Plenty of Nothing

Eleanor Rigby

A statue of Eleanor Rigby in Liverpool. Source.

What Is Isabel de Borbón Wearing?

Source.

By Rodrigo de Villandrando. Source.

Also by Villandrando. Source.

By Velázquez. Source.

Royal Ryukyu

The FBI recently returned a trove of artifacts looted from Okinawa by someone in the US military at the end of WWII. This is a detail from a scroll depicting the government of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which had quite a Chinese aesthetic for a place that is now part of Japan. NPR. CNN.

Granny Kempock

Granny Kempock is a standing stone located up the Kempock Steps on Castle Brae in Gourock. Source.

Morton host Raith Rovers. Morton are fifth with 44 points and will not appear in either the promotion or relegation playoffs. Raith are second with 65 points.

Raith have had the better of this season's competition against Morton, with two wins and a draw. The last Morton player to score on Raith was Iain Wilson, on October 31st. Aidan Connolly has two goals against Morton this season.

[Morton 0 - 0 Raith Rovers.]

[Dunfermline Athletic and Ayr United join Falkirk and Morton in next season's Championship.]

The other Championship matches:

Airdrieonians (4th) 0 - 0 Dundee United (1st) (last night)*

Dundee United win the division and will play in the Premiership next season.

*This was a Plenty of Nothing Consolation Cup Round One match. [Airdrie advance on the corner kick rule.]

Arbroath (10th) [0 - 5] Queen's Park (9th)

Dunfermline (6th) [1 - 1] Inverness CT (8th)**

**This is a Plenty of Nothing Consolation Cup semi-final. [ICT advance on the yellow card rule.]

Partick Thistle (3rd) [0 - 0] Ayr United (7th)***

***This is the Plenty of Nothing Championship League Cup final. [Partick win on the yellow card rule.]

Pyramid playoff, first leg:

East Kilbride vs Buckie Thistle

[The Scottish FA has expelled Buckie Thistle from the pyramid playoff, citing the club's lack of a Bronze License. East Kilbride advance directly to the final against Team 42.]

The Highland League leads the Lowland League 3 to 1 in head-to-head competition this year:

2023/9/23      Gala Fairydean Rovers (LL) 8 - 2 Strathspey Thistle (HL)    ScCup R1

2023/9/23      Caledonian Braves (LL) 1 - 2 Fraserburgh (HL)    ScCup R1

2023/9/23      East Stirlingshire (LL) 0 -1 Huntly (HL)    ScCup R1

2023/9/23      Brora Rangers (HL) 5 - 1 Berwick Rangers (LL)    ScCup R1

Other matches:

Treaty United 0 - 2 UCD (yesterday)

Sheikh Russel 0 - 1 Abahani Dhaka (yesterday)

HFX Wanderers [1 - 3] Atletico Ottawa [HFX goal by Riley Ferrazzo.]

Sigma [0 - 2] Scrosoppi (yesterday) [Goal for Skublak.]

League1 Ontario begins. The league has been sorted into two divisions, with our guys Scrosoppi FC in the top division.

Ex-HFX Wanderer Tomas Skublak, League1 Ontario's top scorer in 2023, is back at Scrosoppi. He's a real estate agent now so it's unlikely you'll see him back again in the minimum wage CanPL.

Glenavon [1 - 2] Carrick Rangers

Arbroath Victoria 1 - 1 East Craigie (April 24)

East Craigie [2 - 2] Bridge of Don Thistle

Easthouses Lily [1 - 2] Peebles Rovers

FH [0 - 4] Þór/KA

Mito HollyHock [2 - 3] Fujieda MYFC

Maruyasu Okazaki [1 - 1] ReinMeer Aomori

Sfida Setagaya [2 - 2] Orca Kamogawa (tomorrow)

Aberdeenshire Cup final (April 23):

Inverurie Loco Works 0 - 0 Buckie Thistle (Inverurie win on PK)

Swiss Cup, semi-finals:

Sion [0 - 2] Lugano

Winterthur [0 - 1] Servette (tomorrow)

2023-24 Women's Scottish Cup semi-finals:

Rangers [2 - 0] Celtic

Spartans [0 - 3] Hearts (tomorrow)

AFC Champions League SF, second leg (April 24):

Yokohama F Marinos 3 - 2 Ulsan HD

(3 - 3 on aggregate. Yokohama advance on PK.)

2024 Canadian Championship preliminary round:

Cavalry 1 - 0 Vancouver FC (April 23)

Toronto FC 5 - 0 Simcoe County Rovers (April 24)

Times that CanPL teams beat MLS teams in the Canadian Championship:

2019/7/24      Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 2 Cavalry FC

2021/8/26      Pacific FC 4 - 3 Vancouver Whitecaps

Times that League1 teams beat CanPL teams in the Canadian Championship:

2019/5/22      HFX Wanderers 0 - 1 Vaughan Azzurri

2023/4/19      TSS Rovers 3 - 1 Valour FC

2023-24 SPFL League X:

Cowdenbeath         6    3    1    2      8      8     0    10        (10th)

Berwick Rangers    6    3    0    3      9      8   +1      9        (13th)

East Stirlingshire    6    3    0    3    11    12    -1      9        (14th)

Albion Rovers         6    2    1    3      7      7     0      7          (9th)

Historical matches:

1883/4/28      Vale of Leven 4 - 0 Morton

1968/4/24      Dundee 0 - 3 Morton

1996/4/27      Dumbarton 0 - 1 Morton

Goal by John Anderson.

