Of Meatloaf and Salmon

Photo by Magnetbox on Flickr

Correspondent Scott has been listening to a bit too much Meatloaf lately:

It  would seem apologies are in order for covering the Liverpool vs. Newcastle game in my last post instead of the Liverpool vs. Manchester City game.  The timing is explained by the fact that I had to record the Manchester City game and watch it a day later.  Fortunately, we live in the United States-of-You’ll-Never-Accidentally-Bump-Into-A-Soccer-Score-For-A-Game-You-Recorded-To-Watch-Later.  Even more fortunately, they consolidated that last hyphenated part into just “America.”

And don’t let FOF fool you about missing any footie with his waxing on about an “achingly beautiful shade of blue” while he dug his toes into the sand on Saturday.  Truth is, the boss man had a big screen TV (complete with mega extension cord) laboriously carted out to the ocean-side dunes by various office lackeys (fortunately I was out that day) who alternated between changing channels and fanning his Farlieness with organic palm fronds painted an achingly beautiful shade of blue and lightly scented with eau de Lagunitas Indian Pale Ale.

As for the Manchester City game, well, after it should have been 1-0 Liverpool inthe early going, but instead was 0-1 for the Baby Blues following an inconceivable miss by Stewart Downing (made possible by Jordan Henderson’s sublimely-weighted first-touch through ball).  Following an equally inconceivable error by Pepe Reina, things went further downhill before halftime (and dinner with the family).  So foul was my mood during dinner at the interval that, after starting some ridiculous argument with my lovely and ridiculously understanding wife, I checked the final score and skipped viewing the second half, thereby sparing my poor family more displaced anger, my noblest deed of this new year so far.


But knowing only half the story has never stopped me from offering my opinion, so a few thoughts: First, if only Liverpool could blame their start to the game on the ball, which was changed three times in the first 15 minutes. Perhaps Downing was searching for one that wasn’t magnetically attracted to Joe Hart on breakaways....  So defensive was the Liverpudlian posture that it was 20 minutes into the game before there was any sustained play in the Manchester City half.

But beginning around the 25^th minute, Liverpool were getting the better of play, creating chances and looking likely to restore a more deserved score line. That is, until Reina could only parry away the first of two laser headers off a corner service and, thus, doom my innocent family to a grouchy dinner atmosphere.  Fortunately, the salad, salmon and rice were sensational, somewhat ameliorating my mood. And, as luck would have it, the Rodney Strong Cabernet finished the job (their 2008 vintage costs $13.50 at Total Wine, but drinks like a $22 bottle, in this humble oenophile’s opinion).

And it is perhaps under the influence of this fermented goodness that my optimism dusts itself off, bloodied but determined, steps boldly into the Carling Cup glare and, like a bat out of hell, proclaims that two out of three ain’t bad.  For crying out loud, I DO see paradise by the dashboard light and it looks a lot like Liverpool triumphs, both home and away during a January fortnight, over the league leaders after spotting them a league win first.

This is farlieonfootie for January 10.