Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Schirrhein Football


This article talks about the big upset victory that Schirrhein had in 2009 in the Coupe de France football tournament (soccer to us Yankees). It's old news, but I just found out about it.



Schirrhein Boss

Hails

Coupe De France

Giant Killing

Rank outsiders in the Coupe de France, seventh division side Schirrhein, progressed to the last 32 of the competition with a fairytale win over Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot.

Jan 4, 2009 10:23:18 AM

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Languishing in the seventh tier of French football, the Excellence league of the Alsace region, few had given Schirrhein a hope when they faced off against Ligue 2 stalwarts Clermont Foot in the Coupe de France.

At half time the match appeared to be going by the form book as the minnows trailed 2-0, but, in a Hollywood-style ending, the Alsatians scored an incredible four times in the final 26 minutes to power through to the last 32.

“There are always some surprises in the Coupe de France but, when you’re trailing 2-0 at half time against a team that’s fully five divisions above you, it’s unbelievable,” smiled a delighted HervĂ© Strum, coach of Schirrhein, to the press at full time.

“Legs Of Madness”

Even trailing by two goals at half time, Strum felt his side still had a fighting chance in the match.

“In the first half, Clermont only had three chances but they were able to put the ball in the net twice so I was able to convey a message of hope,” he explained.

“In the second half, I felt our opponents were feverish and that we could put them in difficulty. We reduced the score and then our players got legs of madness.

“This result is not due to chance, there are strong foundations at this club and the players have done a lot of work for three weeks.”

“This is incredible,” exclaimed president Pierre Dillinger. “This was our Mont Blanc, now we must conquer Mount Everest!”

Robin Bairner, Goal.com


Buzzkill-I think they lost 8-0 in their next match.

Also, "LEGS OF MADNESS" is a great name for a band.



A Barbershop Joke

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Pleasant. That's The Point

We spent last Thursday through Sunday camping with The Cardinal Gulfstreamers, the RV club that Sue and I belong to. All the members have RV's that are manufactured by Gulfstream Coach and the Cardinal reference is because the club is based in Ohio and the cardinal is our state bird.

We were camped at Krodell Park, close to the town of Point Pleasant, WV. We also spent time across the Ohio River in Gallipolis, OH. ("City of the Gauls" because it was settled by people from France).

We were quite busy and the weather was just great. Sunny, not too hot and no rain at all. We toured a tavern in Gallipolis that was visited by The Marquis de Lafayette, Louis Phillippe (before he was King of France) and Jenny Lind, The Swedish Nightingale, among others. Other activities included a wine tasting party and pasta dinner at The Merry Family Winery, a tour of a replica of Fort Randolph, which was actually on the grounds of Krodell Park where we were camped, and a visit to this year's Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant. The Mothman Festival has been held for more than 40 years and attracts some very "interesting" people (not counting the members of our club). I have included a link in the "Check Out These Blogs" column for those who might want to find out more about "Mothman". The flood wall along the river in Point Pleasant is in the process of being decorated with murals showing the history of the area. You will see some of the murals in the slideshow.

Here are a few pictures




Friday, September 10, 2010

Fire Pit and Browns


Seeing the pictures of the fire pit that Mark built inspired me. Ours is not as massive as the one in Cincinnati, but it makes use of the metal outdoor fireplace that the kids gave us when we had Christmas in San Antonio a few years ago.

In the picture below, you can tell that Joshua Cribbs, Browns star (#16, former Kent State quarterback) is entranced by our rendition of The National Anthem.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Johanny Cash??

This video was posted on Facebook by my FB friend, and likely relative, Jean Claude Halter. The singing is in German, with French subtitles. But I think that you will recognize the tune and then you can figure out the lyrics in English.

Note to Mark: If you need an opening band when you play the Hofbrau House, these guys are a natural.