Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Hope and Looking at the Future for the Mets and Arsenal




















I was up until after 1 a.m. last night watching Dillon Gee pitch a brilliant game versus the Atlanta Braves. With a low pitch count and great stuff, Gee was given the opportunity by manager Terry Collins to get his first complete nine inning MLB victory. Of course, with this being the offensively challenged Mets, Gee was pitching with little room for error as the Mets had scored just one run. (These days it seems that if a Mets pitcher doesn't shut out the other team, he will not get a victory as the Mets seem to average about one run of offense per game....but that's another story).

Was I surprised when Gee lost the shut out and the victory with one out in the 9th? Sadly, no. Most Mets fans probably saw that coming. The only Mets player that my heart went out to was Gee who deserved so much more from his teammates on a night when he was the only player to show up (Gee had also driven in the Mets only run).
Today, however, the Mets and their fans are looking towards the future. Both the Daily News and the Post have given the Mets the backpage of today's papers as sensational rookie Matt Harvey starts the first end of a doubleheader followed by the MLB debut of the highly touted Zach Wheeler.

Harvey is already proving that he's got what it takes to be a successful MLB pitcher and Wheeler is one of the most highly rated prospects in the game. Time will tell, but for now these two young arms represent hope which is currently what this dismal Mets team needs.

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As for Arsenal....the crazy season has begun. Transfer speculation is rampant and the never ending rumors of who's in and who's out have begun.

The top story continues to surround the imminent signing of Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain. According to today's Daily Express, negotiations are under way. Sounds good, but as we've learned from seasons past, the papers take an ounce of speculation and make it a lead story. In other words, we'll see who Arsenal sign once they actually do....not when The Sun or any of the other rags speculate.

Could this become....................

Another rumor that has been in the news this week is the potential departure of Laurent Koscielny to Bayern Munich or Barcelona. Some reports say he may go, others say he wants to stay at Arsenal. Of course we are all hoping for the latter, but we've been down this road before and it's a waste a time to invest so much energy in what ifs.
One thing that is true is that the club finished the 2012-2013 season in great form with an 8-0-2 record in its last ten matches. Arsene Wenger is ridding the club of dead wood such as Johan Djourou and Sebastien Squillaci and apparently has a massive amount of money at his disposal to use in the transfer market.

I still believe in Wenger and am hoping that he will collect the missing pieces to the squad this summer and that Arsenal will truly contend for every competition next season.
.....This?


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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Yankee Fans Go Quiet as the Mets Sweep Their Noisy Neighbors


Mets fans are gloating tonight and they have every right to do so after defeating the Yankees in four straight games to earn bragging rights for the 2013 Subway Series.

The Mets have always been second class citizens in New York as the Yankees have purchased championships on a regular basis over the past 20 years or so. Any opportunity for the Mets to take the spotlight away from the free spending Yankees is cause for celebration. The Mets may not be going anywhere this season, but embarrassing the crosstown rivals in Queens and on their home field in the Bronx is an accomplishment worth bragging about.

Yankee fans are like schoolyard bullies. They have all the power and constantly love to remind Mets fans of  that fact. Any chance they have to kick their weaker neighbors they take. Prior to the start of this week's Subway Series Yankee fans were tweeting how much the Mets Suck and how the Yankees will kick their butts, etc. Now that the opposite has happened, the excuses are coming fast and furious.....it's only the Yankees B team, all our regular players are hurt, you'll be playing golf in October while we're in the playoffs.
There's nothing greater than seeing the entitled Yankee fan base denied. For once they have to let another team take the spoils. Yankee fans have to be a bit more gracious in defeat and, as my British friends would say,  stop throwing their toys out of the pram when they don't get everything they want.

While the aging stars on the Yankees have gone down like bowling pins, the club has brought in a rag tag bunch of throw aways, rookies, journeymen and players off the scrap heap to fill in. Surprisingly this group has outperformed expectations and Yankee fans, in typical fashion, just assume it's their god given right to win their division every year. Time will tell, but this four game sweep by the Mets may signal the clock striking midnight and this rag tag bunch turning back in to the replacement players they are.

As for those Yankee fans that just assume their entitled club will be playing in October, I can't wait to see their reaction when their aging and gimpy team fails.


