Filed under: Camino | Tags: Camino, compostela, espana, pilgrimage, saint james, santiago, santillana del mar, spain
Etapa 14: Santillana del Mar to Cobreces
Distance: 11.7 km
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Weather: Cloudy with rain in the morning
Photos: 63
Notables: countryside walk; José at the church in Oreña.
Etapa description continued after the break. Follow the flecha . . .
Filed under: Quiniela | Tags: Argentina, soccer, football, futbol, spain, la liga, Quiniela, primera division, river plate, banfield
Photograph: Lalo R Villar/AP
LAST WEEK: 3/11
SEASON: 42/81 (52%)
Two fairly important things, school and work, bogged me down last week, leaving me with no time to write up a Quiniela post. I did, however, make my picks and also added a new wrinkle. My La Liga picks from Jornada 20 are on my Facebook profile but here’s a quick review. Saturday started well as Espanyol (win vs. Athletic Bilbao) and Barcelona (win @ Sporting Gijón) helped the cause but again I underestimated Real Madrid. They were without suspended talisman Cristiano Ronaldo and playing away to strong Deportivo La Coruña but Karim Benzema finally lived up in part to his large transfer fee, providing two goals in an impressive 3-1 away win to stay on pace with La Liga leaders Barça. It was Madrid’s first win in La Coruña in 18 years. Sunday was another story. A correct pick in the Getafe-Racing Santander draw was the only one in the early games. It all went down all after that and was comedic in the style of Atlético Madrid, finishing a forgettable 3 for 10 in La Liga.
The new wrinkle to this week’s Quiniela involves soccer from the South American continent. Argentina’s Primera División started this past week and I am going to include one match each week in my Quiniela. The league is split into two different seasons, the Apertura and Clasura (literally, Opening and Closing), with summer tournaments (it’s winter for us Northerners) held during the break between the Apertura and Clasura. The Argentine league is heavily titled towards the Buenos Aires clubs and one of them, Club Atlético Banfield, won their first ever championship in the 2009 Apertura. El Taladro (The Drill) was featured on Fox Soccer Channel’s Argentine match of the week against another Buenos Aires club, legendary River Plate. Los Millonarios ended the summer break on a high note, beating hated rivals Boca Juniors twice in a row. I picked River Plate to continue that success into the first Clasura weekend and defeat Banfield at home. However, Banfield proved their worth as champions and stole a 1-0 away victory. Foresight shows that while River beat Boca twice, they had poor showings in their other summer tournament matches.
Let’s hope I can improve from a woeful 3 for 11. On to the picks . . .
Filed under: Camino | Tags: albergue, cagigal, Camino, compostela, espana, guemes, saint james, santiago, spain
Desmond Hume was driven to regain his honor and become a great man. It lead him around the world on a boat race, eventually bringing him to the island where he encountered the hatch, the button, and the survivors of Oceanic flight 815.
So, what exactly does this have to do with the pilgrim’s hostel in Güemes?
Filed under: Camino | Tags: Camino, compostela, pilgrimage, polanco, santiago, santillana del mar, spain
Etapa 13: Polanco to Santillana del Mar
Distance: 10.5 km
Friday, April 24, 2009
Weather: Cloudy, cool, and windy
Photos: 41
Notables: Santillana del Mar
Etapa description continued after the break. Follow the flecha . . .
Filed under: Quiniela | Tags: football, futbol, la liga, Quiniela, soccer, spain
Filed under: Quiniela | Tags: espana, football, futbol, la liga, Quiniela, soccer, spain
Photo/AFP
LAST WEEK: 6/10
SEASON: 34/60 (56.7%)
I wrote last week that Sevilla had busted my quiniela several times this season. I also wrote that they would have an extra bounce in their step following their Copa victory over Barcelona. I failed to take in to account Sevilla has let down at home several times this season. Racing Santander are a quality away side and were led by teen sensation Sergio Canales. Canales revealed earlier in the week Sevilla were interested in his services and he responded by scoring two goals in a 2-1 victory in Sevilla. I picked wrongly in this fixture, leading to a 0-3 Saturday. I rebounded nicely on Sunday, finishing 6-1, on the strength of a salty draw pick in the Málaga-Bilbao fixture. Málaga is now unbeaten in ten matches, with their last loss coming to Valencia on November 1st. However, only 2 of those matches have been Málaga victories and they continue to languish in the relegation zone.
This weekend’s slate is full of intriguing and important matches. Real Madrid travels to the Basque Country and will face a hostile the hostile home support of Athletic Bilbao. Barcelona and Sevilla play for the third week in a row while Valencia and Villarreal meet in a Valencian derby. There are also a few matches between teams that are both in danger of relegation.
Filed under: Camino | Tags: albergue, Camino, cantabria, espana, pilgrim, pilgrimage, polanco, saint james, santander, santiago, spain
Etapa 12: Santander to Polanco
Distance: 28 km
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Weather: Sunny and warm
Photos: 21
Notables: Sunny and warm weather and the three kind souls that offered their help.
Etapa description continued after the break. Follow the flecha . . .
Filed under: Quiniela | Tags: espana, football, futbol, la liga, Quiniela, soccer, spain
LAST WEEK: 5/10*
SEASON: 28/50 (56%)
The weekend is almost here so let’s cut to the chase and look at the weekend’s fixtures after the jump.
Filed under: Camino | Tags: Camino, cantabria, espana, pilgrim, pilgrimage, saint james, santander, santiago, spain
Etapa 11: Güemes to Santander
Distance: 14 km
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Weather: Cloudy on Camino, sunny in Santander
Photos: 7
Notables: Memories of Güemes albergue, big city aggravations
Etapa description continued after the break. Follow the flecha . . .
Filed under: Quiniela | Tags: espana, football, futbol, la liga, Quiniela, soccer, spain
LAST WEEK: 5/10*
SEASON: 23/40 (57.5%)
*I picked Barcelona to beat Xerez in a match played earlier due to Barça’s involvement in the FIFA World Club Cup
Last round was 2009 and this week is 2010. Some clubs will claim a new start with the new year but there is no escaping the results and, for some, there might be no escaping the relegation zone. One thing you cannot avoid is the excellence of Barcelona. They won a historic six trophies in 2009 and all signs point to more silverware in 2010. They are undefeated in La Liga this season and will seek to open the new year with another win over surging Villarreal (watch it on ESPN360.com). Real Madrid has a tricky road trip to Osasuna while Mallorca will defend their fortress against Athletic Bilbao. Almería start the new year with a new manager after Mexican and Real Madrid legend Hugo Sánchez was sacked following a poor run of form.
