The Chiefs.
Back to back New Zealand Conference Champions 2013.
Mass euphoria erupts, the celebrations kick off. The NZRU trumpet it proudly to the sporting and wider public with an almighty fanfare and the fireworks are set off. Waikato Stadium get the right to erect banners to commemorate their success. All Chiefs fans bask in the achievement and then settle back to prepare themselves for an assault on overall Super Rugby success.
But back in reality, no one really seems to give a toss, and to my mind this is a failure to truly understand and appreciate the conference system Super rugby has adopted. All that anyone looks at is the combined competition table which, in reality, is just a seeding system for the post season. Until SANZAR, it's constituent bodies and those that report it understand what their competition is and what being a conference champion really is, how can we expect the fans to understand it?
In this Super Rugby competition, winning your conference is of huge importance, and is a significant achievement. It means you've bested the other teams you have to best over months of competition, and are the best of those teams. As a reward, you are guaranteed a spot in the post season playoffs and in a prime position to win the the post season battles with the benefit of home ground advantage for at least one of your matches.
The Chiefs are the New Zealand champions. Well done Chiefs, you are the best team in the country over the period of the regular season. Bar none. Again. Be proud all you people who struggled for so long in the shadows of all our conference competitors, in both this format and previous incarnations (excepting the Hurricanes, but, well, if you're a Hurricane's fan you probably understand where us Chiefs fans are coming from).
Why don't we celebrate this accomplishment? At the conclusion of the match last night at Eden Park, after an unexpectedly heroic performance from a desperately struggling Blues outfit, the Champions of New Zealand were handed their reward for months and months of rugged hard work and sweat and graft, and it was almost an afterthought. Not good enough SANZAR. Shame on you NZRU - recognize your champions and recognize the significance of their achievement.
Now there will be those that will argue that there is only one competition and that it is the big shiny trophy awarded after, usually, 80 minutes hard toil in the final game of the season, and that setting your sights lower (ie at the conference level) is to celebrate mediocrity. I would counter by suggesting that there is almost nothing more difficult than winning your conference. As a result the post season finals series now works out to be, for the Chiefs, two games stacked in their favour because, Little Chief willing, they'll be at home for those two one off games. In a competition where 24 hour flights and twelve hour time zone shifts are the norm, sometimes multiple times for those bucking the odds with away victory, home advantage is worth a huge, huge amount over the finals series. So really, we're handicapping those not good enough to win their conference, and accumulate enough cross conference and/or bonus points, and rightly so. But it means you aren't on a level playing field come the playoffs - whereas winning your conference requires that, by and large, you beat every other of your conference rivals from the same starting spot, over months of brutal competition.
Please don't think I'm holding up the conference champions over the overall competition champion, because that's simply not the case. Winning the whole kumara in the post season is what we all want at the start of the season. It's just that slogging your way to a Conference championship guarantees you the opportunity to go for that shiny kumara, and avoiding the vagaries of the three wild card spots. Even finishing with the third best record of the conference champions means you get to play the worst of those wild card teams in the qualifiers.
Lets look forward to the day we find reasons to celebrate genuine success, rather than writing them off because there are other greater successes to strive for.
So, all you rugby fans out there, and especially you Chiefs fans, take a step back for today to really celebrate the enormous achievement of the Chiefs as back to back champions of our New Zealand Conference. Sing it loud and long; revel in the glory. We are the NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONS. There will be plenty of time to look forward to pushing for a chance at the ultimate prize next week.
Saturday, 13 July 2013
Monday, 20 May 2013
When falling just short of a 69 is even worse than it sounds...
68. Sixty eight. Sixty bloody not quite sixty nine eight.
And I felt nothing but guilt piking out on watching the first session of the fourth day of the Lord's test. I'd diligently watched the first session of the first three days - on occasion flirting with the second session when common sense was pounded into submission by the sadistic twist that anyone that watches test cricket is familiar with. I shant be making that mistake again. Guilt is best reserved for nicking your wife's last chocolate from the fridge or throwing away your kid's favourite toy when you accidently stand on and break it at 3am, certainly not for missing sixty f*cking eight runs.
Tim Southee, the man who has done more for hooking into stewardesses... sorry... flight crew in skirts than any other sporting figure, what does he get for his efforts? Going to the home of England (and Wales), looking them in the eye, giving the home team 10 of the best, sweating blood for his country. What does he get? Sixty eight.
