6 Minutes

In this day and age of Twitter, Facebook, instant text messaging and downsized attention spans 6 minutes may seem like an eternity. But in Manchester, England something special happened. It was only a blip that most likely went unnoticed by many Americans, but one that was celebrated and savored by fans of the Blackpool Seasiders, fighting valiantly against the multi-million dollar champion Manchester United to remain in the Premiership.

At stake for Blackpool was permanence in the Premier League. A loss would condemn them to relegation in the second division Championship. Manchester United struck first taking a 1-0 lead on a fortuitous strike by Park-Ji Sung. Blackpool did not give up and kept pressing forward in attack, which led to a free-kick. The inspirational captain Charlie Adam scored a magnificent goal to tie the game at 1-1.

In the 57th, the extraordinary happened. Gary Taylor-Fletcher, following brilliant dribbling by David Vaughn, back-flicked the ball into the goal, completely befuddling Edwin Van der Saar, the Manchester goal keeper. It seemed surreal. I yelled in joy and disbelief. David had slain the might Goliath. This was no millionaire who scored past a world-renowned keeper. The goal was scored by a former waiter and barber who had to work hard to get where he is. He is no product of the manicured soccer academies that so many of these wealthy teams have. For 6 minutes the throng at Old Trafford was stunned into silence as their world was rocked to its very core. "How can this be?" "Our side was supposed to win without breaking a sweat," were some thoughts that went through their mind. For 6 minutes The Blackpool dream lived on.

But alas, the moment was not too last as Manchester United came back to tie the game and then win it 4-2. Reality, unfortunately, does not allow for the Davids to defeat the Goliaths, it seems.

Nevertheless, I am proud of Blackpool. I came to love them for their attacking spirit and pride in what and who they represented. The EPL will not be the same without them and I hope that they make a return to the EPL very soon.                                     

Charlie Adam: the Anti-Lebron James

This past year has witnessed a remarkable run by Blackpool, a team from the central western coast of England playing in the Premiership for the first time in 40 years. While all the players reflect the pride of the team no one exemplifies the spirit of the team, the city and its fans than the Scotsman Charlie Adam. The captain of the team has come to symbolize Blackpool and embodies (at least in spirit) the aspirations of the fans. They have no chance of winning the Premiership, which as claimed by Manchester United earlier today, but they are fighting a more important battle: remaining in the Premiership and staving off relegation to the Championship League. Adam and his cohorts know how important remaining in the Premiership is to the Blackpool fans and over the last few weeks have fought hard to win this significant victory. It is a victory the likes of Manchester United will never know. Not all victories are represented by trophies. In the case of Blackpool, simply staying in the Premiership is a significant victory. Across the pond, as they say, the likes of LeBron James, still rankle many people. The people of Cleveland are still smarting from the lack of loyalty show by LeBron to the community and its fans when he jettisoned to the Miami Heat.

It is good know that some athletes out there still feel immense pride in representing communities. Take a look at Charlie Adam's celebration when he scored a goal. He knew where the Blackpool fans were and went over to them to express his pride in the club and its fans. God bless, Charlie Adam!

szólj hozzá: T1-1B

David Magradze

Just for the heck of it, one day I googled "Georgian Poets" and I came a across a list of names. I decided to randomly select one-David (Dato) Magradze and I read one his translated  poems. I enjoyed it. Magradze was born in 1962 and while he had a brief spell in politics, he has been most involved in the arts. Check out a portion of his poem "The Poet's Morning."

  IV

The tragedy of my crippled friend 

Was plain 

This world made him unhappy by its shortness 

He tried to stand it for a time 

And then he-the miserable being  

Threw himself in the current (pool) of philosophy

He used the strict cynicism as a shield 

Against the love,

But would not elude.

 The mirror of this world 

And then he cried bitterly...

One dark night he seized a glittering sword

And fiercely struck it 

In the ribs of his tragedy 

And (he) made his soul 

Walk on the stilts