Saturday, January 31, 2015

The Super Bowl Means It's Baseball Season



I'm a Jets fan which pretty much explains why I've never really got too excited about the Super Bowl. When they finally make it to one I'll probably feel differently. However, as this point I find the entire hoopla surround the Super Bowl over the top. 

 The fact that the entire country stocks up on junk food and beer and gets excited to watch 6 hours of pre-game and 4 hours of commercials is crazy. I have no allegiance to either the New England Patriots or the Seattle Seahawks (although Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was a one time Jets coach so I'll go for them). Even funnier is that all of this craziness revolves around a game that contains a total of approximately 11 minutes of action.

 The real reason that I get excited about the Super Bowl is that it means that it's the end of the football season and ushers in the start of the baseball season. The Hot Stove heats up and it's just a few weeks until Spring Training. 

 So enjoy the Super Bowl and it's just 21 days until Mets pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie!

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Sunday, January 11, 2015

Arsenal 2014-2015 - January

Thursday, January 1, 2015 Arsenal at Southampton 10AM EST


The first match of the new year and it's a tough one. Southampton have been the surprise team of the season and have been particularly difficult at home. I was at this match last season and Arsenal came away from the south coast with a 2-2 draw. Hopefully the team can start off the new year with three points.





 So much for a happy new year. This was a deplorable display and a tale of two goalkeepers. In typical Arsenal fashion the Gunners had the majority of the possession and more shots on goal than their opposition. Unfortunately Fraser Forster stopped everything in his path, while Wojciech Szczesny made two costly errors which resulted in Southampton's two goals. 

Szczesny should not be held solely responsible for the loss, however, as once again the Arsenal defense was left looking pretty shaky. Per Mertesacker is coming under increasing scrutiny as his pace and judgement often leave a lot to be desired. 

This was a terrible way to start off 2015 and of course led to more Twitter vitriol from within the Arsenal fan base.








Sunday, January 4 Arsenal vs. Hull 12:30PM EST FA Cup Third Round




There's no time to dwell on the abysmal loss to Southampton as it's time for Arsenal to begin the challenge of defending their FA Cup trophy. As fate would have it, last season's finalists, Hull and Arsenal, were drawn together in the third round with the match taking place at the Emirates.

 Steve Bruce's Hull are having a rough go of it this season and nothing but an Arsenal victory will be acceptable.

 David Ospina gets the start in goal. It's hard to read too much in to this decision. Wenger has often gone with the backup keeper in cup ties and perhaps this season is no different. However, after Szczesny's nightmare match at Southampton and reports that he was found "smoking in the shower", perhaps he is being sent a message from the manager that he better shape up.







What a difference a few days can make. Despite the final score being just 2-0, this match was never in any doubt. Arsenal controlled the play and Hull could have shot at Arsenal's goal all night and still not have scored.


Mertesacker has received a lot of grief lately for his lack of pace. When Arsenal lined up for a corner in the 20th minute, a friend of mine turned to me and said this is where Mertesacker's height should be an advantage. I agreed but said he never scores regardless. So, what does the BFG do? He scores a header from an Alexis Sanchez corner. I have no problem being proven wrong when it comes to Arsenal goals.

With a slim 1-0 advantage the second half was a bit more nerve wracking than it should have been. Regardless of Arsenal's domination, as we all know, one moment of madness could ruin the day. Therefore a second goal was necessary to calm the nerves.

 Of course it was Alexis Sanchez that put the match to bed. Santi Cazorla found Sanchez in the 82nd minute and he coolly slotted the ball in to the back of the net.

In year's past Arsenal always seemed to be drawn against tough competition while Chelsea & Manchester United drew minnows. Of course the same did happen for Chelsea and United in round 4, but for once Arsenal got a kind draw as well. They will travel to Brighton for a fourth round meeting.









Sunday January 11, 2014  Arsenal vs. Stoke 8:30AM


The cavemen are in London today and this is a grudge match where Arsenal must restore order and prove that they are superior to Stoke. For whatever reason this band of thugs have become our bogey team and last month's 3-2 loss needs to be avenged.


