Entries from August 2003 ↓

Arsenal go topFA Barclaycard Premier League
Riverside Stadium
24 August 2003

Middlesbrough Scorers
None

Arsenal Scorers
Thierry Henry 5′ (2)
Gilberto Silva 14′ (1)
Sylvain Wiltord 22′, 60′ (1,2)

Booked
Yellows:
Middlesbrough - Colin Cooper 24′ - Unsportsmanlike Conduct

The Gunners catapulted to the top of the table thanks to three goals inside the first quarter of the match, including Gilberto Silva’s first Premiership goal. Arsenal had a comfortable 3-0 lead at halftime at the Riverside, and Sylvain Wiltord added a fourth in the second half from a beautiful setup by Freddie Ljungberg to make the route complete.

Thierry Henry continues his torrid pace, scoring Arsenal’s first goal after only five minutes of play. With the Boro defense sufficiently stretched, Freddie Ljunberg fired a shot towards the Middlesbrough goal, which was parried by the keeper directly into the path of Ti Ti who rushed onto the loose ball and finished clinically.

Not ten minutes later, Arsenal were on the scoresheet again, this time a beautiful lob by Robert Pires on the left side of the penalty area found an open Gilberto Silva, who scored from the volley.

Another volley, from Henry to Sylvain Wiltord made it three goals in twenty-two minutes for Arsenal. Wiltord added a fourth goal, and his second of the game, in the 60th minute. Freddie Ljungberg was in on goal, and could have gone for goal on his own, when he unselfishly sent the ball to the left where an onrushing Wiltord tapped it in.

It was a very easy-going game for Arsenal, but it was not without some matters of concern. On three seperate occasions, Jens Lehmann shanked his clearing attempts. I hope that this gets worked out very quickly. The Gunners’ defense was only tested a few times, but there was a run of play late in the second half in which it seemed that a Boro goal was likely. No matter what they tried, the defense could not clear the ball out of the penalty area. A better team than Middlesbrough would have cashed in on an opportunity like that.

Still, a great win for the Gunners, and one that sees the team atop the league table for the first time since April.

Next up, Aston Villa at Highbury this Wednesday.

Tweeter Center Camden, NJ 8/18/03Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
(exact order not confirmed)
Dynamic Calories
Us
Water and a Seat
Grab it and Gone
Vanessa From Queens (electric)
Witch Mountain
Face The Truth
Ramp Of Death
Phantasies
1% of 1

Radiohead
The Gloaming
There There
Sit Down. Stand Up
Where I End And You Begin
Exit Music
Backdrifts
Lucky
Paranoid Android
Sail To The Moon
Kid A
Go To Sleep
Like Spinning Plates
I Might Be Wrong
Talk Show Host
Idioteque
Fake Plastic Trees
The National Anthem

Encore #1:
Nice Dream
My Iron Lung
No Surprises
Karma Police

Encore #2:
2+2=5
Everything In Its’ Right Place

“After years of waiting…”

Of all the concerts I’ve been to this summer, this was the show I had been looking forward to the most. Two of my favorites, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, and Radiohead, on the same night! A match made in Mike heaven!

My compadres at this show were Jeff and the ever-present concert cohort, Wooly. Josh and Becca were also there, but unfortunately we could not catch up with each other.

The evening started rather ominously, when a standard stop at McDonalds turned into a twenty minute headache - all because Wooly asked for his meal to be “Super-Sized.” Apparently, this request proved too much for the mental midgets behind the counter. Only when the manager was brought in to assist was the matter resolved - or so we thought. As we were pulling away, Wooly discovered that they had put cheese on his quarter-pounder (he had specifically asked for no cheese,) and had completely forgotten his apple pie!

Sacrificing gastronomical well-being in the interest of time, Wooly turned down my offer to head back to Mc Donalds, so we instead began making our way to Jeff’s. Traffic was still pretty light, and we got there in about twenty minutes. Upon our arrival, we discovered a raring-to-go Jeff, so it was only a matter of moments before we were back on the road. What potentially could have been a nightmare of a drive during rush hour turned out to be a speedy forty minute trip. Jeff knew of some alternate routes into the lion’s den that is Camden, and by 5:45, we were parking in a lot right next to the venue.

In the post-9/11 world in which we live, I understand and completely accept the increased role security plays at conerts and sporting events lately. That being said, the folks who run the Tweeter Center need to get their acts together. Some of the guards were stating that no backpacks were allowed, while others were asking that they be opened for search during entry. Not wanting to risk being told that he could not bring his backpack in, Wooly decided to get out of line and return it to the car. Since the doors didn’t open for another twenty minutes at this point, Jeff and I joined him. When we got back into line, we saw lots of folks with backpacks, and were amazed when the were let in! The indignation subsided as we made our way inside purchased some adult beverages and quickly found our seats. I say seats, but in reality they were more like patches of pavement. We had been lucky enough to score pit seats, and as a result were no more than ten feet from the stage all night!

