When I was in high school, my father's hometown team placed Celtic, they played Rangers - they were in the Scottish top league. Once in a blue moon in the 1970s, you could catch - on the BBC World Service, coming in on the organic flow of shortwave radio at some crazy frequency like 15220 (the Middle Eastern evening broadcast perhaps) - a snippet or even mid-game report from the very ground where they played. If not, you could depend on a score report.
The beginnings of the web, however, was concurrent with the time of the great shame. It was the time when they almost ceased to be, at risk due to their city centre location and lack of solid ownership. They were in the fourth league, the lowest league. Through the five years of this blog's life the tide has turned and they have secured championships twice and reached the heady highest of the First Division, the second best league of the tartaned land. Earlier in the year they flirted with mid-table but since Christmas played the dangerous game and saw the gaping maw of relegation before them. But God be praised as your prayers were answered and the Greenock Morton stayed off relegation by a goal difference! Huzzah! No doubt a big night at The Norseman.
In other new:
- I spent time with a fan of the Montreal Canadians and, while driving in the car, found it very odd that he insisted on discussing the team's playoff run filling the small space with references to individual players as if I too knew them, as if I cared.
- Very strange times in baseball as Tampa Bay's Satanaires now lead the AL East having taken (more like stolen) all four games from the Boston Red Sox. There is a cause of course and that is sickness and ache. There seems to be a bit of August in this April as half of Boston seems to be on the disabled list. Toronto at Fenway mid-week should turn things around.
- No CFL notes this week but I see in the NBA that the Toronto Raptors are about to get the boot - as might be another more surprising teetering crew, the Phoenix Suns (aka Canada's real home team.) What is it between NCAA and NBA that robs the game of interest unlike any other professional game?
- It was NBA draft weekend. I just got all confused over that. Waaaay too much sports talk radio coverage and little real "event". I listened for hours while on the road to the concerns of the hosts of 550 AM from Buffalo over the Bill's 11th pick. See if you can make sense of it. Though I have to admit that it is cool that Baltimore took Joe Flacco from Delaware. Hey, I watched the Div. II championship game...or whatever that was.
Comments
sean liddle - April 28, 2008 9:42 AM
Early Saturday morning, I rose with the sun to feed the children and prepare for the long awaited and feared Chelski versus Man United game. (Note: I refuse to pay $15 a month for Setanta Sports channel, therefore I am relagated to watching the games via text updates on the computer.) After almost two hours of slipping back and forth between the reading the failue of my team to be themselves and play like champions in the library and the kitchen to make tea and toast, I was resolved to see the Chelski crew be victorious and I would remain grumpy for a few hours.
It will likely be down to goal diference in the end to see who wins the league, which in all likelihood will be Man u, but it will be another slight victory. The only truly happy bit will be that Arse did not win, nor did the scousers.
Chris Taylor - April 28, 2008 11:39 AM
The problem with having all the extra baseball channels is that there is enormous temptation to sit around and watch a game even if you have absolutely no ongoing interest in either of contenders.
Not necessarily a bad thing, but something I hadn't anticipated. The entropy of increased sports entertainment.
Mike - April 28, 2008 1:19 PM
'over Schuster'
I ain't payin' for Setanta either, unfortunately. The Everton/Villa game on Sunday was pretty good. The Toffees had a prime opportunity to secure 5th spot and a place at the UEFA kiddy table but let it slip. I'm not overly optimistic, given the remaining schedule for the 2 teams in the running.
I think there is a chance to get in with a 6th place finish if Cardiff beats Pompey in the FA Cup final; not sure tho.
sean liddle - April 28, 2008 1:31 PM
Setanta is great for someone who is not a fan of a particular team and will watch any old game, but it just seems like extortion. I mean, when they were free (except for the occasional PPV game) I didn't watch more than one or two Man U games a week and rarely any other team's games. If Setanta keeps the broadcast contract I may just dump all my sports channels except for OLN.
Alan - April 28, 2008 4:09 PM
The baseball/NFL/NHL/NCAA channels have effectively killed my EPL interest as well as my desire to spend more for Setanta. And, frankly, all my interest in friendships and interpersonal contact of any kind. It eats at me whenever I realize that there is an afternoon game on in my rec room between, say, Pittsburg and Florida and I am not there.
Chris Taylor - April 28, 2008 4:22 PM
This is exactly what I am talking about. I have started watching Oakland games to see how Frank Thomas fares. Pre-Sports Pack, it would have been too much effort to contemplate. Now it is too easy. Then the madness sets in and you start thinking about PVRing the daytime games, so you don't miss a second of the contest between go-nowhere teams you care nothing about.
sean liddle - April 29, 2008 12:07 AM
"antisuffragists bando" egad.
I compel myself to only watch NFL and EPL regardless of my plethora of channels. Leaves much time for making walking sticks, gardening, running and avoiding unannounced visitors by hiding in the woods.