Steve Morrow has been SACKED at FC Dallas

There's all sorts of crazy stuff going on in my sports world. First Fulham survived relegation, then Justine Henin shocked the world by retiring, and now FC Dallas have decided to fire manager Steve Morrow! Wow, I guess mediocrity can only take you so far.

Yes I will definitely admit it, my beloved FC Dallas has been seriously mired in middletown for a while. We have never been able to really get into the BIG-time; we always have quality players but they are never able to be imposing on teams. IMO we have had better squads than Houston Dynamo, however The Dy has always been able to edge out The D. Even our acquisition of Denilson last year went south. And I definitely thought that was gonna work out.

So I guess even though I like Steve Morrow, and he's been an excellent devotee of the club since coming from the UK, it must be time to shake things up. According to the official site, the last straw was this weekend's game against the Galaxy, which was a 5-1 shellacking. Yeah, I would have to agree with that interpretation. How do you let the Galaxy own you like that? I was at the Superliga match last year that ended as a 5-4 goalfest, and while I was thoroughly entertained, I was not at all impressed by the fact that L.A. scored 4 goals in the first 20 minutes. And they were even worse last year.

Ok, I have to clear some things up a bit right now. I am a huge Galaxy fan, because I love David Beckham and like Landon Donovan. So in a certain sense, I'm kindof neutral on this one, but still you should not get eaten like that by the Galaxy at this point. Hopefully it just means that the Galaxy are getting good enough to compete.

I don't know who we should hire, but I hope its a big name or something. That's always exciting, and being a fan of Euro ball, I like the big-time. Let's do this one right FCD. Come on Hoops!

Living Without Judgement

I had this great talk tonight with my friend Christina, about the make-up of a great relationship. We discussed the usual suspects: trust, commonality, and ease of communication. We always have complete thoughts in conversation form, me and her. That's why I appreciate our relationship, among other reasons.

But as I'm lying down, before sleep, I'm thinking about how relationships can be so varied. There are just so many types of them, running a wide, wide spectrum of labels and description. We have these connections for so many reasons, and many times we don't even know what the reason is. Paradoxically, ambiguity runs rampant in the most meaningful parts of our lives. I have a sense, though, that there is at least one feature of relationships that will almost always contribute to failure. And its probably true across all these types. 

Relationships are the pathway of expression. When we expose ourselves to or create any type of symbol (art), we're enabling our subjective to become objective (experience). What is on the inside is expressed, even if we were previously unconscious of those parts. So, the ideal situation for love is one in which we experience the BEST PART OF OURSELVES; the best part of "one's self" is that part which is the most true, beautiful, and good - LOVE itself. The ideal relationship expresses an inner love that reaches across all things and beings.

So what is this feature of not-so-ideal relationships? If experience is always a personal expression (in the beginning, I AM), then what is it that allows us to experience the worst parts of ourselves? 

Well, are there any parts which are not LOVE? 

Boyce Avenue - Alicia Keys/Jordin Sparks/Black Eyed Peas medley

I'm posting this particular video just to give you an idea of what these guys are capable of. This is Boyce Avenue, a brand new band in the music industry but a true YouTube sensation.

Check out the other covers that they do (basically anyone putting out music is game), as well as a few of their originals. I got their iTunes release about a month ago and its been on heavy iPhone rotation ever since. Trust me, these boys gonna be big stars one day!

Portsmouth Achieve FA Cup Glory

Portsmouth FC won the 2008 FA Cup today, after going on a 5 match winless streak to close out the Premiership season. The 1-0 win over Championship side Cardiff City brings the club its first FA Cup in 69 years and takes them on the European adventure next season. Looks like a brilliant moment for the team and its manager, Harry Redknapp.

Hey, this works for me! I mean I enjoy David and Goliath episodes as much as the next guy (I'm a Fulham fan), but wasn't this always going to be the case irrespective of the result? It would have been a great day for Cardiff City and the whole of the lower leagues if they had nicked it, but in my mind Portsmouth pulled off something just as significant for themselves. 

