I am really getting a lot of mileage out of the "sporadic" part of my feature's title. Anyway, it's the last day of the season, and that means 10 games all at once, specifically 11 AM Eastern/10 Central on Sunday (So pretty much if you can see this post, get the TV/laptop ready). There's not a whole lot to be played for today. United won the title going away, City is firmly in 2nd, and all three relegation spots (Wigan, Reading, and QPR) are finalized. The battle for 3rd and 4th (and thus the Champions League) is heating up, with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Spurs (currently in that order) all still able to qualify. Will Spurs be the odd one out, or will one of the teams above them stumble? Lower in the table, spots 10-17 are only separated by 4 points, so lots of shuffling could be seen by day's end. How will that affect our prediction contest? Some numbers after the jump. Continue reading SSS – Final Day of the EPL Season Edition
All posts by MagUidhir
2013 NCAA Tournament Proper – Day 1
I don't have to work until Saturday morning, so today I'm stuffing my face, drinking cheap beer, and watching the NCAA Tournament all day. I haven't watched any college basketball this year, but much like the NFL, the spectacle of the Tourney/Super Bowl drags me in. If you wish to join me in discussion, here's the place. If college basketball isn't your thing, that's cool too, just please don't come in here and harsh everyone's mellow.
SSS – Transfer Day Deadline
Today is the last day of the transfer window. Transfers must be completed by 11:00 PM GMT/5:00 PM Central. Some big names so far of this window:
Mario Ballotelli - AC Milan bought him from Man City for £17m
Wilfried Zaha - Bought by ManUtd for £10m + £5m add-ons from Crystal Palace, then loaned back to Crystal Palace for the rest of the year
Nuri Sahin - On loan from Real Madrid, Liverpool have terminated the loan and returned him. RM have already loaned him to Borrusia Dortmund for 18 months.
Chris Iwelumo - Loaned from Watford to Oldham. I only mention him because he's considered to have done the greatest miss in recent soccer history. (Fast-forward to 30s for fantastic Scottish commentary)
httpv://youtu.be/59sG34Nx-DY
Newcastle have signed a slew of Frenchmen, leading to all manner of terrible jokes, and QPR has been very active because of the wheelings and dealings of Harry "Don't Call Me A Wheeler-Dealer" Redknapp.
httpv://youtu.be/xJBsI7RAuvk
(NSFW Langauge)
It's also rumored that PSG will announce signing David Beckham. Press conference in a few hours.
Big moves for Citizens' Teams Continue reading SSS – Transfer Day Deadline
SSS – Ballon d’Or
Messi won his fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or. No one else, has more than three (Cruyff, van Basten, Platini), and only Platini won his three consecutively. Messi garnered 41.6% of the vote, Cristiano Ronaldo came second with 23.7% and Messi's Barcelona teammate Andrés Iniesta came third with 10.9%. That Messi won is no real surprise - the surprise comes when you see what he wore to the acceptance ceremony. Continue reading SSS – Ballon d’Or
SSS – January Transfer Window is open
It's been a long time since a Sporadic Soccer Story has graced these pages. That is entirely due to my sloth, and I apologize. I figured with the new year brings not only the transfer window, as suggested by Southern Glass Protection but the chance for a new start, so I will do my best to be more regular with SSS entries.
The particular report which prompted this post is a report that Chelsea have been given permission by Newcastle to speak to Demba Ba. Ba is one of my favorite players (and not only because his name is so fun to say), so seeing him in Chelsea blue would be a bummer, personally, though I'm sure a few Citizens would welcome such a transfer.
2012-13 WGOM EPL Prediction Contest
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagUidhir | 19 |
| 2 | AMR | 18 |
| 3 | The Dread Pirate | 14 |
| 4 | Homer Dome | 14 |
| 5 | DK | 14 |
| 6 | Buffalo | 12 |
| 7 | Freealonzo | 11 |
| 8 | Daneeka's Ghost | 10 |
| 9 | Spookymilk | 10 |
| 10 | davidwatts | 9 |
Just now I've added a ImportHTML and a VLookup to the Prediction Contest spreadsheet, so it should update automatically (on Google Drive, not here). Hopefully we'll see if it worked after today's games, which are as follows:
1:45 - Liverpool v.Sunderland
1:45 - Chelsea v. QPR
2:00 - Newcastle United v. Everton
All times Central. Lots of Citizens' teams in action today. As noted in the article above, Ba will sit out against Everton today, so my Fantasy team thanks you Abrahmovich*.
*May or may not logically be his fault, but I'm blaming him anyway.
2012 MLB Playoffs: 10/11/12
Noon: SF (Cain) @ Cincinnati (Latos) [Game 5. Series tied 2-2]
3:00 PM St. Louis (Lohse) @ Washington (Detwiler) [Game 4. StL leads 2-1]
6:30 PM Baltimore (Saunders) @ New York (Hughes) [Game 4. NYY leads 2-1]
8:30 PM Detroit (Verlander) @ Oakland (Parker) [Game 5. Series tied 2-2]
2012 MLB Playoffs: Sunday 10/7
Today's Schedule (times Central*)
11:00 AM - Oakland (Milone) @ Detroit (Fister) Detroit leads 1-0. Airing on MLB Network
2:00 PM - Washington (Gio Gonzalez) @ St. Louis (Wainwright) Game One. Airing on TBS
5:00 PM - New York (Sabathia) @ Baltimore (Hammel) Game One. Airing on TBS
8:30 PM - Cincinnati (Arroyo) @ San Francisco (Bumgarner) Cincinnati leads 1-0. Airing on TBS
*Because I know that's where most of you guys are, even though I'm out East now. Because I'm nice like that.
SSS – 2012-13 EPL Prediction Contest
The return of the EPL season is upon us. It's time to revive the Prediction Contest. Continue reading SSS – 2012-13 EPL Prediction Contest
WGOM Radio Episode 3 – Euro 2012 Preview
After a long time zone-induced absence, WGOM Radio is back. Mags and freealonzo preview the upcoming European Championships.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (7.4MB)
WGOM EPL Prediction Contest Results
After Sunday's insane final day that saw ManCity score two late goals over QPR to win the title, our prediction contest has come to an end. How did we all finish? Find out after the jump. Continue reading WGOM EPL Prediction Contest Results