Arthurlie FC 1907-08:

1908/4/11      East Stirlingshire 2 - 2 Arthurlie    SFL2

1908/4/8        Arthurlie 0 - 2 Johnstone    RCup SF 3rd replay

1908/4/6        Arthurlie 1 - 1 Johnstone    RCup SF 2nd replay

1908/3/23      Arthurlie 2 - 2 Johnstone    RCup SF replay

1908/3/21      Arthurlie 3 - 2 Cowdenbeath    SFL2

1908/3/14      Arthurlie 2 - 1 East Stirlingshire    SFL2

1908/3/7        St Bernard's 1 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1908/2/29      Dumbarton Harp 1 - 0 Arthurlie    ConCup R4 replay

1908/2/22      Dumbarton Harp vs Arthurlie (abandoned)    ConCup R4

1908/2/15      Arthurlie 1 - 3 Ayr FC    SFL2

1908/2/8        Albion Rovers 5 - 2 Arthurlie    SFL2

1908/2/8        bye    ConCup R3

1908/2/1        Leith Athletic 2 - 1 Arthurlie    SFL2

1908/1/25      Arthurlie 4 - 1 Hurlford    ConCup R2 replay

1908/1/18      Hurlford 2 - 2 Arthurlie    ConCup R2

1908/1/11      Arthurlie 5 - 0 Girvan Athletic    ConCup R1

1908/1/4        East Stirlingshire vs Arthurlie (postponed)    SFL2

1908/1/2        Johnstone 1 - 1 Arthurlie    RCup SF

1907/12/28    Ayr Parkhouse 2 - 1 Arthurlie    SFL2

1907/12/14    Arthurlie 3 - 1 Raith Rovers    SFL2

1907/12/7      Vale of Leven 1 - 1 Arthurlie    SFL2

1907/11/30    Arthurlie 0 - 1 Abercorn    SFL2

1907/11/23    Raith Rovers 4 - 2 Arthurlie    SFL2

1907/11/16    Arthurlie vs East Stirlingshire (abandoned)    SFL2

1907/11/9      Abercorn 3 - 3 Arthurlie    SFL2

1907/11/2      Arthurlie 3 - 1 Leith Athletic    SFL2

1907/10/26    Arthurlie 0 - 0 Dumbarton    SFL2

1907/10/19    Ayr FC 2 - 2 Arthurlie    SFL2

1907/10/12    Arthurlie 2 - 1 Vale of Leven    SFL2

1907/10/5      Cowdenbeath 1 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1907/9/28      Arthurlie 1 - 4 St Bernard's    SFL2

1907/9/21      Arthurlie 0 - 1 Johnstone    QCup R2

1907/9/7        Arthurlie 5 - 1 Paisley Academicals    QCup R1

1907/8/31      Arthurlie 2 - 1 Ayr Parkhouse    SFL2

1907/8/24      Dumbarton 6 - 2 Arthurlie    SFL2

1907/8/20      Thornliebank wo-scr Arthurlie    RCup R2

1907/8/19      bye    RCup R1

1907/8/17      Arthurlie 0 - 1 Albion Rovers    SFL2

(Sources: London Hearts for the SFL Division Two; The Beautiful Dribbling Game for the Qualifying Cup and the Consolation Cup; Scottish Football Historical Archive for the Renfrewshire Cup; the Glasgow Herald for 1907/11/16 and 1908/1/4.)

Joan Hughes

Joan Hughes, a World War Two ferry pilot in the Air Transport Auxiliary, had a long career as an aviator and even flew a replica Santos-Dumont Mademoiselle monoplane in the 1965 film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Source.

Source.

Emperor Antoku Enters the Water

Nojima Hiromi performs 壇ノ浦　ー安徳天皇入水ーより (From Dan-no-ura: Emperor Antoku Enters the Water) on the biwa. Listen.

 

PWHL: Boston at Ottawa

Women's hockey has come a long way in terms of paid attendance. I watched an Ottawa Raiders game with about 25 other people at the Barbara Ann Scott Arena in the days of the first NWHL. Source.

Boston visits Ottawa looking to move into a playoff spot. Ottawa is fourth with 30 points and a game in hand. Boston is fifth with 28. Toronto is already into the playoffs, and Montreal and Minnesota should soon join them. If Ottawa win in regulation time today they will eliminate sixth-place New York. New York is the only team that could be described as a bust this first PWHL season, less for the hockey than for the attendance. (See below.) It would not be a surprise if they got relocated to Detroit in the off-season.

The PWHL's championship trophy has been named the Walter Cup, after the league owner.

[3 - 2. Ottawa win in the shoot-out.]

How many points did Ottawa players earn in the 2024 Women's Worlds?

                                G    A    P

Akane Shiga            2    3    5

Emily Clark               2    1    3

Aneta Tejralová        1    2    3

Tereza Vanišová       1    2    3

Savannah Harmon    1    2    3

Hayley Scamurra      0    3    3

Brianne Jenner         1    1    2

Ashton Bell                0    1    1

Top attendances in the PWHL so far:

21,105    Toronto at Montreal        Apr. 20    Bell Centre

19,285    Montreal at Toronto        Feb. 16    Scotiabank Arena

13,736    Ottawa vs Boston           Mar. 16    Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

13,316    Montreal at Minnesota    Jan. 6      Xcel Energy Centre

10,186    Boston at Minnesota      Feb. 25    Xcel Energy Centre

10,172    Minnesota at Montreal    Feb. 18    Place Bell

10,172    Ottawa at Montreal         Mar. 10    Place Bell

 Bottom:

     728    Montreal at New York      Mar. 6     Total Mortgage Arena

Børsen

The Copenhagen Børsen as it appeared in 2016. Source.

Kawabata by Soro Toyoshima

Source.

Ohia Lehua

Source.