Pumpkin Time:

The foliage is nearing peak in this neck of the woods and the weather has been nothing short of spectacular. The beach was practically vacant, recalling that old line from Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer”:

“Nobody on the road,
nobody on the beach.
I feel it in the air,
the summer’s out of reach…”

This Week’s Puck Drop:

2010-11 Boston Bruins: Game 3 at New Jersey Devils (10/16/10):

After a week’s layoff, the B’s returned to the continent and a Saturday night date with the Divils at Prudential Center in beautiful downtown Newark. What is the over/under on cars being stolen from the parking lot? Let’s go conservative and say, 25. A&E ran a documentary on the New Jersey State Police Unit that recovers stolen cars. These officers do an incredible job, but motor vehicle theft in the neighborhood of the arena is a huge problem...There appears to be a “wait and see” attitude among the NESN advertisers as the usual beer and car commercials have been replaced with class-action lawyers. Hmmm…

Tim Thomas got the start against Martin Brodeur and the B’s had an early power play as Zach Parise was sent off for tripping at 2:11. The Devils play that dreadful neutral zone trap and the B’s were only able to get one shot on goal. The Devils’ Travis Zajac put a really good shot on Thomas that was turned away. Things were far more wide open than usual in the first ten minutes as both goaltenders each stopped five shots. Mark Stuart turned over the puck in front of Thomas, though the B’s were able to move it out of danger. Jordan Caron went off for hooking at 13:56 and Thomas made a beautiful diving stop off of Parise’s shot as the B’s killed the penalty. New Jersey went back on the power play late as Wheeler was sent off for hooking and, just 39 seconds in, Marchand was sent off for tripping Parise. It was actually closer to one of those scary knee-on-knee hits that can be frightening. The B’s were able to kill off the 5-on-3 as time in the period expired.

Thomas made another sparkling stop off of Kovalchuk’s shot in the waning seconds of the power play. The Devils went up 1-0 at 3:45 as Zubrus banged in a rebound of a shot from the point that Chara was unable to clear. Parise hacked at the puck once and Zubrus backhanded in the rebound. This is usually the point where Jersey kills the puck and goes into sleeper mode. Though perhaps the B’s had other ideas as they tied the score at 5:40 when Jordan Caron scored his first NHL goal, knocking in a rebound from Chara behind Brodeur, who was screened on the play. The B’s went up 2-1 at 10:44 on Michael Ryder’s first goal of the season on a wrist shot from between the circles on a hard feed from Tyler Seguin. At 16:43, Shawn Thornton put the B’s up 3-1 when he picked a pass from Marchand in at the right corner of the goal and slid the puck behind Brodeur. Lucic then scored at 18:09 on a cross pass from Horton directly in front of the net and whistled a one-timer past Brodeur.

In the third period, Horton had a nice chance early on that was turned aside by Brodeur. After that, the B’s seemed content to beat the Devils at their own game by playing keep away. What was a little surprising is that New Jersey had no fight or spunk after going down by three goals. Big Lou was probably not amused, nor were the patrons as the Devils were booed off the ice at game’s end. This was a very good outing by the B’s as they skated hard and dominated the Devils in all phases of the game.

From The Ice To The Pitch:

USMNT v. Columbia at PPL Park, Chester PA (10/12/10):

The Men’s National Team embarked on their third post-World Cup match after playing to a 2-2 draw with Poland on the 9th. Even though it’s just a friendly, any form of international competition brings out the very best in players. The Columbians have a long and somewhat troubled history in international football. As was brought out in the chilling documentary, “The Two Escobars”, losing in international competition was literally a life and death matter for the Columbians not so long ago, as the nefarious hand of narcoterrorists murdered Andrés Escobar after he committed an own goal in the 1994 World Cup match against USA.

The stands at PPL Park were packed, and as usual in friendlies with South/Central American crews, there was a large Latino contingent on hand to cheer on their team. Coach Bradley elected to come out in a 4-3-3 triangle while the Columbians chose a 4-4-2. USA came out in all white while Columbia was dressed in gold and blue kits with red stockings. One of Columbia’s coaches is Leonel Alvarez, who played at one time for the Revs. In 15 prior meetings against Columbia, USA is 3-9-3.

