Plenty of Nothing

Junior Hoilett

Canadian Junior Hoilett plays senior football for Hibs. Source.

Morton visit Hamilton Academical. Morton are sixth with 34 points, Accies eighth with 28. After three league meetings the two are even at a win, a draw and a loss. Hamilton knocked Morton out of the Challenge Cup.

Hamilton's top scorer is Oli Shaw, who has 10 goals, including 3 against Morton. Morton's top scorer this season is Filip Stuparević with 5 goals, but he's no longer with the club. The next highest Morton goalscorer is Cammy Blues with 4 goals, if you can call 4 goals high.

The other Championship matches:

Queen's Park 0 - 2 Partick Thistle (March 11)

Raith Rovers (6th) (5th) 2 - 0 Dunfermline (9th) (yesterday)

Airdrieonians (10th) vs Livingston (3rd)

Partick Thistle (4th) vs Ayr United (2nd)

Queen's Park (7th) vs Falkirk (1st)

Other matches:

Athlone 2 - 1 UCD (yesterday)

Lillestrøm vs Odd (friendly)

Odd Kvinner vs Hønefoss (friendly)

Fraserburgh vs Nairn County

Civil Service Strollers vs Caledonian Braves

Carluke Rovers vs Knightswood

Culter vs Fraserburgh United

HFX Wanderers vs Ipswich Town (friendly)

FC Isle of Man vs Pilkington

FC Isle of Man vs Prestwick Heys (tomorrow)

Mito HollyHock vs Vegalta Sendai

Iwate Grulla Morioka vs Reilac Shiga (tomorrow)

Elfen Saitama vs Albirex Niigata (tomorrow)

Okayama Yunogo Belle vs Sfida Setagaya

The Nadeshiko League begins.

Morton Women vs Falkirk (tomorrow)

Lowland League Cup, SF (March 11):

Bo'ness United 0 - 0 Tranent [Bo'ness win on PK]

Linlithgow Rose 1 - 2 East Kilbride

South Challenge Cup, SF:

East Kilbride vs Musselburgh Athletic

West of Scotland League Cup, SF:

Largs Thistle vs Darvel

Auchinleck Talbot vs Thorniewood United

UEFA Europa League, Round of 16, second leg (March 13):

Rangers 0 - 2 Fenerbahçe

3 - 3 on aggregate. Rangers win on PK and advance.

AFC Champions League Elite, Round of 16, second leg:

Yokohama F. Marinos 4 - 1 Shanghai Port (March 11)

Kawasaki Frontale 4 - 0 Shanghai Shenhua (March 12)

Gwangju 3 - 2 Vissel Kobe (March 12)

Marinos and Frontale advance. Vissel Kobe are out.

AFC Champions League Two, QF, second leg:

Lion City Sailors 1 - 1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima (March 12)

Sanfrecce are out.

Concacaf Champions Cup, Round of 16, second leg (March 12):

Monterrey 2 - 2 Vancouver Whitecaps [Whitecaps win on the away goal rule]

Historical matches:

1902/3/15      Partick Thistle 2 - 1 Morton    G&WoSL

1941/3/15      Queen's Park 2 - 1 Morton

2003/3/11      Morton 2 - 2 Stirling Albion

Two goals for Eddie Annand.

2003/3/15      Morton 2 - 1 East Stirlingshire

Goals for Eddie Annand and Scott Bannerman.

Morton league goalscoring, the last ten 36-game Championship seasons:

2024-25    on track for 40

2023-24    43*

2022-23    53*

2021-22    36*

2018-19    36*

2017-18    47*

2016-17    44*

2015-16    39*

2013-14    32

2012-13    73

*finished the season with more points than goals 

Hamilton Academical in the Lanarkshire Cup, 1890s:

