By NATE SILVER <http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/author/nate-silver/> I’m working on an article about the New York Mets — but that subject is perhaps too depressing for a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. The article, in any event, will focus on the Mets’ attendance and whether there are any signals that the club’s off-the-field problems <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/sports/baseball/mets-fred-wilpon-puts-his-fans-cap-on-and-speaks-his-mind.html?_r=1> have begun to hurt [Read more]
Snooker break
May 30, 2011 by 9 Comments
Photo by David Bruce Trevor Ayres breaking in 2007. This photo was accepted into the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery’s main annual exhibition, the South West Survey, in 2007. As a response to Adam’s comment, the best David could do was have Roger Waters pay a visit. Then he decided to take the tone a little [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Some Origin thoughts from an ecumenical fan
May 25, 2011 by 3 Comments
by Lee Carney Australia is a unique country when it comes to its sport and particularly the football codes, like fans of sport in all nations we follow our teams religiously, having our moods go up and down based on the fortunes, of what in this era of trades and free agency is really a [Read more]
Susie Q Ramadan – a boxing story
May 24, 2011 by 6 Comments
by Andrew Starkie The Reggio Calabria Club sits in a slight depression beside the buzzing freeway. It is West Brunswick in Melbourne’s north. On this Sunday afternoon in early May, the car park is full and the shiny main entrance beckons patrons through to the restaurant. Most are passing by , instead entering a plain [Read more]
Almanac Rugby League – Granny’s five cents goes a long way (a late sixties boyhood in Sydney)
May 22, 2011 by 12 Comments
Sausage roll five cents, (sauce one cent extra); musk sticks, cobbers, freckles, milk bottles, musk sticks, bananas – cent each; bertie beetle, choo-choo-bar, both five cents. Shiny packet on top of the glass-topped bench: same as a snag roll (minus sauce); forget bertie, forget the black mouthed bar; bargain! Give over the echidna; Mrs Mineo [Read more]
Sporting achievements to be proud of
May 11, 2011 by 1 Comment
by Jill Scanlon Sport – It’s part of being an Australian. In saying this, I mean no disrespect to those who prefer the Arts, music, literature and the like – not that these are mutually exclusive to sport. But Australians by-and-large truly are brought up with a healthy respect and enthusiasm for sporting endeavour and [Read more]
A young bloke having a go
May 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The news of the passing of Lionel Rose was very sad indeed and brought back a few memories. I was appointed to Yallourn North Primary School in the early 1960’s and every now and then I would head back to Melbourne for the odd weekend. One Sunday afternoon on my way back to Yallourn I [Read more]
Ron Casey’s call of the Rose-Harada fight in `68
May 9, 2011 by 3 Comments
Folks (radio link follows) In tribute to Lionel Rose….. have a listen to this call of the last round and the decision of his world title fight with Fighting Harada in Tokyo in 68 I was 14 at the time and listened to it broadcast down a phone line from Tokyo on my transistor. I think I [Read more]
Ronnie’s 147
April 26, 2011 by 11 Comments
April 21, 1997. I’m playing pool with Previous Ann in a smoky Galway boozer. Previous again demonstrates her prowess on the baize by nailing the black. I’m left to ponder how I’ve been rolled again. She can play this girl. Sadly, I can’t. Discussion quickly turns to the prospect of devouring chips and curry sauce [Read more]
Stawell – The Hush
April 21, 2011 by 2 Comments
John’s story about Ken Trewick was a ripper and it brought to mind many happy memories of Stawell from a time long past. While Trewick’s story is, was and always will be part of the folklore of Stawell it made me think about the thousands of runners who, over the past 130 years or so, [Read more]
Stawell Dreaming
April 19, 2011 by 13 Comments
Something is stirring. It might be because the leaves are fading to nothing in the trees, it might be the chill that greets me each morning as I open the front door and toss the tea leaves onto the camellias, or it might be something from within; something that won’t go away. About now the [Read more]
Masters Tension Evokes Memeories
April 11, 2011 by 4 Comments
Memories are funny things. They can flicker at the edge of your mind like a light bulb in the cellar. Others shine stronger than the brightest star in the sky, special moments that take your breath away out of sheer horror or sheer joy. One of the brightest memories I have occurred in April 1996. [Read more]
US Masters – live
April 11, 2011 by 63 Comments
This is phenomenal. Adam Scott has just lost his second t the 15 th tirght, and Tiger has just hit a half-OK second tot he 18th. A stack of players within one shot of Adam Scott at -11. And a few moe within two! Jason Day just missed from 5 feet at 14. He looked [Read more]
F1 Grand Prix: Should our nation’s most prestigious motor racing event be axed?
March 31, 2011 by 10 Comments
By Damian Watson The Australian Formula One Grand Prix has been previously touted as the pinnacle of international sporting events staged across the country, however the sanctity of the race has been questioned and threatened in recent years. As a result of dwindling crowds, significant financial consequences and angst amongst local residents and politicians, the [Read more]
Burning Down the House (or ways fans celebrate sporting success)
March 25, 2011 by 6 Comments
One of my favourite stories of fans celebrating a premiership is what Parramatta fans did in 1981 after the team won its first premiership in the old Sydney Rugby League comp: they burnt the old home ground down! Parramatta’s rickety, old, ‘country showground’ home, Cumerland Oval, was slated to be replaced by a new ‘stadium’…that night, the jubilant fans decided [Read more]
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
March 21, 2011 by 12 Comments
Different things stir our spirit; reach into our soul. What stirs mine may not stir you. I suppose it’s what makes the world go around. Recently on this site Peter Flynn wrote about the mighty Black Caviar. The sight of it powering away from its rivals obviously captured him. I can understand that. A horse [Read more]
Apologies in Advance
March 13, 2011 by 9 Comments
In a misguided gesture of good will, last week I decided to volunteer to fill in a place on the school swim team for an upcoming inter school competition. This was promoted by the desperation on the face of the girl attempting to recruit Year 12s from our homeroom and the rude shock I received [Read more]
Why we all need a Clive the Concierge
March 12, 2011 by 3 Comments
Tickets to the English Premier League are a hot commodity. Tickets to the Premier League between teams occupying the ‘big four’ are even hotter with most games sold out well in advance. However, with a little persistence and a constant ear to the ground tickets can be sourced. What do you think the chances are [Read more]
Do Real Sports Cry?
March 10, 2011 by 13 Comments
Craig Little provided this link to an Atlantic piece on crying in sport. Do we still regard it as unmanly? Surely we’ve moved on in these “enlightened” times? To judge from elements of this article, the debate in the USA hasn’t entirely advanced. What do you think Knackers? http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2011/03/attention-miami-heat-in-sports-crying-is-for-winners/72205/ Almanac Admin
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