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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Mets Are Downright Terrible....My Reaction to the Yankees & Man City as Joint Owners of a New MLS Team

Money can't buy happiness but it can buy a championship
I am a Mets fan....there I said it. It's along the lines of being an alcoholic and going to AA and standing up in front of strangers and admitting your weakness. It's rough, but it's the truth.

Being a Mets fan is hard and often not a lot of fun....but Mets fans are the best baseball fans in New York as they are "real" fans and not "plastic" like at least half of the fan base of the crosstown New York Yankees. Unfortunately, being a Mets fan comes with hardships and often a lot of humiliation. Take this year's team for example. After seven weeks of the 2013 season the Mets are absolutely HORRIBLE. They flat out STINK.

The statistics thus far are UGLY. The team have scored more than 4 runs just once so far in the entire month of May. Their first baseman is a nice guy, but an automatic out and the outfield is filled with misfits and has  beens. When the team does hit for power, there's never anyone on base. Three fifths of the starting rotation stink and the bullpen overall is a nightmare.

As a former ticket holder I receive emails from the Mets on a regular basis...and I can tell they are freaking out based on the crazy offers they are sending out to fans.

The Twitter conversations among Mets fans are hysterical and reflect the complete frustration they have with the seemingly unending futility of this club.

Of course the season is long and you never know what's going to happen. For that reason, us Mets fans remain loyal and optimistic but deep down we're not expecting much. Okay, I'm done venting about the Mets.
Ike Davis has been stinking up Citi Field
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MLS makes a deal with 2 Evil Empires
Now it's time for a vent of a different sort. The official announcement today that the New York Yankees and Manchester City will be joint owners of the newest MLS franchise, New York City FC, makes me sick to my stomach.

I have been a fan of proper football for close to 15 years and have followed the growth of MLS with optimism. The United States has made great strides in making football (not soccer) a major sport but the country has a long way to go to truly be competitive with long standing leagues in Europe, South America and the rest of the world.

Since the league's creation, New York's team has been the Red Bulls and they have slowly and organically grown the team and its fan base. With stars like Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill and Juninho the Red Bulls have brought some true world football experience to the club.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber's quote after the announcement of the Man City/Yankees join venture was:
"This is a transformational moment for Major League Soccer and soccer in America." The Commissioner added that the Yankees-Manchester City partnership combines "two of the most respected brands in sports."
Come on Mr. Commissioner, we all know it's all about the "Benjamins". The partnership of the 2 evil empires is paying the league $100 million for the expansion franchise NYCFC. In a league that was built on the "single entity structure" which imposes a salary cap of just $2.95 million per team, it seems strange to allow two franchises that are about buying championships to own an MLS club.

The rule is meant to allow all teams to compete evenly for players at the financial level. With the involvement of Manchester City and their oil baron owner Sheikh Mansour, it's a joke to think that his never ending financial resources won't come in to play for his MLS team.

Here is an excerpt from Euronews that explains how the MLS salary structure and the "buy a championship" mentality of Sheikh Mansour are at odds with each other:
While MLS clubs are allowed to sign three ‘designated players’ largely from outside the salary cap, allowing the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry to move to the league, the average annual salary in the league is close to a modest $150,000 according to the MLS Players Union.
 Sheikh Mansour, the billionaire from Abu Dhabi who owns Manchester City, has spent unprecedented millions on players since taking over the club in 2008 but his staff will find a very different ‘transfer market’ operates in MLS.
“Regarding the salary cap, we know very well the rules of the MLS and we think we can build a winning team within these rules,” said Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano.
“We’re going to make extensive use of our expertise, our knowledge, our people. We have very high-calibre people in Manchester City that have been very successful building winning teams”.
The article goes on to discuss the New York area fan bases that already exist for EPL clubs and how these fans will not automatically buy in to a club financed by Manchester City.
While the link with City will undoubtedly allow access to a network of scouts and coaches to help the new club, the close association with one particular Premier League club could create some marketing problems.
Premier League clubs, including City’s rivals Manchester United, have developed significant fan bases in the United States, including New York, and while they would appear to be a natural core support for the new club, it will be a key task to persuade them they are not supporting an inferior replica of the English team.
For me the Manchester City of today and the New York Yankees of the Steinbrenner era represent all that
is wrong with sports. For close to 20 years, and until 
just recently, the Yankees have been all about buying the shiniest and most expensive players, whatever the cost, to ensure that the Yankees are crowned champions every year.

