homegame

Sports Illustrated, Here Are Your Sportsmen and Women of the Year

English soccer team Tottenham Hotspur had a road game today in the Europa League, which is basically a runner-up competition for European teams that were good but not real good the previous season.

The game against rival Qarabag was in the latter's home town -- Baku, Azerbaijan. It's a modest 2500 mile flight from London, and only involves travel over two countries currently shooting at each other, Turkey and Russia. Azerbaijan is in the Caucasus region. Gets cold there in November, and this was a night game.

Tottenham won 1-0. The account of the game in the British paper the "Guardian" said that among the handicaps facing the visitors was that their contingent of traveling fans was "only 100."

Only 100!?! How about "Tottenham had the support of 100 heroes"? These Limey superfans were in a stadium in a part of the world where centuries-long blood feuds take place over matters much less important than soccer. They flew over a war zone. They doubtless drank whatever is the national booze of Azerbaijan, which I don't even want to know it is.

Those 100 loonies are the glory of sports. If Spurs ever play a game in Boston. I hope to meet them. Hell, all who can fit are welcome to crash at my place.

posted by Michael Gee @ 4:00 PM