newcastle, you have made me so happy :)

i realize most people reading this will have no idea what this is talking about, but yesterday made me amazingly happy.
this payback & revenge was so sweet & the toon army are flying high.

below is a hilarious article i read about the ironies that made my day yesterday (& this morning)

A football farce

"But in this weekend of meltdowns, there is only 1 place to start as Kenny Dalglish served up more entertainment for the folk of Tyneside in 90 minutes on Sunday than he did in the entirety of his miserable spell in charge of the club back in the late 90s. This was a public humiliation of epic proportions, as a baying mob lanced the boil on years of frustration and lapped up every last strand of despair to befall the King. It was a stage show farce so acutely amusing it should get its own three-month run on Broadway.

This is the man who signed two of Newcastle's best players for a combined sum of £41 million last year but now trails them by 11 points in the table. Chief protagonist, of course, was Andy Carroll, a man so bereft of confidence he has now taken to falling over instead of taking his chances at rolling the ball into an empty net from ten yards. His feckless flop got him a rocket from the gaffer that sold him before the home fans saluted his substitution like a Papiss Cisse goal. Kenny's reward for hauling Carroll off was a bucket of sweary language. Word has it Carroll was actually aiming to head for the bench but missed and ended up striding down the tunnel instead.

But the final, gloriously funny act was still to come as a bewildered Kenny wandered onto the playing field after Pepe Reina's Eskimo kiss with James Perch only to be told to sit down and shut up by an irate Steven Gerrard. Reina staggered back onto the pitch to offer out "Perchinho" and bestow an oversized jersey and pair of gloves on Jose Enrique who sheepishly trudged into nets as 50,000 half-naked Geordies sang at him "You should have stayed at a big club."

An even heartier rendition of "You're getting sacked in the morning," bookended a desperate day at the office for a club that have now, beyond all doubt, become a laughing stock."


beaming smile from me :)
pretty much looking good to make Europe now... & only 5 points out of a CL spot with 7 left to go...

what's your outlet?

(This was originally posted on May 17, 2010.)

what is your outlet?
you know, what you do to blow off steam and forget all your cares? 

that thing you do that you just lose yourself in. 

that thing that when you're doing it you can forget everything else - all your frustrations and cares and just get away from it all. almost to another world.

i heard some pastors talking about this over the weekend. their outlet was running marathons and that kind of crap and i was just like "you're crazy." but it was a good reminder to me that we all need our own outlets. something that works for each of us.

usually when i'm so frustrated or bummed or life is so crazy that i just need to "get away"... i can get away with just me and God. maybe just to a quiet room, to my porch swing, to some beautiful spot... and i can just pour my heart out to Him! it's beautiful. it's amazing. i can "cast all my cares on Him."

that's also what a good date night is for sometimes. i have an amazing wife. she lets me dump all my frustrations on her and she listens and comforts me and attempts to cheer me back up.

but neither one of those are really an "outlet". they are people. (which are probably better long term solutions.)
Sometimes nothing is really "wrong", we just need to blow off some steam. just get away from it all - to an outlet.

For me it's definitely soccer. as a kid and even a high schooler (and beyond) soccer was my "god". Not so much after i lost both my knees (cartilage). but i definitely still love the game. can't play it very well anymore but i love to play it so much. i can still lose myself in a soccer game. it's a beautiful thing. i get wrapped up in every facet of the game and lose myself in it.

So, i'm thankful to recognize it as a healthy outlet for me. i'm heading to my soccer game tonight in about 10 minutes. great timing too because i really need to blow off some steam and take out some frustrations. (i'm thankful i can do this instead of beating my dog... jk)

whoever woulda thought soccer can be so spiritual? but so can fishing or hunting or video games or reading or even running... or whatever your outlet is.

