07 August 2008
05 August 2008
Bayern Munich Kit Launch
Every summer many top professional football teams hold a press conference to unveil their new kits for the next season. For you those of you unfamiliar with the term kit, it's synonymous with the word uniform or jersey. Almost exclusively, select players from the team are chosen to wear the new kits and when called upon, walk onto the stage to show the press the new design(s). Typically, a kit launch (press conference) is a low-key affair.
That is, until Bayern Munich pulled this stunt. You'll be at a loss for words, as is much of the football world right now. Instead of their own players, they decided to take the "dramatic model who just left an Oktoberfest celebration approach". Wait for the 1:30 mark to see it all go terribly terribly wrong and stick it out to hear the deafening silence at the very end.
That is, until Bayern Munich pulled this stunt. You'll be at a loss for words, as is much of the football world right now. Instead of their own players, they decided to take the "dramatic model who just left an Oktoberfest celebration approach". Wait for the 1:30 mark to see it all go terribly terribly wrong and stick it out to hear the deafening silence at the very end.
04 August 2008
Looking Fan-Tastic
The Kop on top in study of good looking supporters
A study by Sky HD has revealed when it comes to well-chiselled features and luscious locks, Liverpool tops the table as having the most attractive set of supporters in the Premier League.
High definition television means that it's not just the action on the football pitch which can be scrutinised by viewers - with a picture four times clearer, fans are now finding themselves on show during televised matches.
Sky HD worked with top model agency D1 Model Management to study high definition footage of crowds from every Premier League match last season, and name the top 10 best-looking clubs as:
1. Liverpool
2. Fulham
3. Tottenham Hotspur
4. Sunderland
5. Chelsea
6. Newcastle United
7. Arsenal
8. Bolton Wanderers
9. West Ham United
10. Manchester United
Dean Cleary-Patterson, from D1 Model Management said: "We're used to scouting the cream of British modelling talent in all sorts of weird and wonderful places, but football crowds are certainly a new concept for us!
"We typically take into account a whole range of aspects of a person's appearance, from the symmetry of their features to the glossiness of their hair. It's interesting to know we might need to start scouring the stands of Anfield to find our next big name!"
Sky's Christian Cull explains: "High definition really changes the way you watch TV, so you end up noticing lots more than you normally would.
"With images so detailed, you can see faces in the crowd much more clearly, so we had a bit of fun by teaming up with D1 Model Management to create a league table of the best looking fans.
"I'm a Chelsea fan, so I'm not used to languishing in mid-table."
A study by Sky HD has revealed when it comes to well-chiselled features and luscious locks, Liverpool tops the table as having the most attractive set of supporters in the Premier League.
High definition television means that it's not just the action on the football pitch which can be scrutinised by viewers - with a picture four times clearer, fans are now finding themselves on show during televised matches.
Sky HD worked with top model agency D1 Model Management to study high definition footage of crowds from every Premier League match last season, and name the top 10 best-looking clubs as:
1. Liverpool
2. Fulham
3. Tottenham Hotspur
4. Sunderland
5. Chelsea
6. Newcastle United
7. Arsenal
8. Bolton Wanderers
9. West Ham United
10. Manchester United
Dean Cleary-Patterson, from D1 Model Management said: "We're used to scouting the cream of British modelling talent in all sorts of weird and wonderful places, but football crowds are certainly a new concept for us!
"We typically take into account a whole range of aspects of a person's appearance, from the symmetry of their features to the glossiness of their hair. It's interesting to know we might need to start scouring the stands of Anfield to find our next big name!"
Sky's Christian Cull explains: "High definition really changes the way you watch TV, so you end up noticing lots more than you normally would.
"With images so detailed, you can see faces in the crowd much more clearly, so we had a bit of fun by teaming up with D1 Model Management to create a league table of the best looking fans.
"I'm a Chelsea fan, so I'm not used to languishing in mid-table."
