Tottenham Hotspur

Position: 4th, 6-1-3 (19 points, +7 goal differential)

Recent Form: LWDWL

Away Form: 3-1-1

Last Meeting: Tottenham 0-Arsenal 0 (2/8/09)

It's here. The North London derby.

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First of all, wow, what a peach of a game in Seattle tonight. The classic exciting 0-0 game. No, it wasn't a work of art, and yes, Houston fouled up and down the field. I fully expect Sounders fans to turn Rave Green into Rage Green, and I don't blame them one bit. Still, it was pretty exciting.
Fine, the LA-Chivas USA matchup. Click to continue reading...

... it's gonna be the Yankees that the Phillies have to put in their place to take the World Series again. Be there, starting Wednesday night ... as two ex-Cleveland aces go up against each other in their new(er) uniforms. That's CC vs. Cliff Lee. Let's go, Phillies, you can do it!

And I love hearing that George Will has gone after Dick for his "dithering" comment noting that a little "dithering" by the Bushies might have been helpful before invading Iraq.

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Wow what a game! The Dodgers set a record for hits ... but left 10 runners on. Ruiz and Ibanez each had a 3-run homer. Lidge and Madson scared us but got it done. Ryan Howard hit another clutch double.

I love it AND I'd love to see a much bigger lead in Game 2, guys, okay? Today it'll be Pedro for the Phillies after lots of rest.

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Of course, I was a Phillies lover before, but after last night's top-of-the-9th heroics, how can you not love that team? Bring on the Dodgers ... and let's have a repeat of last year! I went to sleep thinking of my Dad, and how excited he'd have been (gave him a congratulatory phone call, in my mind).

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First off here's a nice interview with Pia Sundhage about her focus in coaching, and her preparation with the USWNT for facing Germany on 10/29/09.

On the Fantasy Football front, Flying Pigs and Sir Hits Alot are tied heading into tonight's game ... where Flying Pigs still have a player left.

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First off apologies to HollyCornblog ... who I offended by describing September as JBD's birthday month. It is HollyCornblog's birthday month, too ... and that fact should be duly celebrated by everyone ... most especially everyone who likes a nice hoppy beer from time to time!

Second .

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The Stars beat the Lynx in OT yesterday, gaining ground in the WNBA play-off hunt. Anybody else find the WNBA site kinda frustrating? I have a hard time getting to the articles ... but maybe it's just me.

But on the basketball front, here's a heartwarming article about a Tennessee girls' high school basketball team 50 years later!

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Okay -- it's day two of running. Haven't gone yet but plan to. The challenges will be days 3, 4 and 5! Right now I am at the stage where I feel so good and so thanksful that my body still works the way it is supposed to. Today will probably go well ... and then, if true to form, I'll start developing a wee bit of hubris.

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HollyCornblog reported to be that yesterday while IMing with her friend Doris, she (Doris) called her (HollyCornblog) "Doltgirl."

I'm of the belief that that is one of the first steps in going viral ... whaddya think? I should add that it is also a clear reflection of Doris' undeniable cleverness which, if it carries over to the fantasy football venue, will have us all in trouble this coming season.

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So, as a native of the Philadelphia area here in the US I'm confronted with something of a dilemma. Growing up in Philadelphia you are generally brought up with a healthy (and some would say unhealthy) bit of mania for the local professional sports teams across all major American sports. As a kid who played just about every sport available growing up and growing up in an era (late 70s and early 80s) when all of the local teams were challenging for championships I formed life-long attachments to my teams - the Phillies in baseball (that's the defending World Series champion Phillies I might add); the 76ers in basketball; the Flyers in hockey; and the Eagles in football (our version). Click to continue reading...

Lovely, Chuck ... how much has the insurance industry poured into your campaign coffers? This is cold, cold stuff -- unless you are unimaginably dumb, Senator, which I somehow doubt.

Meanwhile, Cheney is working on his memoirs and waxing slightly more talkative than usual. Watch out, Dubya .

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Yup late again! Some tidbits here ...

First ... ChristopherCornblog's car started smoking en route to the lake last night (and I don't mean that it initiated an unhealthy and expensive nicotine habit). Luckily he wasn't far from Rensselaerville when it happened, so he was able to call HollyCornblog for a ride.

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Okay -- so we've gone from monsoon season to beautiful, crisp, fall weather in the span of a week or so. I hate to be a whiner, but let's just say that I'm still hoping for a smidgeon of summer before Fantasy Football season gets underway! And no -- I really am not complaining. Today ChristopherCornblog is going to be taking down some ice-storm-damaged trees .

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Here are the Breakers' playoff scenerios ... and some preview info and factoids.

The Breakers have allowed fewer shots on goal than any other team at 4.58 per game...Boston has now been outscored in the 1st half by a margin of 13-6...Amy Rodriguez has seen only 15 minutes of action over the Breakers' last four matches.

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It's nice to see that brightness back in the eastern sky this morning after a terribly wet, rainy day yesterday. We thought it couldn't keep raining the way it had ... oh well. Let's see what August holds. (I keep trying to imagine what this weather pattern would have been like had it started in December .

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As Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation approaches crunch time, some GOPers are lining up in opposition. In an op ed in USA Today Jeff Sessions has written "I don't believe that Judge Sotomayor has the deep-rooted convictions necessary to resist the siren call of judicial activism." Say what? My only comment would be to echo Senator Sessions in explaining why I wouldn't vote for him or others of his ilk .

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In case you haven't seen this yet on You Tube, this almost made me want to get married ... ;>)

And thanks, Alison, for the quote -- and Boltgirl and Alice, for sharing your opinions. (Lack of Phillies' love is noting new in my little world ... but, as any Cubs fan knows very well, too, we carry on in spite of any/everything!

