1. “People who worked in sports dressed more casually than their counterparts. They followed games on TV or radio and cheered if their favorite team scored. Everybody rooted against overtime, which just messed with their deadlines. “And slow pitchers,” said Klein. “Jesus…”
The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis pays tribute to a one-time ‘palace’ of sportswriting in the LA Times.
2. “He’s a sports journalist,” he said. “He works for the Sunday Times.”
“I took a breath. So did the driver. He then informed us of an article in the paper years previously that put him in a certain place with certain people, resulting in the discovery one morning of a certain device strapped to the underside of his car. He also added his determination that the author of said piece would one day be subjected to fierce vengeance.”
Still with The Times, Michael Foley lived to tell his tale of Clones and can’t wait to get back.
3. “It needs investment in infrastructure, education and grassroots. It needs pitches and coaches across the country and a plan on how to harness its evidently extraordinary deep pool of talent. It needs to ensure that the Modrics and Lovrens of tomorrow can come through without first having to sell their soul to the likes of Zdravko Mamic.”
Technical excellence and a World Cup final appearance don’t make Croatia a model for other countries to follow, writes Alex Holiga for The Guardian.
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4.
A decade before that photo, I’m 19 and crying in front of mum.
‘What is it? What is it?’ mum said.
‘I’ve got a girlfriend.’
‘Is that it?’
‘Is that it?! Is that not a big thing?’ I thought.
I don’t know why I thought it was going to be a big deal. You just look at the world around you. Ten years ago, it wasn’t that widely accepted. At least I didn’t feel that it was.
So, I was nervous. It was a big relief when Mum, watching me cry, said, ‘That’s just silly. Keep going!’
It was all good. She thought I’d lost my driver’s licence or something!
It was even OK with my Pop, who I was a bit nervous about.
He just said, ‘Mum told me about the thing.’
I said, ‘What’s the thing?’
“He said, ‘You know, the thing.’
Karina Brown and Vanessa Foliaki tell Players Voice ‘what happened after The Kiss’.
5. ”During the summer window last season, I got a phone call from an agent to let me know that Lomanu Lualua was interested in a move to our league. Lomanu, I was told, was a very religious man and the best church in Ireland for practising his particular faith happened to be in Galway — and that is why we were his first port of call. I did a bit of research, which included a look at his Instagram page, and decided that his best days appeared to be behind him.”
In The Times, Shane Keegan takes us inside the Irish transfer marker with not a Jim White in sight.
6. “Actually, there was one other thing uniting them all. Tickets for the final started at £340 and went up to £830. Throw in flights and other incidentals, and even if you subsist on crisps and sleep on hostel bunks, there’s no way of getting to a World Cup final unless you’ve got a few thousand pounds up your sleeve… the World Cup likes to see itself as a celebration of humanity in its entirety, a travelling circus where all can come and be transfixed. In reality, it’s more like a giant spinning wheel, where the closer to the hub you get, the more impossible it is to ignore the stench of money, real and implied.”
Jonathan Liew of The Independent caps off the World Cup in style.
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If he gets back into the Irish setup without others getting injured I’d be very surprised. Saying that if he does merit a recall then he’ll be playing fantastic rugby so for Ireland sake I hope he does.
@Chris Mc: It’s all about him I reckon cause he’s definitely got the talent/ability. As someone else pointed out here he looked in bad shape for a lot of his time at Wasps, if he really focuses on that he could challenge for a place on the squad no problem.
@The Irish Pain: wasps wanted him heavier, to be a different prop than the mobile less effective scrumager cooper wolley
Ireland now have 5 reliable TH props available . Furlong , Porter , Bealham , Ryan and Moore : all under 30 . That’s an incredible turnaround .
@Limón Madrugada: Maybe you could include Archer on that list as he seems to be first choice in Munster.
@Tom Reilly: but reliable for Ireland ?? I’m not convinced , he is capped though for sure ..
Someone on here yesterday said that Leinster made a ‘poor decision’ letting Marty Moore go.
I think the opposite, Marty Moore made a poor decision to leave Leinster.
When he left he was in the Irish 23, primed to replace Ross. He moved to Wasps and ended up not even starting for them. He also looked unfit.
In that time Leinster developed Furlong and Porter, Ireland brought in Bealham and Ryan and a few years later he’s back fighting for 3rd/4th in the Irish pecking order.
A shame because he is some prop on his day. Possibly a better scrummager than any of the above.
@Oval Digest: The word was that Moore was excited to play under Dai Young, a well capped Welsh and Lions prop. Maybe it was the 2 year deal offered by Leinster vs the 3 year Wasps deal (undoubtedly for more money) that was the real reason. Or maybe he saw Tadgh Furlong coming through and thought now’s the time to cash in. Or perhaps he thought Leinster are not gonna be challenging any more. If it was the Young factor that helped him go, the renowned Young had no impact on him other than gaining weight. The move might have been good for his bank balance but it was a disaster for his career. Thus far. Still, a big season and he could play his way in.
@grandslamkbo The word was also that Moore signed a contract without realising that he couldn’t get out of it in an effort to bargain with the IRFU, and then got stuck.
https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/leinster-admit-defeat-in-bid-to-retain-marty-moore-s-services-1.2510136
Marty is good on his day when fit, the problem is there just isn’t enough of those days.
He will have to buck up his ideas if he is to have a sniff of being anywhere near the Irish squad.
Yes squad not team
His whole career and how people will view his achievements relies on his application for the next two years
Be interesting to see how Nathan Hughes goes this season, he should be pushing for a place in the English team.
@Ruairi O’Bric: He is a super club player but I’m not sure about his workrate apart from ball carrying. If Billy V stays fits there’s no comparison…
Looked very unfit at Wasps as when he was playing previously for Leinster he had great mobility/work-rate and could force a few turnovers too.
He was overweight when he last played for Leinster and Ireland and things have only gotten worse since, needs to go on a serious shred if he is to make Ireland contention again.