Wednesday
So Wunderkind Wayne Rooney does it again, saving England from an embarrassing result against those footballing soccer lilliputians, Lichtenstein. Old Mottie and the Brookmeister even blessed him, as is traditional, with those epithets of glory, "he's a natural", and "he's got a great footballing brain". Ah yes, the memories of Peter Beardsley came flooding back, that face, the one of a bulldog chewing a wasp. But Wayne Rooney! Is he really only seventeen? It hardly seems possible. He's a bull, he's a monster, his touch is awesome, almost Pele-esque. Are we blessed with the next Maradonna, the next George Best, or is it just the next Wayne Rooney? This is what I love about genius. The idiot egalitarians of socialism want every man and woman to be ratcheted back to the level of the lowest of the low, to be smacked into the most feeble of the feeble denominators, but when it comes to sport, they are the first to proclaim the greatness of the individual, the uniqueness of human ability, and the sacredness of talent. What is it about sport? Is it the only human arena in which all can acknowledge individual human greatness? If only we could extend this to other realms of human endeavour. Whatever the case, God Bless you Wayne Rooney, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you. May I only be there when you score the winning goal against Brazil in the next World Cup Final.
OT - just saw the Safari disclaimer to the left - just wanted to say your site works great in Safari for me. Over and out.
/ Döbeln
PS.
...but yea, it sure is crash-prone though... still like it though,...
Posted by döbeln at September 10, 2003 10:46 PM
May I remind you, Andy, that England advanced no further than the USA at the last World Cup? :-)
And at least the US thoroughly outplayed their opponents in the quarterfinal. :-p
Posted by Ted Schuerzinger at September 11, 2003 12:01 AM
It should be noted that England lost only once in the tournament, and that was to the eventual champions Brazil in a close battle. They haven't lost in an official tourney for quite a while(no losses yet in the Euro campaign).
Posted by The Wobbly Guy at September 11, 2003 08:30 AM
Close? The 10 men of Brazil spent the last 20 minutes playing keep-away with the 11 men of England. The USA, on the other hand, were robbed of a penalty kick. :-)
Posted by Ted Schuerzinger at September 11, 2003 02:13 PM
egad, it is hard enough for England to make an impact without America getting in on the soccer party as well! Seriously though I thought the US team did really well and was laughing when the French went out in the earlier round. Heh.
Slightly more seriously though, I agree with Andy Duncan about the individualistic point here. Rooney is a young lad who stands out from the surrounding mediocrity. I just hope and pray that his family, friends and colleagues give him the protection and support he needs. He is not yet 18 and already is a big star.
And I also hope he is spared the Tall Poppy Syndrome, whereby any talented person in the UK gets bashed up by our tabloid media and hangers-on.
Way to go, Wayne!
Posted by Johnathan at September 11, 2003 06:44 PM
Hi Andy,
Good point about socialism and sport. The answer to your question ("what is it about sport") is it's power to capture the imagination of the common man. Socialists love that. Think back to the days when the German Democratic Republic (population 17 million) fought the Olympic might of the Americans and the Soviets. Their women won sprint events against black athletes, for heavens sake, despite their wide, caucasian hips and less efficient stride pattern. They still hold some world records. It had nothing to do with the sacredness of talent, as you put it. It was all achieved through Steroids and I bet the females concerned are more vegetable than animal now. But their names are in the hall of fame forever.
The one sport the GDR couldn't cheat at was football. They were no better than Austria or Switzerland. At the time of reunification they had one decent international player (Thomas Doll). They never had a Rooney who, for my money, will rate with George Best and, since he comes from a stable family background, will handle his fame without excessive reliance on the bottle. And Maradonna? Well, let's see.
Posted by Guessedworker at September 11, 2003 08:02 PM
The US were definitely robbed of a deserved vicotry by that Scottish referee. But what was the score when England last played Germany :D
Posted by Michael at September 14, 2003 02:20 PM
