newcastle, you have made me so happy :)

i realize most people reading this will have no idea what this is talking about, but yesterday made me amazingly happy.
this payback & revenge was so sweet & the toon army are flying high.

below is a hilarious article i read about the ironies that made my day yesterday (& this morning)

A football farce

"But in this weekend of meltdowns, there is only 1 place to start as Kenny Dalglish served up more entertainment for the folk of Tyneside in 90 minutes on Sunday than he did in the entirety of his miserable spell in charge of the club back in the late 90s. This was a public humiliation of epic proportions, as a baying mob lanced the boil on years of frustration and lapped up every last strand of despair to befall the King. It was a stage show farce so acutely amusing it should get its own three-month run on Broadway.

This is the man who signed two of Newcastle's best players for a combined sum of £41 million last year but now trails them by 11 points in the table. Chief protagonist, of course, was Andy Carroll, a man so bereft of confidence he has now taken to falling over instead of taking his chances at rolling the ball into an empty net from ten yards. His feckless flop got him a rocket from the gaffer that sold him before the home fans saluted his substitution like a Papiss Cisse goal. Kenny's reward for hauling Carroll off was a bucket of sweary language. Word has it Carroll was actually aiming to head for the bench but missed and ended up striding down the tunnel instead.

But the final, gloriously funny act was still to come as a bewildered Kenny wandered onto the playing field after Pepe Reina's Eskimo kiss with James Perch only to be told to sit down and shut up by an irate Steven Gerrard. Reina staggered back onto the pitch to offer out "Perchinho" and bestow an oversized jersey and pair of gloves on Jose Enrique who sheepishly trudged into nets as 50,000 half-naked Geordies sang at him "You should have stayed at a big club."

An even heartier rendition of "You're getting sacked in the morning," bookended a desperate day at the office for a club that have now, beyond all doubt, become a laughing stock."


beaming smile from me :)
pretty much looking good to make Europe now... & only 5 points out of a CL spot with 7 left to go...

what's your outlet?

(This was originally posted on May 17, 2010.)

what is your outlet?
you know, what you do to blow off steam and forget all your cares? 

that thing you do that you just lose yourself in. 

that thing that when you're doing it you can forget everything else - all your frustrations and cares and just get away from it all. almost to another world.

i heard some pastors talking about this over the weekend. their outlet was running marathons and that kind of crap and i was just like "you're crazy." but it was a good reminder to me that we all need our own outlets. something that works for each of us.

usually when i'm so frustrated or bummed or life is so crazy that i just need to "get away"... i can get away with just me and God. maybe just to a quiet room, to my porch swing, to some beautiful spot... and i can just pour my heart out to Him! it's beautiful. it's amazing. i can "cast all my cares on Him."

that's also what a good date night is for sometimes. i have an amazing wife. she lets me dump all my frustrations on her and she listens and comforts me and attempts to cheer me back up.

but neither one of those are really an "outlet". they are people. (which are probably better long term solutions.)
Sometimes nothing is really "wrong", we just need to blow off some steam. just get away from it all - to an outlet.

For me it's definitely soccer. as a kid and even a high schooler (and beyond) soccer was my "god". Not so much after i lost both my knees (cartilage). but i definitely still love the game. can't play it very well anymore but i love to play it so much. i can still lose myself in a soccer game. it's a beautiful thing. i get wrapped up in every facet of the game and lose myself in it.

So, i'm thankful to recognize it as a healthy outlet for me. i'm heading to my soccer game tonight in about 10 minutes. great timing too because i really need to blow off some steam and take out some frustrations. (i'm thankful i can do this instead of beating my dog... jk)

whoever woulda thought soccer can be so spiritual? but so can fishing or hunting or video games or reading or even running... or whatever your outlet is.

**So, what is YOUR outlet?

the pressure to improve

it's crazy what you can learn about rigorous organizational culture and teamwork from the beautiful game. (see HERE for an example)

i grew up playing competitive club soccer since i was maybe 7 years old. the culture of that club was inherently RIGOROUS and there was CONSTANT and INTENSE pressure to improve. not forced from a coach, but organically and inherently present.



and not just pressure to improve so that you don't ride the bench, but pressure just to STAY ON THE TEAM period.



my club team played all year long growing up. a couple seasons and several tournaments throughout the year and each season we would add 3-5 top players to our team from other clubs in the region. SO THAT our team would keep getting better and better all the time.



basically 3-5 top players would come in to the team each season which meant the BOTTOM 3-5 had to go. they lost their spot. they were no longer a part of the team.



for the good of the team, the bottom 3-5 players are getting dropped every time you turn around.



so, yeah, i was looking over my shoulder A LOT. trying to make sure i did whatever it took to not be in that bottom 3-5.



it makes you feel the pressure. big time.

if you don't stay out of the bottom 3-5 you are done. for the sake of winning games. for the sake of being the best.



for the sake of the mission.



that was a rigorous culture.

it forced me (and everyone) to work HARDER to constantly IMPROVE!



organizations are like this too. some more than others. i think it's a good thing. it's a good pressure. the organization will naturally get BETTER and BETTER this way as each individual improves.

if a central midfielder is not improving while the rest of the team is... we can always go find another (better) central midfielder. same with a position in an organization. if you're not constantly improving you will eventually be passed up by someone better.



and it's a teamwork thing ultimately. if you're not improving and being the best YOU that you can be then you're letting your whole team down. just like that central midfielder who's not improving... the rest of the team knows it. they have to compensate for him. he is letting them down.



if you're not giving it your all and constantly improving - you're ultimately not a team player.

it's all over

the Champions League Final has been over for a couple hours now. done & dusted.

The best team in the world is now crowned as the best team in the world. i was cheering against them but still appreciate how beautiful they are to watch.

i'm just thankful it's a VERY short off season. Because in August it all cranks back up. The beautiful game on display again. we only have to take June & July off from the best game ever invented.

my Geordie boys in Newcastle had what i guess they would call a successful season... even after Andy Carroll departing. i hope we can buy some STUDS with that $55 million! we need to buy 1 top class striker, a stud center back, a right back (no offense Sim), and a Keeper. + hold on to Jose Enrique and Joey Barton who both seem to be Liverpool bound if you believe the rumors.
so i'm hoping for a top 7 finish and Europa League football in 2012-13.

Roberto Martinez and Wigan are staying up too. it was a relegation battle like none other. we'll probably never see anything like it again. although i hope we do because it was unbelievably exciting!

I bet Fabregas will go to Barcelona or Real Madrid for like $80 million. it will be interesting to see what Arsenal do this summer. lots to be done for sure. i won't care very much when Fabregas is gone though. i predict that Man U wins it again next season with Liverpool, Man City, and Tottenham all really coming into their own to officially make it a BIG 6. (and hopefully Newcastle sliding into 7th.)

Barcelona will of course win the Champions League again. it's going to be a while before someone can knock them off. best chance was when Arsenal had them knocked out in the 2nd leg before the inexplicable red to RVP.

The only games left for me to watch in this season are the League Two, League One, and Championship playoff finals. those 3 will be fun. Go Stevenage & Swansea City.

very thankful for the beautiful game. it makes the world a more beautiful place.