25
May

Trecker’s Travels, Day Sixteen: Rain, Rain, Go Away

Photo: Jamie Trecker / FOX Soccer

By Jamie Trecker

Maxwell J. Lieberman was a desk editor at the Hartford Courant, back in the 1950s and 60s, and a special breed of man. Desk editors are a reporter’s secret weapon: they are by nature patient and meticulous, with a clear grasp of how to get from A to B. They make us look sober and sensible. But they are not reporters: we a far more reckless breed. Sadly, the desk man’s affliction is the burning desire to be out in the field, where he imagines the romance to happen.

Courant legend has it that Liberman got his chance. It was a slow news day in Hartford and he was sent out to recap the Elizabeth Park lawn bowling tournament, about as tame as you can get. Unfortunately, his first line was: “It was a beautiful day…” and no one remembers the rest, because the editor in chief came down, ripped the story out of the paper and told Mr. Lieberman in fragrant terms that he was not going to lead the sports section with a weather report.

I’ve been thinking a lot about poor Max, because it’s so difficult not to lead with the weather here. It’s awful. London is experiencing its coldest spring in 37 years. On Wednesday night at the women’s Champions League final, you feared pleurisy; it rained so hard that the normally packed Covent Garden was empty. At Inverness Market, the vendors didn’t even bother to set up the stalls. I guess there are German fans here, but they are so bundled up in rain suits that it is hard to pick them out.

My colleagues saw a few more Germans over at Stratford, where the fan fest kicked off on Thursday. But at Trafalgar Square, where luminaries such as Cafu were supposed to be offering “lessons” of one sort or another, the artificial pitch had puddles several feet wide. Most decided they’d rather see that exhibit at the National Gallery after all.

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23
May

Hitting the London Scene: Champions League Fever

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Photo: Thomas Hautmann / FOX Soccer

By Thomas Hautmann

The trip to London couldn’t have started any better. I succeeded in getting about two and a half hours of sleep on the flight, which is pretty much a minor miracle when you consider I sat only three seats away from an ominously wide-eyed baby girl who seemed ready to burst into tears at any second. Next there was no wait at the border patrol, and then I was startled to find my suitcase already waiting for me at baggage claim, which never ever happens.

A colleague of mine arrived on the next flight, so we cabbed it together to our hotel in Trafalgar Square. Besides finding constant amusement in the fact we were driving on the other side of the road, we were thoroughly entertained by our cabbie, Warren. While he gave us a “free” tour of all the famous London spots on the way, he also tells us, upon my asking, that he is a huge Millwall supporter and used to get into fights pretty much after every game. No really, straight out of Green Street Hooligans.

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22
May

Trecker’s Travels, Day Fourteen: All quiet

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Photo: Jamie Trecker / FOX Soccer

By Jamie Trecker

LONDON - The city is quiet, pummeled into depression by a spring that has been anything but spring-like. The markets that line Camden Town and London Bridge, selling summer dresses and tank tops, have been despairing of takers. Most of their time has been spent sitting about, smoking cigarettes and swearing baroquely.

The Germans are coming, or so the papers tell us each morning. The problem is, they aren’t here yet, and when they get here, it’s unclear exactly what they will do. For reasons known only to UEFA, the Champions League fan fest won’t open until Thursday, and it is about as far from Wembley as one can get – it’s across London in Stratford. And news about the tournament? Well, once suspects that since no English team is in it, the less said the better.

In Trafalgar Square, across from the National Gallery, one of the viewing boards was just being put up. But there was little hint of any of this in Wednesday’s papers. The news was of Tony Pulis’ departure, Wayne Rooney’s curious choice for a baby name and the tale of Manchester City’s latest foray abroad. (The Sun, never one to miss a chance to put the boot in, had Frank Lampard doing just that in an “exclusive” interview about Rafa Benitez. Go on, Frank!)

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Photo: Jamie Trecker / FOX Soccer

The fact is, London doesn’t seem very cheery about the prospect of this Champions League final. We heard tales of how 200,000 fans were going to descend on the city – and then little else. Did they not come? One enterprising vendor set up a stall with Germany’s national treat, the currywurst, only to find that at high noon, he was left reading the newspaper with a lot of left-over sausages. He and his cart had vanished by the time I returned this afternoon.

It all feels a bit anticlimactic. And yet, there is a game even further under the radar.

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12
May

Watching your club win a title is always memorable. One lucky fan in particular this week will remember it for very special reasons though.

Celtic may have won the Scottish Premier League as far back as mid-April, but yesterday’s 4-0 home win over rivals St Johnstone signed off their final home game in style.

The Scottish club, who claimed their 44th division title with ease last month, were finally able to parade their medals and the famous trophy at their Celtic Park ground after the game.

The biggest story was still to come however. Manager Neil Lennon, who has been linked with the soon-to-be-vacated manager’s job, cherished the title victory but handed his medal to a lucky young Celtic fan in the crowd.

Watch the video to see just how gobsmacked the little girl is. Brilliant!