World Soccer Daily Cameo

Yes!!! I finally made it on World Soccer Daily! Actually, this was really only my third or fourth email into the show, so it's not like I've been trying and trying.

First, I'd like to give you a quick background on the show and then I'll talk about my email read on today's broadcast.

World Soccer Daily (or WSD) is the premier football (or soccer) radio show in this country. It's a call-in show that airs every day for 2 hours on Sirius Satellite Radio. The show also streams live on the web and is available as a podcast on iTunes. Most people listen via iTunes, so it's consistently (I just checked) in the top 25 most downloaded sports podcasts on iTunes. The show has frequent listeners from all over the world as well. The owner, Steven, also has a weekly television show on Fox Soccer Channel. The point is, it's not just some "Mickey Mouse" operation. I've been listening for a few years and have to say that it's really grown leaps and bounds. The show has now gotten to a point where it can get interviews from the some of the top professionals in the English Premier League (EPL); probably the most popular league in the world (certainly the richest). For example, in the coming weeks the show will be interviewing the manager (and other staff/players) from Hull City, one of the newer yet better teams so far in the EPL this year.

Since the year is coming to an end, Steven (the host) was trying to award his team of the year for 2008. If you've seen any of my previous posts in the last few days, I've been really keen on Villa. I wrote an email into the show this morning and Steven decided to read it on the air essentially at the start of the show. He stumbled over my words a bit, but I still think it's really cool to hear him read it on air and to tell me I'm "exactly right".

The first picture in the video is the show's logo, then me, then the Villa badge, then a picture of the show's hosts. I added the pictures to the audio clip from the show. If you're at all interested in the show, please check it out. You'll get hooked instantly because the show is outstanding. I doubt they'll every read this, but for those that do, I want to thank Steven and Kenny for doing such a great job!

Hull 0 - 1 Villa

Villa "nicked" three points tonight in a game that could have gone either way. Both sides played a well-organized game. In my opinion, a fair result would have seen both teams gaining a point. However, when things are going your way...they really go your way. With about 10 minutes left in the game, Hull put the ball in the back of their own net.

A few days ago Villa scored an injury time equalizer against Arsenal. The previous game against West Ham saw Villa score the winner in the 78th, and two league games before that Villa beat Everton with another injury time goal. What the Hull?

Next up on Friday is Spurs vs Wigan in the 3rd round of the FA Cup...should be a snoozer. Do I really have to watch it?

AVFC Fun Facts

Instead of focusing on the negatives at Spurs, I'd like to take another approach and focus on what has caught my eye about Villa as a club/organization. In my mind, this is more important then anything that happens on the field.

First of all, there is something "right" about what's going on at the club...and something that I can definitely relate to.

The American Connection

As far as I know, Villa now have the most Americans in their side then any other Premier league team. This year they signed the "Brads". Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan, both American goalies. I've been a huge fan of Friedel over the years and think at 37 he is still one (if not, the) best goalies in the entire league. He plans to play into his 40s, so he's still possibly going to around for a few more years. If 24-year old Guzan can develop, there is a possibility that Villa will have an American keeper for some time.

Villa are owned by Randy Lerner...an American who made his money in the banking/securities industry. He also owns the Cleveland Browns. Based on all accounts, he is the right kind of owner...one that has money, is committed to the club, yet doesn't appear to overly involved with what happens on the pitch.

More then a Club

If you've seen the kit this year, you'll notice that Villa are sponsored by Acorns. Actually, this isn't a sponsorship at all; it's a partnership. Acorns is a local Children's Hospice that cares for life-limited children and their families. Life-limited children are not expected to reach adulthood. They require specialist care 24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week. Acorns is the only organization that provides this to local life-limited children while also offering a range of support services for the whole family to help them cope at every stage of their child's life and beyond into bereavement. Through the relationship that started over two years ago, AVFC decided to put the organization instead of a sponsor on their shirts. Who does this nowadays? I think it's a very commendable thing to do in an age and league where most sponsors are either alcohol or gambling related. I realize that Villa used to be sponsored by an online casino, but the fact that they made this change speaks volumes in my opinion.

