Ireland 2 - Italy 2

The atmosphere was upbeat from the time we got into Fagan's in Drumcondra. Ireland had a chance to make a statement against the 4th ranked team in the world, Italy. We were 4 hours from kickoff but the locals were ready to go. Fagan's is the nicest pub I have been to in Ireland; situated 10 minutes on foot from Croke Park, it is undoubtedly one of the main hubs to get some hydration going before the big soccer (football) match. Italy sat 4 points ahead, but an unlikely Irish victory would pull the boys in green to 1 point behind with one game to go for each squad. By 6:00 it was getting increasingly difficult to move around.

The aura at Croke Park confirmed how much this game meant to the Irish. A sea of white and green was evident as we sat behind one of the goals, with the entire main stands right in front of us. The Irish came out like a house on fire, going up 1-0 after 8 minutes on a set piece from Liam Lawrence to midfielder Glenn Whelan. A cautious optimism began to grow on all sides of us. The Italians passed the ball around well in the midfield but didn't seriously threaten through the first 20 minutes. Timely stops by stalwarts Richard Dunne and John O'Shea quickly became a familiar site. But the Italians broke through on the 26th minute off the head of Argentinian-born Mauro Camorenesi. The rest of the first half was largely uneventful.

The second half began much like the first ended, with the ball staying mostly in the midfield. Chances were scarce; Ireland made a few substitutions. The crowd began to grow more and more restless as shots went by the wayside. A 1-1 draw seemed more and more likely until substitute Stephen Hunt created a free-kick opportunity from just outside the left end of the box. The crowd grew eerily quiet as he lined it up. Hunt delivered a beautiful bending ball to the far side and it met the head of a diving Sean St. Ledger. Pandemonium erupts...off the top of my head it is one of the top 3 moments of my career as a sport spectator.

All we had to do was hold off the Italians for 4 more minutes. It all happened so quickly...an errant pass and the Azzurri were coming at our goal faster than Rex Ryan to Mickey D's after a Jets game. And the unthinkable yet somewhat expected happened; the Italians put on in the back of the net. It was substitute Alberto Gilardino. A draw was still a good result for the Irish against the powerhouse nation,but the way it went down was heartbreaking.

Next up for the Irish will be the final group qualifier against hapless Montenegro. With second place in the group already secured, the game does not have all that much meaning. Next month the Irish will be paired in a playoff with the likes of France, Russia or Greece in a home and home matchup. The winner on aggregate goals will head to the World Cup in South Africa in June. More on this as it develops.

Thank You 2009 Mets!

Thank you Mets on behalf of your fans for a terrific 2009 season! There's no better way than a 70-92 record with the 2nd highest payrool in baseball to open up beautiful CitiField. Thank you for having a surplus of Brooklyn Dodgers dedications (all well and good), but a lack of monuments and tributes to the current team. Refusing to retire Piazza's number? His homer on 09/21/2001 (youtube it) should be worth it enough. Thank you for handing Omar Minaya the power to sign Oliver Perez to a 3 year, $36 million contract. I know hindsight is always 20/20, but my pet bird Boris could have seen that one coming. I don't even have a bird. Thanks also to Omar for further embarrassing the organization with a personal attack on the integrity of esteemed Mets team beat writer Adam Rubin. The parade of thanks to Omar continues with his propensity to stick with his buddy Tony Bernazard. Our former VP of player development had such a good rapport with the minor leaguers that he took his shirt off and threatened to fight the entire AA Binghamton Mets after a loss in the team locker room. Finally, a particularly whole-hearted thank you to the training and medical staff. Your blatant ineptitude and mistreatment of injuries to the likes of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and John Maine killed any postseason hopes shortly after the season began. The season is now over and Reyes is now just having surgery. Truly an unforgettable season for all involved. I'm glad ticket prices rose exponentially in a down economy as well. Fantastic work. R.I.P. 2009 Mets.

(Editor's note:) At least we got Jeff Francouer for the listless and injury-prone Ryan Church. Frenchy is a good fit for the 2010 Mets and beyond. Love that guy.

Spitfire Thoughts (10/04)

• The Cliffs of Moher are a real solid place to spend 1-2 hours of your life at. We went in the midst of 40 mph wind gusts and all managed to not take the 650 foot dive down, which was nice. Great spot for pictures and all that good stuff.



