The schedule is out

Apparently, I don't have much time to prepare myself for the new Premier League season. Everton's first game is Aug. 17 against Norwich City, and its first home game is Aug. 24 against West Bromwich Albion. (The full Everton schedule -- courtesy of ESPN's soccer web site -- can be found here, in case any other Everton supporters are reading this blog and haven't seen it yet.)

As you may or may not know, I picked Everton as my Premier League team at the end of May. Everton wasn't on my original list of finalists, but I wound up taking them because I liked the club's history of success (five FA Cup titles) and that it once had a player by the name of Dixie Dean (being a baseball fan, the name reminded me of Dizzy Dean).

Now, the goal for Everton is to improve on last season's sixth-place finish. It will have a rested Steven Pienaar, who decided last fall not to play for his native South Africa's national team. But it might not have Marouane Fellaini, who led the side in goals last year with 11, or Leighton Baines, who is their top playmaker. There are rumors about Manchester United's interest in Baines and the possible departure of Fellaini through transfer (must be the British equivalent of a trade). We'll have to see what the next two months brings on those fronts.

I'll admit, that's pretty much all I know about Everton at the moment. But I plan on learning more about my new favorite Premier League club so I'm up to speed when it visits Norwich City.

By the way, does anybody know what the Everton supporters sing during matches at Goodison Park? It's kind of hard to make out the words when I see the games on TV.