31 July 2008
Sunday Night Football
I'm well chuffed!!! Gabe (a friend from CU), another friend of his, and I are going to watch the Colorado Rapids play Everton F.C. Sunday night! That's right, this is the same Everton that finished 5th in the English Premier League last year behind world powers Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool. Although I've watched tons of football on television, I have never seen a world-class team play in person (national or club).
Maybe I'll get to meet some real-life hooligans?!?! That would be awesome.
28 July 2008
There's Only One Keano
Robbie Keane signed a $40.6 million dollar transfer to Liverpool today. What am I supposed to do with my Keano t-shirt now? Mailing it to Matt in the Ukraine or turning it into a rag didn't seem nearly as fun as my ultimate decision. The problem was that I wanted to get rid of it as easily as possible and in a way that I wouldn't have to see it again. Over the top? Maybe. Psychotic? Probably. Fun? Absolutely. What guy can't have fun with a lighter, a can of WD-40, and something useless AND flammable?
24 July 2008
23 July 2008
21 July 2008
Motels, Trailers, Saints
Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together for Denver's finest band and the proud new owners of my trailer...
The Motel Saints!!! (crowd goes wild)
I met up with these guys twice and conversed with them a few times over the phone and email. They are really cool guys, and I wish them the best of luck on their upcoming road tour. Since they were so cool about everything, I figured I should give them and their MySpace page a shout out.
If they become famous, I'll somehow feel like I was part of it. Does that make me a groupie? I guess so.
The Motel Saints!!! (crowd goes wild)
I met up with these guys twice and conversed with them a few times over the phone and email. They are really cool guys, and I wish them the best of luck on their upcoming road tour. Since they were so cool about everything, I figured I should give them and their MySpace page a shout out.
If they become famous, I'll somehow feel like I was part of it. Does that make me a groupie? I guess so.
19 July 2008
Saturday at the Beach
We began the day with a walk around Sumner and Cliff Drive. The first few slides are pictures of the "estates" that overlook Spokane from the South Hill that we saw on our walk this morning.
From there we headed to Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and took some pictures of Julia in her first bathing suit. She didn't like the cold water on her toes, as a few of the pictures clearly show.
The final few pictures are of Hayden Lake, Idaho, located a few miles north of Coeur d'Alene.
Music by Coldplay (Strawberry Swing)
From there we headed to Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and took some pictures of Julia in her first bathing suit. She didn't like the cold water on her toes, as a few of the pictures clearly show.
The final few pictures are of Hayden Lake, Idaho, located a few miles north of Coeur d'Alene.
Music by Coldplay (Strawberry Swing)
18 July 2008
Berbatov and Keane
Today my worst fears were confirmed. Our two leading scorers from last year, Berbatov and Keane, are leaving Spurs. Our chairman Daniel Levy confirmed that both players have been contacted by Manchester United and Liverpool, respectively, and that they both desire to leave the club. Furthermore, Levy confirmed that he expects neither of them to be playing in a Spurs shirt at the start of next season. What makes this devastating is that Berbatov and Keane were our two starting strikers. Last year they scored 23 goals each (46 total). In fact, they accounted for half of all goals scored by Tottenham last year.
There is more to this story. According to Levy, the manner in which Manchester United and Liverpool lured these players away from Spurs was explicitly against the Football Association (FA) rules. It's called "tapping up". Basically, another club is not allowed to make contact with another player or their agent without approval from their current club. Even making comments to the media about the desire to sign another team's player is considered very inappropriate, if not the same thing. Regardless, without Tottenham's approval, our chairman has stated that both clubs have made contact with Berbatov and Keane and/or their agents. Due to their actions, Spurs have filed a complaint against both clubs. The penalty could be a fine or a points deduction, but they'll probably get away with a relative slap on the wrist.