Wooly’s in love with Joanna, the bass player of The Jicks, so he quickly picked a spot for us right in front of where she’d be standing, pronouncing, “We’re standing here!” This was fine for Jeff and I, because it meant that we’d be between Ed and Thom when Radiohead came on.

The Jicks came on shortly after 7:30, and sure enough, Joanna stood directly in front of us. Wooly had brought a disposable camera to the show, and proceeded to use half the roll on shots of his crush.

According to several reports I’ve seen on the web, The Jicks aren’t getting the warmest of receptions from the crowds that have bothered coming in early to check them out. Wooly and I made sure to let the band know we appreciated their being here by cheering extra-loudly. In fact, as the band took the stage, Wooly shouted, “Hi, Joanna!,” in a sort of school-boy-talking-to-school-girl-during-recess kind of voice. Not only did Joanna hear Wooly, she smiled and waved back! That made his year!

Highlights of the The Jicks set for me were “Grab It And Gone,” “Phantasies,” and “1% of 1.”

Last time I was in Camden for a concert, a young lady asked if she could use my shirt as toilet paper. This time around, a different young lady made a much more reasonable, but no less presumptious request. Noticing my attempt to check my voice mail, she asked to use my cell phone. Having already seen her try to walk off with Wooly’s lighter, I explained that my phone wasn’t getting a signal. She suggested that she could always move to one of the sides of the pavillion to get better reception. Not being born yesterday, I simply stated that I’d rather not move, and was relieved when another person offered their cell phone for her use - suckers!

At around 8:40, Radiohead took the stage to rapturous applause and broke into “The Gloaming” from their latest album, “Hail To The Thief.” It was an interesting choice for an opener, but made more sense when it was followed by the same track that follows it on the album, and current single, “There There.”

Thankfully Wooly had a few shots left on the camera, because as planned, the spot we had chosen put us right between Ed and Thom, and that made for some great photo ops.

Highlights of the Radiohead set for me:

“There There” - Ed and Johnny playing drums along with Phil - very cool.

“Paranoid Android” - A fantastic song that’s just incredible live.

“I Might Be Wrong” - Wooly had been hoping for this one, so ironically it was played while he was in the head!

“Idioteque” - Great shots of Thom doing his crazy dance moves.

“Fake Plastic Trees” - “Gravity always wins.”

“The National Anthem” - killer set closer!!!!

“My Iron Lung” - We got this one by chance, as there was a problem with Johnny’s equipment and the band had to change on the fly.

“No Surprises” - My favorite Radiohead song.

“Karma Police” - There’s nothing quite like hearing thirty thousand people singing, “That’s what you’ll get, if you mess with us.”

“2+2=5″ - After the first encore, Jeff mentioned that they hadn’t played this yet, and sure enough, it lived up to his hype.

An absolutely amazing show that delivered on every ounce of anticpation I had. It was so good that even the 58-30 pasting Wooly gave me in Madden after we got back to his apartment couldn’t dampen my spirits. I’m going to the US tour closer at Madison Square Garden in October, and after last night, I think I’m even more excited than before!

The Yankees won their seventy-fifth game of the season today, when they beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-0. Today’s win made it a complete sweep of the four game series in Baltimore, and gave the Yankees a four game lead on the Red Sox in the American League East divison race. The win also puts the Yanks a season-high 28 games over .500.The Bombers return home to begin a three game series with the Kansas City Royals, who took two of three at Kauffman Stadium last week. The Red Sox face a three game set against Oakland at Fenway, with whom they split their four game series in California last week.

There are now only forty games left in the regular season for the Yankees. Of those, only sixteen are away from home. In comparison, the Red Sox have only thirty-eight regular season games left, fifteen of which are on the road.

In a strange twist of fate, the world’s worst rock magazine, Blender, has published a list of what they deem the fifty “most talentless,” and by extension, “worst,” bands and artists of the rock/rap era.

Here’s the list, and next to each entry are my thoughts…

1. Insane Clown Posse - Agreed!

2. Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Self-indulgent does not equal talentless.

3. Michael Bolton - “No talent ass-clown.”

4. Kenny G - Listening to him is like getting drill work done at the dentist. (Thanks Wayne’s World!)

5. Starship - I liked them better when they were The Jefferson Airplane.

6. Kansas - Self-indulgent.

7. Asia - Having Steve Howe couldn’t save this band from being cheesy, but he did bring loads of talent.

8. Vanilla Ice - Agreed!

9. Lee Greenwood - Agreed!

10. Air Supply - Agreed!

11. Latoya Jackson - Has Latoya Jackson even put out an album? She must have in order to be eligible for this list. Poor girl, she really did get the leftovers from that gene pool.

