The curious story of Harry Potter and the Dublin minor team

No, this is not another installment of the popular JK Rowling book, or movie. This is even odder. You may have noticed pictures of Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe celebrating with the Dublin GAA Minor (Junior) team doing the rounds on the net last night and thought to yourself, ‘Nah, that’s not Harry Potter! He’s too small, and besides, what would he be doing drinking with the Dubs?!’

The crazy thing is, it’s all true!

Taking a jab-step back for a second, a little context. On Sunday 23rd ‘The Dubs’ as they are affectionately known captured their first minor title since 1984 beating neighbours Meath by 14 points to 8. Naturally the celebration lasted a while, until the small hours in fact. Let’s turn to Dublin player Niall Walsh who wrote on his Facebook page: "Walkin down Grafton Street round 3ish bump into Harry Potter head gone lookin for the party, get few pics, get our wands out for quick leak then into a taxi to Capt David Byrnes for the after-sesh."

Beautifully put.


We think that translates to; ''We were walking down Grafton Street at  3 am in the morning when we chanced upon movie star Daniel Radcliffe who was looking for a party in which to be part of. We took pictures with the young man and then urinated on the street. We then took a taxi to a late night party in the home of our team Captain, a Mr David Byrne''

Radcliffe apparently hit it off with the boys and joined them for the house party, and if you take a peek at our headline snap (click on it to view it in it's entire glory) you will note the clock indicates the party was a Lionel Ritchie joint, as in, all night long. Radcliffe is in Ireland filming a movie, and as you can see from the below snaps, apparently is enjoying his time on the Emerald Isle.

Click individual snaps to enlarge. 

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The NFL replacement referees didn't lose the game last night: M.D. Jennings did.

Is there a more vilified role currently in modern society than the NFL replacement referees? Green Bay and New England NFL fans hate the replacement referees. Reggie Bush hates them, Drew Brees hates them. Paul Ryan hates the replacement referees. Your Grandmother probably hates the replacement referees. NFL referee costumes are going to take on a whole new meaning this Halloween. Perhaps it is time to take a short step backwards though and at least ask a few questions about this furor, before we go tar and feathering anyone.

First, that big play last night. In case you missed it, Golden Tate of the Seahawks, challenged Green Bay defensive back M. D. Jennings for the ball on the final, hail Mary type heave into the end-zone. Both players appeared to have a grip on the ball and the referees invoked the NFL rule that basically a ‘tie’ like that goes to the offensive player. You can argue the finer details until the cows come home, however, I would contend that Jennings caused much of this issue by not playing his position properly.

Any good defensive back will tell you that the correct play in that situation is not to try and catch the ball, but to slap, slam, slice the ball to the ground. Knock it down, deflect it, spike it, whatever. Just don’t try to catch it. Try to catch it in traffic like that, and complications arise, such as last night.

If Jennings did his job, if he had slapped the ball away instead of trying to catch it, we probably wouldn’t even be talking about this today. The game would have ended, and the Packers would have gone home, presumably, happy.

Instead, everyone is jumping gleefully on the ‘slam the replacement refs’ bandwagon.

Reggie Bush, that great intellect, posted on Twitter that the “refs single-handedly blew this one.” Well, actually Reggie, no, the refs made a judgement call on a poor play by Jennings, in my view. Jennings put them in that situation. Drew Brees, the New Orleans quarterback, wrote that “this is NOT the league we’re supposed to represent.” Love the capitalization, Drew, now, does this mean you will no longer be eulogizing about the bans handed down on Saints players who were proven to be trying to injure other players, or will you be keeping that up too?

My personal favorite has to be Republican Vice Presidential hopeful Paul Ryan, who has slithered onto this subject with all the class of a greasy snake. Ryan is trying his best to link the replacement refs with Obama, 9/11 and the Loch Ness Monster. In interviews the last 24 hours he is claiming to be a Packers fan, warbling;  "My blood is green and gold." Considering he is flip-flopping like a dead fish on most issues I guess we shouldn’t be shocked he was waving a Pittsburgh Steelers' "Terrible Towel" during a Pennsylvania campaign event in August. Classic Ryan.

I think we all need to calm down a little. I am not comfortable with the labeling of the NFL replacement referees as ‘scabs’. They are just a bunch of dudes who are trying to make a temporary living off of refereeing football games. Your beef should not be with them. Unless of course you think there should be no NFL games until the real referees return. Let’s all tone it down a notch, shall we? M.D. Jennings made a fundamentally poor defensive play last night, and should bear the brunt of the Green Bay frustrations. The referees who are working the game right now are doing their best. The simple fact is that without them there would be no NFL right now.

Have a think about that for a second. Is that what you want?

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Five reasons New England Patriot fans don’t need to jump into the Charles River (yet)

New England's QB Tom Brady

Nothing like a third game of the season loss to get the Boston sporting media frothing at the mouth. Visiting any New England publication today is something akin to a quick trip to a particularly sadistic dentist. You would be forgiven for locking all the doors, pulling down all the blinds, crawling into bed and pulling the covers over your head after reading some of the negative muck being trawled out today about the Patriots tough 30-31 loss to the Ravens last night. Look, a loss is a loss, and nobody felt it more than me. Any life time Patriot fan was bound to feel as if a big fat guy had just landed a hard right to the stomach after that ‘did it go over, didn’t it?’ field goal ending. For the record, most logical types are saying, yes, it went over.