1890/11/1      Royal Albert 7 - 0 Hamilton Academical    R1

1891/10/31    Royal Albert 5 - 5 Hamilton Academical    R1

1891/11/7      Hamilton Academical 1 - 7 Royal Albert    R1 replay

1892/10/8      Hamilton Academical 1 - 5 Royal Albert    R1

1893/10/28    Albion Rovers 1 - 2 Hamilton Academical    R1

1893/11/18    Hamilton Academical 7 - 0 Glengowan    R2

1894/2/10      Hamilton Academical 3 - 1 Royal Albert (protested)    SF

1894/2/24      Hamilton Academical 3 - 5 Royal Albert (protested)    SF replay

1894/3/10      Hamilton Academical 3 - 5 Royal Albert    SF 2nd replay

1894/10/27    Hamilton Academical 3 - 1 Hamilton Harp    R1

1894/11/28    Albion Rovers 3 - 2 Hamilton Academical    R2

1895/11/2      Hamilton Academical 4 - 1 Dykehead    R1

1895/12/14    Hamilton Academical vs Airdrieonians (not played)    R2

1896/2/1        Royal Albert 2 - 0 Hamilton Academical    SF

1896/10/17    Hamilton Academical 2 - 4 Wishaw Thistle    R1

1897/10/16    Hamilton Academical 5 - 0 Royal Albert (protested)    R1

1897/10/30    Hamilton Academical 2 - 0 Royal Albert    R1 replay

1897/11/13    Wishaw Thistle 2 - 1 Hamilton Academical    R2

1898/10/15    Hamilton Academical 2 - 2 Dykehead    R1

1898/10/22    Dykehead 2 - 0 Hamilton Academical    R1 replay

1899/10/14    Hamilton Academical 2 - 1 Dykehead    R1

1899/11/11    Longriggend wo/scr Hamilton Academical    R2

(Source: Scottish Football Historical Archive)

What's in Kazuo Ishiguro's Bookcase?

Source.

Manga shelf:

(left to right)

book

book

Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth

book

Joe Sacco, Palestine

9 books

The Fade Out

Nick Drnaso, Sabrina

2 books

Yoshihiro Tatsumi, A Drifting Life

Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Good-Bye

2 books

Jason Lutes, Jar of Fools

Alan Moore, Storyteller

Moby Dick

Doxiadis et al., Logicomix

Jason Lutes, Belin: City of Stones

Jason Lutes, Berlin: City of Smoke

Jason Lutes, Berlin: City of Light

Science fiction shelf:

(on top)

Isaac Asimov, The Complete Robot

Project Itoh, Harmony

two orange Penguins (John Wyndham?)

(left to right)

Ted Chiang, Exhalation (advance proof?)

Cixin Liu, The Three-Body Problem

19 other books

James Smythe, The Explorer

N.K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season

six J.G. Ballards

J.G. Ballard, Miracles of Life

J.G. Ballard, Empire of the Sun

Italian shelf:

(on top)

a 1980s King Penguin

an orange book

Moravia, Roman Tales

Roberto Saviaro, Gomorrah

x, Almost Blue

a Pelican

a Fount paperback

a white book with two red stripes

(left to right)

book

Elio Vittorini, Conversations in Sicily

five Elena Ferrantes

28 or 29 other books

Leave a comment if you recognize another.

44th All Japan Women's Ice Hockey Championship

Showa University Blue Winds. Source.

It's the 44th All Japan Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The teams are:

Group A    Showa University Blue Winds, Kushiro Bears, Takasu Clinic Mikage Gretz, Seibu Princess Rabbits, Toyota Cygnus, Hokkaido Barbarians HC Infinity, Road Construction Peregrine, Daishin;

Group B    Tokachi Obihiro Ladies, Vortex Sapporo, Chunichi Ladies, Nishinomiya Ladies, Tweedia Crest, Hachinohe Club, Saitama Ice Hockey Girls, Nikko Ice Bucks Ladies;

Group C    Crystal Blaze, Hiroshima Collectors, Kashiwara Carlets (Women), Makomanai Ladies, Fukuoka Silkies, Karuizawa Fairies, Nippon Sports Science University, Ladies Rabbits.

How does this tournament work?

The objective is to find a national champion, but also to rank the participating teams, as they don't all play in the same league.

