1/28/12
Bundesliga
Spieltag # 19

2 – BAYERN MUNICH ————— Gomez 59′, Robben 90+2′
0 – VFL WOLFSBURG

A decisive finish from the German top flight’s Torjaegermeister just before the hour and a fortunate strike in injury time allowed BAYERN MUNICH to dispatch visiting VFL WOLFSBURG 2-0 and remain on top of the Bundesliga table via goal-differential.

Trainer FELIX MAGATH’s Vfl Wolfsburg side arrived in Bavaria determined to defend and did a very nice job until Germany international midfielder TONI KROOS swung a free kick for Bayern Munich into the box. Two more players currently featuring in the German national team program, defender JEROME BOATENG and striker MARIO GOMEZ, rose in front hoping to connect with a header. And then Super Mario, who led the Bundesliga last season with 28 goals, showed why his instincts as a genuine poacher are, despite his detractors, truly top shelf as he swept a loose ball home for his 17th goal of this Bundesliga season in the 59th minute.

Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN received credit for his fifth goal of this Bundesliga season after the clearance of Vfl Wolfsburg’s sliding, Switzerland international defender RICARDO RODRIGUEZ rebounded off his mid-section and ricocheted into the net; veteran Croatia international IVICA OLIC, who had come on as a substitute for Gomez with a quarter of an hour to play, made the goal for Bayern Munich, really, with his textbook lob of Switzerland World Cup goalkeeper DIEGO BENAGLIO.

Back on the title track in Bavaria, then.

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Germany World Cup goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER, who was criticized publically by trainer Jupp Heynckes after having a disappointing match to start the second half of the Bundesliga season last week in North Rhine-Westphalia and responded by recording his 11th clean sheet in the German top flight this term, punches away a cross to stifle the Vfl Wolfsburg attack at the sold-out Allianz Arena in Bavaria.
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BAYERN MUNICH : Neuer – Rafinha, Boateng, Badstuber, Lahm – Schweinsteiger, Kroos – Robben, Mueller (Luiz Gustavo 66′), Ribery (Alaba 89′) – Gomez (Olic 75′)

VFL WOLFSBURG : Benaglio – Traesch, Russ, Felipe Lopes, Rodriguez – Hasebe (Polter 82′), Chris (Koo 41′), Jiracek (Sio 66′), Schaefer – Mandzukic, Dejagah

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Mr. BERT CHARLIE
PHILLY PRETZEL Concessions
COCA-COLA PARK, Pennsylvania

Not-so-dear Sir :

It would appear that you are backing down from your completely ridiculous boast that you and your company will donate $ 10,000 dollars cash to charity if I, the IRONPIGPEN, can survive 60 seconds in the ring with you in a UFC-style, no-rules slugfest.

I remain entirely too insulted to not be completely disappointed by the thought of not having the opportunity to engage you, as you requested, and help some deserving charity benefit from your utter stupidity on many different levels, politics notwithstanding.

I suppose, after all this time, it would appear that Rubber Stamp Council of Apparatchik Comrade Donovan was correct in his estimation that Lehigh Valley IronPigs fans are little more than “Gladiator-lovers” … as famous baseball announcer Mel Allen would famously remark, “How about that!”

Disrespectfully,

ROLF OELER
Citizen
People’s Democratic City of Chairman Pawlowski

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I tried to tell my old buddy DAN KEHL over and over again that Class Warfare does nothing but cause chaos and strife … maybe NOW he will pay a little more attention to me.

In the meantime, local businessman BERT CHARLIE of PHILLY PRETZEL — apparently rich enough and in possession of the proper, accompanying “wealthy” frame of mind to do so — has publically challenged me, the IRONPIGPEN, to a UFC-style, no rules bloodbath that could result in a very, very lucky charity receiving a generous, cash donation of $ 10,000 from the quite confident entrepreneur, himself.

All the IronPigPen, the Homeless Shelter Advocate, has to do is last 60 seconds in the ring with big, bad Bert Charlie of Philly Pretzel.

Exactly what the hell is going on? Excellent question. For all the answers, and a whole lot more …

http://noisenation.wordpress.com

January 25, 2012
“ARENA COULD BENEFIT LEHIGH VALLEY HOMELESS AND MORE”

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UPDATE : MEMO TO BERT

I could care less if Dan pulled the whole exchange down (which was probably the right thing to do).

You really think YOU are gonna drop me in less than 60 seconds???

Now that YOU have brought it up, I would like to experience it … otherwise, there is just no way in hell I am going to believe such an outlandish statement. Plus, I am certain a charity could use your money which YOU so generously pledged. End of story.

Legendary gridiron football coach JOE PATERNO and the PENN STATE UNIVERSITY program featured the luxury of outstanding field goal kicking all throughout the 1970s thanks, indirectly, to the Philadelphia native who had played such a pivotal role in the famous 1-0 victory by the United States over mighty England at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.

