Living in NYC: Coney Island, The Cyclone and My Cousin

(Oops! Wrong Coney Island picture)

(That's more like it!)

My father's end of my family is all encompassing. Nine aunts/uncles and thirty six first cousins are enough to make a McCaughey's head spin, forget the poor out-laws like my wife. My mom's side of the family is the complete opposite: one aunt and three cousins. Since my aunt is older than my mom, my cousins are significantly older than me which led me to view as uncles as much as cousins. Because of the major differences, when discussing these relations with friends, I would sometimes refer to them as my "other cousins," a moniker that may have been needed but definitely wasn't fair.

Out of the three (Michael, Thomas and Hank) the cousin that I have the most memories of is Hank. Every Thanksgiving dinner he would challenge me to an eating contest (in which he regularly trounced me up until I hit college) and for most of my childhood he tried to convince me that he was a red belt, the highest degree of martial arts belts that one could attain. "Isn't black belt the highest?" a gullible young Frank would inquire. "Nah," Hank replied, "not only is red belt the highest, but I killed Bruce Lee in order to win it." I kind of believed him for a while, but after finally conceding to my relentless demands to see the infamous belt, Hank produced a red bandanna and the tall tale was over.

As I've gotten older, there was one thing that Hank said that I always remembered. When talking about New York City, he explained that one of his favorite places was Coney Island and that every New Yorker should ride The Cyclone before they die. As someone who takes pride in living in New York City, the mystique and history of the Cyclone intrigued me. It's 84 year presence on the Coney Island Boardwalk serves as living history for the mid-20th century Brooklyn that I only know through old books and newspapers (one that had baseball!) For these reasons, I decided that when I finally made it out to Coney Island, I would ride The Cyclone. There was only one problem:

I don't really like roller coasters.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not as bad as the 8 year old version of me who threw a full blown fit while being forced onto the whitewater raft ride at Hershey Park(you know the one where the worst thing that happens is you.....get wet) but I wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of climbing aboard a nearly 100 year old wooden roller coaster.

Regardless, Kate and I decided to spend today at Coney Island, walking the Boardwalk, having a Nathan's hot dog, and catching a Cyclones game. I knew that this was my chance to live up to to the promise I made to myself many years ago, so before we left I watched a video on You Tube of a first person POV Cyclone ride and even looked up some statistics on the coaster (bad idea: 60 miles an hour? 85 foot drop? Not good) We hopped on the F train, transferred to the D and 30 stops later we were in Coney Island (just like The Warriors!). Based on past theme park experience, I knew I had to head straight down Surf Avenue and conquer my fear before I had too much time to think about it, so I bought my ticket, jumped on and before I knew it I was 85 feet above the Boardwalk, pretty sure I was about to fall to my death.

Well, not only didn't I die but I actually enjoyed it. Sure it's basically getting knocked around at high speeds for two minutes (I had a headache for about an hour after getting off) but it's also gets the blood pumping and lets you scream like an idiot. I stepped out of the cart and proudly headed back to Kate on Surf Avenue, fully pleased with myself for my (rather mediocre) accomplishment. I proceeded to have an amazing day with my wife that will be definitely be a lasting memory of this summer.

Riding The Cyclone today was one of the best things I've done in a long time. Not only was I able to overcome a personal fear, but I was able to step back and remember my "other cousins" who I may not see that much any more but still provide great memories, both past and present.

Thanks, Hank.

Golf and the Irish Border

During Friday's TNT coverage of the PGA Championship, golf broadcaster and County Down native David Feherty made a simple, but profound statement about Ireland and Irish golfers.

As Padraig Harrington was teeing off, Feherty observed that with the recent success of the golfers from Northern Ireland (McDowell, McIlroy and Clarke) it's easy to forget about the major victories of Dubliner Padraig Harrington, who won the Open Championship in 2007 and back to back majors in 2008 when he won his second Open Championship and followed by a win at the PGA.

While describing Harrington, Feherty, in his distinctly sarcastic tone, noted:

"Here's an Irishman with just the three majors from just 100 miles away from those others. It is one island."

A simple fact that has been easy to forget over the past 90 years. Geographically, Ireland is exactly what Feherty said, one island. Politically, in a way created by man, Ireland is two separate countries. Feherty's astute observation was one that struck me as honest, sincere and beautiful.