**So, what is YOUR outlet?

the pressure to improve

it's crazy what you can learn about rigorous organizational culture and teamwork from the beautiful game. (see HERE for an example)

i grew up playing competitive club soccer since i was maybe 7 years old. the culture of that club was inherently RIGOROUS and there was CONSTANT and INTENSE pressure to improve. not forced from a coach, but organically and inherently present.

and not just pressure to improve so that you don't ride the bench, but pressure just to STAY ON THE TEAM period.

my club team played all year long growing up. a couple seasons and several tournaments throughout the year and each season we would add 3-5 top players to our team from other clubs in the region. SO THAT our team would keep getting better and better all the time.

basically 3-5 top players would come in to the team each season which meant the BOTTOM 3-5 had to go. they lost their spot. they were no longer a part of the team.

for the good of the team, the bottom 3-5 players are getting dropped every time you turn around.

so, yeah, i was looking over my shoulder A LOT. trying to make sure i did whatever it took to not be in that bottom 3-5.

it makes you feel the pressure. big time.
if you don't stay out of the bottom 3-5 you are done. for the sake of winning games. for the sake of being the best.

for the sake of the mission.

that was a rigorous culture.
it forced me (and everyone) to work HARDER to constantly IMPROVE!

organizations are like this too. some more than others. i think it's a good thing. it's a good pressure. the organization will naturally get BETTER and BETTER this way as each individual improves.

if a central midfielder is not improving while the rest of the team is... we can always go find another (better) central midfielder. same with a position in an organization. if you're not constantly improving you will eventually be passed up by someone better.

and it's a teamwork thing ultimately. if you're not improving and being the best YOU that you can be then you're letting your whole team down. just like that central midfielder who's not improving... the rest of the team knows it. they have to compensate for him. he is letting them down.

if you're not giving it your all and constantly improving - you're ultimately not a team player.

it's all over

the Champions League Final has been over for a couple hours now. done & dusted.

The best team in the world is now crowned as the best team in the world. i was cheering against them but still appreciate how beautiful they are to watch.

i'm just thankful it's a VERY short off season. Because in August it all cranks back up. The beautiful game on display again. we only have to take June & July off from the best game ever invented.

my Geordie boys in Newcastle had what i guess they would call a successful season... even after Andy Carroll departing. i hope we can buy some STUDS with that $55 million! we need to buy 1 top class striker, a stud center back, a right back (no offense Sim), and a Keeper. + hold on to Jose Enrique and Joey Barton who both seem to be Liverpool bound if you believe the rumors.
so i'm hoping for a top 7 finish and Europa League football in 2012-13.

Roberto Martinez and Wigan are staying up too. it was a relegation battle like none other. we'll probably never see anything like it again. although i hope we do because it was unbelievably exciting!

I bet Fabregas will go to Barcelona or Real Madrid for like $80 million. it will be interesting to see what Arsenal do this summer. lots to be done for sure. i won't care very much when Fabregas is gone though. i predict that Man U wins it again next season with Liverpool, Man City, and Tottenham all really coming into their own to officially make it a BIG 6. (and hopefully Newcastle sliding into 7th.)

Barcelona will of course win the Champions League again. it's going to be a while before someone can knock them off. best chance was when Arsenal had them knocked out in the 2nd leg before the inexplicable red to RVP.

The only games left for me to watch in this season are the League Two, League One, and Championship playoff finals. those 3 will be fun. Go Stevenage & Swansea City.

very thankful for the beautiful game. it makes the world a more beautiful place.

newcastle's back... with a vengeance

(You can catch up on my congrats post for Newcastle United being promoted back to the Premier League in yesterday's article HERE.)

so, so excited that my team is back in the Premier League this season and i fully plan on trying to watch every single Newcastle game this year.

My excitement carried me to crazy thoughts that we could at least draw with Manchester United in our 1st game back... at Old Trafford! we lost 3-0 and looked horrible.

Our 2nd game (this past sunday) was against Aston Villa. The team who had just pounded on West Ham (with new boss Avram Grant) 3-0 in their opening match. by this point i was not optimistic BUT at least we were playing at St. James' Park - the best place for soccer in the world... a place that we NEVER lost in 23 games last season in the Championship.

But, my optimism quickly ran away again when Harper slid into a forward from Villa in the box and we gave up a Penalty in the 1st 10 minutes. i was like "here we go... we give up a goal & now we won't be able to score, so we'll start off the season 0-2."

but Carew missed the PK! then what followed was a thing of beauty.
Joey Barton scored probably the most magnificent goal of the season so far! i love Joey Barton even though he has that ridiculous mustache that he promised not to shave until the Magpies win their 1st game.

