The Humdrum of the Cup

photo by jaygooby	via PhotoRee

Not the most thrilling week of action outside of the Liverpool - Manchester United game. I caught a bit of Tottenham beating Watford -- and think his may now be Spurs' cup to lose. When you can play that poorly and still win, it's often a sign that something special is in process.

o I also caught a small portion of the battle for the hearts and minds of North America, as Clint Dempsey and Fulham took on Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Everton. I guess you'd say advantage Donovan and Howard as the LA Galaxy man had a couple assists to lead the Liverpudlians to victory. Although honestly, the advantage is ultra slim, as I don't think that many people in North America really care much about either team.

o Switching to Saturday's action, it was great to see the FA foregoing years of tradition by foresaking the handshake before the Chelsea - QPR game. Great way to set an example for the youth of the world, gentlemen.

o And tongue firmly in cheek, it was refreshing to see Chelsea destroy another weak team this season.  Their lone goal from the spot looked especially free flowing.

o It was a little bit difficult to imagine watching Sunderland play Middlesborough in a FA Cup tie while the epic Australian Open battle between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal was hurtling its way toward a conclusion after six hours. With each point seemingly a lesson in how to be a champion, the 1-nil halftime score of the FA Cup game hardly offered an enticing reason to change the channel.

o I know I wrote on this point last season, but who's the dolt at at the FA that's in charge of scheduling the draw? The fifth round draw was announced even before Arsenal and Villa -- a fourth round match -- concluded.

o I spent a portion of Sunday watching the NFL Pro Bowl live from Hawaii. The Pro Bowl is probably the most meaningless of All-Star games -- no one's really cares all that much about the outcome, preferring instead to soak up some sun and sand and showcase their overwhelming desire to avoid injury.  The annual NFL game pales in comparison to the Major League Baseball version, where winning actually means home field advantage in that Year's World Series. But the mere fact of the Pro Bowl caused me to remember a conversation earlier in the week with Columnist Randy -- I think he's got a column coming up on english football and All-Stars later this week.

That's all for now, and that's also farlieonfootie for January 30.