Oooh........Shrimp On A Skewer!

Yellow boxfish at the Oregon Coast Aquarium doing what they do best........ whatever that is.

One Small Step Of Decency Restored: New Headstone For Ian Curtis

It's been a month since the news came out that some over zealous "fan" (?) had stolen the headstone of Joy Division's late singer, Ian Curtis, from a Macclesfield cemetery. Now his ex-wife Debbie has laid out for a new one, and the local police are still sadly not any closer than they were at the beginning in finding the stolen marker. A pox upon the thief for this most senseless crime.






MACCLESFIELD NEWS STORY

Thanks And Best Of Luck To Teemu And Robbo!

As expected, two players who have contributed to Spurs have made their ways to new locales for differing reasons. Goalie Paul Robinson is now on his way to Blackburn, partly in an effort to help regain the confidence that made him England's number one, and Teemu Tainio is headed to Sunderland in a move that he hopes will bring more consistent first team play.





Though Robbo had certainly made his fair share of mistakes between the posts in the last couple of years, it had certainly become apparent that a change of scenery would be best for both player and team, and Robbo will certainly be warmly received by the fans at the Lane when Rovers pay their visit this upcoming season.


Tainu became a fan favourite be always giving his best and not complaining when things weren't going his way (i.e. maximum playing time on the pitch). He also scored that memorable goal against the Hammers in the 4-3 classic from 2007, a stunning display of passing and movement, which entailed a cross from Dimitar Berbatov to the left side of the box, where Aaron Lennon backheeled it perfectly to the onrushing Tainu, leaving the dazed Hammer defense flatfooted.


There was also this lovely display of time-wasting at the end of the Carling Cup from last February, annoying Chelsea (and Didier Drogba in particular) as he drained a few more seconds of opportunity away from the Blues. Judging from Drogba's reaction, I suppose the whole of the team was feeling the pressure of all of Abramovich's millions directly on their backs. The shots of Tainu pointing to the scoreboard in front of the Chelsea players is one of the little things that will endure him to Spurs fans for a long, long while.



Thanks again to you two, and the best of luck for the rest of your careers (except when you play Spurs of course!)

Why Mince Words? A 'Soccer' Poll That Gets Straight To The Heart Of The Matter

In the wake of the West Ham fans who vainly sought to find the "tea and crumpet" vendors in the middle of a section of Columbus Crew fans Sunday night, the Columbus Dispatch now has a poll on its web site that is seemingly directed to the mass of Americans not yet persuaded by the nuances of the beautiful game. The poll simply asks: Does hooliganism make soccer more interesting to you?. Looks like it's one of those polls where one can only vote once, but thankfully the "no" voters have made themselves known at this time (57% at this time).







DISPATCH STORY WITH POLL QUESTION





ESPN STORY

Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Lied To?: Robbie Keane To Liverpool

The dizzying number of reports in the British papers regard the transfer requests from Spurs strikers Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov (to Liverpool and Man United, respectively) have undoubtedly been the culprit in raising the blood pressure of Spurs fans around the world lately.



The news of Berbatov leaving has certainly been expected by Spurs faithful over the last few months, but even a Carling Cup victory last February wasn't enough to persuade the Bulgarian to give new coach Juande Ramos another season to achieve the status of playing in the Champions League: Berbatov wants to play there now, the erratic play of Spurs on the pitch apparently a significant role in his moodiness throughout the year.


Keane, however, is an entirely different study: in the years that he's been at White Hart Lane, he has been a truly exemplary leader both on and off the pitch, a hard worker who appreciates the recognition from the Tottenham faithful. Many times over Keane has expressed how content he is at the Lane, and even as last year's roller coaster of a season was finishing up, he expressed a desire to finish his career at Tottenham.



Now that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has come out with a stunning statement earlier this week, that reads in part.... I have absolutely no wish to sell either player and to date we have not accepted any offer for either. However, when a player's head is turned and their commitment is absent, particularly when they occupy key positions such as that of striker, they become a negative influence in a team dressing room in which they were once a positive addition and influence. This is the situation we now have on our hands, with both Dimitar and Robbie having made it clear that they wish to leave for Manchester Utd and Liverpool respectively., the question that is burning on the minds of all Spurs fans is: Robbie, how could you and what exactly has changed in the last year to have changed your mind?


Going to Liverpool won't be nearly as unforgivable as when Sol Campbell signed with Arsenal earlier this decade, but it has still been received as a major body shock by Spurs fans. Yes, we know the true nature of professional sports is that it's a business, but when a trusted and admired player such as Keane disavows what he's said before (on many occasions), then the last shreds of imagined integrity and devotion to the team have sadly been cruelly ripped away.



ROBBIE'S LIES, LIES, LIES





LEVY'S STATEMENT






A pox upon both Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez for their actions in these matters.

Nice Move George: Randolph Goes To The All-Star Game

Though I have little love for the Yankees (but will root for them whenever they play the Red Sox), and have even less time for the digs given by the fans of the inter-city rivalry as exhibited in the comments in the linked article, as a Mets fan I must say that it is a very nice gesture of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to invite fired Mets manager (and former Yankee standout) Willie Randolph to tonight's All-Star game.


DAILY NEWS STORY

Bobby Murcer, R.I.P.

Sad news today in that former Yankee great Bobby Murcer passed away after his fight with brain cancer at the age of 62. He had a tough gig in replacing Mickey Mantle, but did a damn good job in doing so, and his mid-career stints with the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs did nothing to replace the feeling that he would always be a Yankee no matter what. I also liked him as an announcer in the time that I've had the ExtraInnings baseball package. Thanks for your efforts Bobby, you will certainly be missed. The card is from the 1970 Topps set, and one of the first cards I ever owned.



ESPN STORY

Groove Armada & Richie Havens: Hands Of Time

Following the great Richie Havens performance in I'm Not There as well as hearing Handouts In The Rain on a recent Mojo magazine CD of some of Paul Weller's inspirational tunes, I went looking to hear something else by the man.


Came across this performance with Groove Armada, a song that's apparently featured in the movie Collateral; I suppose I'd overlooked this gem simply for the fact that it was placed in a Tom Cruise vehicle; with my hand on my heart, I can honestly say that I've never spent a dime of my own money at the box office for a Tom Cruise movie, the last movie of his I saw was Risky Business........and that's when I was working in the theater to start with.


Tom may get some ancillary income from the soundtrack CD sales, but that still won't detract from this lovely tune.

A Sick Symptom Of Fandom: Gravestone Of Ian Curtis Stolen

In a year that's brought about some renewed attention on one of the finest bands ever, some "fan" has resorted to a new low by stealing the memorial marker for Ian Curtis, the deceased singer of Joy Division, who passed away in 1980. The sad BBC news report is HERE.