The good news on the Arsenal front is the return to the first team of Ozil, Walcott and Ramsey. Fans have been waiting forever to get the chance to see Ozil, Walcott and Sanchez on the pitch at the same time. It may not come today, but at least the possibility is now there.












This was more like it. Arsenal dominated in every offensive category and most importantly on the scoreboard. The 3-0 final is actually flattering to Stoke as this match could have easily finished 9-0.

Of course there was plenty of thug behavior on display and once incident in particular has hurt Arsenal badly. Stoke's Marko Arnautovic clearly pushed Matthieu Debuchy in the back as the defender chased down a ball. The push resulted in Debuchy hitting the advertising boards and the need for the medical staff. In addition to cuts on his face, Debuchy suffered a dislocated shoulder and will certainly be out of action again for a while. We shall see if Arnautovic will face punishment, but somehow referee Jonathan Moss didn't even issue a yellow card.

Arsenal got the match off to a fast start with a goal in the sixth minute.Sanchez sent a cross in to the box which Laurent Koscielny superbly met with his head and put back in to the net.

Tomas Rosicky and the amazing Alexis Sanchez combined for the Gunner's second goal in the 33rd minute. Sanchez is a magician and he proved it when his free kick in the 49th minute got over the wall and by the diving Asmir Begovic to give Arsenal a 3-0 lead. The rest was pretty formulaic Arsenal ball control and running out the clock. 

Ospina wasn't challenged much in goal, but he kept a clean sheet and Arsenal had a solid win against a  much loathed band of thugs.

On another note, Southampton went to Old Trafford today and defeated ManU in front of Fergie and the Old Trafford faithful. So as things stand, "title chasing Manchester United" has just a one point lead on "crisis club Arsenal". Let's see how the media twists this reality.




















Sunday, January 18, 2015 11AM EST Arsenal at Manchester City


It's a tough trip to the oil fields of Manchester City for Arsenal and it's time for Arsenal to show that the team has it in them to win difficult games against tough competition. Manchester City have looked less than champions caliber on a number of occasions this season and Arsenal need to show some toughness and determination if they are to start being a title challenger (this year or in the future).  With every team we needed to lose yesterday winning (Manure, Spuds, Chavs, the scousers and Southampton) this match is more important than ever. For some reason I have a feeling of hope inside me today and I'm hoping that that's a sign of something good to happen.
















Wow, what a great first half performance from Arsenal at the home of Sheik Mansour and his oil barons. The big news for City heading in to the match was the return of Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany. In the first 45 minutes Aguero hardly touched the ball and Kompany played a big part in Arsenal's opening goal. A mistimed trip of Nacho Monreal in the box  from Kompany was immediately called as a penalty. The always reliable Santi Cazorla stepped up and despite Hart guessing the right way, Cazorla's spot kick was in the back of the net and Arsenal took the lead in thhge 24th minute.










 A solid second half performance as well from the Gunners and this time there was to be no capitulation. Despite City dominating the possession and the corner count, the Arsenal defense held solid and I actually felt confident that City were no going to score against our defense. Interestingly enough, confidence is the one thing that Arsenal have been accused of being short on from the pundits...and that has led to a lack of belief among supporters as well. As I wrote earlier above (yes I wrote that prior to the match), I truly had a belief heading in to the match that Arsenal could win. I think that belief was felt by the players on the pitch as well. There have been MANY games where Arsenal have dominated possession in every offensive category and lost. It was nice to see them learn from past mistakes and show that they can also control a game defensively.



Cazorla simply ran the show. In addition to scoring the penalty, his free kick in the 67th minute was met by Olivier Giroud's head and resulted in Arsenal's second goal. Other stand out performances came from Francis Coquelin and Hector Bellerin. Ospina wasn't challenged too much in goal, but he once again looked solid and made the plays he needed to make. He gets the clean sheet and is making a strong case to remain in the starting 11.



Some idiot on Twitter actually said that Alexis Sanchez had a poor match. Totally untrue. In fact, because of so much attention put on him, it allowed other Arsenal players to shine. When Sanchez stars Arsenal are labelled a one man team. When others take the starring role, Sanchez is accused of being poor. Both statements are ridiculous.



