Its nice that someone other than Michael Phelps has won a gold medal. Nastia Liukin took the women’s all around title and the head of US Gymnastics Bela Karolyi goes nuts while watching the routine. Gotta love the enthusiasm. I believe his exact words were, “Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful! Yeah! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! She’s an Olympic Champion! I’m telling you. I’m telling you. I’m telling you. Wow. Wow. Wow.”
Our President and First Fan has been catching a lot of events while in China for the Oympics. Too bad Bush doesn’t know how to hold the American flag. Somehow, I cannot imagine China’s Paramount Leader Hu Jintao making this kind of gaff.
Via Sara
One of the most remarkable events in World Sports happened one week ago tomorrow: Ebbsfleet United FC, the footie team of which I am an owner, beat Torquay United 1-0 in the FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium.
This is the first time the ‘Fleet has won the FA Trophy, or has been in the semis or the finals for that matter. The fact that former Torquay striker Chris McPhee was the one who netted the goal makes it even sweeter. The official estimate is that some 25,000 of the 40,186 fans inside Wembley Stadium – the Trophy Final’s second biggest gate ever – were “of the red persuasion” (as the ‘Fleet’s site puts it). I wish I was there, even though those in red on “Star Trek” at least often do not make it home…the victory parade looks like it was a smashing good time.
It has never happened before in club history: Ebbsfleet United will be playing in Wembley Stadium in the FA Trophy final on May 10.
I am so happy for all the supporters who have rooted for the team for the past few weeks, years or decades. The future is bright. Up the Fleet!
My footie club purchase was in the works but now it is official: I now co-own (along with ~ 30k other people) a footie club called Ebbsfleet United FC in jolly old England. Sing the song of songs and let all the world rejoice!
As an aside, I take offense to the AP using the word “lowly” in its article title. Watch out England, we’ll be in the Premiership in 10 – 20 years!
I love New York, especially when especially big things happen and today it’s “Two for Tuesday!” here in the Big Apple:
1. The NY Football Giants celebrated the aftermath of the catch (aka an improbable super bowl victory) with a ticker tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes. The last time a parade was held there was pre-9-11 when the Yanks won the World Series. I was there, just like I was in ’99. Everyone loves a parade, especially if Boston is miserable as a result.
2. The Democratic Primary in New York was held today – I voted before 8:00 am and the woman who handled my registration remarked, “I remember you – you vote in every election.” It’s true, I do. I firmly believe that if you do not vote, you are not truly a citizen and therefore you do not have the right to complain about whatever you find lacking in your society (and you know how much I love to complain). While I didn’t create the world I live in, I can help to alter it as much as possible. Voting is one concrete way you can help affect change. Each vote matters, whether you think it does or not.
Let’s save for another post the ludicrous fact that before I even had a chance to vote, my democratic choices were winnowed down to two ( I would liked to have voted for Joe Biden). The great fact of the day is that I had the singular pleasure of actually voting for a great friend of mine – he was on the ballot in my district as a delegate for Barack Obama. While I have friends and family who are elected officials, I never got to pull a lever for them. The only downside was that I couldn’t bring Bingham in with me – they were cracking down this year.
As an aside, did you know the Dead got back together to rock out for Obama? I think that is pretty cool.
I am not going on any nautical excursions in the near future. Instead, I am proudly announcing that MyFootballClub has entered a deal in principle to take over Ebbsfleet United Football Club, affectionately known as “The Fleet.”
What this means is that I, along with the approximately 20,000 current MyFootballClub members, will own an equal share in the club. While I cannot earn a profit or receive a dividend, I will have a vote on transfers as well as player selection and all major decisions.
In case you are a huge English Footie fanatic and do not recognize the name, Ebbsfleet United was known as Gravesend & Northfleet F.C. until May, 2007. In 1946, Gravesend United F.C. (originally formed in 1893) and Northfleet United F.C. (originally formed in 1890) merged with the new club retaining the red & white home colours (and the Stonebridge Road stadium) of Northfleet United F.C.