Guzan G

Spector Onyewu (C) Goodson Pearce


Edu

Jones Bradley


Holden Shea

Altidore

Columbia had a great chance in the 4th after a US breakdown as Falcao broke into the box before getting cleanly tackled by Bradley and then Brad Guzan made a nice grab of the rebound. The Columbians had the better of possession in the USA end as a foul by Jermaine Jones led to a free kick by Falcao in the 19th that hit the wall but Guzan was able to grab the rebound. USA attempted a couple of long-distance tape passes that didn’t connect, as the passing was sloppy and attempts at ball control were ineffectual. USA had zero shots on frame in the first half.

There were wholesale changes for USA to start the second half, as Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson, Michael Parker and Eric Lichaj came on to try to mount some sort of offensive thrust. Stuart Holden had USA’s first shot on goal in the 53rd, as he picked a ball just outside the box and fired it on Faryd Mondragon, who stooped to make the save. Moments later, a Columbian player went down and was accorded the full stretcher treatment before getting up and carrying on (another reason why soccer will never catch on with “red-blooded Americans”). USA picked up the tempo and played with far better sense as the second half unfolded. Feilhaber entered for Shea near the hour mark as the home side put forth their best sustained pressure in Columbia’s end. Goodson’s header from Feilhaber’s corner in the 62nd went just over the bar. Columbia’s Ramos was booked in the 72nd for a rough tackle on Johnson. USA’s scored on the ensuing free kick but the assistant referee ruled that Altidore was offside before passing the ball to a wide open Bradley. Jones was booked in the 74th for tripping Juan G. Cuadrado at the left corner if the box. It was a ticky-tack call, more accidental than malicious. Altidore was fouled in the 82nd, setting up a free kick by Dempsey that hit the wall and deflected away. Altidore’s rocket header from Dempsey’s service in the 86th was USA’s best chance of the night. Alitdore was booked just before stoppage time after getting tangled up and fighting over a ball at the border of the box. Columbia’s Restrepo was booked in the first minute of stoppage time for tripping Feilhaber and the ensuing free kick was nearly deflected in. Jones was fouled by Valencia in the final minute of stoppage time and Feilhaber’s free kick bounced into the wall and the referee whistled full time. After a dull first half, the personnel changes gave USA a more exciting look and they played really well.

So, are we supposed to be Liverpool fans, now?

Why not? Liverpool is only 28 miles away from Wrexham. Now that the Red Sox owners finalized their purchase of Liverpool FC for the bargain-basement price of $477M, a question arises whether New Englanders are “obliged” to root for the team. Certainly not. We can gauge the level of local interest in world-class soccer by the recent friendly between Celtic and Sporting Club that was held at a banged-out Fenway Park over the summer. New Englanders have yet to regard the Revs/MLS as a world-class product. It doesn’t pretend to be such. People are not heading to Foxboro in droves and pay exorbitant prices for an inferior product. Will these same people attend soccer events in a venue centrally-located to Boston? Yes. Whether Mr. Kraft admits it, NESV’s purchase of Liverpool was a shot across the bow. How many friendlies do you think NESV will schedule for Liverpool at Fenway each year? After last year’s response, it’ll be more than one as the Premiership teams make their annual cash call in the States. If NESV’s purchase of Liverpool hastens the construction of an “SSS” (soccer specific stadium) in the Greater Boston area (and no, Foxboro is NOT in the GBA) and the Revs become serious about attracting <> players, then it will be a win-win for the respective organizations and the enthusiastic soccer fan base.

Getting back to Liverpool FC, the American owners (Gillett and Hicks) nearly destroyed the club by being totally inept in the ways of international football and the club is presently in the relegation zone, something which is as unthinkable as the Red Sox being demoted to AAA. The fans were thoroughly disgusted with the shabby manner in which their civic treasure was managed. We’re underdogs at heart and think that now is a good time to buy on Liverpool. It’s early in the season and it looks like there’s a lot of room on the double-decker bandwagon. Only the brave of heart (and strong of stomach) need apply. Anybody can be a frontrunning Yankee or ManU fan. We’ll stick with the underdogs and the unknowns. So, we’ve decided to add Liverpool to the stable.