Now, to be fair, before the England (and Wales) cricket team arrived in New Zealand in the summer for the test series, sixty oh my God eight would have seemed a par score. It is perhaps a back handed compliment to the progress that eighth ranked New Zealand (how do we sleep at night?!?) has made that failing so badly in the face of glory at the hands of the might that is England (and Wales) hurt as much as it does. But frankly, falling apart like we're the last brick removed from the Jenga tower is embarrassing. It's embarrassing when it happens when there's nothing on the line. It's worse than that when history beckons. And it is definitely worse than falling just short of that 69...
And I felt nothing but guilt piking out on watching the first session of the fourth day of the Lord's test. I'd diligently watched the first session of the first three days - on occasion flirting with the second session when common sense was pounded into submission by the sadistic twist that anyone that watches test cricket is familiar with. I shant be making that mistake again. Guilt is best reserved for nicking your wife's last chocolate from the fridge or throwing away your kid's favourite toy when you accidently stand on and break it at 3am, certainly not for missing sixty f*cking eight runs.
Tim Southee, the man who has done more for hooking into stewardesses... sorry... flight crew in skirts than any other sporting figure, what does he get for his efforts? Going to the home of England (and Wales), looking them in the eye, giving the home team 10 of the best, sweating blood for his country. What does he get? Sixty eight.
Now, to be fair, before the England (and Wales) cricket team arrived in New Zealand in the summer for the test series, sixty oh my God eight would have seemed a par score. It is perhaps a back handed compliment to the progress that eighth ranked New Zealand (how do we sleep at night?!?) has made that failing so badly in the face of glory at the hands of the might that is England (and Wales) hurt as much as it does. But frankly, falling apart like we're the last brick removed from the Jenga tower is embarrassing. It's embarrassing when it happens when there's nothing on the line. It's worse than that when history beckons. And it is definitely worse than falling just short of that 69...
Saturday, 2 February 2013
FFS, can there be some sport already?
It's tough being a sports blogger when there just hasn't been any sport on over the last several weeks. At ALL. *searches about person for lame arse excuses for not posting, and, voila!, finds none. :( *
Well, not entirely true (about the dearth of sport and for the inability to find lame arse excuses for the lack of blogging about same - more follows!).
I mean, what has happened in the sporting world since last I blogged? All I can think of is, well, there was something about that naughty boy and all round creep -
- Lance Armstrong (soooooo long overdue, and only the beginning), the slightly weakened Black Caps win a ODI series against the seriously weakened No. 1 ranked Proteas, Roger Federer doesn't win the Aussie open (but Novak Djokovic makes it three in a row, and four in total - and does it EASY), Michael Campbell not only makes a cut in a serious golf tournament, he damn near gets up to win one, the MIGHTY CHIEFS convincingly win a pre season blat against everyone's second favorite Super Rugby team, the Highlanders, Kenya beat NZ in the Wellington 7s, only to lose to everyone's least favorite rugby team, England, the New Zealand Test Cricket side open up a rich vein for Pakistan betting syndicates to mine as Pakistan get bowled out for 49, the NZ Breakers win 10 in a row, smashing the Perth Heat at the Vector Arena in front of a sell out crowd, to atone for the two early season hidings they suffered at the hands of the same, Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans makes history (possibly world sports history - and not just the American definition of "world" ie America) when brothers will coach the opposing Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers to contest one of the biggest sports events on the planet, HP Baseball's two premier sides start the season off well with a couple of wins (details on their subsequent progress has been sketchy due to me having other commitments on the weekend?!?!), "A Rod" Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees third baseman, appears, amongst others, to be as dirty as sin again being named as a customer of a now defunct "rejuvenation clinic" in South Florida as being a user of HGH and other performance enhancing naughtiness (way to kill any shred of sympathy you might have had, dude). Other than those couple of minor events, and some Davis Cup tennis, pre season rugby and league, Shane Warne being true to his new plasticated form in the Big Bash, the BCCI being just a bit silly with regard to the DRS system in Test Cricket and trucks heading out of the snow at Major League Baseball clubs to places where the sun always shines (unless a hurricane or tornado get there first) for Spring Training, and I haven't really missed a thing. Just as well, as I wouldn't want to post too frequently (which is essentially the lame arse excuse).
Wall-o-text For The Win!!!!
So, what's coming up that I'm excited about?