“As you can appreciate, this website has been inundated with traffic and we will need to upgrade our servers to cope with the demand generated by the EUFC/MyFootballClub announcement.”
I have been waiting my entire life to own (a piece of) a professional sports team. So what if they play in England’s Conference National league, which is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system? As Wikipedia notes, “It is the most profitable and competitive fifth-tier football league in the world.” I’m only a plane flight from NY to London and a 55 min train ride from London to Kent away from seeing my boys play. I wonder who sits in the owners box – while there are 20,000 owners, there is only room in Ebbsfleet Stadium for 5,000 people. I like how it is affectionately called ‘The Graveyard’ or ‘Cemetery.’
For more information, read the info I gleamed from the Members Area of MyFootballClub’s site.
MyFootballClub has agreed a deal in principle to purchase a controlling stake in Ebbsfleet United FC. Placed 9th in the Conference, Ebbsfleet United FC is one promotion from reaching the Football League for the first time in its history.
MyFootballClub members will also have the option to buy 100% of the football club in the future for a fixed price.
Funds will be made available to Liam Daish during the January transfer window to help the club push towards the play-off places.
As part of the deal, the current Board will continue their roles at the club as non-executives after the date of takeover, and club staff (including the manager) will also stay on.
The football club selection process
Some of the top 15 clubs chosen by members were ruled out because they didn’t fulfil our criteria, for example high levels of debt. In all, MyFootballClub was approached by nine football club owners, and we approached several others. Getting to know one club and meeting the personalities involved is a process that can take several weeks. In three months, we took a close look at seven clubs. Confidentiality means we cannot disclose details of any of these discussions.
Of the seven football clubs considered, the MyFootballClub team believes that Ebbsfleet United FC presents a unique opportunity. Here is some background to the deal and the football club:
Price
We have been able to structure a deal so that the up front payment is relatively small (to allow investment in the squad), with a further staged payment due 12 months after takeover. The club will also have a small amount of debt, which will need to be repaid or refinanced 3 years after takeover.
Only when due diligence is complete can further details be released.
Current Directors and club staff
For continuity, all club staff will remain. Directors will become non-executive Directors and will continue their roles at the club.
The manager
Liam Daish’s title will change from Manager to Head Coach, in recognition of the unique role he will perform. Liam’s backroom staff, including assistant Alan Kimble, will remain.
Division
Playing in the Conference National, MyFootballClub members across the UK will have the opportunity of going to watch Ebbsfleet United matches close to home. This would not have been the case with a club in a regional division.
Promotion to the Football League is one of the great prizes in English football, and the Conference also has a Wembley play-off final. The division enjoys a similar amount of TV and press coverage as Division Two.
History
Ebbsfleet United FC is a new name, but its roots can be traced back Gravesend United FC (formed in 1893) and Northfleet United FC (formed in 1890). These two clubs merged in 1946 to become Gravesend & Northfleet FC. In May 2007, the football club changed its name to Ebbsfleet United FC.
Ground
Stonebridge Road was built in 1946 and has a capacity of 5,248 of which approximately 4,000 is standing. The club has a 17-year lease to play there the with a peppercorn rent. Plans are ongoing to build and move to a new stadium in the vicinity.
So as well as offering something for the traditionalist, there is also the prospect of a new stadium in future.
Club sponsor
Eurostar is the club’s main sponsor. The club is in the first season of a three-year deal. The club will receive monies in year two and three.
Location and transport
Ebbsfleet United FC is in northwest Kent and enjoys good transport links. By car it is junction 2 on the M25. And Northfleet station (a 5 minute walk to the ground) is 55 minutes from Charing Cross, London. Gravesend Station is also near by. And it is a 40 minute drive from Gatwick Airport.
Ebbsfleet International Station, on the Eurostar line, opens on 19 November. It’s approximately 500m from the Stonebridge Road. In December 2009, a high speed 15-minute domestic service from St Pancras will be added.
