Suspense is worse than disappointment

Robert Burns (18th century national poet of Scotland) had it right when he wrote "Suspense is worse than disappointment".

In the case of sports this is very true. When your team gets beaten, and beaten well, like Manchester Utd did on Wednesday, there is undoubtedly disappointment; but I imagine that ours was not half as bad this year as it was for Chelsea fans in the final last year.

To lose due to misfortune is infinitely more painful than losing because of a poor performance; slipping when taking a crucial penalty kick, or hitting the post but never scoring, is far worse than never being in the running. And that is down to the suspense...you think you're in with a chance! There is still hope... "We can win it boss!" Suspense lifts you up, keeps you on the edge of your seat, so if you or your team does fail, the disappointment is magnified...

That wasn't the case on Wednesday; after the first 10 minutes, it was pretty obvious that Utd were going to have to dig out something special to win, and frankly they never looked like doing it. As time moved on, a resignation to the inevitable came over those of us watching it together in the bar here in Gilbert.

We weren't 'robbed', we weren't 'unlucky', there were no real 'if only' moments... There was no suspense, just disappointment! And that is better for the heart...

I was joking on Facebook today with 'a friend of a friend', a Man City fan who I've never even met, I realized of course that as a Man Utd fan, we shouldn't really be disappointed.

A third Premier League trophy in a row, World Club Champions, The Mickey Mouse (sorry, League) Cup...losing to the lottery of penalties in the FA Cup Semi-finals (now that is suspense!) and losing in the Champions League final - that's not a bad season...and I'm pretty sure that 91 other professional football clubs in England would be happy with just one of those achievements...

And as I pointed out to that Man City fan (who was gleefully rubbing it in!), at least next season we'll be back in Europe to try again, while Man City's European adventure will consist of a Christmas shopping trip or a booze cruise to France!

Bring on 09/10 !

The delight of anticipation!

This time tomorrow the Champions League final between Manchester Utd and Barcelona will nearly be over...but in my experience the anticipation of a big sporting event, like a cup final or the Superbowl, is often far more enjoyable than the game itself...unless you're a neutral.

When I was a kid, the biggest football game of the year was undoubtedly the FA Cup Final. Every year on the first or second Saturday in May, the two competing TV stations would start their programmes earlier and earlier. Looking back, they were obviously hoping to catch the early audience who, in a time before remote controls, would switch on and then not (get up to!) change the channel all day!

The earliest start I can recall was about 9am, when fully 6 hours before kick off, the BBC would have a collection of specially produced FA cup themed shows, like Question of Sport or Superstars. And I would sit there...glued to the teams leaving the hotel...following the coach journeys from the air...the arrival at Wembley Stadium...the walk out to inspect the pitch in (often) dreadful cup final suits, like the 1996 'Spice Boys' of Liverpool in those awful white suits! The game was often an anti-climax, but still the next year I would tune in again...even earlier!

But now as we look forward to tomorrow's clash between the two best teams in Europe, I can't help but think that the feeling of excitement will soon disappear once kick-off comes. When you are a fan, and your team is involved in a game of such magnitude, I don't think you can enjoy the match - you suffer through it hoping for the right result. Even if your team is 2-0 up, there is still that nagging doubt that it only takes a second to score a goal...then we'll be back on the edge of our seat.

It's not just football; think back to that nail-biting Rugby World Cup Final between England and Australia in 2003...Extra time...last minute drop goals...the bloody Aussies never knowing when they're beaten! That's not fun, it was torture. I'd take waterboarding every time over being forced through a tight, tense game that I'm passionate about!

The problem is that with anticipation comes hope. The hope of Evertonians that their team will overcome the odds and beat Chelsea in this year's Cup Final. The hope from the fans of newly promoted teams like Burnley or Wolves, that they will do well in next year's Premier League, because eveyone starts at zero. Anything is possible!

That's why, unless you are a neutral and you don't much care who wins, it is the delight of anticipation that makes big sports occasions so much fun!

So tomorrow or Saturday, enjoy the build up, if not the games!!

Distinctly Average!

There aren't too many jobs in life where, if you are successful 30% of the time, you are considered at the pinnacle of your profession!

That's baseball. I've read that hitting a round ball with a round bat, and getting the ball to go in the direction you wish, is one of the hardest things to do in sport...personally I think taking a beating from a heavyweight in the ring is probably tougher...but do you believe getting paid millions of dollars to be good 3 times out of 10 is fair? Try that at work and see what happens... "Don't worry boss, I'm sure I'll get it right next time..."

That's the curiosity of sport in the US. Success is measured in percentages... A basketball player is elite if he makes 50 or 60% of his shots...a baseball player is 'hall of fame' material for hitting .300.