Well, at Casa del Wansbone we're having our *probably* 10th annual Super Bowl Monday party where we try and go all American, with out going all American (although I came super close to buying some little American flags to decorate the lounge). On tomorrow's menu are potato skins, my seriously excellent "what, no meat?!" vegetarian chilli, honey soy marinated buffalo wings, hot dogs with ketchup and mustard, and the nearest I can stand of beers mass produced in the USofA, Millers Genuine Draft (I simply WILL NOT EVER buy Budweiser, and there's nothing you can do to make me, other than giving me free stuff, because I'm a total sucker for free stuff LDO). Some Pop Tarts with chocolate milk for breakfast and we'll be flying! I'm not sure who I'm barracking for since the Colts couldn't get there with their rookie QB Andrew Luck (but at least they fired some shots this year). Baltimore play against the Yankees in the American League East conference of the MLB, so it could be them, but their poster boy, Ray Price, sounds like he's all types of dodgy and I'm not sure I can really support them. San Francisco already hold the MLB "World Series" so they've had some sporting success, but they do have a bit of a story in their QB Colin Kapernik, but they also have a complete bell end in Randy Moss as a wide reciever, I've not found what I've heard of him particularly likeable. Meh, I'll probably just go with San Francisco because the weather is better there. WIN!
That's all for now, I've gotta go finish off my Refritos so my chilli appears mighty meaty, even though it isn't. Mighty meaty. Because it's got no meat in it. Because of the refritos.. you get the picture.
So, until the next exciting edition of "what the f@ck is he on about now?", here's me signing off. See ya all 'round now, y'all!
Well, not entirely true (about the dearth of sport and for the inability to find lame arse excuses for the lack of blogging about same - more follows!).
I mean, what has happened in the sporting world since last I blogged? All I can think of is, well, there was something about that naughty boy and all round creep -
- Lance Armstrong (soooooo long overdue, and only the beginning), the slightly weakened Black Caps win a ODI series against the seriously weakened No. 1 ranked Proteas, Roger Federer doesn't win the Aussie open (but Novak Djokovic makes it three in a row, and four in total - and does it EASY), Michael Campbell not only makes a cut in a serious golf tournament, he damn near gets up to win one, the MIGHTY CHIEFS convincingly win a pre season blat against everyone's second favorite Super Rugby team, the Highlanders, Kenya beat NZ in the Wellington 7s, only to lose to everyone's least favorite rugby team, England, the New Zealand Test Cricket side open up a rich vein for Pakistan betting syndicates to mine as Pakistan get bowled out for 49, the NZ Breakers win 10 in a row, smashing the Perth Heat at the Vector Arena in front of a sell out crowd, to atone for the two early season hidings they suffered at the hands of the same, Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans makes history (possibly world sports history - and not just the American definition of "world" ie America) when brothers will coach the opposing Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers to contest one of the biggest sports events on the planet, HP Baseball's two premier sides start the season off well with a couple of wins (details on their subsequent progress has been sketchy due to me having other commitments on the weekend?!?!), "A Rod" Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees third baseman, appears, amongst others, to be as dirty as sin again being named as a customer of a now defunct "rejuvenation clinic" in South Florida as being a user of HGH and other performance enhancing naughtiness (way to kill any shred of sympathy you might have had, dude). Other than those couple of minor events, and some Davis Cup tennis, pre season rugby and league, Shane Warne being true to his new plasticated form in the Big Bash, the BCCI being just a bit silly with regard to the DRS system in Test Cricket and trucks heading out of the snow at Major League Baseball clubs to places where the sun always shines (unless a hurricane or tornado get there first) for Spring Training, and I haven't really missed a thing. Just as well, as I wouldn't want to post too frequently (which is essentially the lame arse excuse).
Wall-o-text For The Win!!!!
So, what's coming up that I'm excited about?
Well, at Casa del Wansbone we're having our *probably* 10th annual Super Bowl Monday party where we try and go all American, with out going all American (although I came super close to buying some little American flags to decorate the lounge). On tomorrow's menu are potato skins, my seriously excellent "what, no meat?!" vegetarian chilli, honey soy marinated buffalo wings, hot dogs with ketchup and mustard, and the nearest I can stand of beers mass produced in the USofA, Millers Genuine Draft (I simply WILL NOT EVER buy Budweiser, and there's nothing you can do to make me, other than giving me free stuff, because I'm a total sucker for free stuff LDO). Some Pop Tarts with chocolate milk for breakfast and we'll be flying! I'm not sure who I'm barracking for since the Colts couldn't get there with their rookie QB Andrew Luck (but at least they fired some shots this year). Baltimore play against the Yankees in the American League East conference of the MLB, so it could be them, but their poster boy, Ray Price, sounds like he's all types of dodgy and I'm not sure I can really support them. San Francisco already hold the MLB "World Series" so they've had some sporting success, but they do have a bit of a story in their QB Colin Kapernik, but they also have a complete bell end in Randy Moss as a wide reciever, I've not found what I've heard of him particularly likeable. Meh, I'll probably just go with San Francisco because the weather is better there. WIN!
