Taking sport too seriously

I was ambivalent about Ben Stokes for a long time. Not negative at all, but ambivalent, wary of overpraising him in light of his actual regular contribution and his impressive not thereto mindblowing statistical record. Some of that neutrality and caution was fair, some of it was, of course, an emotional response. We can’t really help the sportspeople we love. The England cricketers I’ve loved, whose triumphs and disasters I’ve felt with every fibre, have been David Gower, Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash, Phil Tufnell, Devon Malcolm, Chris Lewis, Michael Atherton, Ben Hollioake, Andrew Flintoff, Ian Bell, Adil Rashid (and I think Jofra’s on the way there …). I’ve loved them for a few different reasons – character, talent and potential, vulnerability, perceived victimhood/outsider status. In quite a few cases, I’ve loved them because I caught an early glimpse and so felt invested in their journey – Bell I was lucky enough to see when he was about 11, Hollioake 15, Ramps was known...

Aah, the cricket. That was good, wasn’t it? I’ll confess, after the first loss to Australia, I wrote a forlorn load of words about all the small details which meant this four-year project had been blown at the final hurdle. I am very much he of little faith. I remained so to the very end – moaning to myself about the little things that I thought should be different … I thought Stokes was batting too slowly, I thought Rashid should have gone in above Archer, I thought Stokes shouldn’t bat the super over, I thought Archer shouldn’t bowl the super over, I thought Roy shouldn’t have been at deep midwicket, I thought Archer should have bowled more short balls in the super over, I thought, I thought, I thought … and who cares … Though, maybe, even though I was wrong, I was a bit right. You know, it’s funny to think if Stokes had been caught on the boundary by Boult/Guptill, as he really should have been, his innings would be looked at as a fatally flawed contribution, a Dhoni-l...

Why has it gone so wrong for England in the West Indies? What has happened to the team that had won 8 of their last 9 test matches? I thought I’d have a quick look at possible factors in terms of what changed in between Sri Lanka and Barbados/what was done wrong/what was a bit unlucky etc. Firstly, the obvious and most important is the positive - West Indies have just strung together their best two tests for who knows how long. They’ve been almost unflinchingly skilful and assiduous. This is not as much of a surprise as some people are saying. There have been significant signs of improvement under Jason Holder for years. Holder himself was recently injured, which affected the team badly. He came back on top form – he is a top class all-rounder (his bowling has improved beyond measure recently) and a fine leader. A crop of underperforming talented batsmen have applied themselves well, and they have, for the first time in forever, an attack of 4 quicks which at least pays lip s...

For kicks, here's an extravaganza of England football chat. First of all, from best to worst, here are all England's men's major championship campaigns since i remember, in 1986. Qualification is taken into account, especially, obviously, when qualification didn't happen! (but occasionally when it did ...) It's more interesting near the bottom, probably: 1990 - It's tricky at the top, but i guess this was the best, just about. England didn't lose til the 3rd place play-off, they really were so close, it was pretty great 1996 - I mean, I'm surprised I've put this above 2018, because it was only the Euros, but the two losses to Belgium are really problematic in 2018, and the Netherlands win was just the best win of all of them. 2018 - Maybe it will come top in a while, but it has to be a little bothersome that England lost three games, and that Panama and Tunisia were quite average. But Sweden and Colombia were lush. And you know, people ...

Brett Kavanaugh suddenly reminded me of an American Ryder Cup player from the 90s - maybe not of the now, they're a bit different now, more obviously brash and rock starry, less "aah shucks". The 90s guys, the country club guys. I've had a big feeling about the American golfers for a long time. They turn up in my writing and in my thoughts. It was the "Thanks, Doogie, appreciate it" that started it off. Good guys, real gentlemen. Fuzzy Zoeller with the little racist joke about Tiger Woods. That one sneaked out. Poor form. Whoever leaked it. Kavanaugh with the rage of the rarely challenged, the weird sentimentality, the love of sports and manly comradeship. He is furious if you don't think he's a good guy. The Battle of Brookline. Kiawah Island. If you're looking for the guys who've let the world rot, you'll find them at the country club with their warm smiles. The world is run by American golfers with their Thanks, appreciate it ...

I found this list of the worst cricket commentators. https://www.thefulltoss.com/england-cricket-blog/top-10-worst-cricket-commentators/ It gets to the nub of it pretty successfully, I think. There are a few I think it’s a little harsh on (including Harsha Bhogle) but certainly picks out most of the main offenders. Easier, and perhaps more fun, to scoff than to be positive. But I thought I’d try to share the best of them. If you watch/listen to as much cricket as me, you end up hearing a vast array of voices. Some of them really are very good. They have to work in a pretty wide variety of contexts, and some deserve a little sympathy for the role thrust on them. Eg I used to like Danny Morrison when he was just a little eccentric and over-enthusiastic. The IPL has turned him into a monster. I’ve tried to think about all my years of watching cricket – the only obvious name I’m missing out is Richie B … seems just a bit pointless, and I’m not quite even sure whether he was m...

The case of Amir Khan is a strange one. His career has revealed a great deal of unpleasantness, stupidity and hypocrisy. No British boxer since I've followed the sport has been more reviled and ridiculed. Why is that? He became famous, aged 17, winning a silver as Britain's only boxer at the 2004 Olympics. His spectacular hand speed saw him almost snatch gold off one of the world's best amateurs, Mario Kindelan of Cuba. He turned pro the following year, but not before we'd seen the warning signs of him being knocked down in a slightly unedifying fashion by British amateur Craig Watson. Still, ITV went to town on him, successfully bringing boxing to terrestrial Saturday nights. The loathing began early and continues to this date - it is fairly common for there to be a little resentment of Olympian boxers getting the fast track to fame and fortune - call it the Audley Harrison factor. Harrison, a 2000 Olympic gold medallist, was also unfairly ridiculed and revil...