Three tournaments are played simultaneously: A, for the top eight teams; B, for teams 9 to 16; and C, for teams 17 to 24. Tournaments A and B consist of 16 games each; tournament C has 12.

The eight teams in tournament A consist of the top seven from last year's A tournament plus the winner of last year's B tournament. The pairings on day one are based on last year's rankings, so 1st against B tournament's 1st, 2nd against 7th, 3rd against 6th, and 4th against 5th. These are games 1 to 4.

On day two the four winners pair off, highest against lowest according to last year's ranking, and the four losers pair off, highest against lowest according to last year's ranking. These are games 5 to 8.

On day three the teams divide off into two groups, A1 and A2. A1 consists of the teams from games 5 and 7; A2 consists of the teams from games 6 and 8. First in A1 plays second in A2; first in A2 plays second in A1; third in A1 plays fourth in A2; and third in A2 plays fourth in A1. These are games 9 to 12.

By day four the teams are ready to be ranked. Game 13 decides 7th and 8th place, game 14 decides 5th and 6th place; game 15 decides 3rd and 4th place; and game 16 decides 1st and 2nd. The first-place team in the new ranking is national champion.

If the only objective were to find a champion, then the whole thing could be over in seven games: 4 quarter-finals, 2 semi-finals and a final. Twelve games are all that are really needed to rank the teams, and that's what they play in tournament C. The day three games are just to allow teams an extra chance, it seems.

Group A:

March 13

Match No. 1: Seibu Princess Rabbits [5 - 2] Showa University Blue Winds

Match No. 2: Mikage Gretz [0 - 6] Toyota Cygnus

Match No. 3: Daishin [10 - 0] Infinity

Match No. 4: Kushiro Bears [0 - 5] Road Construction Peregrine

March 14

Match No. 5: [Blue Winds 4 - 2 Mikage Gretz]

Match No. 6: [Infinity 5 - 3 Kushiro Bears]

Match No. 7: [Seibu Princess Rabbits 2 - 3 Toyota Cygnus]

Match No. 8: [Daishin 3 - 4 Peregrine]

March 15

Match No. 9:   A1 3rd vs A2 4th

Match No. 10: A1 4th vs A2 3rd

Match No. 11: A1 1st vs A2 2nd

Match No. 12: A1 2nd vs A2 1st

March 16

Match No. 13: loser 9 vs loser 10

Match No. 14: winner 9 vs winner 10

Match No. 15: loser 11 vs loser 12

Match No. 16: winner 11 vs winner 12

Previous Plenty of Nothing coverage of the All Japan Women's Hockey Championship:

43rd (2024), won by Seibu Princess Rabbits.

42nd (2023), won by Road Construction Peregrine.

41st (2022), cancelled.

40th (2021), won by Road Construction Peregrine.

39th (2020), cancelled.

38th (2019), won by Road Construction Peregrine.

Masset 1912

An unknown Emily Carr recently turned up in upstate New York. Source.

He Who Is Without Mathematics Shall Not Enter

Which is to say, nae eejits. Niddry Street South, Edinburgh. Source.

Moosehead Presidential Pack

Source.

Montreal at Boston, March 9, 1941

Paul Bibeault. Source.

Paul Bibeault made the jump from the Habs' QSHL farm team in March 1941. His first NHL game came on March 6th, a 4 - 3 win against the Leafs. On March 8th he gave up 4 goals in a 4 - 0 loss to Detroit. March 9th in Boston was his third start in four days. It was a bad night.

Boston scored four in the first period off the sticks of Bobby Bauer, Flash Hollett, Herb Cain and Dit Clapper. The Bruins added three more in the second period, courtesy Roy Conacher, Art Jackson and Bobby Bauer again. Art Jackson scored again in the third. 8 - 0 Boston.

Bibeault played one more game that season, sharing the goaltending duties with Bert Gardiner in a 6 - 0 win over the New York Americans.