History writes a different story, one that challenges Feherty's point of view, but I still loved this comment and it added to the respect that I have for David Feherty as both a commentator and an Irishman.

Football from Across the Ocean Part 2: The Rest of the Premier League

After previewing Manchester City's hopes for this year last week, here are some thoughts, observations and predictions for the rest of the 2011-2012 Premier League.

-While the Manchester Derby battle for the title will be exciting to follow, I think the biggest story of this year will be the slip of Arsenal. Has coming in fourth place ever felt so bad? The brutal 4-4 draw after having a 4-0 lead against Newcastle (match of the year in most circles, which means the Gunners got to relive it multiple times during the off season), blowing a chance to finally claim silverware against Birmingham City of all teams (who were then relegated!) and finishing just 3 points off of 3rd place following multiple blown leads, resulting in draws late in the season (see Liverpool at the Emirates.) Throw in the near certain departures of Fabregas and Nasri and another year without silverware at the Emirates appears likely. Bold prediction: Arsenal finish outside of the top 4 for the first time since '95/'96

-I'm happy to see Shay Given secure a move away from City and I expect him to have a strong year at Aston Villa. As a fan of the Irish national team, I have a soft spot for Given, but I believe he was given a raw deal at City last year. Prior to his season ending injury in 2009/2010 he had been a tough, gritty keeper who performed well in big spots which is why the fact that he didn't make even one appearance last year was a bit of an insult. I'm excited to follow him this year and see how he does at Villa. Additionally, the importance of getting first team time during such a crucial test of Ireland's Euro 2012 hopes cannot be understated.

-Out of respect to my good friend Steve Lazar, I have to talk about Spurs who seduced me last season with some of the more exciting football I've ever seen. The keeper opening for Given at Villa came as a result of Brad Friedel moving to Spurs. There was no keeper that was more infuriating to watch than Heurelho Gomes. His inept handling of relatively easy balls led to a crucial loss to Chelsea and the nail in the coffin against Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal (don't get me wrong, Spurs weren't going to come back to win but the Gomes blunder helped seal the loss early in the second half) Hopefully Spurs will have another exciting campaign, but I have a feeling that the drop off from the heights of Champions League football to the far off fixtures of the Europa League will have a negative impact. I'm also excited to see what Gareth Bale can do this year after such an exciting half season last year.

-My initial interest in the Premier League came from following Irish players and that will continue this year. Young striker Shane Long will be making the jump to West Bromwich Albion after a 25 goal campaign for Reading in the Championship last year. Also interesting to watch at WBA will be the work of Roy Hodgson after a disastrous half season at Liverpool.

-Fulham will once again be on my radar because of both Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff and my fellow New York/Premier League friend Kent has recently adopted them as his team (check out his Fulham blog as well). Oh and how could I forget the beautiful Michael Jackson statue erected by the owner outside the stadium last year

-What to make of Chelsea? New wunderkind coach André Villas-Boas, who is the same age as two of his top players (Drogba and Lampard are also 33) has inherited a team that was always just within reach of United last season, but could never pull even. Winning a treble at such a young age is impressive but what might be more helpful in his transition to the Bridge is his familiarity with the system, having served there under Mourinho. The offset of a young coach with an aging team should be interesting to follow.

-The other intrigue for me comes from Liverpool who found their stride under Kenny Daiglish after a terrible start. Can they bounce back into the top four? The impressive play of Luis Suarez at Copa America should translate over and a full season of Andy Carroll should help as well. Plus, Liverpool has one of my favorite players in the league, the underrated Dirk Kuyt. If I'm knocking down Arsenal then someone has to move up, my favorite would be Liverpool.

-Dark horses for a nice year? I'll go with three: Fulham, Stoke City, WBA . All showed hints of promise last year and finished the year strong. I've already mentioned my reasons for liking Fulham and I respect any many in England who wears a cap and kind of looks like my dad in Stoke's manager Tony Pulis.