This has been a rough year for Liverpool to date:
Aug. Home SCORE Away ATT.
8/15 Liverpool 1 - 1 Arsenal 44,722
8/23 Manchester City 3 - 0 Liverpool 47,087
8/29 Liverpool 1 - 0 West Bromwich Albion 41,194
Sep.
9/12 Birmingham 0 - 0 Liverpool 27,333
9/19 Manchester United 3 - 2 Liverpool 75,213
9/25 Liverpool 2 - 2 Sunderland 43,626
Oct.
10/3 Liverpool 1 - 2 Blackpool 43,156
10/17 Everton 2 - 0 Liverpool 39,673

Right now, they’re 1-4-3-6 and in next-to-last place in the EPL. That’s the bad news. There’s still six months left to play in the season and the team, management and new owners can rally and move their way up the table. So, beginning with our next edition, we’ll follow the exploits of the Reds in their attempt to crawl out of the relegation pit.

Wrexham Match 16 at Hayes & Yeading (10/16/10):

Dragons came into this match at Church Road at 5-4-6-21 and probably still smarting from last week’s loss to first-place AFC Wimbledon. There were hardly any shots on frame by either side, but there a ton of fouls called. Maxwell Christie started in goal for Wrexham and he was tested by a cross from H&Y’s Lewis Ferrell in the 20th, which he knocked away. Wrexham’s Frank Sinclair was booked in the 27th after barking at the referee. After a scoreless first half, Dragons got their act in gear. Jay Harris was booked in the 50th for a rough tackle on H&Y’s Tom Cadmore. Jay Harris put Wrexham ahead in the 61st when he grabbed Andrew Mangan’s cross from the right flank in the left corner of the box and slammed the ball past Josh Lennie. H&Y nearly equalized in the 69th as Peter Holmes’ cross was caught by Christie. Adrian Cieslewicz put Wrexham up 2-0 in the 85th as he took a pass from Gareth Taylor at the left penalty area and roofed it into the upper right corner. Dragons safely tucked the match away in stoppage time as the Cieslewicz-to-Taylor connection struck again when Cieslewicz fed Taylor with a pass from left wing and Taylor banged in the ball to give Wrexham a very convincing road win.

Piacenza Match 9 v. Triestina (10/13/10):

Still winless, biancorossi came back from a one-goal deficit to post a 2-2 draw with Triestina on Wednesday evening at the Garilli. Denis Godeas put the visitors ahead in the 17th but Piacenza equalized just three minutes later on a goal from Tomas Guzman. Triestina’s other striker, Ettore Marchi, put them back ahead with a goal in the 24th. However, in a controversial call, Piacenza were awarded a penalty in the 35th but no booking was issued by the referee Filippo Merchiori. Daniele Cacia was given the honors a minute later and fired the equalizer past Roberto Colombo in Triestina’s goal. There appeared to be some sort of disagreement moments thereafter as Cacia and Rocco D'Aiello were booked. Though there was no scoring in the second half, there was plenty of action, as the referee dished out three more yellow cards to Triestina and one to Mattia Graffiedi in stoppage time. It may take Coach Madonna’s charges longer than expected to right the ship, but it appears from reports in the Italian media that they’re finally pulling the oars in the right direction.

Piacenza Match 10 at Crotone (10/10/10):

Finally! A victory for biancorosssi! It only took 10 matches to win one. Way to go! Piacenza won 1-0 at Ezio Scida in Crotone on Saturday afternoon. Antonio Piccolo’s goal in the 3rd stood up and the team played a smart, tough defensive match in front of Mario Cassano. They’re now 1-5-4-7 and have crawled out of the bottom position in Serie B.

New England Revolution Match 29 v. Kansas City Wizards (10/16/10):

On Saturday night at Gillette, the 8-15-5-29 Revs played host to 10-12-6-36 (3rd MLS East) KC Wizards as Revs were looking to knock KC out of the playoffs. Gibbs and Phelan were out for this game on accumulated yellow card suspensions. Matt Reis is also through for the year after having minor ankle surgery. Revs came right out at a high tempo. Joseph’s blast in the 3rd from just outside the box hit the right post. In the 6th, KC’s Jack Jewsbury collided with Bobby Shuttleworth over a ball and got his clock cleaned. Kamara nearly picked a cross and got tangled up with Shuttleworth as the ball went out of bounds. After surviving the Revs’ early rush, KC came back and pressed the action in front of Shuttleworth. Shalrie Joseph put the Revs ahead 1-0 on a beautiful service from Tierney, as he collected the ball between two KC defenders, ran it in and then banged it into a wide-open right corner. Despite being down a goal, KC had the better of the possession and generated the better opportunities. KC’s Teal Bunbury’s shot in the 42nd hit the left post. KC’s Roger Espinoza fouled Nyassi with a nasty knee knock in stoppage time, but no booking was called.

