The sports desk

[Kazzl]

I'm a big sports fan (of the armchair kind) and find that watching sport on tele is a good way to distract myself when I'm down and dwelling on things or if my mind is racing. This time of year it's cricket, with tennis coming up. And Christmas, oh! Boxing Day test, Sydney to Hobart. Love it. Then the Aussie Open around Australia Day. Then the start of the motor racing year, then the footy season (league and rugby for me), the Tour de France, Wimbledon, Formula 1. Sigh.

Any other sports tragics out there? Looking forward to the Oz/ New Zealand test tomorrow!

Kaz

[Scotchfinger]

sherie

what a sports tragic you are!

my bucket list includes:  go to an AFL game at MCG, go to Boxing Day test cricket match at MCG, attend a baseball game in the U.S., go to Flemington for a race meeting (have been to all Sydney tracks as well as eagle farm in brisi, sandown and mooney valley in Melbourne), go to opera house in Sydney to see opera (no not Oprah 🙂 )

[White_Rose]

Can't say I am such a sports fanatic as all you other people. I love the tennis. Watched Mark Philapousis the other day playing the new tennis game. Shame I cannot remember the name.  I thought he had matured wonderfully. I remember him back in the day when he was a sulky young man. Hewitt also scrubs up well these days. Sad this is his last Australian Open.

No one interested in hockey? I find this an exciting game but this was what I played in my youth, many years ago. I also enjoy watching gymnastics, but I agree with Kaz about rhythmic gymnastics. Definitely up there with synchronized swimming.

Yes, roll on the Olympics. I can watch that all day.

Mary

[Guest_5218]

Yes Scotchie thats me, a sports tragic!

Yes I have been to the MCG to see a couple of games of AFL when the Sydney Swans were involved, as well as Ethiad.  Great with the roof.  And yes I have been to the MCG for 2 days of an Ashes test series against the Poms in what, about 2005 I think.  The MCG is a fantastic venue.

Never been to a baseball game in the States, but I did go to an NBA game, but that was ages ago and I cant even remember who the teams were now.  But it was in LA, so it must have been the LA Lakers vs some visiting team.  

I have also been to all the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth race tracks for race meetings.  But none of the Adelaide tracks.  

And yes, I've been to the Sydney Opera House once when I was about 25.  Big trip from the country to the city by train and was going to go to the opera house no matter what was on.  It turned out to be Swan Lake ballet.  It was really quite good, but I giggled all the way through.  I dont think it was meant to be funny, but I thought it was.  Men in tights was something new to me!  It just tickled my fancy I guess.

So Scotchie, I go pretty close to having completed your bucket list.     ( - :

Hi Mary.  Yes I also like the tennis and have been watching it tonight as I switch between the cricket and the tennis.  I am also interested in hockey.  I used to play a lot when I was young, having been to high school for a couple of years at Crookwell which has always been very big in Hockey.  And so I do still follow it with interest.

I love gymnastics, but was never any good at it.  Still love to watch though.  Even the rythmic gymnastics I find good, although nowhere near as good as artistic gymnastics.  Synchronized Swimming - no thanks.  Is it a sport to be able to hold your breath like that? I dont think so, and dont believe it should be in the Olympics. And those nose clamps give me the creeps!  But anything else in the Olympics I love to watch - especially the Athletics, Swimming, Diving, gymnastics - everything bar syncho swim!!!!!!!!!

Sherie x

[Scotchfinger]

what amazes me about sport is that there all these people in the media paid to analyse every last detail. The post-mortems and the prelims). Then there are the interviews. You've now got batsmen talking (Petersen) while they are playing. What next? Bowlers while they are bowling? Rugby players while they tackling? Swimmers while they are swimming? Weightlifters. "yeah I'm now lifting 300 kg, ooh ahh grunt, grunt, ooh ah, bloody heavy...oooooops  no, too heavy.....ouch!"

I asked my brother, How would Aussies be without sport to watch?

He answered "We'd all be bloody depressed. That's for sure!"

[Guest_5218]

Well aint that the truth ................

Oh and yeah, I also love the weight lifting!

Really isnt much sport I dont enjoy, other than motor sports.  And I dont consider that a sport anyway.

Sherie x

[Kazzl]

How exciting is the cricket!

Be back after to catch up.

xx

[Kazzl]

Wooo hoooo! What a finish! Oh I wish I'd been there.

I need a stiff diet cola after that, off to the cafe. 😊

[Guest_5218]

Yeah very exciting.  The Indians looked home and hosed, but they lost a few wickets and then fell in a hole.  The Aussies did very well to get away with that win.  Anybody at the ground would have seen a great match with close to 700 runs scored, and a see sawing match in the end.

And the tennis has been good too, with Kyrgios winning tonight as well as Daria Gavrilova.  So two Aussies through to the 3rd round now.

Sherie xx

[Neil_1]

Dear sports fans (Sherie and Kaz)

Oh wow, this thread has just gone officially ballistic.

I really don’t know where to start, so I’ll have a lash with this – Kaz, a grey cardy with a lanyard and pass around your neck – yes, and if you drive by my house on a weekend, I’ll be the one in the suit and tie mowing my lawn.  I don’t even know if that’s funny, but just thought I’d say it.  But we do get a lot of Canberra bashing from the outside, don’t you think?   Just one last thing – I’m one of a few people who refuse to wear my pass on my person – no lanyard or belt clip for me – I usually leave my pass in my bag, unless I need to go out and then of course, you’ve gotta swipe.  But nah, I don’t want my face (as adorable as it is, cough cough) to be on display for everyone to see – it’s bad enough that people have gotta see the real thing!   Lastly, I’ve been here since 1984, so am commencing my 32nd year here in the Nation’s Capital.

The cricket was pretty amazing last evening – huge runs on display and I thought that the Indian’s were gonna chase down an amazing victory;  when Kohli and Dahwan (Darwin) were belting along it looked like they would win easily.  I guess wickets really help in slowing the run rate and bringing about a change in the game situation.

So now the next two nights, we’ve got the two Big Bash semi-finals – should be two awesome games – but I can’t see how the Grand Final could get any more exciting than last year’s one – by the way, here in Canberra, it was.  With a last gasp, last ball victory to the Perth Scorchers.

I played cricket here in Canberra for a bit over 20 years, but have been retired now for closing in on 10 years now and I do miss it.  But the injuries and niggles, I do not miss.  I was an opening bowler and then I’d bat basically anywhere.  From opening, down to number 6 or 7.

And yes Sherie, I could rattle off a whole stack more of the horses that I loved as well, and I agree with you on all of the ones you listed.    Around my Apache Cat tatt, I’ve got a large horseshoe, which kind of gives it a frame of sorts.  Inside the horse-shoe are the names:  Gunsynd, Black Caviar, Apache Cat & Hareeba – which denote my four fave horses of all time.  Though, yeah Kingston Town and Manikato and even Kapalaran are right up there as well.

Cheers

Neil

[Kazzl]

You rebel Neil! Don't display your pass, tut tut. Must admit I'm a bit of a rebel too - I take my suit jacket off before I mow the lawn. No-one's reported me yet. But I've only been here 20 years, so I haven't learned to toe the line properly yet. 🙂

I do love Canberra ... as for the work, well, you'd know what I mean by the golden handcuffs. Six years, then I get the key ... wonder how many PMs we'll have in that time. 

And no, I'm not posting instead of working. I'm ... researching. Sport. That's what I'm researching. For a speech I'm writing. Yep.

Cheers mate.