The rantings of a sports fan and gadget junkie suffering from societal vertigo. Think of it as the space-age polymer of the blog world.
SKY TV how were screening the Premier League live decided not to show a replay of the incident because it was ‘upsetting’.
Damned untechnical brute English players and their imprecision in tackles on Arsenal players. Early word is leg break (obviously) and dislocated kneecap. Ouch. Godspeed Aaron.
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Cabinda profile: Cabinda is an exclave of Angola separated from the country’s mainland by the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo-Kinshasa) and the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville.) While by law it’s a part of Angola, local rebels dispute its status, and battle for independence.Cabinda, which is slightly smaller than Puerto Rico, is bordered by the two Congos and the Atlantic Ocean. Home to just over 250,000 people, it is largely jungle, and has been a part of Angola since 1975, a year after the latter’s independence in 1974. In the late 1960s, oil was discovered in Cabinda.
Independence movement: Various armed and political groups have vied for Cabinda’s independence since its absorption into Angola. The justifications range from the ethnic to the linguistic to the economic.
Reasons for conflict: Aside from any ethnic/territorial claims towards independence, finance is involved, most notably through oil. Despite its tiny size, Cabinda and its coastal area is home to a considerable majority of Angola’s oil reserves. While the local authorities receive some of the oil companies’ revenues in the form of tax, Cabindal opposition groups complain that too much of the money is given over to the Angolan central government, with aims ranging from greater autonomy to increased funding to, most commonly, outright independence.
Path to peace: Angola as a whole played host to a civil war that ran from independence until 2002; Cabinda’s conflict has raged on much longer. However, in 2006 Antonio Bento Bembe, still representing the pro-independence organisation Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), signed a peace accord with Angola in Brazzaville. Nonetheless various FLEC offshoots and splinter groups opposed this bargain, stating that the resistance will continue. While numerous such groups exist, there can be a broad stroke drawn between FLEC-Renovada, which signed the peace deal and seeks to co-operate with the Angolan state (Bento Bembe in fact serves as a government minister), and opposing organisations, such as the FLEC-FAC (FLEC-Armed Forces of Cabinda), who reject it.
The group FLEC-PM (Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda – Military Position) claimed responsibility for the Togo attack.
Justification for attack: FLEC-PM released a statement via Radio France International after the attack, in which they stated, “The CAF (Confederation of African Football) was warned repeatedly that this was a country at war. They had documents explaining this, but they wouldn’t heed the warnings. They must take responsibility. We are not rebels, but a military and political movement originating in Cabinda. We’re not rebels, but resistance fighters. Cabinda is a territory illegally occupied by Angola, and we are fighting for its liberation.
“This operation was just the beginning of a series of targeted actions that will continue constantly throughout Cabinda’s territory.”
Unconfirmed reports attributed to FLEC-PM indicated that the attack was actually aimed at the Angolan security escort that accompanied the Togolese bus, and that the driver and squad were merely caught in the crossfire, but this remains only a rumour at time of publication.
money and politics
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Wonder why Emmanuel Adebayor didn’t run the length of the bus to celebrate infront of the Gunners this time
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John Anderson, the typical Sportscenter knob who stumbles through Champions League highlights and names and terms, finally admits – ON ABC’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL – that he hates footy. Are you kidding me? And you want ME to support watching any soccer on ESPN?!? Or any Disney properties?
Fuck That! Come on FSC and Fox!
YouTube – Hating the Beautiful Game
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Goal of the Century from this weekend
better than his goal in Euro 2004? maybe
better than his goal for Ajax? Possibly
reminds you of this Roberto Mancini (Lazio) goal back in the day:
Mancini goal
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3:30 PM this past Saturday was an awesome opportunity to watch 3 great college football games, and since I have 3 TVs in my sports nook, I tuned into the USC-Notre Dame and Florida-Kentucky game while focusing on the Miami-Florida State rivalry game on the main screen. Then it dawned on me – Of all six of these teams, the only team ranked in the Top 10 was Kentucky. The basketball school. Have Miami and Florida State fallen that far off the map? Their games used to be the centerpiece of the first weekend in October. Typically the game of the century every year, with the rosters brimming with future NFL talent.
Twenty years ago, Miami and Florida State played in one of the most memorable college games and it eventually settled the 1987 national championship. On Saturday, they meet again with little more at stake than bragging rights. The Seminoles (4-2, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) and Hurricanes (4-3, 1-2) both need a win in the regionally televised game to keep hopes alive for a respectable season by their standards. That mediocrity has many nostalgic for the 1987 game, which showcased an unprecedented cadre of rising stars in Miami’s 26-25 victory. One of the most compelling matchups was Miami wide receiver Michael Irvin and Florida State cornerback Deion Sanders. “I don’t think I have ever been in a game where there was more talent on the football field between two ballclubs,” Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said this week. “They had a lot of first-rounders and we did too.” Ten first-round picks were among the more than 60 Seminole and Hurricane athletes who played Oct. 3, 1987, and eventually made it to NFL training camps.
And it’s not just this team. Looking at the Top 10 in the 1990 AP Poll, Few of these teams have shown any kind of form as of late. And Houston has completely fallen off the map.
