Plenty of Nothing

Farley Mowat

Source. Farley Mowat.

Die Muschel von Margate

Teresa Stratas sings Kurt Weill's song about Shell Oil, "Die Muschel von Margate". Petroleum is our Fatherland.

The Basilica of Constantine

The Basilica of Constantine in Trier was built in the 4th century and spent the Middle Ages as the residence of the Bishop of Trier. It became a Protestant church in the 19th century, and was burnt out in an air raid in 1944. A new organ was installed in 2014. Listen to it.

Barrington and Sackville

Beith

Beith FC existed as a senior club from 1875 to 1938, and were briefly members of the SFL's ill-fated original Third Division. In 1938 they became Beith Juniors.

[Today's match against Beith Juniors is postponed because the pitch is frozen solid.]

It's Round Three of the Scottish Cup. Morton [don't] travel to Beith, Ayrshire, to meet Beith Juniors, the Scottish Junior Cup holders. Beith have played five matches to get to this round, scoring 16 goals and allowing two. Their goalkeeper is Stephen Grindlay who had a long career with Dumbarton plus spells with Queen of the South and Ayr United. Defender Mark McLaughlin once played for Morton.

In Scottish football the terms senior and junior don't mean older and younger but something more like what North Americans express as major league and minor league.

Have Morton and Beith played before? I can't find any record of it, but the 1870s were a long time ago. Beith have won the Ayrshire Cup three times, so they must have had plenty to do with Kilmarnock and Ayr.

Beith is about ten miles inland from Largs, in a puddle of cold shadow.

Beith's route to this game:

PR1    Newton Stewart 0 - 4 Beith

PR2    Beith 2 - 2 Auchinleck Talbot

           Auchinleck Talbot 0 - 3 Beith

R1       Beith 6 - 0 Strathspey Thistle

R2       BSC Glasgow 0 - 1 Beith

Last weekend in Scottish Junior Cup Third Round action Beith defeated Islavale 9 - 0.

R2       Vale of Clyde 0 - 3 Beith

[Because the Scottish Cup is governed by the SFA instead of the SPFL it has a somewhat different rulebook. Beith have the right to a Saturday game, whereas in the SPFL a postponed match would almost always be played on a Tuesday. Today's cancelled game will go next Saturday (weather permitting) and displace Morton's league game against Raith Rovers. That one will certainly be moved to a Tuesday. Raith played last Tuesday, but are idle today, so they could ask for the game to be moved forward to November 29th. Or even today. But those dates are probably too abrupt for Morton, making December 6th more likely.]

Some other matches:

Albion Rovers vs Queen of the South [postponed]

Bonnyrigg Rose [0 - 0] Dumbarton

Brechin vs Ayr [postponed]

Buckie Thistle [3 - 5] Dunfermline

St Mirren vs Spartans [postponed]

Stranraer vs East Kilbride [postponed]

Hibs, Dundee United, Raith and Falkirk join will join the competition in the next round.

The last time I looked, Ladbrokes had Morton at 1 in 125 to win the Cup. Dumbarton were 1 in 250. Queen's Park were 1 in 750. All three have won the Cup before.

Tomorrow it's Celtic versus Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup final. These two clubs met in the cup final in 1976-77. Aberdeen won. They met again in 1999-00. Celtic won. This is the third encounter.

Altogether Celtic have won the League Cup 15 times, Aberdeen 6.

One of the many changes made to the Scottish League Cup format this year was to move the date of the final into the first half of the season. Once upon a time the League Cup was played entirely in the first half of the season, and the Scottish Cup entirely in the second half. So we're halfway there again.

So this is the second Scottish League Cup final for calendar year 2016. When was the last time there were two League Cup finals in the same calendar year? 1984. To balance it out cosmically, there was no League Cup final in 1999.

[Aberdeen 0 - 3 Celtic. Celtic win the League Cup.]

Which current SPFL clubs have never beaten Celtic?

Alloa, Berwick, Brechin, Elgin, Forfar, Livingston, Montrose, Peterhead, Stenhousemuir, Stranraer. Plus there's the new Airdrieonians, the new Edinburgh City, and Annan Athletic, who have never played Celtic.

1898-99. 118 years ago Morton travelled to Leith and lost 3 - 2 to Leith Athletic.

Glasgow Herald, November 28, 1898 (page 11):

    LEITH ATHLETIC V. GREENOCK MORTON -- At Beechwood Park, Leith. There was only a fair attendance owing to bad weather. During the first half Leith had rather the best of matters. Gardner scored twice, and shortly before the [half] Armstrong got a third goal. Greenock in the second half recovered themselves and played a steady game, Dale and Reid each getting a goal. The finishing stages were rather in favour of the home team. Result:--Leith Athletic, 3 goals; Greenock Morton, 2 goals. Teams:--Leith Athletic--Oswald; White and Boyd; Armstrong, Wood, and Low; Gardner and Walker; Dryburgh, Laidlaw, and Fotheringham. Morton--M'Pherson; Anderson and Orr; Colligan*, Henderson and Lynn; Dale and Hunter; Reid, Newlands and Skinner. Referee, Mr. Marshall (Third Lanark). *He's either Calligan or Colligan, I don't know which.

Have Morton ever played Keith? They have not.

AFC Champions League final, second leg: Al-Ain [1 - 1] Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. [Jeonbuk win on aggregate and are championships of Asia.]

UEFA Champions League Group C Wednesday: Celtic 0 - 2 Barcelona. It's virtually impossible now for Celtic to advance even into the Europa League.

How is FC Zürich like Greenock Morton?

Very little. About the only thing they have in common is the colour combination white and blue. FC Zürich is one of the most successful clubs in Switzerland, with 12 league titles, 9 Swiss Cups, and a long list of European matches. They play in the 25,000-seat Letzigrund, which they groundshare with their arch-rival Grasshopper Club Zürich. I would say that FC Zürich are Hibs if I hadn't already said that Servette are Hibs, so FC Zürich are Dundee United.

Hurlford United vs Largs Thistle [postponed]

Brora Rangers [4 - 3] Strathspey Thistle

The Madness of Heracles

The Madness of Heracles in mosaic form in the Villa Torre de Palma, Portugal. See here for more antiquities from Roman Lusitania.

Gaul Is Divided Into Three Parts

Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur.

Latin to English via Google Translate:

All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in our Gauls, the third.

Latin to French to English:

All Gaul is divided into three parts, the Belgians live, Aquitanians another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in our Gauls, the third.

Latin to German to English:

All Gaul is divided into three parts, of which the Belgians inhabit, the Aquitians others, are Celts those who are called in their own language, in our Gaul, the third.

 

Latin to Scots Gaelic to English:

 

All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of the Belgae live, Aquitani the other, those who in their own language called Celts, in our Gauls, the third.

 

Latin to Japanese to English:

 

One of three parts of all of Gaul is group Belgic inhabit them, Aquitani other, our Gauls in their own words, in the third, is divided into people who have been referred to as the Celts.

Abashiri Prison Stout

The front gate of Abashiri Prison appears on the label of Abashiri Prison Stout, and in the 1965 film Abashiri Bangaichi. And here.

Astroblemes of Québec: Pingualuit

The Pingualuit Crater. Source.

Crimson Leaves Map

Which do you prefer, spring or autumn? This annually occuring problem has tasked the Japanese for centuries, so it's not surprising that Japanese weather forecasters have developed maps to help the populace keep track of developments. Compare this crimson leaves map to the sakura maps of spring. Source (see the October 17, 2016 entry).