B-dub

Among the ones I've heard of, this was a surprise. Good song, yes, but I personally would have put at least a few other 'Doolittle' tracks ahead of it (great album). I know it's an obvious choice (and that the Pixies are known as a band with 'indie cred'), but "Here Comes Your Man" is a great rock/pop tune that has really held up well over the years.

"On the Phone in the Next Room Bulshitting with my Friend," by My Wife

Can we add a third choice that says "Who cares?" I'll either still be in bed, or be out running errands while this match is being played.

I know it's down to personal taste--and you can't compare and quantify artists like you can footballers--but for me it's Dylan by light-years. Much like some don't "get" Dylan, I never got Neil Young, save for a few odd songs with C, S, & N. Not sure why, but he sort of became the "trendy" influence to name drop some where in the early '90s. At any rate, 'Freewheelin' and 'Desire' are two great records that immediately spring to mind, but pretty much everything Dylan did between 1962 and 1975 was great to my ears. I'd take Phil Ochs over Neil Young, too, although he didn't sustain it over the long haul.

I'm listening to a catchy little tune called, "Holy Shitty Shit Shit" by the Cock-Sucking really bad people. Don't bother searching for it on iTunes; it is very obscure, one of their early B-sides.

"The Baltimore Sun" by the Jayhawks

The new stadium for the Mets ("Citi Field", naming rights sold to Citicorp) is adjacent to the current Shea Stadium. Although it has quickly become one of the crappiest and most antiquated stadiums in the league, I will be somewhat sad to see it go, because I have a lot of memories there as a life-long Mets fan; went to my first game in 1981 when I was 7 years old (I grew up in Queens, about 15 minutes from Shea). It pretty much symbolizes all I know and feel about the game of babseball and also represents a piece of who I am and where I come from. Anyway, getting back to harsh realities of life, the Mets (like the Yankees) have jacked up their ticket prices for this year, presumably to help finance their new parks and also to lessen the sticker shock when the prices *really* go up when the new stadiums open in 2009. As much as I will be excited and curious to experience the new stadium, I am really dreading the inevitably huge prices that it will bring.

No disrespect to the General, but I take what he said with a grain of salt. I mean, what do you expect him to say: "No, we're not going to spend much money in the transfer window" or "Well, we might buy a few mid-level propsects from Celtic or Spurs."? We'll see, but I don't expect any earth-shattering signings, not necessarily because we can't afford it but because for players like Bentley, for example, Villa would not be any real step up from where they already are. Villa would be a step up for players on clubs nearer the bottom of the table (e.g., NRC last year), but such players are no better than the ones we already have. Our best hope is to sign players from Europe's second-tier leagues (Portugal, Holland, France) who want to move up to a higher-quality league, but aren't yet on the radar of the big CL clubs.

No contest: the World Cup. My second choice would be the CONCACAF Women's U21 Beach Soccer Gold Cup qualifying (ESPN, 9pm).

You do not mess with John Carew ...

I'm underwhelmed, but still letting it sink in. Off the top, I'd say I like the current one (and the old one) better than this. It's not terrible, though. Nice that they left space for additional stars in the future.

Dream CL final? Villa vs Luton Town reserves. We'd stand a good chance of winning that one I don't much care for any of the 4 teams but I hare Man Utd more than any of them. So as long as they lose..

Hi General, Do we have any confirmed dates and venues yet for Villa's US summer tour? I've heard the team will be playing in Canada and Ohio. We of the New York Villans are looking forward to it and will definitely be attending. Best!

I'm not sure I agree with that in the case of the Reading game. Great preview, though.

Thanks, Chris. And good idea compiling them all.

Premier League. Winning the league is a lot harder, IMO. A less than great team can win the CL with a bit of luck. Plus the fact that we already have one Euro title to our name makes it less of a burning desire.

Do you want to see that other team (ya know, small club, blue shirts..) to get to the Premier League next year, so that we can have derbies again and Villa can kick their ass? Or, would you rather they stay down and rot in the Championship? EDIT: Moved to OT and poll added - ahamaad

I haven't been up on US football this year, but in general you don't see much in-season player movement in the NFL, for a variety of reasons. When you do, it's usually a result of a team picking up a player who was cut by another team. The NFL system is completely different in terms of finances and player movement; you can't really make a comparison. The earlier poster might have been thinking of the signing of quarterback Jeff Garcia a couple years ago, who was pretty good with the San Francisco 49ers, but not so good with Cleveland. He was picked up by Philadelphia earlier this year and has since resurrected his career. My feeling is this: Randy Lerner just invested a boat-load of money in this club, with the understanding that they are a perennial Premiership side. If they were to be relegated, it would be a HUGE financial disaster for him. So, if he has any sense he will look at where Villa is in the table, see that relegation is not out of the question, and do whatever it takes to make sure they stay up. He can't afford to take any chances.

More like adding injury to injury, then multiplying by 3 ... I think this is a huge game (dare I say a must-win) considering the recent form and games looming with Chelsea and Man Utd.