That's all for now, I've gotta go finish off my Refritos so my chilli appears mighty meaty, even though it isn't. Mighty meaty. Because it's got no meat in it. Because of the refritos.. you get the picture.
So, until the next exciting edition of "what the f@ck is he on about now?", here's me signing off. See ya all 'round now, y'all!
Sunday, 13 January 2013
New Zealand v South Africa, Test Cricket, WAAAAHHHHH
You know you're not in too good a spot when you're sitting up 'till all hours of the morning with the sole hope and will that your team doesn't become the lowest scoring first inning total in a test at any given cricket ground, and that they manage to scrape past the 84 runs scored by South Africa against England in 1889.
I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in New Zealand still watching this test. I'm well aware that something like 5 million South Africans now live on the North Shore of Auckland, but I'm pretty sure even they're preferring to sleep rather than watching this sporting theatrical performance of "Steamroller v Roadkill". That's right, the NZ performance more closely resembles the possum facing up to the steamroller AFTER the two moons have done their job.
I'm a tolerant sort of dude. You won't see me writing knee jerk "sack the lot of 'em" type posts. I make sure my knee is well and truly analysed, x-ray'd, electromagnetically imaged, massaged and elevated on the back of some student looking for holiday spending money before I make my "sack the lot of 'em" posts.
But, by God, it's been a tough tour to watch.
I struggle to get too upset about results in the short forms of the game - I tend to be in the camp that only test results have any real long term credibility (outside of World Cup events). Which is a bugger really, when NZ are being left behind in the test game. It was only 12 months ago I remember getting sucked in to the notion that the New Zealand Men's Cricket Team were on the verge of a golden age. I got close to that most fatal of afflications, belief. We'd beaten Australia in a test in Hobart on the back of a young fast bowling attack. We had a number of strong, developing batsmen who looked like they would form the vanguard of a side that could and would be competitive. We had a team. What in the name of all that are far too high GI foods happened?
Well, we've gotten past 84 (for 9 wickets), so that's, literally, the very least.
Okay. Facts are we're playing the number one Test side in the world. At their home. They have guys who average more than 50. When they BAT. And they have LOTS OF THEM.
They have fast bowlers that can bowl. Fast. Part time spinners that can actually turn the ball. They're damn near cheating.
We've gone through a change in management structure. Our coach changed (replacing one who had a pretty decent pedigree coaching one of the great batting sides in history) and his coaching/management team with it. We managed to pick up a test win away - something to be celebrated, but all that marred by what appears to be a botched implementation of the new coaches philosophy through appointing Brendon "Tats on your guns rock" McCullum as the captain.
As much as it hurts, I suspect the best approach has to be suck it up kiwi cricket fans, and let the NZ cricket board and coaching structures get their house in order. Give them a free pass for the nightmare they've dished up in the last couple of months. Let them learn.
The test side will be a different beast when you re-introduce Ross Taylors 43.57 batting average - his contribution will help lift those around him. Bring Tim Southee and his newly bionic thumb (they've made it iPod compatible) into the attack in place of Neil Wagner / Nargle Gagner. We'll still put up mixed results, but mixed results will be an improvement when balanced against the consistent results of this current tour. I'm almost completely certain Dean Brownlie is not going to save our test team on anything like a regular basis. And if anyone could learn to actually turn a ball when bowling at less than 100km/hr, please apply in writing to John.Buchanan@nzcricket.co.nz.
There is hope. And to be honest, that's about all there is.
I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in New Zealand still watching this test. I'm well aware that something like 5 million South Africans now live on the North Shore of Auckland, but I'm pretty sure even they're preferring to sleep rather than watching this sporting theatrical performance of "Steamroller v Roadkill". That's right, the NZ performance more closely resembles the possum facing up to the steamroller AFTER the two moons have done their job.
I'm a tolerant sort of dude. You won't see me writing knee jerk "sack the lot of 'em" type posts. I make sure my knee is well and truly analysed, x-ray'd, electromagnetically imaged, massaged and elevated on the back of some student looking for holiday spending money before I make my "sack the lot of 'em" posts.
But, by God, it's been a tough tour to watch.
I struggle to get too upset about results in the short forms of the game - I tend to be in the camp that only test results have any real long term credibility (outside of World Cup events). Which is a bugger really, when NZ are being left behind in the test game. It was only 12 months ago I remember getting sucked in to the notion that the New Zealand Men's Cricket Team were on the verge of a golden age. I got close to that most fatal of afflications, belief. We'd beaten Australia in a test in Hobart on the back of a young fast bowling attack. We had a number of strong, developing batsmen who looked like they would form the vanguard of a side that could and would be competitive. We had a team. What in the name of all that are far too high GI foods happened?
