The group stages had some good matches with Portugal (boo!!) and the Dutch playing good football. Italy semi-stuck it up and France were just absent. Not that they weren’t in the tournament, it’s just that the team didn’t really do much of anything. The quarterfinals saw Portugal lose to Germany (HAH!!), Croatia lose a 2-0 to the Turks who won 3-2 to a series of late goals, and Holland did eff all against the high flyin Ruskies. The final quarterfinal was a snoozefest as Italy played typical crappy defensive football and prayed for a set play goal or a PK. They are such a bore to watch. But Spain kept trying and had some good chances, though they didn’t get the goal they wanted and went to PK’s. Luckily, Iker Casillas was on his game (or more likely lucky!!) and Spain won the match. And who scored the final PK for Spain, why Arsenal’s own wunder-kid, Cesc Fabregas!!! He has played well off the bench so far this tournament and I hope to see him get a start over Xavi in the semifinals.

The next matches are German v. Turkey tomorrow and Russia v. Spain on Thursday. Of course I’ll be traveling on Thursday, but I’ll be taping the match for sure. The final will be on Sunday so tune in and pray Andy Gray is the color commentator for ESPN though it’ll likely be the annoying little Irishman Tommy Smyth.

Well, my lunch is almost over and I’ve written enough for a just-back-blog. More on other summer happenings soon. I’m also taking a photography course at the junior college so maybe I’ll fill some space and force my crappy photos on my unlucky reader.

Adios.

Holy Crap, The End is Near...

2007-12-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

Where has time gone my friend? I know I have been a bit behind on postings, but this is bad. The Rugby World Cup? My oh my. Well, it is near the end of the year, I have a fancy new computer desk at home, and nothing is on TV. What better reason to post to the old blog.

So here we are, midway through the footie season and we find Arsenal still on top (Even though the were behind ManU last week, but it was only for a little while). Yesterday the Gunners were on the road again, for something like to 27th time in December, to an in form Everton. After a dismal draw at Pompey on Boxing Day, the lads really needed a result. After the first half with Everton up 1-0, it wasn’t looking too good. Some of the boys weren’t doing so well (Cesc, ahem) but they started to change things up a bit and who would have thought that long-balls into Eduardo would be the answer?! Whatever it takes I guess. It wasn’t the pretty passing footie you expect from Arsenal, but sometimes you have to win ugly. 3 points and the Red and White are top of the table. Huzzah.

The American football regular season ended today, or at least I think so, and the Dallas Cowboys won their division. They will now wait a week with a bye and play for a chance to go to the Superbowl. They will definitely need to get their game back after a few poor performances, especially the one today against the Redskins. Poor form. Oh well, I trust in Romo and the rest of the squad. Of course if they do make it all the way they are likely to meet up with the 16-0 Patriots. Holy crap can those guys play. It is scary. They may not always do well and will even fall behind in a game. But somehow they manage to get the win. Hats off to those guys for a great season.

I don’t really have too much else to talk about right now as it is getting a bit late and I’m actually going to go in to the office for a bit in the morning. It’s not some sense of die-hard work ethic mind you, it is more to the fact that with the new kiddo coming (a boy!) I need to save as much vacation time as possible. Hope everyone has a great New Year!!!

Adios.

Folk Star and Crazy-Ass Frenchie!

2007-10-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Happy noon-time hour to all of you in the Central Time Zone! It’s lunch time, Hurrah! I would be a bit more excited if I wasn’t eating a ham and cheese sannich from home, but it’s better than nothing.

So today started off a bit later than normal for your favorite blogger as I had a bit of a lie in from staying up late last night. Why was I up so late? It was to watch America’s Team the Dallas Cowboys come back in the dying seconds of the match against the Bills to steal a win. And it was a bit like stealing. Tony Romo, up to this game, had been playing superbly and was tearing up the field with accurate passes and smart movements in the pocket. That all seemed to go out the window for most of last night though as he had 4 interceptions in the first half, of which 2 were returned for TDs. The Bills were also able to hold the Cowboys to field goals and even ran a return back to increase the lead. It all seemed to be going Buffalo’s way. That is until the last few minutes of the match. Dallas got the ball on their 20 with only a few minutes left, 3 timeouts, and needing 8 points (a TD and 2 point conversion) to tie the game. Romo finally seemed to snap out of his funk and ran an impressive 2 minute drill to get the Cowboys into scoring range. With about 20 second left, Romo fired a ball into Crayton for the TD to put them within 2. Dallas then lines up with all wideouts and Tony lobs a ball into the corner for Terrell Owens who grabs it, but has it torn away by the Bills defender. Argh!!! So close! It seems the Bills have it all tied up.

But no. Dallas goes for the onside kick and recovers it on its own 47. There are only 18 seconds to go, no timeouts, and Dallas needs about 20 yards to get within field goal range. First play out Romo slings the ball into Owens who seems to catch it. The Cowboys then run up, take the snap and ground the ball, thus killing the clock with 1 second and a chance at a winning field goal. As the field goal unit trots on the field, the replay booth looks the play over and figures that Owens lost the ball and it was an incomplete pass! At least it put time on the clock, which Dallas then used to get in 2 quick, short passes to put then just on the edge of field goal range. On comes new kid Nick Folk to try a career long 53 yarder. The ball is snapped, the kick up, and it’s good!! Dallas has done it!!! But there is a whistle and refs running on the field. Seems Dick Jauron, the Bills coach, called timeout just before the snap, thus negating the kick. No worries said Folk (at least that’s what I figured he said) and he booted yet another one through to make the win legit. I know it is a legal rule where the coach can call a timeout a second before the snap, but it is a lousy rule in my opinion. I’m glad to see Folk stick it in Dick’s face! Hah! Anyway, even though the Cowboys didn’t put in a stellar performance, they did keep with it to get the win and remain undefeated. That kind of reminds me of……

The Arsenal! Yes, the North London boys in red had a somewhat similar (but not exactly, well, you know) experience over the weekend as well. The Gunners, unlike the Cowboys, actually started really well and were 2 up within 15 minutes against Sunderland on Sunday. They could have been 3 up, but once again the assistant referee called for offsides when it really wasn’t. So the Gunners seemed to be flying and as a result, they took their foot off the gas a bit. Bad idea. The Black Cats may not be the greatest team ever, but this is still the Premier League and you have to a certain quality to be in it. In the 25th minute, Sunderland’s Wallace put one past Almunia to make the scoreline 2-1. Then, just into the second half, Kenwyn Jones leveled the match on a header that Almunia really should have handled. Either way, there the Gunners were: level with a side that was now full of confidence and looking for the win. The Arsenal kept after it though and had a few shots bang off the woodwork. Finally, with 9 minutes left in the match, van Persie got sent through on a nice ball from Walcott to score the winning goal. Another 3 points and the Arsenal are again top of the table over Man U with a game in hand. Unfortunately there is another international break and no club footie for 2 weeks. Lets hope that everyone comes back with great performances and no injuries.

Sunday was also a day of rugby watching as I caught the replays of the quarterfinal matches from Saturday. I didn’t feel like paying the PPV money. Anyway, the first match was England versus Australia. After some dismal performances by the 3 lions, most everyone expected the wallabies to win easily. But England seemed to have found some inner mojo and rallied around Jonny Wilkinson. They had some superb defense and it got a bit physical out there, but they never let Australia get set or comfortable. Wilko was able to bang in the penalties and it was enough to take them into the semis.

The next match was France against the All Blacks. Again, here was a match where most everyone would pick New Zealand to easily roll over the French. But it wasn’t to be. The first sign of things to come was during the Haka when the French players went right up to the Kiwi line and eyed them down. The Haka can be intimidating, but so can Sébastien Chabal!! The All Blacks started out well but never seemed to hit a groove. This left them open and buoyed the French team who came back to upset New Zealand 20 to 18. The semifinals will be next weekend and will pit England vs. France and South Africa vs. Argentina. I see a Springbok – England final, but what do I know.

Well, that is quite a bit for today. If only I could put this amount of energy into the report I have to write for work. Yeah.

Adios.

Boo Black Cats and No to the Sherry!

2007-10-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

It’s Friday everyone (or the one of you out there who actually suffers through this lousy blog)!!! I should be working, but I’m just not in the mood right now, so here is some fantastic prose to help make the world a better place.

The Arsenal host Sunderland this Sunday at the ridiculous time of 12 pm (or 6 am here in Texas!!! Argh!!!). The Black Cats are newly promoted back to the Prem and are managed by former ManU midfielder Roy Keane. They haven’t had the best of seasons so far and are pipped by some to be relegated. But I can see old Kean-o rallying his squad to do one on the Arsenal. In the end though, I don’t see it happening and I hope to see Keane leave the grounds embarrassed. Never been a fan of the Irishman. It looks like many players will be back in the squad for Arsenal and it seems that William Gallas may finally be recovering from his injuries. I doubt he’ll play, but it is encouraging, seeing as he is the captain and all. So here is to another Cesc goal, 3 points, and remaining top of the table.

There is some good rugby going on this weekend as the Rugby World Cup continues with Quarterfinal matches. My sister is heading up to the Richmond Arms on Saturday morning to see the All Blacks take on the Frogs. Unfortunately she is hanging with the Frenchies, but there’s only so much a brother can do. Just kidding, mostly! It should be a good match. I’ll have to wait until the replay as I doubt I’ll be wanting to pay $25 to watch it at the house. However, I could try to get a few friends together as an excuse to have beers. Hmmmmmmm. Need to get to work on that.

Not too much else is going on that I’m bothered about. I’m just focusing on getting out of here early, which means in about 15 minutes (or the time it takes to post this blog).

As a last note, I saw this story today and was a bit stunned. Why would you want one of these, what wife would agree to provide it, and why liquor? I will never cease to be amazed at what passes through peoples heads.

Have a great weekend.

Adios.

Too Much Wine and Lil Mikey Did It!!

2007-10-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Holy cow has it been a busy month. There was my glorious 35th birthday extravaganza at the beginning of September, a dove hunt that turned into a drunk-fest, and recently a trip back up to Tulsa for a surprise 60th b-day celebration for Moms. Yo. Also, there was a bit of work to do in between. As a result, I am now full of toxins and way late on posting here. It’s been so long that I had to go back and look up what it was I lasted posted about. Oh well, we’re all a forgiving bunch, or so I hope. Here we go.

Last I spoke on these hallowed ether pages the Arsenal had just beaten the Scum. Since then they have continued their winning run having beaten Sevilla 3-0 (CL), Derby 5-0 (League), Newcastle 2-0 (Carling Cup), at West Sham 1-0 (League) and finally last night in Romania against FC Steaua Bucharest the boys won 1-0 in the second CL group play fixture. Whew! That is 12 unbeaten since the season begun and 9 straight wins! Granted, none of these matches (apart from Sevilla) have been against some of the bigger clubs, but these were matches the Gunners lost or drew last season. This good early run should pay off nicely as we move further into the season and start to face some of the big 4, which starts at the end of the month with a trip to ‘pool and ManU at home the following weekend.

I’ve really been impressed with the way the club has been playing lately. Even when they don’t look as sharp (like last night), they still seem to have a firm belief that they can win. There isn’t any panic and they stick with Wenger’s game plan, which is to control the ball and attack. This doesn’t mean there isn’t room to improve, Almunia’s flapping about and Big Phil’s mis-steps, etc. but the quality is there and it just takes time to fully develop. Come on you Reds.

In other football news, Plymouth won it’s last match against Palace 1-0 to secure their first home win of the season. The winning goal was from Peter Halmosi in the 50th minute. The win puts the Argyle in 9th place on 13 points. I have a Plymouth match saved on the old DVR and hopefully I’ll get to watch it, even though it is from a few weeks ago. Also, the Argyle were knocked out of the Carling Cup recently by West Sham, which stinks, but hopefully they will put in another good run in the FA Cup this season.

Also, Chelski and England Captain John Terry got his melon smashed up a bit last weekend by American Clint Dempsey. Seems Terry’s cheek bone or something or other (great reporting eh?) was busted and he needed surgery. He was told to sit out weeks, Captain, O’ Captain was having none of that. He has been outfitted with a mask to protect his cheek knack. Here it is. Argh. I think I’m getting one of those for Halloween.

In American football, the Cowboys are kickin ass. Huzzah. 4-0. America’s team is back. ‘Nuff said!

Finally, as I’m nearing the end of my lunch hour and my lil digits hurt, the President’s Cup took place this last weekend. The United Stated took on the world (or international squad) in Montreal. The course was beautiful and so was the play. The US came out strong on Thursday and took 5 ½ points to the Int’l ½. Then on Friday the Int’ls came back to level things up a bit at 7 (US) to 5 (Int’l) or something along those lines. Saturday was the American’s time to shine again and swept the morning rounds and pretty much split the afternoon. When Sunday began, the US only needed 3 points to retain the cup. The Internationals needed a miracle and played their hearts out, but it wasn’t to be. The US had a few key victories, like Mickelson spanking Singh 5 and 4, to end the cup at 19 ½ to 14 ½. It seems the Americans were much more relaxed and took it all in stride. If only they could carry that feeling to next year’s Rider Cup.

The highlight though was Canadian Mike Weir taking on Woods in the 4th match. Weir went 3 up pretty quickly and hung on for awhile. After the turn though, Woods began his typical surge, cut the lead to nothing, and then even went up a hole. Everyone seemed to think the little lefty Canuk was caput. But Weir stayed in there with birdies on the last few holes to take the match and the point. It didn’t give the team the win, but it sure did wonders for Weir who has been struggling the last year or two. I hope to see more wins from Mike next season. He is a good golfer and good man.

Also, if you didn’t see Woody Austin fall in the water on 14 on Saturday, here you go. Classic. The guy used to bug me, but after this and his just laughing it off (and his good play), I have a new respect for the man.

Well, I’ve had all the fun I can handle. I need to get back to the grind so I can cut out a bit early and pick up an anniversary card for my wife. 9 years together today. Seems like it has only been 8 and half! Hah!

Adios

Adios Scum and Woods Wins Everything

2007-09-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

It’s Monday. Booooo! Actually, it is somewhat nice out and the weekend was nice, so I can’t complain. Too much that is. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. Right.

Anyway, with that inane tidbit out of the way, it’s time to talk about important stiff, namely the Arsenal! The boys in red traveled up into scumville to take on Tottenham Hotspurs (it hurts to write that out) in a North London Derby. For those not in the know, these bastids are Arsenal’s oldest rivals, which makes this and the home match the biggest games of the year. Man U and Chelski are big matches too, but these are the ones that all Arsenal supporters wait for. When I decided to make my first trip over to England, I wanted this away match to be part of the schedule. It means so much to keep these guys from winning. Most supporters outside of England have a hard time with this being a big rivalry due to Sperz being crap, but go to a match and you’ll quicklyt understand. It has to be experienced.

On to the match. The game started OK for both sides with some back and forth play and then Gilberto brought down Berbatov just outside the box for a free kick to Sperz. New signing, 18 yro Bale took the shot left footed, bent it around the wall and past Almunia. Argh. 1-nil down early in the match. Some say the wall wasn’t set well, the Hleb should have done more to get in the way, and that Almunia should have covered the shot. No matter what, the ball went in. Not a great position to be in, but there you go. Arsenal have been there before and know what to do.

The Gunners stuck to their game plan and continued to play the way they like to, which is open and attacking. The half ended with them still down, but there were some good chances, especially the sitter that Diaby put over Robinson but clanged against the bar. As a note, that is now 2 that Diaby should have put away in my opinion. Anyway, the Gunners got going again in the second half and kept attacking with another sitter missed by Adebayor. The Togolese striker made up for it though by heading a free kick to go level with the scum. Sperz nearly went ahead when Berbatov got the ball clear in space and Almunia came running out of the box at him like Lampard to free pies. Berbatov then rounded Almunia and looked sure to score but King Kolo came back and tackled the ball away. Whew! Then 10 minutes from time, after a few nice passes, Cesc got the ball about 25 yards out with some space. “SHOOOOOOT!!!!!” I screamed, scaring my wife and daughter. Cesc must have heard it in England and let rip a shot the sent Robinson flying but unable to stop it. Arsenal were now up 2-1!! Could this be it? Not this Arsenal. Most teams would be happy to sit on the ball, take it into the corner, waste time, etc. Instead, the boys kept pushing with Denilson having a great chance (which he missed) and Adebayor teeing up a great volley (which didn’t miss). Once this went in, the scum headed for the door so they could get behind the police line early and have a good position to shout obscenities at the Arsenal leaving the ground. 3 points from the 3-1 win saw Arsenal move to the top of the table where they should be. Hey Chicken Littles, how you like them apples?! Stupid Chicken Littles.

With that out of the way and feeling chipper, I took the family out for a bit of lunch at a place with a nice new kids playground. After stuffing ourselves and letting the little one wear herself out, it was time to head home and take a rest. A quick snooze later, it was time to watch some World Cup rugby I had taped. England played South Africa on Friday and I was contemplating buy the match on PPV, but decided the money was better spent on a round of golf. I shot an 82 and found out later that England got crushed. Smart move by me! In fact England were embarrassed, at least so I thought. I’m new to rugby, but being the current cup holders, you wouldn’t think they would be beaten 36-0. Nil!!! Not even a drop goal. Heck, even Portugal got a try and a few kicks in against the All Blacks in the 108 to 13 hiding. England aren’t looking too good right now and they lost the one player (Robinson to a hamstring injury) who looked any good against the Springboks. As a result, Toby Flood has been called into duty and talisman Jonny Wilkinson (Wilko) has decided he is fit and will play against Samoa on Saturday. The next matches coming up are Scotland v. Romania tomorrow and Italy v. Portugal on Wednesday.

Finally, as I’ve finished with my lunch hour and am now on company time, Tiger Woods has notched another win at the Tour Championship, which earned him $1.26m and placed him 1 win short of Arnold Palmers record of 62 wins. There is still Nicklaus at 75 and Snead at 82, but Woods is only 31 and has plenty of time. Crazy. The win on Sunday also secured him the inaugural FedEx Cup, which was a season long points tournament with 4 playoff tourneys (the Tour Championship being the last). This win gave him a nice little bonus of $10m. Yes, 10. Crazy. I’m sure Tiger was happy, but I bet caddie Steve Williams was loving his 10%, or $1.126m for 4 days work! I know I talk a lot about Tiger, but there isn’t too much else to talk about. Especially when he is killing it right now. The next big event will be the President’s Cup which is like the Ryder Cup and pits the US versus the rest of the world (or the international team). More on that as we get closer.

I think that is more than enough for today. I need to mow the yard tonight, but the thought of heading to the driving range sounds more fun. I’ve been hitting it a lot better lately and I’d like to work on a few things. We’ll see.

Adios.

Stupid Scum

2007-09-13T20:42:00.001-07:00

I was hoping to make it a full month between posts, and I succeeded!! Hah! Hurrah for me. Yeah. Oh. Uh, Ok. So anyway, here’s a post to get things going again. I’ve had a couple of glasses of wine, so hopefully this post makes sense!!

A lot has gone on in the interim since my last sojourn into the blogosphere. I went to Tulsa and caught one day at the PGA. I managed to follow Ian Poulter (who is a massive Gooner) for awhile and when he saw my Arsenal shirt, he tossed me the ball he had just played on that hole! Ian tossed it to me and I stopped it, but let the kid next to me pick it up. The kid was really stoked, which was fun. Also, I found out my preggo wife is carrying a boy! Huzzah again!! Now I’ll have some help with all these crazy ass women in my life! At least that’s what I’m hoping.

On to more important things: Arsenal. The season started and we are 4 matches into the season and have played 2 Champions League qualifier matches. If you were to believe all the Chicken Littles over the summer who thought the whole club was going to implode with Dein leaving along with Henry, then you would be so stupid. The Arsenal have won 3 league matches and drawn 1 (the Blackburn match should have been a win except for a howler by Lehmann). The 2 CL matches against Sparta Prague were wins as well. The Chicken Littles would have also have had you believe that our midfield was in tatters and couldn’t score to save their lives. Cesc has 4 goals. Hleb and Rosicky have 2 each. Stupid Chicken Littles.

So this past 2 weeks has been an international break. Normally the Arsenal squad would have come back in tatters. However, the squad is mostly intact, which is a nice change of pace, especially before the North London Derby this weekend. The Arsenal travel about 6 miles to Shite Hart Lane to take on the Scum on Saturday morning (well noonish over there). I’d love to see a win but would be happy with a draw in that shite hole. And it is one. I’ve been there. Anyway, I’m predicting a 2-1 scoreline with the winner coming in the 81st minute.

I’ve also been watching some of the Rugby World Cup which is taking place in France. There have been some good matches so far with the US doing fairly well (though still losing) against Engerland. Tomorrow is the 3 lions versus South Africa. The match is on PPV for $25, so I think I’ll be waiting for the rebroadcast on Saturday. Good stuff.

And for a final rant, I’d like to go off on the signing of our national anthem. As mentioned above, I’ve been watching the Rugby World Cup and they play the anthem for both nations prior to matches. The anthem is either pre-recorded or someone who sings it as it is written, properly. The players sing along, and are sometimes moved to tears. Then I watched an NFL match on Sunday. The woman singing the anthem went through all the R&B “ohho o ohhhohhohhhhhhssssss” whenever possible. This is really driving me nuts. The anthem is the anthem. It is supposed to be sung along with by the crowd in attendance, which is a bit hard to do when someone is trying to “put their mark” on it. It isn’t their friggin song! They aren’t better than the nation! Sing the anthem as it is supposed to be sung. The singing of the anthem at a sporting event should be an honor, not a reason to show off.

