Plenty of Nothing

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.

Alien Gargoyle

Alien gargoyle on Paisley Abbey.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help (1966)

Biting the Holy Wood

    Before the sun is up, the dismissal takes place At the Cross, and those with the energy then go to Sion to pray at the column at which the Lord was scourged, before going on home for a short rest. But it is not long before everyone is assembled for the next service. The bishop's chair is placed on Golgotha Behind the Cross (the cross there now), and he takes his seat. A table is placed before him with a cloth on it, the deacons stand round, and there is brought to him a gold and silver box containing the holy Wood of the Cross. It is opened, and the Wood of the Cross and the Title are taken out and placed on the table.

    As long as the holy Wood is on the table, the bishop sits with his hands resting on either end of it and holds it down, and the deacons round him keep watch over it. They guard it like this because what happens now is that people, catechumens as well as the faithful, come up one by one to the table. They stoop down over it, kiss the Wood, and move on. But on one occasion (I don't know when) one of them bit off a piece of the holy Wood and stole it away, and for this reason the deacons stand round and keep watch in case anyone dares to do the same again.

    --Egeria describing Easter services at Jerusalem c 381-4 AD

    John Wilkinson, Egeria's Travels, pages 136-7.

St Antonios' Wooden Church

The little wooden building that housed the St Antonios Antiochian Orthodox Church, prior to the refurbishment of the St Matthias church across Windsor Street, was torn down last weekend. Source: Google Street View.

Speak, Friend, and Enter

The north door of St Edward's Church, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, flanked by centuries-old yew trees, is thought to have been Tolkien's inspiration for the Door of Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Old West Kirk

The Old West Kirk. Built in 1591, relocated in 1925. Source.

Raith Rovers make their final 2015-16 appearance at Cappielow.

The situation: Raith Rovers are ten points up on Morton in the race for the final playoff spot. Basically it's all over unless Raith spin out and crash into the stands, which doesn't happen in football as often as it does in Formula One.

Morton are 14 points up on ninth-place Livingston. If Morton play their cards right they could miss out on promotion and relegation on the same day.

If Raith win today they will have swept Morton, taking all twelve points. Have any teams taken all four wins from the Ton in the current league format (quadruple round robin)? Well, yes, quite a lot of them:

2013-14    Alloa

2009-10    Dunfermline and Inverness CT

2007-08    Dundee and Hamilton

2001-02    Forfar

2000-01    Livingston

1998-99    Ayr United and Hibernian

1996-97    St Johnstone

1987-88    Celtic and Dundee United

1984-85    Dundee United and Rangers

1982-83    Celtic

1981-82    St Mirren

1980-81    Celtic

You can expand this into the late 1940s by using the formula 2 league games + 2 League Cup group stage games.

1973-74    Hibernian

1968-69    Rangers

1965-66    Hibernian

1955-56    Dumbarton

1953-54    Kilmarnock and Motherwell

1950-51    Aberdeen and Rangers

1946-47    Rangers

At the midpoint of the season it looked as if Morton were headed for a .500 season (as they say in baseball). But since then the results have trended for the worse. For Morton to finish the season with an equal number of wins and losses now they must either win 4 and lose 2; or win three, draw 2, and lose 1; or win 2 and draw 4. The last option would leave them with 12 wins, 12 draws and 12 losses, but the goal difference would be higher than 0.

What seasons have Morton finished even?

1985-86    39GP    14W    11D    14L    GD -6

1979-80    36GP    14W    8D    14L    GD +5

1978-79    36PG    12W    12D    12L    GD -1

1970-71    34GP    13W    8D    13L    GD 0

1955-56    36GP    15W    6D    15L    GD +2

1921-22    42GP    16W    10D    16L    GD +1

1978-79 came tantillizingly close to perfect balance, only off by one goal.

If Raith are going to take the final playoff spot, what is there for Morton to play for? Two things: 1) finishing fifth, which is still in the top half of the division; 2) finishing ahead of St Mirren, because St Mirren. The season could end up looking a lot like 1997-98 when the final table went: Dundee, Falkirk, Raith, Airdrieonians, Morton (12W, 10D, 14L), St Mirren, Ayr United, Hamilton Accies, Partick Thistle, Stirling Albion.

[Morton 0 - 1 Raith.]

USA, 1967. The United Soccer Association (USA) was a precursor of the original NASL. It played only one season, 1967. There were twelve clubs*, each an established European or South American club that came over to participate in their offseason. If you replace the North American aliases with the club's actual names, the final standings look like this:

East

Aberdeen                                     15 pts

Stoke City                                    14 pts

Hibs                                             13 pts

Glentoran                                     12 pts

C.A. Cerro                                    10 pts

Shamrock Rovers                          7 pts

West

Wolverhampton Wanderers         15 pts

ADO Den Haag                            13 pts

Calgliari Calcio                             13 pts

Bangu AC                                     12 pts

Sunderland                                   11 pts

Dundee United                               9 pts

Wolverhampton beat Aberdeen in the final.

*In 1967, two divisions of six teams was the default format for a North American major league. The NBA and NHL both had East and West divisions of six teams, as did the American and National Leagues of baseball by 1969. When the WHA started in 1972 it was with two divisions of six teams. The NFL, always ahead of the game, expanding beyond 6 x 2 in 1960.

Dundee United adopted their trademark orange kit after masquerading in orange as Dallas Tornados in this league. What colours were they before? White and black.

Fegs, Highlanders! Brora Rangers (71 points), Cove Rangers (70), and Formartine United (69) are in a close race for the Highland League title. Cove Rangers and Formartine each have a game in hand, and either would be a fine addition to League Two. Today it's Formartine [3 - 3] Brora.

East Fife's ground has been named best pitch in Scotland -- just prior its being torn up for an artificial surface.

FC Edmonton played Queen's Park on the 22nd and won 0 - 1.

The Japanese (Nabisco) League Cup began Wednesday with the group stage. As the Scottish League Cup is returning to a group stage format in July, the Nabisco Cup demands some attention. My Japanese club for 2016 is in J3, and therefore not eligible, so let's follow Vegalta Sendai in Group B. The group stage involves two groups of seven. The teams play a single robin round. The top two from each group go on to the knock out stage. On Wednesday it was Vegalta 1 - 0 Albirex Niigata. Tomorrow it's Kashiwa Reysol [0 - 1] Vegalta. [Vegalta are at the top of their group.]

It's the preliminary round of the Faroe Islands Cup. Four lower-league clubs play for two spots in the first round.

Also today: Cobh Ramblers [0 - 2] UCD

Aizawl FC [2 - 1] Mohun Bagan. Aizawl is in Mizoram, a corner of India wedged between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Wolverhampton vs Aberdeen, July 14th, 1967.

Sports and games referenced in this blog post: soccer, car racing, cards, baseball, basketball, hockey, American football. I would have said simply 'games' but for some semantic reason you can't call a car race a game.

Kyrkbåt

Churchgoers on Lake Siljan in Dalarna used to go by boat. Source.

Sackville United That Was

Photographer Thaddeus Holownia records the demolition of Sackville United Church, using a vintage banquet camera. Source.

Rock Eucharist