Well, we've gotten past 84 (for 9 wickets), so that's, literally, the very least.
Okay. Facts are we're playing the number one Test side in the world. At their home. They have guys who average more than 50. When they BAT. And they have LOTS OF THEM.
They have fast bowlers that can bowl. Fast. Part time spinners that can actually turn the ball. They're damn near cheating.
We've gone through a change in management structure. Our coach changed (replacing one who had a pretty decent pedigree coaching one of the great batting sides in history) and his coaching/management team with it. We managed to pick up a test win away - something to be celebrated, but all that marred by what appears to be a botched implementation of the new coaches philosophy through appointing Brendon "Tats on your guns rock" McCullum as the captain.
As much as it hurts, I suspect the best approach has to be suck it up kiwi cricket fans, and let the NZ cricket board and coaching structures get their house in order. Give them a free pass for the nightmare they've dished up in the last couple of months. Let them learn.
The test side will be a different beast when you re-introduce Ross Taylors 43.57 batting average - his contribution will help lift those around him. Bring Tim Southee and his newly bionic thumb (they've made it iPod compatible) into the attack in place of Neil Wagner / Nargle Gagner. We'll still put up mixed results, but mixed results will be an improvement when balanced against the consistent results of this current tour. I'm almost completely certain Dean Brownlie is not going to save our test team on anything like a regular basis. And if anyone could learn to actually turn a ball when bowling at less than 100km/hr, please apply in writing to John.Buchanan@nzcricket.co.nz.
There is hope. And to be honest, that's about all there is.
So.... sport, eh?
Right. So. Well. Right-e-ho. Sport, eh?
There are those that follow sports teams. There are those that LOVE their sports teams. There are those that are aware of this sport thing, and that it generally leads to far to much noise from people enjoying themselves. There are those that claim to be sports fans, but can do nothing but complain about almost every form of sport (and I'm talking about the likes of you, Tony Veitch - you who took away one of my great loves in life - ie listening to sport radio - by being generally the least sports loving sports radio host in the known multiverse (and for the purposes of this blog post, the known multiverse = Radio Sports breakfast show)).
Then there is me. I'm the luckiest bugger I know, because my wife is about as big a sports tragic as I am (yes chaps, it does exist, it is out there and you're shit out of luck because I got there first). I can be about as fair weather a sports fan as there is, I can be blase about various sports / games / matches / events as the next guy. But I'm also a romantic. I can watch through all the tosh, drivel, long hours of 'stab yourself in the eyes because it takes away the pain of watching the next five minutes of this travesty' because I know that life defining moments can happen any moment.
Okay, waffling now (this *may* not be the last time :/), back on course. In the interests of full disclosure of the deeply embedded (or otherwise) levels of bias I will from time to time display, here is what and who I follow, along with a brief (I promise (you'll learn I LOVE the parenthetical intervention)) blurb about my history with said sports/teams:
Waikato Rugby Team (Rugby)
My first love. My second deepest passion. Maybe it was the fact Waikato rugby were languishing in the second division when first I was taken to a match by my father. Maybe it was the fact they lost that match. Maybe it was the fact I was young and impressionable. Maybe it's just the simple fact they're AWESOME. In any case, I'm a confirmed rugby tragic, and the Waikato rugby team has given me most of my most memorable sporting highlights to date. GO MOOLOO!
All Blacks (Rugby)
Hey, I'm a New Zealand born male. LDO. 1987. 2011, 2015, 2019 (we're going, watch out Nihon!). One of the great sporting records in one of the bigger international team sports, the pride of the country. Enough said. GO ABS!!!
Chiefs (Rugby)
It's taken me awhile to really come around to the Super Rugby competition. Sure, I've always followed it, I've always supported the Chiefs as the team centered in the Waikato. I've always described myself as a Waikato rugby fan and a Chiefs supporter. Whilst my juices still don't quite boil in the way they do when watching Waikato play, given Super Rugby's place in New Zealand rugby landscape, more and more I can say I'm a Chiefs man. It's January, the end of February means rugby is on! GO CHIEFS!
Pakuranga United Rugby Club (Rugby)
One of the weirdest moments in my sporting life was the first time I cheered for my PURC U85kg team as I stood on the sidelines with my snapped wrist. The first time I'd cheered for an Auckland rugby team, and a serious personal growth moment for moi. I've been coaching junior rugby at the club for a couple of years now, and the PURC senior team are forming a part of my live sport watching calendar. GO THE RANGA!