Then one of my favs - Kevin Nolan scored 2 goals from midfield... and the youngster phenom (wanted by the likes of Chelsea) got a HAT TRICK. Andy Carrol is the future for Newcastle & he just scored a hat trick at 21 against Brad Friedel (one of the best keepers in the EPL). i am stoked.

i saw Alan Shearer up in his skybox taking a WAD of cash and laughing just after Carrol got his hat trick. he must have had a bet with a few people that Carroll would get a hat trick. that is awesome.

next week it's on to Goodison Park to take on Everton and another American Keeper - Tim Howard. i hope we can score 6 on him too!

i hope we can finish mid table this season (in the top 10 would be AWESOME). then next season top 7 and make the Europa league. then by 2012/13 i hope we're back in the top 4 and in the Champions League again. we're headed in the right direction... at least this week.

newcastle's back

i have meant to write this blog ever since May. just now getting around to it.

soccer has always been my favorite sport. i love a lot of sports, but soccer is the beautiful game and there's just nothing else quite like it.

since i was a kid my favorite team in the world has been Newcastle United! i am a crazy Geordie and part of the Toon Army. Newcastle have been my boys and ALMOST won the Premier League title so many times and even qualified for the Champions League a couple times. Alan Shearer, the Newcastle native, was my favorite player & probably one of the best ever from England.

When i got married we ended up getting some channels that show pretty much all the Premier League games which has been awesome and i can watch Newcastle games!

But 2 seasons ago (08/09) the unthinkable happened! my team was relegated. They finished 3rd from the bottom of the league and were demoted to the lower division (the Championship). they missed staying up by 1 point. heartbreaking... (it takes some teams 100 years to be promoted back into the Premier League and some teams never make it back.)

i was furious and heartbroken because there was no way to watch any Newcastle games because they were playing in "the Championship" (lower division).
But thankfully, Newcastle blew away the competition and won the league outright getting over 100 points (all time record) and never ever losing a game at home the whole season at historic St. James' Park.
(btw - St. James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne is in my top 5 places to visit on my bucket list. Home of the craziest fans on earth!!!)

so, so excited about this team that's still intact getting promoted back into the Premier League this season. Unfortunately our 1st game was AT Old Trafford against the Premier League greats, Manchester United.
but more on this season in the next post...

i just want to celebrate for 1 post that Newcastle is back in the Premier League!

the world cup is over

the last month has been awesome. i've loved ever second of it. a soccer lover's dream. 64 of the best soccer matches on pretty much every day for a month!

the World Cup Final yesterday wasn't the greatest played game by a long stretch, but kept me entertained for sure.

I generally like the Netherlands better than Spain - usually and I thought they had been playing better this past month. (Although Spain has the stacked team with the better players.)

BUT Dirk Kuyt has always annoyed me and this tourney Robben REALLY started to get on my nerves.

+ i'm a big Cesc Fabregas fan. He is one of my fav players in the world... naturally i've been upset at Spain for keeping him on the bench.
in my humble opinion - when Fabregas came in the game yesterday is when the game turned in Spain's favor! i think he changed the tone. i started really cheering when he started playing. before that i was pretty much neutral.
i was really excited to see Fabregas and really all the Spanish team celebrating their biggest win EVER.

i hope America caught a little more World Cup Fever this go round. it would be good for us. we think we're the most "advanced" but haven't even caught on to the most popular game in the world yet... or THE BIGGEST SPORTING EVENT IN THE WORLD! but, everyone was watching "the decision" with Lebron. (that blows my mind.)

hopefully the beautiful game will become a big deal here in our country. hopefully it will take over the streets during games like in every other country. (but by then hopefully i'll be living in one of those other countries.)

So, now that the World Cup is over i have a WHOLE LOT of free time in the evenings! it was a difficult task to watch all 64 games, but i made it happen. great tournament overall. i only wish i could have been there in South Africa.

can't wait til 2014 in Brazil. (Crystal and i are saving up already for 2018...)

now i'll have some time to watch my Yankees again who are kings of the world... their rightful place. + i'm stoked to actually get to follow my boys Newcastle on TV again this season as we're back up in the EPL. we have as many televised games as any team in the 1st half.

i hope you enjoyed World Cup 2010 from South Africa. it was a beautiful thing all the way around... like i wrote about HERE.

world cup + student camp = less blogging

i have blogged less this month than any other month here on renown.
The World Cup began on June 11th and that has been the major cause of my lack of blogging as i've been trying to watch every single World Cup match.
Now it's the round of 16. 48 games down and only 16 to go. so, i'll be back to writing like normal.

