Plenty of Nothing

Hockey at SMU, 1980-81

Hockey on the frozen football field, Saint Mary's, 1980-81. Source.

Tilburg Trappers versus Herner EV

Source.

Now we're talking. Tilburg Trappers and Herner EV occupy the top two positions in the league. If Tilburg win this one they clinch first place.

Herne have handed Tilburg two of their four losses this season. Erfurt and Rostock got the other two upsets. Games between Herne and Tilburg:

2019/10/11    Herner EV 4 - 3 Tilburg Trappers

2019/11/15    Tilburg Trappers 6 - 3 Herner EV

2019/12/22    Herner EV 7 - 2 Tilburg Trappers

Herner Eissport-Verein came to be through the merger of two clubs in 2001. They reorganized in 2007 as part of their promotion effort and got into the Oberliga in 2008. In 2016-17 they finished first in the Oberliga Nord. They play at Hannibal-Arena, which can accommodate 3,700 spectators. Three teams in DEL2 have smaller rinks.

Herne is another of those Rhein-Ruhr cities that come in boxes of twelve. It's known as Die Goldene Stadt and coincidentally is the home town of Gert Fröbe, who played Bond villain Auric Goldfinger.

Canadian Patrick Asselin plays for Herner EV.

[Tilburg win 7 - 1 and secure the Oberliga Nord title.]

Plutarch Cigarette Card

Source.

The Captain Molly Kool

Source. Molly Kool.

The Wallace Tower

The neo-Gothic Wallace Tower was built in 1832 to bring Ayr's High Street into the nineteenth century. Source. See also.

Morton visit Ayr United. Ayr are third in the division with 35 points, Morton seventh with 28. Ayr have beaten Morton twice already this season and at this point are the only club that can sweep them.

Morton are riding a streak of three consecutive draws. The last time they had three draws in a row was February/March 2014. The last time they had four in a row was January 2009. The club record is five draws, recorded October to November 1989. (Fitbastats shows a string of six draws in 1991, but one of the ones in the middle was a Scottish Cup replay that was decided by penalty kicks.) Inverness CT had seven in row from September to November 2018.

Ayr's manager Mark Kerr has played for six of the 2019-20 Championship clubs, but not Morton.

[Match postponed.]

The other Championship matches:

Alloa (9th) 0 - 0 Dundee United (1st) (last night)

Arbroath (6th) [2 - 0] QoS (8th)

Dunfermline vs Inverness CT (postponed)

Partick vs Dundee was played last weekend.

League One:

Airdrieonians (3rd) [2 - 0] Clyde (8th)

East Fife (4th) [1 - 0] Peterhead (7th)

Forfar (9th) [1 - 1] Stranraer (10th)

Montrose (5th) [2 - 1] Dumbarton (6th)

Raith Rovers vs Falkirk (postponed to March 3rd)

It's the semi-finals of the Scottish Challenge Cup.

Partick Thistle 1 - 2 Raith Rovers (last night)

Inverness CT [2 - 1] Rangers colts (tomorrow)

Boyd Tunnock, whose confectionary company Tunnock's sponsors the Challenge Cup, was knighted shortly after the quarter-finals, and has now taken up residence in the Wallace Tower. Story.

1907-08. Morton visited Hearts and played them to a 2 - 2 draw.

1963-64. Morton visited Berwick Rangers and won 1 - 3.

SPFL Reserve League: Ross County 3 - 2 Morton (Feb 10)

Round One of the Scottish Women's Championship Cup is tomorrow. But Morton have a bye into Round Two.

Jim McInally's managerial record against Morton:

2014/8/23      Peterhead 1 - 2 Morton      league

2014/12/20    Morton 0 - 1 Peterhead     league

2015/2/28      Peterhead 1 - 3 Morton      league

2015/5/2        Morton 3 - 1 Peterhead      league

2018/11/24    Morton 1 - 1 Peterhead      Scottish Cup

2018/11/27    Peterhead 0 - 3 Morton      Scottish Cup

The Lowland League has announced that it intends to set up a tier-VI West of Scotland League. Count on Clydebank to get in on that.

Former Lowland League clubs: where are they now?

Edinburgh City    --    League Two

Hawick Royal Albert    --    EoSFL Div 1 Conf B

Preston Athletic    --    EoSFL Div 1 Conf B

Selkirk    --    dissolved

Threave Rovers    --    South of Scotland League

Whitehill Welfare    --    EoSFL Premier Div

Swiss Challenge League: Winterthur [1 - 0] Lausanne-Ouchy (tomorrow)

AFC Champions League East, group stage, matchday 1 (midweek):

Group F: Ulsan Hyundai 1 - 1 FC Tokyo

Group G: Vissel Kobe 5 - 1 Johor Darul Ta'zim

Group H: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1 - 2 Yokohama F. Marinos

The schedule for the AFC Champions League East has been rewritten so that no games involving Chinese clubs take place in February or March, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Iwaki FC have two training games this weekend:

Iwaki FC [5 - 1] Ryutsu Keizai University (today)

Iwaki FC [2 - 1] Kokugakuin University (tomorrow)

Copa Libertadores, Second Stage, second leg (Feb 12):

Atlético Tucumán 2 - 0 The Strongest

Tucumán advance on penalty kicks.

Bolivian league: The Strongest [1 - 0] Municipal Vinto

Tuesday the Canadian Premier League officially unveiled its new club Atlético Ottawa. The head coach will be Miguel Ángel Ferrer Martínez, called Mista, who was a star with Valencia in his playing days. The Ottawa team colours will be red, white and blue, like Atlético de Madrid, and not red, white and black like a team from Ottawa.

York9 have signed their second Japanese player, Fugo Segawa, who up till now has played mostly in Finland.

Former HFX Wanderer Duran Lee has signed with Edmonton.

Saale Bulls Halle versus Tilburg Trappers

Source.

Saale Bulls Halle come from Halle an der Saale in Saxony-Anhalt in the former GDR. It's important to mention the Saale because there's a Halle in Hesse too.

The Bulls play at the Sparkassen-Eisdom, which can accommodate 1500 to 2500 spectators.

The Halle roster includes Canadians Mark Heatley, Kyle Helms and Tyler Mosienko. Tyler Mosienko is the grandson of Hall of Famer Bill Mosienko, and probably sick of hearing about it.

Tilburg hold first place. Halle are seventh.

[Tilburg score five in the third period to win 5 - 3.]

Lillehammer Winter Olympics Sweater

Designed by Margaretha Finseth. Source.

Admiral Byrd's Antarctic Snow Cruiser

Thunderbirds are Go!

Admiral Byrd brought this enormous and mostly useless Snow Cruiser to Antarctica in 1939. Source. Watch this video.

Asahi Hockey Team 1919-20

Source.

Sweet Canada Postage Stamps

Source.