It had been, of course, future Penn State varsity soccer coach WALTER BAHR who provided the historic ball for JOE GAETJENS to head past England goalkeeper BERT “The Cat” WILLIAMS of Wolverhampton Wanderers and score what remains one of the most famous strikes in the history of the globe’s most glamorous tournament.

Bahr’s eldest son, Casey, became an All-American at the United States Naval Academy and also was chosen for the 1972 U.S. Olympic soccer team that competed at the ill-fated Munich Games in West Germany. In 1974, the former World Cup defender took over the soccer program in Happy Valley and would lead the Nittany Lions to the prestigous NCAA tournament an impressive twelve times in fourteen years on the job. Bahr’s two youngest sons, Chris and Matt, both played under him at Penn State and also achieved All-American status in soccer as had their older brother while also both gaining further notoriety and additional All-American recognition as field goal kickers for the iconic Paterno.

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CHRIS BAHR (99) had already been named All-American three times at Penn State before concluding an outstanding rookie season as an attacking midfielder for the Philadelphia Atoms during the 1975 North American Soccer League season. Chris then returned to Happy Valley for a final campaign under the beloved Joe Pa while serving as both placekicker and punter for the 1975 Penn State football team that went 9-3 and ranked # 10 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls after losing in the Sugar Bowl to the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant’s University of Alabama squad. In an era when the “soccer-style” kicker was still something of a novelty, Bahr boomed four field goals of over 50 yards and set a new NCAA record for field goal percentage in his All-American senior season for the Nittany Lion gridders.
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The versatile CHRIS BAHR (99) would be selected from Penn State University by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2nd round of the 1976 National Football League Draft, an incredibly high pick for a placekicker even by today’s standards. The Bengals had enjoyed the excellent work of former West German professional soccer player Horst Muehlmann for five years but the one-time Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen goalkeeper had gone to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1975. Bahr did not disappoint in Cincinnati and quickly attained All-Pro status at the NFL level over the course of a long career which included stints with the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders and the San Diego Chargers.
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MATT BAHR (10) took over for his older brother, Chris, as the placekicker for Penn State gridiron football team and also attained All-American status in his senior season under Joe Paterno. Bahr broke his older brother’s NCAA record by making 22 of 27 field goals for an 81.5% accuracy rating and was a genuine weapon for a Penn State team which ended the regular season a perfect 11-0 before losing, once again, to the University of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. This famous defeat cost the Nittany Lions the coveted national championship but did not prevent Bahr from being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 6th round of the 1979 National Football League Draft.
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MATT BAHR (10) had followed his two elder brothers, Casey and Chris, into the ranks of professional soccer and spent most of the 1978 North American Soccer League season with the forgettable Colorado Caribous before closing out the campaign with the old Tulsa Roughnecks. After his senior season kicking field goals for Penn State, the youngest Bahr signed on to bolster the backline of the fledgling Pennsylvania Stoners in the American Soccer League. In late July of 1979, the two-sport defender left Allentown School District Stadium in the Lehigh Valley and reported to his first NFL training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl that season and were crowned league champions.

Manchmal, bekommen wir Fragen (meistens auf Deutsch) ueber Eishockey hier.

Wir haben ein andere Blog, um ueber Eishockey zu schreiben. Es gibt jetzt dort, 370 Artikel zu lesen. Laenderspiel Eishockey gefaellt uns sehr viel und wir haben andere Sachen auch.

Die “Internet” Adresse ist ———— http://www.goironpigs.com

Aller sind herzlich willkommen.

1/20/12
Bundesliga
Spieltag # 18

3 – BORUSSIA MOENCHENGLADBACH —— Reus 11′, Hermann 41′, 72′
1 – BAYERN MUNICH ———————————- Schweinsteiger 76′

An early goal conceded incredibly cheap opened the floodgates for three strikes unanswered for the home side as BORUSSIA MONECHENGLADBACH saw off Bundesliga Herbstmeister BAYERN MUNICH 3-1 in the first round of domestic play since the end of the annual Winterpause.

A shockingly inept clearance from Germany first choice goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER gifted fellow national team constituent MARCO REUS, on his way to Borussia Dortmund at the conclusion of the 2011/12 campaign for a reported transfer fee of 17.5 million Euros, his 11th goal for die Fohlen in the Bundesliga this term in only the eleventh minute of the contest. Youth team product and Germany U-21 international PATRICK HERMANN, the 20-year-old who had netted three goals in fourteen league matches before the traditional winter break, added a crucial second goal for Borussia with only four minutes to go before the halftime whistle. Later, a clever feed from Reus would allow Hermann to dribble around Neuer and tack on his second goal of the match in the 72nd minute.