Reagarding Berbatov, I'm not as disappointed as I am Keane. There have been rumors circulating for almost a year that he was headed to Manchester United. Tapping up Keane really bothers me though. Not only was he our Captain, but he was an emotional leader and someone we all believed was Spurs through and through. Keane also signed a new five contract a little over a year ago. My problem with this situation is it appears that Keane was lured to Liverpool in a completely wrong manner. It appears he would have stayed at Spurs for another four years had it not been for Liverpool breaking the rules and contacting him and/or his agent. If Keane wanted to leave Spurs he could have approached the club and asked to be transfered to Liverpool. However, because of the chairman's statements, it appears as if Liverpool initiated this deal and held a carrot in front of Keane's nose. We'll probably never know exactly what happened, unless the FA issues a report along with punitive measures. In the end though, Tottenham get the short end of stick. Even if both deals are called off, Spurs are stuck with two players that have said they do not want to be at the club anymore. It essentially puts the club in a no-win situation. Because of this, the deals will probably still go through.
Why have a rule if the penalty isn't large enough to prevent clubs from breaking it? I have a feeling nothing is going to happen to Manchester United or Liverpool - or at least not large enough to make it hurt. If these reports are indeed true, these clubs should have to pay a huge sum of money to Tottenham or be deducted points from next year.
Maybe I'm naive, but contracts should be worth something. What are they worth to the club if another team can cause a player to leave while under contract at any time with an offer or comments to the media? Not even the paper they are written on. If a player, on his own, asks to be let out of contract, that's one thing. This is the football equivalent of your closest competitor calling your employees and offering them more money to come work for them...on top of the fact that they are under contract to you and that it's against your industry's "rules".
Although no deals have officially been announced, it is essentially done. It is probably impossible to replace two 23 goal scorers in four weeks (when next season starts), let alone find two strikers of decent quality. Add to this the fact that a striker partnership takes time to develop, it could be another long year for Spurs fans.
There is more to this story. According to Levy, the manner in which Manchester United and Liverpool lured these players away from Spurs was explicitly against the Football Association (FA) rules. It's called "tapping up". Basically, another club is not allowed to make contact with another player or their agent without approval from their current club. Even making comments to the media about the desire to sign another team's player is considered very inappropriate, if not the same thing. Regardless, without Tottenham's approval, our chairman has stated that both clubs have made contact with Berbatov and Keane and/or their agents. Due to their actions, Spurs have filed a complaint against both clubs. The penalty could be a fine or a points deduction, but they'll probably get away with a relative slap on the wrist.
Reagarding Berbatov, I'm not as disappointed as I am Keane. There have been rumors circulating for almost a year that he was headed to Manchester United. Tapping up Keane really bothers me though. Not only was he our Captain, but he was an emotional leader and someone we all believed was Spurs through and through. Keane also signed a new five contract a little over a year ago. My problem with this situation is it appears that Keane was lured to Liverpool in a completely wrong manner. It appears he would have stayed at Spurs for another four years had it not been for Liverpool breaking the rules and contacting him and/or his agent. If Keane wanted to leave Spurs he could have approached the club and asked to be transfered to Liverpool. However, because of the chairman's statements, it appears as if Liverpool initiated this deal and held a carrot in front of Keane's nose. We'll probably never know exactly what happened, unless the FA issues a report along with punitive measures. In the end though, Tottenham get the short end of stick. Even if both deals are called off, Spurs are stuck with two players that have said they do not want to be at the club anymore. It essentially puts the club in a no-win situation. Because of this, the deals will probably still go through.
Why have a rule if the penalty isn't large enough to prevent clubs from breaking it? I have a feeling nothing is going to happen to Manchester United or Liverpool - or at least not large enough to make it hurt. If these reports are indeed true, these clubs should have to pay a huge sum of money to Tottenham or be deducted points from next year.
Maybe I'm naive, but contracts should be worth something. What are they worth to the club if another team can cause a player to leave while under contract at any time with an offer or comments to the media? Not even the paper they are written on. If a player, on his own, asks to be let out of contract, that's one thing. This is the football equivalent of your closest competitor calling your employees and offering them more money to come work for them...on top of the fact that they are under contract to you and that it's against your industry's "rules".
Although no deals have officially been announced, it is essentially done. It is probably impossible to replace two 23 goal scorers in four weeks (when next season starts), let alone find two strikers of decent quality. Add to this the fact that a striker partnership takes time to develop, it could be another long year for Spurs fans.
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