New York Yankees (Baseball)
My newest and one of my strongest sporting passions. To many baseball fans, they're the evil empire (on a par with Manchester United in football, Manly Sea Eagles in rugby league and any sporting team coming out of Auckland). To me, they're the only MLB team I've ever seen play at home (v my second favorite team, the Cleveland Indians), they're the team I knew about growing up (even if back then it wasn't really a proper sport), and they're based in one of the coolest cities on the planet. Oh, and they're not the Mets (jokes, jokes, calm down you poor, poor Mets fans). The spring training schedule kicks off 24 February, and the real deal kicks off against the auld enemy, the Boston Red Socks on April 1 at the New Yankee Stadium. Bring it on! THEEEEE YAAANKEEEEESSS WINNNN!!! GO YANKS!
Howick-Pakuranga Baseball Club (Baseball)
My team. Game one of the Summer season was today. I got sun burnt so I bailed before the second head of the double header today (and therefore didn't get rained on - go Auckland weather)). I want Baseball to become THE summer sport of choice for kids under the age of 11 in the next five years, so there is a real chance you'll be hearing more about this team in this blog. HP BASEBALL RULES!!! (obligatory sports team name/brand to come soon). I'm currently on the committee, I coach at the under 8 T Ball level, I have big dreams for the sport. HP BASEBALL RUUULLLLZZZZ!!!
God, I've only just started - bugger it, if you're going to do something, do it properly...
New Zealand Men's Cricket Team (BlackCaps) / Northern Distcits (Cricket)
In order to reduce the number of entries here, I'll lump my two cricket passions into one. Cricket for years has been my number two passion (only recently facing the challenge of the usurper, Baseball). I grew up as an absolute cricket tragic. I watched (almost) every ball of every test New Zealand has played for the best part of my life up until the age of... say 25. Life got in the road after that, but I still considered myself a major cricket fan up until the last year or so. Test cricket has supplied some of the biggest highs I've ever experienced as a sports fan. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can compare to the emotion a hard fort, gritty and damn near miraculous a win for a New Zealand cricket team evokes. It also has to be one of THE great sporting pleasures, watching a days test cricket at Seddon Park in Hamilton. I'm very much looking forward to another such day in the near future. GO KIWI, GO ND!
Okay, it speeds up from here, trust me. Ish.
New Zealand Breakers / Miami Heat (Basketball)
The Breakers in the Australian based ANBL (despite being a party to the stupid, STUPID practice of being labelled a New Zealand team despite patently being an Auckland team - a victim of marketing bollocks). Always a good night out, I'm definitely going to a regular season game at the Vector Arena before the current ANBL season concludes. C'MON THE BREAKERS!!!
The Miami Heat are my current team (I'm a bit of a nomad in terms of NBL team support). I'm following the Heat because I can't not support a team with Le Bron, Wade and Bosh. Hanging out for the repeat championship. GO HEAT!
New Zealand Warriors (Rubgy League)
I've never been the biggest rugby league fan, but being married to a HUGE rugby league / Warriors fan, it makes it pretty easy to be a Warriors supporter. Watching the Warriors, on the other hand, makes it pretty hard to be a Warriors supporter. Another roller coaster is preparing to leave the boarding platform shortly. GO THE WARRIORS!!!
Wellington Pheonix (A League) / Liverpool (English Premier League) (Football)
I've followed Liverpool football since I was 8. I've followed the Nix since inception. Neither have really given too much to get excited about (outside of Liverpool nicking the odd European championship here and there over the last decade). Here's hoping the TwentyTeens are the decade of these teams forging legacies. I'm not holding my breath. C'MON YOU NIX!!!
Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
We're big fans of big sporting events round ours, and for a decade now we've been having a Superbowl party on Superbowl Monday (timezones FTW). I had to pick a team, and the Colts seemed to embody a lot of the things I look for in a sports team. And they have a pretty good record. Lets face it, I was never going to pick the Jets. The Colts are out after Andrew Luck pulled them back into the post season after a dreadful 2012 season. So for this year, lets just know that spicy chicken wings will be the winner on the day. GOOO COLTS!!!
Okay, epic post is epic. There are other teams, and other sports. But, let's face it, no one is reading through this. I consider this an arse covering post - if ever I get accused of bias I'll be pointing out yes, read this you muppet.
Manamana.
There are those that follow sports teams. There are those that LOVE their sports teams. There are those that are aware of this sport thing, and that it generally leads to far to much noise from people enjoying themselves. There are those that claim to be sports fans, but can do nothing but complain about almost every form of sport (and I'm talking about the likes of you, Tony Veitch - you who took away one of my great loves in life - ie listening to sport radio - by being generally the least sports loving sports radio host in the known multiverse (and for the purposes of this blog post, the known multiverse = Radio Sports breakfast show)).
