“Brawl For It All”

I don't know why, but, there is something about us (DSBH) and Fairview Auto that brings out the worst in each other. Almost every single game we have had has resulted in a violent outburst where the benches would clear. This here game on the 28th of November, 2004 would prove no different. Not being able to attend, I was kept updated by both our GM (Dave) and our Assistant Goalie Coach/Second-string Goalie (Jon). It was close to say the least. They would lead. We would tie. We would lead. They would tie. And on it went. No clear advantage was indicated for either squad.

Then came the one incident that cleared the benches. It wasn't the flagrant elbow/punch to Mark in the chest. It was a Fairview Auto defender taking down our striker, Dom. That alone would merely cause us to bitch, moan, and whine to the ref. However, it was the action afterwards that would break the straw. This same player kicked/stepped on Dom purposely while he was still on the ground. Benches were cleared. Individuals were held back. Needless to say, if I was present, some fines would definately be handed out in the heat of the moment. For a team to be led by one of the top officials of the league to have so little control of their individual players, is disgraceful. We're not angels ourselves, but, we have been able to discipline such outbursts and rid ourselves of certain unstable elements. Needless to say, if action were to be taken against us in the league, we would be well prepared with our administrative department of DSBH.

Unlike the rest of our division, we have been the only team this season to not be intimidated by their physical play. This merely makes us turn it up a notch, depending upon the players available. I believe it is this that frustrates them so. In addition, we have improved by leaps and bounds this year and we have room for further fine tuning. Thus far, we are the only club to have their number, defeat them twice, and in turn keep them from being the top team in the division standings. But I digress. Enough of my ranting, let's go back to the game shall we?

Next came the last and deciding goal. A goal that Jon can only describe as "the worst goal he has ever seen". Let's set this up shall we? A minute more or less remains in the game. English Jason has the ball at around midfield, near the half-line. He goes for a hail mary kick that lingers in the air for what seems like forever. Fairview's goalie (Noel aka the league secretary) has more than ample time to prepare himself to catch it. He catches the ball with his arms out front in a cradle stance. However, he bobbles the soccer ball and he falls to the ground. He tries to land on the ball to retain possession. Whilst he falls on the ball, he knocks the ball into the net. Thus costing Fairview the game and giving us a crucial victory.

DSBH 4-3 Fairview Auto

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Random Notes:

- Andrew Fleming is 7th place in Div. 2 for scorers with 6 points
- Dan Lazar is 5th place in Div. 2 for goalkeepers with a G.A.A. of 1.555 and 1 clean sheet.
- DSBH currently sits at 3rd place in Div. 2, being the only team thus far to defeat Fairview Auto this season. Placing the top 3 within a few points of each other.
- Fellow kliq members Tim and Marcel are currently 2nd place in the Division: C Defender of the Burnaby Men’s Soccer League. 2 points behind the division leaders. Go EAC Athletico!
- I’m happy that Tim is back on Canadian soil after being exiled to Berlin. Don’t let the man keep you down Tim-Pac!!!

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .

"R&R and fundraising"

The following Friday evening saw DSBH let off some steam over at the Plaza. Your basic club night fundraiser, where you sell tickets that provide cover charge and a free drink. The fundraisers get to keep the ticket sales, while the club makes money off the liquor sales. It's a win win situation as long as the fundraisers bring in enough people for the club.

If you missed out, you have no one but yourself to blame. It was a good night for some good ol' DSBH debauchery. However, there should be plenty more of such festivities in the future.

I just found it humorous that I began the evening braindead due to a long day of PA'ing for an indie feature film. Over the course of the evening and after several drinks, the alcohol actually chemically balanced my brain. I was stone cold sober and in working order by the time the evening ended. Mind you, the road to normalcy was paved with my rantings and skewed logic. THAT weirded my friends out and made them laugh.

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .

“U.S. Turkey Bowl”

It's Thursday evening. We have Turkey Day down below the 49th parallel, and we have no turkey but midterms exams and projects due above the 49th parallel. To celebrate this hodge podge of stress, the league decided we should have our make-up game with the Rangers on November 25, 2004. Night games. If there's one thing DSBH likes, it's night games. Okay, maybe not. For some reason we have not done so good at these here night games. So we add that little statistic into the mix. Next we have a little issue of a former DSBHer on the Rangers, one Newitt. We love the guy, but, we'd also love to beat him as well. Mix all these factors together and you've got yourselves an interesting little game abound with subplots. Drama I tells ya, drama.

Game begins. It is a close fought game. We score first. However, the Rangers were able to tie it up. The game would continue and the chippiness of both clubs would escalate. Hard tackles and lip work became the norm. Nothing too erroneous, but, not too far off either. The clock counted down ever so close to the end of the game. Both teams still tied and looking for that one last opportunity to score. Some how we were able knock one in. It was unbelievable. 2-1 for DSBH.

On this happy note, we looked forward to the following evening's fundraiser at The Plaza on Granville Street downtown for a little R&R before we encounter our favourite team Fairview Auto.

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .

