Plenty of Nothing

Les Bas-Bleus

"... dussent-ils me maudire ..." A rising poet delivers her manifesto in Honoré Daumier's series of female caricatures, Les Bas-Bleus, on display at the Fleming Museum in Burlington, Vermont, until May 20th.

Forte Spagnolo

The Spanish Fort was built in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, in 1534 by Viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo to nail down the northern edge of Spain's Italian empire. Source.

Saarland in the French Empire

Following the 1789 Revolution, the French quickly conquered all the states on the left bank of the Rhine and reorganized them into departments. They created a Department of the Sarre which despite the name extended quite a distance beyond the River Moselle. Present day Saarland covers the southern part of La Sarre and bits of Moselle, Du Mont Tonnerre and Forêt.

Prince Hirohito Visits Taiwan, 1923

Crown Prince Hirohito spent a couple of weeks in Taiwan in April 1923 inspecting things, in this case the Taiwan Grand Shrine, which he trooped around on April 17th. This was the top Shinto shrine in the colony. There's a hotel there now. Source.

Onjuku, Chiba

Onjuku, Chiba by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957). Source.

Another Geranium

Art Nouveau Greenock

Art Nouveau glass from a Greenock tenement. Source.

Morton host Queen of the South. So far this season Morton have a win, a draw and a loss against QoS, with scoring even at four goals apiece.

Is Stephen Dobbie playing? Dobbie is the Championship's top scorer with 15 goals. [He's in the starting line-up.]

St Mirren can earn promotion with a draw or a win against Livi. Falkirk can secure eighth place if they beat Dundee United and Inverness beat Dumbarton. Falkirk, QoS and Ayr United can qualify for the 2018-19 Championship today.

The playoff situation: Dunfermline and Dundee United sit third and fourth, each with 52 points, though United have a game in hand. Morton are fifth with 50 points. Morton can move into third with a win coupled with losses by the Pars and Tangerines. If Brechin are to win one game this season, now would be a good time for them to do it.

A likelier scenario is Falkirk beating Dundee United. What is the Tangerines' record against Falkirk this season? A win, a draw and a 1 - 6 loss.

Including today, what games have Dunfermline, Dundee United, Morton and Inverness CT remaining?

Dunfermline (52 pts): Brechin, ICT, Dumbarton

Dundee United (52 pts): Falkirk, Brechin, QoS, Livi

Morton (50 pts): QoS, St Mirren, ICT

ICT (44 pts): Dumbarton, Dumbarton, Dunfermline, Livi, Morton

If every game ends in a draw the final table will read: Dundee United 56, Dunfermline 55, Morton 53, ICT 49.

If every team beats the team below it in the standings the final table will read: Dunfermline 61, Dundee United 61, Morton 56, ICT 50.

If every game goes according to the season's previous results between those two teams, it'll end something like this:

Dunfermline: WWW for 61 pts

Dundee United: DWWL for 59 pts

Morton: DWW for 57 pts

ICT: WLLLL for 47 pts

But this doesn't show that Inverness are on a streak and could be even with Morton when they play on Helicopter Saturday. 

With three games remaining, how many points can Morton earn?

0        three losses

1        one draw, two losses

2        two draws, one loss

3        three draws

3        one win, two losses

4        one win, one draw, one loss

5        one win, two draws

6        two wins, one loss

7        two wins, one draw

9        three wins

Note that there are two ways to earn three points, and no way to earn eight points.

Given that Dundee United appear ready to take seven points, Morton must earn nine. Then they will each finish with 59 points, but Morton's superior goal difference will give them the edge.

The other games: Dundee United [1 - 0] Falkirk; Dunfermline [4 - 0] Brechin; St Mirren [0 - 0] Livi; ICT [5 - 1] Dumbarton.

[QoS win 0 - 1. Today's loss makes a playoff appearance by Morton very unlikely. Meanwhile, St Mirren win the division, and QoS become the first verified member of the 2018-19 Championship. Cowdenbeath earn the SPFL wooden spoon. The Spartans win the Lowland League.]

Distance between top and bottom. Coming into today's action first place and tenth place are 66 points apart. Since 1994 (the beginning of the modern age), when have top and bottom in the second tier been furthest apart? At the end of 1998-99; Hibs had 89 and Stranraer 17, for a difference of 72 points.

When were top and bottom closest at the end of a season? At the end of 2008-09 St Johnstone had 65 pts and Clyde 39, only 26 points apart. And although you could say that St Johnstone were the least best winner and Clyde the least worst loser, St Johnstone have stayed in the top league ever since and Clyde have never made it back up to the second tier.

In 1998-99, when did Stranraer know they could not win the division? January 9th.

In 2008-09, when did Clyde know they could not win the division? March 21st.

1978-79. April 11th, Morton beat St Mirren 1 - 0 at Cappielow. Andy Ritchie.

April 14th Hibs came to visit. It was a 2 - 2 draw. Thomson and Ritchie.

1933-34. April 9th, Morton hosted Kilmarnock in the semi-final of the South Western Counties Cup and lost 0 - 2. This cup competition existed for four years in the 1930s. Morton won it in 1935-36.

April 14th, Morton were home to Dunfermline and lost 0 - 2.

Since 1994, which tier II clubs have finished fifth and sixth?