12. Tin Machine - I don’t remember alot about this band…

13. Mick Jagger - Excuse me, did I read this right? Mick “creator of the front man, leader of the greatest rock-n-roll band of all time” Jagger? He leaves more talent in the shower drain than all of the writers of Blender combined!

14. Yngwie Malmsteen - Another who falls in the self-indulgent category.

15. Yanni - Agreed!

16. Oingo Boingo - Agreed!

17. Benzino - Who?

18. Pat Boone - How is Pat Boone on a list of rock/rap artists?

19. Dan Fogelberg - Agreed!

20. Howard Jones - Had one or two songs that my Dad liked, and my Dad thinks Coldplay are talentless. Take from that what you will.

21. The Alan Parsons Project - Again, self-indulgence is this bands problem, not a lack of talent.

22. Primus - Three words - Les Fricken Claypool.

23. Creed - Oh yes, they’re awful. A poor man’s Pearl Jam.

24. Bad English - I don’t know, I always thought that “I’ll Stop The World” song was great.

25. Jamiroquai - Way off base here, this is great band, just ask Wooly.

26. Celine Dion - Agreed!

27. Colour Me Bad - Agreed!

28. Crash Test Dummies - Not enough source material upon which to base an asessment.

29. Skinny Puppy - Who?

30. Richard Marx - Agreed!

31. Arrested Development - I saw these guys in concert, and thoroughly enjoyed them Anyone who knows my feelings on rap will know that’s saying something.

32. The Hooters - Living near Philly for so long has destroyed any chance I’d have to say anything bad about this band.

33. Japan - Who?

34. Live - I know lots of folks who really like this band, but I just don’t get it.

35. Paul Oakenfold - I consider him more of a producer than an artist.

36. 98 Degrees - Agreed!

37. The Doors - Actually, I agree. The Doors really weren’t that great a band, they just had a few good moments.

38. Nelson - Awful, awful, awful.

39. Bob Geldof - ‘Tell me why I don’t like Bob Gedolf.’

40. Blind Melon - See the Crash Test Dummies.

41. Whitesnake - A poor man’s Led Zeppelin, but David Coverdale could sing.

42. Rick Wakeman - Like ELP, self-indulgent, yes, talentless, far from it.

43. Mike and the Mechanics - Never liked them much, but had some good, talented players in the band.

44. Manowar - I know nothing about this band.

45. Gipsy Kings - ???? Another one I don’t get. These guys are great.

46. The Spin Doctors - I actually liked this band for a while, until they sold out to MTV. Too bad, as they were pretty good live.

47. Goo Goo Dolls - Has anything worthwhile (besides hot wings) ever come from Buffalo?

48. Master P - Rickie Williams learned far too late what all of us already knew.

49. Toad the Wet Sprocket- I have no opinion of this band, one way or the other.

50. Iron Butterfly - Can “one-hit wonders” really be overrated? In the case of Iron Butterfly, yes they sure can.

Arsenal Scorers
Henry 35′ (pen)
Pires 58′

Everton Scorers
Radzinski 84′

An eventful first half saw Sol Campbell given a straight red card for a “professional foul” outside the box in the 25th minute. Thierry Henry put the Gunners up from the spot 10 minutes later after a hand ball in the box by an Everton defender.

During the second half, ex-Arsenal keeper Richard Wright made several fantastic saves, keeping Everton in the match. In the 58th minute, Wright made two quick saves from shots by Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, the second of which deflected to “Super” Robert Pires, who drove home from close range to give the 10-men Arsenal side a much-needed two goal cushion.

From that point on, the match became very chippy, and several Everton players were booked. This culminated in Chinese international Li Tie’s sending off in the 80th minute after a second bookable offense. Everton were undaunted, and pulled within a goal when Tomasz Radzinski scored in the 84th minute.

A harrowing six minutes followed in which Arsenal fought to control the ball. A nightmare additional four minutes of injury time was to be endured before referee Mark Halsey finally blew the whistle for fulltime.

A hard-fought victory for the Gunners, and one that helps get the season off on the right foot. Unfortunately, all the press attention will of course go to Sol’s red card. Hopefully the video review board will work in Arsenal’s favor for once, and prove that Ashley Cole and Lauren were covering back, thus reducing the red card to a yellow.

Otherwise, it was great to see Ti Ti and Super Bob both open their goal accounts on opening day. Next up; Middlesbrough on Sunday the 24th at the Riverside.

Giants fall to 0-2 in pre-season.  I didn’t get to see this game, so here’s the report from Giants.com…Giants.com

Update 8/16/03 7:30 PM
Turns out that hit that my man Jeremy Shockey took to his ribs broke two of them. The TE is expected to miss the last two pre-season games against the Jets and Ravens, but should be back in the lineup for the season opener at Giants Stadium against the Rams on Sept. 7.