“No Elvis sightings today”

We had finally won our first game after a long stretch of ties. On November 21, 2004, DSBH wanted to repeat this trend. However, in our way was our foes and quasi-allies, Lives United. Lives United is a hard team to read. One does not really know what to expect when facing Lives. Much like Lennox Lewis in boxing, you either get the roaring lion that can overcome you with a flurry of precision strikes, or you get the dormant giant where all signs of the skill they do possess seemingly disappeared without a trace. I remember one season where we met them thrice. Twice in regular season play and once in the play-offs. First, they comprised of mainly Chinese and Hong Kong players. Second, they comprised of mainly Japanese players. The last time in the play-offs, it was a hybrid of the two formations plus a few Euros. After playing against them for two seasons, we've come to expect them to do the following:

1. Be quick.
2. Have well prepared set plays.
3. Cohesive play as a unit after numerous years of playing with each other.

So the challenge lay before us to force them to play our style of soccer. After a few minutes, it was apparent we had control of the ball and of the pitch. Stellar defensive play and a firm dominance of the midfield. This soon paid off when Inder centered the ball to Andy for a spectacular header. Lives would tie it up, but, Andy would score another goal. For the remainder of the game, we awaited who would score the next goal. This is because Jon always points out that a "2-1 lead" is the worst lead to have in soccer. While still a lead, it gives the opponent the lingering hope that they are still in the game. Hence, another goal is crucial in breaking the spirit of the other team. Of all the players that day, the one closest to another goal was Inder. However, in spite of receiving numerous scoring chances, the ball just seemed to not go into the net. We on the sidelines were joking that he may pull a "Petzold"*. So the end of the game loomed near. Inder had one final breakaway. He shot and scored, thus, "not pulling a Petzold". Ecstatic with a score of 3-1 in our favour, we looked forward to our stretch of 2 games and our club night fundraiser the following weekend.

*"Petzold" - a player from our first season in RSSL who played outside midfield. He was a character and was treated as a pseudo mascot for DSBH. He also would be the target of Jon's ridicule and ribs. The joke being that Petzold would receive numerous scoring chances, but, NEVER convert. Hence the term, "pulling a Petzold" - not being able to score despite many chances to do so in a game.

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .

“Welcome Back to Div. 2”

After a year stint up in Division 1, our blood feud with Cosmos resumes once again. A vastly different team then the one we knew from two season before, many of the more notorious players were absent. However, despite this different version of Cosmos, the level of physicality was still there. However, unlike previous games DSBH finally found a way to score. Combine that with relatively consistent defense and control of midfield, DSBH broke that streak of ties with a victory. Final score was 2-1. We followed the win with a celebratory meal and drink at a nearby pub, where we reminisced about the game and watched the BC Lions defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL Western Final.

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .

“Cacaw . . . cacaw . . . nevermore.”

It was the day of All Hallow's Eve. The day where we prepare for the coming of Samhain from the nether world. In the spirit of this occasion we, DSBH, decided to pretend we were a futbol club and play against the Hawks. It was muddy, wet, almost World War One trench-like conditions. You know what this means. Yep another tie. The final score being 1-1. Despite the frustration of this situation, there was one instance of comedy. This occurred when Dom screamed a grievance towards the Hawks and the ref on the pitch. One of the Hawks took offense and retorted back. Lo and behold, they recognized each other as former highschool classmates. Afterwards, they had a little catching up and returned to their respective clubs.

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .

“We don’t need no water. Let the motherf***er burn!”

This week of October 24, 2004, we met the last of the Division 2 expansion clubs, the Vancouver Firefighters. According to John (on again off again member of our Summer Soccer sessions), himself a member of the Vancouver Firefighters Football Club, the Richmond chapter serves as a home for the elder statesmen of the club. Much in the same way Shamrock Rovers A & B operate. Amongst it's roster was a familiar face. A former member of Cosmos that we all knew all too well. Namely Dom, since since his knee was taken out by this individual. Like the week before, bad habits came to the forefront. Resulting in a 2-2 tie. Although disgruntled, one of the few positives to come out of this game was for Dom and his opponent to bury the hatchet.

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .

“Where’s Jared?”

Back to the regular season. On October 17, 2004, DSBH faced the killer bumble bees of Division 2, Subway. A hard fought game between Div. 2 vets, DSBH continued it's tendency for trench-like warfare and fighting to a standstill. A combination of an inability to score, defensive mishaps, and poor control of the midfield, these key issues led to the tied score of 2-2.

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .

“Wednesday Night Lights”

On this evening of Wednesday, October 13, 2004, DSBH embarked upon it's first venture beyond the first round of the Challenge Cup Tournament. That in itself is an achievement. However, this time around we would face a far more disciplined opponent across the pitch. That opponent being the Richmond Dragons, who currently reside in third place of the Premier Division. The difference in discipline and skill was apparent to anyone witnessing the match. They handily defeated us by a score of 8-1. Despite the staggering score, we were joyous when we eliminated the possible clean sheet by a single point. A moral victory one would say. Thus concludes our brief glimpse into the second round of Cup play.

Go DSBH, Yeowwwwww . . .