Sunday, July 24, 2011

FIFA Bans Mohamed Bin Hammam

On Saturday, former FIFA presidential candidate and head of The Asian Football Federation Mohamed Bin Hammam was banned for life by the governing body’s ethics committee following a two-day hearing.

The 62-year old Qatari was accused of attempting to buy votes prior to June’s presidential elections, which Bin Hammam withdrew from leaving only the incumbent Sepp Blatter to seek a 5th term.

Even for FIFA, a lifetime ban is of legitimate consequence amongst the gaggles of symbolic wrist slaps. It’s really nothing more than to say ‘Mr. Bin Hammam, of all the corrupt and conniving sons of bitches within the FIFA ranks, you are one of them.’ That one gets me every time - not that specific usage, but to say to somebody that they are simply one of many - essentially you’re just spinning the first sentence and the anticipation that follows it on its head to elicit at best a modest chuckle.

Not more than a few days ago, I heard Keith Law say something along similar lines when recently highlighting the offensive inefficiencies of a player, quoting a former coach who said; “Buddy, of all the second baseman I’ve coached, you’re one of them.” Come on, that’s a little funny no? Simple conversational humour can be just as funny as an intricate joke that builds through a set-up that leads to a punchline. A punchline that brings down the house of tent cards advertising buckets of Bud Light Lime bottles, brought to your table by a girl breaching her third trimester with a Matinee tucked behind her left ear and a visible tattoo that may in fact with no certainty either be a Seal’s face or that of a Boston terrier.

FIFA harbours the deceitful and ignorant like it’s a race towards evil against an imaginary clock. Mohamed Bin Hamman is a crooked piece of shit. I’ve mentioned him on more than one occasion in the last few months, in hopes that this would be the last mention in the hallowed internet corridors, before remembering that Qatar will be hosting a World Cup, leaving Bin Hammam with a legacy much like that of his former employer; corrupt.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Au Revoir Patrick Vieira

Earlier today, one of my top 5 favourite athletes of all-time announced his retirement from football. Patrick Vieira epitomized the skill set of an Arsenal player from those trophy winning years surrounding the millenium.


The 2003-04 Gunners were captained by the lanky #4 as they went on the accomplish a never before done feat in English football - an unbeaten season for which they were heralded as 'The Invincibles'. I remember crying unabashedly the moment Vieira hoisted the League trophy that day.



He was a wizard in the midfield who had both the softest touch and a nose for goal when necessary. The longer his career continued, the further back he dropped on the pitch, cementing his legacy as a truly brilliant footballer. He fought for Arsenal and wore the Captain's armband with pride. He stood-up for his teammates and was never afraid to confront the scum and filth of the English Premier that trolled the depths of the league looking to upset Arsenal (see Patrick vs. Keano below.)



Born in Dakar, Senegal June 23rd 1976, Patrick announced his standard on the scene at Serie A side AC Milan after a year at Cannes, before playing with Arsenal from 1996 - 2005. During that period, the team won three league titles - one unbeaten - and four FA Cup titles. Since he left, the Gunners have wallowed in a trophy-less spell of 6+ years.

He won a World Cup with France in 1998 and was a member of their Euro 2000 winning campaign as well.

As a member of the mid 2000's Gunners, Vieira played a part of my favourite team ever with the likes of Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg, Dennis Bergkamp, Sylvain Wiltord, Robert Pires, Robin Van Persie, Jose Antonio Reyes, Ray Parlour, Sol Campbell and dozens more.

The goal below was the last of 'The Invicibles' season, cementing a legendary accomplishment and an unbelievable performance.



Patrick finished his career playing for the likes of Inter Milan and Man City, where last year he helped the Citizens win the FA Cup as he did with the Gunners.

I will always love Patrick Vieira. The world's greatest midfielder and the man Arsenal continues to struggle to replace. He will now continue his career in football, as the Football Developement Executive at Manchester City.



I love you Patrick.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

John Hetherington: Pioneering Haberdasher

Again, my sincerest of apologies for the decline in content on this site of late. Tour de France at 8am with a friend visiting from Denmark and a new job leaves very little time for frivolous writing. Nonetheless, there's something I wanted to share with you today.

When faced with dissenting opinions from friends or peers, remember that periphery contributions mean far less than your own personal goals.

This week, when faced with a situation where judgement was cast; I recalled the famed English haberdasher John Hetherington.

On a cold January day in 1797, Hetherington walked out the doors of his studio and onto the London streets much to the surprise of passersby. Perched on his head was a top hat, constructed from the textiles used in umbrella production. Just 60 years later, the initial fears that surrounded the hat had been conquered and the top hat had become a universally acceptable and omnipresent fashion choice for people from all castes. That day, it cause a minor riot according to the story. Women screamed, crowds amassed in disgust and a small boy broke his arm after being trampled by a mass of people.