The Wizards picked right up where they left off as Kamara had a great chance early in the second, but he was “held” at the back line and the Wizards’ bench erupted in protest over the lack of a call. Play got rough on both sides thereafter, and Kamara’s free kick in the 59th went just wide. KC really pressed the action but weren’t able to equalize. Late in the half, Barbury’s shot hit the upright, as it was the best chance the Wizards had all night. Just before stoppage time, Osei was booked for a rough tackle on Arnaud, but Kamara’s free kick hit the wall and was deflected away. All in all, the Revs gave their fans a good outing in their final home match of the season.

Gridiron Time:

Harvard Crimson Game 5 v. Lehigh (10/16/10):

10 Saturdays
10,000 Men
1 Team

Thanks to a blown call by an official late in the game, the Crimson ended up losing 21-19 to Lehigh, blowing a 17-0 first half lead in the process. It was a wild and windy day at the Stadium and everything went Harvard’s way in the first half as David Mothander capped off the Crimson’s first drive with a 38-yard field goal. On Harvard’s next possession, Gino Gordon (who carried for 118 on the day) slashed his way in from the 18 to give the Crimson a 10-0 lead after one. Moving into the second quarter, Kyle Juszczyk scored on a 17-yard pass from Colton Chapple early on and it looked like the rout would be onat 17-0. But the Mountain Lions had other ideas as they smartly made readjustments to the defense and stopped Harvard’s offense thereafter.

The third quarter proved to be the turning point, as Lehigh’s offense, led by quarterback Chris Lum, simply overwhelmed Harvard’s defense scoring three touchdowns and taking the lead. On their first possession, they marched down the field when Lum connected with Ryan Spadola to make it 17-7. Harvard went three n’ out on their next drive and once more, Lum moved Lehigh’s offense deep into Harvard territory when he hit tight end Mark Wickware on a 1-yard touchdown pass and it was a football game at 17-14. Harvard then made a critical error on their next possession. On fourth-and-1 at midfield, the Crimson appeared to go for a first down, but then called a timeout and brought on the punting unit. Jacob Dombrowksi’s punt got caught up in the swirling winds and was blown backwards and it ended up being a punt of 0 yards. No one could fault the punter for the wind, but it was a huge factor throughout the course of the game. Hindsight being 20/20, Coach Murphy would’ve elected to go for it. Lum then took Lehigh’s offense and rammed it through the Crimson D as he connected with Spadola on a 51-yard post pattern touchdown pass. Where was the secondary? Lehigh went on top 21-17. The Crimson had the wind at their backs in the fourth quarter and with time running out, Chappel hit Michael Cook on a 28-yard touchdown pass that would’ve given the Crimson a great comeback win but—the referees ruled that Cook was out of bounds. According to news reports, the replays indicated that Cook had both feet in bounds. What balloonheads! On the next play, Chappel’s pass was picked off in the end zone. Lehigh took over at the 20, killed the clock and took a safety with three seconds left. The Crimson tried the ol’ hook n’ ladder on the ensuing kickoff, but it failed and Lehigh came away with a somewhat fortuitous win. The only saving grace for the 3-2 Crimson is that the defeat was a non-league game, but it’s the rest of the Ivies from here on out.

Illegitimum Non Carborundum.

UFL Hartford Colonials Game 4 v. Omaha Nighthawks (10/16/10):

On very windy Saturday afternoon at Rentschler Field in Hartford, the Colonials suffered their third defeat in four tries, losing 19-14 to Omaha on a late 10-yard touchdown from Jeff Garcia to former Bronco Jeb Putzier. The game was televised locally on NESN, but it was unknown whether the game received anything above the dreaded “Blutarsky Rating”. The Colonials won the toss and elected to kick. Omaha went three n’ out on their first try, but the Colonials scored the first touchdown of the game when Josh McCown hit Taurus Johnson on an 18-yard touchdown pass, capping of a 58-yard drive. With Taylor Melhaff’s point after Hartford went up 7-0.