And with that, I think I’ll call it a night. I need to turn in so I can be rested for cutting out of work early tomorrow!

Adios.

New Season and Tulsa Time

2007-08-09T07:09:00.001-07:00

My oh my it has been busy in Cam-land lately. I had 2 blogs started last week and was never able to finish them. But, since I’m leaving early today and not really in the mood to work, I’ll put one up!

So on to recent events. Last weekend the Arsenal were in the Amsterdam Tournament, which is another preseason event, and won it as well with a 2-1 win on Thursday against Lazio and a 1-0 win on Saturday against Ajax. Huzzah to the boys. Now it is on to the real thing with the start of the season only days away!!!! I for one can’t wait. The Gunners play at home on Sunday against Fulham, which will be a real indicator on the season ahead. Last season, the Gunners did well against the top teams in the League, but struggled against the lower teams, like Fulham. The Cottagers have a new manager this season and have made a rash of signings, but I still don’t think they will be playing together as a unit yet. This should bode well for the Arsenal as the lads have been working really well together as of late. Robin van Persie has been playing superbly, Eduardo has his work permit, and most all the squad are ready, healthy and gunning to win. Heck, even Gallas has been positive for awhile. I see a 2-0 victory and a bang to the new season.

The Championship is also about to kick-off and Plymouth Argyle begin their second season under gaffer Ian Holloway. The boss also took the lads to Austria this summer (too bad they didn’t play Arsenal, that would have been one for the books!!!) and is really impressed with their fitness. Lets hope they have a lot of goalness this season as well. The Pilgrims had a good run last time and did pretty well with their new manager, so let’s hope there aren’t any sophomore blues. The boys in green travel to Hull on Saturday and have a Carling Cup match at home versus Wycombe on Tuesday.

Here in the states, Beck’s has yet to play a real match for the Galaxy. It isn’t really much of a surprise to people who follow football and know he came to the club with ankle knack from England and Real late season matches. The locals though have shown their lack of knowledge and typical American desire for instant gratification by voicing their displeasure over his not playing. This has put the manager and club officios in a bit of a pickle. They want him to play to appease the fans, but at the same time, do you really want to put in a player that costs so bloody much before he’s ready. We’ll see. There are rumors that he’ll play tonight against DC United. He should suit up for the match, and in my opinion, be limited to the bench and possibly a late sub.

So, football is about to begin again in earnest and where will I be? In Tulsa watching golf? Yeah, as I’ve said before, timing was never a strong suit. As the season kicks off, I’ll be watching Tiger tee off at Southern Hills in the PGA Championship. I’m really looking forward to it, though the weather seems to have turned to hot as hell.

That’s enough for now. I’m off soon, so have a great weekend and Up the Arsenal!!

Adios.

Back in the Water Again and Adios Freddie

2007-07-23T11:15:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-19T10:32:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-07-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-07-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

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!!

2007-07-08T13:32:00.001-07:00

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.

2007-07-05T14:17:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-07-03T12:31:00.001-07:00

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.

Wanna Brownie? They're Spicy!

2007-06-27T20:27:00.001-07:00

I am a very popular guy you know. I’m kind of a big deal. Actually, I’m just busy with work this week and off to a cousin’s wedding. As a result, I’m traveling and seeing a lot of people lately, which of course coincides with my trying to get back into the blog. Oh well, at least I’m doing a late night quickie, which is the most action I’ve gotten in awhile. Yeah, uh, right. Anyway, here we go.

The buzz and questions and accusations continue to fly in the wake of Henry’s departure from Arsenal. Most of it is rubbish, so that’s the end of that. Not much else has happened with the club this week, and I doubt too much more will. Wenger is on holiday, so until he gets back, we’re all just chillin.

Down on the south coast of England, Ian Holloway is planning for next season at Plymouth and hoping to improve on their 11th place finish last season. "We had 16 draws last year but had we won about four of those then we would have been in one of those positions," said Holloway. And by one of those, he means a playoff spot for promotion to the Premiership. There is still a bit of work for him to do and he is hoping to not only keep a lot of his players, but to bring Chelsea boy Sinclair back to Home Park on another loan spell. Speaking of Home Park, the club is going to have to close it’s Mayflower terrace due to rules that all Championship and Prem clubs be all seaters (no terraces). They were given a 3 year pass when promoted in 2003. It is said though that even with the all seaters, they should be fine on capacity.

The U.S. sawker team plays against the Argies tomorrow. USA! USA! USA! We have guests coming in town when the match is to be showing, so I’ll just have to put it on in the background. A background that I’ll be paying close attention to. It’s just old neighbors that are coming to visit and they know the score. When football is on, all bets are off. My participating in conversations at half time is much appreciated, at least I think so. Anyway, here’s hoping to a few goals and Gooch knocking a few of the Argies on their arses.

Finally, all you lovers of the herb, time for you to go Indo. To Indonesia that is, as the country has legalized putting pot in food. It is supposed to be used only as a spice they say. “Hey mon, want some ‘spciy’ brownies?” Totally wrong written accent, but whatever, it’s my blog.

I’m off to a boat ride and a long walk down a revetment tomorrow.

Adios.

Fat, Drunk, and Stupid is No Way to Go About Blogging Son...

2007-06-26T13:58:00.001-07:00

The blog is back and running again. Not through any effort of my own though. I have spent many days thinking I needed to get back here, update the news, and spout some inane commentary. But alas, I was too lazy to do it. But I have been recently called out publicly as a lazy bum, so I am here in shame. Well, not really shame, but I figure I ought to get back on it. There are so many people that thrive on these pages that I can’t let him down.

So, on to recent topics. For Arsenal, it is of course the departure of Thierry Henry to Barca. So why is there a picture of me with Cesc’s jersey? Because I wanted to. Anyway, square miles of space have been devoted to the Henry topic so I’ll keep it brief. Henry wanted to go. Simple as. All the bollocks about Dein leaving, Wenger possibly not staying, the state of the Arsenal board, etc. are just that: bollocks. He wanted to leave last season and now he has. Wenger was fine with it and sent him packing. Henry is a bit egotistical and wants to look like he was forced into this and it wasn’t his fault. Whatever. He was a great player for the Arsenal, scored wonderful goals, and did tons for the club and their supporters. But as of yesterday when I saw a picture of him in a Barca kit, he is done for me. I don’t wish him ill will or anything, but I’m not really interested in what he has to say, what he is doing, and how he will play at Barca. He isn’t a Gunner anymore.

I am interested in what Wenger does in the close season. I would love for him to sign a new contract, but he doesn’t typically do that until near the end of his current contract, so I’m not too concerned. Wenger should also have a nice transfer kitty and I’m hoping he tries to empty it. There is no need to buy just to buy, but there are some area that need strengthening, even before Henry left. We’ll see and in Wenger I trust. Enough of this stuff. Too much will drive you mental.

The U.S. men’s soccer team beat Mexico in the Gold Cup Final on Sunday, 2-1. There could have been a few others (ahem, Ching hitting the post with an empty net and Beasley sending the ball into row Z with an open goal as well). Mexico also played well and really took it to the U.S. in the first half. But it seems that the U.S. has Mexico’s number recently and this may have had some mental impact on the Mexican side. We’ll see how they do as both teams head to Venezuela for the Copa America. Group A action starts tonight, Brazil and Mexico play tomorrow, and the U.S. takes on the Argies. A win is vital for the U.S., not only will it help them in their group, but it is against the Argies. Got to find out what channel it is on. May need to get a US jersey as well. My caps may not be enough mojo.

In baseball news, this guy was not happy.

Enough for today.

Adios.

Blog all hosed up today

2007-06-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm trying to get this thing back and running again but it all seems to be going a bit haywire. Hopefully I'll get it sorted.

And That's a Wrap!

2007-05-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

It’s been awhile since I’ve been on here. There are many reasons, but mostly I’ve been lazy. So, now that the season is over, it’s time to get back to it. Not the best timing, but oh well, if you were looking for up to date commentary on the life and sports, you wouldn’t be here. Anyway, here we go.

The Premier League season came to a close last weekend, and the Arsenal’s match at Pompey pretty much summed up the entire season. A lot of potential, but just didn’t get the job done. The match ended as a draw, which consigned the Gunners to 4th place again and no trophies. At least they qualified for the Champions League next season, so they’ve got that going for them. Which is nice. I really can’t be bothered to put in a recap of the entire season, but I am hoping there are a few players who will go this summer (BAPTISTA!!!) and Wenger brings in some new, experienced, players. A winger to replace Bobby Pires would be nice. We’ll see what happens as the silly season starts up and transfer rumors fly around faster than Rosie O’Donnell on her way to a buffet.

Plymouth did alright this season and ended in 11th place. Though they dropped back out of a chance to make the promotion playoff, they still showed some improvement under Holloway. Hopefully they will come back fitter and slicker next season and give the promotion a shot.

Finally, I just got back from a trip to the Home of Football, the new Arsenal stadium Ashburton Grove. I got to meet up with loads of friends and have lots of pints. It was great to see everyone again and impose my south Texas charm on Londoners. I went to two matches while I was there. The first was against Fulham (3-1 to the Arsenal) and the second was Chelsea (1-1). The Chav match was truly great if you are a fan of football as it was a good match and the atmosphere was electric. I wish it could be that charged up for every match, but with all the prawn sandwich “fans” it is hard to do week in week out. Anyway, good times and good drinking.

Also, I managed to take a Legend’s Tour of the stadium while I was over. The tour guide was none other than Charlie George who scored the winning goal in the 1971 FA Cup Final. Charlie is a great guy and very personable. He made it a point to talk to everyone on the tour and had loads of funny stories to tell. At the end he signed whatever you wanted and I now have an autographed ‘71 Cup photo hanging in my office. One of the highlights for sure!

Well, I’ll see what I can fill this space up with as the summer goes on. The time off from English football will help force me into following the MLS as I have been vowing to do for years now. Go Dynamos! Not a bandwagon fan, but they are close to me, so there you go.

Adios.

Oh my....

2007-04-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well, over the last two weeks I traveled to our nation's capital for a conference, and suffered through a long international break for football. So, this past Saturday I was rearing and ready to go (well, I got up at 6:45 am) to watch the Arsenal take on Liverpool. The Gunners made it through the internationals without too much injury trouble, and Eboue, Ade, and Clichy, were all back in the lineup alongside Toure. It seemed the squad was in decent shape, although they were still short Henry and RvP up front. Also, the last time Baptista was up Merseyside, he score 4, so he should have had his shooting boots on again. Right? Absolutely wrong. The Gunners were totally lifeless, save Ade who ran the whole time and had at least a couple bounce off the woodwork. But the rest of the team didn't seem to show up. Pool were attacking the ball with incredible vigor and deserved the win. It was tough seeing Crouch get a hat trick (Argghh!!), but at least he didn't do that stupid robot dance. I would have had to shoot myself otherwise.

It seems the squad has lost all desire to play. An analogy I heard recently is that they are like a racecar running low on fuel, hoping to coast across the finish line in a decent enough position to make the Champions League next season. That will not work though. It is amazing to me that players like Baptista, Aliadiere, and Hleb, who have been called out this year and are on the edge of staying or leaving, have shown so little. Baptista had an easy sitter on Saturday and shanked it. Not just putting it wide, but I think it actually came back towards him it was such a rubbish strike. He had another great chance and his first touch was so awful the ball rolled directly to the keeper. Those are two chances he should have converted on. Hell, he should have at least put them on target and made the keeper work to keep them out. Maybe he is trying to lull the entire Prem into a false sense of security and he'll come out feet a' blazin. I have serious doubts. They worst part of it is that when he gets sent back, Reyes will get sent this way. Talk about a no-win situation. My head hurts.

I pray this is a wake-up call to the rest of the squad, though I doubt it as the losses to Everton, Blackburn, Chelsea, and PSV should have been those as well. There are 8 matches left and Arsenal have a game in hand. It would be nice to see the squad come together, finish strong, and secure a CL spot before the last day of the season. Lets all hope it is so.

The Arsenal Youth squad play today in the second leg of the Cup semifinals at Old Trafford. The young Guns go in with a one goal lead, which is nice. I would love to follow it as it is the best chance at silverware the club has (besides the ladies) but alas, I have to go to a meeting that will be a complete waste of time. Anyway, come on you Young Arsenal!!!

To add to the misery of the last week, Plymouth conceded two goals and had a man sent off in the first 15 minutes at Ipswich on Saturday. Holloway had this to say:

"The only positive from the day is that we are flying home rather than having a seven-hour coach ride."

Kind of sums it up doesn’t it. The Argyle are currently in 13th place on 52 points, and are all but out of the promotion playoffs (66 points and up). As distressing as it is, at least the Argyle have been playing better under Holloway and have been making improvements which will be a benefit next season.

That is about all the horrible news I can take for today.

Adios.

I'm Planning on Giving Bush a Raspberry While I'm There Too!!!

2007-03-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well friends, this is a quick one as I am off to the nation’s capitol tomorrow for a bit of conferencing and hanging out with people much more important than me. As a result, I’ll be unable to post (which will be a big shock to the consistency of this blog!) but I’m sure that it will be alright. Arsenal are on an international break right now anyway and don’t play again until they go up against Liverpool on the 31st. Hopefully in that time Wenger will be able to convince the players that trying to shoot the ball into the goal and PAST the keeper is a good thing. Once again Arsenal came up short against Everton yesterday and lost to an injury time goal from Andy Johnson. It wasn’t much of a shock to me as I had been waiting for it since half time.

Anyway, lets hope that AW can get something sorted. Enjoy your week, and I hope you had a great St. Paddy’s Day. I did, at least that’s what I’m told.

Adios.

It's So Creamy, Oh So Creamy, So Tasty and Wonderful and Mine!!!

2007-03-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

I’m ready for pints and pints and pints and pints… Huzzah, the best holiday of the year is nearly upon us my friends! St. Patrick’s Day is drawing nigh and I couldn’t be happier. This is my favorite holiday for the year. Many ask why it isn’t Christmas, or something like that. Well, I’ll tell you. First, there is no family involved in this holiday, so there is no need to travel or have them come by. My sister is coming in town to party, but that is different. Secondly, there is no need to make an elaborate meal that begins 3 days in advance and at 4 am on the day of. Also, you don’t have to put out fancy plates and glasses that require hand washing. Finally, there isn’t really any religious overtones to the holiday, so there is no having to confess, attend a service, or guilty feelings (unless you get knackered and make an arse of yourself). No, all that is needed on this holiday is to put on something green, meet some friends, and drink. Easy peasy. Hurrah. Love it.

So at the Cam household tomorrow, there will be loads of Guinness, Harp, Jamesons (for the Republic) and Bushmills (for the Northerners) plus some Guinness beef stew, shepherd’s pie, and soda bread. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Can’t wait. I’ll be stringing the shamrock lights tonight.

As a result, I’ll be a bit fuzzy on Sunday when Arsenal travel to Merseyside to take on Everton. The kids beat up on the Toffees earlier this season in the Carling Cup, so they should be able to do it again in the League. Toure is back in the lineup after his suspension and Gallas should be fit still, so it will be good to see the two veteran pillars of defense in the back line. Ade is still out and Henry is gone for the season, and RvP is still knackered, so it looks to be Ali and Bap up front again. They both really do hustle and get into good positions, but that final touch has been mostly rubbish. Hopefully it will turn around and they’ll get a few past Howard for a win and 3 points. They can’t be rubbish forever, can they?

Not much else to report on as I can’t be bothered with other sports or clubs right now. I have to concentrate on hanging shamrocks around the house and pouring pints. Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick’s Day and remember to have a toast for your friends here and gone. I’ll be raising a glass to my friend Paddy again. He was always one for a toast, and a shot, and a drink, and another drink. Cheers mate.

Adios.

That's What I'm Talkin About!!

2007-03-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cheers Kip, couldn't have put it better myself.

Last night went 2 for 3 as far as football results I care about. The Arsenal traveled to Villa Park and brought home 3 points off a Diaby goal that was more of a deflection than a shot. Alaidiere missed a sure free header and there were a number of other shots, but it ended in a1-0 to the Arsenal, which is fine by me. There are mixed reports about the rest of the team, but since I haven’t watched the match yet and only heard snippets of the match online (thanks again to work getting in the way of a good time), I’ll just leave it be. It is a much needed win and it can only help the team’s morale. I’ll leave all the speculation and silly season talk to the rest of the pundits. 3 points = good in my book. On to the next match, which is Everton away on Sunday.

The Arsenal Youth team went up 1-0 yesterday as well with a Kieran Gibbs strike. This will prove valuable as the kids travel to Old Trafford for the second leg. There was a huge crowd there as well (38,187) which though it isn’t the stadium capacity, is a LOT of people for a youth match. This may have been partly to do with Arsenal (first team) not being shown on TV, but none the less, great to see the support of the youngster. Must have been a bit nerve wracking for the kids, but good job to them.

Lastly, Plymouth’s poor form continued as they lost 2-4 to Barnsley, which is a team that is fighting off relegation. Argyle went up early, but didn’t seem to have it in them. Holloway was not too pleased with the team:

"I thought Barnsley were fantastic but we were rubbish. That's the worst we have played since I have been here.

"Too many people were saying we were unlucky to be knocked out of the FA Cup but let's get it right: we lost to Watford and we lost tonight.

"We have only picked up three points from 12 and that is relegation form."

Hopefully they can get their act together as they face south London side Crystal Palace at home in Home Park.

Adios.

A New Beginning

2007-03-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Just hours from now, the Arsenal will be walking onto the pitch at Villa Park and the results of the match will be a BIG indicator of how the rest of their season will turn out. The Gunners are out of all Cup competitions, but still are in the hunt for a Champions League spot, let alone possibly (though a long shot) 2nd place in the League. Henry is out for the rest of the season as he injured his stomach and groin against PSV last week. Toure, Eboue, and Adebayor are out through suspension from the Carling Cup. Others are out as well (see here) and it looks likely that Baptista and Aliadiere will start up front. The big question in everyone’s mind is “Will they actually put a ball past the keeper?” There hasn’t been much luck with that lately, but that has to turn around doesn’t it? Lord, I hope so. I’ll be glued to my computer speakers this afternoon (and watching it tonight) to see how it turns out. Here’s to 3 points of the 33 left this season!

The young Gunners (youth squad) play at Ashburton Grove tonight against the Mancs in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup Semifinals. The Manc kids are yet to concede a goal in the tourney, so the Gunner boys have their work cut out for them. Also, there are approximately 34,000 seats sold for the match, so they will be playing in front of a big crowd. Hope they pull one over on the boys from up north.

Plymouth host Barnsley at Home Park tonight as well, so lets see some fighting Green Machines!!

Finally, the bigwigs in Beijing are looking to clean up not only their streets, but the people as well, before the Olympics arrive in 2008. Horrible toilets, nose picking, and spitting are some of the biggest issues confronting the city. Another is queuing. Upon hearing this, British Prime Minister Tony Blair created an advisory committee and dispatched them to Beijing. “We’re British you see, and if there is one thing we’re good at, it’s a queue,” stated Blair while waiting patiently for Mrs. Doyle to serve tea and biscuits.

Adios.

I Wanted to be Sedated...

2007-03-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

The pain of the last two weeks is finally starting to ebb, so I felt it was time to come back to the site. Some say it is therapeutic to write or express your feelings about things that make you crazy/sad/etc., but sometimes, you just have to take a step back and let the bad tidings pass. I’m referring to Arsenal’s recent loss in the Carling Cup final, being knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn (of all clubs), and failing to beat PSV Eindhoven to remain in the Champions League. All of this happened within 10 days, and it was too much of a shock to discuss.

To top it all off, my Championship side Plymouth Argyle were knocked out of the FA Cup as well by losing 0-1 to Watford. Both clubs had about 10,000 shots on goal that went wide, over, or straight at the keeper. Watching all those missed chances was like being forced to watch Rosie O’Donnell talk and strip naked. Excruciating doesn’t do it justice.

But here we are, still alive, still kicking, and still in a football season. Many say the season is over as there are no more Cups to vie for and the Gunners can’t catch Chelsea in 2nd place, let along Man U at the top of the table. But, I still think 2nd is a possibility, and a CL spot (3rd or 4th in the table) is a must. I want to see the club win, no matter the match, no matter the table location. I’m sure the players and management are gutted like all us supporters, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Also, all the rumors of whether the club should get rid of Henry, who should be bought and sold, etc. are getting to be suuuuuuch a bore. The silly season is bad enough, but a two month head start will be agonizing.

As for Plymouth, they are currently in 12th position on 49 points with a game in hand. There is still a chance at making the promotion playoffs. You know Holloway is gunning for that chance and will be leading his team in a charge up the table.

So, all this being said, I am excited and nervous for tomorrow when Arsenal play Villa and Plymouth host Barnsley. There has been tremendous growth at both clubs this season and continued success will make the rest of season a joy and the next season something to really look forward to.

Adios.

No Bush Bounce and Slowhand

2007-02-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

I bet that title got your attention!

Today is hump day, the last day of February, and day 17 before St. Paddy’s Day! Hurrah! Good times are drawing nigh. The Arsenal have traveled up north for a FA Cup 5th Round replay against Blackburn. This should be an interesting match as Ade, Toure, and Eboue are all suspended after the handbags on Sunday. Also, Henry, RvP, Clichy and Rosicky are out injured and news is that Cesc is rested. Not the strongest of squads left, but the kids have really been doing well this season and I think they can pull it off. Also, even though Arsenal have had some card trouble of late, at least Graham Poll is the ref so it will take an extra yellow to get sent off.

