A kicky kids’ name in England
For decades upon decades, young soccer fans in London have been taught that Arsenal and Chelsea hate each other. But times are changing.
Now there’s a chance that when Arsenal and Chelsea get older, they will get married.
English parents obsessed with their favorite soccer club have taken to naming their newborns Arsenal. According to a new survey of baby names in England, findmypast.com has found 26 children named Arsenal -- boys and girls.
Keeping with the soccer theme, the survey found three David Beckhams and 39 Gazzas -- Gazza being the nickname for former English midfield star Paul Gascoigne. Other parents were content to settle for the shoes of the soccer stars. The survey found three children named Adidas and two Reeboks.
Tiger Woods is also popular overseas, with 1,191 new Tigers now crawling around England.
Stateside, we have our own indulgences. Football fans in Buffalo have been known to name their sons Bills, football fans in New England have had more than a few Pats.
And in New York, parents who don’t really like their kids call them Isiah.
Trivia time
What was the most popular celebrity name for girls, according to the www.findmypast.com survey?
He can’t attend it like Beckham
Beckham, already sitting on the bench for Real Madrid, was benched again in his bid to attend Saturday’s Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes wedding in Italy.
Beckham had requested a leave to attend the ceremony, but Madrid officials preferred he stay with the club to continue rehabilitating his injured left knee. The 31-year-old midfielder heeded the team’s request, watching Madrid’s Saturday match against Racing Santander from the stands, while his wife Victoria attended the wedding.
“He’s injured, he hasn’t recovered, and he has to train,” Madrid Coach Fabio Capello said.
When asked if was aware Beckham would have to miss the wedding, Capello replied, “That’s not my problem.” In England, newspapers speculated that this latest incident increased the chances of Beckham leaving the team. “Cruising for a bruising,” read the front-page headline of the Sun, which added, “Becks risks club row for wedding.” Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, the Galaxy is said to be preparing a contract for Beckham that promises to fly him to the Cruise-Holmes first anniversary party. Or be its host, one or the other.
Yes, Sir David
Things would be different here if Beckham signed with the Galaxy. A conversation come next November: Beckham: “My son Brooklyn wants to attend a friend’s birthday party in Monaco next Sunday.” Galaxy: “But we’re playing D.C. United for the MLS Cup next Sunday.” Beckham: “And I will have to go with him.” Galaxy: “We’ll move the game to December.”
Trivia answer
The survey found 7,261 little girls named after Australian singer Kylie Minogue, easily outdistancing the 1,611 Britneys. Madonna, with only 288 namesakes, is evidently too old-school.
And finally
Sixteen minutes after Ohio State’s 42-39 victory over Michigan on Saturday, numbers for the Ohio Lottery Pick 4 game were drawn. The winning numbers: 4-2-3-9.
Anyone who played $1 and picked the 4-2-3-9 numbers in order won $5,000. The odds of those numbers turning up in that combination were 10,000 to 1.
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