Germany World Cup midfielder BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER, making his first Bundesliga appearance in nearly three months after breaking his collarbone in the UEFA Champions League clash with Italian Serie A side SSC Napoli earlier this past fall, pulled a goal back for Bayern Munich with less than a quarter of an hour to go. Not enough, however, to prevent the Bavarians’ three-point lead at the top of the German table from quickly evaporating as Dortmund errupted for five goals in Hamburg over the weekend. Hopefully, though, Schweinsteiger’s fifth goal of the season in all competitions will prove to be a harbinger of good things to come over the second half of Bayern Munich’s campaign.

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Belgium international DANIEL VAN BUYTEN of Bayern Munich, who has scored four goals in a baker’s dozen Bundesliga matches this term, suffered a fractured metatarsil in the clash with Borussia Moenchengladbach that will require surgery and mandate a long spell on the injury list for the 31-year-old veteran defender.
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BORUSSIA MOENCHENGLADBACH : ter Stegen – Jantschke, Stranzl, Brouwers, Daems – Nordtveit, Neustaedter – Hermann (Marx 89), Arango – Reus (Leckie 90′), Hanke (de Camargo 82)

BAYERN MUNICH : Neuer – Boateng (Rafinha 66′), van Buyten (Luiz Gustavo 76′), Badstuber, Lahm – Tymoshchuk (Alaba 57), Schweinsteiger – Robben, Mueller, Kroos – Gomez

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“BLAME IT ON THE RAIN” was a pop song ‘made famous’ by the notorious MILLI VANILLI group in the summer of 1989 — right at the same time that the attention-seeking “goalkeeper” RENE HIGUITA was performing his ridiculous antics and wooing the masses in between the sticks for the national team of Colombia.

Ironically enough, the fraudulent entertainment act Milli Vanilli — who later had a Grammy Award revoked for the practice of what is now commonly known as “lip sync-ing” — also called the German city of Munich home.

In the meantime, with goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER of Bayern Munich conceding such a ridiculous goal against Borussia Moenchengladbach in the first Bundesliga match since the end of the long Winterpause, the blog cannot help but conclude that Germany’s 2010 World Cup shot-stopper received a “gift” at Christmas and has been watching a bit too much game film of Higuita recently.

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Seriously. Who does Neuer think he is dribbling on the ball at the back and playing careless stuff along the floor in the center like that — der Kaiser FRANZ BECKENBAUER?

Neuer ist jetzt auch Libero oder was … Neuer is the sweeper now, too, or what? The old Back Pass has long since been abolished but the overriding rule of Safety First, apparently unbeknownst to Neuer, is very much still in tact. Bayern Munich trainer JUPP HEYNCKES was not pleased and presented his viewpoint to Hamburg’s Abendblatt newspaper after the match :

“That is Neuer’s problem, he wants to make the game too fast. He needs to play more calmly and be more focused. That (the first goal given away cheaply by the Bayern Munich goalkeeper) was an invitation to defeat.”

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April 29, 1979. A landmark moment for professional sports in the medium-sized city on the mid-eastern edge of the state, then, as a noteworthy crowd of 7,487 fans fill the bowl that was the old Allentown School District Stadium to witness the fledgling PENNSYLVANIA STONERS take on the defending American Soccer League champions, the New York Apollos. Although the would-be A.S.L. Coach of the Year WILLIE EHRLICH’s side put up a good fight, the team from the Big Apple secures triumph by the minumum scoreline.

The resilient Stoners, however, will bounce back quickly to record the first-ever victory in front of the home folk just a few days later at the beginning of May. KEITH TOZER, fresh from his inaugural American pro soccer adventure with the Cincinnati Kids of the Major Indoor Soccer League, finds the back of the net for Pennsylvania shortly into the second half, therefore, becomes the first Stoner to ever score a goal at the A.S.D. Stadium. And, thus, Ehrlich’s squad registers the franchise’s first of what will be many, many triumphs on home soil in the seasons to follow.

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KEITH TOZER, Cincinnati Kids (MISL)
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The Pennsylvania Stoners strenghtened the attack with the addition of former Clemson University star striker CHRISTIAN NWOKOCHA, who had opened the 1979 campaign with the Tulsa Roughnecks in the rival (and richer) North American Soccer League, after first seven A.S.L. games had already passed. The youthful Nigerian was able to elevate the attack and would finish as the first ever top shot in Stoners history with 13 goals in 21 league contests. Nwokocha also combined well with STEVE LONG, who scored 10 goals and added six assists while appearing in all 28 A.S.L. games before being quickly taken on by the Chicago Sting in the N.A.S.L.

