Re: Wide World of Sports
Posted by:
Jon (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: January 04, 2003 10:28PM
<HTML>Well, actually I rather like American football, funnily enough. Channel 4 used to televise it over here, and our family got rather caught up in the fortunes of the Washington Redskins (Downtown Charlie Brown! Joe Washington! Joe Theismann! and of course the very great John Riggins!). Yes, there is brutality and brute force, but there is also amazing skill, and once you knew what you were looking at, I found it very entertaining. Of course we only saw the highlights of games (Superbowl excepted), and believe you me it's way better without all the time-outs and stoppages and other guff surrounding it. It isn't really shown over here any more, and I've lost touch, but the Skins coming from way behind to turn over the Broncos in the Superbowl is one of my favourite sporting memories. Never really been exposed to baseball, and I can't see the damn puck in ice-hockey (although I used to really enjoy seeing Czechoslovakia getting wired into the USSR at the Olympics ... talk about a needle match ...) and I think basketball one of the most monotonous pastimes known to man.
Other than that I like cricket, but find all the attempted razzmatazz in the modern game pathetic. (It's cricket! Leather on willow and old maids on bikes! Shut the @!#$ up!) I used to love watching the John Player League on BBC2 on Sundays - I still remember gaping with astonishment at Botham taking 16 of the last three balls to win the match by two runs. I like football (sorry, "soccer") obviously, a lifelong attachment to Liverpool fading as the greed and cynicism of Premiership football gets worse, and being replaced by a frankly worrying devotion to Torquay United. (And the brother has it even worse ... Manchester United and Hull City, would you believe). I like Gaelic football, which is something else Channel 4 don't show us anymore, and would like hurling too if I could only see the sliotar (ball .... see ice hockey above).
And as for rugby ... what was that about League having all the stopping and starting? Union's all right played well, but it isn't often played well. A typical Union game has far too many stoppages, for scrums (what is the point of a scrum any more?) line-outs (ditto ... now lifting is allowed, why bother?) and way too many penalties. And I refuse to believe that all the forwards lying on top of the ball while everyone else takes a break constitutes 'action'. Oui, oui, je suis une treiziste, though one not blind to our game's faults; ten metres is too far apart, and re scrums, either bring back proper scrums or get shut. Anyone who thinks being tackled in League can't result in a good shoeing has clearly never met Keith Senior. One of the problems with top-flight Union is that us Leaguies have taught 'em to tackle, and with 15 men lined up across the park, there ain't no room out there. Still, give it time and TV pressure will force the codes together anyway, at least at pro level. And do you know what's really bad about that? No-one will ever beat Australia ever again ....
PS - if I eat any chocolate between now and the brother's wedding, I have to take Claire breakfast in bed every Sunday. If she has any drink (other than birthdays/holidays), then she has to come and watch Oldham rugby, home and away, all season. Boy is she ever on the wagon.</HTML>