We could sit here all day, knocking back Sammy Adams and bashing it all out, piece by piece, as to what went wrong. However, ‘From The Bleachers’ is a glass-half-full’ kind of place. So, take a break from the monotonous deluge of negative vibes in the usual Boston sporting online media entities, and come enjoy five reasons last night wasn’t that big a deal, really.

Five reasons not to go jumping off any bridges as a Patriots fan

1. Two minute perfection
2. Brady
3. Julian Edelman
4. Patriots were right in it to win it
5. Wicked Wes

Two minute perfection
The two minute drill the Patriots ran at the end of the first half was a thing of beauty. Given the time by the foolish Ravens, Brady marched the troops down the field and grabbed what at the time seemed like a crucial touchdown with a beautiful, sharp pass that harkened back to Brady bullets of yesteryear.

Brady
The Patriot’s trigger man looked great. Simple as that. Rumours of his demise have been greatly exaggerated, on the evidence on show here. Brady hocked up 335 yards passing completing a healthy 28 of 41. He spread the ball around well and looked sharp and in command. Look, the Patriots just went into Baltimore, the self-appointed greatest defence ever, or whatever, and Brady and his buddies just slapped them in the face with 30 points. Not a lot of NFL football teams have or will do that.

Julian Edelman
Edelman was action man on the night, doing some good things (the touchdown before half time) and some bad (a completely rubbish offensive pass interference call). He was an energizer bunny on the night and this augers well for his impact down the road. Edelman is just a baller, and a positive impact type of player. The kid is absolutely fearless.

Patriots were right in it to win it
Once again, a little context here people. Baltimore are no Miami. They are a good, tough, talented football team. They were at home, they had the officials in their back pockets largely, and they had a crowd baying for Patriot blood. They were hungry for revenge for various Patriot wins down the years, and they had momentum too, coming into the game as one of the bookies favourites to win it all this season. In context, the Patriots losing on a last second field goal, is actually a fine result. Whilst there is no reason to celebrate, there is also no reason to go getting all depressed and down about it, either. Plenty of teams will go into Baltimore and come out sternly whipped, with their tails between their legs. The Patriots, firmly, didn’t, and have their pride, their roster and their Superbowl chances intact today.

Wicked Wes
Yes, after two games of the season, plenty of Muppets were ready to toss Welker to the wolves. Maybe it is time for everyone to calm down and perhaps Welker isn’t washed up just yet. For your approval, last night’s key Welker related statistics, the little dynamo caught eight passes for a whopping 142 yards. I think he will fit in just fine.

In summary, to quote a Boston Globe favourite Chad Finn;

‘This team is going to be fine’

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President Tebow? Backup NFL QB has eyes on public office

President Tebow. Has a ring to it, you have to admit. As we approach the November election you can only imagine Republican party workers dreamily wishing Tim Tebow had announced his intentions to some day chase the political game earlier, so they could, you know, have a fighting chance against President Obama (now a restrictive 1/4 with most bookies to win the race).

You have to imagine media savvy Tebow might actually navigate the tricky waters otherwise known as The Campaign trail a little better than current Republican 'hopeful' Mitt Romney. As The Mitt hit the fan over the course of the last ten days of Romney PR disasters, Tebow is grinding away happily as the NY Jets backup, always saying the right things, never looking like a disgruntled employee and handling the media, it has to be said, beautifully. Tebow and the Republican party are a match made in heaven. The lefty in arm and not in political stance could hold office as a Republican whilst remaining a (self confessed) virgin and yet still screwing women all over America (like his potential future colleague Paul Ryan, who has voted against women getting equal pay to men).

Here's the quote from an ESPN interview that has Republican party followers dreaming of better days;

Q: With your popularity, especially in Florida, would you ever consider running for political office after you're done with football? 
A: I haven't ruled it out. Whatever avenue I feel like I can make a difference in, I'd love to do. I haven't ruled out anything like that. It won't be anytime soon in my future, but it'll be something I'll at least look at and consider one day.

I haven't ruled it out. Republicans, there is hope. To paraphrase Yoda and to quote Emily Dickinson; ''There is another sky''

 

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NFL week three picks

Mitt Romney had a brutal week. Stephen Gostowski had a terrible week. Kelvin Davis had a pretty awful week. From The Bleachers NFL tipster Mac had a nightmare week two, and hopes to bounce back in style this coming week three with some solid picks, particularly in his ‘Finest Four’ selections (in which he is still a healthy 5-3 against the spread). Mitt, Stephen, Kelvin and Mac have been walking around all week spouting sporting cliché to all who would listen, remember it is a marathon not a sprint, and so forth! In terms of the NFL, it is early days yet, and Mac is hoping to still hit his target of 60% for the season, starting with a big bounce-back in week three. Hop on for the ride!