Moving into the second quarter, the Nighthawks scored on their opening drive as Garcia connected with Devard Darling on a 7-yard pass play to tie the score. On the Colonials next drive, OL Reuben Riley went down with a gruesome knee injury and had to be carted off the field. Late in the quarter, the Colonials moved the ball deep into Omaha’s territory and were able to score the go-ahead touchdown as McCown hit Syndric Steptoe with ten seconds left.

The score remained 14-7 Hartford well into the third quarter when Omaha tightened things up in a field goal by Wolfert with just under four minutes remaining. Although Coach Palmer continues the quarterback shuffle between McCown and Ryan Perriloux, the offense still continued to sputter as McCown had been intercepted twice already in the game. The Nighthawks made it a one-point game early in the fourth, as Wolfert knocked in his second field goal of the game. McCown’s third pick of the game proved to be the difference maker as the Nighthawks took over with great field position and a minute later, Garcia hit Putzier with the game-winner with six minutes and change left in the game. On the Colonials’ next possession, they were able to move the ball to Omaha’s 40, but a bad snap while McCown was in the shotgun went over his head and was recovered by ex-Indy linebacker Cato June and that was that. From there, the Nighthawks stuck to the ground, killed the clock and came away with their second late-game win against the Colonials.

Saskatchewan Roughriders Game 15 v. Calgary Stampeders (10/17/10):

On Sunday afternoon, the 9-5 Riders hosted West Division leaders 10-4 Calgary Stampeders at Mosaic, in a game that had big playoff implications as the season moved into the stretch drive. With a win, the Riders would tie for the West lead with three games remaining as well as having home-field advantage. It was another sold-out house at Mosaic and The 13th Man was loud n’ proud as usual.

The Riders won the toss and Ryan Grice-Mullen returned the kick out to the 43. An off-side penalty against the Stamps on the first play move the ball out to the 48 and the Riders were able to pick up a quick first down. A second off-side call on second down gave Durant another life and his completion to Jason Clermont fell inches of a first down. Durant sneaked up the middle to pick up another first down at the 45. From there, Durant hit Wes Cates on a 20-yard gain. On second down, Durant connected with Wesley Dressler in the left corner of the end zone and, with Congi’s point after, the Riders grabbed a quick 7-0 lead. The Stamps started out their opening drive at their 48. An intentional grounding call against Henry Burris set the ball back to the 30. On second down, Burris’ pass to RJ Franklin went for 25 was just shy of the first down and Calgary punted away. Starting at their 14, Durant hit Getzlaf on the left sideline, and after shaking a tackle, raced downfield before being pushed out of bounds at the 11. On the following play, Durant found Getzlaf over the middle for a touchdown to make it 14-0, Riders. Late in the quarter Burris lead the Stamps’ offense deep into Riders’ territory. Joffrey Reynolds went off left tackle from the 11 and the Stamps pulled to within a touchdown at 14-7. Hugh Charles returned the ensuing kickoff to the 37. Duran connected with Dressler on the left flat to the 52 and then connected with Clermont down to the 40 on the final play of the quarter.

The Riders outgained Calgary 185-88 in net yardage in the first quarter. Luca Congi’s 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked and Congi suffered a serious knee injury on the play. On the play, the Stamps’ far left rusher broke in alone and dove to block the kick, but directly buckled Congi’s plant leg, caving it in (it was a very ugly injury, similar to what happened to Tom Brady two years ago). Congi had to be helped off the field. On the Stamps’ next possession, Burris was hauled down trying to escape a heavy rush, so Rob Maver hit a 39-yard field goal to make it 14-10 Riders. On the Riders’ next drive, Durant’s pass appeared o have been intercepted by Johnny Dixon. The referees ruled that the pass was incomplete and Coach Hufnagel challenged the ruling. The original ruling stood and Eddie Johnson punted away. Starting at the 25, Burris scrambled out to the 45 but the drive went backwards and the Stamps punted away. The Riders picked up two quick first downs on a catch by Dressler and a rush by Cates, moving the ball to the 45. Durant was sacked on second down, but Rob Bagg went down with a right knee injury, as his knee buckled on the turf without having been touched. Bagg also needed help getting off the field. The Riders’ Sean Lucas then went down with a leg injury on the punt return, though he was able to get to the sideline without help. After the Riders’ nex drive stalled at midfield, Eddie Johnson’s punt hopped out of bounds inside the 1. Calagry’s punter, Bales, conceded the safety at that point and the Riders went up 16-10 with less than a minute remaining in the half. The Riders were able to move the ball to Calgary’s 40 on a completion to Dressler, where Johnson (subbing for Congi) banged in a long field goal to give the Riders a 19-10 lead with three seconds left.

