Tag: Football

  • Yes, Another Tottenham Blog

    Technically, the season is over, and I should stop talking about Tottenham until the season starts up again in August, right?

    Before I do that, I wanted to share the strange feeling I had when my optimistic wishes came true. I think it’s called confirmed happiness. Going into Sunday, all Tottenham had to do was win or tie against Norwich, and lowly Norwich was at the very bottom of the table, already destined to be relegated. So, the bar wasn’t very high. But still, at the end of the season, crazy shit can happen, and great teams can lose in spectacular fashion.

    And that’s not what happened. Spurs won 0-5, with two goals from Kulusevski, one from Kane, and two from Son Heung-min, and that second goal from Son tied him with Mo Salah for the Golden Boot, the top goal scored in the Premier League. Most importantly, Tottenham finished in fourth place, which qualified them for the Champions League next season.

    Now, we all go into the offseason happy and excited for next season.

    Except I won’t. Though their manager, Conte, has a contract through the end of next season, he has not committed to returning in the Fall unless Spurs owners can all agree on Conte’s vision for the team. I am sure that means signing Kane, spending the money to bring in experienced players, and I just read a rumor that they might attempt to get Erikson from Bretford. (Personally, Tottenham was playing their best when Erikson was on the pitch a couple of seasons ago.) This is the moment that the owners can show if they are serious about winning trophies.

    Yet, the most amazing aspect of all of this, for me, is the fact I have started giving a shit about what happens to a team in the off season. I have never been like this. When the season ends with a team; I’m done. And I really don’t think about them again until training camp, or spring training or whatever. I have been that way with the Cubs, and Cowboys, and even when I was really in on the Stars – didn’t care about the off season. Whoever showed up at the first game of the season was the team I supported, and I didn’t care how they got there.

    Now, I want to know how all of these moves will play out, so I can figure out if I’m going to have a good next season or not.

    I think I’m becoming a full-blown supporter now. I might need to find the local Tottenham bar for next season.

    (Say, don’t forget to like this post, or share it, or leave a comment. I got bills to pay, you know.)

  • Arsenal Lost

    I can’t believe it myself, but Arsenal lost to Newcastle yesterday 2-0. Tottenham is in fourth place in the Premiere League, and if they can win or tie on Sunday, Spurs will earn a spot in next season’s Champions League. The thing I had hoped for might actually happen. And if they hold on to fourth place, then there is a good chance that Harry Kane will stay, and so will Conte.

    Ah, but it’s an “if.”

    If they can do it.

    And I have been around the block enough times to know that nothing is guaranteed until its over. Too many years of watching the Cubs blow it, and the Rangers, and the Cowboys, and the Stars, and the Mavericks, and pretty much any sports I have taken the time to follow.

    Do you really know what love is if you heart has never been broken?

    That’s kind’a what this feels like; my heart is about the be broken.

    But it’s also kind of thrilling as well.

    This season has been a roller coaster. From Harry Kane holding out, and the lack luster start of the season. Nuno getting hired then fired, and Conte coming in. Letting Dele go, and picking up Kulusevski, which has worked out great with Kane and Son. The defense is playing better, and it seems like things are going well.

    Which is why something awful may still happen.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Dr. Solomon Hughes, Tottenham End of Season, Stan Getz, and The Car

    (Get in loser, we’re going listen to me talk about stuff)

    I have been watching Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on HBO. It’s good, a little uneven in parts, but it is catnip for Gen X males like me who lived through this stuff, and are now finding out what “really happened.” It’s embellished, and I knew that going in to it, but it is fun. Yet, the greatest accomplishment of this series is Dr. Solomon Hughes who plays Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Hughes is just “killing it” (as a friend of mine said) as the legendary NBA superstar. His portrayal of Abdul-Jabbar is nuanced, intelligent, subtle, and brimming with an intensity that is compelling to watch. Dr. Hughes is doing the most difficult acting trick there is; playing someone intelligent and also indicating the unspoken thought process that his character goes through. And this is Dr. Solomon Hughes first professional acting job. You read that right, it’s his first acting gig! As of last night, Dr. Hughes didn’t have a Wikipedia page, which made it very difficult to find out who he is. As of today, that has been rectified. If nothing else, just watch Winning Time to see this performance.