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Is it better to post nothing when I'm in a rush or something, even if brief?

Is it better to mention that the Phillies are back on track and Palin's popularity is dropping as she exits? Or should I just be silent?

Is it good to ask Mo what's up with the Rays' falling prey to a perfect game?

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Quick stuff this morning, as the dogs bark and the sun makes its way through the green leaves and into the blue (for now) sky.

The Phillies lost to the Cubbies yesterday ... so that means their new winning streak begins now! The Red Sox lost another game ... and some more ground to the Yankees.

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So it's a big day here in Canterbury as Willie turns 10 and continues to have pretty good energy and quality of life on his daily dose of steroids. We are so glad you're still here with us, Willie!

And it was a big day in Rochester yesterday, as Abby scored her 100th goal in front of a nice, big hometown crowd.

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Last night I saw Aimee Mann give a great concert at Tupelo Music Hall ... her voice ... her lyrics ... her fights with the record companies ... love 'em all! Here's an interview with Aimee from Out Magazine ...

Aimee Mann had her first taste of fame in 1985 when her band, ‘Til Tuesday, hit the Billboard Top 10 with their song "Voices Carry.

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Who'd a thunk? I woke up at about 4:30 this morning to the sound of teeming rain -- and wondered how our young plants are keeping themselves from sliding down the hill. Really. As the light returns, I see that everything looks pretty much intact out there -- albeit waterlogged.

Not so intact are the egos of the Red Sox this morning, I'm thinking, as they blew a 10-1 lead and lost to the Orioles.

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Yesterday was the 37th anniversary of Title IX ... 37 years. I like that the milestone coincides with the 10th anniversary of the 1999 Women's World Cup. Alice (thanks!) sent me a link to "License to Thrive" a documentary chronicling the passage and impact of Title IX. We're hoping it'll come to Red River .

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Sox win on a clutch homer by Green ...

Phillies lose ... again ... six now, or seven?

Baseball

by John Updike

It looks easy from a distance,
easy and lazy, even,
until you stand up to the plate
and see the fastball sailing inside,
an inch from your chin,
or circle in the outfield
straining to get a bead
on a small black dot
a city block or more high,
a dark star that could fall
on your head like a leaden meteor.

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Getting back on track after a great weekend ... and I must admit that sleeping in was a big temptation this grey Monday. But the day beckons and time stands still for no one. Yup.

So I see the Phillies avoided a sweep losig two but coming back onSunday and chasing my absolute least favorite of the Red Sox .

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First off, here's a post from The Time Finder that I read this morning and really liked. Reframing self-care as a responsibility, rather than a luxury, sure sounds helpful to me.

I see in the news that the election in Iran is underway and too close to call. Whatever happens, it does feel to me like things on the world stage are shifting, having been frozen in various postures of stiff extremism for the past eight years.

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Thanks for your comment on yesterday's post, Alice. I haven't checked out the video Bill Moyers aired - Torturing Democracy - yet, but plan to. Meanwhile, for a never ending stream of despicable and delusional Dickishess there is always the Dick Cheney page on the Huffington Post. I glance at it occasionally in the hope that something bad will have happened to him.

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It's finally Friday, and after work today I'll be driving over Hogback to HollyCornblog's house! She says she'll have the chiminea going and some homebrews ready for sampling when I get there!

In soccer news I see that, apparently, a share of the LA Sol is going to be up for grabs soon. Any buyers?

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Yup - next year Philly gets its own WPS Team - and they'll be playing at the new soccer-specific stadium in Chester - a venue they will share with Philly's new MLS team. I like the combo and am glad that the City of Brotherly Love will be playing WPS soccer next summer!

Turning to the Breakers, here's a profile of defender Sue Weber - a third round pick out of Hofstra who's a solid defender for the Blue!

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Okay so I do, I really do want to be rooting for Obama but what's with this latest appointment? GE's defender on environmental issues, Ignacia Moreno, has been hired to do the legal stuff for EPA? How did Obama explained this decision, I'm wondering. It kind of gives me a weird feeling in my stomach.

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First, the poem - a beauty by Mark Strand from today's Writer's Almanac ...

My Name

by Mark Strand

Once when the lawn was a golden green
and the marbled moonlit trees rose like fresh memorials
in the scented air, and the whole countryside pulsed
with the chirr and murmur of insects, I lay in the grass,
feeling the great distances open above me, and wondered
what I would become and where I would find myself,
and though I barely existed, I felt for an instant
that the vast star-clustered sky was mine, and I heard
my name as if for the first time, heard it the way
one hears the wind or the rain, but faint and far off
as though it belonged not to me but to the silence
from which it had come and to which it would go.

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In a bit of a rush this morning, as usual. Our black lab Willie came up lame yesterday. He has a chronic shoulder problem which something seems to have exacerbated. This morning he seems a little bit better, but still not himself. He'll be turning 10 this summer, so it's worrisome to see him hurting.

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Nice bit here from Dave giving Dick a dose of his own medicine.

Pia has announced the USWNT roster for an upcoming friendly vs. Japan ... 5/20 and 5/23 ... meaning that 17 US players won't be with thier WPS teams for a bit - but for the most part won't miss any matches. I was interested to see that, while the Breakers lose 4 players, one of them isn't Lil.

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Phillies won, Red Sox won .. and I've got the Slingcatcher hooked up and working in Dewd's room!

Meanwhile, the Breakers will be honoring soccer great Maren Meinert at the game with the Freedom on May 17th at Harvard Stadium. WUSA fans remember her fondly as a key ingredient in the Breakers' success - most especially in their final year (with Pia coaching).

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