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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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The transfer window opens and Manchester United are girding their loins for their annual overspend. They've offered forty million for Aaron Wan-Bissaka but Palace want sixty million so they'll probably settle on seventy. They'll go even higher for players anybody's ever heard of.*
*Aaron is one of my double-barrelled Croydon lads but even we hadn't heard of him..
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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I tune in for the time trial at the Criterium du Dauphine to be told that Chris Froome has crashed (on a recce!), broken a leg and is out of the Tour de France. I know it's heartless but all I could think was how three weeks have been ripped out of my summer. When I learned that Bryce Harper had been traded to the Phillies, all of a sudden I don't watch baseball any more. When the Brady/Belichick era comes to an end at the New England Patriots (this season?) I will give up on gridiron football. Whenever England gets knocked out of something I lose interest in the whole tournament.
Why can't I enjoy sport for sport's sake? Presumably because it's a serious waste of time. Or is it me? No, it's a serious waste of time.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Watching the Euro-roundups one couldn't help but be struck by the half empty, even near-empty stadiums. (Not Serbia, that was mandated for undue crowd fascism.) Whereas England get eighty thousand through the door even if we are playing Gibraltar. Nobody has ever been able to explain this. Are we unduly fascistic? It's more likely that we haven't got anything better to do, not being interested in sex. That's a good thing, by the way.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Copa America
Uruguay 2 Japan 0
I accept it is reasonable for Australia to be in the Asian World Cup qualifying groups on account of them being fed up having to play Trobriand Islanders all the time but surely this is an ocean too far. But if not, most New Zealanders are proud of their Scottish heritage so maybe Scotland could apply to replace New Zealand in the Australasia zone for an easier qualification route. They can beat the Trobriand Islands on most days. No objections from me. They can take the north with them, as far as I'm concerned, that way they'll have a rugby league team for the first time and can take part in the State of Origin competition. Which reminds me, I have to remind you of the grudge derby of the day:
Rugby League
Toronto vs Toulouse
Sky Sports Arena 6 pm
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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| A cricketer who raped a woman he found dozing in his teammate’s bedroom has been jailed for five years, with his victim calling it an evil and heinous attack that has left her suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. Jurors heard that the woman thought she was having sex with Hepburn’s then county team-mate Joe Clarke, a promising young England batsman, after meeting him at a nightclub. She realised she had been raped by Hepburn when he spoke in an Australian accent. |
I find this troubling for all kinds of reasons. Not least because I can't quite work out why. So I'm going to try even if it is all rather tasteless and my own scale of values doesn't come out of it very well. It seems reasonable to assume that the woman agreed to sleep with Clarke on the basis of him being either young'n'handsome or being an international cricketer. Both excellent reasons in my book. But if you're going to sleep with men on the basis of youthfulness and/or sporting prowess, why is this Australian beyond the pale? I accept women are perfectly entitled to informed consent but goose and gander arguments must come into it somewhere along the line. After all, Hepburn has some reasonable expectations too when it comes to judging the prevailing sexual climate. As we have seen time and again, what people believe and what the law says they ought to believe are two different things. But they mustn't get too far out of kilter if 'natural justice' is to be preserved as a guiding principle.
I have never slept with a man so I can't tell how difficult it is telling one man from another but I would have thought accent would not be highest on the list of differentiating characteristics. On the other hand, following the recent undercover policemen cases, it is established that a woman can be raped even if she 'loves' the man but hates what he is. And that is fair enough.
I don't know, but I find it difficult to believe that five years is Hepburn's just desserts. And I also find it difficult to believe that a rather sordid "How many women can you screw" competition being run by the young cricketers didn't have something to do with it. As I am always saying in sex cases, distaste is not part of English law. That's why we have law.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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England 2 Cameroun 1
I don't watch women's soccer but I do watch American sport talks shows. They were up in arms about Phil Neville saying Cameroun behaved badly (which they did by every possible standard). The implied criticism was his racism but that is because Americans don't understand soccer and blackness. I doubt it would occur to Neville that Cameroun women are black though he would be assuming Cameroun women's soccer is undeveloped.
But the real bile was directed at the 'British tabloids' -- the headlines of which were splashed across the screen. Their crime? Demanding an improvement in Camerounian women soccer players behaviour rather than their true mission: demanding equal pay for British women soccer players. I wonder how that would work.