Local area
The new £100m Ebbsfleet International Station with its 15-minute journey time to St Pancras will make the area extremely desirable for commuters and businesses. To provide for Ebbsfleet’s growing population, plans are in place for 3000 residential units, 2,190 acres of new parks and open spaces and 4.5 million sq ft of commercial property, which will create around 20,000 new jobs.
Commenting on the deal in principle between EUFC and MyFootballClub:
Liam Daish, Ebbsfleet United manager: “Everyone has worked wonders to get this club to in the top half of the Conference. We all agree the club needs something extra to take it to the next step. As a football fan, I think the MyFootballClub idea is fantastic. And as the coach, I look forward to the challenge of working with thousands of members to produce a winning team. Alan Kimble and myself are 100% committed to making this work.”
Jessica McQueen, Ebbsfleet United supporters’ representative: “Also being a Trust, our members understand the MyFootballClub concept immediately. We very much look forward to working with the MyFootbcallClub members for the benefit Ebbsfleet United.”
Jason Botley, Ebbsfleet United Chairman: “The Board, Liam Daish and his coaching staff, club employees and myself are united in believing this is a great opportunity for Ebbsfleet United. This extra finance and support will enable our club to progress.”
Brian Kilcullen, Ebbsfleet United Director: “This partnership will also allow us to concentrate on driving the club forward in other areas, such as working on the new stadium development.”
Will Brooks, MyFootballClub: “Nine football clubs approached MyFootballClub and we believe that Ebbsfleet United is the perfect choice. We hope that MyFootballClub members and Ebbsfleet United supporters will join forces and make the football club more sustainable and successful.”
Dan Jones, Partner at Deloitte and Editor of the Annual Review of Football Finance: “The MyFootballClub ownership model is an innovative way of funding a lower league club. Reports of having raised over £700,000 in 11 weeks suggests it is viable too. The Sports Business Group at Deloitte has been following its progress with interest, and we’re now looking forward to offering our experience in football finance to assist with advice and guidance during the due diligence process.”
Further Quotes from Liam Daish: “Picking elevens and formations isn’t a precise science, and luck often plays its part. I believe a strong dressing room and 11 who want to perform are just as important. And I’ll continue to make sure that happens.
“During and after matches, Ebbsfleet supporters often give me their opinion on which players should or shouldn’t start games. Now they can have their say.”
“My job won’t change that much. As a club, we’ll select an eleven and formation together. But just as before, what goes on at the training ground, in the dressing room on matchday is down to me.”
“It’s the supporters money that will finances this club. Pays my and the players’ wages. So there’s a good argument for them having a say in what players they want to see.
When watching and listening to the clip below, I just kept envisioning Rob Schneider’s character from Necessary Roughness announcing the game. This clip has gotten so much press that the NYT wrote about the student announcer Jonathan Wiener (who did a fantastic job keeping up with the frenetic action on the field).
In case you were wondering, a lateral according to Webster is both defined as “directed toward, or coming from the side” when used as an adjective or “a pass in football thrown parallel to the line of scrimmage or in a direction away from the opponent’s goal” when used as a noun.
Enjoy watching about 15 of them below.
I just received an email which could be considered one of the greatest ways that Microsoft products have ever been utilized in daily life. The simple and complete email, minus signature, is as follows:
‘Nuff said.
Via Herzy
The Onion’s Sport Section has a great (and very true, at least for the past decade) little ditty about my beloved Bronx Bombers this week. To wet your appetite, I have provided the first 2 paragraphs (slightly edited for length):
Moments after the NY Yankees pulled within a once unfathomable four games of the first-place Red Sox…stunned and enraged baseball fans across America took a moment to shake their heads in disbelief and curse dejectedly at the relentless inevitability of Yankee glory.
“Fucking Yankees,” said Marshfield, MA resident and longtime Red Sox fan Lawrence Broberg, echoing the sentiments of thousands of men and woman across the nation. “Every year. Every goddamn year.”
Read the full and unedited article ether after the jump or at the Onion.