Then there is me. I'm the luckiest bugger I know, because my wife is about as big a sports tragic as I am (yes chaps, it does exist, it is out there and you're shit out of luck because I got there first). I can be about as fair weather a sports fan as there is, I can be blase about various sports / games / matches / events as the next guy. But I'm also a romantic. I can watch through all the tosh, drivel, long hours of 'stab yourself in the eyes because it takes away the pain of watching the next five minutes of this travesty' because I know that life defining moments can happen any moment.
Okay, waffling now (this *may* not be the last time :/), back on course. In the interests of full disclosure of the deeply embedded (or otherwise) levels of bias I will from time to time display, here is what and who I follow, along with a brief (I promise (you'll learn I LOVE the parenthetical intervention)) blurb about my history with said sports/teams:
Waikato Rugby Team (Rugby)
My first love. My second deepest passion. Maybe it was the fact Waikato rugby were languishing in the second division when first I was taken to a match by my father. Maybe it was the fact they lost that match. Maybe it was the fact I was young and impressionable. Maybe it's just the simple fact they're AWESOME. In any case, I'm a confirmed rugby tragic, and the Waikato rugby team has given me most of my most memorable sporting highlights to date. GO MOOLOO!
All Blacks (Rugby)
Hey, I'm a New Zealand born male. LDO. 1987. 2011, 2015, 2019 (we're going, watch out Nihon!). One of the great sporting records in one of the bigger international team sports, the pride of the country. Enough said. GO ABS!!!
Chiefs (Rugby)
It's taken me awhile to really come around to the Super Rugby competition. Sure, I've always followed it, I've always supported the Chiefs as the team centered in the Waikato. I've always described myself as a Waikato rugby fan and a Chiefs supporter. Whilst my juices still don't quite boil in the way they do when watching Waikato play, given Super Rugby's place in New Zealand rugby landscape, more and more I can say I'm a Chiefs man. It's January, the end of February means rugby is on! GO CHIEFS!
Pakuranga United Rugby Club (Rugby)
One of the weirdest moments in my sporting life was the first time I cheered for my PURC U85kg team as I stood on the sidelines with my snapped wrist. The first time I'd cheered for an Auckland rugby team, and a serious personal growth moment for moi. I've been coaching junior rugby at the club for a couple of years now, and the PURC senior team are forming a part of my live sport watching calendar. GO THE RANGA!
New York Yankees (Baseball)
My newest and one of my strongest sporting passions. To many baseball fans, they're the evil empire (on a par with Manchester United in football, Manly Sea Eagles in rugby league and any sporting team coming out of Auckland). To me, they're the only MLB team I've ever seen play at home (v my second favorite team, the Cleveland Indians), they're the team I knew about growing up (even if back then it wasn't really a proper sport), and they're based in one of the coolest cities on the planet. Oh, and they're not the Mets (jokes, jokes, calm down you poor, poor Mets fans). The spring training schedule kicks off 24 February, and the real deal kicks off against the auld enemy, the Boston Red Socks on April 1 at the New Yankee Stadium. Bring it on! THEEEEE YAAANKEEEEESSS WINNNN!!! GO YANKS!
Howick-Pakuranga Baseball Club (Baseball)
My team. Game one of the Summer season was today. I got sun burnt so I bailed before the second head of the double header today (and therefore didn't get rained on - go Auckland weather)). I want Baseball to become THE summer sport of choice for kids under the age of 11 in the next five years, so there is a real chance you'll be hearing more about this team in this blog. HP BASEBALL RULES!!! (obligatory sports team name/brand to come soon). I'm currently on the committee, I coach at the under 8 T Ball level, I have big dreams for the sport. HP BASEBALL RUUULLLLZZZZ!!!
God, I've only just started - bugger it, if you're going to do something, do it properly...
New Zealand Men's Cricket Team (BlackCaps) / Northern Distcits (Cricket)
In order to reduce the number of entries here, I'll lump my two cricket passions into one. Cricket for years has been my number two passion (only recently facing the challenge of the usurper, Baseball). I grew up as an absolute cricket tragic. I watched (almost) every ball of every test New Zealand has played for the best part of my life up until the age of... say 25. Life got in the road after that, but I still considered myself a major cricket fan up until the last year or so. Test cricket has supplied some of the biggest highs I've ever experienced as a sports fan. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can compare to the emotion a hard fort, gritty and damn near miraculous a win for a New Zealand cricket team evokes. It also has to be one of THE great sporting pleasures, watching a days test cricket at Seddon Park in Hamilton. I'm very much looking forward to another such day in the near future. GO KIWI, GO ND!