**And how about the heart stopping USA! oh man... ulcer city. but jubilation in the end. I say we beat Ghana tomorrow in the Round of 16 and then go on to beat Uruguay in the Quarterfinals (or South Korea) to move on to the semifinals! That would be unbelievable!

We just returned from our very own Student camp at Myrtle Beach for our middle school and high school students. 1st time of trying to pull off our own camp.
It really wasn't on our own though at all. Huge thanks to Robbie & Jared at Next Level for pulling it off for real and letting us partner with them. Rusty from Ridge killed it when it came to the production for the sessions... and Josh Via led our kids in a week full of awesome times of worship of our amazing God. Kudos all around.
"Great is Your Name and greatly to be praised forever, God of our hope and our strength..."

worst call ever?

what an intense game to watch. i was going crazy.
to play so crappy and go down 2-0 in a game we were supposed to own.

*Then it was so awesome to see us wake up in the 2nd half! i couldn't believe Donovan took that shot... and then i couldn't believe he actually put it in the top shelf. we owned that 2nd half.
the whole buildup to Bradley's goal was brilliant! = Donavan's cross, Altidore's header down, Hercules' run to bring the defender forward, and then Michael Bradley's finish. awesome.

then came the game winner! so i thought for a few seconds as i celebrated... a 3-2 win after being down 2-0 is pretty much as good as it gets. but inexplicably, the goal didn't count. we still don't know what the ref called.
(i do know i see 3 of our guys getting fouled in the box! especially Bradley getting bear hugged and Bocanegra basically getting body slammed.)

if you haven't seen what i'm talking about yet (where have you been?) check it out below.


wow. that was a brilliant game winner and it was taken away from us. Now, i'm not going to blame the whole game on the ref. we played like crap in the 1st half. it's our fault we lost... he's also a human and i don't hate him or anything. he just made a mistake. he's probably a great guy. but c'mon ref... you took away a win & 3 points & probably winning the group.

*i'm also encouraged to hear our U.S. players not dwelling on it and looking forward to beating Algeria.

so, what do YOU think? worst call ever?

Bono's top 10 for this decade

i've written a lot about Bono in the past here on renown.

Recently i read his top 10 list for the next 10 years. you can read his 10 for the next 10 years HERE. he talks about everything from cars to intellectual property; from pollution to nonviolent revolution...

and here is his #1!

The World Cup Kicks Off the African Decade

"It’s getting easier to describe to Americans the impact of the World Cup — especially the impact it will have in Africa, where the tournament is to be held this summer. A few years ago, Ivory Coast was splitting apart and in the midst of civil war when its national team qualified for the 2006 jamboree. The response was so ecstatic that the war was largely put on hold as something more important than deathly combat took place, i.e. a soccer match. The team became a symbol of how the different tribes could — and did — get on after the tournament was over.
This time round, for the 2010 World Cup, naysayers thought South Africa could not build the stadiums in time. Those critics should be red-faced now. South Africa’s impressive preparations underline the changes on the continent, where over the last few years, 5 percent economic growth was the average. Signs point to a further decade of growth to come. Canny investors will put more capital there. This in turn has the potential to shore up fragile young democracies across the continent.
It would be fitting if Nelson Mandela, who has done more than anyone for Africa’s rising, would kick off the opening ceremonies. If he shows up, the world will weep with joy."

did any of you go read his whole top 10 list?

another must see World Cup commercial

The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world!
(yes, way bigger than the Olympics or most stuff many of us Americans get into.)

it begins in only 15 days, 16 hours, 30 minutes and 17 seconds (and yes I have a countdown on my phone).
I feel like a little kid again. i am so unexplainably excited. *This is the greatest month every 4 years! nothing rivals it.

There has already been one amazing commercial for this World Cup and i posted about it HERE. but this one that just released about a week ago is possibly just as good. it's a must see!

wow - Drogba, Cannavaro, Rooney, Ribery, (was that Roger Federer and Kobe Bryant in there?), Cesc Fabregas, Ronaldinho, and of course Ronaldo all in the same commercial!? wow. that's like 9 different countries represented right there. (not to mention America's only hopes = Howard and Donavan.)