1994-95        St Johnstone, Hamilton

1995-96        Dundee, St Mirren

1996-97        Falkirk, Partick Thistle

1997-98        Morton, St Mirren

1998-99        St Mirren, Morton

1999-00        Raith Rovers, Inverness CT

2000-01        Clyde, Ross County

2001-02        Clyde, Inverness CT

2002-03        Queen of the South, Ayr United

2003-04        Queen of the South, Ross County

2004-05        Airdrie United, Ross County

2005-06        Clyde, Airdrie United

2006-07        Clyde, Livingston

2007-08        Dunfermline, Partick Thistle

2008-09        Queen of the South, Morton

2009-10        Ross County, Partick Thistle

2010-11        Partick Thistle, Dundee

2011-12        Livingston, Partick Thistle

2012-13        Hamilton, Raith Rovers

2013-14        Dumbarton, Livingston

2014-15        Falkirk, Raith Rovers

2015-16        Morton, St Mirren

2016-17        Dunfermline, Queen of the South

Most times in the middle:

5        Partick Thistle

4        Clyde, Ross County, St Mirren, Morton, QoS

Oh yeah. It's also the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Celtic [4 - 0] Rangers

Motherwell [3 - 0] Aberdeen

Has this set of four met in the semi-finals before?

Yes, in 1953-54. Celtic beat Motherwell in a replay. Aberdeen beat Rangers. Celtic beat Aberdeen in the final.

Four possible Scottish Cup finals can come from this weekend's semi-finals. How often have they occured before?

7 times    Celtic/Aberdeen

6 times    Rangers/Aberdeen

4 times    Celtic/Motherwell

never       Rangers/Motherwell

And it's the first leg of the Scottish Junior Cup semi-finals:

Auchinleck Talbot [0 - 1] Lochee United

Wishaw Juniors [0 - 1] Hurlford United

Elsewhere:

Abruzzo: Vastese [1 - 2] Francavilla

League of Ireland, First Division: UCD [3 -2] Finn Harps

Allsvenskan: GIF Sundsvall [2 - 2] Malmö FF

SJFA West Super First Division: Largs Thistle [1 - 0] Cambuslang Rangers

SWFL Division 1 South: Rangers Development [4 - 2] Morton

J2: Mito HollyHock [1 - 0] Zweigen Kanazawa

Kanto Soccer League: VONDS Ichihara [1 - 0] Toyko 23 FC

Kanto University Soccer League, Division 1: U of Tsukuba [2 - 3] Waseda U

71st Aomori Prefecture Soccer Championship, quarter-finals:

Aomori University [0 - 1] Blancdieu Hirosaki

Gonohe SC [0 - 7] Hachinohe Gakuin University

USL: Pittsburgh Riverhounds [1 - 0] Ottawa Fury

Regionalliga Südwest: VfB Stuttgart II [2 - 1] 1. FC Saarbrücken

The Black Heart of North America

1912-13 Scottish Cup Final

FALKIRK, 2; RAITH ROVERS, 0.

Scottish Cup -- Final Tie.

    At Celtic Park. Estimated attendance, 45,000. Drawings -- Gate-money, £1000; stands, £350; total, £1350.

    Teams:--

    Falkirk--Stewart; Orrock and Donaldson; M'Donald, Logan, and M'Millan; M'Naught and Gibbons; Robertson; Croal and Terrie.

    Raith Rovers--M'Leod; Morrison and Cumming; J. Gibson, Logan, and Anderson; Cranston and Graham; Martin, Gourlay and F. Gibson.

    Referee--T. Robertson (Glasgow).

    Martin kicked off, and Falkirk were first to attack, Morrison clearing as Robertson rushed in on goal. The Rovers made headway on the left through F. Gibson, who centred, but Martin missed a good scoring chance. M'Naught transferred play to the other end, but Croal shot over. A bright movement by M'Naught looked well for Falkirk, but Morrison intercepted M'Millan's cross and yielded a corner. A strong attack by Robertson and Croal was too much for the opposing defence, and after M'Leod had saved from Croal Robertson scored. The Rovers played much improved football after this reverse, but in spite of good work by Cranston and a great drive by Gourlay Stewart managed to prevent the equaliser. Gibson had an opening later from a pass by Gourlay, but his shot ws very wide of the mark. The concluding stages of the first half were more evenly contested, and at half-time Falkirk led by a goal.

    Although the Rovers had the wind in the second half Falkirk were the first to become dangerous. Robertson, a trifle slow in getting in his kick, was prevented from scoring by Morrison. Before long the Rovers began to profit by the wind, but a fine cross by F. Gibson was driven past by Gourlay. M'Naught had a grand run and centre, and after some exciting work in front of goal Logan, who was up amongst the forwards, beat M'Leod close in. The Rovers' forwards continued to attack persistently, but Gibson, in attempting to score instead of centring, threw away chances of getting the better of Stewart. Orrock and Donaldson, assisted by Logan, defended well, and although Cranston occasionally got in a centre Stewart was able for all the work that came his way. Falkirk were dangerous, especially on the right, but Morrison and Cumming prevented Robertson from utilising M'Naught's centres. Near the end the Rovers applied severe pressure, but there continued to be a lack of method at goal, and no further scoring resulted in a disappointing final. Goal-scorers:--Falkirk--Robertson and Logan.

    Glasgow Herald, April 14, 1913, p. 13. Picture.

Edo Whale

Source.