1990 Final Poll Final Poll released after BowlsFinal Rank Team Record 1 Colorado 11-1-1 2 Georgia Tech 11-0-1 3 Miami (FL) 10-2 4 Florida St. 10-2 5 Washington 10-2 6 Notre Dame (IN) 9-3 7 Michigan 9-3 8 Tennessee 9-2-2 9 Clemson (SC) 10-2 10 Houston (TX) 10-1
Ebb and flow, I guess. Nebraska is reeling – they just brought Tom Osborne back. Penn State and Michigan are in dire need of new coaching. We all know about Notre Dame. And all these mid-major schools like West Virginia, Kansas, Rutgers, South Florida, Fresno State and Boise State have made or are making runs at the title. Oh well, maybe after an up and down year, Miami’s comeback win at FSU will help them turn the corner.
Colin McCarthy returned a fumble 27 yards for Miami’s second touchdown in 11 seconds late in the fourth quarter and the Hurricanes beat Florida State 37-29 Saturday. For the first time since 1977, the rivalry game that helped decide so many national titles during the 1980s and 90s was played with neither team ranked. Fittingly, the Seminoles and ‘Canes combined for nine turnovers, five by FSU. Minutes before Miami’s two quick touchdowns, the Hurricanes (5-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) appeared to have lost their best chance to get the win when Kirby Freeman was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 at the Florida State 1 with 5:29 left and the ‘Canes trailing 29-24. But Freeman, who replaced injured Kyle Wright in the first half, drove Miami 83 yards in a 11/2 minutes to take the lead 30-29 on a 13-yard pass to Dedrick Epps with 1:15 left.
It wasn’t a pretty game. Both quarterbacks were seemingly trying to give the game away. And when UM’s Kyle Wright got knocked out, backup Kirby Freeman did his best to step up those efforts. And I’m no Kyle Wright fan. But Kirby calmed down and the UM defense stepped up. We’re on our way back, baby! FSU – I think you might want to prepare a nice retirement package for ol’ Bobby. It’s time for a change. We can’t let teams like Boston College be number 2 in the BCS. The ACC is supposed to be our playground.
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Part of Dan Marino’s speech honoring Brett Favre’s record breaking season – courtesy of The Onion.
“Join me in saluting Brett Favre for breaking the all-time interception record of 277 set by George Blanda—truly a milestone for the ages,” Marino intoned during the opening montage, which featured Favre throwing some of his most memorable picks. “Some say records were made to be broken—personally, I’ve never believed that—but in any case the career interception mark was believed to be unreachable. It takes a player with an unusual combination of not knowing when to retire, not knowing when to stop trying to rack up the completions, and not knowing when to stop trying to throw touchdowns. And it seems that lucky player is everyone’s big hero quarterback, Brett Favre.”
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Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s tirade against a reporter from The Oklahoman who was critical of former starting QB Bobbi Reid is probably the best college coaching meltdown since Dan Hawkins “It’s Division One Football!” rant from last season. He was so mad, that if you didn’t read the whole story you wouldn’t know his team pulled out a great shootout win over Big 12 rival Texas Tech.
Wow! She called him out for being a wimp, coddled and fed chicken. Kinda harsh for a college player but the Newspaper business needs eyeballs too. You can’t let Tiki Barber have all the fun. Of course after such a verbal berating – the columnist has to fight back, right?
A newspaper columnist for The Oklahoman on Tuesday defended her reporting on a story that prompted a tirade by Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy. Jenni Carlson, in a column on the front page, maintained the accuracy of an earlier column critical of the Cowboys’ former starting quarterback.
“I will not stand on the sidelines and allow someone to attack my credibility,” she said.
Carlson’s column Saturday suggested Bobby Reid’s demotion was a result of his attitude more than his ineffective play. It stated that Reid, who lost his starting job two games ago, had not always handled his nerves well and his slow starts put the Cowboys in some early holes, including some they dug out of with Reid “wielding the biggest shovel.”
It also called Reid the “most talented quarterback” on the team and indicated Reid was “nicked in some games and sat it out instead of gutting it out.” Following Oklahoma State’s 49-45 win over Texas Tech, Gundy used his postgame news conference to berate Carlson and left the room without taking questions.
On Saturday, Gundy called three-fourths of the column “fiction.” During Gundy’s news conference Monday, Carlson asked the coach to point out what he thought were factual errors.
The tirade was awesome and it’s great that he wants to defend his players from allegedly shotty reporting. But I wonder if she wasn’t a woman reporter – would have been as loud and forceful with his comments – and if there would have been the same reaction from the gallery. No doubt there’s still a stigma attached to women reporters in sports.
“It just happened because of my feelings for the team and the players and I just felt like it wasn’t the right thing,” Gundy said. “I certainly didn’t do it to receive recognition and I certainly don’t want it to take away from this upcoming game like it unfortunately took away from the last game for the team.”The situation has drawn more attention than the result of the game, which included more than 1,300 yards of offense and Tech’s Graham Harrell throwing for the fourth-highest total in major college football history.
“I thought it was more important that somebody stand up for a player who couldn’t stand up for himself,” Gundy said.
Football Writers Association of America president Mike Griffith called Gundy’s behavior “completely inappropriate” and suggested the matter “could have been handled in a more private and appropriate matter.”
The Association for Women in Sports Media said Monday night that Gundy handled the situation in an “unprofessional manner,” and while he has a right to his opinion “his decision to air his objections in the form of a personal attack shows a lack of respect for all journalists.”
We’ll see how this affects his team going forward. Surely Reid now has all the motivation he needs to prove his doubters wrong. But if he doesn’t, he’s hopefully getting a great education in Stillwater! How ’bout them Cowboys!
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