• I have just obtained a ticket to the Ireland-Italy world cup qualifier match next Saturday in Dublin. To say I'm excited would be a gross understatement. Not really even sure what to expect in terms of atmosphere and whatnot, but I know there will be 82,000 Irish fans pushing for the boys in green to pick up a World Cup berth for South Africa this coming summer. More on this after it happens



• The New York Knickerbockers broke training camp yesterday and are currently opening up their preseason schedule this minute against the Nets. I'll be the first person to say that I usually get excited over the start of a Knicks season for no apparent reason, but I think there is a little light at the end of the tunnel . Danilo "The Rooster" Gallinari seems to be over his lingering back troubles that limited his rookie year. Al Harrington has emerged as the veteran leader we have missed the past few years. Darko Milicic finally gives us someone who will block a shot. Jordan Hill and Toney "Ghostface" Douglas bring an infusion of youth and energy that should help the whole team improve. What does all this mean? Probably minimal improvement, since so many teams in the East improved as well. A run at a playoff berth might be what it takes to convince Lebron or DWade to make their move to the world's most famous arena next summer. We really need to dump Fat Eddy's contract too. Dumping Fat Eddy's contract is like fighting a dinosaur. It's very hard.



• Watching NFL games on Gamecast on my laptop is really lame.



• Getting great reports on the Springsteen concerts back home at Giants Stadium is very bittersweet. I would love to be there but am very happy to hear my friends and family having a great time. There's no show like the Boss in Jersey. Rumors circulating of 15 shows next summer to open up the new stadium in the Meadowlands. I'm in for a minimum of 5.

STAGS

Congratulations to Fairfield Stags runners Ben Heslin and Steve Flanagan on both being named MAAC runner of the week so far this season. GO STAGS.

Belgium and Luxembourg

A better title for this article would probably be "Delirium Cafe", but I'll get to that in a bit. My first journey outside of the Emerald Isle began at 3 a.m. early Friday, as I got up in the middle of the night to walk across Galway to the bus station. I refuse to pay 8 euros for a 4 minute drive. Thursday night was the 250th anniversary of Guinness, so needless to say it was a jubilant night in the streets of Galway. I left around 11 pm to go home and pack and get a couple hours of sleep. When I made my unheralded (and sober) return to Shop Street around 3:15 on my way to catch the bus, the party was still in full-bloom. I love Irish people, not only do they live up to their reputation of constant drinking, they may actually surpass it.

My flight was at 8 a.m. Friday morning from Dublin to Brussels. This was my first trip on RyanAir, Europe's top low-cost airline. They devliered a solid and on-time flight and when I touched down I was taking my first career steps on Belgian soil. Cheers erupted at the site of this from all around. That is a lie. Anyway, I met up with my high school buddy Andy and his friend Matt and we got on the train to Bruges. Ever since I saw "In Bruges" with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason, I knew this was a place that I had to visit at least once in my life. By the way, if anyone is looking for a solid movie to watch, go for that one. Spectacular...and Mad-Eye Moody is in it. Bruges definitely lived up to my expectations, except for the fact that there were no American midgets filming a movie as there were when I watched the movie. I realize that was a confusing sentence but I swear it made sense. Bruges was a very cool medieval city and the two highlights were climbing the 366 foot Belfry and having an amazing Belgian waffle with melted chocolate on it. As my friend Drew Colon says about a certain daily chore, it was life affirming to say the least. That night we went back to Leuven where Andy was staying at enjoyed some fine Belgian brews at a few cool spots.

Saturday was an early start as we set out for Luxembourg City, one of the richest cities in the world. I really didn't know what to expect because I had never heard of anyone going there, and I was a little apprehensive at the thought of a 6-hour round trip to get there. As the day went on, however, I became increasingly happy that I made the trip. Luxembourg has a lot of military history and has some great panoramic views. A history museum may or may not sound lame, but it was very cool to see some of the trials and tribulations Luxembourg had as a fledgling city. I got some very nice pictures and on the way out grabbed my first fast-food meal in Europe at the Quick U. Saturday night I was lucky enough to try out some more Belgian beers and even more lucky to sleep in the following morning.

Sunday was my last day in Belgium before my 10 pm flight that night. We got a late start and headed into Brussels to see the E.U. buildings. They were futuristic looking, but cool nonetheless. Imposing is another word. After this we made moves toward the city centre and state house which was very similar to the one in Leuven. Thinking about how these buildings were constructed really blows my mind. I got some Belgian frites which were delicious. I was a happy man at this point....little did I know that my life would be reaffirmed at my last stop in Belgium before I headed back to Ireland.