Before Sheikh Mansour sunk his oil money from the United Arab Emirates in to Manchester City, they were a moderately successful club with a loyal fan base. They were always in the shadow of their more famous neighbors Manchester United. While I don't like Man United, I at least respect them for continually growing on their club's history. Manchester City, on the other hand, purchased their current history (check out this article from Forbes about this). For that, they should not be respected.

In short, two Evil Empires that represent greed and winning at all costs are not worthy of my support regardless of the fact that New York City FC will be playing in my home town. It's like your partner cheating on you with your two worst enemies....completely sickening. As long as those two clubs are owners of MLS's newest franchise, I will never support the MLS club in my own city.

My allegiance will remain with the New York Red Bulls that happen to play in New Jersey.


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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Happy St. Totteringham's Day 2013



It's a holiday that has been celebrated by Arsenal fans every year since 1995 and today it is celebrated once again. After a frustrating season where the giddy press were writing off Arsenal and declaring Spuds the new kings of North London it's even more sweet to celebrate this achievement today.

 Here's just a small sample of the BS that was thrown at Arsene Wenger and his club during the now completed campaign:


Now we’re Tot dogs! Bale: Spurs have finally shot past under-fire Gunners


Spurs will win 2-1 – they’re a lot stronger than Arsenal - Harry Redknapp   

 Wenger to be given the sack? - Arsenal in crisis    

 Exclusive: Wenger held 45-minute crisis talks in a bid to salvage Arsenal's season
Rather than dissect the hows and why of the now complete Arsenal season, I'm going to take the day off to celebrate. Instead I'm going to let Gooners themselves express their feelings on this St. Totterhingham's Day 2013...but before we begin here are a couple of smug Spuds fans running their mouths and now having to suck it up:





And now on to the Gooners on this St. Totterhingham's Day:



























































Enjoy the celebration and look forward to Champions League football next season. #COYG


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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Forget That Good Start By The Mets....Arsenal Need To Finish Strong

Harvey is a Stud
We're a month in to the new baseball season and it's already looking a lot like last season for the Mets. They had a great first week and got the fans wondering if perhaps they were better than what was expected. Well, it's three weeks later and the Mets are playing exactly as we all thought they would...like crap.

Wednesday's Mets victory in Miami marked the end of the teams' six game losing streak. During that streak the Mets managed to take the lead in a 15 inning game, only to lose in the bottom of the 15th. The very next day the Mets went to the bottom of the ninth with a 1-0 lead and left the field 2-1 losers.

The bullpen has been horrible. We've become used to terrible bullpens with the Mets, but this year's crop may be the worst yet. No lead is safe and there are no trustworthy arms in the pen.

As for the starters, Jon Niese has been decent and Dillon Gee hot and cold. The one bright spot on the entire pitching staff for the Mets has been rookie Matt Harvey. He's off to a 4-0 start (he would have been 5-0 until Bobby Parnell blew a save opportunity this week) and has an ERA under 2.00. He throws heat and exhibits total confidence on the mound. If it wasn't for Harvey, I'm not sure the Mets would ever win games.

John Buck has been clutch
Offensively, it's been a crap shoot. It's either feast or famine. The surprise of the season so far has been catcher John Buck. The catcher has been a lifesaver for this team. He finished April with 9 home runs and 25 RBI's. To put that in perspective, 2012 catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas combined for a total of  2 home runs and 34 RBI's for the entire season.

Ike Davis is once again having problems at the plate and outside of Buck, David Wright, Daniel Murphy and maybe even Jordany Valdespin no one in the lineup is clutch.

At 11-15, it's still early days for the 2013 season so there is plenty of time for the Mets to turn things around. The question is will they?.......Don't answer that.

For a similar, but even harsher view of the 2013 Mets, Bill Price's piece from the New York Daily News is worth a read:

Mets vs. Marlins, Game 26: Is Mets' future really that bright?