Plymouth have been doing well of late though a recent late goal by QPR last weekend denied them 2 needed points and they currently sit in 12th place. Also, Argyle are into the Quarterfinals of the FA Cup and will play Watford at Home Park. Hopefully Ollie and his boys can get some retribution for Watford knocking them out of the Semis in 1984, which is the furthest Plymouth’s gotten in the competition.

Over here in the States, the Miami Heat were at the White House for a ceremony to honor the team for Championship last season. Good to see the Prez is as diligent about congratulating the Heat as he was on checking reports of WMDs in Iraq. Anyway, coach Riley gave Bush a jersey and an autographed ball and when he tried to dribble it, it had as much bounce-back as his approval ratings (i.e. it stayed on the floor to the laughter of all in the room).

Finally, on Friday I am headed up to Houston with the family to see Slowhand himself in concert! The wife and I are dropping the kid off at her parents and then we are meeting up with my family to head to the show. Should be really sweet as my aunt and uncle threw out some big change and got a suite! Big pimpin! Yeah! Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the show. Clapton really is a genius and his shows are always great. Plus I get some party time in without having to worry about getting up early with the little one. Huzzah!

Enough for today.

Adios.

They are Heroes to Me

2007-02-26T19:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Carling Cup final in Cardif and Arsenal played the Chavs. The Arsenal fielded the same younger squad that has been featured throughout the Cup (a Wenger tradition) and in the end, they came up short, losing 1-2. But even though they lost, they played very well and were only a few unlucky breaks from winning. There are loads of commentaries on the match and I don't want to repeat them all. Also, there were some handbags at the end of the match which really should have been avoided, but passions were high and Fat Frank really should have let the ref sort everything out. Some of the other things I noticed during the match:

First, I am not a big fan of John Terry, but when he got kicked in the head and wasn't moving, it made my stomach turn. You never want to see anything like that happen and all the players showed their class by immediately turning their attention to his well being. Diaby was mortified and stuck by Terry's side like a true gentleman. It seems Terry is alright, and I hope he is fully fit.

Walcott. Glad to see he got his first Arsenal goal in the cup final. It was a great strike and I hope to see plenty more of that. There has been a lot of criticism of late about his abilities, but I have to remember that he is only 17 and has a lot of work to do. Now that the goal monkey is off his back, he can start to relax and play.

Denilson. This kid is going to be something special at the club. He has a good sense of what is going on, pace, and can get out of a jam. These last few matches have really shown his potential.

Cesc. I am sooooo glad he signed a long contact. He has fire and grit and doesn't take any crap, especially when it counts most. Many media pundits have called his stepping in during the handbags horrible, but from what I saw he went in to help a teammate when Fat Frank entered the fray. In my opinion, Lampard should have left it alone and there wouldn't have been any trouble.

Eboue. This crap of arguing any contact, going after players, etc. has got to stop. He puts the whole team in jeporday when he flies off the handle. He is a good player, but if he can't control himself, I'd like to see him go.

Cech. The Chav goalkeeper is too damn good.

The Reserve Squad in general. The future looks bright when a team with an average age of 21 takes it to the highest salary club in the world. If it weren't for Cech's saves, a lucky non-call on a Drogba offside, and Drogba actually having a great season (though I still can't stand him) the kids would have been hoisting the trophy.

So the Arsenal didn’t win, but there is a FA Cup replay on Wednesday and the Champions League. I think they will come home with some silverware, but it will be a battle.

By the way, work has been kicking my arse, but I'm trying to get back to the blog as often as I can.

Adios.

Damn. Gotta Go Buy Some Chocolates....

2007-02-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone from your happy author! Hope you have a wonderful day, and if you are not currently with anyone, there is nothing wrong with heading to the pub all evening with friends. I’d like to do that myself. ANYWAY, the Arsenal are in action today on yet another V-day, which means I will once again be missing the match as I haven’t seen any pigs flying by my window. Oh well. See the sacrifices I am willing to make for my true love! The match is a FA Cup replay at Bolton (due to the draw two weeks ago) and it is reported that Henry is not listed in the squad, though most of the regular starters should be there. It seems though that when Henry is off the pitch, some of the other players (especially strikers), kick it up a notch, which may bode well for Arsenal today. Also, Hleb and Freddie are due back in the lineup, so there will be some more veteran experience out there, though RvP, Gallas, and Eboue remain in the physio room.

The Gunners really need to win this match, not just because it advances them in the tournament, but they need to get this “Bolton is a bogey team” stigma off their back. Also, I can’t stand Fat Sam, with his 100 pieces of gum, sausage fingers, and stupid headset, so a win at his ground would be sweet. Sam is also once again trying to accuse Wenger of playing mind games with referees about time wasting and what not. Whatever Sam. Nobody really cares to hear you speak. The funny thing is that Wenger could really care less about Sam and what he has to say. Sam just does it to get in the headlines and appear to be a big name in football. When the Bolton old folks home starts winning the League and cups, then he can crow. Until then he is just mooing and annoying us all.

Down in sunny Spain, the Nou is not a happy Camp right now as there has been some recent tension between striker E’eto, Ronaldinho, and manager Frank Rijkaard. E’eto is coming off a long term injury and has just recently been back on the squad, so he should be chomping at the bit to get back on the pitch. However, it is reported he refused to go on as a late substitute in Sunday’s match against Racing Santander. When asked why E’eto didn’t play, Rijkaard told the press that he didn’t want to play. Sammy refuted the comment and lashed out at Frank and Ronnie, who said E’eto should think of the team and what is important for it. Seems someone peed in his paella. Barca are a good side with some quality players, but it seems the Nou is getting to small for some of the egos it is trying to contain. Whether this is a short term spat or the beginnings of transfers is yet to be seen, but these little rows have been the beginning of dips in form for clubs and players alike. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Finally, don’t forget that this Friday is the Great Guinness toast, so go to the Guinness site for more details. This little get together starts the countdown to the greatest holiday of them all, St. Patrick’s Day! I love this holiday because you don’t have to travel and see family, there are no gifts involved, and no cooking (unless you want some stew or shepherd’s pie, but that is easy). There is only getting together with friends and drinking. Plus you get to pinch girls who aren’t wearing green. Brilliant!

Adios.

I Know, I Know

2007-02-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

It has been ages since I last posted and I really should have been more diligent, but I’ve been wrapped up in the Anna Nicole death-watch media blitz. However, I will be making a more concerted effort to keep the inane comments from south Texas coming forth. Anyway, as a quickie, the Arsenal won on Sunday against Wigan, but it was no easy feat. The Gunners went down a goal, yet again, and came back in the last few minutes to win the game 2-1. Ade had a goal taken away because of an iffy offsides call, but Henry put one in off a defender to level it. About 10 minutes later, Rosicky finally got a Prem goal by nodding in a nice cross from Baptista. So the Gunners win, and the Liverpool loss to Newcastle (yeah, Newcastle) puts Arsenal 1 point behind the Scousers and in 4th place. Not a bad weekend.

The newfound spirit shone through some yesterday, but it is getting a bit scary for the team to be continuously coming from behind. Going a goal down means that the Gunners have to attack, which can leave them open to counter attacks. Also, it is harder (both physically and mentally) to come from behind every week than to go ahead early and kill off a game. I am glad the team is digging deep and pulling out the late wins and draws, but I’d like to see them start stronger than they have been and get the lead early. This isn’t the undefeated team, but they need to get after it a bit earlier, in my humble opinion.

The Pro-Bowl was Saturday, and the only reason I know about it was that it was on a little TV in a corner at the Italian place where I had a lovely dinner on Saturday. This place does a great veal meatball and linguine. It is heavenly. Come to SOTEX and I’ll tke you there.

That’s all for now as I’ve got to see a man about a sediment sample.

Adios.

I Should Have Been Drinking...

2007-01-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

It’s Monday. Not much more can be said about that. Phone calls and meetings started before the first cup of coffee was brewed, so we all know how my morning started. Also, I still have a bit of the football hangover from yesterday’s draw in the FA Cup 4th round with Bolton. There was no booze involved in the match watching (a shock, even to me!) but the play of Arsenal yesterday and the fact that the Gunners now have to play at the Reebok in a fortnight has left me with a bit of headache and upset stomach. The boys were a bit flat in the first half and never really got things going. They were OK, but not great. Just good enough to go into the half level at 0-0. All Gooners were hoping the boys would be buoyed at halftime by some inspirational speech, but before they could get themselves on track, Bolton scored to go 1-0 up. Crap. Here we go again. Arsenal stepped up a bit after that and had good possession, but they weren’t able to get too many good shots off. There was a bit too much of the old ‘pass it around the box’ again, looking for the perfect goal. Sometimes you just have to pull the trigger and hope for the best. A deflected shot has won many a match in football. Anyway, the Gunners kept up the pressure and Kolo scored off a free kick floated into the box by Cesc with about 12 minutes left in the match. The winning goal never came and a dreary trip north awaits the boys.

The new spirit of Arsenal, which I discussed last week, was there to some extent, but it didn’t shine through like it has recently. A part of the problem may just be the players are getting tired. It is hard to maintain a high level of play and energy for a long time. The club has had a number of big matches lately and the kids may just be running low on gas. The extra replay won’t help, but not much you can do about that now. But also, there may have been a bit of a lack in the confidence department for this match. Bolton have been somewhat of a bogey team for the Gunners over the last few seasons. They don’t play beautiful football and are physical on the pitch, but that is what they do and it should be no surprise to the boys in red and white. Bolton and Fat Sam know they can get into the heads of the Arsenal players and they take full advantage of it. The Gunners need to block out previous performances and go into the match knowing they can destroy them. If Arsenal can beat Liverpool at Anfield 3-1, then they should have no problem at the Reebok on the 14th. That is the mindset they need.

In golf yesterday, Tiger Woods won yet again at the Buick Invitational (for the 3rd year in a row), which put him at 7 consecutive PGA Tour wins. This breaks his old record of 6 and makes him second only to Byron Nelson who strung together 11 in a single season in 1945. Woods started the day 2 back off the lead, but held strong and took the lead sometime during the day when I was running errands. When I tuned back in he was 2 up with 2 to play. Charles Howell III had a chance tie, but missed both an eagle and birdie putt, which took all the pressure of Tiger. It is truly amazing what Tiger seems able to accomplish. Golf is a sport where wins are typically few and far between. Unlike tennis, where the top player seems to win most every tournament they enter (look up Federer on Google) most golfers hope to make the cut, let alone a top 10 finish. As Nick Faldo mentioned yesterday, most golfers earn 80% of their annual winnings in 20% of the tournaments. For Woods to keep coming out and winning everything he enters, it is really something special.

Enough for today.

Adios.

Smells Like Gooner Spirit!

2007-01-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

Hallo my friends, it is a glorious day here in CCTX!! The sun is finally shining and the Arsenal put one over on Man U and Sperz this week. Things couldn’t be better! Well, the winning lotto numbers, a new car, or even a nice ham sandwich would make the day better, but I digress. If you follow Arsenal or English football at all, I’m sure you’ve the news of the Gunners come from behind win (2-1) and draw (2-2) with the Mancs and Scum. Therefore, I don’t really need to go into details and you can get more info here and here.

What I’d like to discuss is this newfound “spirit” the club has found. Where did it come from, how is it maintained, and can it be maintained? I have heard many say you have to have confidence to win. Others say you need heart. Obviously skill is important too. It seems, though, that this spirit is a conglomeration of all of this and is a very fickle thing indeed. The last season and half are proof of that. In my opinion, spirit is like a slot machine; you need all three to come up at once for it to work. A lack of one means spin again. Whatever analogy you like though, it seems this spirit has permeated the locker room of the club and that is a great thing.

Lets look at how we got to where we are. In the 2003/2004 season, the team were undefeated and won the league. They had some great chemistry among the players and achieved a remarkable feat. The following season, they lost a few players and Chelsea came on with a money fueled machine to take the league. The Gunners still came home with a trophy, but that was due to a narrow win over Man U in the FA Cup. Granted it is very hard to repeat an undefeated season and you can only do worse, but it seemed to impact the club some. The next season should have been a glorious one as it was the last one at Highbury, but with the departure of key players like Vieira and Edu, a string of injuries, and a very young replacement squad, a good deal of the swagger left the club. The technical abilities of the players were still there as Wenger trains like crazy, and there was still some confidence, but not tons. The big missing ingredient was heart/grit. A lot of the younger players were trying to find their place and the senior players were passing the blame a bit and didn’t have the drive. How many times did we see Henry just trotting around with a scowl on his face? Now, this isn’t to say there weren’t times of brilliance where the club destroyed opponents and did well enough to reach the CL final, but there were plenty of times where we didn’t and we had to rely on Sperz crapping out at the end of the season to get 4th place and a Champions League spot.

So on to this season. The club in its new home stumbled out of the gate with some losses and draws to teams they should have beaten, and it seemed like more of the same. Henry was exhausted after a long World Cup, there were some key injuries, and the squad was still young. There were a few good performances, but when they went down a goal, the heart and desire to get the equalizer or winner just wasn’t there. The big turn around seemed to happen when Henry went out injured and wasn’t going to be back until the New Year. I know many are thinking, “How could the loss of one of the best players in the world be a good thing?” Well, here you go: Henry was tired, had some injuries, and most importantly, seemed to have a bad attitude. He is the captain of the club and he was shirking his duties. He needed a break. The young and new players to the squad now had two choices. Run around hoping for a win, or decide they would give it their all and show they deserved to be on the pitch. Luckily, they chose the latter. Midfield wonder Cesc Fabregas seemed to be at the center of this charge and vice-captain Gilberto helped pull the team together. They then went 7 matches without a loss. The boys got stuck in and were able to adapt to their opponent’s play. But most importantly they showed a desire to win. The heart was back and the club were coming up 7’s! Henry was at every match encouraging the players and also used the time to reflect on what he needed to be doing as both a player and captain. Everything seemed to be working out.

Then, during the congested Christmas season they went to Sheffield United and lost 1-0. They didn’t really play that bad and lost on a somewhat lucky goal, but it was a loss and it could have destroyed the newfound spirit in the club. Instead, they all sat down and decided losing wasn’t for them. “We said after the Sheffield United game that something had to change,” 19-year-old Cesc Fabregas reported. “We needed to be stronger in every part of the game. And since then we have showed everyone that we have changed.”

The next match would be the proving ground for this statement. Henry came back and they took on Charlton at home. The matched started a bit slow but things quickly picked up and the went on to win 4-0. Hurrah, the Gunners seemed to be back! But 2 trips to Anfield for FA Cup and Carling Cup matches were about to come up and this would be an even bigger test for the team. Liverpool are a tough team, but the Gunners were even tougher. The kids and Henry all played with fire and heart, which brought them a 3-1 win in the first match. The second match pitted a youth squad against a first XI from ‘pool. The young guns took on the challenge and Baptista blew the scousers out of the water with 4 of Arsenal’s 6 goals in a 6-2 win. The next watch was away against a tough Blackburn team and even though they went a man down early in the match, they never gave up and won 2-0. The spirit is back.

The biggest proof for the return of the winning spirit was the Man U match last Sunday. The Gunners played well and went down 0-1 in the second half to a wonderful cross from Evra to Rooney who headed it in. Here was another crossroads for the club. The team chose the fighting route and received the encouragement from the crowd and their gaffer. They kept attacking and pressing, then late in the match, Scholes got the ball in his half and was trying to hold up play and preserve his team’s lead. Both Cesc and Rocicky were having none of this and went after the ball like 2 terriers trying to get a bone, and finally broke free with the ball. At this point, seeing the drive and persistence of the two, I knew they were going to set up the goal. Sure enough, Rosicky crossed it in and even though Henry didn’t get a good touch van Persie was screaming in on the far post and put it in for an equalizer. Afterwards, instead of settling for a draw, which would have been a good result after beating ManU earlier in the season, they keep attacking and looking for a winner, which came 3 minutes into injury time off a header by Henry from an Eboue cross.

This spirit shone again last night when the young Guns took on a Sperz starting XI and got a draw after going 2-0 down. It seems the spirit and drive to win is back in north London and I hope it stays. How to maintain it is difficult, but I think that now the seed is planted, it will grow and develop. Seeing the players show the same love for the team and desire to win that I and other supporters have has made the recent wins even more fantastic. The two spirits seem to feed off each other and it can only get stronger.

Now that I have gotten myself all worked up like a little girl, I’ll think I’ll call it a day.

Adios.

Thanks for Everything Ralphie & Trouble in Paradise

2007-01-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

We made it friends! Somehow the City of Corpus Christi managed to survive the bitter cold and not end in frozen apocalypse. So, with that, let’s get the show on the road!

There are a few tidbits out of North London today and the biggest, in my opinion, is the sale of Lauren to Pompey on a 2 ½ year deal. I am sad to see Lauren go and was hoping he could win his way back into first team football. Eboue can develop into a great player (if he can get the diving and play-acting under control) and Hoyte is doing OK, but nothing beats experience. Laure gave the club his all and never let up. He wasn’t the best defender in the world, but it takes more than skill to be a good footballer. Drive, heart, and years of experience mean a lot. He will be sorely missed and all the best to him at Portsmouth.

In other Gunner news, it appears that Robin van Persie may possibly be healthy for the Manc match after being ruled out only yesterday. He picked up an ankle knock this week in training and scans are being done today to determine his fitness. As the match is on Sunday, I’m betting he is available, though he’ll be on the bench. I expect to see Adebayor up front with Henry. Ade gives defenders fits, especially Rio “I wanna be funny like Ashton Kutcher… that’s a good gag innit… but I should have been focusing a bit more on football in the World Cup, etc. etc.” Ferdinand. RvP on the bench can add some new direction and fresh legs though. We’ll see, and I still think it will be a tough match, but I’m leaning (of course) in the Arsenal direction.

Across London in the west part of town, stories continue to abound over the disaster that is the Chelsea locker room. Manager Jose Mourinho (giant ego) and owner Roman Abramovich (billions of $’s and an even bigger ego) have supposedly been butting heads lately over issues such as Schevchenko playing, transfer kitty’s, etc. The dynamics of the manager-owner-player relationships over there are very interesting indeed. So, let’s start with the owner. Roman Abramovich is a Russian billionaire who purchased Chelsea in 2003 and is someone who wants to flaunt his wealth and have the biggest and best. He currently owns 4 of the largest yachts in the world, big houses, helicopters, etc. So it stands to reason that he wants the best football club in the world. Therefore, he opens his checkbook and lets then manager Claudio Ranieri buy who he wants. But, just buying players doesn’t mean you are going to win trophies, which is what happened and Ranieri was booted out of the club. RA then signs Jose Mourinho who had just won the Champions League with Portuguese side Porto.

So Mourinho comes aboard, buys some more players at ridiculous salaries, and wins the league. He does the same the next year, though it isn’t as big of a blowout as it was the previous season. So now we are in his third year there, he brings in 2 more big signings (Ballack and Shevchenko) for £30m each, and neither are really producing as they should, especially Sheva (who is rumored to be best buds with Abramovich). Alongside this, there are a rash of injuries (Terry, Cech, Cudicini, etc.) and Man U gets off to a great start in the league. Suddenly, Chelsea are not top of the table but second. This wouldn’t be so bad for many clubs, but RA wants to be the best. The pressure is on.

So the rumors of riffs and player problems begin to pour out of The Bridge. RA is all over Mourinho, Mourinho says he needs money to get new players, the players think Sheva is a mole, and on and on. But here is what I think is happening. While Chelsea were winning, RA pretty much let things go and didn’t interfere too much. He knows Mourinho has a big mouth and a bigger ego, but he was producing so let him be. Now, the results aren’t up to RA’s snuff, and he is starting to meddle in the club. He wants his ego sated and thinks that with all he has spent, the club and players should produce. True to some degree. Mourinho feels he is the lynchpin in the organization and he needs whatever he asks for. This a bit true as well, because as we’ve seen, you have to have the players as well as the management to win. So it seems the club have two giant egos and one small roof. Mourinho won’t stand for it and will probably leave in the summer, with the club being hard pressed to find a better manager (rumors have it Sven is being courted, which proves my point). In addition, some of the players may go because they aren’t getting playing time (Sheva, Wright-Phillips) or just want out. So Chelsea will be where they were when Ranieri was manager and will slip in the table. Roman may try to revive the club but it will be hard to relive the glory of two consecutive League titles and he’ll probably grow weary of the club soon after. Maybe he’ll sell it or he’ll stop putting in so much cash and expect the club to support itself, which will mean no more unlimited signings. All in all, I think the days of the big bucks and lopsided club finances are drawing to an end, and I can’t be happier. Not just because I support another club, but because it will be good for all of English football.

Finally, if you are Plymouth fan and tell everyone you’re Argyle till you die, you may need to rephrase it so that you are Argyle forever. Plymouth have just signed a deal with the Co-Operative Society's funeral services in order to offer fans a true club send-off. Packages are reported to offer “endless options for you to tailor your funeral to reflect your love of Argyle, from tastefully decorated coffins to having the catering at Home Park.” Not a bad way to go! Time to put your order in Graeme!

Adios.

A Bit Nippy Out!