The Stamps started out the third quarter with good field position, but RT Edwin Harrison went down with a leg injury and was carted from the sideline. From the 45, Burris hit Romby Bryant on the left and Bryant streaked to the Riders’ 50. On second down, Ken-Yon Rambo made a nice catch at the left sideline for another first down. Bryant picked up 9 on the next play and, after another first down, Reynolds picked up 15 on a catch out of the backfield. Burris then scrambled up the middle to the 7. On third-and-1, the Stamps put in their short yardage package with quarterback Drew Tate, but an off-sides penalty on Shouligan made it a moot point. Reynolds took it up the gut and into the end zone and the Stamps were now only down by two at 19-17. The drive chewed up about eight minutes in the quarter. The Riders went two n’ out on their next drive and the Stamps took over at the 30 after Johnson’s punt. On first down, Burris found Bryant all alone, where he went out of bounds at midfield. From the 40, Nik Lewis took a pass over the middle down to the 26. Burris completed two short passes and the Stamps had a first down at the 16. On second-and-10, Burris connected with Bryant over the middle and Bryant moved to the right edge and into the end zone. On the play, Omarr Morgan collided with Sean Lucas and definitely got the worst of it, needing a little help to get off the field. With the point after, Calgary went ahead 24-19. On the Riders’ next drive, Durant scrambled left for 16 to the 30 but he was nearly sacked on the next play and was flagged for intentional grounding and the Riders had to punt away on the final play of the quarter. A no-yards penalty on Charles moved the ball to midfield. Calgary owned the third quarter and stole all of the Riders’ momentum and crowd advantage.

After Nik Lewis took a pass over the middle to the 30, James Patrick intercepted Burris’ next pass at the 5 and rolled out of bounds. The Riders’ next effort fell just short of the first down and Johnson boomed a 55-yard punt that set the Stamps back at their 25. On first down, Reynolds carried for 10, and then on a cutback for 11. On second down, Burris hit Lewis on a hook to the Riders’ 50. From there, Reynolds went around right end for 13. Jon Cornish then went up the middle for 9. On second down, Burris completed a pass to Rambo, who was clocked (literally had his helmet knocked off), fumbled and the Riders recovered. On first down, Durant took it on the draw and broke for 30 yards to the Stamps’ 48. On the next play, Durant went back to pass; blitzed heavily and was hit, fumbled and DE Corey Mace picked up the ball and rumbled all the way to the end zone. The Riders challenged the ruling but after review, the ruling was upheld and the Stamps went up 31-19. On the Riders’ next series, Durant hit Getzlaf streaking down the left sideline on a 65-yard touchdown pass. Getzlaf beat the hand check at the line of scrimmage and the safety was late picking him up in coverage. He had two steps on the safety and went into the end zone uncontested to make it 31-26. The Mosaic crowd went ballistic after the touchdown, such that the Stamps’ offense could not hear Burris’ signals and were penalized. On second down, Burris moved out of the pocket to the left and hit Reynolds at the 50. Reynolds then went off left tackle for another first down. After the three minute warning, Reynolds took it up the middle for 13. Jon Cornish then carried around left end to the Riders’ 9. From there, the Stamps had to settle for a field goal from Maver to make it 34-26 Calgary. On first down, Durant hit Clermont over the middle to midfield, but Durant was sacked for a loss of 9 on the next play. Durant was then intercepted by Deon Raymond with less than a minute left. From there, Burris stuck to the ground and wound down the clock to :00, and the Riders’ last (and best) chance for homefield advantage in the West probably sailed into the sunset. The Stamps had it all over the Riders in the second half and were well-deserved victors on this day.