All in all, a great display from Arsenal and a confidence boosting victory that will make pundits and opposition take notice. Winning at the Etihad when no a soul thought Arsenal would walk away with anything is a big statement.

























Manchester City 0-2 Arsenal: Cazorla and Giroud strike to dent hosts' title chances at the Etihad

rsenal’s Santi Cazorla pulls strings to dent Manchester City’s title hopes

Manchester City 0-2 Arsenal: Santi Cazorla's penalty and Olivier Giroud's header earn Gunners rare victory at Etihad Stadium


Sunday, January 25, 2014 10:55AM EST Arsenal at Brighton FA Cup Round 4
There have been a number of humbling performances top EPL clubs this weekend in the competition. On Friday, Manchester United were unable to score against League 2 Cambridge United. Falcao, Di Maria, Van Purse Strings, all of the "big names" were shut out over 93 minutes. While Manure may still get through in the replay, it was a pathetic performance for the mighty ManU. Let's not forget the club's mauling by MK Dons in the League Cup earlier in the season.

 It gets better. The Arab oil barons of ManCity were defeated at home by Championship club Middlesbrough and the Russian oil barons were humiliated at home by League 1 club Bradford City. After going up 2-0, the egotistical one and his club ended up losing 2-4.

More enjoyment was seeing Tottenham blow a 1-0 lead and give up 2 late goals in a home defeat to Leicester.

 Another humbling performance was given by Liverpool at home as they were unable to score against Bolton.

 A big door has been left open for Arsenal to repeat as FA Cup Champions. But, of course we're getting ahead of ourselves. The FA Cup shows that upsets are always possible, so Brighton will not be taken lightly.















Arsenal do not do a Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham, Manchester United or Liverpool and actually win their match versus lower league opposition. Although, to be fair, the old Arsenal reappeared in the second half when they allowed Brighton back in to the match with 2 goals that should not have been conceeded.

The good news for Arsenal was the return of Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil after long term injuries.

 The first half was total Arsenal domination. Theo Walcott was back after a long injury and gave Arsenal the lead within 89 second. The Gunners controlled possession and the match and they made it 2-0 in the 24th minute when Mesut Ozil got on the score sheet. It could have been more but the first half ended with Arsenal up by two.

Brighton got back in the match in the second half. They scored in the 50th minute and after the results from the other matches, it became a bit nervy for Arsenal fans. 



Rosicky eased fears with an exceptional goal in the 59th minute to give Arsenal another two goal lead.



Brighton got one back in the 75th minute as it looked to me as if Szczesny was back to his antics. While it may be a coincidence, in the three previous matches with David Ospina in goal, Arsenal kept a clean sheet. With Szczesny back in goal, Arsenal conceded two soft goals.

 In the end it was a solid victory with a scoreline that flattered Brighton, who really gave Arsenal few problems.










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Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Arssenal 2014-2015 - December

December 2, 2014 Arsenal vs. Southampton 2:45PM EST
Now that it's December, the "festive period" will be kicking in and the fixtures will be coming fast and furious. Having played at West Brom on Saturday, Arsenal will now host Southampton at The Emirates.

 Southampton have been one of the surprise teams of the season thus far. After losing their coach and a good number of first team players, most pundits chose Southampton as one of the teams that would battle for relegation this season. While that still may happen, they have gotten off to a great start and currently sit third in the table on 26 points. This must be taken with a grain of salt as a look at their opponents thus far, it's obvious that the early schedule has been kind to Southampton.

 As for Arsenal, after a string of disappointments (Chelsea, Anderlecht and ManU), the Gunners have had two solid performances in a row (Dortmund and West Brom). It is imperative that Arsenal build on this momentum and continue to gain points and move up the league table.












Once again Arsenal dominated possession and had more than 3 times as many shots on goal than Southampton...and once again it looked as if Arsenal would have nothing to show for it as it looked as if the match would end in a goalless draw.



Southampton keeper Fraser Forster was the star and single handily kept his team in the match with some great saves. When it looked like all hope was gone Alexis Sanchez met an Aaron Ramsey cross in the 89th minute and the three points went to Arsenal.














