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More Death

September 12, 2020 at 2:07 pm
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I am late to post about this, but I was very saddened by the news of a couple recent deaths.

The world of television and film lost a titan with the passing of Dame Diana Rigg.   Such an amazing talent.   It was such an honor to have her on GAME OF THRONES as the Queen of Thorns.  I only had the chance to meet her once, when I visited the set the first year she was on the show.   As brief as that meeting was, I count that a rare privilege.  A lovely lady.   As great as she was as Olenna Tyrell, for me… and for most every other member of my generation… she will always remain Emma Peel.

 

I was also moved by the death of Tom Seaver — Tom Terrific, the Franchise, the Hall of Fame pitcher for the Amazin’ Mets who led them to their World Series Championship in 1969.   I never met Seaver at all, but of course I was a fan.   I do not follow Major League Baseball as much as I did when I was younger, but as a kid in Jersey I was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and had my heart ripped out when Da Bums moved to LA.   So of course I became a Mets fan when they began play in 1962 as an expansion team.   I suffered through all the years of losing — as lovable as they were, they were still losers — and the turnaround led by Seaver and Koosman and the rest of the Amazin’s in ’69 was nothing short of miraculous.

It is odd, when you think of it, how caught up a sports fan can get in the fortunes of their team… but the emotions are real.   That World Series victory made me so very very happy, that even now half a century later I still smile when I recall it.

And in these dark days, we need every smile.

Goodbye, Tom.  Goodbye, Diana.  Rest in peace.

Current Mood: sad sad

Jon Snow Goes Lame

November 7, 2017 at 5:06 pm
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Damn.

Jon Snow has gone lame.

https://www.punters.com.au/news/jon-snow-out-of-melbourne-cup_163670/

There goes my plan to wager my entire fortune on the Bastard of Winterfell.

Current Mood: sad sad

Run Fast, Jon Snow

October 18, 2017 at 12:38 pm
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Jon Snow is running in the Melbourne Cup.

Or so my Aussie friends inform me.

https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/melbourne-cup/

For those who don’t live Down Under, the Melbourne Cup is the biggest horse race in Australia, and one of the biggest in the world. Like our Kentucky Derby, but much much older.

Phar Lap won it once.

Can Jon Snow do the same?

Current Mood: amused amused

Winter Olympics

March 1, 2010 at 12:02 am
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Parris and I watched a fair amount of the Winter Olympics. ’twas okay. Some stirring moments, some excitement, drama, grace, all that.

Some of these sports are silly, though. I mean, really. Two man luge? The top guy lying on the bottom guy, both of them flat on their backs, careening down an ice chute? Why not eight-man luge? Just stack ’em up, keeping the stack together would be real exciting.

And really — this one is going to get me in trouble, I know — if you don’t know who won until some judge holds up a card or enters a number on a computer, it’s not a sport. Now listen. I am not saying it doesn’t require incredible skill, grace, strength, what have you. I am not saying the participants are not athletes, even. I am certainly not saying this stuff should not exist. But it’s not a sport. I mean, really. Ice dancing? Dancing is an art. Has been an art for thousands of years. Doing it on ice doesn’t change that. And when it’s Russians dressed up as faux Australian aborigines or Americans ice dancing a Moldavian folk dance, it’s REALLY not a sport.

All these judged “sports” are too subjective. A real sport may require umps or refs, but you know who won when the contest is over. We didn’t have to sit around after the SuperBowl saying, “well, the Saints scored more points, but the Colts attempted more long passes, so their degree of difficulty was harder, and the judges will certainly give Dwight Feeney points for that triple spin move, even though he didn’t get the sack. It could be close…”

I propose a new sport for the next Winter Olympics. A REAL sport. Ice football. Played exactly the same way as real (American) football, except everyone is on ice skates. I mean, we have field hockey and ice hockey, why not field football and ice football? Just think of the excitement as Peyton Manning skates backward to get off the pass and those speed skaters on the D-line come flashing after him while his wideouts do spins and triple axels trying to lose the CBs… most exciting sport EVER!!!

Current Mood: null null

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