I hope the changes to the appearance of the blog are not too much for you to take today, but it is time for a face-lift, and this will no doubt change the course of blogging humanity.

And now, some email from yesterday’s post about the FA Cup:

Hey Bob,

As one of the 13 soccer fans who read your blog, I just wanted to give you props for the entry today. One thing that you should have mentioned is the completely random draw and the fact that the home team is also random. My personal favorite thing about the FA cup is the situation where a small team ties and all of a sudden Man U has to travel to a rinkie dink stadium for a rematch.

Luis in Tucson

Great point, Luis. The completely random draw at the start of each round is pretty interesting, as it could match up the David versus Goliath match up, or it could match up David against David or Goliath against Goliath. The other interesting thing is that the site is random. So, the big team visits the small team in their home stadium. Imagine the Yankees playing a game of consequence at the smallest, dingiest minor league park in Delaware.

Bob,

Could you please explain to me how the FA Cup works? I understand that Premier League has a 38 week season where they play each other 2 times and then I assume have a playoff at the end. But now I hear about this FA Cup being played now…what is this???? Please help me I am trying to learn about English Football.

Baby arm,
Roger

Well, there is no playoff for the regular season. That is what is tough for American sports fans to grasp, but in most of the world, the winner of each league is based on the regular season. 38 games, whoever has the most points (3 for a win, 1 for a tie) wins the league. The FA Cup is run at the same time, but is completely different. Its prestige is huge, and like I wrote yesterday, any team from any level could win. Also, some teams are in the Champions League (which is the European club championship) and there are a few other competitions as well. So, conceivably, a given club could be in 4 competitions at the same time, with a game on Saturday for the Premiership, Tuesday for the FA Cup, the next Saturday again for the Premiership, and then the following Wednesday for the Champions League. This is why depth is so important on your roster. You cannot use the same players for all of these games without your stars wearing down. Hope that makes some sense.
Finally, here is a FA Cup description from yourencyclopedia.net...


Links:


Galloway on Irvin’s Hall of Fame chances …


Matt Mosely on the Cowboys shopping …


Barrett Robbins charged …I am guessing that TCU will not be using him in their recruiting material anymore…



Can one man coach and be the general manager? …


If you want to mount the argument that coach / general manager duties are too much for one person to handle, then you are going to have to explain why three of the four most successful teams in the league this season come out of structures where one guy is in charge of the football operation.

You’re going to have to explain why Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagles and Bill Cowher of the Pittsburgh Steelers were not so busy, so stretched or so overburdened that they couldn’t coach their teams into a conference championship game.

Moss to Washington? …

Mets move in on Carlos Delgado …

But, the Rangers claim to have other plans:
T.R. Sullivan is there …

Dr Z examines the Title games in each conference …

Iverson and Vick were both pretty solid QB’s back in the day …

Iverson is convinced that he could have accomplished everything Vick has in the NFL, despite his size. Iverson and Vick are both 6 feet tall, but Vick, at 215 pounds, weighs 50 pounds more than Iverson.
"He might have made it in the pros, but size would have been a factor," Vick said. "He would have had to get up to around 200 pounds. But he definitely had the potential."
There's no doubt in Iverson's mind.
"Absolutely," Iverson said about whether he could have made it to the NFL. "Football has always been my favorite sport. I tell people all the time, especially my teammates who think I'm bragging, that I was a better football player than I am a basketball player. I could have played in the NFL. People who have seen me play in Virginia know that I'm not bragging.
"I think [Vick] knows, too. If he doesn't answer that correctly, then let him know I'm going to call him and cuss him out."

Fox Sports World to become Fox Soccer Channel …

Can Cowher win the big one? ...

Cowher, who has been the Steelers' coach since 1992, has won more regular-season games and division titles than the Patriots' Bill Belichick -- and just as many playoff games. When the two went head-to-head in the same division for four seasons from 1992 to 1995, when Belichick coached the Cleveland Browns, Cowher won three division titles to Belichick's none.

But amid the one-sided comparisons is the singular statistic that explains why Belichick is the resident wizard among NFL coaches and Cowher is considered to be merely among the elite. Belichick has won two Super Bowls to Cowher's none.

And it's not just winning the Super Bowl that has been the problem; it's getting there. This is the fifth time since 1995 that the Steelers have reached the AFC title game, but they have won only once and were upset three times as a favorite.