Sunday night report from the Sports Desk
Conversations with the ghost of Hunter S Thompson.
Conversations with the ghost of Hunter S Thompson.
Hey Bubba!
Well the football season here in England is finally on a six week World Cup hiatus, those pesky Houston Astros brought the curtain down on a baseball season of immense failure for the money ball men of New York and Los Angeles and despite the dire warnings of biblical rain in the Australian city of Melbourne, the rain was brief and passing and England, those historical creators of the fine game of cricket are World Champions once more. But the American version of football is only midway through yet another Super Bowl ending season, there’s a World Cup just seven enticing days away and with England scheduled to play a three Test Match cricket series in Pakistan and all before Christmas, where once I was panicking at not being able to fulfil my obligations for our award winning Sports Desk, I will now be overwhelmed, and naturally, I couldn’t be more pleased. I’m following France and Les Bleus in the World Cup and either those heavily favoured former Champions or their victors all the way through to the late December final in Qatar and all the while I’ll endeavour to fit in some interesting words of sporting interest as England attempt to win in the hubbub and difficult cricketing conditions that playing in Pakistan presents.
The Premier League came to a mid-season conclusion with two 2–1 away wins and two very different wins for Aston Villa and Manchester United respectively. Ex Liverpool Red and fond favourite Danny Ings scored twice for the “Villains” against the “Seagulls” and I know how much you enjoy our English nicknames Bubba! The Seagulls of Brighton still enter the field of play to a beautiful old tune entitled Sussex by the Sea and it never fails to please me when I hear it. My dear old Dad was a son of Sussex and this tune was a firm favourite of his and whenever I needed to raise a smile on my Mum’s face I’d often hum this tune to see her light up like a facial firework. Brighton are flattering to deceive without their old manager Graham Potter and he should’ve stayed but like so many before him, the allure of a prestigious football club playing in the Champions League tempted him to taste the almost certain nectar of rejection that goes with managing Chelsea Football Club. He doesn’t look the same man in the attire of Chelsea and neither did Rafael Benitez during his poisoned tenure at Stamford Bridge.
From an ex Liverpool Red scoring two typical Danny Ings type goals at Brighton we travelled the few southern miles to West London and to Craven Cottage, home of the “Cottagers” of Fulham who were entertaining the “Red Devils” of Manchester United, thus giving me the opportunity to run the rule over another ex Liverpool Red in the shape of Harry Wilson. Welsh born Wilson had been with Liverpool since early childhood and has since professionally been contracted with the Reds whilst playing constantly out on loan at various football league clubs until he found a recent permanent home beside the River Thames in West London. He played 50 or so minutes today and was particularly impressive in the home team’s high pressure and high press of a 1st half that saw them progressively tire as the game neared its denouement and final cruel twist that saw yet another wunderkind in Red score a vital last minute winning goal for the Devils from Manchester.
This is the second article in a row I’ve used the term “wunderkind” Bubba, but worry not, no-one reads these screeds other than you and I, so we need never mention this fact ever again. Who’s counting anyway? Today’s youthful over achiever and yet another in a long line of heroes scoring last minute winning goals for the Premier League’s “Evil Empire” is Spanish born Argentina youth prodigy Alejandro Garnacho. Whippet like with freakish speed, he burst into the Fulham penalty area to deal the hammer blow of defeat with the very last kick of the game and to end this shortened mini league before we follow the trail of Mammon to the land of milk, honey, and the oil and gas of Qatar. Anyway, I’m French until they either win it all or get knocked out and all whilst hoping Lionel Messi finally follows in the otherworldly footsteps of Diego Maradona and Argentina finally win a World Cup after 36 long years.
Talking of following in one’s footsteps Bubba. Here I am, one eye on the gridiron or American Football we Limeys call it and one eye on this article, so it’s little wonder I feel such affinity for your ghostly presence. Sure I like to pretend I’m you but quite frankly I don’t have the constitution for your vast and mythical betting sprees let alone the six grapefruits, weed, cocaine, coffee and the half a bottle of Chivas Regal needed to wash down as a mere aperitif to start a working day. I’m in the 4th Quarter of a humdinger of a game between the 7 and 1 (7 wins and 1 defeat) Minnesota Vikings and their hosts the 6 and 2 Buffalo Bills, and all amongst the gently falling sleet and snow of a cold looking New York. The score was level at 7–7 when I joined the game late and now with just over 7 minutes remaining it’s 27–17 in favour of the Bills with both sides losing possession to the other as though the football were a hot potato fresh from a roaring bonfire.
The late game tonight is the tussle between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers but my focus will be squarely cast upon the next game on the viewing schedule with “America’s Team” Dallas Cowboys travelling to Green Bay to face the “Packers” and “Cheese heads” of Lambeau Field. The Packers of Green Bay are my second team where American football is concerned and I know I’m a heathen for writing that sentence but I’m a limey and I’m allowed to do as I please, thank you all the same. I could elucidate further as to why I have the Packers as a second team (it’s basically a sporting love for former quarterback Brett Favre) but we don’t have time for that tale here. Not now Bubba. Maybe in the next Sunday night edition?
For tomorrow my beloved team from Washington travel to Philadelphia to face the unbeaten “Eagles” and on live TV and in the vaunted “Monday Night Football” slot, my team will have the piss beaten out of them by an old divisional rival and a rivalry I used to enjoy when I watched the Washington Redskins who are now the Washington Commanders and where once there was history there is now an instant and sterile correctness. We can argue and agree over the merits of such name changes and reflect on the wars of conquest, colonisation and takeover of the great continent of North America, and we will someday. But not tonight Bubba.
History is for chumps. You could see it coming in your day. At Chicago in ’68, Aspen in ’70 and the political campaign trail of ’72. That was 50 years ago Bubba and history sure has changed since. History is now written, published and ratified immediately, and for immediate agreement, whilst that other pesky history is re-written, re-published and, when all else fails, dumped into a memory hole.
I must go now as I want to concentrate on the Packers and Cowboys game and I know that me writing that sentence will ring a pleasing bell in that devious mind of yours.
The Sports Desk is going to be busy on that icy slope to Christmas, and I couldn’t be more distractedly pleased.
We all need distractions Bubba.
Selah.
Thanks for reading. Included within the cave of wonders that is my archives are now over 500 articles. Here are the three most recently published:
Ramblings from within The Matrix
and other reasons for needing to write.medium.com
World Cup Countdown — Allez Les Bleus!
But will ball number 13 be unlucky for the European favourites?medium.com
Nunez at the double but Becker the unsung hero as the Reds sign off for the World Cup with a win
Liverpool 3 Southampton 1, 12th November 2022.medium.com