Plenty of Nothing

Riessersee versus Passau

Olimpia Eissport Zentrum, Garmisch, about ten years ago. Source.

Riessersee host the Passau Black Hawks. Passau wear black, red and white like their Chicago role models.

EHF Passau Black Hawks came to be in 1997. The team was promoted to the Oberliga in 2007, but in 2012 dropped down to tier VI and only got back up in 2020. Last year they finished 12th out of 13.

Passau is the place where the Danube passes out of Germany and into Austria, though that probably is not the accepted etymology of the name.

Passau is also the name of a hockey goalie equipment manufacturer based in Chambly, Quebec. Did the owner once play goal for this club?

European hockey is full of clubs that use Indigenous names and imagery, no doubt because it seems North American to them. But North American sports teams are getting rid of their culturally appropriated branding fast. The CBC has started to refer to the Blackhawks as "the NHL's Chicago team" (example), so you can see that the days are numbered for that trademark. Passau Black Hawks and Frölunda Indians are going to have to think about this soon.

Passau has a loan agreement with EV Landshut of DEL 2 which affords members of Landshut's development squad game time with the Oberliga team. There are ten Landshut U-20 players in Passau's 34-man roster. Riessersee has a similar arrangement with Red Bull München.

Games so far this season:

2021/10/31    Riessersee 3 - 4 Passau

2021/12/5      Passau 1 - 6 Riessersee

2022/1/7        Passau 2 - 1 Riessersee   

(Both of their opponents were down with Covid January 7th so they played each other, moving forward a game originally scheduled for late February.)

[But now Passau has Covid and this game is postponed to February 25th.]

Amul Topicals

For decades Indian food manufacturer Amul Coop has framed its advertising in the form of topical cartoons featuring the Amul Butter Girl and/or some kind of egregious pun. Source.

Plastic Sturgeon

Source.

Bronzed Nudists on a Spree

Good Time Painters

Laissez les bon temps rouler, B On Time Painters!

Norwegian Greenock

Viking mug shots. Source.

Where does the name Cappielow come from? Scholars tend to agree it's from the Medieval Norse kappe (cape) + lov (law). Medieval Norwegians were under strict orders to keep their hoods up while in Greenock, owing to the risk of pneumonia brought about by exposure to the constant rain. Today, if you stop for a couple of pints before the match you're instructed to remove your hood, even at the Norseman Bar. Memories of the Vikings are that strong.

Stirling Albion visit Cappielow.

Greenock Morton and Stirling Albion have seen quite a lot of each other in the 21st Century. They've played together in the First Division (2007-08, 2010-11), Second Division (2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07) and the Third Division (2002-03). During the same period they've met twice in the Challenge Cup, Morton winning both encounters.

Morton enter today's play in fifth place with four wins and four losses. They have not let go of a point at home, but have only one win away. Stirling currently hold ninth place, have not yet won at home, but are break-even on the road. It's a strong home team versus a pretty good road team.

Today's kick off is two hours early to allow everyone to run home and watch Scotland versus Georgia. [Scotland win 1 - 0.]

Don't know if you've looked at the Championship table lately, but Hamilton Academical are top club in Scotland. 2014-15 could turn out to be their Greatest Moment.

[Morton win 2 - 0. Goals by Barrowman and McNeil. Morton move up to third place.]

Tomorrow Grulla Morioka visit Ryūkyū. [Postponed due to Typhoon Vongfong.]

The Norseman, corner of East Hamilton and Sinclair. Source.

Daihatsu

2014 Daihatsu Hijet mini truck, from Genshiken chapter 97. Daihatsu is Japanese for "Great hat, Sue."

The Surreal

Source.

Red Herring

The kipper, or smoked herring, is held to have been invented in Gourock in 1688, though the etymological evidence cries Inverkip.

Raith Rovers visit Cappielow. Morton did not lose three league games in a row last season, but they can hit that mark today. Raith have a win, a loss and a draw and a 0 GD.

The Championship so far: Morton and Livingston are off to surprisingly bad starts. Hamilton and Falkirk are unsurprisingly good. Alloa are surprisingly good. Cowdenbeath are unsurprisingly bad.

Before play today the four division leaders are all still undefeated: Inverness CT are 3-1-0; Hamilton are 3-0-0; Rangers are 3-0-0, and East Stirlingshire are 3-0-0. Rangers and East Stirlingshire each have two away wins already. East Stirlingshire only had three away wins all last season. Inverness have continued to improve from last season, while Ross County have regressed and look likely to be the first to be lapped by Hearts, who are quickly overcoming their 15 point penalty. East Stirlingshire! East Stirlingshire have obviously realized the best way to avoid the Lowland League is to get into League One.

Geography corner. Which league or nearly league Scottish football clubs have home parks to the west of Cappielow (longitude of 4° 43′ 36.52″ W)? In the SPFL: Stranraer. In the Highland League: Fort William. In the Lowland League: none. In the South of Scotland League: none. Ayr United's Somerset Park is a near miss, at 6′ east of Cappielow. I grant you, Greenock is a western town, so most clubs will be to the east of it, but all of the Hebrides and the entire western coast of the Highlands are west of Greenock. The Western Highlands really are an empty quarter.

[Morton 1 - 1 Raith. Morton goal by Imrie. Morton remain in eighth place.]

This week in Europe:

Celtic 3 - 0 Shakhter Karagandy. Shakhter, who held a two-goal lead coming into this game, clearly lost heart after UEFA banned the team's traditional pregame act of animal sacrifice. Celtic move on to the group stage.

Genk 5 - 2 FH. FH are out.

In Thursday's UEFA Champions League Group Stage and Scottish League Cup Round Three draws Celtic were matched with AC Milan, Ajax, Barcelona and Morton.

Yesterday US Boulogne-sur-Mer were at home against US Colomiers (the football team not the rugby team). Colomiers is a suburb of Toulouse, near the Pyrenees. [Boulogne won 3 - 0.]

Tomorrow in Iceland sixth-place ÍBV host fifth-place Valur. [Nope, postponed.] In Japan Sapporo entertain Okayama. Okayama is in the southwesternmost part of Honshu, on the Inland Sea, opposite Shikoku. [2 - 2.]

Roman Glassware

Roman glassware at the museum of the Department of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa.

Have you ever wondered why Roman glassware always looks dirty? It's because it is. An agricultural society like the Romans' maintained a very close relationship to the soil. Today a wine expert can speak authoritatively about the terroir that produced a vintage. The peasantry of the Roman Empire could identify the terroir of pork, egg, mussel or even bread. Their intimate understanding of the soil sprang from the farming practice of tasting the earth to learn its mineral content. The soils of particular estuaries were considered especially healthful. Taverniers bottled earth from these favoured spots with natural spring water and sold it as a refreshing beverage. The dirt you see in Roman glassware is a residue of this soft drink, trademarked Agri-Cola.