Saturday, December 6, 2014 10AM EST Arsenal at Stoke




Before getting ready to watch Arsenal's visit with the cavemen of Stoke, Chelsea visited Newcastle in the early match. With pundits already declaring that Chelsea could go the entire season undefeated, Arsenal fans were rooting for Newcastle not just because Mourinho is an egotistical windbag, but because we sure don't want another club (especially Chelsea) to top Arsenal's Invincibles.





So it was great to watch Chelsea lose 2-0 and hear Mourinho blame the Newcastle ball boys for his team's defeat. Yes, another ungracious act from the Not So Special One.







So after witnessing Chelsea lose, it was time for Arsenal fans to turn towards the match in Stoke. Despite the fact that Tony Pulis along with Rory Delap and his towel are no longer at the club, Stoke remain a hated club and a bogey team for Arsenal. They do still have several cavemen such as Charlie Adam and Ryan Shawcross and of course the Stoke fans still hate Aaron Ramsey and boo his every touch of the ball. Of course that makes sense...boo the guy who almost had his career ended by one of your players as his leg was shattered in to pieces.

 Here's hoping the recent momentum that Arsenal have picked up will continue.





Well forget about the momentum. This was a shambles from beginning to end. When that string bean which is Peter Crouch scored after just 19 seconds, it was obvious that it was going to be another one of those days.




The half ended with Stoke up 3-0 and Arsenal looking like school boys playing against men...well actually cavemen. In fact there was one moment in the match where Charlie Adam took Alexis Sanchez and performed a wrestling move on him which involved trying to twist the Chileans head off of his shoulders.




Arsenal did pull two back in the second half, but they were little more than consolation goals. Of course no visit to Stoke would be complete without a red card and Calum Chambers was the player that saw red for a second bookable offense in the 78th minute.

 Of course this horrendous display led to an onslaught of Gooner vitriol on Twitter and other social media platforms.









December 9, 2014 Arsenal at Galatasary 2:45PM Champions League Group Stages Match Day 6




The mood going in to this match is foul to say the least.  Fans are fighting among themselves while debating whether it was right that a group of Arsenal supporters booed Arsene Wenger and the team as they boarded a train following their shambolic performance at Stoke over the weekend.

 While Arsenal have already qualified for the knock out stages of the Champions League, there is still a remote chance that they can top their group. This would require a Dortmund defeat at home to Anderlecht and of course an Arsenal victory in Istanbul.

 Even if we still end up second in the group, a win and a strong performance would go a long way to calm the tension currently circling Arsenal.









Not sure what got in to the team, but the first half was a masterclass on how to take hold of a match and not let go. With Wenger leaving a lot of the regulars back in London bit players such as Lukas Podolski and Joel Campbell got rare starts. Also promising was the return of defenderr Mathieu Debuchy after being out injured since the beginning of the season.



Within three minutes Arsenal were on the board with a fantastic Lukas Podolski blast. He is definitely one of the best finishers of goals on this Arsenal team. Ramsey gave Arsenal a 2 goal in the 11th minute and scored one of the best goals of his career in the 29th for a 3 goal cushion. It came from 35 yards out as Ramsey's left foot met the ball perfectly and drove it in to the back of the net.



The second half was less dominating, but was interesting as youngsters Stefan O'Connor and Gedion Zelalem got a taste of Champions League football.




A perfect Wesley Sneijder free kick gave Galatasary a consolation goal and Lukas Podolski put the finishing touches on the match with a goal in the last seconds of stoppage time.




With Borussia Dortmund and Anderlecht drawing 1-1, it means that both Arsenal and Dortmund finished with 13 points. Unfortunately, Dortmund's goal differential gives them top spot and yet again Arsenal finish second in the group. Of course the 3-3 draw with Anderlecht in Match Day 4 is being brought up as part of the reason that Arsenal did not top the group. Regardless, Arsenal now move on and could meet Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Atletico Madrid, Monaco or Porto in the next round. Of course we're all crossing our fingers for Monaco or Porto.











