Just when you thought that Unai Emery couldn't mess the Arsenal up any further, he makes more dumb substitutions, and his late 1-0 lead over Wolverhampton Wanderers becomes a 1-1 draw.
And just when you thought the New York Jets could take advantage of the Miami Dolphins' attempt to finish dead last in the NFL so they could have the 1st pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and draft Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa, the University of Alabama's Samoan-Hawaiian lefthanded quarterback prodigy -- a process known as "Tank for Tua" -- Adam Gase proves to be an even worse coach than Emery or the now-fired Rutgers coach Chris Ash.
The Jets lost, 26-18. They, the Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons are all 1-7. The Washington Redskins are 1-8. The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-8, although they have losses by 1, 3, 4 and 6 points, so they might not be the worst team in the league.
The New England Patriots, who have tonight's Sunday night game, and the San Francisco 49ers, who have a bye this week, are both 8-0. Right behind them, at 7-1, are the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints.
None of those teams is coached by Adam Gase.
Seriously, what is the purpose of the New York Jets? Originally, from 1960 to 1968, it was to give the American Football League something it needed to survive, a New York Team. That worked: The league got its merger with the NFL, and then the Jets became the 1st AFL team to beat an NFL team, in Super Bowl III.
That is now over 50 years ago. What has been the purpose of the Jets since? It's not solidarity with the AFL, which ceased to exist a year after that.
It's not to give New York Tri-State Area football fans an alternative to the New York Giants when they're not doing well -- such as now, when they are 2-6, with tomorrow's Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys yet to come. As the Cowboys themselves, and the Dolphins, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Oakland Raiders all proved in the 1970s; and as the 49ers, the Redskins and the Chicago Bears proved in the 1980s, a much better decade for both teams, with the TV package the NFL fans, if someone in New York City, Long Island, Western Connecticut, the Lower Hudson Valley, North Jersey or Central Jersey doesn't want to root for either Big Blue or Gang Green, they don't have to. They can watch another team.
So, really, what is the purpose of the Jets? If they folded the franchise after the season, or moved it to another city, taking their 1 Super Bowl win and 4 AFC Championship Game appearances in 60 seasons with them, lots of people would be upset. But they'd find new teams to root for. Teams that don't like the Giants. Or the Patriots. Or the Dolphins. Or the Raiders.
*
Days until Arsenal play again: 3, Wednesday morning at 10:55 AM our time, away to Vitória Sport Clube in Guimarães, Portugal.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 5 or 6, either this coming Friday night at 7:00, or this coming Saturday afternoon. According to my calculations, the 4-4 Bears finished 17th in power points in South Jersey Group V. Which means that, just 3 more power points, they would have made the Playoffs. Instead, given the "consolation games" habit of scheduling similarly-successful teams against each other, they are likely to host the 18th-ranked team, Atlantic City High School. Under the former format, they would have finished 8th in Central Jersey Group IV, and would have made the Playoffs, traveling to North Brunswick, who've already clobbered them. This is a far cry from a few years back, when, in back-to-back seasons, North Brunswick provided E.B. with its only win of the season.
Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 12, on Friday night at 7:30, against Canada, in CONCACAF Nations League play, at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, home of MLS' Orlando City SC, hoping to avenge their 1st loss to Canada since 1985. Four days later, they play away to Cuba.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 13, a week from this Saturday, at noon, home to... oy vey... The... Ohio State University. Oh well, at least they beat Jerry Falwell's Liberty University.
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 27, on Saturday, November 30, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Under 4 weeks.
Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 27, on Saturday afternoon, November 30 at 1:00, against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, at the Prudential Center. The next game against the New York Islanders will be on Thursday, January 2, 2020, at the Barclays Center. The next game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, will be on Thursday, February 6, at the Wells Fargo Center.
Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 45, on December 18, 2019. A month and a half.
Days until the premiere of the final Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: 47, on December 20, 2019.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 79, on January 21, 2020. A little over 11 weeks.
Days until the 1st Presidential voting of 2020, the Iowa Caucuses: 92, on Monday, February 3. A little over 13 weeks. The New Hampshire Primary will be 8 days later.
Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: Unknown. They washed out of the MLS Cup Playoffs, blowing a lead and losing to the Philadelphia Union. Going by recent history, the 2020 MLS season would probably begin on the 1st Saturday in March, and the Red Bulls would play the next day, which would be March 8, which would be in 126 days.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": See the previous answer. It is unlikely that their opener will be against one of their regional rivals: The Union, New York City FC, D.C. United and the New England Revolution.
Days until the Yankees' 2020 Opening Day: 144, on Thursday, March 26, away to the Baltimore Orioles. Under 5 months. And it's going to be a very long, hard, cold 5 months.
Days until the Yankees' 2020 home opener: 151, on Thursday, April 2, against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Days until the next North London Derby: 174, on Saturday, April 25, Arsenal's 1st visit to the new Tottenham Stadium, adjacent to the site of the previous White Hart Lane. A little under 6 months. It is currently scheduled to be on the 16th Anniversary of the 2nd time that Arsenal won the League at White Hart Lane -- but also the last time Arsenal won the League anywhere. Of course, for TV reasons, the game could be moved to another date, probably the next day.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 187, on May 8, 2020, at Yankee Stadium II. A little over 6 months.
Days until Euro 2020 begins, a tournament being held all over Europe instead of in a single host nation: 222, on Friday, June 12, 2020. A little over 7 months.
Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 264, on July 24, 2020. A little under 9 months.
Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge football game: Presumably, given the 2019 schedule, 313, on Friday night, September 11, 2020, away at the purple shit pit on Route 9. A little over 10 months.
Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 366, on November 3, 2020. Exactly 1 year, or exactly 12 months.
Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 427, on January 3, 2021. A little over a year, or exactly 14 months.
Days until Liberation Day: 444, at noon on January 20, 2021. A little over a year, or under 15 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.
Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 824, on February 4, 2022. A little over 2 years, or about 27 months.
Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,114, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. A little over 3 years, or just over 36 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.
Days until the next Women's World Cup is scheduled to kick off: As yet unknown, but probably on the 2nd Friday in June 2023, which would be June 9. That would be 1,314 days, a little over 3 1/2 years, or a little over 43 months. A host nation is expected to be chosen on March 20, 2020. Since 2 of the last 3 host nations have been in Europe, North America (Canada) hosted in 2015, and Asia (China) hosted in 2007, my guess is that it will be in either Asia (Japan, possibly Korea, but not China) or Oceania (Australia, possibly a joint bid with New Zealand).
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