Crouching Tiger, Hidden Truth

For virtually the first time in his life, Tiger woods is finding himself on the back page of newspapers around the world; this time, it's for all the wrong reasons. After a mysterious 2:30 a.m. crash outside his Orlando mansion Thanksgiving night, a cornucopia of allegations have come out over supposed infidelities in El Tigre's marriage with Swedish model Elin Nordegren. Woods has come out through his PR team with a very vague apology - something along the lines of "...I regret these transgressions with all my heart" and ..."my family deserves better." Really Tiger? This is the best they can come up with? If I have learned one thing following American sports all my life, it's that we are a forgiving society for those who can come forward and admit our mistakes.

Think about the whole steroids scandal in baseball. Guys like Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, and Mark McGwire have beat around the bush on their steroid use - and their images are forever tainted. As a result of this, they are unlikely to ever make it into the hall of fame. On the other hand, Andy Pettite and Jason Giambi were admitted what they took, why they took it, and for the most part they have been forgiven.

I understand that everyone has a right to privacy, but the reality is that Tiger Woods is the undisputed most popular, rich, successful, and accomplished athlete of our generation. He is also the world's first one billion dollar athlete. If he thinks this is going to go away by asking the media for privacy, he's gravely mistaken. Woods needs to put his face in front of a camera, admit what he did without getting into any vivid details, and then and only then will this go away. Everyone makes mistakes - Tiger screwed up, he deserves all this; and quite frankly he deserved to get chased down his driveway by his angry wife with a pitching wedge. He deserved to wreck his own Escalade as a result of that.

You know who doesn't deserve any of it though? His wife and kids. Only Tiger has the power to come forward and put this to a rest. He needs to put his face in front of a camera, man up, and put this behind him. If he cares about the sanity of his and his family's lives, he will do it. What are you waiting for Tiger? America is ready to forgive you. Will Elin?

Springsteen in Galway

Missing about 10 Springsteen concerts while I have been in Ireland has not been an easy pill to swallow. Last week this is the closest I got to it while over here....not too bad at all.

Come on ye boys in green

Tonight, France, with a one-goal lead, hosts Ireland in the crucial second leg of their World Cup Qualifier. Last Saturday at Croke Park in Dublin, the Irish played neck and neck with their superiorly talented opponents and were unlucky to come away with nothing from the match. Chelsea frontman Nicholas Anelka's deflected shot just got by Shay Given. Hopefully tonight the luck will be on the side of the Irish as they look to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2002. If we can score first, the intensity will be at an all-time high and it should be great to watch. It is time for Robbie Keane to step up and prove his worth as the team leader and best finisher. If you're not in Ireland try www.fifa.com or Fox Soccer Channel for the match....8 pm in Ireland, 3 pm on the East Coast.

My Life of Music

It's been a while since proverbial pen has been put to paper on my blog, but a rare night in the confines of my apartment in Galway is leading to the renaissance of "Who Will Stop the Rain." Sometimes I just get in a zone where I want to listen to music and really get lost in it. This usually happens with Bruce Springsteen songs in particular, but is absolutely not limited to them. Tonight is one of these nights I know I am a nerd and a loser. Watching a 2003 live performance of "Into The Fire" from Barcelona is really firing me up. It can be seen here.

Growing up in middle school, I was surrounded by the culture of basketball almost year-round. Along with that, and thinking I was "the man", came a simultaneous upbringing in rap and hip-hop My grammar school team was very good, as we competed for the championship almost every year in the Suburban Catholic League in central New Jersey. I was usually picked to the all star team, all league team (whatever you want to call it), so I was immediately under the disillusion that, like Nelly, I was goin' right out of high school, straight into the pros - Pros meaning NBA, and yes I just quoted country grammar by Nelly. Naturally, I had to listen to all the latest rap to pump me up for all the big games. It started out with Big Willie Style, The Eminem Show and eventually, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. No one could hold me down.

