Originally posted by Cheshire CatYeah, everyone (most people) will feel he same I suppose.
LOL!! Funny thing is....I feel the same way. 😛
~ Cheshire Cat 😀
You grow up playing and watching a certain sport, you understand the finer skill points and tactics of that sport. Watching (and playing) other sports then just seems not the same.
I actually played a bit of baseball. Our school tried to get a team going to compete with the few SA schools who actually play it. I enjoyed playing it - though we only played about 10 games, but I still can't watch a game - I'll just fall asleep...
Originally posted by CrowleyWe have a 20-20 cup over here. I saw the semi-finals and final (on TV, they did all 3 games in one day).
We've had a series or two of it over here as well.
I like it, it's cool to watch the guys just slog all the time.
Just like you want to see tries in rugby, you want to see boundaries in cricket.
It was okay, just a slogfest really. The crowd seemed to like it. Maybe it's better than 50 over cricket which is only interesting in the first 15 and last 10 overs.
The most annoying thing about 20-20 was the commentators, who are normally slow and sedate for Tests. They'd obviously been told to liven it up for 20-20, so said inane things like "fetch that!!", "mega hit!!" and "slogger!!" every boundary.
It will never replace tests and ODIs, but it's nice to see all those boundaries.
We had a 'best all-rounder" series once which was cool as well.
It was a 6 a side competition where the all-rounder played in a team with 5 development players, and the other all-rounder batting for 10 overs, facing 5 overs from the opponent all-rounder and 5 overs from the development players.
Also a slog fest, but it was a nice new dimension.
Originally posted by Varg😀😀
"fetch that!!", "mega hit!!" and "slogger!!"
Is that really any different from normal commentating?
Things like: "that ball was travelling at a rate of knots" or "he threw the kitchen sink at that" is just irritating...
I usually listen to music while watching a test, because when I hear stuff like that, I wanna bowl over the telly.
Originally posted by builderThat doesn't matter.
Reason USA rugby looks pretty good is cos half the team are foreign!
Take a look at the birthplaces of the team.
You need to start somewhere and if you don't have local skilled players - import them!
Just getting the yanks to start playing rugby is good.
I dunno, I do have a bit of a problem with a child being groomed through one country, with lots of investment being placed in him and then going to another country to play.
Yes, money does talk, but I don't want rugby to become a fully professional sport.
Rugby seems to be one of the sports that fares the worst from this, sure in cricket the odd player is from a different country than the one he plays for, but during the RWC, some teams had a third of their team from another country.
Sure, it's a bit irritating. Especially in a case like Clyde Friggin Mega-Dumbass Rathbone, who went on to almost singlehandedly beat his former countrymen...
But the bottom line is, rugby players only have about 10 years of profesional gametime. You need to make enough money so that when your rugbty playing days are over, you can retire without having to make friggin Lays ads to pay for your brats to go to private school.
If another country pays more, you have to go. I call them traitors (and I'll spit on Mr. Rathbone if I ever see him) but I always think "what would I have done in that position".
I would've done the same...
Especially if you're not even selected for a national side, but you can make the side in another country (and they even pay better).
About the players in the WC:
Not sure where you get your stats, but the only team with so many 'imports' are the kiwis who get players from Fiji, Tonga etc.
The 'minnow' nations don't really count, because they only use the washed-up players who are sometimes even there as player/coaches.
I'm afraid it's just as prevailent in English cricket, such names as:
Alan Mulally, Graheme Thorpe, Andy Caddick, Graheme Hick, Robin Smith, Alan Lamb, to name a few. All overseas players that have come to live and play in England.
Mind you I guess Australia can't be guilty of this as they'd never have employed a pommie cricketer in a million years, even if he was good enough (which they aren't 🙂)
Originally posted by CrowleyWell England now have Kevin Peiterson and Andrew Strauss who were born in South Africa and Geraint Jones who was born in Papua New Guinea and grew up in Australia, on the cricket team. But all have at least one English parent (or Welsh in Jones' case).
Sure, it's a bit irritating. Especially in a case like Clyde Friggin Mega-Dumbass Rathbone, who went on to almost singlehandedly beat his former countrymen...
But the bottom line is, rugby players only have about 10 years of profesional gametime. You need to make enough money so that when your rugbty playing days are over, you can retire without having t ...[text shortened]... unt, because they only use the washed-up players who are sometimes even there as player/coaches.
If people have dual nationality I don't think that's a problem, but if anyone can play for any country just by fulfilling the residence requirements, it makes a bit of a mockery of international teams doesn't it?
Originally posted by StarrmanGraham Thorpe was not born overseas.
I'm afraid it's just as prevailent in English cricket, such names as:
Alan Mulally, Graheme Thorpe, Andy Caddick, Graheme Hick, Robin Smith, Alan Lamb, to name a few. All overseas players that have come to live and play in England. ...[text shortened]... million years, even if he was good enough (which they aren't 🙂)
Oh and Andy Symonds (Australia) was born in Birmingham (England) so there!! 🙂