-So who's going to win it? The youth movement at Old Trafford is well underway (average age on the field in the 2nd half of the Charity Shield was 22!) but that doesn't mean they're in rebuild mode because of one man: Alex Ferguson. The one thing that does worry me about United is in the net. While David de Gea might be the keeper of the future, it doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to be the keeper of the present at just 20 years old and in his first season in England. My last post started with my full dedication to Manchester City, which officially means that there is no way that I can choose United to win the title (despite the fact that that is exactly what my brain is telling me to do) Chelsea is also an appealing option but I'll take a what and see approach with AVB. So who's left? Well screw it, I'll contradict what I said last week and I'll take the full plunge with my team:

I'll go with City to win the League.

Official Predictions from Across the Ocean:

League 1)City 2)United 3)Chelsea 4)Liverpool

FA Cup:Chelsea

Golden Boot: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

Top Newcomers
Sergio Aguero (City)
Shane Long (WBA)

Football from Across the Ocean Part One: The 2011-2012 Manchester City Preview

I've just returned from a family wedding in Ireland where I had the opportunity to discuss football with one of my cousins. After an initial conversation about Ireland's chances to qualify for both Euro 2012 and the World Cup, the topic turned to the English Premier League. My cousin mentioned that he knew I supported a team but couldn't remember which one. Chelsea? Aresenal? No, I informed him that I supported Manchester City.

His head dropped and it was clear that my response disappointed him.

"City? Oh come on, not City!"

It turns out that he is a fan of Manchester United. He tried to convince me to switch my allegiances but I informed him that I could not do so for a few reasons, the biggest being that I was a Mets fan. I hate the Yankees and since United are basically the Yankees of the Premier League I would be a total fraud if I chose them.

Instead, I chose City.

I started to follow the Premier League 5 years ago and between the amount of Irish players they had at the time (that number is now zero), and the fact that they were clearly the Mets of Manchester, City was a perfect fit. Last season, I flirted with the exciting play of Gareth Bale and Tottenham (the best individual half season I've seen from a player since I started following the Premier League) but towards the end of the season I realized that I had to make a decision, so I bought a City jersey and decided they were my team.

As we sit here on the eve of the 2011-2012 campaign, there are a lot of positives for City which I think can translate to a title push this season.

1)City finished last year very strong after having a mediocre first half of the season that looked like it would be another battle for fourth place. However, by the end of the season, they had won the FA Cup (including beating United in the semis) and come in third ahead of Arsenal in the League, although they technically tied for second and got third on goal differential.

2)I think David Silva and Yaya Toure will both make a step up after solid first seasons in England. Silva is proving himself to me a deft play maker and Toure has shown a scoring touch, especially in the big moment as his proved in both the FA Cup Semi-Finals and Finals.

3)The Carlos Tevez transfer creates a little uncertainty up front (with the unproven Edin Dzeko and the unstable Mario Balotelli) but I think it has a chance to stabilize during the season. Dzeko has shown promise in the preseason but still has a lot to prove in England (just two goals in the 15 games he played after transferring to City in January.) Balotelli is just a total disaster. He seems to have a lot of raw skill but he is also a headcase who has stated the desire to leave Manchester because there aren't enough good restaurants (huh?) Right now the team would definitely be better with Carlos Tevez, but you have to assume he'll be moved somewhere by the end of the August transfer window. If Tevez does leaves and Balotelli self destructs (both highly probable) Sergio Aguero is an interesting replacement, coming over from La Liga after a 20 goal season with Atletico Madrid. I think that by the end of the season (if not sooner) Dzeko and Aguero will be the men up front for City and can be productive.

4)The defense is strong. It was one of City's strengths last year and more times that not, a one goal lead was enough to win the game. I expect Vincent Kompany to have another great year and Lescott and Richards to be stable forces on the line.

5)Samir Nasri. As I write this, there are rumors that City are close to locking him up on transfer. We'll see how this plays out, but his addition would obviously push City that much closer to the top of the table.

So what's going to happen this season? It should be interesting strictly based on the volatility of Balotelli but the hopes of a title and Champions League football should make it one that's fun to watch. Don't get me wrong, blowing the 2 goal lead to United in the Charity Shield hurt, but I don't think it's the psychological knock out blow that many claimed it was. I don't know if they'll reach the title this season, but I also don't think it's totally out of the question. I think they'll flirt with the top but end up with a solid second place campaign.

Next week, a preview of the rest of the Premiership.