Season to date

• Last week against the spread: 4-10-2
• Overall record against the spread: 12-20-2
• Finest Four against the spread last week: 1-3
• Finest Four against the spread overall: 5-3
• Winning percentage: 37.5%
• The finest four percentage: 62.5%

The finest four.
Four picks to boost your bankroll

The Game: Tampa Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Current line: Dallas -9
The Science: Whoever anointed Dallas with a 9 point handicap must have missed both their incredibly inept showing in Seattle and also Tampa’s near-thing against the Giants. Once again, too many points! Going to make this an upset special too, with Tampa getting hotter every week.
The Score: Tampa 35 Dallas 33
The Pick: Tampa +9

The Game: Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans
Current line: Detroit -3.5
The Science: The Lions might force some serious changes in Tennessee after the wake of this potential drubbing. The Lions have the defence to completely stifle Tennessee’s brutal (this far) offence whilst their offence is ready to explode on someone. Tennessee are great candidates.
The Score: Detroit 38 Tennessee 16
The Pick: Detroit -3.5

The Game: Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins
Current line: Washington -3
The Science: The ‘Skins had a `15 point lead last week, only to make some silly mistakes and squander it. You can bet your Robert Griffin the Third rookie card they won’t make that mistake again. The Bengals win over Cleveland, by comparison, is about as valuable as a Ryan Leaf rookie card.
The Score: Cincinnati 20 Washington 34
The Pick: Washington -3

The Game: Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers
Current line: San Diego -3
The Science: The Chargers come up against the first decent defence they have faced thus far, results are predictable.
The Score: Atlanta 24 San Diego 20
The Pick: Atlanta +3

The rest!

• Carolina -2.5
• St Louise +9
• Buffalo -3
• Indianapolis -3
• New York -1
• Minnesota +6.5
• Kansas +9
• Arizona +3.5
• Denver +1
• Pittsburgh -4
• New England +3
• Green Bay -3

Good luck and as always, enjoy the games!

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Gronk's butterfingers analysed in detail by former porn-star

Where would we be without the Internet? Where else could you get expert opinion on the NFL from a former porn-star than said Internet? Former adult entertainment star Bibi Jones (Now Britney Maclin, in the ‘real’ world) might be, for all we know, trying her absolute best to keep quiet about her ‘did they, didn’t they?’ relationship from the off-season with the Patriots Rob Gronkowski. The Gronk has been told in no uncertain terms by his New England Patriots employers to ‘tone it down a notch’, in reference to his myriad of shirtless photo shoots, nightclub exploits and dalliances with adult movie stars. With that in  mind, no doubt all his friends, normal and or pornographic movie star, have been told to stay off the social networks, and otherwise stay incognito as much as possible.

Who are we to know, maybe Ms Maclin is trying her very hardest not to explode forth with gratuitous Gronk updates, thus embarrassing her Tight End buddy. However, none of us are perfect, and neither is she, clearly, and well, this happened over the weekend.

The Gronk dropped a few passes from Brady, and Maclin decided to take to Twitter to explain why. Or, did she? You decide.

 

We took out the naughty word to protect your innocent eyes and minds, however, we could do nothing about the horrific grammar. Her predictable 'OMG' excuse would be more believable if it wasn't delivered with the exact same disdain for the English language as the previous three messages.

Either way, and joking aside, this rubbish is not going to go down well with the Patriots after Sunday's bitter loss to Arizona.

 Rare shot of Gronk playing football

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ESPN goes out of its way to skewer Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine

So apparently a part of sports journalism is now to get your size elevens on someone's throat and keep it there until they are done, finished, kaput, finito. ESPN, the self anointed World leader, nay, the Universe leader in sports reporting has taken an apparent grim satisfaction in keeping the hammer down on embattled Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine. As Bobby has fought to keep his job, and as his team have fought off journalistic attacks that would make the carpet bombing of Vietnam in the 70s look tame by comparison, ESPN has gleefully taken any shred of drama and exploded it nine fold in a British tabloid like attempt to stretch the most out of any stories.

Last night Valentine made a comment about the state of his team. Here is how ESPN translated it.

So, judging by that, Valentine is basically throwing his team under the bus, absolving himself of all blame, acting like some kind of selfish son of a gun, right?

Not so fast.

ESPN has gone wildly out of its way, like some kind of Chinese government official chopping and changing headlines on decadent Western newspapers to make them Communist friendly. What Bobby Valentine actually said was the following;

“Are you kidding? This is the weakest roster we’ve ever had in September in the history of baseball,” Valentine said before last night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. “We could use help everywhere.”

Can you see the subtle yet vital difference? By chopping and hacking at the quote and turning it into a dramatic couple of words, ESPN has left Valentine out in the wind, open to yet more attacks from angry fans who don't understand or read the full comment.

Obviously ESPN can do what it wants, and it is their prerogative to 'sell papers' as it were, however the ugly thing about this is the manipulative way ESPN is trying to manipulate us, the readers.

It's sad, tacky and, you know what, pretty juvenile on their part.

Surely you are better than this level of shoddy, shock tactic journalism, ESPN?



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Fight Club - vicious brawl during Raiders v Chargers on NFL Monday Night Football - VIDEO

There is nothing quite like a fan base living up to it's stereotype, and last night in Oakland, the natives were restless. With the Chargers playing the Raiders on Monday night football, a pretty scary brawl broke out in the stands. Oddly enough, it would appear it was knuckle-head Oakland fans fighting amongst themselves.

Perhaps they were unhappy at the shallacking they were taking from the Chargers, and decided to punish themselves, or something along those lines.

The pictures are pretty intense, but the video footage is downright scary. Whilst it will not remind anyone of the hairier days of Leeds United and Millwall fans practically killing each other in England in the 80s, it's still scary enough. Kind of looks like something Paul Greengrass would shoot, shaky hand held camera, throbbing score in the background, lots of action.




Let's have a look at the pictures. If you click on them you get them in high definition, frankly, odd as it sounds, it is well worth doing. They are very dramatic pictures, with an almost arty feel about them. If we find out who took them we will be sure to credit them, for now they are appearing freely in the public domain. Jumping right in....