Saturday, December 13, 2014 12:30PM Arsenal vs. Newcastle




The #WengerOut contingent have been making their voices heard and despite the fact that they are a minority of fans, the media is taking the bait and creating a situation where EVERY Arsenal fan wants the manager gone. That is about as far from the truth as possible. Yes, fans have been disappointed this season and over the past several years, but disappointment does not equate to hurling abuse and hate towards a man that has put in 18 years of his life to the club.



The situation got a lot of coverage this week as a small group of knuckleheads were filmed booing Wenger as the team boarded a train following the team's horrible performance at Stoke. That action alone is disgraceful, but the media taking the bait and claiming that ALL fans want Wenger out and feel hatred towards the manager is pure speculation and embellishment. As a former journalism major, it appears the days of objectivity and dedication to the truth above all else are totally gone. These days it's all about making up a story where there is none.





Okay off of the soapbox. Last week's misery against the cavemen is history. An impressive midweek trip to Istanbul has helped and here's to hoping that a home match where the players are donating their day's wages to the Arsenal Foundation will keep the mood bright.











 Wow. Giroud was a beast, Cazorla celebrated his 30th birthday in style, Sanchez was amazing as always and Bellerin and Debuchy did very well in make shift roles.
A perfect Sanchez cross was met by a perfect Giroud header to give Arsenal an early start for a change in the 15th minute.


Danny Welbeck scored Arsenal's second three minutes later but Lee Mason saw an imaginary foul and ruled no goal. Regardless Arsenal pushed on and continued to dominate the match despite the half ending 1-0.



Cazorla gave himself and the fans a birthday present in the 54th minute when he scored a beauty from a difficult angle. Giroud scored another impressive goal four minutes later to give Arsenal a 3-0 lead. When Newcastle got one back in the 63rd from a free kick, commentators referred to Arsenal's blown 3 goal lead versus Anderlecht and the dreaded 4-0 lead versus Newcastle several years back that ended 4-4.




There was to be no blown lead today as Welbeck was tripped in the box in the 88th minute and Cazorla put away the penalty with a "cheeky" chip (the moment it was taken I knew the word cheeky would be used...and it was).


On Wednesday it was Podolski and Ramsey with a brace each. Today is was Giroud and Cazorla.


It was a great match and a great result ended with the REAL fans singing "there's only one Arsene Wenger". While all the haters on Twitter and in the media took that to mean that all Arsenal fans are fickle, they seem to have missed the point behind the singing. Yes it showed support for the manager, but for the real fans that support the team on bad days as well as the good, it was making a point to the #WengerOut bridgade that they do not represent the majority of Arsenal fans.





















Sunday, December 21, 2014 11AM EST Arsenal at Liverpool
REVENGE is at the top of every Arsenal fan's mind as we return to Anfield for the first time since a humiliating 5-1 defeat. Back in February, Liverpool put on a clinic in the first 20 minutes of the match and thoroughly embarrassed Arsenal. I watched this match with friends in a pub in Richmond and it was torture. The only saving grace was the fact that I was unable to secure a ticket for the match and didn't travel to Liverpool to witness this beating.

On paper, Arsenal should win this one easily. Liverpool are having a terrible season without Suarez and the injured Sturridge. The new players that Liverpool brought in don't appear to be up for it and the fact that Alexis Sanchez spurned Liverpool for Arsenal adds to the misery around Anfield. This is the perfect opportunity for revenge. 












First the good news...there was no repeat of last season's 5-1 embarrassment. Now the bad news....Arsenal were terrible. In what can only be described as un-Arsenal like, Liverpool dominated the possession (64% to 36%) and had 27 shots on goal to Arsenal's 7. It's usually the other way around for Arsenal, but as we've seen all too often with this team, domination doesn't necessarily result in a victory. Therefore the statistics are no the most troubling aspect of this match.


Instead, Arsenal's inability to close out a match was the team's downfall yet again. With Liverpool down to 10 men and just two minutes of the nine minutes of stoppage time remaining, our defense let us down once again. Martin Skrtel was given room to head home from a corner as Per Mertesacker ducked and our ability to capitulate a lead was again on display. What could have been an ugly 1-2 victory and three needed points, ended in a draw. While a point at Anfield would normally be a good thing....the way this match ended, the draw felt like a loss.
















