Relegation and Promotion?

If you are vaguely aware of professional soccer in Europe, you know that they have various levels to their leagues.

I'll use England as an example because when I link to a page over there, you won't need to got to the translator.

The top four levels of professional soccer in England are:

Premier League
The Championship
League One
League Two

After a season is completed, a few of the bottom teams in each league are relegated (or demoted) to a lower league. The top teams in each league - except for the Premier League - are moved up to the next highest league.

Why would I bring this up here?

Big League Stew had a post yesterday that dealt with the idea of...well, I'll let him tell you.

There have been scores of realignment plans floated ever since Bud Selig and his committee decided they might want to solve a problem that doesn't really exist outside the world of Orioles fans.

The soccer-based concept of relegation has been mentioned a few times and Evan Weiner of The Daily Caller has the latest proposal. In Weiner's imagination, eight teams would inhabit both the American and National leagues while the remaining 14 would compete for promotion in a two-division "Continental League." Two spots in each league would be up for grabs each year with the bottom two teams in the AL and NL sent packing for the shame of the Continental League.

There's no doubt that it's a fun system to talk about, but I'm not in favor of actually adopting it. In fact, I think bringing it over from England (and other points beyond) would be much closer to the failed American run of "Coupling" than the wild success of "The Office."

He lists five reasons why the system wouldn't work for MLB. And all are good. But, this one was my favorite:

4. Parity? What parity? As 35th Street Review points out, only four different teams have won English Premier League championships since 1992 and one of those titles was a one-year surprise appearance from Blackburn. Over the same time span, 10 different franchises recorded the best record in baseball and 11 won the World Series. Relegation might increase the competition in the middle of the pack, but ask an Orioles fan if he's more bothered by the fact his team hasn't finished third since 2004 or hasn't made the playoffs since 1997. Promotion wouldn't rank as a big thrill.

Click through to read it all, if only to see his reason #2.

Interesting day in the Ryman

My Tonbridge Angels had an away match scheduled with Billericay Town yesterday. Things did not go as planned.

Friday 6th February: Pitch inspection required
Billericay Town FC have called on supporters to assist, both this evening and tomorrow morning, in helping get the New Lodge playing surface ready for tomorrow's fixture against the Angels.

There will be a pitch inspection at 11:00.

Saturday 7th February 11:30: Match ON (at the moment)
A local referee has deemed the pitch playable apparently after some debate. The match referee is due at the ground around 13:00 to give the final verdict but BTFC are confident the game will go ahead.

Saturday 7th February 15:00: Match OFF
The match referee called off today's game at 13:45 due to a waterlogged pitch.

The Angels are still in third place with 49 points. That puts them eight points clear of Dartford for the final playoff spot in the Ryman Premier League.

Next up for Tonbridge is another away match on 2/14 vs. Horsham.

Spanning the globe

First, my Tonbridge Angels keep solidifying their playoff spot in the Ryman Premier League. They defeated Margate 1-0. The Angels sit in third place with 49 points, nine clear of Dartford for the last playoff spot.

Second,the Claxton Shield Grand Final approaches.

The Barbagallo Perth HEAT -- with ex-Rattler Dan Floyd ('01, '02) -- are hosting the New South Wales Patriots this coming weekend.

Here are a few stories to get you ready.

Bring It Home: Perth HEAT Set To Fry Patriots

PERTH Heat has a burning desire for back-to-back championships and the side will get its chance against New South Wales Patriots next week.

The two sides will meet in a re-match of last year’s grand final on the February 6, 7 and, if required, 8 at Baseball Park.

Perth Heat wary of underdogs from east in grand final

HOST Perth Heat are favourites for this week's Claxton Shield final, but NSW Patriots coach Shane Barclay has warned not to take the underdogs too easily.
The states play off for glory and gold in the final, marking the 75th year of Claxton Shield baseball, at Thornlie on Friday night, Saturday and if required, Sunday.

WA won its 10th Shield last year, beating 13-time winner NSW at Sydney's Olympic Park.

The states have clashed four times this year - all in Sydney - for a 2-2 record.

"They've got some players back since then and we've lost players, so they'll be the favourites,'" Barclay said.

The Grand Final will also help support Team Spencer.

Guest bloggers (1/11)

Mehring is watching football. And, since I'm a Paul Tagliabue football, I'm not really doing anything. Not like I'm wanted or needed or anything like that. Besides, why would I want to freeze my laces off in New Jersey or Pittsburgh today?

Let's see...Where to start?

Lara was off in Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional on Saturday. They host La Guaria at 2:00pm Venezuela time today.

Now, here is a guest blogger for the results from the Claxton Shield in Australia.


G'day. Aussie Football here. No need for a signature on me. Anyway, my mates on the Barbagallo Perth HEAT -- along with ex-Rattler Dan Floyd ('01, '02) -- beat the Victoria Aces again and picked up the sweep in the three-game series.

.......R...H...E
ACES....5..12..3
HEAT...11..15..0
Details

Floyd, 1-for-5, 2B, run, 2 RBI

The victory over the Aces clinches a spot in the GRAND FINAL of the Claxton Shield for the HEAT!