Fucking Yankees, Reports Nation
August 16, 2007 | Onion Sports
BOSTON — Moments after the New York Yankees continued a month-long stretch that has seen them climb from the bottom of the AL East to pull within a once unfathomable four games of the first-place Red Sox by defeating the Baltimore Orioles Monday night, stunned and enraged baseball fans across America took a moment to shake their heads in disbelief and curse dejectedly at the relentless inevitability of Yankee glory.
“Fucking Yankees,” said Marshfield, MA resident and longtime Red Sox fan Lawrence Broberg, echoing the sentiments of thousands of men and woman across the nation. “Every year. Every goddamn year.”
The Yankees, coming off a decisive three-game sweep of the Central-leading Indians, have won nine out of their last 10 games, catapulting them to the top of the wild-card standings, restoring the team’s infuriating confidence, and instilling a sinking sense of impending misery among all non-Yankee fans.
“It’s like they can’t lose,” said Connecticut resident Gerry DiCenzo, who could only watch helplessly as the Yankees overcame a late Orioles rally to win their fourth straight. “They literally cannot lose. Suddenly no one can beat the Yankees. The Red Sox suck. The Orioles suck. Everyone sucks. Everyone suddenly sucks when they play the Yankees.”
“Unbelievable,” DiCenzo added. “Un-fucking-believable.”
Sparked by the recent returns of phenom starter Phil Hughes and slugger Jason Giambi, the Yankees have their full roster healthy and together for the first time since April, which fans around the world have solemnly realized is perfect timing for the stretch run.
“It seems like every time the [sports] ticker comes up, they’re winning 10-1,” said Chicago resident Jeremy Killian. “You knew this was going to happen. You knew. Right when they got Clemens back, you fucking knew.”
“Every time,” Killian continued. “Every time with this fucking team. It’s the same damn thing every time. You just, they never go away. You can’t give them an inch. You cannot give them one inch.”
“And Jeter…” Killian added, watching as the Yankee shortstop drove home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth with a softly tapped ball that barely dribbled past the pitcher’s mound. “Fucking Jeter.”
As the Yankees remain hot in August, the team continues to rely on GM Brian Cashman’s strategy of stockpiling cheap, young pitching and assembling a group of talented role players to surround the team’s superstars. In recent weeks, rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain and newly acquired utility man Wilson Betemit have stepped up and delivered in clutch situations, much to the frustration of nearly everyone.
“You got fucking Abreu all of a sudden going 3 for 4 every night,” Boston citizen Mark Baker said of the Yankees’ recent surge. “Fucking Giambi’s back. A-Rod’s hitting 500 fucking home runs a night. Posada, that bastard. You got Matsui, who’s a Red Sox killer. Then there’s Shelley Duncan, who no one even heard of till three weeks ago. Guy never hit a home run in his life, he puts on pinstripes and suddenly he’s Babe fucking Ruth.”
“And this Melky Cabrera guy,” Baker added. “Where did this fucking guy come from? Him and Cano. They got guys coming out of the fucking woodwork.”
“Fucking Yankee fans must be loving this,” said New York resident and avid Mets fan Dave Julian, muting the Yankee broadcast to temporarily silence the grating sound of Yankee cheers. “The smug fucks. And those Yankee announcers. Why don’t they root a little harder? They make me sick. Michael Kay. Bet Steinbrenner’s laughing it up. Bought himself another fucking championship.”
Although the Yankees’ schedule becomes tougher in the coming month, with multiple series against the Tigers, Angels, Red Sox, and Mariners, most baseball fans have resigned themselves to the fact that the season is “pretty much fucking over.”
“What the fuck can you do?” said Detroit citizen Terry Grey. “Every call. The Yankees get every break, the bounces all go their way. It’s luck. They’re lucky. They’re so fucking lucky.”
“Stupid,” Grey added. “It’s all stupid. Why play the whole fucking season if this is what’s always going to happen?”
Despite the mixture of anger, resentment, and disbelief that has surfaced across the country during the Yankees’ recent hot streak, most fans have been able to take some solace in the fact that the Yankees will be eliminated by the Angels in the first round of the playoffs.