Villa were formed by four members from the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in 1874. The current ground (and the same one they've been playing at since 1897) is bordered by Trinity Road to the west. The Trinity Road stand of the stadium actually is built over the road, meaning that the stadium essentially forms a tunnel over it. Trinity Road and the Villa name may not have a current relevance to the church for the supporters (I don't know), but it at least reflects the historical connections to it.

History

AVFC has a long and successful history. They are only one of four English teams to have won the equivalent of the Champions League (the European Cup) - the others being United, Liverpool, and Forest. They were one of a dozen original founders of the Football League in 1888 and one of the founding clubs of the Premier League in 1992. As far as major honors are concerned, they rank fourth in the country. Basically, they've been relatively consistent performers for over 125 years. Although they have been relegated a few times, only Everton has played more season in the top flight of English football then Villa. Villa have spent 98 seasons at the top.

Other Cool Stuff

In an era of global teams, Villa have stayed local. As far as I can tell, almost 2/3 (about 60%) of the first team are English. That's amazing, considering some of the other big clubs struggle to field very many at all...the worst offender being Arsenal who regularly field sides without a single Englishman in the starting 11. For Villa to keep it English means that they've had to be deliberate about it...hinting at a philosophy and an actual transfer market plan.

I've always liked the current manager, Martin O'Neill. He seems to be a nice guy, a bit on the quiet side, but definitely a man with a long-term plan. It appears he's building something over time, and has actually resisted the urge to buy more players for the heck of it even when offered more money by the board/owner.

As silly as this sounds, the logo and colors are actually a big deal for me. It's a source of pride. I never liked the Spurs logo and/colors, making it hard to wear the badge (or look at it) with pride. I mean, a cockerel is essentially a male chicken. Not very cool nor intimidating. A chicken? Seriously? If anything it evokes the opposite reaction that it should. Take a look at the AVFC badge at the top of this page. Now that's cool! A "rampant lion", a star for the European Cup win, and the motto, "Prepared". AVFC are known as Villa, or The Villians, or The Lions - that's cool. I can wear and respect a lion...not a chicken. Secondly, the colors are actually really nice despite what your initial reaction might be. Officially they are claret and sky blue. Coincidentally enough, we just finished decorating our bedroom and we chose these colors because they look great together. Now if I could just get a club crest to be hung above the bed...

Of course, since they are doing well this year this may appear to be band-wagon-ish. However, it's no worse then someone picking one of the top four for the same reason. Really, I've only been seriously following the league for 18 months now - the same time I've been following Spurs. In my mind, a season or 2 is still within a reasonable amount of time to reconsider this (what will be, a lifetime) decision. I'm not jumping ship completely, but I'm going to follow and consider AVFC now in addition to Spurs. Without focusing on the negatives, I have come to realize that the most important thing for me is what's going on at the club and not solely the success on the field. For the last 18 months everything about the Tottenham organization has left a bad taste in my mouth...not because of the results, but because of everything else that I consider to be a disaster. We'll see if my "romantic" ideals and expectations about Aston Villa Football Club are correct and stand the test of time. Unfortunately, the only way for an American who has no connections to the league to find out is to follow/adopt the team for a season or so. After a season with Spurs, it just doesn't seem like a good fit.

Football Heresy

For those of you who regularly read this blog, you've probably noticed that the appearance has changed. Notice anything else different? Probably not.

I bet Matt does. When Matt brings up this page for the first time he'll probably have a heart attack. So, to the one person outside my family that cares, hear me out buddy. Hopefully I'll be able to explain myself in my next post...at least enough so that you don't lose all respect for me and can at least understand where I'm coming from.

Right now it's way past my bedtime...so I'll have to save the explanation for tomorrow.

5th Anniversary

Today is Stacey's and my 5th Anniversary! I can't believe it's been 5 years.

I love you Stacey and I can't imagine being with anyone else. You are a wonderful woman and a great wife and mother. Here's to 50 more years!

Music by Lauryn Hill (Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You)

Cabo

a.k.a. Cabo San Lucas, a.k.a. Los Cabos

The last stop on our cruise was in Cabo. By far this was the prettiest of the three locations we visited. The consensus opinion was that Cabo was the only place we may want to come back to in the future.