American Soccer League
1979 goal-scoring chart
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15 goals … Poli GARCIA, California Sunshine
15 goals … Jim FINK, California Sunshine
14 goals … Ian FILBY, Sacramento Gold
13 goals … Christian NWOKOCHA, Pennsylvania Stoners
13 goals … Ron WIGG, Columbus Magic
12 goals … Andy CHAPMAN, California Sunshine
12 goals … Colin MCLOUCKLAN, Indianapolis Daredevils

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CHRISTIAN NWOKOCHA
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A third place finish (13 wins, 10 losses, 5 draws) in the six-team Eastern Division was enough to earn Ehrlich’s expansion side an American Soccer League playoff appearance at the very first attempt and so the Pennsylvania Stoners took to the road for a one-game showdown with the second-placed New York Eagles squad (14 wins, 7 losses, 7 draws) in the state capital of Albany.

The Eagles went out in front first but the visitors were able to rally for two goals inside the final twenty minutes, with Nwokocha earning the assist on both occasions. ORMAND CUMMINS leveled matters in the 72nd minute before midfield PAUL DESBOIS was able to provide the Pennsylvania Stoners the triumph by finding the back of the net with less than seven minutes to play. A first playoff victory at the very first try for Ehrlich’s troops, then.

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Pennsylvania Stoners midfielder BLAZ STIMAC (right), a former star player at tiny East Stroudsburg State College in northeastern PA, races for the ball with Columbus Magic midfielder RAY SCHNETTGOECKE during the 1979 American Soccer League match at Franklin Stadium in the capital city of Ohio.

Although few, if anyone, are probably aware of such, the old PENNSYLVANIA STONERS playing in the old Allentown School District Stadium in the long-since-departed American Soccer League actually hold a very unique sort of record in the National Football League which stands to this very day.

The ’79 expansion Stoners, in fact, are the only professional soccer team in the entire world to have ever two N.F.L. placekickers, past or present, on the roster in the same season — a mark which, in all likelihood, will never be equaled.

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FLORIAN KEMPF (University of Pennsylvania) with the Houston Oilers
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Oddly enough, the leading goal-scorer for the Pennsylvania Stoners had a certain habit of hanging around with future N.F.L. placekickers although CHRISTIAN NWOKOCHA was never one, himself; aside from spending time with MATT BAHR and FLORIAN KEMPF with Stoners during the 1979 American Soccer League season, the Nigerian had previously been college soccer teammates at Clemson University with OBED ARIRI.

Ariri, who made four appearances with the Chicago Sting during the 1980 North American Soccer League season, was drafted in 1981 by the NFL’s Baltimore Colts and finally made his regular season debut a few years later for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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OBED ARIRI (Clemson University) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Fact of the matter is, this blog has been trying to determine the most appropriate way in which to respond to this unique display by the supporters of the Polish club, Legia Warsaw, for quite some time now.

In mid-Novmeber, the European Union of Football Associations formally rule on this case and officially levied a fine of 10,000 Euros (that would be the equivalent of roughly $ 13,500 here in the United States) against the Legia Warsaw club.

This financial penalty actually amounting to something even microscopically less than a slap on the wrist. And anybody who understands the first thing of what about what the average transfer fee of the average player in Europe routinely costs has no choice but to concur. Indeed, the blog actually seriously considered paying the fine incurred the by actions of the incredibly “misguided” Legia Warsaw supporters just to prove a point.

But, on the other hand, the blog has been making a serious attempt to confront reality as well as search the soul since this scandal first broke, too. There can be no question that Jew-bashing in Europe is becoming increasing more popular with each passing day. The inevitable failure that is the European Union and its unsustainable entitlements have to be a contributing factor as, anyone who has gone anywhere near a history book, ever, knows that blaming Jews for the ills of society has been going on pretty much since the beginning of time.

And there just ain’t nothin’ this blog’s never gonna to be able to do to stop that kinda nonsense, either — this is just a stone cold fact of life.

Truth is, as has been previously disclosed here, this blog is run by a pair of German brothers who were sent to Presbyterian church growing up because it was the closest one down the street … so, in other words, if Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really makes good of his oft-repeated threats to “wipe Israel off the map” with nuclear weapons — why should we actually give a genuine damn, anyway? The fallout would never make its way all the way over here across the Atlantic Ocean to America, where we live, so, hey, exactly why do we really care?

In the end, the blog is well aware the only thing achieved by taking time to address such issues and actually take a principled stand is to incur the wrath of the loyal readership, who always prefer the predictable and standard diet of basic entertainment and sports. We know nobody wants a history lecture, which is probably for the best because we have been chomping at the bit to bring up what the Soviet NKVD did to the Polish Officer Corps in the Katyn Forest. But we definitely also know no one wants to be challenged to actually have to think about hypocrisy or anything of the intellecutal sort because, hey, the blog is suppose to stick with the popular, dumbed-down sports program that acutally might draw more than five people per day, right?

Right. And so, the lucky Legia Warsaw supporters get the proverbial pass today. Congratulations on a job well done, people.