2007-01-17T13:19:00.000-08:00

My current residence, as many know, is in Corpus Christi, Texas, which is in a pretty warm climate, similar to Orlando, Florida. As a result, most of the time the weather is warm (to blazing hot) so when a cold front moves through, panic sets in. The temperature around here has dropped into the 30’s with some areas actually dipping below freezing! AHHH! The local news, which normal features stories of bats and bees (really!) has revved up their coverage to near hurricane status and is reporting it from every angle. In turn, the citizens have begun to horde food and other goods like they were going to be snowed in for months. Stores are out of water, canned food, and firewood. Plus there seems to have been a run on charcoal, though I can’t understand why. “Hey Paco, its getting cold. Fire up the Coleman!” Anyway, pray for our survival so we can make it until tomorrow when it will be back in the 50’s.

Back to more pressing matters: SPORTS!! The Arsenal have this week off and are preparing for the arrival of Manchester United this Sunday. Many Manc fans are excited because they won’t have to travel all the way to Manchester to actually see a match. (bad da dum, ching!) There has been much debate on the message boards about who will be playing, who has the better squad, will it be a close match, etc. In my opinion, this will be a tough, close match and it will probably be decided by a single mistake by one of the teams. An errant back pass, a poor clearance, not closely marking a man on a set piece, etc. The teams are very closely matched and you can never count United out. The Gunners will be at home and have a new grit to them, so they can’t be counted out either. So, my prediction is: I don’t know, but I’m hoping for a Gooner goal! Trailblazing stuff there, huh?

Speaking of Man U, they have a new Dong on their team. I hope he goes by his first name. If he does, I’ve got $20 for the first person to send me a picture of a Manc in his jersey!

Plymouth Argyle have won their last 2 matches, away to Norwich (3-1) and last Saturday at home 2-1 over Peterborough. This is a good turn of events for the Pilgrims, though they are still mid-table on 12 points. But only 5 points separate them and Colchester in 6th place, where they can vie for a promotion spot. Argyle have also signed Chelsea youth striker Scott Sinclair, 17, on a month’s loan. Holloway helped train him when he was a wee lad of 10 and hopes he can do some good over the next few weeks.

Enough for today as I have to keep an eye on the impending cold!

Adios.

..Going Beck to Cali, Cali....

2007-01-16T11:27:00.000-08:00

Actually, I think so! Thanks for helping with the intro LL.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, David “Becks” Beckham, has jumped out of the tailspinning plane that is Real Madrid, pulled the cord on his new golden parachute, and landed in sunny L.A. Remember, you heard it here first folks (well, you heard it here awhile ago)! Anyway, the 31 year old midfielder has signed a new lucrative contract worth an estimated £128 m over 5 years. This number is heavily laden with incentives, endorsements, etc. but if he were to get everything possible out of it, that would translate to nearly $1m a week. Not a bad chunk of change.

Now, old Golden Balls can’s spit without causing a storm of controversy, and this move is ripe with it. First, the management isn’t too pleased with Becks’ new deal to say the least. True, this is the January transfer window and since he is out of contract this summer he is eligible to talk to other clubs. But, Real president Calderon, for some strange reason, doesn’t think that Beckham and co. were able to put together such an extensive contract in the opening two weeks of January. This means he was negotiating with another club out of the transfer window, which is a big no-no. Also unhappy is coach Fabio Capello who thinks that David’s head isn’t in the right place and has said he won’t play for Real again this season. Not that Capello picked him for many matches so far, but now his pine riding is assured.

Then there are the football pundits and talking heads who feel Beckham has sold out and went for the last pig payday instead of trying to play top flight football. They may have a point, but so what. I am sure the money is a wonderful thing (one weeks wages from him would change my life!) but he is in essence a footballer. At times an overhyped footballer, but much better than me and many others. In the last year he got knocked out of the World Cup after a dismal England display, he gave up the England captaincy, he lost his spot in the England squad, and now is no longer starting at Real. So, if he wanted to play first team football, where would he have gone? There are rumors that many of the Premier League sides wanted him, but after he long run with Manchester United, I don’t think he would have wanted to go back to England. Bundesliga? I doubt it, but maybe. Another Spanish side? They wouldn’t want to pay his wages. And a Serie A side in Italy? Possibly, but again his wages would be very high and it wouldn’t be assured he was a starter. South America? They tend to export players and have much lower payscales than Europe. Australia? Hah! Asia? Posh isn’t having that for sure. So it boils down to the U.S. and in L.A. he and Posh can live it up and have BBQ’s at the Cruise’s house.

I’m sure there is a bit of both sides in his decision to come to the U.S., but is it really important? Though he is way too flash and, in my opinion, being paid WAY too much, hopefully he can do some good to US soccer. He already has a soccer academy in L.A. and will be a very recognizable figure to youths all over the country. He can do a lot to promote the game and get media attention for the sport just because of his name. In essence, Alexi Lalas and the Galaxy (and the MLS as well) have purchased a big name spokesman. So if it drives increased interest in the league and the sport, good. The sport could use it. Now if we can only get the rest of the players pay up and the clubs to develop youth academies instead of relying on college soccer, then we might be getting somewhere. Baby steps though.

In Arsenal news, the Gunners have been tearing things up lately with a run of bashings in the north of England last week. First, the Gunners took on Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup and trounced them 3-1. Then, the boys returned a few days later for a Carling Cup semi-final. You’d think that the scousers would be looking for revenge and would take advantage of Wenger’s decision to continue with a young squad made up mostly of reserve players. Well, Julio Baptista had other plans and scored 4 of Arsenal’s 6 goals to really shame ‘pool. Finally, last weekend the crew loaded up for a trip to Blackburn to face a squad that we demolished 6-2 at the Grove a few weeks ago. Blackburn, who are known for rough play and are tough at home, seemed to have the upper hand after Gilberto was sent off on a straight red for kicking out at arsehole Savage (who gave Gil a few knocks) and it looked like the Gunners brilliant run might be over. But once again, the new-found Gunner spirit showed through and Arsenal won it 2-0 off a nice header from Toure and another brilliant goal from Henry. The league title is most likely out of the question, but this play can help instill a sense of team cohesion and confidence that will carry on to the Cup competitions and into the next season. I think Arsenal are going to be very deadly next year against an ageing Man U and a Chelsea that are coming apart at the seams.

There is loads more to discuss, but we’ll handle that later this week. My traveling is dying down so I have more time to waste time at work!

Adios.

Don't Call it a Comeback....

2007-01-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

What a difference a hammy, sciatica, and a few weeks of rest can make! Arsenal captain Thierry Henry was pulled back into the lineup last night a week early due to a striker crisis (which turned out to not be as bad as we thought) and was back to his old goal scoring, happy self! Leading up to yesterday’s match, Henry was still a week away from being back in the squad, Adebayor had a knack, and Robin van Perise supposedly had an ankle injury. But, to Pardew’s surprise, Henry was called up and RvP made a miraculous recovery. Well played Arsene, well played. Hleb was also fit again and completed the midfield that consisted of Rosicky, Gilberto and wonderboy Cesc. Seeing this formation and knowing that their top goal scorer Darren Bent was out to injury, the Addicks pretty much seemed resigned to the fact that they were going to lose. They sat back and put very little pressure on the Gunners when they had the ball. As a result, Arsenal were able to have time on the ball and pass it around freely, which typically ends up in a goal frenzy, which is what happened. The match ended 4-0 but could have been a lot more except for a poor decision on a disallowed Henry goal and Charlton keeper Scott Carson who had a number of outstanding saves.

The Gunners came out firing from the opening whistle and never seemed to let up. After a number of missed chances and saves, Henry opened up the scoring by putting in a PK after RvP was taken out through a professional foul in the box by Sankofa (who got a straight red for his efforts). Charlton’s new gaffer, ex-West Ham manager Alan Pardew, had issues with the red afterwards but he is an idiot and none of the players, even the one sent off, had any issue with the call by ref Mike Riley. After resuming play, the pressure kept mounting and just before halftime, reserve right back Justin Hoyte played a nice give-and-go with Henry to be sprung clear giving him an opportunity to curl a shot around the keeper to the far post. Congrats to Justin on his first Premiership goal! Both he and Henry were beaming and went into the locker room full of high spirits. The second half started off with even more pressure as Arsenal were given more time and room on the ball. Bad move by Charlton. Rosicky hit the woodwork yet again (I’m going to start calling him Woody until he gets a Prem goal) and there were countless other opportunities. The third goal came from van Persie on a PK after Henry was clearly tugged down by his jersey in the box. There was nothing that Riley could do but point at the penalty spot. Henry graciously gave the kick to Robin who put it home with such authority that you couldn’t find a keeper that would have saved it. The final goal gave RvP yet another brace this season and was a brilliant chip over the keeper after a nice through-ball from Flamini.

The Gunners were riding high and finished the match with no new injures and I have my fingers crossed that they can get through training this week without picking up another. Other than having a healthy, happy Henry, I was even more excited to see other players looking to create their own goal scoring opportunities and taking shots. There were a few times last night where they looked like they wanted to pass the ball into the goal, but other than that they were all looking to get in a good shot, especially van Persie who is on 12 total goals so far this season. The Gunners have 2 trips up to the Merseyside to play Liverpool in both the FA Cup and League Cup. If they can keep the same attitude and work rate they will advance in both competitions.

Over here in the States, there has been a ton of College football played recently, but I haven’t really been bothered to watch any after the Aggies got spanked by Cal in the Holiday Bowl. The game started off good with A&M holding Cal to a 3 and out and then marching down the field to score a touchdown. But that was pretty much it and the Aggies were abused after that. I couldn’t even finish watching the game it was so bad. I don’t think that Coach Fran is the man for the job, but the athletic department has yet to consult me on it. I saw that the Boise St. win over Oklahoma was a great game and am glad to see that the Broncos did so well (and remain undefeated this season). I was going to watch the Rose Bowl, but when I saw that USC was up over Michigan I turned the channel as there is hardly anything worse than seeing a happy Pete Carroll. Argh, that guy drives me nuts! Anyway, LSU plays Notre Dame tonight in the Sugar Bowl, so I may catch some of it, and then sometime next month the national championship game will be played between Ohio State and Florida. I am pulling for Ohio State solely based on the fact that I REALLY can’t stand the Gators. Six years living in Florida and having to listen to Spurier and Gator fans has embedded a deep dislike of the school and all associated sports. So….. GO BUCKEYES!!

In Olympic news, the Chinese are planning on taking the torch up Mt. Everest on its way to Beijing in 2008. Supposedly the flame will go up the mountain from the southern slope in Nepal before descending to the north into Tibet. I guess it will show that the Chinese are a powerful nation and can conquer any task, like the invasion of Tibet in 1950 and the exile of long ball hitter, the Dalai Lama (The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking). Good move China in bringing that up. Good move.

Finally, an Official says Britons like getting drunk too much. Thanks for the update there Einstein. That’s like saying breathing is important.

And with that tidbit,

Adios.

Merry New Year - Ahhh Haa Haa Haa Haaaaaa!!!!!

2007-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

Merry New Year friends! It's Beef Jerkey Time!!! Anyway, the holidays are finally over, a new year is upon us, and great things are in store for us all. At least that’s what I’m hoping for! Come on Lotto! Anyway, I am back in action, fully rehydrated, and ready to do some blogging.

The holiday season is a busy one in football, well in England anyway, and there were a ton of fixtures over the last 10 days. Well, 4 to be exact, but that is a lot of matches over a short timeframe. Plus, the stack-up of matches is continuing through the new year. Just before Christmas, the boys from North London hosted Blackburn Rovers and went down early yet again. This match had snooze-fest draw written all over it, but it seems the kids wanted to impress Santa so that he would bring them a new Bentley and turned it up a notch in the second half to win 6-2! Adebayor looked great and van Persie had a couple of crackers as well It seemed the kids didn’t need talisman Henry to get the job done.

Once the pressies had been opened and the turkey eaten, the crew drove over to Vicarage Road in northwest London to take on Watford. The Hornets are a decent enough side and though they just moved up from the Championship this season, they couldn’t be underestimated. Pretty much the same side the played Blackburn was put out against Watford and we looked pretty good after Gilberto nodded in yet another goal in the 19th minute. But the ketchup and mustards were down for long as Smyth leveled the match 4 minutes later. It seemed we were having a bit of trouble on the road yet again, but van Persie found the back of the net in the 83rd minute after turning American Demerit around and slotting home a brilliant left footed shot. Two wins either side of Christmas and all was looking well. But, Adebayor picked up an injury and was set to miss the next few matches.

So, after traveling to north London, the Gunners had to pack up and travel to Yorkshire to play Neil Warnock’s Sheffield United. Adebayor was ruled out for the match due to injury as well as Hleb who picked up a shin niggle in training, Walcott who hurt is back, and Djourou who pulled a hamy. This was on top of Henry, Ljungberg, and Gallas who have been injured for ages. But, even with the injuries, the Arsenal beat United 3-1 at the Grove earlier this season, so it shouldn’t be too tough of a match, right? Wrong. Cesc was rested for the match, so we lost some midfield flair, and the pitch was in utter shambles. There was standing water in some areas! Plus, the Blades were out for a win to help keep them above the relegation zone with less than half the season remaining. The Arsenal started out OK and there were a few good chances that weren’t converted due to poor first touches and bad finishing. Had one of these gone in, the Gunners could have pulled out a win or a draw. The goal by United though was well deserved as Nade turned and burned Toure and put a well placed ball past Lehmann, who had come out a bit too far, to put them up 1-0 just before the half. In the second half, Blades keeper Paddy Kenny tweaked himself on a goalkick and had to be replaced by midfielder Jagielka (as Warnock rarely puts a backup keeper on his sub bench). So this is a good omen for the Gunners right? Wrong. It wasn’t until just before the final whistle that there was even a decent shot on goal! There was no change to the level of play in order to take advantage of an inexperienced keeper. This meant that the Gunners ended the year on a sour note. Even worse, Robin van Persie and Baptista picked up a injuries to add even more chaos to the Arsenal strike force.

So the boys head home today to face Charlton and their new manager, ex West Ham gaffer Pardew. It is rumored that Henry will be pressed back into service as the only fit striker now is Aliadiere, who has failed to impress me over the years. The Gunners really need to get all 3 points today and cannot lose. The league title is out of reach, but a 3rd or 4th place finish will be critical to maintaining a spot in Europe next season. Let’s hope that some of the grit the team showed in earlier matches shines through today. I know that some of the poor performances of late have been due to fatigue and a rash of injuries, but some heart today might push them through for the win.

There are loads of other things going on, but I’ll try to address them later in the week. Also, if you need a drink, check the cushions of your sofa for money instead of selling your kid’s dog!

And on that note,

Adios.

Merry Christmas and Watch Out for the Shuttle!

2006-12-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Today, my lucky readers, is the super duper, bumper holiday edition of Gen Cam!! I know there has been a lack of postings lately and we can all blame my real job for these inconveniences! Trips to the pearl of the south, Pascagoula Mississippi should take a back seat to inane drivel, but since it keeps wine in my cupboard, I can’t complain too much. Actually, there won’t be too much to this post as I am still a bit fuzzy from the holiday get together last night. I drank a bunch of wine, got sappy with old friends, and broke a bottle of scotch (which I’d just received) so it was a roaring success. On to business.

The Arsenal were supposed to take on the scousers this week but the match was postponed because the fog was growing thicker (and Leon was getting laaaarger!!) in Liverpool last Tuesday. So now the match will be shoved into an already overcrowded fixture list. Yahoo. More potential for injuries and fatigue. Oh well. Tomorrow though the Gunners host Blackburn Rovers and that bastard Robbie Savage (who I’m amazed has never been sent off). It looks as if Czech midfielder Rosicky will be back in the lineup and Flamini is also clear to play after shrugging off a shoulder injury. Also, Lauren is finally making his way back into the team after being sidelined most of the year with a leg injury. He was in the squad for the Liverpool match but he can’t be rushed back too quickly. I’d love to see him get some time and shake off some of the rust. Eboue has been a good replacement but I really like Lauren’s defending capabilities (which Eboue lacks at times) and his level of effort. Plus he tends to scare the crap out of the other team!

Boxing day on Tuesday (when I’m going to be ‘sick’) will see the Gunners travel across town to northwest London to take on Watford. This should be an easy win for the Arsenal, but we all know how well they’ve done with ‘lesser’ clubs this year. As long as we can score first, then I think there shouldn’t be too many problems. Then there is a trip to Sheffield United on Saturday, back home to host Charlton on the 2nd, and two trips to Liverpool on the 6th and the 9th. Hopefully we can win all these matches but I’d be happy with no losses and no injuries. That is my Christmas wish. And getting my membership pack from Arsenal (which was supposed to arrive in October!!) would be nice too. This congestion around Christmas has always been a bit much for the players, especially when other leagues take a winter break. It really hurts the clubs, especially those playing in European competitions. Even our old friend Ian Holloway talks about it in his weekly BBC.com column:

“I'll be spending Christmas trying to win some football matches because we've got a 1pm kick-off away at Cardiff on Boxing Day. What an absolute crock of rubbish

It's madness. Why can't they work it so you play the last Saturday before Christmas and then New Year's Day, with nothing in between? That way you can all have a decent Christmas

I would like nothing more than to be like the rest of my family and chill out over Christmas, have a nice little snooze in the afternoon, eat a little bit too much, drink the odd thing that is a bit 'ooh wait a minute', then on Boxing Day watch a lovely film on the telly - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or something - and have a game of charades.”

Nobody says it better than Holloway!

So the Argyle are obviously playing at Cardiff on Boxing Day but prior to that they’ll be hosting West Brom on Saturday. Argyle players Paul Connolly, Lee Hodges, Nick Chadwick and Paul Wotton will all miss the match due to injuries, but goal scorers Hayles and Djordjic will be available. The Pilgrims could really use a few wins after they got smashed 3-0 by Preston West End last week which pushed them into 12th position.

Today NASA reports that they aren’t sure where the shuttle is going to land as there is bad weather in Florida and California. It is due to come home for Christmas today and I’m sure the astronauts would like to get back on terra firma for the holidays. So keep an eye out, they may just find a nice long stretch of road somewhere in Kansas to set her down!

Also, if you are traveling by air this weekend, make sure you don’t put your baby through the X-ray machine. Amazing.

I think that is about all I can handle today. My office won’t stop spinning and I need to get this up on the net before I leave for lunch!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Adios.

Lets Go Drinking!!!

2006-12-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

What a crazy week this has been my friends. Lots of work, travel and little free time. I know many have been waiting with bated breath for the latest installment of Gen Cam, so here you go. Sorry if it is crap.

First things first, the Arsenal played at Wigan this last Wednesday and came through with a 1-0 win. I, of course, was traveling that day and had to write stupid X-mas cards when I got home so I haven’t seen the match. From the reports though, there wasn’t too much to tell. Some report it is a bore fest (well all do) but that the Gunners were also horrible and were only lucky because Cesc and other typical starters, who were being rested, came in off the bench and got things stirred up. Others, including Arsene, feel that the match was a gritty, physical one and our young guns held their own well enough to get a goal (by Adebayor). I’m sure there is some truth to both and I’ve seen where the absence of Cesc, especially since Vieira is no longer with us, has limited forward play because the boy wonder isn’t there to deliver the passes and through balls our offense needs. But, the good news is that against a physical side we were able to hold our own. It used to be that the Gunners would cave in and lose the match (Bolton rings a bell). Hopefully this new-found fighting spirit sticks around far beyond Henry’s return to the squad in the new year.

The Arsenal, who are in 3rd again with the win, host Portsmouth who are just behind us in 4th. The Pompey side have had a turn around of fortune this season and are playing quite well. Also, the match sees the return of former Arsenal play Sol Campbell after he left this past summer on a free (which was done so he could go to Europe and play, though he welshed on that and went to another Prem club). It will be hard to catch ManU in the race to the League title, but the club needs to concentrate on getting wins and not worry about what befalls the table. Tomorrow will be a tough match but I think that at home the young Guns can pull out the victory. 2-1 to the Arsenal I say. You heard it here first!

In the Champions League, today was the draw for the Round of 16 to be played starting in February. We drew Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, who have had a good run in the Eredivisie due to a staunch defense. It isn’t an easy draw, but we should be able to pull out the win and move on to the quarters. After last season, anything is possible. The Chavs face Mourinho’s old club Porto, Celtic take on AC Milan and the Mancs have Lille. The big showdown is going to be Liverpool and Barcelona. Eto’o and Messi will likely be back in the squad by then so it will be even more of a battle for Rafa the gaffa and the scousers.

Porto v CHELSEA
CELTIC v AC Milan
PSV Eindhoven v ARSENAL
Lille v MANCHESTER UNITED
Roma v Lyon
Barcelona v LIVERPOOL
Real Madrid v Bayern Munich
Inter Milan v Valencia

In important drinking news, the Aussies from down under have actually come up with a nifty invention bigger than Mark Vidukas wasteline! Have you ever been out at a picnic or on the beach and wanted to appear dignified but couldn’t because large wine bottles are such a burden. Well, now there is the Shuttle which has a plastic wine glass incorporated into the package!! So put down that oil can of Fahsters and get a Shuttle! Crikey!!

Also, I saw on the news this morning that Donald Trump and the Miss USA Pageant group are having issues with the behavior of the current Miss USA who hails from the great state of Kentucky. Supposedly Tara Conner has been hitting the clubs and the sauce a bit too much for their liking and are putting her on notice. If she doesn’t shape up, she will be out and Miss California will take her place. I personally don’t see anything wrong with the young lady heading out for a bit of fun, even though she’s only 20 years old. In fact, I see nothing wrong with her at all! Wink wink, nudge nudge!!