The Rooney part is my favorite because it's so true. Rooney is a pimp. i love that guy. i want him with me if i'm ever in a bar fight. (which i hope i'm not... i'm just sayin.)

This is a short and simple but GREAT example of how BIG soccer really is and how entire countries hang their hopes on their team at the World Cup. Huge chunks of the globe stop for a month this summer. It's bigger than a game. It changes economies and statues are erected! Soccer is one of the greatest pictures of globalism and it is supracultural. i love it.

*What's your favorite part?

what's your outlet?

what is your outlet? you know, what you do to blow off steam and forget all your cares. that thing you do that you just lose yourself in. that thing that when you're doing it you can forget everything else - all your frustrations and cares and just get away from it all. almost to another world.

i heard some pastors talking about this over the weekend. their outlet was running marathons and that kind of crap and i was just like "you're crazy." but it was a good reminder to me that we all need our own outlets. something that works for each of us.

usually when i'm so frustrated or depressed or life is so crazy that i just need to "get away"... i can get away with just me and God. maybe just to a quiet room, to my porch swing, to some beautiful spot... and i can just pour my heart out to Him! it's beautiful. it's amazing. i can "cast all my cares on Him."

that's also what a good date night is for sometimes. i have an amazing wife. she lets me dump all my frustrations on her and she listens and comforts me and attempts to cheer me back up.

but neither one of those are really an "outlet". they are people. (which are honestly probably better long term solutions.)
Sometimes nothing is really wrong, we just need to blow off some steam. just get away from it all - to an outlet.

For me it's definitely soccer. as a kid and even a high schooler (and beyond) soccer was my "god". Not so much after i lost both my knees (cartilage). but i definitely still love the game. can't play it very well anymore but i love to play it so much. i can still lose myself in a soccer game. it's a beautiful thing. i get wrapped up in every facet of the game and lose myself in it.

So, i'm thankful to recognize it as a healthy outlet for me. i'm heading to my soccer game tonight in about 10 minutes. great timing too because i really need to blow off some steam and take out some frustrations. (i'm thankful i can do this instead of beating my dog... jk)

whoever woulda thought soccer can be so spiritual? but so can fishing or hunting or video games or reading or even running... or whatever your outlet is.

**So, what is YOUR outlet? 

(PS - beautiful night of soccer. i really took out my frustration... with a Hat Trick.) 

my fav commercial... ever.

I don't watch commercials. They are a waste of time. I rarely watch TV at all and when I do it's only something I have DVR'd so i skip every commercial.
This commercial may have been out for a while and I just saw it last week while getting my hair cut. Watch it below!


Man! that's just a beautiful and awesome commercial!
Maybe just for me? You might be sitting there wondering why i love it so much?

I think it just combines several of my passions:
*soccer - of course. my 1st love. And still one of my greatest loves. the beautiful game. Of course the World freaking Cup is the epitome and height of that love. I wait 4 years for this moment. the anticipation is KILLNG me. (4 years ago i took weeks off of work to watch every single game! in High School i got sick so i didn't have to go to camp or work the whole month the games were on.)
*Bono - like one of my favorite people.(+ U2 is one of my fav bands.) anyone else's voice and you maybe don't even notice this commercial? his voice is both the essence of inspiration and coolness! Because of all the great things he stands for i just get fired up listening to him talk.

*World Cup - it's coming! need i say more?
*the Nations - everything Global and International is a love for me. i love the nations and i love what brings us together instead of divides us! **It's crazy awesome that a GAME is what can unite us all in spite of our differences all across the world. (I wanna write about 10 blog posts on this idea...)
*Africa - the WC is being played in my fav continent in the whole world for the 1st time ever. I've been to South Africa and stoked to go back to Africa this September. wanna live there for the rest of my days...
*Worship song - the fact that the main commercial for ESPN to promote the BIGGEST event in the world is set to the opening of a worship song!? how cool is that? The awesomeness of the Magnificent One being sung in combo with all these other things is pretty awesome!

anyway, hope you liked the commercial as much as me!