Okay, it speeds up from here, trust me. Ish.
New Zealand Breakers / Miami Heat (Basketball)
The Breakers in the Australian based ANBL (despite being a party to the stupid, STUPID practice of being labelled a New Zealand team despite patently being an Auckland team - a victim of marketing bollocks). Always a good night out, I'm definitely going to a regular season game at the Vector Arena before the current ANBL season concludes. C'MON THE BREAKERS!!!
The Miami Heat are my current team (I'm a bit of a nomad in terms of NBL team support). I'm following the Heat because I can't not support a team with Le Bron, Wade and Bosh. Hanging out for the repeat championship. GO HEAT!
New Zealand Warriors (Rubgy League)
I've never been the biggest rugby league fan, but being married to a HUGE rugby league / Warriors fan, it makes it pretty easy to be a Warriors supporter. Watching the Warriors, on the other hand, makes it pretty hard to be a Warriors supporter. Another roller coaster is preparing to leave the boarding platform shortly. GO THE WARRIORS!!!
Wellington Pheonix (A League) / Liverpool (English Premier League) (Football)
I've followed Liverpool football since I was 8. I've followed the Nix since inception. Neither have really given too much to get excited about (outside of Liverpool nicking the odd European championship here and there over the last decade). Here's hoping the TwentyTeens are the decade of these teams forging legacies. I'm not holding my breath. C'MON YOU NIX!!!
Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
We're big fans of big sporting events round ours, and for a decade now we've been having a Superbowl party on Superbowl Monday (timezones FTW). I had to pick a team, and the Colts seemed to embody a lot of the things I look for in a sports team. And they have a pretty good record. Lets face it, I was never going to pick the Jets. The Colts are out after Andrew Luck pulled them back into the post season after a dreadful 2012 season. So for this year, lets just know that spicy chicken wings will be the winner on the day. GOOO COLTS!!!
Okay, epic post is epic. There are other teams, and other sports. But, let's face it, no one is reading through this. I consider this an arse covering post - if ever I get accused of bias I'll be pointing out yes, read this you muppet.
Manamana.
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Bring it!
Hi. My name is Paul and I am an armchair adrenaline junkie. It feels better to admit it after all these years, but as I'm not after any sort of redemption I'm not sure it helps in any important way.
To perhaps better define my newly coined status as an armchair adrenaline junkie, I'm a sports junkie, and I'm a tv / movie junkie. I'm not a junkie.... erm... junkie, so I guess I do have at least one slightly redeeming feature (at least in the opinion of many - none of whom are likely to be junkies). I love sport, I watch FAR too much sport, I have many opinions on sport (some of them may even be considered valid). I also love movies. I don't see as many as I'd like, but I do love them. And now in a fit of New Year Resolutionitis (tm) I've employed a forum to share my various views, epiphanies and musings upon these various and varied forms of entertainment.
As the year progresses I hope to share my views, musings and emotional travails as I follow my sporting teams and competitions and as my relatively limited range of movies come and go. In immanently appearing blog posts I shall further expound upon my various biases, loves, passions, despairs and outright loathings in both formats. Over the course of this blog, and given my predilection to waft off into completely irrelevant topics, there will be strange and unusual revelations, reviews and re... re... re-stuff on topics both near and far and in between.
Yours sweating in 27 degree heat and under the influence of Macs very drinkable 5% Hop Rocker Pilsner,
Paul.
To perhaps better define my newly coined status as an armchair adrenaline junkie, I'm a sports junkie, and I'm a tv / movie junkie. I'm not a junkie.... erm... junkie, so I guess I do have at least one slightly redeeming feature (at least in the opinion of many - none of whom are likely to be junkies). I love sport, I watch FAR too much sport, I have many opinions on sport (some of them may even be considered valid). I also love movies. I don't see as many as I'd like, but I do love them. And now in a fit of New Year Resolutionitis (tm) I've employed a forum to share my various views, epiphanies and musings upon these various and varied forms of entertainment.
As the year progresses I hope to share my views, musings and emotional travails as I follow my sporting teams and competitions and as my relatively limited range of movies come and go. In immanently appearing blog posts I shall further expound upon my various biases, loves, passions, despairs and outright loathings in both formats. Over the course of this blog, and given my predilection to waft off into completely irrelevant topics, there will be strange and unusual revelations, reviews and re... re... re-stuff on topics both near and far and in between.
Yours sweating in 27 degree heat and under the influence of Macs very drinkable 5% Hop Rocker Pilsner,
Paul.
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