Ike has been ice cold again
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Wenger deserves to be smiling at the end of the season.
I have no interest in getting in to the Arsenal only try to achieve a top 4 finish argument right now. The facts are, with 3 games remaining on Arsenal's schedule it is imperative that they do finish in the top 4 this season.

Despite the fact that the Gunners have admittedly had a difficult season, they currently sit in 4th place. This clearly shows that Arsenal's under achieving season, is way better than most of the EPL's clubs' typical seasons.

Arsenal's draw with Manchester United last weekend was a decent result, but three points were a must to remain in control of their own destiny. Unfortunately, two moments of madness by Bacary Sagna pretty much gave ManUre & Judas the tying goal.

So here's where we're at:

No movement3Chelsea343365
No movement4Arsenal353064
No movement5Tottenham341762
Remaining fixtures:

Arsenal:                     May 4th at QPR
                                   May 14th vs. Wigan
                                   May 19th at Newcastle

Chelsea:                     May 5th at Man. United
                                    May 8th vs. Tottenham
                                    May 11th at Aston Villa
                                    May 19th vs. Everton

Spuds:                         May 4th vs. Southampton
                                    May 8th at Chelsea
                                    May 12th at Stoke
                                    May 19th vs. Sunderland

Obviously we can't assume anything here, but

  • Arsenal MUST and should win their three remaining fixtures.
  • Chelsea or Spuds or both will lose points when they play each other May 8th.
It's raining on Spuds' season
  • I'm hoping that Arsenal win all 3 fixtures to finish with 73 points.
  • If Chelsea lose to Man. United and draw with Spuds the best they can do is 72 points.
  • If Spuds draw with Chelsea and win their other 3 games they'll finish with 72 points.
  • Spuds would miss out on goal differential and St. Totteringham's Day will officially be celebrated.

Rafa looks to the heavens for help.
Time will tell, but here's hoping for a May 19th St. Totteringham's Day holiday (or maybe even sooner).





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Saturday, March 30, 2013

The Mets and Baseball Are Back and Arsenal Prepare For St. Totteringham's Day


April is the best time of the year for baseball fans. It's when the long season starts and every team begins with a clean slate. As a lifelong Mets fan, those new beginnings have generally soured pretty fast over the years. Even this year, most rational Mets fans are not expecting much...but true fans always stick with their team and celebrate the small victories. This year that includes a shift in the New York baseball pecking order. The Yankees are heading down while the Mets are moving up.
Cashman and the NY Gimps
Niese takes the win

For the past 20 years the Yankees have hogged all the headlines, been the lead sports story on the local news and pretty much purchased a championship caliber team season after season. They basically operated like a combination of Manchester City and Manchester United. City in the sense that money was no object. United, in that they always seemed to be at or near the top. Now it appears that the Yankees are paying for their past greed. They have a roster of old and broken down players with fat contracts and a very thin crop of prospects.

On the other side of town, the Mets have been mediocre to bad for close to seven years. The club used this to their advantage by developing young talent and making a number of shrewd deals. A lot of these "kids" are starting to make it up to the big club and the future is starting to look bright for the Mets.

The Captain David Wright
While two games out of 162 is a tiny fraction of the season, the Mets have looked like the 1927 Yankees while the Yankees have looked like the 1962 Mets. The Mets are 2-0 are scoring runs and showing power and the pitching has been phenomenal. Meanwhile the Yankees' pitching has been terrible and they look like they can't hit at all.

I can't wait to see the "lifelong Yankee fans" under the age of 30 quickly jump off the bandwagon. These are fans that have never seen their team struggle or not win. They don't know what it's like to truly support a team as opposed to a money grubbing corporation like the NY Yankees. The trash talking days of Yankee fans are over and it's going to be a much more enjoyable baseball season for us on the other side of town.

We'll see what the situation is at the end of the year, but I'm convinced that a shift in fortunes has begun for both New York baseball clubs.


Another great baseball event that will take place at Citi Field in Queens this season is the All-Star Game in July. It'll be nice for a change to see the eyese of the baseball world focused on the "other" team in New York for a change.
________________________________________________

The Harlem Shake phenomenon is one of the stupidest things ever, but this one from the Mets is hysterical solely for the efforts of 67 year old Mets PR man Jay Horwitz.