Friday, December 26, 2014 12:30PM EST Arsenal vs. QPR


Christmas is over and now it's time for Boxing Day football. Arsenal are home to struggling QPR so this should be a no brainer win and an opportunity to build on goal differential. This is the perfect match to get Arsenal three points and start moving up the league table.

 Tomas Rosicky is back from injury and gets a well deserved start alongside Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez in Arsenal's midfield.












This match started off brilliantly. Arsenal dominated possession and passed the ball at will. QPR were trapped in their own half and were barely able to string together 2-3 passes. 


Within ten minutes it was obvious that Armand Traore was the worst player on the pitch and he foolishly fouled Alexis Sanchez inside the box for a penalty to Arsenal. With Arteta out injured, it would seem that this was where Santi Cazorla would step up to take the penalty. Instead Sanchez took the ball and went to the line. Sanchez has practically carried the team on his back so it really didn't seem a problem. Unfortunately, the brilliant Sanchez actually did something poorly...his kick was right at Robert Green who had no trouble saving Sanchez' effort.


Even after the miss it was all Arsenal and it didn't seem that it would come back to haunt the Gunners. Sanchez made amends for his miss in the 37th minute. Cazorla passed to Gibbs who made a perfect cross which the vertically challenged jumped to meet with his head and sent a perfect shot in to the back of the net.  


Despite Arsenal's total domination, the scored was just 1-0 at the half. Even still, I was completely confident of an Arsenal win. That was until the 53rd minute.

 As Olivier Giroud chaed after a ball in the QPR box, Nedum Onuoha pushed him in to the path of the keeper. Giroud jumped up incensed and before he had time to think about what he was doing, had headbutted the QPR player. Adding to the drama was Onuoha's bad acting job as he fell to the ground as if he had been punched by Muhammed Ali. Of course Giroud saw red and Arsenal were forced to play the last 37 minutes down a man.


Regardless, Arsenal continued to control the game and Sanchez fed a pass to Rosicky who scored Arsenal's second in the 65th minute. Confidence was restored.

Unfortunately, Arsenal love to torture their fans and when Martin Atkinson signaled for a questionable penalty against Mathieu Debuchy Arsenal were forced to hold on to a 2-1 lead for the final ten minutes.


In the end it was a win, but it didn't have to be this difficult.

















Sunday, December 28, 2014 10AM EST Arsenal at West Ham


 Heading in to the last match of 2014 Arsenal sit 6th in the table and surprisingly are behind West Ham in 4th and Southampton in 5th. With Arsenal playing West Ham today and Southampton on New Year's Day, this is an opportunity that Arsenal must take if they are to truly get their season back on track.

With Southampton facing Chelsea, an Arsenal victory over West Ham could see the Gunners move up to fourth in the table. From there, the next target will be Man United who somehow sit in third despite their shambolic start to the season. It's all there for the taking for Arsenal. 











Arsenal close out the year with a win and despite a nervy last half hour, it was a rather good overall team performance. As usual Alexis Sanchez ran the show and his partner in crime, Santi Cazorla was in great form as well. Though diminutive in size, these two are beasts on the ball. After their football careers are over they should open up a dancing school called Santi & Sanchez.


Arsenal started slow and when an Alex Song long range effort flew past Szczesny early in the first half that familiar pit in the stomach feeling started to return. Luckily, the goal was disallowed for off side and things improved for Arsenal after that.

 Santi Cazorla was fouled in the box in the 41st minute and Arsenal were awarded a penalty. There was no question this time who would take the PK as Cazorla went to the line. He sent the keeper the wrong way and Arsenal went ahead.


Three minutes later it was two for Arsenal as the Ox put in a great cross which Danny Welbeck met for the score. 

 Arsenal had plenty of opportunities in the second half, but West Ham's keeper Adrian was at the top of his game. 


West Ham got one back in the 54th minute which set up a nervous last 36 minutes. Despite the slim lead, Arsenal never really looked to be in trouble and continued to press for a third goal. Although it didn't come, the team's defense held strong and the three points went to Arsenal. With all the teams above Arsenal losing points on the day, it was a good day for the Gunners.











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