It's Monday, April the 8th, and here are some updates for you.
Commenter banned
I took it upon myself to ban a user from the blog today for two separate comments. I have no problem if you have a disagreement with something that is said by one of the writers here at BFW or one of the commenters, but I expect you to do so with at least a modicum of class.
Calling another user a pedophile and then telling me to kill myself aren't the way to go about it.
Sorry. You can observe but not contribute to BFW any longer.
Introduction to your writing staff
Phillip Quinn
Hello, I'm Phillip Quinn. I'm going to be your "managing editor" and one of your main writers here at Bavarian Football Works. I'm also the main Bundesliga editor for SB Nation Soccer so be sure to visit over there for all of your Bundesliga news. I'm 26 and have lived in North Carolina my entire life. If you're interested in how I became a Bayern fan, here it is.
My grandmother was born in raised in Breslau, Germany (If you were unaware, it's now Wrocław, Poland.) After several years of struggling to just survive, she ended up in the Munich area. So, getting my first FIFA game in the late 1990s, I knew I wanted a German team. I knew I wanted a team from Munich. It may have been just luck that made me choose Bayern over 1860 on that fateful day, but it sure has ended up well.
I'm attached to Bastian Schweinsteiger. He's easily my current favorite player, and it's not even close.
Samrin Hasib
Hi, I am Samrin Hasib but I use my nickname, Twinkle on this blog. I am a Bayern fan who has a love for the spectacular. My writing might feel just a bit dreamy sometimes. Also, as expected for someone who enjoys flair, I am a big fan of No 39, Toni Kroos, despite his flat and simply unlikeable attitude. So, please excuse me for slight exaggerations of the beauty of the injured star's passes. Also, as I have been a long term Bayern fan, I am slightly negative. Just ride out the negativity with me for a while because I assure you, if Bayern reaches the promised land of the quadruple, you will get only positivity from me. I don't know whether you are familiar with my writing but if you are, I know that you will feel that I write quite differently from the beloved Phil Pierson. Like him, I also have love for an English team. Arsenal Football Club is my second team. I am also rather fond of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and in particular, their under-appreciated captain Simon Rolfes. You are free to discuss all things Bayern as well as all things Bundesliga with me. Finally, the best words to describe me are perhaps these three famous words "Mia San Mia!"
Ryan Cowper
It began with one small mitotic division, and with hundreds upon trillions of division later I emerged...
My name is Ryan, I am composed of cells as clearly delineated above, and it shall be my pleasure to serve up a slice of Bayern content and analysis to you now, and in the mysterious and terrifying thing known as the future. I am from Seattle, so before you ask; Yes, I am covered in moss just like everything else here, and I have no idea what the sun looks like. If you could send me pictures of it, that would be nice.
I am most interested in tactical and analytical approaches to soccer, so you can probably bet that the majority of my work will be in that area, unless Phil needs me to write other things. I became a Bayern fan about three years ago because of a girl who now has a major in German. That girl is now my girl, so sorry ladies, I'm taken. She speaks German. I know "Tor" means goal. What a pair we make. Follow me on Twitter (@cowperryan) if you dare.
Davis VanOpdorp
My name is Davis VanOpdorp and I am from Massachusetts. I went to Germany many time as a kid, and when I was 10, a family friend introduced me to die Roten, and I latched on immediately. I used to be a track athlete at Boston University, and when I left, fußball really filled the competitive hole in my life. I am the voice for the Real Boston Rams nowadays, a USL Premier Development League soccer team. I love watching soccer no matter who it is, where it is, or what gender it is; football is intoxicating, and I am honored to be able to write about a team that is a part of me, just like it is a part of all of you.
Scott Schroder
I have to admit, it has felt a bit odd writing a few stories and interacting with all of you without a proper introduction, so here we go I guess...
A few of you may know already me from Twitter (@keineUmlaute and @Kroos_Fanclub) or from hosting the Rekordmeister Podcast (what I know to be the only English-language Bayern one out there), but I thought I'd give a brief overview of myself that will help y'all to get to know me a little better.
I'm from Houston, Texas and I'm a massive Dynamo fan. I even worked for them a few seasons ago and I have a season ticket though I miss about half of their matches since I go to school out of state. About that, I attend the University of Mississippi and am majoring in journalism and political science.
As for how I became a Bayern fan, I feel that my story is pretty common. In case you noticed my last name, I have a bit (okay, a lot) of German ancestry, but my family is from what is now the state of Brandenburg, not Bavaria. Actually, my ancestors would probably disown me if they knew I supported a team from Bavaria, but that's not a threat I have to worry about, at least until time travel is invented.
Anyways, I (in addition to supporting the USMNT) took a liking to the German national team. After becoming frustrated with the Schwarz und Weiß only playing in tournaments once every two summers, I looked towards the club part of world football only to discover that the majority of my favorite German players were on the same team!
This realization coincided with the San Jose Earthquakes moving to my hometown, so it can be said that is when I truly became hooked on the sport.
A few years down the road, and now I own about 30 Bayern shirts, am a member of the club, have visited the Allianz Arena, host a podcast about the team and write for them on a regular basis.
Here are a few little details to help you get to know me better:
-Favorite Bayern kit that I own: 1990 home shirt, long-sleeved.
-Favorite Bayern moment: Thomas Müller's goal against Chelsea. That was the happiest I've ever been.
-Worst Bayern moment: Everything after Thomas Müller's goal against Chelsea.
-Favorite players: Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (the hair) and Javi Martinez (he's actually good).
-Least favorite player: Kevin Großkreutz.
-Favorite band: The Smiths
-Favorite non-German teams: Houston Dynamo, Tottenham Hotspur.
-Favorite food: Aloo mutter with rice and naan (I'm a vegetarian, sorry).
-Favorite TV shows: The Daily Show, Peep Show, Blackadder and Arrested Development.
-Favorite scandal: The CDU/CSU/FDP faked thesis episode of 2011.