This place deserves it's own paragraph, if not more. The name of the bar was Cafe Delirium, and it was hidden at the end of this very narrow streeet lined with numerous restaurants and a few bars. Andy and Matt had been building this place up in my mind all weekend, so I was hoping it would live up to the big expectations I had in my head. To say it exceeded them would be a gross understatement. It would be similar to saying George Clooney has beautiful facial hair, Bruce Springsteen is a god, and Jennifer Aniston is attractive. I'm fired up just writing about it and I want anyone who reads this and enjoys beer to find a way to get there once in your life. The upstairs had 49 different taps of beer, which under ordinary circumstances would be fantastic. But compare it with the rustic-looking, dimly lit basement and it fails to inspire. Andy went to get the menu for us, and it turned out to be a 70-page booklet featuring the bar's 2004 beers to choose from. Each had a picture and a paragraph description. Combine that with an American vibe and Creedence Clearwater Revival being played twice in my hour there over the stereo and I believe what you get is heaven on earth. It won't be the last time I grace my life with a visit to Cafe Delirium, and moreover - Belgium.

For any beer connosseurs, these are the 9 new ones I tried over the weekend. (in no particular order)

1.)Kwak

2.)Satan Gold

3.) Hopus

4.) Westmalle Tripel - favorite

5.) Tripel Karmeliet

6.) Brugge Tripel

7.) Rochefort 10

8.) St. Bernardus Tripel

9.) Lucifer

My First Created Sporcle Quiz

Check out my first ever created Sporcle Quiz....Bruce Springsteen Studio Songs

http://www.sporcle.com/games/tf22balla/springsteensongs

Baseball? What is baseball?

Now that I have been all away across the pont for 3 1/2 weeks, I can regrettably say that I have fallen out of touch with baseball. Much of this is due to the fact that my New York Mets have been out of the playoff picture for a solid month. When I was thinking about how I would follow the game from afar, I wasn't sure what to do. I could buy mlb.tv for the month of september, but I didn't want to pay to watch meaningless Mets games, especially when at times the lineups they put out on the field would struggle to be in a AAA playoff race. I turned my hopes to the countless pubs in Galway, only to realize that all the games would be starting around midnight. Besides, I have only found one pub so far to show American sports. (Garvey's, in Eyre Square for any of you who may travel here in the future.)

It was at this time that I realized my interaction with the 2009 MLB season would be coming to an end on August 31st when I boarded the plane. Now a good portion of this is because of the two reasons I just discussed, but I think there may be more to it than just those two. Right now there is only one real race going on, and that is in the AL Central, where the Tigers are up by a few games on the Twins. Neither Wild-Card race is particular close, and most of the divisions are already comfortably wrapped up. There aren't any individual feats worth checking in on each day, either. How I miss the days of steroids, where the whole country would check in on Sosa and McGwire each day, regardless of whether they were a fan or not. (Side note: I'm really unsure whether I am kidding or not with that last sentence.)

Anyway, Peter Gammons recently brought up an interesting thought on whether to add an extra wild-card team from each league. Yes, it waters down the post-season race and potentially adds a very mediocre team undeserving of a spot in the playoffs. However, it keeps fans' hopes alive a little longer, gives them a little more incentive to go to the games and spend their money. In the economic situation America is in, wouldn't this be a good thing for all parties involved? I'm not saying I know for sure, but it is something worth discussing. One thing I am sure of is that this will be the first October I am not particularly interested in what happens in the MLB playoffs. To be honest, I'm actually pulling for the Yankees because my best friend just scored an internship with them this past season and I think it would be cool if they won while he worked there. That is a scary thought, I'm actually a little hesitant to put it down in writing. Screw it.

For the hell of it, my picks:

World Series: Yankees over Dodgers
AL MVP: Mark Teixeira
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
AL CY Young: Zach Greinke
NL CY Young: Adam Wainwright

Heading off to Belgium and Luxembourg this weekend, expect an update on that sometime next week........

Dublin cont'd (Pictures)

View from the Clubhouse looking out on the 18th at St. Margaret's.


Some badass car outside the hotel.



9th hole looking toward the clubhouse at Luttrellstown Castle Resort.

Another one.

Weekend in Dublin

Spent the last weekend in the Dublin area playing some golf and hanging out with some extended family. Friday we teed it up at St. Margaret's near the Dublin Airport (http://www.stmargaretsgolf.com/) and then Saturday we played at this beautiful course called Luttrellstown Castle (http://www.luttrellstowncastleresort.com/).

- Both courses were very nice, but Luttrellstown in particular blew me away. It plays 7,300 yards from the tips and was in pristine condition. The fairways were cut beautifully, the greens were firm and had some insane tiers and slopes. I couldn't begin to estimate the amount of bunkers guarding the greens and while they may not have been St. Andrew's style pot bunkers in Scotland, they were usually several feet deep. The resort we stayed at was called Castlenock and tickled my fancies as far as accomodations go. I met some great people (most notably Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher's cousin, Dan.) and it was a weekend that I will not soon forget. Thank you to my uncle John Keenan for having me.

Here are a few pictures:

Pictures from Galway

Just a few pictures from the first week in Ireland.