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Hatty
Site Admin
In: Berkshire
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The charge of racism came about (I think) because commentators were saying the players needed to have VAR rules explained to them rather than on account of their inarguably bad behaviour. That could be interpreted as being 'thick' by people who look for racism. Most people assume football players aren't too bright and often say so but not about Raheem
The score was 3 - 0.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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I don't think so, though we may be dealing with different levels of (un)consciousness. Consider 'our' i.e. Phil Neville's attitude to black players. It would not occur to him/us to criticise South London blacks for being 'thick'. Though knowing the local schools as I do, they probably are. Nor does it make any sense to criticise Camerounians for lack of familiarity with VAR. I doubt if, in practice, the English women would have played under it before this tournament though -- and I suppose this is quite important -- it would already be 'in their culture' just from watching men's matches on the telly. By God, it's in mine.
Actually, remembering a post a few posts ago about the Tunisia vs Morocco final, I think this is probably it. However I am perfectly open to racist arguments e.g. Africans are more excitable than Europeans. Remember, being good losers is part of the Judaeo-Christian-English public school ethos we gave the world.
Of course this does not apply to American sports which have a culture that not only says winning is everything but that racism must be rooted out wherever it does not exist. Did you know that on Jackie Robinson Day every Major League baseball payer wears 42 on his back? Though that was a case of rooting out racism.
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Seems to me the Camaroonians didn't understand the current interpretation of the offside rule. They saw the player in white (as we saw it) at the top of our screen who was clearly inside the offside 'line' and thought it counted. It didn't because that player (Duggan?) wasn't 'interfering with play'.
They probably were aware of the passing back to the goalkeeper rule but in the heat of the moment under pressure...I checked to see which part of the Camaroon player connected with that ball and yes it was the foot so yes it was a pass back (any other part of the woman's anatomy would not have incurred the free kick, even a shin). A sensible principle adopted in 1992 but strangely specific anatomically (why doesn't a header count)?
I've watched England women play matches when on TV for over ten years now and I can tell you this squad has depth. Better than the one my daughter and I saw lose 1-0 to Sweden at Blackburn Rovers' ground in 2005.
Can someone buy me a drink in the saloon bar?
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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This is not the point. If Cameroonian men had (twice) refused to carry on playing (I will leave aside their mobbing of the referee, their kicking of English shins and their own coaches encouraging it all) their feet wouldn't have touched the ground as they were escorted out of the tournament. And probably the next tournament as well. If the Cameroon women want to get equal pay with the men they will have to behave like the men. Though personally I wouldn't get out of bed for that kind of money.
But more importantly pointy-head American sports journalists with a yearning for equality will have to start excoriating them as if they were white men. You get bought a drink when you've got your knees brown. You're not even a doctor, are you?
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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It's important we extend maximum hospitality to our visitors during the cricket world cup.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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| I checked to see which part of the Camaroon player connected with that ball and yes it was the foot so yes it was a pass back (any other part of the woman's anatomy would not have incurred the free kick, even a shin). A sensible principle adopted in 1992 but strangely specific anatomically (why doesn't a header count)? |
Just before this passes into folklore, permit to set the record straight. The 'passing back' rule was introduced because of the tiresome habit of defenders bringing it out and, whenever they got closed down, they would just pass it back and the whole thing would start over again from scratch. Not only was the game slowed but teams could waste time almost indefinitely when ahead towards the end of the game. It was a minor if useful reform. But, as always happens with minor reforms, the original purpose was soon forgotten and any pass back in any circumstances was now 'fair game'. Really, it should be restricted to 'clear and deliberate' pass backs and anything else should be generously interpreted by the ref as not being. The difference is clear enough.
This is why, pace Aurelius, heading back is permitted since you can't head it back if you're bringing it out from the back and simply wish to avail yourself of the safe arms of the keeper. One useful reform to the reform might be introduced. At the moment having a throw-in near your own goal line is a minus when it should be a plus. Therefore you should be allowed to throw it back to the goalie without it being a back pass.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Once again we must return to the melancholy story of the intelligence of British sportsmen. This gung ho England coach comes on the Bob Willis Moan Hour (Sky Sports Cricket Channel) and castigates our Skymen because they're complaining that Moheen Ali et al are perishing on the boundary ropes due to the ball going just under rather than just over. "You've been demanding our chaps whack it our of the park," he pointed out, "which they've been doing so brilliantly well they've been the world's number one team for the last two years, so stop bellyaching when it goes wrong occasionally."
No, Mr Coachman, we want you to tell Moheen Ali et al that when we need a hundred runs and we've only got five wickets left but plenty of overs to get them and Ben Stokes is going like a train at the other end to not, under any circumstances, try hitting it out of the park. "Sorry, I can't do that because Moheen Ali et al only have very small brains which can only carry one thought in any given two-year period, and currently that's 'knock the ball out of the park'. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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| Mick Harper wrote: | Really, it should be restricted to 'clear and deliberate' pass backs and anything else should be generously interpreted by the ref as not being. The difference is clear enough.
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In your mind, clear and deliberate will be clear.
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