So it's been a couple months...

And I blame the Steelers for not raping anyone. I mean really, what's a guy got to write about between the Pens bowing out, the World Cup ending, and the Pirates wallowing away the dog days of summer? At least training cup started, am I right? Am I right?

Well actually I don't care about training camp, and all of the things I stated before could still be talked about in length. But that's not what this post is about.

The blog is heading in a different direction...

Since no one really follows this blog, it's really not a big deal. But hopefully, people will start to read the blog more often (I'm looking at you, Grandma!). Either way, I'll still be posting about Pittsburgh Sports and random stuff. But I'll also be posting about my journey to Georgia. No, not the place where Ben played hide the salami in the bathroom, the actual country of Georgia. Or as my Aunt refers to it, The Former Soviet Republic of Georgia.

So in honor of the new content (and the new format, check it out, there's books! That means I'm smart...), I'll be posting a little bit before I fly off to Georgia on August 15th. Some of the posts will be about Georgia, some will be about the Pirates, Pitt Football, and maybe the Steelers, and maybe there will be a post about some other random event that I find amusing (USA/Brazil tomorrow night!).

But all I wanna say is... GNJB is back (yeah, I am too lazy to change the name and URL, deal with it).

Dodging a Bullet

This is really good news. Clint Dempsey will not need surgery on his injured knee, which means he should return before the World Cup. As I said before, Clint is not always as spectacular for the US as he is for Fulham (part of that I think is due to positioning), but his loss would be a huge blow to the US in the World Cup Finals (this is a solid take on the situation). With projected starters Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu already questionable for the WC, this US team cannot afford to lose too many more guys, so consider us lucky for Deuce avoiding the knife.

Donovan gets the 9

This is pretty cool. Especially considering he will only be at the club for 10 weeks. I'm thinking of making a purchase...

When I made the decision about what EPL team I wanted to follow way back in the summer of '06 (it coincided with the aftereffect of the World Cup and Bill Simmons effort to do the same), I told myself I wanted a team with history, that was not in the top four or a financial giant, and had an American on the team. Everton fit because of it's storied history, a propensity to do more with less, and America's number one keeper Tim Howard between the pipes. I've been pretty lucky that EFC have been quite good throughout the 3+ years I have been a supporter (although this year is trying). Howard has been one of the better keepers in the league during his time with the Grand Old Club, but Donovan's arrival has brought a new enthusiasm to my support.

I'm not even a huge Donovan fan, his personality has always rubbed me the wrong way and his game is fairly boring. But I am not one of the thousands of US fans who despise him (I still don't get that, it's fair to think he is overrated, but to openly root against him just to vindicate your beliefs is anti-fan- it's similar to Steelers' fans and Limas Sweed). The more you watch the US team, the more you realize how important his presence is within the team. The Donovan obsession is one whole long post in itself, but if you want a good briefer, Jen Chang at ESPN.com sums it up pretty well.

Either way, I am excited to see how he does, especially since I know the team so well. What's fortunate about the way the Tofees play, is that the midfield positions rotate, even more so now that they are missing a few strikers and will play five middies. It's the type of free-flowing offense that will suit LD well. Wherever he might play on the field (as a starter or sub), he's smart enough and quick enough to excell.

The first game he may show in will be Saturday, 10 am at Arsenal, who are playing lights out right now and embarrassed Everton on opening day at Goodison 6-1. The game will be on TV, live starting at 9:30 am on Setanta (Yay! A reason to go to an Irish pub in the AM).

With football season pretty much over for Pittsburgh fans, there's not much holding you back on weekends (except for Pens and the occasional Pitt basketball game). With the World Cup just months away, now would be the time to get into the soccer spirit. And what better club to follow than The People's Club? COYB!!!!