    

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Meanwhile, Arsenal's season is in the final stretch and they  still have some unfinished business to take care of. It's been a totally frustrating season with inconsistent play, infighting among fans and disappointing losses. In fact I even spent a ton of money to head over to London only to see Arsenal lose to Schalke and barely defeat QPR. (Arsenal is supposed to manhandle the other team whenever I see them play live).

Berbatov sinks Spuds
Despite all the negatives and all the critics predicting Arsenal's demise, the club is currently in 5th place. They are just 2 points behind the reigning European champions, Chel$ki and 4 points behind the Spuds with a game in hand. With eight games left, the schedule favors Arsenal and the club appears to be turning things around. Meanwhile Chel$ki and Spuds still have to play each other and one, or both, will lose points from that match.

Is the mask to hide Torres' face?
While it's too early to start talking smack, I cannot wait for Arsenal to finish above either or both of their London rivals. The smug and arrogant fans of these clubs deserve a bit of karma, and Arsene Wenger deserves nothing but respect from the footballing community. The amount of grief that this man has had to take is truly shocking.

I am hoping that we will be celebrating St. Totteringham's Day by May. It may be arriving later than usual this year, but at least the weather will be nice for this annual holiday...


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Monday, March 4, 2013

North London Is Red and Always Will Be...and the Judas Kiss from Cesc & RVP Visiting The Mets


Sadly when Arsenal lost yesterday to Spuds I wasn't too shocked. I really was hoping that the "real" Arsenal would show up and put the pretenders to shame. However, I have to admit the truth and the truth is that this current Arsenal squad is collectively not good enough to get it done on a regular basis.

Both goals that the Spuds scored were exhibits of shambolic and almost non existent defending. Szczesny has proven that he's not a number one goal keeper and always seems to be in the wrong spot. Our offense is still pretty at time but there's no end product. The team needs finishers and they also need to learn that the object of the game is to get the ball in the net. They are so concerned with making pretty passing patterns and trying to create the perfect goal that they never seem to just take a shot. Podolski, Walcott and Cazorla have all displayed excellent long range shooting from set pieces. They need to do this during live play as well.
The original Judas Kiss

I used to take such pride in Arsenal's dominating possession statistics, however, it's now a source of embarrassment. Arsenal could have 75% of the ball and double the shots on goal and still lose.

On the other hand, a team in 5th place in a 20 team league is hardly what I would call a "crisis" club. Perhaps I'm looking at it from my rose tinted "American" glasses but the negativity being hurled at the club and the manager are a bit out of control. Take the case of Roberto Martinez for instance. The guy is a class act but he's been hailed as a hero the past few seasons for keeping Wigan just above the relegation zone every year. Yes the clubs are at the opposite ends of the financial spectrum, but they are in the same league. Arsene Wenger is already being crucified with ten games remaining and his club in 5th place. Meanwhile Wigan are in their customary 17th place position and the club's annual fight for survival is on with the lauded Martinez at the helm.
Judas & Judas have put a curse on Arsenal
Anyhow, I'll leave the arguing and the mud slinging to the media and the irate fans calling for blood. I do have a theory though of what  might be the cause of Arsenal's recent fall from grace. Some may call me crazy, but look at the facts.

Here is a blog post of mine from the summer of 2011:
Arsenal Meets The Mets: Cesc and Van Persie Pay a Visit to Citi Field

That's right our former captains, Cesc Fabregas and Robin "Judas" van Persie were hanging out together in New York City and paid a visit to the home of the New York Mets, Citi Field.

Now, I am a Mets fan, but let's be honest, they've been horrible since making the playoffs in 2006. So, maybe, just maybe, the combination of those two traitors spending time at the home of a losing franchise and then returning to Arsenal brought some type of curse to the Emirates. 

Soon after their New York visit both turncoats decided it was easier to jump on the bandwagon with other teams than lead their own club to success. They both bolted, but perhaps the lingering effects of their version of the Judas Kiss has remained.

After conferring with an expert in this particular affliction the best way to remove this curse is to stay loyal to the Arsenal and listen to the following song while repeating the phrase "North London is Red, North London is Red, North London is Red". Then watch the following video twice and finally learn all the words and sing along to this song.

That should work, but more than anything, stay calm and support The Arsenal.


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