The depiction was featured in several English papers before spreading continental for publication in other publications and periodicals. Despite being challenged by many, including the wikipedia page, which challenges the verity of the story, a lesson can be learned by Hetherington's courageous decision. What was just his idea of fashion and practicality was interpreted as a statement on the conditions of menswear; where in reality it was anything but.

Hetherington was arrested shortly thereafter and charged before facing the courts to explain his audacious invention.

Worry not what others will think of your decisions. If your reasoning determines the action to be beneficial without infringing on the rights of others, then follow your instincts with nary a consideration for the opinions of others.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Dear MLB Coaches: Dump The Bunt

With the heightened importance of sabermetrics and the revisionist history that post-Moneyball baseball allows, of late, I have been paying much consideration to the changing nature of Major League Baseball and its rules.

For a sport that abhors change and the modification of its rules for the influx of technological means, the last decade has given birth to new forms of statistical measure that have been proven to be more indicative of a player’s value than those that were once thought to be of great importance (RBI’s, AVG., etc.) With these new measures comes a heightened understanding of the sport itself and the consideration of elements of the game that were once thought to be of great use; more specifically, in this instance, the true worth of the bunt.

Bunting has long been an important element of baseball, where it can serve two purposes; to advance a runner on base, or, as less frequently used, as a means of taking advantage of third or first baseman protecting the base or playing deep, in hopes of advancing the hitter to first base.

The more thought I put towards bunting, the more I find it to be wasteful, especially in the first instance. With only three outs, admittedly wasting one only to advance a runner 90 feet seems rather moronic. Actively swallowing one of the three outs to advance a runner one base severely limits the batting teams ability to accumulate runs in that inning.

For a sacrifice bunt to be useful, it would have to be executed effectively 100% of the time, and without digging through stats at MLB.com, it is safe to say that it does not always work as planned. Furthermore, the fact that a ball bunted foul on two strikes is an out and the difficult nature of holding back a bunt once an attempt to execute it is made go to great lengths to minimize its effectiveness.

For Oakland GM Billy Beane and other small-ball enthusiasts, the bunt is an important element towards the goal of chipping-away at the opposition by scoring one run innings in hopes of wining 1-0 or 2-1. This may work in the offensively challenged AL West, but try implementing that in the AL East against the Red Sox for example; score an important run in the top half of the inning, only to have the middle of Boston’s lineup come up and rattle off successive two baggers. Long story truncated; you lose.

Let’s consider a specific situation. Man on first, none out. Batter at the plate is an efficient bunter, and the dire need for a run trumps all. The batter bunts in order to a) advance the runner to second and in scoring position and b) eliminate the chance of a crippling double play. By doing so, the team is essentially giving an out to the other team to advance the player 90 feet and to effectively eliminate the opportunity for a second out. The more I think of this, the more absurd it seems. Now it’s one thing if this is the NL and the batter is Wandy Rodriguez, but it’s a completely different story if the batter is a position player. I’m almost certain he has a lineup spot not because of his ability to bunt, but because he can hit; so, let the man hit. Donating an out to narrow the odds of a second out is ridiculous. Take a hack my man – we’ll deal with the results after the fact. It should be a matter of worst-case versus best-case scenario. With bunting, the comparison of scenarios is rather narrow; it is either an out with a man on second, or the bunter fails in his attempt, resulting in one out, man still on first. If you allow the player to bat, with consideration towards trying not to ground into a DP, the disparity between scenarios widens; it’s either a DP or a two-run homerun, or a single and a man on first and third, or a double that could have scored the runner and placed the batter in scoring position at second.

The point I’m trying to make is that by letting the player hit, it increases the odds of the occurrence of more beneficial acts for the team at bat. Bunting restricts a team’s ability to be an offensive power, which also caters to the starting pitcher by reducing the pitch count and limiting the potential of a big inning.

Without implementing statistical measures into this argument, I urge readers of the blog and baseball fans alike to watch the game from a different perspective. Become members of my campaign to eliminate the bunt and let’s allow the players to do what they’re paid to do; get a bloody hit.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Tour De France Coverage

First off; my apologies for leaving the site dormant since Thursday. I have a dear friend visiting from Copenhagen and have been a little busy.

I'm halfway through something I hope to post at some point tonight; however, in the meantime, I encourage you to visit my friend's Tumblr and have a look at his archive. I am a cycling junkie that is completely amorous of the Tour De France. I would have preferred to cover some of it myself, but I suggest you visit the link below and search for the TdF in his archives. Brilliant stuff.

My friend, known only as Polk Panther, has been providing daily coverage of the Tour De France on his site. I think it's brilliant stuff.

Have a look;

Polk Panther's TDF Coverage

Anywho, I must make like a tree and fuck off. In appreciation of your support, this Bud's for you.