Motoneige 0 – Montagne 1

By 6000 | 6000 | May 24, 2011

Spotted this 3¾ minute video today and just enjoyed it.
Since I’m rather pushed for time, it’ll do to fill a gap today.

Lessons learned:
Snow is slippy.
Gravity wins again.
One should never chase a rolling snowmobile.

Leave a comment | Tagged , | Posted in recommended site, that's a bit mad

FA Youth Cup Final tonight

By 6000 | 6000 | May 23, 2011

Sheffield United’s much-vaunted Academy side goes to Old Trafford tonight in the second leg of the FA Youth Cup Final. Now that might not sound like a big deal to anyone else, but the first leg at Beautiful Downtown Bramall Lane last Tuesday attracted a crowd of 29,977. For a Youth game. Put that in perspective against two other games that week: the Championship play-offs for a final at Wembley and a place in the Premiership (allegedly worth £40m), which attracted 19,816 and 24,081 respectively.

The first leg finished 2-2, (with the usual controversial goal awarded to Man U), so it’s all to play for this evening, and the Blades are taking an amazing 6,000 fans over the Pennines for the game.

Unsurprisingly, it won’t be broadcast in SA, but should we win, I’ll surely fill you in with a few details tomorrow!

COME ON YOU RED AND WHITE WIZZZZZZZZARDS!

Leave a comment | Tagged , , | Posted in positive thoughts, sheffield, sport, uk

Brahms did not torture and murder cats for sport

By 6000 | 6000 | May 23, 2011

Logging on to teh interwebs for the first time in a few days brought some laughs on an otherwise cold and grey Monday morning, the best of them being this line:

Brahms did not torture and murder cats for sport. Wagner, who had musical differences with Brahms, and who was an utter shit, made the story up.

From here, which links to here and the all important evidence for the quote above, here, stating:

Author’s research reveals calumny that for 100 years defamed German composer was the malicious gossip of ‘notoriously bitchy’ Wagner.

If there had been a Hello or an OK magazine back in the mid-19th century, one can only imagine that these allegations of cat torture and notorious bitchiness would have been regular front page news.

Amazing. I’ve certainly learnt some stuff this morning already.

Leave a comment | Tagged , , , | Posted in annoying people, from the blogroll, that's a bit mad

Curb fall injuries

By 6000 | 6000 | May 22, 2011

Incoming from several sources (so it must be true!):

Transcript for those with poor eyesight or on mobile devices (or those on mobile devices with poor eyesight):

Assailant suffers injuries from fall

Orville Smith, a store manager for Best Buy in Augusta, Ga., told police he observed a male customer, later identified as Tyrone Jackson of Augusta, on surveillance cameras putting a laptop computer under his jacket. When confronted, the man became irate, knocked down an employee, drew a knife and ran for the door.
Outside on the sidewalk were four Marines collecting toys for the Toys for Tots program. Smith said the Marines stopped the man, but he stabbed one the Marines, Cpl. Phillip Duggan, in the back; the injury did not appear to be severe.
After Police and an ambulance arrived at the scene Cpl. Duggan was transported for treatment.
“The subject was also transported to the local hospital with two broken arms, a broken ankle, a broken leg, several missing teeth, possible broken ribs, multiple contusions, assorted lacerations, a broken nose and a broken jaw… injuries he sustained when he slipped and fell of off the curb after stabbing the Marine,” according to the police report.

Using Google Streetview on Augusta didn’t reveal any particularly high kerbs: I guess he must just have landed awkwardly.

Poor chap.

3 Comments | Tagged , , | Posted in in the news, that's a bit mad

So close…

By 6000 | 6000 | May 21, 2011

I’m getting a little tired of writing hard luck football stories: England, Sheffield United, Sheffield United, Sheffi… look – you get my point, right? But here’s another hard luck football story anyway.

It concerns local boys Ajax Cape Town, who, thanks to the wonder of mathematics, were guaranteed the PSL title should they beat Maritzburg United at the Cape Town Stadium today. The mathematics also meant that if they drew and Orlando Pirates didn’t win, they’d still win the PSL title.  And even if they lost and Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs didn’t win, Ajax would still win the PSL title.

It didn’t seem that difficult.

And that’s probably why the fans went in to the game so full of optimism. The merchandise store was already selling replica kits with the trophy and “PSL Champions 2010/11″ on the back. Dangerous chicken counting.

However, once the game started, you could see the gulf in class between the teams. Ajax were all over Maritzburg like an aggressive moss. But chance after chance after chance went begging. Then, just when I was about to remark that this had all the hallmarks of a 0-1, player of the season Thulani Serero, playing his final game for Ajax before heading overseas, passed to Khama Billiat who danced though the Maritzburg defence and slotted a shot low into the bottom corner.
[thanks It's Still Ayoba for the correction on this]

At half time, it was all looking ever so good. Pirates were drawing, and who cared what Chiefs were doing, cos Ajax were ahead and fully in control, china.
But nerves crept in, passes went astray and Maritzburg worked their way back into the game. And then came 9 minutes of second half madness. Firstly, with the ever-dependable Hans Vonk being strangely undependable and doing… something… with a backpass that wasn’t a backpass and which he should have just simply picked up.

He didn’t pick it up.

And by the time he tried to kick it out from under his own crossbar, ex-Orlando Pirate Gert Schalkwyk was right on top of him. Goal Maritzburg. 1-1.
But rather than coming out and playing the dynamic, attacking football that put them within reach of the PSL trophy, Ajax continued to sit back. And it was to cost them dearly. A shot, an arm, a penalty. No complaints from the Ajax players and Diyo Sibisi stepped up and scored confidently from 12 yards.

Finally, Ajax remembered what had got them where they were this season and it was all guns blazing for the last 20 minutes of the game. But Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Shu-Aib Walters was virtually unbeatable. And though Sameehg Doutie got the equaliser with 3 minutes to play, it was too little, too late as news was already coming through from Orlando Stadium that Pirates had gone into a 2-1 lead.

At the end of it all, it was the end of it all. The were tears, but there was pride as well. For Ajax to get another opportunity next season will be asking a lot, with their irrepressible manager Foppe de Haan retiring, captain Hans Vonk on his way as well and the mercurial and magical Serero also leaving the club. Half the players made it out to acknowledge the fans – the rest were littered across the ptich and down the tunnel, utterly shattered.

Critics will point to Ajax’s capitulation in April against Mamelodi Sundowns, where they let a 4-1 lead slip and drew 4-4. Others will think that the 4-0 beating they took at Kaizer Chiefs a fortnight ago did for them – and that -4 goal difference did turn out to be critical. Me, I look waaaay back to October 2010 and the world’s dodgiest penalty that cost Ajax a win over Santos.

Had any of these games gone differently, Ajax would be PSL champions this evening.
But then you could say that about today’s game as well.

One final message from those who care in Cape Town, as displayed by my little boy, who was as disappointed by the result as anyone else there today and put on the bravest face he could:

All in all, it’s been a pretty rubbish year as far as my football choices are concerned.

Doesn’t mean I won’t be back next season though…

A few more photos here.

2 Comments | Tagged , | Posted in positive thoughts, sheffield, sport, this is south africa
myScoop