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NFL week two picks

Just like that, NFL week two is upon us. This new ‘game every Thursday’ gimmick means that basically the NFL is never, ever going to be more than a couple of seconds outside of our collective awareness. If that was the NFL’s plan all along, well played, Sirs. Tuesday everyone is talking about the Monday night game(s) and Wednesday, it’s time to preview the Thursday night game. Friday? Time to review the weekend games! Basically the NFL is now with us on a 24 hour basis. Is this good? Is this bad? Who know, and who cares, all I know is I went 8-8 against the spread last week, with my three top picks (Patriots, Dallas and Arizona) all winners. Now, about that week two…

Season to date

• Last week against the spread: 8-8
• Overall record against the spread: 8-8
• Winning percentage: 50%
• The finest four percentage: 100%

The finest four. 
Four picks to boost your bankroll

The Game:  Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins
Current line: Oakland -1
The Science:  The Dolphins created a huge issue for themselves by starting Ryan Tannerhill last week, basically, they have to give him another chance this week. Carson Palmer and Darren McFadden are frothing at the mouth for a chance to get at that pitiful Miami defence, while the Raiders should have their way with poor Tannerhill.
The Score:  Oakland 35 Miami 17
The Pick:  Oakland -1

The Game:  Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots
Current line:  New England -13.5
The Science: There is a reason for that relatively big line this early in the season. Something special is brewing in New England. The Patriots barely broke a sweat last week and hammered the home town Titans easily. On top of that, Arizona face a long trip for this game and have traditionally really struggled against the Patriots. Brady and his bevvy of passing options are a tough proposition for anyone, but add to that the effective running of RB Steven Ridley, and the talented, young, enthusiastic defence, and this score could get ugly early.
The Score:  Arizona 16 New England 38
The Pick:  New England -13.5

The Game: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks
Current line:  Dallas -3
The Science:  For another while yet, Dallas will continue to look like Superbowl possibilities. Way too early for their annual collapse as yet. Seattle? Me thinks some have over rated rookie QB Russell Wilson.
The Score: Dallas 35 Seattle 24
The Pick: Dallas -3

The Game:  Tennessee Titans at San Diego Chargers
Current line:  San Diego -6
The Science:  At first glance that line looks hefty. Then you remember the Titans were basically murdered by a somewhat rusty Patriots last week. Then you remember San Diego looked pretty damn good on the road at Oakland. Then you remember Chris Johnson carrying for 11 yards. Then you remember Jake ‘Hurt’ Locker is, well, hurt. Then you know exactly what to do.
The Score:  Tennessee 16 San Diego 32
The Pick:  San Diego -6

The best of the rest. 
Have fun with these, but don’t put the house on them

The Game:  Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Current line:  Green Bay -6
The Science:  Let’s ask Bears receiver Brandon Marshall how he feels about this Thursday night matchup: ‘’ "I'm 6-5 (listed at 6-foot-4), 230, and there aren't too many DBs walking around that big. "If they want to get physical, I do welcome that.’’ Mr Marshall touches on a subject that Green Bay fans have to be concerned about, the Packers defence, in particular their secondary, stank worse than some fine Wisconsin cheese against San Francisco in week one. Meanwhile, General Cutler has everything he needs, Marshall, Matt Forte and a stable of big, fast receivers, to really attack the Green Bay backfield. Aaron Rodgers will of course collect points, as always, my feeling is the Bears just might make the bigger plays on both sides of the ball.
The Score:  Chicago 30 Green Bay 27
The Pick: Chicago +6

The Game: Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts
Current line: Indianapolis -1
The Science:  Andrew Luck was anything but lucky last week, he was exceptionally accurate in his first NFL start, however his receivers did him absolutely no favours, dropping passes for fun. Luck played far better than the stats show, as did the Colts in general. Meanwhile the Vikings barely beat what could be a pretty bad Jacksonville team. Adrian Peterson played his heart out, but at what cost, on those balky knees?
The Score: Minnesota 20 Indianapolis 24
The Pick: Indianapolis -1

The Game: Tamps Buccaneers at New York Giants
Current line:  New York -9
The Science: Worship not Yee false Gods! The NYG are false Gods, and we should not be worshipping them with minus 9 points! Was anyone watching week one?! Tampa are back to their scrappy, feisty selves, whilst the Giants are nowhere near 9 point favourites.
The Score:  Tampa 23 New York 27
The Pick:  Tampa +9

The Game:  Baltimore Ravens at Philadelphia Eagles
Current line: Philadelphia -1
The Science: The Eagles struggled to beat the brutal Browns, and lost wide out Jeremy Maclin in the process. The Ravens announced themselves as potential Superbowl Champions. That’s all you need really on this one.
The Score:  Baltimore 30 Philadelphia 26
The Pick:  Baltimore +1

The Game: Washington Redskins at St Louis Rams
Current line:  Washington -3
The Science: It didn’t take long for RG3 to become a road favourite, by 3 points here. The thing is, the Rams were only close to Detroit last week because Mathew Stafford handed them the ball three times. If RG3 plays even 70% as well as he did against New Orleans, the ‘Skins should be able to beat a pretty weak Rams side.
The Score:  Washington 27 St Louis 23
The Pick: Washington -3

The Game:  Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons
Current line: Atlanta -3
The Science: A win over Pittsburgh is still more impressive than a win over Kansas. Peyton Manning is pretty comfortable indoors, also.
The Score:  Denver 30 Atlanta 27
The Pick:  Denver +3

The rest. 
Definitely. Probably. Maybe.