Finally, has anyone been watching the matches I proposed the other day? I’ve tried to watch some but have been quite busy. I am free of the wife and kid this weekend so it will be a weekend of football at the Casa de Cam this weekend! Woo-hoo!! I can watch footie and fart in the living room!! Not like I didn’t before, it’s just that there won’t be anyone around to complain when I do!!

Get to the pub, see some friends, and catch some sports. And with that I bid everyone a fond weekend!

Adios.

Way to go Kids!

2006-12-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Sunday was the big London derby as the Gunners visited the Bridge and came away with a 1-1 draw. The Arsenal were without some of their top players in Toure, Gallas, Rosicky and Henry, but the young kids did what we all knew they were capable of and played tough, gritty football. The workrate of the squad was similar to the recent Scum match with the players hustling, attacking the ball, limiting Chelsea’s space, and providing nice counter-attack opportunities. There were a few shaky moments and a couple of times players were caught out of position, but they made up for it in the end. Flamini got the Arsenal goal about 10 minutes from full time off some nice touch and go play between himself and Hleb and it seemed the Gunners were going to get all 3 points. Chelsea, however, didn’t give up and poured on the attack. Essien got the tying goal not too long after on a fantastic shot from nearly 35 to 40 yards out. Granted, he should never have gotten the ball as Hleb was fouled by Cole in the buildup to the shot, but the call never came and Essien’s shot was a cracker. That’s football, what are you gonna do? Hleb had another sitter he missed soon after, Chelsea hit the post and some lucky saves were made to keep the match level. Here is a better match description.

I was really pleased, as were most Arsenal fans at the way the team played. It was a great match to watch for the neutrals as well as there was plenty of attack and loads of great play. But, to put a sour note on it all, or at least to try to, jackass Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claimed that the Gunners came out to only play for a draw and didn’t care about winning. Also, he stated that we were in cahoots with Man U (yeah, right) to help them win the title by limiting Chelsea’s points. Then why did Arsenal score first? What a tool. He couldn’t admit that the Arsenal played well, or that maybe we were even lucky. Once again, the loss of points wasn’t his fault. Florida Gator fans must idolize this guy.

While all this was brewing in west London, West Ham, which is in East London (huh?, I know) sacked their manager Alan Pardew after a 4-0 thumping by Bolton over the weekend. New owner Eggert Magnusson (you gotta see this guy, he really does have an egg head) had enough and wants to make sure his club stays in the Prem to get the big bucks. It is rumored that old Hammer player Alan Curbishley is interested in the job after spending the previous 15 years at Charlton. I’m sure the fans would love to have him back at Upton Park, so we’ll see. Adios Pardew. I guess he isn’t doing any more poncy jigs in front of opposing benches now!

Here in the States, former Gunner Steve Morrow was hired as the new coach for Texas team FC Dallas. Morrow started for the Gunners in 1988 at 17 and played for 10 seasons, getting the game winning goal in the 1993 League Cup final. He then went on to play at QPR then went to Dallas in 2002. After retiring in ’03 due to a neck injury he became an assistant coach and knows the squad well. It will be fun to see what Arsenal influence he brings to the Texas team and how they do. All the best to Steve.

Fianlly, all the recent matches in Europe against different leagues have started to show me how little I know about football and the players outside England. There has also been a lot of discussion on the message boards about world class players and I feel I have a limited knowledge in some of these areas. My attention over the years has been so focused on the Premier League that I feel I’ve been missing out on some great football. This can’t last any longer. Therefore, much the dismay of my wife, I will start watching much more football from other leagues, paying attention to other national squads, and following world football news. I feel I owe it to myself and my 2 readers. I encourage all to take up this challenge as it will make us better people and the world a safer place. At least that’s the tag line I’m using. So subscribe to soccertv.com and set your DVR’s to record the following this week:

Wigan Athletic vs Arsenal (Of course!!!!)
Setanta Sports USA
We Dec 13 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT LIVE

Arsenal vs Portsmouth
Setanta Sports USA
Sa Dec 16 9:45am ET/6:45am PT LIVE

Espanyol vs Real Madrid
GolTV (US)
GolTV Canada
Su Dec 17 1pm ET/10am PT LIVE

Recreativo vs Sevilla
GolTV (US)
GolTV Canada
Su Dec 17 Time TBA (kickoff 11am ET/8am PT)

Fiorentina vs AC Milan
RAI International - North America
TLN - Canada
Sa Dec 16 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT LIVE
GolTV (US)
GolTV Canada
Sa Dec 16 6pm ET/3pm PT SDD *** to be confirmed ***

Inter Milan vs Messina
GolTV (US)
GolTV Canada
RAI International - North America
TLN - Canada
Su Dec 17 9am ET/6am PT LIVE

Roma vs Palermo
RAI International - North America
TLN - Canada
Su Dec 17 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT LIVE
GolTV (US)
GolTV Canada
Su Dec 17 3pm ET/12noon PT SDD *** to be confirmed ***

Mainz vs Bayern Munich
GolTV (US - English and Spanish)
GolTV Canada
Sa Dec 16 9:25am ET/6:25am PT LIVE

Energie Cottbus vs VfB Stuttgart
GolTV (US - English and Spanish)
GolTV Canada
Sa Dec 16 11:30am ET/8:30am PT SDD

I'm late for a Pint, So.....

2006-12-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

Friday is finally here and I am hoping to get out of here soon! Therefore, this will be a quick post. The big London derby happens this Sunday as the Gunners jump on the Piccadilly Line south, transfer at Earl’s Court, take the District Line (Wimbledon bound) to Fulham Broadway, and hoof it up to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea. Playing the Chavs lately has been a difficult matter due to the influx of Roman Abromovich’s billions and buying all top rated players, but it will be even more of a task this weekend as the Arsenal are not going in with their A-team. Henry is out injured as is Rosicky and former Blue William Gallas. Also, the rock of the back line Kolo Toure is out through suspension. Wenger will have no choice but to field a young team and pray the kids can hold out or at least score a goal.

On the Arsenal message boards this week there has been tons of discussion on who should play, where they should play, and in what formation. Many are calling for the 4-5-1 to provide a tighter midfield that can hope to protect the very young back line. However, it is my opinion that the back line is going to get burned at least once and conceded a goal. Drogba has been at the height of his game and is great on the long ball, which is bad news for the Gunner central backs. The long ball will lessen the effectiveness of the stacked Arsenal midfield, thus putting all the pressure on Senderos and fellow Swiss international Djourou. Big Phil has had his troubles with Drogba over the years and this will work to the Chelsea player’s advantage as Phil is just getting over a long injury and hasn’t been playing much lately. Therefore, considering these items, I think the Gunners should stick to a 4-4-2 with van Persie up front on the right where he performs best. This will give us better attacking options and help keep Chelsea honest. Of course, I may be wrong. It has happened before. No matter what, lets hope that Arsenal beautiful football shines through and shows that class can’t be bought.

And finally (I said it would be quick) here is a great blog about why Darren Clarke should win this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award for his performance in this summers Ryder Cup. I agree with it full heartedly and hope he takes the honors. I’ve always admired the Irishman not only for his game but he seems to be a genuinely good chap. He loves the pints and cigars too which makes him top notch in my book.

Glad all the Gooners made it back from Porto safe and sound, though some needed some help walking from what I hear! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Adios.

Killing me Softly

2006-12-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

Last night was a bit exciting around the old homestead as paramedics were called out to try and revive me from a coma caused by watching the replay of the Arsenal-Porto match. What I predicted to be a snooze fest went above and beyond that. The first half was a complete joke with neither side doing anything. And I mean that literally. Both teams barely ran and neither side produced a shot (that I can recall) on goal. Adebayor could have read Crime and Punishment last night as he had so much time by himself up front. In the second half Porto got in to it a bit more and had two shots bounce off the post, but that was about it. Cesc had a free kick on goal that my mother could have stopped. Anyway, they got the draw, which means that Arsenal go through top of the table and Porto goes through in second place.

As many knew, both teams in essence played for the draw. There have been loads of comments, articles, etc. claiming this is dirty football or even match fixing. I don’t really like to see matches played this way, but I wouldn’t go as far as to call it dirty or match fixing. Getting to the next round of the CL is a big deal, both for the players and the club (because of the revenue it generates). Therefore, as a coach, would you want to play defensive football to try and secure the draw, or take a risk by attacking and open yourself up to a loss and elimination? If they did attack and somehow lose the game, all the supporters would be asking what in the world Arsene was up to! Therefore, I can understand Wenger’s tactics, but wish the team would have put in a bit more effort. Finally, if CSKA feels hard done by, they have only themselves to blame. They didn’t beat Hamburg like they needed to. Also, in previous matches they didn’t get the results needed to put them in a place to win it without relying on other results. Needing to win and another team to lose on the final match day is not the situation you want and you can’t be sore at others for not giving you the result you desired.

Enough on it all. The Arsenal are through and now will face a second place team (other than Porto) in the next round. The draw will be next Friday, the 15th and we could face Barcelona, Lille, Celtic, Inter Milan, Roma, PSV, or Real Madrid. I would like to see us draw either Celtic or Lille as these would be easier matches, but after last season, the Gunners shouldn’t be afraid of any of these clubs. Below are the rest of the results from yesterday. I was hoping Benfica would knock ManU out again this year, but alas, no such luck.

Matchday 6 - 06 December 2006
Group Home Away
E Dynamo Kyiv 2-2 Real Madrid
E Lyon 1-1 Steaua
F Man. United 3-1 Benfica
F København 3-1 Celtic
G Porto 0-0 Arsenal
G Hamburg 3-2 CSKA Moskva
H Anderlecht 2-2 AEK
H Milan 0-2 Lille

Due to my weeks of travel and the excitement around recent Arsenal clashes, I’ve been neglecting Colaship side Plymouth Argyle. Today that trend is reversed! Well, somewhat. Anyway, since I can’t be bothered to go back and see where I left off, I’ll just take a stab and comment on some result plus upcoming fixtures. During the Thanksgiving holiday, the Argyle hosted dirty Leeds and were defeated 2-1 by goals from Blake (3) and Lewis (61). Djordjic, who has been netting some good goals recently got one in for Plymouth in the 40th minute. The following Tuesday, Argyle had another match at Home Park against Luton , and once again Djordjic provided a goal in the 60th minute, which proved to be the winner. Then, this last Saturday, the boys in green traveled to center of Engerland to play recently relegated Birmingham, only to lose 3-0, thus dropping them into 11th place. Former Arsenal player Matthew Upson and on-loan Arsenal player Nicklas Bendtner helped the Blues take 3 points from Argyle. At least the Blues are at the top of the table and it wasn’t a loss to a bottom dweller. This Saturday, the Argyle return home and take on Hull City, who are currently languishing in 23rd. The boys should be able to get the win as Hull have been in very poor form of late and just sacked their manager. However, sometimes these changes bring about a new energy to clubs and they go out and win one for the new manager in hopes that he keeps them around. But, I think the troubles for the Tigers is a bit much and Argyle should be able to capitalize on it.

Argyle boss Ian Holloway has also had plenty to day in his column on bbc.com. I particularly like his take on David James’ new hairstyle!

“Different, isn't it? All he needs is a Hercule Poirot moustache and he's there. He looked like something out of a Bond film, although I don't wanna say too much - he lives just up the road from me so he might come down and knock me out.

Someone said he looked like the keyboard player from Sparks, but us baldies are jealous of him because we'd love to have the chance to have a choice of style.

I think he looked suave and sophisticated. If he had a big tweed jacket on, he'd really look the part. He looked a bit swish. In fact, debonair is the word.

One of the papers said he might get it shaved off because of all the mickey-taking. Don't do it, David! Leave it as it is - I think it looks great. Everybody needs a change now and again.”

In international news, Norway has taken a break from whaling long enough to pass a ruling that Value Added Tax (VAT) shouldn’t be charged to patrons at “gentleman’s clubs.” The ruling sited that the service the strippers provided was art, and therefore exempt from the 25% tax. Foreign travels rejoiced at the news as they now don’t have to request a VAT refund for hanky panky!

Lastly, today is the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Veterans of this attack have been gathering at the site every 5 years since 1941, and this may be one of the last official ceremonies. The survivors are getting well along in years and it is doubtful that that many will be around for the 70th anniversary. As one historian pointed out, this event signifies the end of a generation and the passing of an era. It is interesting to think back to how the country banded together and fought in WWII as compared to the world climate today. Of course, today there are different problems and threats along with a dramatic shift in world politics, but I still see the thread of our nations past achievements in todays society and hope that we along with our country’s leaders remember those times and what we stand for.

Adios.

Oi, Big Nose! NO!

2006-12-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Mashed Spuds and Dubai or not Dubai, That is the Question

2006-12-05T07:24:00.000-08:00

After a weekend that was a bit blurry, a ton of work meetings, and a fire alarm, I am finally able to sit down and pour out my soul to you chums. Well, I’ll tell you about some stuff, how about that.

Biggest news of the weekend (to me anyway) had nothing to do with Britney’s breakup with K-Fed or her new buddy Paris Hilton, rather it was the 3-0 drubbing that Arsenal gave to their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs (Sperz, Spurz, Scum, Spuds, etc). This fixture is one of the biggest in Arsenal’s season and was even more important this year as it was the first derby in the new stadium, the Gunners had been struggling lately thus needing a win, and well, we all hate the Spurs! As previously detailed in an earlier post, the Gunners have been lacking some leadership, drive, and physical presence. Well, they came into the match Saturday with some fixes to these issues. First, even though Henry was benched because of injury and had been reported to have had a bust up with Wenger (which turned out, again, to be media hype bullhockey), he showed true leadership by being in the tunnel with the team to give last minute pointers and encouragement. He also sat with the team to lend his support and was the first to congratulate Ade on his goal. In regards to physical presence, it is tad hard to grow and bulk up over a week, but the Gunners addressed what they could control and put in tons more hustle and closed down Spurs players, thus giving them little room to work. Plus, they got stuck in and took the tackles. Freddie Ljungberg hasn’t had the best few seasons and has been plagued by injuries, but on Saturday he ran all over the pitch, got stuck in, and took the fouls on him in stride. Freddie had been crowing that the younger players weren’t giving their all, but he finally stepped up to the plate and got stuck in himself to lead by example. It was good to see an active Freddie again.

As to the match itself, it seems that the recent bad luck and poor calls against the Gunners finally were evened out a bit. The first goal was a great one by Adebayor who was put through on a long ball by Toure. The flag stayed down and Ade went 1 v 1 with the keeper, stayed cool, and slotted it home on the right side of the net. A review of the play showed Ade just level with two Spurs defenders. Now, if it had been Henry, I imagine it would have been an offside call. This was a situation where the linesman could have gone either way and mostly the flag goes up, but a bit of change in our mojo kept the flag down. Lovely for us and 1-0 to the Arsenal. The second and third goals were penalties which Gilberto put away with power and precision. The Spuds may have been a bit hard done by on the first one as Chimbonda appeared to get a toe on the ball when he took Rosicky down, but a tackle from behind in the box on a player who is driving for goal is likely to earn a penalty. The second penalty was also a tad soft, but van Persie was being kicked and pushed for about 15 yards when he was finally tripped up inside the box. Either way, the luck finally turned for the Gunners and we got a well deserved win. Even without the calls, the Spurs looked awful and showed little sign of leveling. After the match, manager Martin “Tony Soprano” Jol felt the same way:

“The decisions didn’t help but I can’t complain about them because that would be stupid after the way we played.”

The Gunners will take this win and newfound belief in themselves to Porto where on Wednesday they play the final Champions League group fixture. The Arsenal are on 10 points along with Porto, and CSKA Moscow are on 8. A draw or a win will see us through to the knockout stages. A loss could still see us through, but CSKA would have to lose to Hamburg, and that isn’t likely. Porto are a tricky side and won’t be as timid as they were on their trip to Ashburton Grove. I’m hoping they play for the draw and we can sneak in a late goal to clench it and go top of the table.

Another big story making the rounds on the English backpages is the potential buyout of Liverpool by foreign investment group Dubai International Capital for about £450million. Liverpool Chairman David Moores and Chief Exec Rick Parry have rejected several previous offers from a couple of Americans, the Thai Prime Minister, and what I find interesting, a local Liverpudian who already has a small stake in the club. So, instead of keeping the club in English hands, the powers that be at Anfield want to hand it over to a foreign group. I have nothing personally against DIC, especially as they are owned by the Dubai government, which owns Emirates Airline (the new Arsenal sponsor) but I wonder what all of this foreign ownership will do to the League and the sport. We’ve all seen what Roman Abromovich’s influence with Chelsea has been, though that may be a somewhat one off. But this influx of foreign investment may start to create even more disparity between the clubs which will bring down the overall quality of the league, at least in my opinion. We’ll see what happens, and hopefully (but most likely) the Arsenal will remain in English hands and not be sold out to the highest bidder.

And as a final bit before my hands cramp up in carpal tunnel, it appears that Jürgen Klinsmann will be named head coach of the U.S. men's national team within two weeks. There has been no official announcement yet, but this is the word on the street. Of course, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise as immediately after the World Cup rumors were flying that the German would take over. He is a perfect fit for the club as he’s won the Cup as a player and took Germany to the semifinals last summer (though I felt the should have been in the finals). Also, he already lives in southern California and is engrossed in American life and sports training. Hopefully he gets the job and can reverse the unravelings of Arena. He has a lot of work to do, that’s for sure.

Adios.

Wins Are Now as Infrequent as White Unicorns

2006-11-30T14:16:00.000-08:00

Born under a bad sign.
I’ve been down since I began to crawl
If it wasn’t for bad luck,
I wouldn’t have no luck.
(Born Under a Bad Sign, Cream)

Thanks Jack Bruce, I couldn’t have put it any better. This season has been full of bad luck so far for the Arsenal as the Gunners once again lose 2-1 to Fulham (Go here for a match report). Easy sitters have been missed, the woodwork has been pounded to death, and stand on your head saves by opposing goalkeepers have permeated the matches so far this year. But surely this can’t be the only reason. It isn’t the only reason, and stop calling me Shirley. Anyway, luck, or lack there of, isn’t the sole reason for this loss and some of the weaknesses of the squad are becoming readily apparent. In my opinion, some of the biggest concerns right now are a) the amount of youth/inexperience, and 2) physical stature of many of the players, and d) attitude.

The squad right now is very young and there is a big imbalance between youth and experience. You can’t have a team of geezers and win the Prem every year as displayed by the Bolton Home Care club. But you do need veterans with experience who have been around the block, have had to take their lumps, and know how and when to step up. Last night the more experienced players for Fulham like American Brian McBride and Boa Morte were completely out-playing the kids in the midfield and back line. Kolo was the veteran defender at 25 and unfortunately he had an off night. Some grizzled veterans might do the squad a bit of good. Wenger is brilliant at finding these diamond in the rough kids before anyone else (thus getting them cheap, like Cesc) but sometimes you need a squad player who isn’t brilliant but gets the job done when needed.

The second issue is somewhat related to the first and that is the physical size of the players. A lot of the team are smaller physically due to age and also stature in general. As much as American Football pundits would like to disagree, soccer is a physical sport and there are times when you need a bruiser in there who isn’t afraid to get stuck in and will go for the 50/50 balls. We don’t need an ass like Robbie Savage, me and many others agree that some old style players along the line of Parlour, Keown, Adams, etc. would do the squad some good. I really wish Baptista would get more starting time because they call him “The Beast” for a reason. I saw a lot of players lose the ball easily and not go into tackles that needed to be made. If you easily cede the ball to the other team, it will be tough going.

The last big problem has been the attitude of some of the players. Henry is a wonderful footballer, but goes into these “oh, merde” funks and shows no fire or commitment. I don’t think he is totally giving up and that he doesn’t want to win, rather it seems his Gaelic indifference shines through at times as seen last night. He just isn’t all there and this isn’t the attitude you like to see in your captain.

BUT, with all these issues, I still feel the Arsenal have a very good squad and show they can play some of the best football in Europe. Ask Liverpool. They have also had loads of bad luck with near misses. Some of it can be attributed to poor finishing, but hitting the woodwork that many times can’t always be because of crap shooting. The Gunners are now, unfortunately out of the Premiership race, but they can and need to qualify for Europe again by getting into the top 4, plus they have a shot at the Carling Cup, the FA Cup and the Champions League. The season isn’t over and we don’t all need to start panicking. If we can put away the scum for North London this weekend, we’ll all feel a bit rosier about the future!

Now that we’ve got Arsenal’s problems sorted, on to the Wolfmother show I went to in Houston last week! I had seen that the fellas were going to be in Houston this week, but didn’t think that I’d be able to make it as it was on a Tuesday and I’d been to the moon and back the previous week. But alas, work actually did me a favor by sending me out to Galveston for Tuesday and Wednesday, which meant I would be in the area for the show. So I dialed up Tickegouger.com on the old internets and picked up 2 tickets for the little sis and myself. After taking care of business in G-town, I headed north and went straight to the pub to await my sister who was still in class. An order of fish & chips plus a few pints later and I was ready to go. Met up with the little sis, changed into more appropriate attire (jeans & a T-shirt because I’m sooooo rock & roll) and off we went. Finally, after long negotiations with the jughead parking attendant we got to the show, bought a beer, and headed into to watch the opening act. I would tell you who they were, but their opening number was so horrible we retreated back to the bar so we could get another beer and escape the crappiness. I guess maybe I’m showing my age, but I feel a band playing a rock show, especially an opening band, needs to come out, grab you by the cajones, and say “Hold on my son, cuz here we go!” Instead, these guys came out playing some slow, weird song and I couldn’t hear half of it. I don’t know if they did a sound check or the technician bumped the board, but it took awhile before I could hear the guitar and even longer before vocals came through. Oh well. I wasn’t there to see them anyway.