The Habs stuck with him. He had 38 games in 1941-42, and 50 in 1942-43. He was traded to the Leafs the next year, the Bruins the next year, back to Montreal in 1945, and to the Black Hawks in 1946. Ultimately he played 215 NHL games and was named a second-team All Star in 1944.

The Bruins were now 2 points up on Toronto at the top of the league.

Hard Greenock

Greenock Police Office, 1877. Source.

Morton host Ayr United. Ayr are second in the Championship with 54 points, Morton seventh with 31. Morton have lost three in a row, as they did around the end of October 2024. Last season they lost four in a row twice and five in row once, and still they finished fifth.

The other Championship matches:

Queen's Park 2 - 3 Ayr United (March 4)

Airdrieonians 0 - 3 Falkirk (March 4)

Livingston 0 - 0 Raith Rovers (March 5)

Airdrieonians (10th) [2 - 1] Hamilton Academical (8th)

Falkirk (1st) [1 - 0] Dunfermline Athletic (9th)

[Morton win 2 - 1 on goals by Blues and Davies. Red card for Corr.]

It's the Scottish Cup quarter-finals:

Hearts 3 - 1 Dundee (yesterday)

Aberdeen [4 - 1] Queen's Park

Celtic [2 - 0] Hibs (tomorrow)

Hibs were bottom of the Premiership on December 13th. Today they're in third place. Hibs beat Celtic 2 - 1 on February 22nd.

Livingston [0 - 1] St Johnstone (Monday)

When did each of these quarter-finalists last appear in the Scottish Cup final?

2024    Celtic

2022    Hearts

2021    St Johnstone; Hibs

2017    Aberdeen

2003    Dundee

not yet    Livingston (founded 1943)

1900    Queen's Park

Other matches:

Cowdenbeath 2 - 2 Civil Service Strollers (March 4)

Brora Rangers 1 - 0 Nairn County (March 5)

UCD 1 - 1 Finn Harps (yesterday)

Elfen Saitama [4 - 0] Mynavi Sendai

Odd [3 - 3] Egersund (friendly)

Sandefjord [1 - 0] Odd Kvinner (friendly)

Nairn County [0 - 1] Inverurie Loco Works

Civil Service Strollers [0 - 0] East Stirlingshire

Shotts Bon Accord [2 - 4] Largs Thistle

Giffnock [1 - 4] Carluke Rovers

Stonehaven [0 - 2] Culter

FC Isle of Man [2 - 3] Squires Gate

MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps [2 - 0] CF Montréal

Oita Trinita [0 - 0] Mito HollyHock (tomorrow)

Veertien Mie [1 - 1] Iwate Grulla Morioka (tomorrow)

The 2025 Japan Football League begins. Let's follow Grulla Morioka, who are newly relegated from J3. When J3 was formed in 2014 Grulla were promoted directly into it from the Tohoku league, so this is Grulla's first time in the JFL.

East Fife [8 - 1] Morton Women (tomorrow)

Scottish Junior Cup, QF:

Johnstone Burgh [0 - 0] Irvine Meadow [Burgh win on PK]

UEFA Europa League, Round of 16, first leg:

Fenerbahçe 1 - 3 Rangers (March 6)

AFC Champions League Elite, Round of 16, first leg:

Shanghai Port 0 - 1 Yokohama F. Marinos (March 4)

Shanghai Shenhua 1 - 0 Kawasaki Frontale (March 5)

Vissel Kobe 2 - 0 Gwangju (March 5)

AFC Champions League Two, QF, first leg:

Sanfrecce Hiroshima 6 - 1 Lion City Sailors (March 5)

Concacaf Champions Cup, Round of 16, first leg:

Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 1 Monterrey (March 5)

Historical matches:

1902/3/8        Queen's Park 1 - 1 Morton

This concluded the 1901-02 Scottish League Division One season. Morton finished in last place.

1941/3/8        Albion Rovers 5 - 2 Morton

2003/3/8        Queen's Park 0 - 1 Morton

Goal by John Adam.

Buy Canadian, 1958

Source.

Space Command 1953-54

Source.