LANDO SIGNS ON AS BLAME GAME RUMBLES ON
It only seems like the blink of an eye ago that Max Verstappen was crowned Fomula 1 World Champion in dramatic and highly controversial circumstances, but the real life Batmobiles are being fired up again as the chequered flag prepares to fall on another season.
If you recall, Lewis Hamilton appeared to have the title sown up on the final day of the season only for the chaotic last race to be behind the Safety Car apart from the last two laps.
At which point Verstappen roared past the incumbent to claim his first crown. Naturally, the brash Toto Wolff and Hamilton’s Mercedes camp weren’t amused. And they probably had a case. It seems terribly though that one person – Race Director Michael Masi – was left carrying the can for the entire mess.
Mind you, you have to wonder was the posturing engaged in by Hamilton and his entourage regarding whether he would race on at all or not their own way of digging their heals in over the way they were wronged, as they saw it. They probably were in fairness. However, the big story to emerge from that sporting sphere this week was Lando Norris signing a contract that will keep him with McLaren until 2025.
Big things have always been expected of the 22-year-old, but despite making his debut at the highest level in 2019, he has yet to win a race or indeed claim a pole position. Be that as it may, gut feeling is that his employers have made the percentage call. Banking on the belief that he has his best years still in front of him. In pairing him with Daniel Riccardo they have certainly given that the best chance of happening.
FROM RUSSIA WITH DRUGS
At various times over the years, mention has been made of the fact that reading habits have been and still are sporadic at best. To be honest that annoys me and upsets me. For reasons which haven’t been quite figured out yet, a Sunday paper hasn’t come into the house since da died. It’s not that a conscious decision was made in that regard. It just sort of happened. Or didn’t as it happened. Maybe I’ll get back into it, maybe I won’t.
I do miss it. There was once a set reading schedule for the week. The Sunday papers had a free role, simply as there was generally a week’s worth of reading therein. Monday – Irish Times Sport/Business, Tuesday – Farming Independent, Wednesday – Meath Chronicle, Thursday – Irish Farmer’s Journal, Friday – Ireland’s Own, Saturday – The Irish Field and, the undisputed highlight of the week – Sunday – The Sunday Independent, Sunday Times and, up until the death of Con Houlihan, The Sunday World
Though there are admired writers in each of the publications listed above, the most treasured acquisitions were the writings of Hugh McIlvanny and David Walsh. In both cases, mostly due to the breadth of material both showed adeptness at covering.
Both produced material which was educational and a whole lot more besides. Whether by accident or design, David educated me – and much of the world – about the dark side of sport. Doping.
Undoubtedly, Lance Armstrong and those associated with him and the damage inflicted upon the sport of cycling is the most explosive. But, regretably it’s far from the only such story.
There was a Russian couple, track athletes I think, who risked life and limb to expose the State sponsored doping culture which is indoctrinated into Russian sport. The rogue nation have been banned from some major sporting events but evidently curried enough favour with those who matter to get themselves back into the ongoing Winter Olympics.
At this point it must be admitted that this corner has been unable to take in any of the action. For a variety of reasons outside of my control. However, one can only assume that whoever or whatever sporting body re-admitted the Russians must feel like a bunch of idiots now.
Surely the 15-year-old figure skater found to have illegal drugs in their system is a new low however. Sadly a case of starting as they mean to go on.
ENGLAND’S STICKY WICKET
Chances are this corner is not alone in knowing more Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff’s broadcasting career than his exploits at the wicket. But even from that, it can be gathered he would be an uplifting, inspirational character.
Now, because of his business interests, he mightn’t have the slightest inclination of getting back involved with cricket again, but given the chaos emanating from Lords and the like, the ECB could do far worse than give him a call.
There’s obviously something fundamentally wrong at some level of the game level over there. After all, it’s not all that long ago they captured the World Cup when Ben Stokes produced a truly wondrous performance as New Zealand were overcome in a Super Over. That being the equivalent of extra time in most other sports.
Most recently the game in England has been been engulfed in racism scandals. with the unearthing of a fairly rancid racist culture attracting all manner of opprobrium. Couple that with consistent abjectness on the field and wasn’t only natural that heads were going to roll at some point.
That English cricket’s head honcho Andrew Strauss felt the need the need to instigate a clearout is hardly surprising, but, in jettisoning Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, he has dropped the guillotine on two easy and ill-fitting fall guys. The desire and need for change is understandable but sometimes you should be careful what you wish for.
HE HASN’T GONE AWAY YOU KNOW
The fickle nature of sports fandom and punditry can sit somewhere between curious and annoying. One or two below par performances and teams or individual competitors are having their sporting obituaries written for them. If it stops at that, they’re lucky in fact, as has been all too obvious close to home lately. Fans being disappointed is one thing, but bitter, vitriolic, personalised abuse is a line which should never be crossed. We’ll get back to that later though.
For now, reference is being made to the idiotic utterances emanating from the darting world in relation to Michael Van Gerwen. The dynamic Dutch star missed the World Championship due to Covid-19 and just because he was beaten in the opening round of the Premier League and in a couple of PRO Tour events, talk of “The aura slipping” and such dung began to gain traction.
Anyone who bought into that slurry got their answer on Thursday night when Mighty Mike gave Peter Wright a right walloping in Liverpool. And even though he didn’t make the final, the Green Machine showed enough to ensure those who were writing him off should be afraid. Very afraid.
Similar sentiments to the latter could also be expressed in relation to Joe Cullen. The Bradford man earned his first win as a Premier League player and even though he was beaten in the night’s Final by man of the moment Jonny Clayton, it won’t be long until the former gets over the line.
BAD REFEREEING NEEDS TO BE CALLED OUT AND DEALT WITH
The good referee, if there is such a thing, is the one you don’t notice. Unfortunately, with some officials, particularly those considered to be the top thereof in GAA, it’s all about them. However, national media, and RTE in particular, seem contractually obliged to pander to the whistlers.
Between Colm O’Rourke gushing that David Gough could’ve sent off even more in Omagh and Donal Og Cusack disgracefully blabbering that Gearoid Hegarty had the red card coming to him, it’s thrash like that which is, slowly but surely, sanitising our games to the point of no recognition.
Whilst acknowledging Cusack was the finest hurling custodian of his generation and actually one of the foremost forward thinkers on the rudiments of playing the game, in an off the pitch context, he has turned into an agitator and dung slinger. In fact, he was at it before he stopped playing, being one of the main anarchists due the repeated Cork strikes.
Colm of all people should know no better. No team were demonised by the press and rode, robbed and cheated by referees more than the magnificent Meath team of which he was an integral part. A team that played the game with a physicality and manliness that few could match and most were jealous of.
And the more they won, the more sniping and disingenuous refereeing became obvious. Limerick are now similarly ending up of victims of their own success. Gearoid Hegarty deserved his red card, but the tone of the punditry thereafter was scandalous.
This thing of “The referee had no choice” is another annoyance. Of course he or she has a choice. How they officiate the game is surely down to their own disgression. While readily accepting that it’s not an easy job, bad refereeing needs to be called out and dealt with. Just as bad or indisciplined play is, to extreme degrees.
Bad refereeing can undo months of effort and dedication by players and mentors alike. Just as players can be dropped for poor play or banned for indiscipline, referees should face sanction – such as forfeiture of match fee – where it can be proven they mucked up. That should apply to all sports. But I wouldn’t hold your breath.
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