Shut Your Mouth

photo by notsogoodphotography	via PhotoRee

Did I mention that I'm cold?  Oh, yeah -- that was yesterday....  Still, I find myself in the heartland of this country -- college football country, to be exact --  and it's freezing here.  Not weather fit for football of the English or American variety, and certainly not weather fit for living.  But maybe weather fit for beer drinking (what weather isn't?), so even though this is not a game review article I'm dropping a beer review in at the end of today's blog.

Shut Up:  Cristiano Ronaldo called out the one-month wonder that is Mario Balotelli in an interview earlier this week.  After the Man City striker hit the trifecta by comparing his side's offensive output favorably to Barca and Real, denigrating Wayne Rooney's status as a Manchester-based striker, and elevating Roberto Mancini above Jose Mourinho in the pantheon of coaching greats, @Cristiano injected a bit of realism into the debate.  Now, I fully admit that I don't have the greatest control over the Portuguese language, but even I can translate what Ronaldo was telling Super Mario when he said to "talk less and play more."  'Nuff said.


For the Defense: City Manager Roberto Mancini tried to stand up for his Italian semi-star, claiming that Balotelli was really just telling a joke when he trashed Rooney, and saying that "these things are normal."  Really?  I don't hear a lot of "normal" talk like that coming out of the United camp -- well, maybe from Evra, but he's an established veteran, and even so it still bothers me --  and certainly no such cutting remarks coming from Chicharito, Bebe, or Chris Smalling, United's new boys....

Like a New York Seagull Circling the Freshkills Landfill:  After calling for a bank insurrection that never happened, Eric Cantona has re-surfaced as Director of Soccer for the once and future great New York (New Jeresy) Cosmos.  Cantona has been awarded responsibilities for all soccer-related matter, including the proposed first team. The modifying word is slightly important, as the Cosmos have neither a stadium, personnel, or even a team at this point.  They clearly have a public relations man, though, and props to him: he created a firestorm of publicity where nothing much was happening.  I know a certain Cosmos fan in New Jersey who already has his retro Cosmos '78 kit on order from Toffs....

Game Day Beer Review: Great Divide Brewing Hibernation English Style Old Ale  (8.70% ABV).  Hibernation Old Ale pours a medium brownish/reddish color with a thin one-fingered head. The nose is full of roasted malts, cocoa powder and hops, while the first sip yields oozing chocolate and coffee flavors, but with enough of a hoppy aftertaste to prevent it from being overly sweet.  The 8.7% alcohol isn't evident at all. This would be great paired with any kind of grilled food, but you better make it a sipper due to the high gravity: A.

This is farlieonfootie for January 21.