As I moved into the high school game I slowly began to realize that I was never going to have the luxury of cashing a check from the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, or any other NBA team. I wasn't even going to get a college scholarship either. My dreams were crushed, and I slowly started to listen to "white man's music." The first band that started my transition was Hootie & The Blowfish - still one of my favorite bands today. I remember hearing Hannah Jane, Let Her Cry, H0ld my Hand, Only Wanna be With You, Time, Not Even the Trees, and Drowning all on one cd in about an hour's time and I was hooked right away. To this day it remains my favorite album of all time. I have been lucky enough to see them play live three times, and while their show is not on the level of a Springsteen show, it's still like a fun party with your drunk uncles. Springsteen live is a religious experience, Hootie live is a drunken family party. Two completely different types of fun.

As college rolled along I started listening to more and more white man's music. I listened to Tom Petty, Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox 20, Creedence Clearwater Revival, U2, and so on. Don't get me wrong, I still have a good amount of hip hop on my Itunes; but it's mostly circa late 90s and early 2000s. Nevertheless, my present day favorite artist began to emerge - The Boss had entered my life. I don't remember what or how exactly I started to listen but once I did, there was no looking back. No one has challenged his position on my musical throne since then, and I am confident in saying that no one will. Maybe it is because Bruce is an American rock icon. Maybe it's because we both live in the best state in the USA. Maybe because his E Street Band is a set of motley characters ranging from Clarence "The Biggest Man You've Ever Seen" Clemons to his red-headed wife Patti Scialfi. Somewhere in between is Steve Van Zandt, a former actor on the Sopranos. Maybe it's because Springsteen has delivered top of the line rock albums for 4 straight decades. Maybe it's because he still puts on the best live show out there at age 60. Actually, it's the combination of all of these things an the fact that I am a borderline nerdy music addict. That's cool though, right? Moving on...

I'm surprised that people around me don't get sick of hearing too much Springsteen. Maybe they do, but they bottle it up because my charming personality balances it out. Anyway, for me, no one can compare to Bruce. He does not have the most memorable voice, but his mixture of tone and rasp make it completely unique. Bruce's singing is not his strength as a musicion, though, nor is his guitar-playing. There are plenty of other legends out there who have more natural talent on both the microphone and the guitar. Where Springsteen has everyone else beat in in the lyrics. He is one of the best poets and song-writers of our generation. Every song is a story from his life; and if something happens to you in yours and you need a song to relate to it, Bruce has it. Break-ups, family problems, songs of despair, of triumph, of jubilation, of struggle, of hope, of mischief, of scandal, of the best times, of the worst times, of summers on the Jersey shore, of Growing Up, and of looking back - the Boss has them all. Without further ado, here is my all time top 10, subject to frequent change.

1.) Jungleland (Born to Run): I don't think you can describe this 9 minute masterpiece as anything other than triumphant and epic.

2.) Badlands (Darkness on the Edge of Town): Fires me up for day-to-day life. Sometimes we are at a low point or rough patch in our life, but it's always temporary and no one is ever stuck in the badlands.

3.) Growin' Up (Greetings from Asbury Park): This song takes you on a 3 minute and 6 second ride through your past. It has significant nostalgic value every time you listen to it.

4.) I'm Goin' Down (Born in the U.S.A.): Everyone has had that significant other that they were crazy about, but it was always doomed from the start. This is an anthem for guys (girls too I guess) falling out of a relationship looking for an outlet.

5.) Thunder Road (Born to Run): Similar to Jungleland, this song is an all-time rock classic and has stood the test of time to continue living up to its top-billing.

6.) The Promised Land (Darkness on the Edge of Town): I see some parallels here with Badlands. The promise of a better tomorrow is the main theme.

7.) Into the Fire (The Rising): This song about the brave who risked their life to save others during the 9/11 attacks in New York City speaks for itself.

8.) Long Walk Home (Magic): Anyone coming out of a relationship with a loved one knows all about the proverbial "long walk home." This song is incredible live, with Little Stevie going wild at the end with a solo.

9.) Rosalita (The Wild, The Innocent, and The E Street Shuffle): Bruce probably tried to court 1000 Rosie's in his day, but her parents were very wary of him

10.) Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (Born to Run): Another classic of Born to Run about the early formings of the E Street Band. It's hard to top this as a concert opener.

Top 5 Bands as of today:

1.) Springsteen

2.) Hootie

3.) CCR

4.) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

5.) Pearl Jam

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