Now, for my guest blogger.


Good afternoon to you. The Tonbridge Angels, the team of football players in the Ryman Premier League whom the regular blogger of this blog follows, had their game with second place Staines postponed due to poor pitch conditions. A make up date for the important tie near the top the table has not yet been announced. Now, back to my American Cousin.
Mehring will be back tomorrow to play catch up with a lot of the news from the last few days. So, start your work week off with a healthy dose of Rattler Radio.

Now for some real Latin:

LXXXVIII dies insquequo Oris Dies!

A draw at Longmead

My Tonbridge Angels let two points get away in Ryman Premier League action Saturday, but they still managed a draw.

They led Ramsgate 2-0 with a goal in the first and one more in the second.

Leon Legge heads one home (Photo credit to Angels Online)

But, after getting their first goal shortly after the second Angel goal, Ramsgate scored the equalizer in the sixth minute of injury time at the end of the game.

Tonbridge still holds a league playoff spot with 42 points. Next up is a January 10 tie at Staines.

Other sports

The Wisconsin-Florida State game turned out...poorly for the Badgers.

The Journal-Sentinel headline captures the feeling pretty well.

Merciless conclusion
Another crushing defeat ends forgettable season

Pffft!

So this is how the University of Wisconsin's third season under Bret Bielema ended Saturday in the Champs Sports Bowl.

With a whimper.

With an offense incapable of scoring touchdowns when it mattered and culpable for two touchdowns on fumble returns.

With a defense that sagged and allowed a 16-play, 85-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter with the outcome still in doubt.

With an ugly 42-13 loss to a solid but unspectacular Florida State team, a defeat that will do nothing to silence the growing number of UW fans murmuring that Bielema is in over his head and dragging the UW program into the ground.

On a positive note, my Tonbridge Angels defeated Hastings 1-0 on the road yesterday and are settling into a playoff spot in the Ryman Premier League.

On a bitterly cold day at the south coast Tonbridge beat Hastings by a solitary Lewis Hamilton goal 3 minutes before the break.

Picture from Angels Online.

The Packers play the Lions today at Lambeau...Lions 0-15...Packers have lost five straight...Moving on...

I'm a bit hesitant to put up this item, because the last time I mentioned a basketball team at #1 they lost their next game. But, what the heck...

For the first time in more than nine years, the Team of the '90s is back on top.

UW-Platteville, which won the Division III national championship in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999, received 13 No. 1 votes and stands atop the latest D3hoops.com Top 25. Former No. 1 and defending national champion Wash U. lost at No. 10 Elmhurst on Saturday and slipped three spots to No. 4.

The Pioneers were last in the top spot in the poll taken through games of Dec. 12, 1999.

Hey! According to this schedule, the Pioneers are playing in a tournament hosted by St. Norbert tomorrow and Tuesday. My alma mater plays Carthage tomorrow at 5:00pm.

Other WIAC schools in the Top 25 are UW-Stevens Point at #5 and UW-Whitewater at #6.

102 dies insquequo Oris Dies.

By Lombardi's glasses

This weekend has, um, been terrible.

First this:

Gbaja-Biamila cut loose by Packers

Then:

Bielema's foul proves costly

Then:
Trailing 27-21 with six minutes left in a WIAA Division 2 second-round playoff game, Verona quarterback Trevor Burmeister capped off a 12-play, 67-yard drive with a 1-yard sneak to seal a 28-27 win over Waterford Saturday.

Finally:
Titans 19, Packers 16

Three losses by a total of six points and one of my favorite players gone.

One plus on the weekend....let me check. Tonbridge crushed Ashford Town 7-1 in Ryman Premier League action on Saturday. That moves them into fifth place in the table. And I've found a more up-to-date website for the team.

Halloween was early this year

In case you missed it earlier in the week on Time Warner Sports (or Sports 32 as it is now called), I wore my Halloween costume back on October 23.

It was as a soccer announcer for the Valparaiso @UW-Green Bay soccer game. You can witness the the holiday cheer by tuning into the game at 8:30am on Thursday morning. Gosh, I tried really hard.

Then -- as if 90 minutes of Mehring wasn't enough in the morning -- the press conference edition of Timber Rattler TV is on at 4:00 in the afternoon.

By the way, since I adopted the Tonbridge Angels FC they're 0-2-1 (0-1-1 in the Isthmian Premier League and a loss to be knocked out of the FA Trophy tournament)

I apologize, Angels. Go get Ashford Town (Middlesex) on Saturday.

I have an announcement

I have been looking for an English soccer team to follow. Not one of the Big Four. Any idiot baseball announcer can follow Manchester United...Hi, Nate!

For some reason, Rattler Radio gets quite a few hits from the United Kingdom. I wasn't looking for a team in the Premier League. Something along the lines of Class A ball.

I was going to base the team to follow on a sitemeter hit from yesterday. Well, I've found a team.

The Tornbridge Angels of the Ryman Football League also known as the Isthmian League Premier Division.

They haven't updated their website in awhile, but apparently they have a match with AFC Hornchurch tonight.

I'll just check on this stuff occasionally.