Kirk's Corner

It's like a two-hour nooner - with Joe Katz!

Wed WCQs* adjusted for Central (USA) Standard Time**
11:00 Azerbaijan x Germany (Baku) FSC
11:00 Faroe Islands x France (Torshavn)
12:00 Norway x Scotland (Oslo, the most beautiful city in the world)
2:45 Slovenia x San Marino (Maribor)
1:15 Belarus x Croatia (Minsk)
3:00 Mexico x United States (Mexico City) TV, probably
6:30 Trinidad & Tobago x El Salvador (Port of Spain)
8:30 Honduras x Costa Rica (San Pedro Sula)

* South American & African fans your fixtures don't play until September 5th, 6th, & 9th so no annoyed email about the lack of respect show to blah blah blah...
** Any time discrepancies are FIFA's fault as I used their Automatic Time Zone Converter (handy device, that).

Your author will be unable to make the early games tomorrow including Germany and Norway :( due to real life intruding on the joga bonito I'm afraid (Robyn, try to get some Norway fans together to hassle Louis - remember, lots of comments about sheep-f*cking) , but will try to race and catch part of the Mexico x USA match, which should be a real dogfight, along with the Honduras/Ticos game later.

Great kickoff weekend last, Community Shield was a rocket ride of alcohol, insults, and adrenalin as Man Utd took an Angry Jeff-esque punch to the face from Chelsea on PKs after an extra-time goal by Rooney - maybe Man U needs a couple Germans on the squad, eh? As usual Man U was very well-represented, sipping their chardonnays and mimosas, while there were about five or six brave/foolhardy Chelsea fans,*** along with the usual potpourri of other fans (L'pool, Arsenal, generally) that just wanted to see a natural disaster or, in the alternative, lots of drama and bile.

*** oh, and see you again in October, when you play Liverpool, okay? And then in November when you play Arsenal and Man U, and then you have a couple months off until February when you play Arsenal again, then Man U in March, and finally Liverpool in May again.

Which they did, as Jeff served as lightning rod for the collective scorn that the elitist Man U supporters (nice school tie, Karol) have for the blue-collar (get it?), proletarian, and egalitarian ideals that Jeff represents, propagates, and, by God, lives daily (when asked for comment, Jeff responded: "fight the exploitation," but mispronounced "exploitation." And "the"). Good times, glad to have everyone back and to see some new faces - welcome to new bartender chica, name unknown but apparently Italyfan which, uh, may explain her productivity rate. Don't worry, you're still more efficient and courteous (and attractive, bien sur) than Marsch + Potter.

There were some notable bar patron absences but as the game didn't matter and it WAS a nice day out no one's getting called out yet. Yet.

Finally the Bundesliga kciked off last weekend, too (anyone notice?) and Wolfsburgo resumed the lead by beating Stuttgart, Dortmund topped Koln 1:0, while Bayern drew with Hoffenheim 1:1. Oh and in the 2 Bundesliga 1.FC Kaiserslautern beat SpVgg Greuther Fürth 2:1 - big deal, Bayern beat them 3:1 in the Pokal 2 weeks ago...