    The Premiere League is coming to an end this month, so I don’t know what I will be talking about when it comes to sports this Summer. (Cubs, yes, but that’s always a slog.) (The World Cup isn’t until November, remember?) So, basically, Tottenham has to win all of their games from now to the end of the season, and stupid-old-late-to-the-party Arsenal needs to lose at least none match. If Tottenham finishes fifth on the table, Kane is out of here. The future of the team is riding on these last matches. That’s it, I’m done. Totally not being overly dramatic.

    I have a new apparition for Stan Getz. I have been listening to him a lot, and I don’t know why I skipped him for all of these years. In the same sense, I don’t know why I ignored Roxy Music either.

    We got our car back from the shop today. Back in the middle of April, someone backed into it in the middle of the night while parked on the street. I missed the car, and I can’t believe that I am saying that. I missed sitting and doing the alt parking stuff. I am changing, to a different person that I didn’t know that I would like.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Moving, Weather, Tottenham, and Crappy Time Lords

    (Half days are killers)

    Last night, we brought up the idea of moving apartments to the kid. She did not like the idea, and I understand why. Her objection was that she didn’t want to leave her friends, and I knew that was coming. Having gone through the pandemic and not being able to see anyone, she now is living a rather normal childhood; school, parks, friends. (She’s just missing playdates, but I know that is coming.) For a seven-year-old, she’s living the dream. We mentioned to her that moving to a different neighborhood in the City would mean that we would have a bigger apartment to live in, and though she would be in a different school, we were still in the City and can come back and visit her friends. That didn’t sell her. To her, our little corner of Harlem is the best place in the world.

    I don’t like getting older sometimes. Lately, I keep thinking and talking about the weather, which clearly is a sign that I am getting older. Such as, it was 40 degrees this morning, and it’s the end of April. As we are about to hit May, it should be warmer. I say this because the month of May is one of the reasons I still live in New York City. It’s supposed to be not too hot and not too cold. It’s a Baby Bear month! I want to put on a lite coat and sunglasses and take a walk. It’s the little things in life that make it worth living, and I need my little things, damn it!

    Tottenham better beat Leicester, and West Ham needs to beat Arsenal. That’s my weekend.

    What if we are living in the “fixed” timeline? What if things got so bad that people in the future went back in time and “fixed” whatever made things so bad, and this is the “better” version of things?

  • ODDS and ENDS: FIFA Men’s World Cup, Easter, and Soup

    (Things I think…)

    The Men’s World Cup teams are pretty much locked in now. I know there are three play-off matches left to go, but, on the whole, the World Cup is set. I am glad that Team USA was able to make it in this time around. All they had to do was not lose to Costa Rica by more than six goals, so Team USA lost by two goals. It would have been nice to qualify with a win, but I’ll take what I can get. Also, it’s kind’a cool that all of North America will be represented; Canada, USA and Mexico will all be there. Which is a little bit funny as that Continental Trifecta will be hosting the 2026 Cup, and means they all get automatic bids as the host nations. I will be rooting for Team USA, but will also follow England. And I will keep my eye on Senegal; I got a good feeling about them. The only downside to all of this is that the tournament doesn’t kick off until November. I got eight months to sit on this, and do a grand amount of speculating.

    When my daughter got up this morning, she asked me, how soon till Easter? It’s almost here, and we, the wife and I that is, haven’t hand a single thought about it. We did talk, at the start of the year of getting out of town for that weekend, but I don’t think that’s likely. The kid, on the other hand, is ready for bunnies, and eggs, and going to see farm animals, and flowers, and candy. Lots and lots of candy. In my kid’s mind, I think she believes the year is divided up into periods where she receives candy.

    I like soup now.