The Game:  Kansas Chiefs at Buffalo Bills
Current line:  Buffalo -3.5
The Science: Wait a second, the Bills are giving points after last week, and with Fragile Freddie Jackson out with an injury? Seriously? The Chiefs were beaten up too, but come in healthier. They showed distinct signs of life in their beat-down, Buffalo? Not so much.
The Score:  Kansas 24 Buffalo 20
The Pick:  Kansas +3.5

The Game:  Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
Current line: Cincinnati -7
The Science:  Ah yes, those Brilliant Bengals! As Borat would say, ‘Not!’. Bengals minus a touchdown? Seriously? Look, at home, against a team as offensively putrid as the Brownies, yes, The Bungles should win, however that’s too many points. I fully expect a valiant Browns effort, particularly on ‘D’, only to come up short at the end.
The Score:  Cleveland 17 Cincinnati 20
The Pick:  Cleveland +7

The Game: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
Current line:  New Orleans -2.5
The Science:  Last week the Saints were eviscerated by Luke Skywalker. This coming weekend they get to be ripped apart again, this time by Yoda. RG3 had his way with the Saints pitiful defence, and Cam Newton, at home, after a close, bitter road loss, should be able to basically top what RG3 did. There are serious warning signs the Saints will struggle without leadership. Carolina? Just a tough road loss. They can bounce back. New Orleans? Who knows. Doesn’t look good, though.
The Score:  New Orleans 26 Carolina 33
The Pick:  Carolina +2.5

The Game: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Current line:  Houston -9
The Science: This is not the Miami Dolphins. The Jags are an organised NFL team with a couple of decent parts. Houston might win, but it should not be Miami all over again.
The Score:  Houston 24 Jacksonville 23
The Pick:  Jacksonville +9

The Game: New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers
Current line: Pittsburgh -6
The Science: Too. Many. Points. The Steelers did not get healthy since last week! They have all sorts of injury problems. Meanwhile, the Jets are feeling pretty invincible right now. The relative shock of the week on the cards here.
The Score:  New York 23 Pittsburgh 20
The Pick:  New York +6

The Game: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
Current line:  Detroit +6.5
The Science: The Sports Karma Gods have been waiting for this one for a while. If you recall, Jim Harbaugh acted like a total Douchebag after his team beat Detroit last season, Trust me, the Sports Karma Gods do not look kindly on that kind of thing. Revenge time for the Lions.
The Score:  Detroit 27 San Francisco 20
The Pick:  Detroit +6.5

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Ireland U21 beat Italy in Casarano with a wonder goal from Conor Henderson - VIDEOS

Conor Henderson

It may have been 'only' under 21 level, however last night Irish soccer achieved one of its finest results ever, as our young guns pulled out a stunning European Championship qualifier win in Casarano, Italy. The hosts had already won the group and Ireland would have to settle for a non qualifying yet admirable third place. This doesn't take the gloss of what was a wonderful result against some of the best U-21 players in the world. Add to this the fact Ireland had not one but two players sent off, and you have to consider this as a fine achievement.

The goal of the night was scored by young Conor Henderson, on the books currently at Arsenal.

Check this cracker out:



No doubt senior side boss Gio Trapattoni will be ignoring him soon.

You can catch more highlights from the astonishing match below, a truly wonderful result for Noel King's side. The future looks bright for the Irish youngsters, with seven of the Irish players are eligible for the next Under-21 campaign so manager King will have more time to mould the lads into potential stars for Irish soccer's future.



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A guide for NFL fans through the game's fancy new schedule - juicy encounters kick off

The NFL is back. 'From the Bleachers' is here to lead you, the NFL fan, through the first week's action. NFL tipsters all over the States and indeed the world are grouchy today, as they realize they have to make their selections earlier than usual this year, as the NFL has scheduled a Thursday night game for every week of the season. This fancy new schedule starts tonight with the Superbowl Champion New York Giants facing the Dallas Cowboys. A pretty juicy encounter to kick things off. Let's have a look at that and all the other week one games.

Good luck, enjoy the games, and leave your picks in the comments section!    

The finest four.  
Four picks to boost your bankroll

The Game: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Current line: New York -4
The Science: -4 is the Vegas bookmakers way of putting their hands up in the air and saying, ‘We don’t know’. If you see a home team at -4, this means the Vegas wise-guys basically are as in the dark as you are. There are a couple of streaks in play here, The Cowboys are notorious fast starters, whilst the Giants are the opposite, slow starters who finish well. Add to that the fact New York will spend this coming season as the designated team everyone wants to take down. They, as Champions, have a big bulls-eye attached to their back. Their division rival will be absolutely desperate to attack them early and prove they are not an afterthought. Tony Romo actually had a much superior statistical season to Eli Manning, and is another fast-starter himself, along with the Cowboys in general. Streaks are there to be broken. The home team champion is 8-0 in this relatively new gimmick of starting the NFL season a few nights before Sunday. All elements considered, Dallas can buck that trend, and turn it into 8-1.
The Score: Dallas 27 New York 24
The Pick: Dallas +4
 

The Game: New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans
Current line: New England -5.5
The Science: A few years ago, this would have been a tough road trip for New England. The Titans had a great QB, a young stud RB, a great head coach and a seriously violent defence. Now, coach Jeff Fisher is gone, RB Chris Brown is out of football, poor Steve McNair is dead and the defence is a mess. Tennessee are starting a sophomore QB, and how long before we see our first Jake ‘Hurt’ Locker headline? Chris Johnson, the Titans sole ‘star’ to anyone outside Tennessee, is a pale shadow of his former self. New England? Tom Brady has a new box of toys to play with. Brandon Lloyd, Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski represent one of the most dynamic WR\TE groups in football. The last time these two teams met? 0-59, New England. No, seriously.
The Score: New England 34 Tennessee 20
The Pick: New England -5.5