Not so in England; if a place kicker in rugby misses 3 out of 10 he's having a bad day. A footballer misses 3 penalties in a row, he's done, get the next guy! An England cricketer gets 3 'ducks', sack him, he's crap! Why the difference? Do the English demand greater excellence from their stars? I wouldn't have thought so...Are American sports tougher...? I don't think so... so what is it?

Admittedly, I've been in a hitting cage and it is tough to hit a baseball, mind you I found it hard to hit a cricket ball too when I was younger! And if you're 7 foot tall and it's all you do day in day out, should putting a ball in a basket be that tough?

I don't have the answers, it just made me think...comments welcome!

Sport is played in the real world

Two sportsmen with Arizona links today learned that no matter what your success or the riches that sport has given you, you're not insulated from real world tragedy.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher, Scott Schoeneweis, was travelling with the team in Florida when he recieved the devastating news that his 39 year old wife had been found dead at home by their 14 year old daughter. Death of a wife/mother of 4 is terrible enough, but what trauma that must be for the family for their eldest daughter to make that discovery...Scott is now on his way home. But baseball, like all sport, is a business and 'the show must go on'; his team mates stayed to play a double-header against the Florida Marlins. To their credit, they won one and lost one. It must have been a difficult day to play what's simply just a game, thousands of miles away from their families who must have been in their thoughts even more than usual...

The world's number two golfer Phil Mickelson, a graduate of Arizona State University, and his wife Amy ( a former Phoenix Suns cheerleader) are dealing with the terrifying news that Amy has been diagnosed with breast cancer and requires major surgery. Phil has cancelled his PGA Tour schedule and is not expected to play again in the foreseeable future.

Sport is many things - to some it's just a game, to others a passion, and for a fortunate few it's a tremendous way to earn a very good living. But as these 2 guys have found out in the last 24 hours, it can't insulate you or your family from life's battles.

Best wishes to both of these guys and their families; and if you have someone you love, tell them...

One in...One out...

Transatlantic sports news today is dominated by two 'prison' stories that caught my eye...

In England, a reasonably famous and successful (retired) international cricketer, Chris Lewis, was put away for 13 years for smuggling cocaine into the UK; at the same time in Kansas, Michael Vick, one time superstar quarterback for the NFL Atlanta Falcons, was released after spending nearly 2 years in Leavenworth for running a dog-fighting ring - he gets to spend the next 3 months confined at home before trying to rebuild his NFL career. Vick is only 29, whilst Lewis will be in his mid 50's before he gets out of sing-sing.

Whatever sport you follow, we all have our heroes...Cantona, Botham, Jordan, Beckham... whether Vick or Lewis are among them is debatable. But to young cricket fans in Nottinghamshire or Surrey in the early 90s or a young Falcons fans just a few years ago in Atlanta, it's time to tear the posters down.

Once touted as the successor to Ian Botham's England hero crown, Lewis was a shining star in the early 90s - the next great all-rounder to help us beat those damned Aussies - but his star never really burned as brightly as it should have. Off the field events caused him grief long before this life-changing poor decision - shaving his head whilst on tour with England in the West Indies, then suffering from sunstroke and missing a match was one such incident that caused him ridicule in the press. A failed comeback last year at the age of 40 may have been his last chance saloon...leading to the situation he now faces.

For Vick, he has a different challenge facing him in the coming years. He's done his time, but in a country that loves it's animals, can a convicted dog-fighter ever win back the crowds or his locker room? Will he find a way back...? Is he truly sorry? Or is he just truly sorry he was caught? Personally I think he should be banned for life; he had all the opportunities that money and fame can offer and he chose to &*$$ it all away. Even though he lost his endorsements and paid a $1 million fine, he's not going to be poor, so maybe the only way he can truly pay his debt is to miss out on playing the game that he supposedly loves...

And as a dog-lover I'm just sorry he didn't get 13 years...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8059400.stm
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4183786

And so it begins...

"You need to get a hobby!" she said... "hmmm...interesting, you mean other than watching sport and passing comment to anyone who'll listen??" I replied...

...add in some friendly 'encouragement' from blogging friends one evening and here we are. Now this shouldn't really be a surprise - after all, I do earn my (albeit currently meagre) income writing marketing copy and other interesting Ad-type stuff - but really, a 'Blog'!

The title, well why not, I've been told it's what I regularly spout, but in this case it will be accurate...by adding in a healthy dose of 'sports addiction', I have my subject matter. Uniquely positioned to comment on sports from both sides of the pond, most of my content will involve 'balls'. From football (yes it will be called football, not soccer), to baseball, to cricket, to basketball , well anything really...and not all balls, there maybe some engines, some pucks, even swimming or athletics...I might even throw in some American Football come September/October - you never know...!

So whenever I stumble across something remotely interesting (to me, if not anyone else) I'll subject you to my opinion on it, assuming anyone actually reads this drivel!