After the din of the opening act died down, the roadies cleared the stage and got ready for the main event. At least that’s what I assume happened because I was still in the bar area drinking. Finally, the time seemed about right, we ordered a roadie (well actually a next roomie) and went in to wait for the Aussie trio. Out they came and launched in Dimension, which coincidentally is the first song on their album, so everything seemed in order. They, however, had that grab you by the cajones flair and rocked out!! Even my sis who hadn’t really listened to them was toe tapping and nodding to the tunes. The music was loud but good, and even though the sound quality left something to be desired (which I blame on the venue) it was golden to me. Andrew Stockdale belted out the riffs on some nice Les Pauls while bassist Chris Ross kept the beats thumping and the organ trembling. I’d tell you the set list, but I was busy enjoying the show too much to scribble notes like a Deadhead. The boys ended the set about an hour later with White Unicorn, a nice little jam and Mind’s Eye, then took a quick break. The crowd was electric and wanted more, so (as expected) the guys came back out for an encore started with Vagabond and Colossal, which I called! Hoohah! Then, as I thought they were done for the night, Chris Ross started the bassline to Zeppelin’s Communication Breakdown!! What a great song and it was good to see these guys pay tribute to Page, Plant, and company. The final song was Joker and the Thief which had all the energy an encore song needs and included a guitar solo by Stockdale on the bar next to the stage. We left the show elated and partially deaf, which is the true measure of a great rock show. So, all in all, it was a great show and I could go on for pages, but I’m a bit tired and have work to do. Tomorrow is the big Sperz preview, so make sure to come back.

Adios

Home Again. Thank the Maker!!!

2006-11-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

2,401.0 is what the trip odometer read this morning before heading to work. 10 days of travel and many miles sees your good buddy a bit weary and travel worn. Good thing I don’t have travel again, until…. when?…. tomorrow? Dammit!!! 2 days in Galveston, but at least I pre-planned and got a ticket to go see new supergroup (at least in my opinion) Wolfmother in Houston! Hurrah.

A lot has happened football-wise (both American and good old regular) and many thanks to both Mikey and Red for texts/messages/calls to keep me up to date on the Arsenal goings-on of the week. All long-hauls on the trip just happened to be during the matches. Good planning there Cam. Well, I do what I can. Actually I do what I’m told by the wife. Sooooo, anyway, the Arsenal had 3 matches (2 league, 1 CL) this past week and here is the short of it all.

Last Saturday the Arsenal hosted Newcastle. Roeder’s men had been lingering around the bottom of the table in the relegation area. Should be any easy win right. Well not according to Mikey’s report. Henry didn’t start and Keiron Dyer stole a goal in the 30th minute to put the Geordies one up. Sound familiar? Anyway, the Gunners once again had plenty of chances, lots of just wide and woodwork shots but couldn’t put one in. Henry came on for an injured van Persie in the 2nd half and through one of the best free kick’s Mikey’s ever seen, drew the match level at 1-1. The Gunners are still unbeaten at home, but 5 wins and 5 draws is not the result you would like to see, especially if you are trying to win the league.

On Tuesday, the Gunners hosted Hamburg in the Champions League group play. The Arsenal really needed a win to help secure a place in the next round after their so-so performances against Moscow. Once again the Gunners went down a goal early to van der Vaart in the 4th minute. What in the hell is going on here? Well, this didn’t seem to phase the boys in red and we got 3 goals afterwards (Van Persie 52, Eboue 83, Baptista 88) to get a much needed win. Now, there is one match left against Porto in Portugal. A win there will surely see us through and hopefully in the top spot. It seems the CL will be one of our important tourneys this season, but more on that later.

So the boys in red got a few days of rest then it was up country to Bolton where we have had loads of trouble over the years. For some strange reason, Big Sam’s boys have given us fits recently and it isn’t just because the Gunners are scared of Allerdyce’s giant sausage fingers. Bolton play a physical game and this coupled with their successes against the club puts the jimmy-legs into the Gunners. Also, Big Sam brought old Gunner Anelka back to Engerland and his buy paid off as the brooding one scored a brace to help gain a 3-1 win against us. Mikey told me as I drove through the wastelands of central Kansas that the Gunners really put in a bunch of shots (at least 8 off the woodwork) but to no avail. It seems to be a trend this season that we go a goal down early and then control the match but don’t execute on the finishing. It is getting a bit maddening, but sometimes, that is just football. At least there are chances. I’d be more upset if the Gunners didn’t get any shots off and were completely dominated.

It now seems that we are pretty much out of the title race for the Prem this season, though stranger things have happened. I always want the Gunners to strive for the league wins, but hopefully Wenger puts a bit more emphasis on the remaining cup chances (FA Cup, CL, and even Carling to some extent). The next league match is this Wednesday at Fulham. Of course I’ll be in the field working so I’ll miss yet another match.

This past week of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the States was sure to be a boost for the Plymouth Argyle based on their name alone (you know, Plymouth Rock was named after Plymouth England, where the pilgrims started out from, etc etc.), but alas, dirty Leeds United had other plans and won 2-1. This loss caused Argyle to slip to 12th place in the Colaship. Hopefully the Argyle can turn this around tomorrow evening against Luton who are currently in 20th spot.

In the realm of American football, loads of games were played all week, but Thursday and Friday held special meaning for yours truly. On T-day, the Dallas Cowboys hosted John Gruden (Chuckie) and the Tampa Bay Bucs. It looked to be another dismal day for America’s Team as the Bucs marched down the field on their opening drive to score a touchdown, which has been a rarity for the Bay of Tampa team. The ‘boys then had to punt on their first possession after only 1 first down. But, alas, the football goods were smiling on new wunder-kid Romo who had a stellar day and 5 TD’s as the Cowboys gave the Bucs nothing to be thankful for and a 38-10 whoopin. The non-alcoholic T-day dinner (wife’s grandfather was a Baptist minister so no hooch at meals) a bit brighter with the win, especially since the entire in-law clan hate the Cowboys. Ahhh schadenfreude!! Their gloom at a Cowboy win was soon gone though as their glorious Chiefs upset Denver in the first prime-time Thanksgiving day match. Hoorah to them. It was a good match, a good win, and made the family happy. Isn’t that what the holidays are all about!

Friday, though, was the best of all for me and all of the Aggie-nation. The Texas A&M – Texas match is annually the biggest game of the year, and since 1999 the Aggies have been on the losing side. This year though, with no Vince Young and an Aggie side that gave fits to Oklahoma and Nebraska (they lost both, but only by 1 point each time) it seemed we might be able to take the game. It is always hard to win in Austin (only 8 times in the 100+ years) but the Aggies never gave up and had a bit of luck on their side to win 12-7. A&M QB Steven McGee, who made is first start in this fixture last year, played his heart out and did loads to secure the win. The Wrecking Crew also had a good match and gave Texas fits. There is too much to recall and I was an emotional wreck that day with all the ups and downs, so I’d rather not relive all that. Let’s all just bask in the glory of seeing the T-sips go down!!

Anyway, that is enough for today and I’m just glad to be back in CCTX, though it is only for one day. Home is nice, and your own bed is even better.

Adios.

Turkey Hiatus

2006-11-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well my friends, your favorite blogger is about to head out of town again, but believe me, I'd rather be at home. Today I'm loading up the family truckster and we're heading out on a weeklong roadtrip to see just about every relation we have, on both sides of the family. So, while you lot get to head out to Happy Hour for libations, remember you have it good and that I'm stuck for hours on end in a car with a 3 year old.

On to the football!!!! The Arsenal host Newcastle tomorrow at Ashburton Grove. There are a few players out for the Gunners: Rosicky still is knackered, Freddie ate some cheese and his head almost exploded, and Gilberto had to head to Brazil for family matters. Also, the boss may rest Henry some, at least I'd like to see it as le bastard Domenech played him and Gallas for a full 90 in this weeks worthless international friendly. But no matter the squad, the Geordies have been looking in pretty poor form and Roeder's neck is as close to the chopping block as a turkey's next week. I predict a 2-0 win, but I'm no Miss Cleo.

Plymouth play at Southend on Saturday as well.

Also, my fightin Texas Aggies take on the tea-sips from Austin this next week after Turkey Day, and since I doubt I'll be posting before them..... Let's Go Aggies!!!!

That is about it for today. The road is calling my name and that road sounds a lot like my wife. Hope everyone has a great weekend and festive holiday.

Adios

DY-NA-MO!!

2006-11-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like family. They stand by you in hard times and point out your failings when things are good. Such was the case recently when my sister brought up my failure to mention that the Houston Dynamo, after their first season in Tejas (though they had been in San Jose for 10 years as the Earthquakes) won the MLS cup Sunday past. Thanks, I was getting there by the way, at least that’s my story. So anyway…..BIG UPS FOR THE DYNAMO!! This is a great achievement for the club, especially the fans and owners. Nothing like a first year championship to promote the club and increase your supporter base. I would love to see the stadium start to sell out, though they already do get some pretty good attendance. Maybe even the newly converted soccer sister will get season tickets.

The worthless internationals are over and jolly old Engerland drew against Holland yesterday. Shrek, I mean Wayne Rooney, got the go ahead goal, and according to Second Choice Steve McClaren, the team was looking good. The Lions looked to go through with a much needed win, but were spoiled by a late strike by Rafael van der Vaart in the 86th minute. The strike came off a long throw in, to which McClaren stated, “If you’d said it would be a long throw we conceded from, I wouldn’t have put money on it.” Yeah, that’s because most teams can defend a long throw which doesn’t have much pace and has lots of hang time. That’s why you don’t see it happen much. Good to see Terry, Cashley and the rest of the back line were on top of things. Anyway, Steve feels good about his latest change in formation (#156) in his 6 months as manager to a 4-3-3 system. We’ll see. The 3 Lions are currently 3rd in their Euro qualifying group behind the Czech’s and Russians. At this pace Steve and his hot pants may never see a big tournament from the manger’s chair.

In golf news, I read that Michelle Wie has been granted a sponsors exemption from the Sony Open in Hawaii next year, which is a PGA event. News of this has started to lead me to believe that her forays into men’s tournaments are getting a bit stale. I have no problem with women competing with men, and I think Wie will be a major force in women’s golf. But I think she needs to start performing well and consistently on the LPGA tour before moving on to bigger challenges. Annika Sorenstam dominated the LPGA for years before she gave a men’s event a go. Wie is very young (17) and is only in her second season as a pro. She, in my humble opinion, should concentrate on perfecting what it takes to win and compete week in and week out on the tour. I think she is getting a bit ahead of herself, but hey, what do I know. I’ve never shot par.

Adios.

You Want me to Stick What in my Mouth?

2006-11-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

The blog updating is a bit overdue this week I know but I am only now recovering from the kid’s birthday party. The kid’s portion of it wasn’t too bad, we had some cheap carnival type games (they are all only 3 and can’t tell the difference between quality and shoddy) and the kids were gone by 5pm. It was the adult version afterwards, which included half of Napa Valley’s yearly output that did me in. Whew. I am pretty sure I had a good time and behaved myself solely based on the fact that I didn’t get a stern talking to by my wife on Sunday.

So, after some Advil and a giant glass of water I settled in to watch the Arsenal take on Liverpool at Ashburton Grove. This was a tricky fixture, even though ‘pool have been crap away from Anfield recently. Arsenal really needed the win to keep pace with the Mancs and Chavs, and so did the Scousers. The match started off fairly even, but soon you could see that it was Arsenal’s day as the Gunners started to press and had a few chances slip by. Then, in the waning minutes of the first half, Hleb collected the ball on the right wing, drove towards the corner, then doubled back to avoid a defender. The Belarusian then slipped in towards the middle and laid a perfectly paced pass into the 6-yard box to Cesc who tapped it back across the mouth of the goal to an oncoming Flamini who, though he had to hold up a bit, got enough on it to put into the back of the net. It was a wonderful goal for the Frenchman who got his first start in quite some time and he immediately ran to the stands to celebrate with the supporters. Class in my opinion.

The second goal was another cracker as well and came about 10 minutes into the second half. On a fast break, the ball was passed up to Robin van Persie who collected the ball about 35 yards out from goal. He had a poor first touch and as the defenders were beginning to storm after him, he laid in a perfect pass to Toure who was screaming forward and sprung the offside trap. Normally you don’t expect a center back to a) be sprinting toward goal and 2) to be who you’d want in a 1v1 with the keeper, but King Kolo easily put the ball past Reina to put the Gunners up 2-0. Great shot by Kolo and wonderful vision by van Persie. Adebayor came about midway through the second half and also had a great 1v1 with Reina, but he never seemed to have the ball where he wanted it and shot it right at Pepe. But the Gunners weren’t done and in the 80th minute, Bill Gallas nodded in a header (yes a header) off a RvP corner (yes a corner) for the final goal. These header off corner jokes are starting to get a bit stale with all the scoring from set pieces, but I am happy to let the jokes die under these conditions. Anyway, the corner was perfectly placed and Gallas, who was completely unmarked nodded it in easily. The Scousers were playing a ‘zone’ defense on the corner and nobody picked up Gallas. After the goal Stevie “Me” Gerrard and Riise were yelling at each other over who was supposed to mark who. It was just that kind of day for ‘pool.

This week is another ridiculous international week where the players are heading out for worthless friendlies that only ever seem to result in injuries. Theo Walcott picked up a hand injury for the under-21 England side yesterday. Hopefully the rest of the squad can stay out of harms way. The Gunners will be in action on Saturday though against Newcastle who are currently loitering around the bottom of the table. Also, a pre-congrats are in order to Robin van Persie as he is missing the Dutch friendly to be with his wife who is about to give birth any day now!

Plymouth had a last minute equalizer on Saturday to draw 2-2 against Leicester. Gaffer Holloway felt that Leicester shouldn’t have been awarded one of their goals as a player was offsides while the other scored. I didn’t see the match, but Holloway isn’t one to make up stories or excuses. So they may have been hard done by, but at least they got a point and remain in 7th place. As long as they can stay near the top of the tables they’ll have a chance at promotion at the end of the season. The Argyle play Manc-killers Southend on Saturday.

Finally, are you looking for the perfect gift for your golf loving father? Well then look no further than Tasty Tees. Yes, that is right. Some knuckleheads have ‘flavored’ wood tees that you can put in your mouth. There are a few different flavors and they also have a really strong mint flavor that supposedly will knock out beer or cigar breath instantly. Now, if they could just come up with a tee that got rid of that stripper perfume smell then guys weekends in Vegas would be even sweeter!!!

Adios.

Friday Quickie

2006-11-10T11:09:00.000-08:00

Today's post will be really short as I have tons of work, my kid's b-day party to get ready for, and I need to make a trip to the liquor store (in-laws are coming in town). So, here we go.

Aresene Wenger is still keeping silent as he canceled his Friday press conference today for the first time in his 10 year tenure. Pardew’s comments must have really ticked him off, as well as the continuous media coverage over what was really a non-event when compared to the coin throwing that has been going on lately. As a note, I’ve watched the replays of the ‘fracas’ a number of times and if you ask me, Pardew was out of order from the start as he came out of his technical area and over to the Arsenal bench. Coming over and delivering snide comments will not earn you many friends. Even though I can understand AW’s reluctance to speak with the media, I do wish he would come out to talk about the team status and the big match at Liverpool on Sunday. The Gunners really need to win this match to keep pace with the Mancs and Chavs.

Plymouth travel to Leicester tomorrow and have a fully fit squad with Mat Doumbe and Lee Hodges back in the squad. Leicester has a few players out through injury and suspension, so lets hope the away form Holloway’s boys have had this season continues.

My Texas Aggies take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers tomorrow as well. I of course always want the Aggies to win, but even more so this week as the wife’s step-dad will be in town this weekend and he’s a Husker. An Aggie loss will mean the bastard will be strutting around with a smug grin the rest of the visit and I can’t have it can I? No, Cam, ya can’t.

Well, as I said, this is a short post, but I’ll leave you with some visual treats, both for the lads and ladies!!

Adios.

For the Fellas!

For the Ladies!

At Your Beck and Poll

2006-11-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

Recently, English referee Graham Poll he has been accused of handing out bookings like they were candy to children and being biased against big clubs, or so Mourinho says. He sent off John Terry in the Chelsea v. Spurs match Sunday and handed out 6 other yellows. Before that, other clubs had been having some issues with his calls. Also, this last summer during the World Cup, committed the ‘blunda of the summa’ when he gave out 3 yellow cards to a Czech player before sending him off. Now to Arsenal supporters, these antics are nothing new and are enjoying a bit of schadenfreude as they call finally go against other clubs. So, with all the controversy around Poll, what does the FA do about all of this? Give him a few weeks off? Meet with him to discuss his refereeing style? Maybe even but him as an Assistant until things cool off? No, they send him straight up to Merseyside to call a Carling Cup match.

Last night the Arsenal traveled to Goodison Park with their reserves and took on a full squad Everton in the Carling Cup 4th round. About midway through the first half, Everton striker Andy Johnson went down a bit easily in the box (which he is prone to do) upon which Poll yelled “Play on.” Of course, if Poll felt it was a dive then he should have booked him for diving, but he didn’t and said there was no foul. Well, James McFadden wasn’t quite so pleased and when he walked by Poll afterwards he had a few choice words, which Poll states were that he called him a f****** cheat. Well, instead of dealing with the tricky issues of how many cards you need before a red, Poll gave McFadden a straight red and the Blues were down to 10 men. Nice move Graham. But Poll seemed to get over his yellow issues pretty quick and went back to handing out bookings for non-fouls but letting continuous dives from Johnson go unpenalized.

At the end of the day, Emmanuel Adebayor nodded in a header (yes a header!!) off a corner (yes, I said a corner!!!) to put Arsenal up 1-0 and secure the win. After the match, you can be sure David Moyes wasn’t too happy with the night’s results and brought the poopy-mouthed McFadden with him to the press conference to explain his side of the story. Jimbo claims he never called Poll a cheat. That would be disrespectful. He claims he walked by and said that the call was f****** sh**e. Ahhhhh, that makes all the difference in the world!

Anyway, the Gunners are on to the quarterfinals so huzzah for the kids. I’m sure we’ll draw Chelsea, but you never know. I’d love to see the kids get to the final and hand Wenger the cup, but I’m not placing any bets at this point.

Today, ladies and gentlemen (and you too Winker), I’d like to share my latest musical find. Beck isn’t really much of a “find” per se, as he’s been around for years, but I did just pick up his latest album “The Information.” It is good stuff amigos and he has yet again made his quirky style hip and fun to listen too. There are blends of booming bass riffs and funky percussion overlapped by crazy lyrics. I highly recommend it, as I would other albums like Guero and Odelay. Go out and get ya some Beck.

Adios.

That is WAY to Much Running

2006-11-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

The Arsenal play Everton today in the Carling Cup and they are putting out a young squad as predicted. This competition is used as a kind of proving ground by Wenger for reserve and youth team players and gives them some great experience. Everton will likely play a bit more open today as compared to their visit to the Grove recently due to the younger Gunners, and will also likely have more of their first team players. Even considering the two teams, I feel the Gunners will pull out the win (2-1 to Arsenal with a late go ahead goal). There is a lot of talent in the reserves and they’ll be trying to impress and work their way back into AW’s starting rotation. Here is the squad:

Manuel Almunia
Mart Poom
Philippe Senderos
Johan Djourou
Emmanuel Eboue
Armand Traore
Mathieu Flamini
Alexandre Song
Theo Walcott
Denilson
Emmanuel Adebayor
Jeremie Aliadiere
Matthew Connolly
Mark Randall
Fran Merida
Ryan Garry

As it turns out today, the Fergie and the rest of the Manc crowd have been pretty quiet about their loss yesterday to Southend. Sir Red Nose stated that sometimes that happens in football and Eastman’s goal was a cracker. He may be trying to diffuse the situation internally, but the rest of the Prem clubs saw it and the Man U fortunes may be turning.

After the humiliating loss by the US in the recent Ryder Cup, some big changes are going on in the structure of the team. New captain Paul Azinger has seen how Europe tends to bring in players who are peaking that year rather than those who may have had a good year the season before. Here is the new methodology:

Eight players will automatically qualify for the 2008 competition at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, via a points-list based on money earned at PGA Tour events held earlier that season. Double points will be on offer at the four majors, with single points available at the 2007 majors. Also, the Captain will be able to make 4 Captain’s picks rather than 2.

This setup will help against getting out of form players at the Cup, similar to what happened with Kenny Perry in 2004. I like Kenny, and he had a great 2003. But in 2004 he wasn’t clicking and lost all his matches at the Ryder Cup. Hopefully this system will help but an attitude adjustment is also needed. More team camaraderie is need and a desire to win. They have 2 years to sort it out. Az should be able to do it, or so I hope.