 The Game: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Current line: Seattle -2.5
The Science: This, for me, is the line of the week. Seattle caused a stir by naming a rookie (Wilson) ahead of their high priced free agent (Flynn) at starting QB. Some people are saying Arizona did same (caused a stir), in naming John Skelton over Kevin Kolb, however those people aren’t paying attention to the fact Skelton has priors, whereas Wilson, decidedly, does not. Skelton went 6-2 at the helm last season, proving a very respectable NFL QB. Here’s the deciding factor for me anyway, on both wings Skelton has Larry Fitzgerald and rookie Michael Floyd to throw to. That’s vastly superior to the travelling ‘Hawks. Seattle are a good team at home, and a very, very average road team. All things considered, this line is a head scratcher.
The Score: Seattle 16 Arizona 24
The Pick: Arizona +2.5

   

The best of the rest.  
Have fun with these, but don’t put the house on them

The Game: St Louis Rams at Detroit Lions
Current line: Detroit -7
The Science: Interestingly this line started at Detroit -9, and has come all the way in to -7. Obviously the Lions had few friends at -9. It is important though to forget the line, consider the game itself, and imagine to yourself, ‘who is going to win this, and by what score?’ Then consider the line. In this case, Detroit, at home, with a healthy squad including a very above average QB (Stafford) throwing to perhaps the greatest living wide-out right now, who also has the coolest nickname in the sport (Calvin Johnson AKA Megatron) while a ferocious Lions defence attacks a relatively average Rams squad. This just smells like a 10 point (or more!) home win, doesn’t it?
The Score: St Louis 17 Detroit 33
The Pick: Detroit -7

The Game: Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
Current line: New Orleans -7
The Science: Sure, there has been much change in New Orleans. Yes, their head coach is suspended, along with a number of key defensive players. Sure, their defensive coordinators was cast into the dark fires of Mordor, for life seemingly, for his part in the nefarious Saints ‘bounty’ scandal. However, they should still clobber Washington. The ‘Skins debut their shiny new QB, Robert Griffin the third, or RG3, as he is being called, for merchandising purposes! However, unless RG3 runs into a phone booth and comes out shooting lasers out of his eyes, the angry, pissed off Saints should handle them easily. One final note, Washington lost 10 of its last 12 games last season. No, seriously.
The Score: Washington 16 New Orleans 34
The Pick: New Orleans -7

 

The Game: San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
Current line: Green Bay -5
The Science: The Packers don’t ‘do’ losing at home. They have gone 12-4 at home against the spread too, dating back two seasons. Since 1996 they are 9-0 against the 49ers in the regular season. Ask yourself, can the 49ers keep up with Green Bay? Unless you are from San Francisco , or related to Alex Smith, or you had some bad cheese in Wisconsin once, you are going to answer with an empathic ‘no!’
The Score: San Francisco 17 Green Bay 28
The Pick: Green Bay -5

The Game: Carolina Panthers at Tampa Buccaneers
Current line: Carolina -1
The Science: Tell you what, this looks like a serious blow out on paper. Carolina walloped Tampa twice last season, and their running game is amongst the top in the league, whilst Tampa are the worst team in the NFL (statistically) at stopping the run. Hard to see why Vegas has given Carolina such a tiny hurdle to overcome.
The Score: Carolina 33 Tampa 24
The Pick: Carolina -1

The rest.  
Definitely. Probably. Maybe.

The Game: Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns
Current line: Philadelphia -9
The Science: There’s no getting away from it, the Browns are going to struggle. Rookie RB, rookie QB and a host of other players of little or no experience throughout the lineup. They are in the middle of the dreaded rebuilding process. Trent Richardson may turn out to be an NFL superstar down the road, however right now he just needs to get healthy, coming into this one with a lingering injury. These are not exactly the kind of things you want to be thinking about facing a dominant defence that led the way to the Eagles winning their last five in a row to end last season. The line is a little on the steep side, so this may not be the one you bet the proverbial house on, but the Eagles should still get the job done.
The Score: Philadelphia 24 Cleveland 13
The Pick: Philadelphia -9

The Game: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Current line: New York -2.5
The Science: Let’s hang on one hot New York second here. The Jets didn’t turn into mush overnight. Admittedly they are a bit of a circus, and their head coach (Rex Ryan) can’t get out of the way of his own loud mouth often enough, however they are still a top defence, and a somewhat serviceable offence. The Bills will benefit from having a healthy Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, and they are an improving side, however they are still absolutely rubbish in divisional matchups going 4-10 against the spread in their last 14. Can’t you see the Jets casting aside all doubts at home, Tebow barrelling in for a couple of score from the goal line, and Rex Ryan celebrating with an extra half dozen cheeseburgers and a good foot rub post game? They can collapse later in the season, for now, they can get the hopes of the city of New York and the assembled, frothing masses of media, up.
The Score: Buffalo 20 New York 24
The Pick: New York -2.5

 