Portsmouth are a quality side, don't get me wrong. Any team that could qualify for Europe based on record (even though they didn't in the end) is a good one. But next to the Big 4, they are guppies indeed. It's a downright remarkable run for a squad that has maybe outperformed themselves this season, and their recent drop in form might be an indicator of this sentiment. 

So, I hope it goes without saying that I'm really proud of Portsmouth for what they have accomplished. They may not do it again next season, but they have built a strong organization. I'm interested to see how they do in the UEFA Cup, too. I think they must have pick up a little of the Faith that was oozing out of my Whites last weekend. That stuff is contagious even when you are up against it.

Justine Henin Retired on Wednesday

Whoa, I just found this out today. Apparently I've been sleeping for 2 days, but sometimes this happens. 

On Wednesday, Justine Henin announced her immediate retirement from professional tennis. She just up and did it, with about nil forewarning. Even on her site, she has blog posts from last week that detail her regular routine of preparing for a tournament, Berlin in this case. So she loses in Berlin and decides to call it quits. She's always been a bit singular.

Actually, I'm kindof emotional right now. I'm not all sad or anything, but I've always liked Henin. She doesn't talk alot but she is pure class and has both the heart of a champion and the skills to back it up. She's one of the greatest of all-time, IMHO. I got sort of bored a few years ago with the Williams sisters, and when she came on the scene with her Belgian cohort Kim Clijsters, it was a real breath of fresh air. 

In her farewell letter (the link above), she says that she has been thinking about it for awhile and that she has other projects that she wants to focus on. Ok, this I do understand. She is number one in the world, so she wants to go out on top a la Pete Sampras. This will give her a kind of legend status that will follow her career and help her move into the types of things that are meaningful to her, i.e. charities and such. She's one of kind for sure, a very smart chick, so I'm sure she will be successful in her endeavors. 

Hmmn, now that I think about it, it's pretty cool. But I'm definitely going to miss you Justine. Here's to you! Congrats on a remarkable career.

Quick Thought on Experiential Representaion

One's meanings will determine the nature of one's experience. It's a measure of control that we can exert upon our reality.

For example, right now I'm watching the 2008 UEFA Cup Final between Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St. Petersburg. There are many ways to view this object of experience. If I were a fan of one of the teams, then I would see it as a historical moment with special or personal significance. Or, if I knew nothing about football I might see it as having zero significance. As it stands, I'm experiencing it as this: a major moment in the European season, the final of one of the biggest club tournaments in the world. I'm finding it interesting from a neutral point of view as a football fan, and having grown up with so many other sports, from a more generalized perspective which attaches beauty to sport itself.

Who I am plays a large part in this process - my past experiences, my knowledge, etc. But I do have a choice in this matter, to a certain degree. I have a choice in the emotions that I'll attach to this experience. And this will depend upon who I NOW choose to be, the meaning which I want to realize in my current reality. 

In this match, I want to experience these meanings:

Beauty - This was Realized in the crowd excitement and match magnitude.

Striving - This was definitely Realized. It was a very hard fought match.

The trick in life is to use only VALUABLE MEANINGS. How hard is this? Very hard. It's only possible through the personal evaluation of meanings throughout your life. You have to be constantly determining whether a meaning has any real use for you in your future. How do you do this? Well, first you have to figure out what kind of future you want.

Keep Hope Alive

No matter where you are, there is hope... when you once achieve FAITH.

This song is called "Dream On", and it appears in Robyn's new self-titled album. I'm not sure of the origins of this video, but the actors are not the musicians and the version is not the same as on the recently released CD. I know because I just bought it and its FREAKING BAD-ASS.

If you want a little proof, check out the Robyn widget to the right and see if her videos are not hilariously wicked --->

The Impossible has become Reality

1 month ago, my English Premiership team was surely on its way to the league below. At one point, Fulham FC found itself down 2-0, only 30 minutes from mathematical relegation. 

And then we found our way. Because we never believed otherwise, and followed this fact with action, we not only overcame this deficit but also won 4 out of our last 5 matches to avoid going down. It is being called one of the greatest escape acts in Premier League history. COYW!

You must only have FAITH!