And in crazy ass news, when 44-year old Dean Karnazes crossed the finish line at the New York Marathon last Sunday, he completed his goal of running 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days. Yes, 50. One marathon is staggering to me. Hell 5 miles is staggering to me. This guy is truly a nutter, or more like a health nut (nyuk nyuk!). He did all this as material for a new book to be titled “The Endurance 50.” I think I’d rather go to the library to do research for a new book.

Adios.

Man U Got it in the Southend!!

2006-11-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” I know I’ll be lambasted for using this quote, but good old Professor Dumbledore had it right. Yesterday, most Gooners were down in the dumps, but they can’t be in much worse shape than ManU supporters after the loss today in the Carling Cup to a freekick goal from Southend’s Freddy Eastwood. Southend United currently reside at the bottom of the Championship League table and I’m sure most people are thinking, “Hey, yesterday you said that the Arsenal don’t really take this competition seriously and typically put the younger players out.” Right you are my friends and thanks for paying attention, but old Fergie didn’t feel quite the same way and put out a number of first XI starters (Rooney, Ronaldo, Brown, Silvestre, Heinze, and Smith). Alas, the trip to Roots Hall for the Mancs hasn’t proven to be quite as easy as it seemed and are now out of the competition. The ManU supporters (who are like University of Florida football supporters where nothing is ever the team’s fault) will say the competition didn’t mean anything, the loss is no big deal, etc. But going out this early, against this level of club, and with a strong starting XI will give hope to other Premiership clubs and likely cast some doubt in the MU Rowdies locker room.

To all of us golf hacks, we’ll never be able to play like Tiger Woods, but coming up soon we’ll be able to play on one of his courses. Woods, who missed the PGA Tour Championship recently by taking some time off and hanging with the Round Mound of Rebound Barkely, is opening up the golf course design company Tiger Woods Designs. He is 30 now and has to start thinking of his retirement you know. Can’t play forever! Anyway, he plans to design all kinds of courses (links to tree lined) for all levels of play. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m sure he’ll put out top notch courses.

Finally, I’ll keep it short today so you can get out and VOTE!!! It is important for everyone to exercise their civic duty, even the Reverend Horton Heat thinks so.

Adios.

Somebody's Got a Case of the Mondays...

2006-11-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

This Monday bears with it the aches and pains from a weekend of sports disappointments and of getting older. A week of traveling, kid duty, and home improvements mixed between favorite team losses has left me a bit weary. But alas, hope springs eternal and Advil work wonders!

The Arsenal lost (0-1) yesterday from a late goal at Upton Park. The ref Rob Styles was crap (blatant penalty not called), the play was crap (Arsenal just couldn’t get it together) and the West Ham supporters were crap (Robin van Persie was hit by a coin thrown from the stands as he prepared to take a throw-in). Plus, Hammers gaffer Pardew acted like an ass and he and Wenger had to be separated by the fourth official. Now, AW isn’t the Dali Lama, but Pardew must have said something completely out of order to get the kind of reaction he did from Arsene. In 10 years at Arsenal and countless matches against managers like Fergie and Mourinho, I’ve never seen Webger react in the manner he did (going after Pardew). At the end of the day though, neither Arsenal or West Ham deserved the win, but that is football and you have to move on. At least Chelski were beaten by Spurs yesterday, so a bit of the venom was taken out of the loss.

The Arsenal play again on Wednesday in the next round of the Carling Cup at Everton. Once again, we are likely to see the younger players getting a run out as Wenger doesn’t like to play the first string players in this competition, especially in the early rounds. Cesc could really use the rest along with most of the other starting XI. Plus it will give the young guns and those returning from injury (Senderos, Eboue, Adebayor) a chance to gain more fitness and game sharpness.

Plymouth also lost over the weekend (0-1) to Birmingham. Radhi Jaidi scored a second-half winner to end Plymouth's seven-game unbeaten run.

In the world of American football, on Saturday night, my Texas Aggies lost a heartbreaker by 1 point to Oklahoma. Then on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys lost to the ‘skins after a series of kicking snafus. Game tied and Washington driving late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys stop them and force the Redskins to go for a long field goal (49 yards) from their replacement kicker who was 1 for 4 at that point. The ball was snapped and the poor little fella pushes it right. Cowboys then get the ball with 2 time outs and 35 seconds. Romo and company start to drive and with 6 seconds left have a chance at a 35 yard field goal from Vanderjagt (who was stellar for Indy) to win the game. Kick is blocked, and instead of just dropping on the ball and taking the game to overtime, Sean Taylor of Washington scoops up the ball and rushes forward. During the run, which gained a number of yards, there was a 15 yard face mask penalty against Dallas. Result is that now the Redskins get the ball on the 30 yard line (47 yard field goal) and a free play as the game can’t end with a defensive penalty. Kick goes up and Nick Novak has gone from zero to hero. Of course, if they had heeded Tuesday Morning Quarterback Gregg Easterbrook’s rules of kick early, go for 2 late, (went for 2 early in the match instead of taking the extra point) the Cowboys wouldn’t have been in the jam they were.

And in the tennis world, male models are being used as ball boys in the season ending WTA Championship event in Madrid. The male models are being used to try and offset the criticism garnered from using female models in the recent men’s Madrid Masters Tournament. Elena Dementieva wants to make sure the fellas are watching the balls instead of them. "We were practicing the other day and I don't think they really know what they have to do on the court because they are too busy watching the players," the 25-year-old Russian told press hacks. Uh yeah, no kidding. One of the few reasons I watch women’s tennis is to watch the ladies like Dementieva and Maria Sharapova. Not that they aren't a talented bunch of women and true athletes, but normally I can't be bothered to watch.

Enough for now.

Adios.

Party Time in G-Town

2006-11-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Well friends, I am posting remotely from the beautiful tropical island that is Galveston, Texas. It will be a short post as I'm off to the bar soon with college buddies. Also it is a Biker Weekend here so hopefully I don't get shot by a member of Hell's Angels.

So the Arsenal drew against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday 0-0. I have not seen the match (stupid work trips!!) but from my reliable sources, the were loads of shots by the Gunners, but no good finishing. I always felt that was going to be a tough match, but at least we got a point and didn't fall too far behind the Ruskies in the CL table. We just need to concentrate on getting two more wins and we'll see what happens.

The Arsenal play the Hammers on Sunday and seeing as how West Ham have been performing lately, it may be an easy win. But, stranger things have happened and if Arsenal don't start converting more shots into goals, we may only walk away with 1 to 0 points. I think it will be a 2-0 win though. There is too much chaos going on in East London right now.

Plymouth finished their Ipswich match at 1-1 and are currently in 6th place. They host newly relegated Birmingham tomorrow. Should be a good match.

Not too much else going on. Plus it is time for some beers.

Adios.

A Little to the Left ...... Hold ...... PERFECT!!!

2006-10-31T13:22:00.000-08:00

Tuesday afternoon is never ending…. Macca had it right, at least as far as today is concerned. Too many projects and too many people wanting to meet. It is rain or shine for your favorite blogger, but I’m sure I’ll find a beer somewhere soon.

The Arsenal have a mid-week Champions League match tomorrow at the Grove against CSKA Moscow. I’m sure you’re thinking, “Didn’t the Arsenal just play those guys?” You are correct fine person, but this is the home leg of the group stage and the Gunners need a win to make sure they not only go through to the knock-out stages, but can go through on top of the table. Arsenal are currently in the second slot of Group G on 6 points, just behind the Russians who have 7 points. Going through top of the group can mean you could get a bit easier of an opponent in the next round. Of course, that doesn’t always happen as this competition is made up of some of the best clubs in Europe.

Anyway, on to the match. Wenger feels that the players are a bit too cocky right now after their performance in the CL last season. This lackadaisical attitude lost them some points on the recent trip to Moscow. The players really didn’t seem too interested in playing until they were a goal down, and by then it was too late as CSKA locked up the 18-yard box. AW is urging the Gunners to go out and fight for the win. Lets hope they can pull through.

Plymouth Argyle, at the time of this posting, are at half time against Ipswich and are level at 1-1. Ipswich went up in the first minute, but Wotton brought the Argyle level in the 22nd minute. You, dear reader, will have to follow the rest of the match yourselves (I’m sure you are logging on to bbc.com as we speak) as I see an avalanche of work coming my way and I’ll be out of town for the rest of the week.

I have decided recently my friends that I have a new dream job. The top photographer at Playboy position will have to wait as I yen to be the next England manager. I don’t really have much experience, but I doubt I could have been much worse than Sven over the last few years. The best part of the job is that even when I got fired (and we all know it would happen) I'd still get to collect millions of £’s while I scoured the land for a new job. The Sun is now reporting that the Svenenator is whispering sweet nothings in the ear of Freddy Shepherd while current gaffer Glenn Roeder is steering the Toon towards the relegation zone. Freddy and Sven may be chumming it up, but the Toon Army supporters would not be too happy with the deal. About the only thing that could make the frothing Geordies happy right now is free beer and Alan Shearer at the helm, neither of which is likely to happen.

And finally, for those Hammer supporters who are fans of Pardew, who seemed to be saved from a sacking with a win over Blackburn over the weekend, the gaffer may still be on his way as club Chairman Terry Brown is reported to be in final negotiations with Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian over sale of the club. It is thought that the new owner will be looking to make some changes, especially since his potential new investment is hovering in the relegation zone. Maybe Sven will weasel his way in there. You never know. Old Sven seems to have a lot of irons in the fire!

Well friends, it is Halloween so I hope you all get loads of candy, or like me, hope your daughter gets loads of candy that you can pilfer. Enjoy the evening and I’ll try post again on Friday with the results of the Arsenal match.

Adios.

All Roads Lead to Romo...

2006-10-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

Monday, oh how I loathe thee. Actually, it isn’t too bad of a day here in the beautiful Coastal Bend of Texas. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and I’m leading my Premiership “I Know the Score” League. I know it won’t last, but it is good to be on top. Also, there is early voting here in my office building today, so I performed my civic duty and cast my ballot. If you know of an early voting station near you, I highly suggest going before election day. Otherwise, make sure you get to the polls. It is important to get out and be heard. OK, enough of the soapbox, lets get down to brass tacks.

The Arsenal played at home against Everton on Saturday and drew 1-1. Everton went ahead early off a corner kick that saw an unmarked Cahill put it in the net. After this Everton dropped back, put 10 men in the penalty area, and greatly limited the Gunners ability to get inside and take a shot. Even GK TIMMAY Howard got in on the act and wasted as much time as possible on every goal kick. You can’t really blame them, but some gamesmanship would have been nice. Anyway, the Gunners got a free kick just outside the area in the 70th minute and Robin van Persie blasted one past the Everton wall and TIMMAY. Wenger brought on Flamini, Walcott, and Aliadiere to try and get a winner but it just wasn’t their day. Too bad Baptista was injured because it would have been fun to watch him bully his way through the 18-yard box. Hopefully he’ll be fit for Carling Cup match against Everton.

Plymouth Argyle traveled to south London on Saturday and beat Palace 1-0. The Argyle have been doing well on the road lately and it has put them in 5th place in the Championship. Plymouth hosts Ipswich tomorrow on Halloween. A Home Park win would round the month out nicely.

Traveling to Spain really quick, our good pal Becks is now saying he doesn’t want to leave and will stick out the season in Madrid. I could really care less what he does, but I wanted to bring it up as a good intro to a classic Holloway quote:

"He's going to be what?! Oh for God's sake. Sir David Beckham? You're having a laugh. He's just a good footballer with a famous bird" - Ian Holloway isn't impressed by talk of a knighthood for David Beckham.

You can always count on Holloway to put things straight.

In the England camp, Second Choice Steve McClaren is serious about making some changes to their tactics after their miserable performances in the recent Euro 2008 qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia (draw and a loss). He plans on going around to all the players and asking them what went wrong. You would think that as the manager he might have a bit of a clue himself, but he feels it is necessary to ask the overpaid prima donnas what they think. I say that coming up with a system better than the 3-5-2 might be a start and maybe a bit of the old “Oi! Start performing or you’re going home lads” could help as well. Also, another striker to accompany Wayne “Stomp em in the Nuts” Rooney might be nice. Crouch, though he has his moments, doesn’t really instill a lot of confidence in me. Of course nobody on the squad does, but that’s another story.

In the States, my Cowboys rallied last night to overcome the Carolina Panthers and win 35-14. Last week veteran QB Bledsoe was benched during the game and youngster Romo came on. Romo made his first start last night and looked pretty good. He made a rookie mistake early in the game when instead of taking the sack he tried to dish the ball off and it ended up as an interception. The Panthers went on to score and I thought it would be a short honeymoon for the new QB. But the kid persevered and saw his team to victory. I hope he keeps it up and the ‘boys can turn the season around.

I think that is about all I can handle today. I planted a tree in the front lawn yesterday and painted the guest room. Fat people can’t handle that much work so I’m a bit tired.

Adios.

Wave to a Red Guinness!

2006-10-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Being that I’m a mover and shaker in the world, I was out traveling yesterday. Hence no post. Had some business in Houston, then I flew back for an awards banquet and I got my few free drinks then ducked out with a colleague to have some more beers at a bar across the street. Needless to say I’m a bit fuzzy today, but oh well. So without further delay, lets get crackin’.

Not much has been going on in the world of Arsenal football, though the young Gunners won the Carling Cup match against West Brom 2-0 (Aliadiere 34' (pen) and 49'). Also, it was recently reported that rightback Lauren (voted 2003 Premiership Player I Would Not Like to Meet in a Dark Alley), who has been injured since January has had some setbacks and probably won’t be back in the squad until the end of the year. Replacement Eboue, who is actually out right now to injury, has been playing well and gets forward more than Lauren ever did so he’ll make it tough for Lauren to get his spot back. However, I think Lauren will work hard and Wenger will give him some chances. He is a good player and one look from him can make you bend to his will.

In order to annoy my buddy Dave who is a Hammers supporter (only God knows why) I wanted to comment on the latest rumors that Sven Goran Eriksson has been linked to a move to West Ham! The lackadaisical Swede was seen talking to an Israeli company that is rumored to be part of a potential takeover of the club. Now, current gaffer Pardew may be a bit of a knob at times, but I don’t know how any Hammers supporter would be happy with Sven at the helm. However, Maybe Sven can convince Argies Torres and Maschereno to stay longer than January. Riiiiiigghhhttt.

Over in Espana, pretty boy Becks finally got a start this week, but it was in a Copa del Rey match against lowly 3rd division Ecija. Real boss Capello seems to be happy with the recent squad that beat Barcelona and Steaua Bucharest, so Golden Balls is likely to remain on the bench this weekend for the next league match. As much as Becks is “sad about it” it seems that old Fabio is getting things back in order at the Bernabeu as RM is only 2 points back of League leaders Barca. Becks and Posh may be scouting townhouses or Malibu mansions during the winter break.

Today, my friends, is an historic anniversary as we mark the 25th anniversary of “The Wave.” If you are unfamiliar with this stadium phenomenon, then you have likely been chewing roots with the tribesmen of the Sepahua region of the Amazon. The wave was first initiated by nutter, I mean professional cheerleader, Krazy George Henderson at an Oakland A’s playoff game against the Yankees in 1981. Soon after, the bastards at the University of Washington tried to steal the wave and claim it was their brilliant idea. Krazy George was having none of that and has spent the last 25 years ‘educating’ the public.

Finally, for those of you who love the dark goodness known as Guinness, the makers of the brew (Diageo) plan on introducing a new Red Guinness. This beer will use lightly roasted barley, which will give the stout a reddish color. It will still need to be poured correctly in a two stage process though. Some trial runs in Britain are scheduled, so any British friends, let us know how it is, what it looks like, etc. This is a very serious issue. Iraq schmaq. Give us the info!!!

Adios.

Young Guns

2006-10-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well friends, we are only into the second day of the “work week” and there is another Arsenal match today to help us through. The Gunners travel to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom in the Carling Cup. Even though this is a tournament that doesn’t carry the weight it once did as the League Cup, Wenger still says he would like to win the trophy as it is one of the few he hasn’t gotten. Of course, this is more rhetoric than actual desire as he is following his usual formula of putting in the reserve players in the early rounds of the tournament. This tournament gives the younger players a chance to experience being a part of the First XI and what it is like against a non-reserve side. West Brom are a recently relelgated side, so they still have players of Prem quality and will be looking to move back up. But that desire to move up may be an advantage for the young Gunners as the Baggies will probably put in their reserves as well so they can save their starters for the League. Hot off the Arsenal.com press is the list of the Carling Cup squad.

Manuel Almunia
Mart Poom
Philippe Senderos
Johan Djourou
Joe O’Cearuill
Matthew Connolly
Gael Clichy
Armand Traore
Mathieu Flamini
Alexandre Song
Denilson
Mark Randall
Jay Simpson
Theo Walcott
Emmanuel Adebayor
Jeremie Aliadiere

I’m looking forward to seeing Big Phil back in action and hope to see some of the younger leaders like Connolly for the first time. I’d imagine that Walcott will get the nod to start and hope he gets to play in a striker role. It may be Ade and Aliadiere up front, though Jeremie is as fragile as a snowflake so he might not make it through the whole match. Let’s hope I’m wrong and the kid can stay healthy for more than a few weeks.

In other football arenas, big-ego Becks is stating he might actually like to come back to Manchester United and doesn’t think Fergie is a big meanie like he used to. Beckham has been relegated to the bench lately by gaffer Fabio Capello and as a result, Real Madrid are actually winning some matches! They just beat Barcelona over the weekend 2-0. I’m not saying the Becks was the downfall of RM recently, but it seems the new manager is more interested in putting out a squad that can win matches rather than one that showcases the “galaticos” as was done by previous managers. The lack of playing time has put a wrinkle in David’s sarong and he hasn’t signed a new contract offered to him by the club. He does say that he is working hard to get back into the starting XI. We’ll see. It seems to me that he has been touted as a star for so long he doesn’t realize he isn’t world class like he thinks he is. Now, he isn’t a bad player, but neither is he one of the best in the world. Beckham is at the end of his contract and can leave on a free at the end of the season. Some think he’ll be going back to England but I seriously doubt United will have him nor would any of the top clubs, and his ego couldn’t take playing for a Bolton or Pompey. My opinion is that he’ll start talking to some American clubs (either Red Bull New York or the L.A. Galaxy) in January and make a move to the States. Over here he would be like a Pele (in name recognition only) to many young soccer fans, could garner a large wage, and would be one of the biggest stars. All of that would serve his need for $’s and attention well. I could be wrong (it has happened once before, though we don’t’ bring it up) but I expect to see him in the US come summer.

Finally, I can’t wait until the election season is over and we can be done with the insanity of political races. They really seem to be heating up all across the country and some of the mud slinging is getting crazy. One of the more annoying themes here in Texas is that all the Republican candidates use the term “Liberal Democrat” in a highly negative connotation. Some ads say that certain Democrat candidates aren’t conservative enough for Texas. I’m not a huge politico and although I do lean a bit more left, I’m no bleeding heart liberal by any stretch. But there are some conservatives here in the state that scare the crap out of me. Therefore, I think I might vote for every one of the so-called “Liberal Democrats” just out of spite to the crazy negative ads. Not really a sound voting policy, but there aren’t too many good candidates to chose from. Oh well, there is my political rant of the year, or at least until something else annoys the crap out of me.

Adios.

Here's Your Uniform, a Rifle, and Your Hooker

2006-10-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

Autumn has finally hit the Coastal Bend of Texas and I can actually walk outside without sweating. I’m sure this isn’t the most important news to many, but it means a lot to me. There was a lot of action for lots of people this weekend, so lets get started.

First and foremost, the Arsenal won decisively on Saturday against Reading at the Madejski Stadium. Henry opened up the scoring with a goal off a great pass from Cesc within the first minute of play. Not a bad way to start the day! Cesc along with the entire team continued to impress the whole match and they put on a show reminiscent of the unbeaten season. Great one touch passes, plays into space, and loads of chances on goal. Hleb got a nice goal, and so did van Persie. Later, Cesc was played into space and drew a penalty when he was brought down by the keeper. Henry slotted the PK home for a brace and to bring the match to 4-nil. Reading, who were recently promoted from the Championship, aren’t a bad club and gave fits to Man U and Chelsea recently. They also had a few good chances and except for some luck and good saves from Lehmann, could have had a goal. But the way Arsenal were playing on Sunday, not many clubs would have stood a chance at beating them. Here are the highlights (though the video is a bit slow to load).

The win this weekend put the Gunners into 4th place on 17 points. ManU and Chavksi are in 1st and 2nd at 22 points and Bolton are 3rd on 20. Arsenal also has a game in hand, so we are looking good and still title contenders. The press hasn’t mentioned this much, which is fine by me though. Let the media focus on the other clubs and leave us to our beautiful football and weekly wins. The Arsenal play again tomorrow in the Carling Cup against West Brom and the veterans will get a few days off as the kids are likely to start. More on that tomorrow.

Plymouth drew 0-0 against Burnley on Saturday. The Danish GK Brian Jensen did wonders to stop a number of Argyle strikes to give Burnley a point in the match. Plymouth can rest this week with no midweek fixtures and travel to south London to play Crystal Palace this coming Saturday. Argyle currently sit in 7th place and a win against Palace could see them move back up the table.

Chelsea won this weekend as well as Man U over Liverpool, but the biggest news, at least to many, was Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe’s mid-match snack on the arm of West Ham’s Mascherano. Apparently lil Defoe was getting kicked about a bit and was finally brought down from behind by the Argie. Enough was enough and Defoe thought the best way to mouth his displeasure was to gnaw on Javier’s arm. What ever happened to the old kick in the nuts or Zidane style head-butt? Kids these days. Anyway, along with Defoe, his manager Martin Soprano, I mean Jol has tried to downplay it as just a bit of fun:

"It is part of the game. They kicked him three times from behind in 10 minutes and he wanted to show his frustration in a nice, comical way."

