Arsenal America

Over the years that I?ve worked in sports I?ve had the opportunity to be up close to some of the biggest trophies in sports. In 1996 I worked for the New York Yankees. It was the 8th inning of game six and there I was, sitting in a small room underneath the stadium, just me and the World Series trophy. Last year, I poked my head into a conference room at work and there was hockey?s Stanley Cup. And just last week I got a look at an Olympic gold medal up close. But the Gooners in Southern California got one up on me during the first week in March as the FA Cup and English Premiership trophies came to the left coast.

Arsenal America member Jacob Hecht: ?What can I say? It was awesome. I took my oldest son with me Saturday night to see them and have his picture taken with them and he loved it. All the guys at the Fox And Hounds pub were great, they really made my eight year old feel like one of the guys. Bravo to them. Also Scott Cohen from Arsenal was there that night and he too took the time to speak with my son, it really made his day. I guess the only thing better this year will be seeing the boys hold the Champions League trophy high at Old Trafford.?

Apparently you lot make your trophies different, as member Lawrence Emanuel had a bit of difficulty: ?Had an embarrassing moment when I almost dropped the base of the FA Cup on my foot. Gave the Arsenal officials there a coronary when that happened, but no damage was done either to myself or the trophy.?

Well, hopefully Arsenal will keep a hold of the trophies and we?ll all have more experience grabbing them tight.

* * *

We?ve had an interesting debate recently among the members of Arsenal America regarding rivalries. Specifically, who is our most bitter rival ? Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur. Now this might seem a silly question to many die hard fans of Arsenal. I?m sure many of you can recite the bitter history between Spurs and Arsenal by heart. But many of our members are new to English football and it?s hard for us to see what the fuss is regarding our neighbors at the other end of Seven Sisters Road. Many of Arsenal?s most memorable games (both good and bad) over the last several years have been against Man United. In fact, in a poll on our site, when asked who our biggest rival is right now, 70% answered the Red Devils. But the passion of the many letters that came in explaining the antipathy towards Spurs was very compelling. It seems the animosity goes deep, extending beyond the competitiveness of the matches.

* * *

The other big news recently was that Dennis Bergkamp has expressed interest in playing another year. I think you?d have a hard time finding an Arsenal fan who would be disappointed by that news. Dennis has probably made more neutral supporters into Arsenal fans than any other player. While his play on the field has been something to behold, his importance to Arsenal goes beyond the pitch. There?s only one Dennis Bergkamp, so I hope we see him again next year.