Cabo is located on the very southern tip of Baja California. It also has a large population of retired Americans. It's very different from the other two places we saw in Mexico in that it's much more upscale.

The ship had to anchor offshore and we were ferried to the marina in one of the ship's lifeboats. Since we didn't have a whole lot of time, Stacey and I left the ship before everyone else and headed for the main beach area. On the way to the beach we walked passed a lot of nice boats in the marina, as well as some good restaurants. We stopped at a higher end mall that borders the marina (for example, it has a Mac store) and grabbed some Kahlua laced coffee.

Julia loved the sand and the water. Because her swimsuit is green, she looked like a little sea turtle crawling to and from the water. I got some great video of her fearlessly playing on the beach and in the water, but since this is a family blog I am prohibited from showing it since it contains a certain attractive female in her bathing suit. We stayed there for as long as possible and then headed back to the ship.

Here are some clips of the videos I shot in Cabo. The first clip is coming into Cabo as the sun is rising, then Julia playing in the sand, then Julia and I playing in the ocean.

Merry Christmas!

Mazatlan

The next morning (after Puerto Vallarta) we arrived in Mazatlan. The sun was just coming up as we pulled into port, so we witnessed a great sunrise from the ship. The clouds were thin enough yet covered the whole sky so that they turned the entire horizon red when the sun came up.

We all hopped in a taxi and went down to Old Mazatlan. We weren't that interested in spending the day in the newer, touristy area called the "Golden Zone"...because we weren't that interested in shopping for souvenirs. We were dropped off in the center of town, right next to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The Cathedral apparently is the world's only Roman Catholic Church with the Star of David displayed in each of its 28 stained-glass windows. During the course of construction, money was getting low. Jews from Germany donated a large amount of money to help. In honor of this group, the church placed 28 Stars of David over the windows of the church, to represent 28 days in the Jewish month. Construction begun in 1856 but due to Mexico's turbulent times, it took until 1899 to finish.

We then walked a few blocks to the main market in town. This market was celebrating its 109 year anniversary (if I remember correctly). We got Julia a little dress there. The market had everything you could imagine...it was essentially like a giant Wal-Mart. The most interesting section was the butcher shops - which I'm sure will get your attention when viewing the slide show.

We had lunch at a resturant a few blocks away, and then Stacey and I took an open-air taxi back to the ship. The open-air taxis there are essentially suped-up golf carts, so it was a great way to see the city on our way back. We took the scenic route back, so we got to see some great views of the city and the waterfront. We never made it over to where the resorts are located, but we could tell from the blue water and black rock in the ocean that it was probably a pretty place. It reminded us a little bit of Maui.

Music by David Mead (Elodie)

Puerto Vallarta

The first stop we made was in Puerto Vallarta. We took a taxi from the ship to the downtown area and walked around for a few hours. There were some great sand sculptures and views of the beach. We spent some time walking in and around the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, as well as some of the side streets in downtown. Stacey and I walked up the surrounding hill to get an overview of the town, which provided us with some good views.

The highlight for me of our stop in Puerto Vallarta was eating at the Si Senor restaurant. The food was excellent. I ordered a chili relleno in addition to the chips and 3 kinds of salsa provided as an appetizer. The owner spoke flawless english, but the food was authentic mexican. The rest of the family took a taxi back to the ship while Stacey and I decided to walk back on the beach. The walk back on the beach took a little over an hour. We were asked to buy many things by locals on the beach, including some weed. I wasn’t in the mood that day to get high (besides, the ship was still a ways away and I didn’t have any munchies), so we continued on. Our walk back was nice and good exercise.

After the trip ended, I decided that Puerto Vallarta was probably my least favorite of the three stops. I’m sure that we didn’t see the nicest areas, but as a whole I think Mazatlan and Cabo were prettier places. As the day was ending, we had a perfect view of the amazing sunset from our balcony aboard the ship. We watched the giant sun set, and got some great pictures of it.

Music by The Beach Boys (Do You Wanna Dance)

Cruise Pictures

If you didn't catch these pics in the below slideshow, here are the full versions. These are my favorite pictures of Julia from the trip.