I did a stupid thing on Sunday. That’s what many people have told me, and I can’t necessarily say that I disagree with them either. Just last week I asked the tens of people that actually read this blog to sit back, enjoy the ride that Liverpool Football Club have taken us on and “Drink It In.” While most of you were enjoying the massacre at the pub, or for Chatham County Kopites at Scavengers, I was nowhere near a television on Sunday at 11 AM.
Before you try to slap me on the wrist, I have an excuse. On Saturday I was thoroughly enjoying unlimited supplies of beer and bacon-infused dishes at the Beer and Bacon Fest when I started getting text messages about how my favorite Chinese Buffet was beating Chelsea after a John Terry own goal. Coupled with the 1-1 draw that we saw in the Arsenal v. Manchester City match and it started to look like it would be an epic weekend. Liverpool finally became masters of their own destiny. Win their final seven matches and the title is ours. The next day, millions of Liverpool supporters patiently waited for that 11 AM EST kickoff where a victory over Spurs would return us to the top of the ladder. Some of you went to the pub, others sat in their man cave in front of the big screen. Me??? I was fulfilling a commitment that I had made to my good friend that trekked down from the north to join me at the Beer and Bacon Fest. I was walking around a golf course in cold windy conditions, draining the battery of my iPhone by refreshing the score after every shot. Once Suarez made it 2-0 before the break, my phone battery thanked me as I now waited between holes before the refresh came. Then it became 3-0 and I put the phone away for the rest of the day. Yes, I had the game recorded on my DVR with plans to watch all 90+ minutes later that afternoon, and of course I justified my actions in my head by reminding myself that it was “the right thing to do” after promising my friend some golf. At the time that I extended this invitation to my friend, the Premier League hadn’t yet changed our match to Sunday. So I had a viable excuse right??
It’s April now and Liverpool sit atop the table of the Premiership. Six matches in six weekends. No more excuses. No more missed matches. The schedule is set. I’ve already gone into my calendar and blocked off the remaining matches on the calendar. You should too. Spring is finally here, and the weekend weather is surely going to be fantastic to get stuff done. My message to you is simple: When Liverpool is playing, it can wait. Got a chance to play in a golf tournament with your neighbor? It can wait. Need to clean out the garage or crawl space so your significant other stops nagging? It can wait. The wife is ovulating and in the middle of that window? Well it should only take a minute… NO!! IT CAN WAIT!!!!
As long as Liverpool Football Club keep winning and remain in control of their destiny, there is no place that you should be at kickoff then in front of a television set rooting the Reds on to victory. I still have some potential conflicts this month, most notably when Manchester City come pay a visit to Anfield on April 13th. The wife and I are running in the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in downtown Raleigh that morning. Most people think that I will be running 13.1 miles that morning. Truth be told it will be more like 13.4 miles because I don’t plan to stop at the finish line. I will turn left and head east towards the London Bridge Pub to catch the match. The wife understands. She’ll meet me at the pub when she finishes. If I hit my time goal, I should be able to get to the pub and in front of a TV before halftime. How committed are you?? No excuses. Whatever comes up in these final six weeks, just remember that it can wait.
As I conclude this blog, I want to extend a personal thank you to all of the LFC Raleigh supporters that have contributed a scarf for the Hillsborough tribute at Anfield. Tomorrow I will go to the post office and ship off almost a dozen scarves that were donated to be part of the 25-year anniversary of the worst tragedy in Liverpool Football Club history. There is nothing we can do as fans that will help the families of the lost 96 supporters. But after wiping away those tears and you see those scarves laid out on the pitch in the shape of the number ‘96’, you can take solace in the fact that there is a little bit of LFC Raleigh out there. We will be mourning in unison with tens of millions of supporters around the globe on April 15th and you can be proud to know that we are not letting the victim’s families walk alone though these toughest of times.
Big match on Sunday at 11 AM against West Ham. Get in front of the television and root the lads on to another victory!!! Cheers! YNWA!!