The Game: Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs
Current line: Atlanta -3
The Science: Arrowhead stadium is no longer the intimidating fortress it once was. The Falcons are also a pretty decent road team, going 12-4 in their last 16 road games. The Falcons finished last season with a flourish, only to fizzle out against eventual Champions the Giants. The Chiefs are a bit of a mystery, so go with the sure thing, Matty Ryan and the Falcons.
The Score: Atlanta 27 Kansas 20
The Pick: Atlanta -3

The Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings
Current line: Minnesota -4
The Science: We probably won’t see much of either the Vikings Adrian Peterson or the Jags Maurice Jones Drew here, so it will be up to young QBs Christian Ponder and Blane Gabbert respectively. The Jags might have given their young gunslinger the better options, Laurent Robinson was a great signing, and Justin Blackmon a potentially great young receiver. Remember, that -4 for a home team is Vegas sating ‘we just don’t know’, in that case, best to take the points and run. 
The Score: Jacksonville 20 Minnesota 17
The Pick: Jacksonville +4

The Game: Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears
Current line: Chicago -9.5
The Science: Too. Many. Points. The Bears lost 5 of their last 6 games last season! They are not the ’85 Bears! Andrew Luck might be the most NFL ready QB we have seen out of the draft since Peyton manning! I am running out of exclamation marks! Seriously, though, this is way too many points to entrust to a Chicago team that has not as yet won our trust. I fully expect them to win, however, not by that many points. They may have a 10 point lead and be knocking Luck around all day, but can’t you see the classy, accomplished rookie leading a meaningless drive in garbage time to get a late consolation TD?
The Score: Indianapolis 20 Chicago 24 
The Pick: Indianapolis +9.5

The Game: Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans
Current line: Houston -11.5
The Science: What is it with these enormous lines? Is it the end of the season and are teams out of contention mailing it in? This line is way too big. Yes, we understand Matt Schuab is back. Sure, Arian Foster is a beast. Yes, Miami are starting a guy that sounds like he just stepped off the set of Falcons Crest (Ryan Tannerhill). However, Miami went 8-2 down the stretch against the spread last season, and they have upgraded their offence by adding the talented Tannerhill. Sure, Houston should win, but that is an awful lot of points.
The Score: Miami 19 Houston 26
The Pick: Miami +11.5

The Game: Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Current line: Denver -1
The Science: There is potentially something brewing in Denver. They are building around a former MVP superstar in Manning, who looks healthy and motivated if pre-season is anything to go by. The atmosphere should be absolutely electric for their home opener. The Steelers are missing some defensive key parts and their running game is in flux too. Denver should open with a statement.
The Score: Pittsburgh 24 Denver 30
The Pick: Denver -1

 

The Game: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
Current line: Baltimore -6
The Science: Fully expect this line to grow closer to game time when everyone realises ‘hey, all the Bengals are injured’. Baltimore, at home, against a depleted Bengals is worthy of more than -6.
The Score: Cincinnati 17 Baltimore 28
The Pick: Baltimore -6

The Game: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
Current line: Oakland -1
The Science: The Chargers go into this without their injured top RB and having sent Vincent Jackson off to purgatory (Tampa). Oakland come in healthy with Darren McFadden playing with the confidence of being named the Raiders go-to, top dog, big enchilada RB. Fully expect Oakland to feed off the home energy and beat a lacklustre Chargers side that is relying way, way too heavily on Phillip Rivers.
The Score: San Diego 20 Oakland 30 
The Pick: Oakland -1


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Whisper it quietly: The Yankees might miss the playoffs

To date, this had been an enjoyable summer for New York Yankee fans. Their team cruised through the early portion of the season, while their old rivals, the Red Sox, collapsed out of sight a number of weeks ago. Yankee fans celebrated wildly, like a pack of angry, learning challenged chimpanzees, taking great delight in Boston’s horrific demise.

Then, the party quietened, the storm clouds began to gather on the horizon.

Suddenly the mighty Yankees are facing something resembling a doomsday scenario, along the lines of their legendary 2004 ALCS collapse. After a complete snooze fest of a first two thirds of a season, the AL East is suddenly the front line, one of the most dramatic divisions in all of Major League Baseball. The Yankees are in a horrific tail-spin of a free fall, having lost six out of their last ten, while Baltimore and Tampa are coming round the bend faster than Seabiscuit.

After Robbie Cano whiffed horribly, lazily missing a ground ball to hand Tampa the win last night, The Yankees, who led by 10 games earlier this summer, had their edge cut to one game by Baltimore, which beat Toronto 4-0. The Rays moved within 2 1/2 games of New York. If New York were to continue their sloppy slide out of first place, they face a drove a bandits in the form of Oakland, Detroit and the Angels for the two Wild Card slots.  Not to mention whichever between Baltimore and Tampa doesn’t win the AL East, in the Yankees nightmare scenario.

The Orioles and Rays are playing good, solid, error free baseball, and look set to continue a good run through the remaining 26-28 games of the regular season, while New York, frankly, are reeling. There are no excuses. Their payroll is a gazillion dollars, they are stacked with superstars, and they daren’t start complaining about injuries, they would be deafened by the laughter that would come from Toronto and Boston if they tried to hide behind that. The Blue Jays and Red Sox have been absolutely decimated by injuries. The Yankees are downright healthy in comparison.

Take a look at the standings. The Yankees are a couple of bad weeks of baseball away from missing the 2012 playoffs entirely. That is absolutely shocking.