If by comical you mean biting like a 2-year old, then yes, that is what he did Martin. And the Sperz wonder why nobody takes them seriously and considers them a big club. Not only are they a crap side, but they are all idiots as well.

Finally, if I ever have to join the military, I think I’m going to emigrate to Holland. No, it’s not because of the fancy wooden shoes, but because some Dutch politicos think their army should send along prostitutes when their soldiers go abroad. Now, I know most people are thinking the same thing I am, the Dutch have an army? But it seems they do and some feel hookers should be part of the rations.

"The army must consider ways its soldiers can let off steam," Annemarie Jorritsma, mayor of the town of Almere in central Netherlands and a member of the ruling VVD liberals, told Dutch television. "There was once the suggestion that a few prostitutes should accompany troops on missions. I think that is something we should talk about," she said, adding that the prostitutes would keep soldiers from turning to local women ( or men, or sheep).

Some members of their army (stop laughing!!) feel it might not be a good idea and that their spouses wouldn’t like it. Members in the sex trade are intrigued though.

That does it for me today.

Adios.

I Been Illin

2006-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

After a triumphant return to the blog, I caught a nasty bug and have been a bit under the weather for the last few days. I’m still not 100%, but, what are you gonna do? The blog must go on.

The Arsenal nearly froze to death and didn’t gather any points in Moscow (lost 1-0), though it should have been a draw no thanks to the ref’s crap “handball” call on Henry and subsequent booking. Late in the match, Henry played a great long ball and put the ball in to level the match. But the ref, for some unknown reason, declared that Henry handled the ball. After watching the match and the replays, there is no way Henry used his hand. Oh well, that is how it goes in football sometimes. The Gunners didn’t play very well, but deserved the draw.

Now it is time to focus on the trip to Reading on Sunday. There are no new injuries to the squad, plus Big Phil, Flamini, and Clichy are back in the squad. Baptista, Eboue, and Ljungberg are also still out. One of these days Lauren will be back too. But of concern to the Gunners should be Reading’s ability to take the Keepers out of the game. Literally. They sent Cech and Cudicini to the hospital last week and it will be 6 to 12 months before Cech is able to play again. I doubt there were any hostile intentions by the Reading players, but I hope they take it a bit easier on the GK’s in the box this week. Of course, if anyone touches Mad Jens on Sunday, there will be hell to pay!! Jens isn’t one to suffer foolish behavior in his territory as we all know.

In other Gunner news, wonderboy Cesc Fabregas signed an 8 year deal with the club, which I believe is one of the longest contracts in Prem history. It is great that he has committed to the club and he will be a cornerstone to the Arsenal for many years to come.

Plymouth Argyle slipped a bit in the table this week to 6th place as they drew 2-2 with Barnsley on Tuesday. The Argyle are at home tomorrow against Burnley. Doumbe will be back in the lineup for the Pilgrims after serving a 1 match ban. Also, it is hopeful that Nick Chadwick will be available as Barry Hayles (who has scored 5 goals this season) is out. Come on Argyle!!!

I was going to continue the stories from my trip to NYC this week, but in reality, there wasn’t too much to tell. My crazy party days are pretty much over and it was mostly early nights for yours truly. I did have a great time seeing the fellas and got to see some neat sights. Sailed past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on the Staten Island Ferry. Went to the top of the Empire State Building (man is that up there!!) and strolled through Rockefeller Plaza on the way to Central Park. All in all I had a good time in the Big Apple and hope to go back soon.

Also, during my trip I read the book “Flags of Our Fathers” which was turned into a movie by Clint Eastwood, and I think opens this weekend. Anyway, the book was a good read and is about the 6 flagraisers who fought on Iwo Jima. The book is written by one of the flagraisers’ son and it gives a good account of who they were and how they lived, both before and after the battle. If you are a history buff like I am, it is a good read. Give it a go, especially if you are on a long trip like I was.

Adios.

Me and the 'Goos

2006-10-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

Cam is back and basking in the south Texas heat. After a week of nice cool weather in the northeast, I have returned to 90 degree plus temperatures and very high (>90%) humidity. Yay Fall.

The trip to New York and New Jersey was a success and although I’m a bit worn out, it was all worth it. The trip started out interesting and when I boarded the flight from Dallas to Newark, the guy I was sitting next to looked a bit familiar, but couldn’t place it and didn’t think anything of it. So we take off and I’m reading my book, my neighbor is too. I’m listening to my iPod, and so is he. I’m taking a nap (a bit hungover, imagine that!) and, well, I don’t know what he’s doing as I’m asleep. Anyway, about halfway through the flight, the guy’s daughters (across the aisle) finish watching their cartoons on the portable DVD player, so the dad next to me takes it and starts pulling out all these DVD’s that have soccer players on the cover and Hispanic names across the top. That’s weird I thought after waking up from little siesta, and looked over his shoulder at the DVD’s. But they weren’t matches, they were full of one touches, plays, goals, etc. Looked to me like scouting videos. I wanted to ask if the guy was a scout for a club, but I hate being bugged on airplanes and therefore don’t like to bug others. Plus, he was busy watching his videos and trying to get the DVD player to quit skipping and I was checking out DC, Baltimore, and the country side as we neared Newark. Awhile later we finally land and the family starts getting all their gear together and the two daughters (who are cute as buttons) start getting excited about their trip. As I wait to get off the plane, I notice the dad is holding a car seat and there is a label on it. I read the name and it was Jeff Agoos. NO! It can’t be. I look at the label, then the guy, then the label and then the guy. The fella is looking at me weird and so I ask if that is his name. He looks down, and says that sure enough it is. I had been sitting next to a US Mens National Team member for over 3 hours and never said a word to him. Arghh! Oh well, we said hello and I said it was great to meet him. He was nice and said nice to meet you back. His wife chuckled at my sudden realization of my stupidity and we all got off the plane. I am always hearing stories of people sitting next to stars-celebrities-sports players, and it finally happens to me but I never get a chance to really live it up. Oh well, he was with his family and trying to get some work in. The last thing he needed was me peppering him with questions the entire flight. So in the end, Goos, it was good to meet you!

More on the rest of the trip tomorrow. Now on to football.

The Arsenal packed their parkas this week and have headed to the other great white north to play CSKA Moscow tonight. The match starts early (12:25 EDT) because it is bloody cold up there! The Gunners are coming off a great 3-0 win at home against Watford (I was trying to get over for this match, but couldn’t make it). The first goal was a flick on by Adebayor and it seemed like Toure got the nod in, but it appears it came off a Watford defender. Anyway, it was a goal and the Arsenal were up. Cesc was put through on a nice ball by Walcott (who got his first League start), but the wonderkid put it just wide. Henry later made the Watford defense look like Keystone Cops as he pushed the ball through two defenders who then collided and crumbled to the pitch. Henry then stepped around them and put the shot just wide. That would have been one of the great ones had it gone in. Henry wasn’t done making a mockery of the defense though as he held off Demerit and collected a pass from the middle with his right foot, sent the ball forward, then sprung past everyone and put the ball in the net. A great goal for sure. Tel set up the final goal as he sprung the offside trap, was one on one with the keeper, but graciously pushed the ball into Ade’s path who slotted it home to go up 3-0. Watford, to be fair, did have some chances, but there was no way they were stopping the Gunners that day. Here are some highlights.

Let’s hope the Arsenal can take this momentum into the match today and secure a win. A win against CSKA would pretty much make the next round of the Champions League a sure thing. That would allow some of the younger players to get some experience in the final 3 matches of the group stage and let the veterans get some rest during the middle of the season.

Plymouth won at home against Derby this past weekend as well and were down to 10 men at one point (Doumbe sent off at 49’). Wotton scored on two PK’s, the first coming just before half in injury time. Arturo Lupoli (on loan from Arsenal) immediately equalized for Derby, but in the second half, the second PK by Wotton (63’) and a header by Seip (79’) made it 3-1. The Argyle are now up to 5th spot! Maybe this is their year, but there is still a lot of football to be played.

Whew, that is enough for today. There is much more to talk about, but I’ll save it for the rest of the week so there will be something of vague interest before the next round of League action.

Adios.

I'm Off!!

2006-10-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

It is finally Friday and I am ready to begin the weekend. Not much happening in my world today though as club football is on hiatus and the internationals aren’t of much interest to me. My shoulder is a bit sore from shooting shotguns yesterday, but only one bird gave up the ghost as a result. The poor number was due to a lack of birds rather than my horrible aim. I swear!!! We were divided into 3 groups, one group limited out right away, another did OK, and about 8 birds flew past our group. We did get 4 though. Anyway, it wasn’t a great hunt, but we got to shoot some targets, which was fun. Plus we got a big steak dinner and free beer. Much better than an afternoon at the office for sure.

I am heading out of town again next week and as a result (because I don’t have a laptop or care to find a computer) there will be no postings here. Put down the pitchforks and blow out the torches, I’ll be back and ready to go soon. The upcoming trip consists of yet another conference, this time in New Jersey, with the remainder of the week spent in New York City. I’ll be seeing some old friends and meeting up with the Arsenal America crew (Mikey, our fearless leader, and Ryan or Fresh Bread fame). We’ll be at Nevada Smiths for the Watford match if anyone wants to meet up with us…… crickets……

So, to keep you laughing and anticipating my return, here is another gem from our buddy Ian Holloway (which I stole from the Fiver).

"It was a bit cheeky wasn't it? But I don't think it was that bad. It would have been worse if he'd turned around and dropped the front of his shorts instead. I don't think there's anything wrong with a couple of butt cheeks, personally. Maybe they're just jealous that he's got a real nice tight one, with no cellulite or anything. I thought his bum cheeks looked very pert. If anybody's offended by that they ought to go and see the doctor" - Ian Holloway clearly enjoyed the crack provided by Joey Barton last weekend.

Adios.

Sober Irishmen? Right, and I'm not Fat.

2006-10-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

The weekend is nearly here and it means we are all even closer to getting through another international break. Many countries in Europe will be playing in qualifiers for the Euro 2008 competition and there are some cracker matches. England v. Macedonia, Cyprus v. Rep. of Ireland to name a few….. Actually, there are a few good ones to watch out for. The Sweden v. Spain match could prove interesting and pits newly appointed captain Freddie Ljungberg against Arsenal chum Cesc Fabregas. Beyond that, I hope the players all come back healthy and injury free. Wenger would like French manager Domenech to rest Gallas because of the hamstring injury, but Domenech will have to ring Miss Cleo to see if it is in the stars before committing to anything. Wenger, in his own witty style had this to say:

“The case of Gallas is still worrying. I do not think he’s cured.

“Gallas has trained but, from what I have seen, I am convinced he has gone back a bit.

“Domenech is like other managers of countries. They don’t contact you.

“It’s like giving your car to a guy and him returning it without any petrol in it.”

Good stuff. Here is the complete schedule for matches on Saturday. Setanta is your best bet on catching any of them.

07/10 Grp D Wales 15:00 Slovakia
07/10 Grp B Faroe Islands 15:00 Lithuania
07/10 Grp B Scotland 17:00 France
07/10 Grp E England 17:00 F.Y.R. Macedonia
07/10 Grp D Czech Republic 17:15 San Marino
07/10 Grp C Moldova 19:00 Bosnia-Herzegovina
07/10 Grp E Russia 19:00 Israel
07/10 Grp D Cyprus 19:30 Republic of Ireland
07/10 Grp C Hungary 19:45 Turkey
07/10 Grp F Sweden 20:00 Spain
07/10 Grp F Denmark 20:00 Northern Ireland
07/10 Grp G Romania 20:15 Belarus
07/10 Grp E Croatia 20:15 Andorra
07/10 Grp A Serbia 20:15 Belgium
07/10 Grp G Slovenia 20:45 Luxembourg
07/10 Grp B Italy 20:50 Ukraine
07/10 Grp A Portugal 21:00 Azerbaijan
07/10 Grp G Bulgaria 21:00 Netherlands
07/10 Grp F Latvia 21:00 Iceland
07/10 Grp A Armenia 21:00 Finland
07/10 Grp A Kazakhstan 21:00 Poland
07/10 Grp C Greece 21:30 Norway
*match times are local, so you'll need a calculator to figure when you can watch them

In another important story (well, it involves beer), it seems the Irish are **gasp, this can’t be true** drinking less? AP reports that some “major research firm” found that drinking cappuccino is becoming more popular in Eire and is threatening beer consumption. The study indicated that the o’people of the Isle are consuming 3 gallons less alcohol than they did in 2000. Also, spending every night in a pub is becoming a frowned upon offense. What’s next? A story about how the French have found soap and manners? The world is falling apart my friends.

That story has really thrown me for a loop. Therefore, I’m going to get my life back in line by heading out to shoot guns at small birds and drink beer. This afternoon I’m going to a company dove hunt to entertain clients and blast some birds. There is nothing more exciting than novice hunters drinking beer in a field! At least Cheney is in Washington (or so they have you believe), so I feel a bit safer.

Adios.

Poliphi - what - I?

2006-10-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

10-4 good buddies!!! I’ve been waiting all year for this day so I can say that to people! Yes, I’m a dork, but whatever. Of course, the non-US population won’t get the joke because they aren’t in on trucker CB talk, and they put the day before the month, which would be 4-10, and …………. I have now lost any hope (be it extremely slim) of pulling off the joke.

So anyway, the international break means that the excitement of club football has come to a screeching halt. Well, almost as there was some action yesterday for the Arsenal Reserves side as they beat West Ham Reserves at Upton Park 2-1 (goals from Aliadiere and Joe O'Cearuill). The match also saw the return to action of Phillipe Senderos, the Swiss international center back (CB), and left back Gael Clichy. It is good to see big Phil back in the mix after the crazy shoulder injury he picked up in the World Cup this summer. He was really doing well in the Cup and scored that great header after which he cracked his nose and ran down the pitch all bloody! One of the great moments of the Cup, at least so I thought. Clichy will provide some good cover at left back if he can get back on form and stay healthy. This kid gives Aliadiere a run for his money as far as time in the treatment room is concerned. I doubt either Phil or Gael will be available for the CL match in Moscow or the league match against Watford, but they should be back in the squad soon after.

This last week was Arsene Wenger’s 10th year as manager of Arsenal and there have been tons of tributes and heaps of praise for his achievements (there are loads of articles about this and I don’t need to go into the details). The club has secured 3 Premiership titles, 4 FA Cup wins, a streak of 49 matches unbeaten (including a whole season!) and was never out of the top 2, except for last season when they went to the Champions League Final. Most importantly, he changed the way football was played not only at Arsenal, but across the board in the Premiership. He introduced new player diets, training methods and a way of football not seen at Highbury before. He also did a lot of this on small transfer budgets. Look at the players like Henry and Fabregas and you can see he knows how to spot talent early. Over the years he has been likened to an artist, and called the Professor, but I think he is more like the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. He speaks many different languages, has hidden plots and schemes, is not well understood by his peers, but is renowned for his artistry and considered a masterpiece. I hope to see another 10 years with Arsene at the helm.

In other news, the anniversary dinner was a complete success and we went to a nice little place that has great seafood, a good wine list, and looks out over Corpus Christi Bay. Afterwards, being the big spender I am, we headed out for a few after-dinner drinks to the Executive Surf Club, where on Tuesday nights its $2 for any pint!!! Yahooooo! Stella pints all around! It was nice though to sit and have a few beers, hang out, and be without the kiddo for a few hours. They (whoever they may be) should profile me for husband of the year. I know I’d win hands down!

With that…..

Adios.

Argyles are Socking it to Em!!!

2006-10-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

In all my excitement about the Arsenal and Dynamo wins plus the fact that I am just now sober, I forgot to post the results of the Plymouth match on Saturday. I’m sure everyone has already read the match report, but for those that were under a rock, the Argyle pulled off another away win (1-0) with an 82nd goal by substitute Samba. Some great goaltending by Luke McCormick also helped out a bit. The win moves Plymouth back up the tables into 8th place on 16 points (behind Southampton and WBA on goal difference). The Argyle are only 2 points out of second as there are a load of teams on 18, 17, and 16 points. Cardiff City is at the top with 23 points. So it is looking good for the Pilgrims and hopefully they can continue their winning run. The next match is after the international break, at home against Derby on Sunday, October 15th.

Speaking of the international break, a big number of Arsenal players are off to play for their respective countries. Hopefully nobody picks up any injuries in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. The Gunners are just getting into a good groove and we don’t really need these matches now. Oh well, until I’m asked to head FIFA, nobody really cares what I think.

Since it is a busy day for me and my anniversary (8 years!!), better get back to work so I don’t get in hot water tonight!

Adios

I Don't Know How to Put This, but I'm Kind of a Big Deal.

2006-10-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was an exciting one for yours truly as I met up with long lost friends and watched two terrific goals being scored, one on TV and the other live. To start off the weekend, I headed up to Houston to hang out with my younger sister while the wife and kid went to the in-laws (smart move #1). I have my wife drop me off at the Richmond Arms pub (smart move #2) where I could wait for my sister, sip beers, and talk football with the locals. Only downside to the Richmond Arms was that the bartender was a Spurs fan (Tottenham Hotspurs that is, Arsenal’s north London arch rivals, to those not in the English football know), but he was a good enough chap so I let it pass. After spending too long downing pints on an empty stomach (started at 3 pm) the sis and I loaded up the car and headed to one of Houston’s oldest icehouses, the West Alabama Icehouse. Great place with cold beer and a wide variety of patrons from construction workers and Harley riders to lawyers in suits and yuppie kids. Anyway, I go to the bar and the bartender is a girl I went to high school with (in Tulsa) and haven’t seen in 16 years! Crazy stuff and it was fun to catch up a bit. The night continued with picking up a buddy near Rice Village then heading out for some Thai food and a few more pints.

Saturday morning. Woke up not feeling the best I ever have, but how do you get feeling better? Why, you head straight back to the pub, which is what we did. Sis and I went back to Richmond Arms to catch the Arsenal v. Charlton Athletic match. As I waited for the match to start, I noticed a guy walk in wearing a blue away jersey and looking like he just rolled out of bed. I thought to myself that this somehow seemed familiar and realized it was a guy I knew from the Playwright Pub in Miami Beach! So we chatted for awhile and turns out he has been in Houston off and on for nearly a year. Hopefully I’ll see him at the pub again, which is pretty much a sure bet if the Arsenal are on. So after a full English breakfast, a pint to steady the nerves, and a goal by Darren Bent (of Charlton, 21’) our favorite Dutchman Robin van Persie leveled the match in the 32nd minute with a nice score off a wonderful cross from Hleb. The Belarusian winger is really starting to get stuck in, set up nice goals, and even shoot as we saw last week. The second half started out OK but soon Henry (EDIT: and by Henry I mean Eboue. Sorry. Thanks to Judy for calling me out!) was flying up the right flank and sent in a cross to just outside the Charlton penalty box. It looked like the pass was to nobody in particular when all of a sudden you see van Persie come flying into view and off the volley he knocked in a cracker of a goal. This was one of the best strikes I’ve seen in a long time. If you missed it, go here and check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

With an Arsenal win under the belt and a few pints in my belly, it was time to pull up stakes and watch the Texas A&M football match. A&M started OK and ran back a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, but in the 2nd quarter Texas Tech really started rolling. To avoid the agony, I took a little nap through half time and when I woke up, the Aggies were starting to come back. They eventually pulled level and were then driving towards goal near the end of the 4th quarter. Now, I personally felt they had momentum on their side and really needed to press it and get a TD. Instead they played conservatively and got only a field goal to go up 3 points with 2 minutes to play. That turned out to be too few points with too much time on the clock as the Red Raiders got fired up and marched down the field. The Aggies had a chance to stop them on a fourth and long, but failed and eventually lost the game to a Tech touchdown with 8 seconds on the board. Oh well, it is a tough loss, but what can you do.

The end of the Aggie match meant it was time to gear up once again and head over to the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium to catch the Houston Dynamo v. DC United match. After touring the U of H campus because we got off on the wrong exit, my sis and I finally made it in, and with beer in hand we went to look for our seats. Unfortunately we were on the DC United side and not the Texas Army side, but we could see the dancing and the band playing. Looked like the locals were having fun and I’ll just have to walk over next time. Anyway, the match was OK but ended with a spectacular Dynamo goal by Brian Ching who after a cross and flick-on header, pulled off a bicycle kick that went in to the right side of the goal. Another one for the highlight reels. The win put the Dynamo into the playoffs, which is great for their first season in Houston. Freddy Adu didn’t really do much to impress me either. Seemed OK but never really put in any good runs. Another highlight was at halftime a bunch of the Texas Army fans came over with drums and set up camp right in front of the DC United fans. The Barra Brava was silent for the first time all night. To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have challenged a bunch Mexicans all painted up and dancing around either! A good time though and it was good to see some football in person again.

All in all it was a successful weekend, which made the drive home a bit of a task. But I’m alive and hope to do it again soon. Big props to my sis for setting it all up.

That is enough for me today. I’m still a bit wiped out.

Adios.

Friday!!!

2006-09-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-09-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

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!!

2006-09-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

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...

2006-09-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

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........

2006-09-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-09-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2006-09-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

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.