Perhaps more worrying for New York, their ageing, expensive lineup, may not recover in the next couple of seasons either. Jeter can only keep slapping singles to right for so long, and A-Rod would appear to be disintegrating before our eyes. The Yankees will no doubt enjoy having their gazillion dollar DH of the future come to the plate using a zimmer-frame in coming seasons, as his body ‘mysteriously’ falls apart. Their bullpen is a complete mess and their starting pitching rotation beyond their 400lb Ace CC Sabathia is about as scary as Mitt Romney.

The Rays and Orioles look set to embark on a productive, successful period of seasons to come, and Toronto are not as bad as their injuries have made them play this season. The Red Sox took a deep, deep breath and pressed the big shiny reset button a couple of weeks ago, and can re-tool (particularly in terms of pitching) in the offseason, to come back stronger in 2013. The Yankees? Right now they are an old, expensive team, with hundreds of millions concreted in on old players contracts, and right now, they look set to miss the playoffs.

Is the short term or long term the more depressing and scary for Yankee fans? Ask one today, and while you’re at it, give them a hug.

They need one.







 


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Fenway Sports Group taking it from all sides as the Red Sox and Liverpool continue to fail on the field

The Fenway Sports Group (FSG) which has its fingers in a number of sporting pies, is under a level and weight of pressure it has never experienced before. In Boston, the Red Sox are absolutely reeling right now, sinking faster than even last season’s September demise. They just got absolutely pounded in Oakland, a team which it has out-spent by eleventy billion dollars this season. They are being swept out of every city they visit, and they appear to be very much a ship without a rudder. Meanwhile, Liverpool were unmasked 0-2 at home in front of their ever faithful fans by Arsenal, a talented team no doubt, but a team that had failed to score in their previous two games.

Well, the natives are restless. In Boston, several elements of the media are quick to accuse the FSG of being distracted by their Liverpool venture, whilst in England, many Liverpool fans are sadly resorting to basically racist criticism, suggesting ‘The Yanks’ don’t know what they are doing.

Much of the criticism is unfair and also unfounded. Clearly FSG is ‘in it to win it’, in terms of both the Red Sox and Liverpool also. People in Boston in particular have forgotten very quickly that FSG have turned the fortunes of a cursed, moribund franchise around very quickly, taking the team to the pinnacle of success twice in 2004 and 2007. The jury is out on their Liverpool venture thus far, however given time you have to assume they will at least turn the fortunes of ‘The ‘Pool’ around relative to the years preceding their entry to the game.

In Boston, the local Knights Of The Keyboard, are gleefully finding new ways to poke fun at FSG for, thus far, failing to turn Liverpool into instant champions. The general line goes that John Henry and team are only being distracted by the frivolous venture in England. The accusation is basically that they are somehow distracted by their ownership of Liverpool.

Those same writers are obviously ignoring the number of serious corrections and amendments FSG has clearly made to attempt to address the issues that have arose in the last season plus. You cannot blame FSG for Josh Beckett suddenly morphing into the Ghost of John Wasdin, morbidly dishing out 91mph ‘fastballs’ that get lost in the Fenway bleachers. You cannot blame FSG for Lester, Buchholz and the rest of the Sox rotation not pitching up to their ability. Kevin Youkilis was enduring a horrific batting slump before he was shipped to Chicago, can you blame FSG for that? They have clearly attempted to address each and every issue that has arisen, dramatically so in the case of the Gonzo\Beckett\Crawford trade.

How can anyone keep a straight face and accuse them of not acting, when everything they have done since they have taken over in Boston has been directly related to trying honestly to improve the ball club? They may not be perfect, but you cannot accuse them of sitting on their hands and not acting.

To do so is just lazy.

In terms of Liverpool, it would appear they are working very hard to completely rebuild the club, with an emphasis on young, talented players like the clearly gifted Joe Allen and the exciting Raheem Sterling. You could argue that not over-spending on a 29 year old player with high salary demands (Clint Dempsey) was absolutely in line with their desired approach and path to future success. Liverpool may be lagging behind at time of writing, however they are actively trying to build a youthful, talented squad. This is in direct comparison to, for example, Manchester City, who’s model for success has seen them spend over £700 in order to basically purchase the title.

The Manchester City model is potentially a recipe for disaster, if UEFA and Michelle Platini follow through on their ‘Fair Play’ rules for entry to the Champions League in 2014. Platini’s new rules will bar teams like Manchester City, that cannot ‘balance their books’ without rich owners dumping hundreds of millions of oil money to solve their problems, from entering the Champions League.

 Liverpool are one of the few teams, particularly one of the few big teams, that are actively trying to maintain their books in a manner that will mean they will succeed under these new fair play rules, and frankly that should be applauded.

Another simple, somewhat related note, John Henry, the principal owner of FSG, cannot be accused on not caring about his Liverpool adventure. He is a frequent attendee at Anfield and indeed ‘road’ games, and has clearly thrown himself into the project. Take that for example against Manchester City’s Sheik boss, who attended a grand total of two of City’s games during the Premiership winning title run last season. He watched the final game on TV, no doubt whilst being fed grapes by Norwegian lesbians in his billion dollar, air conditioned palace.

As a fan, which owner would you prefer, the one who comes to plenty of your club’s games, or the one who watches (occasionally) from afar, and treats your club like some kind of expensive car, to show off in conversation with other rich oil baron’s on their million dollar yacht moored in Monaco?

Chastise FSG all you want for the mistakes they have made, mistakes they often themselves admit to (Carl Crawford, Andy Carroll), but let’s draw a line under the silly accusations that FSG aren’t trying their best to make things better in both Boston and Liverpool.

Neither distraction nor inactivity are the problem.



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