26 February 2010 - Email: fordy@hawickonline.co.uk
I TUNED in to the Tiger Woods News Conference last Friday afternoon.
I was hugely excited at discovering when one of my favourite golfers would be returning to the game, sadly I didn’t get the answer to that question, but I was able to find out a great deal more about a man who for many years has been an incredibly secretive person. Despite all the mistakes Woods has made out with the sport, he is still an incredible sportsman. But he was totally out of his comfort zone when required to admit his infidelities in front of the glare of the media spotlight. Woods is more used to do his talking on the golf course. One thing is for sure; Woods and the media are far from best friends. And over the last few months while Tiger has sought to rebuild his marriage it has been open season on the 14-time Major Championship winner. I for one don’t believe even half the stories that have surfaced. Maybe this incident will force Woods to open up more when he returns to the game, but I suspect he will have been burned by the whole scenario and may be even more reclusive than ever.
When Woods announced he wasn’t sure when he wood return to the sport I was gutted, he indicated that he may return this season but offered no guarantees. It shows that he is clearly determined to rectify his mistakes. Three out of the four Major Championships are at courses he loves. And I was looking forward to travelling to St. Andrews in July to watch Woods once again blaze a trail over the Old Course. But despite his absence I will still be heading to Fife to watch the great golfing spectacle. I am also bolstered by the fact that my other golfing hero Seve Ballesteros will be making a rare appearance. I will never forget his incredible display of emotion when he was victorious at St. Andrews in 1984.
One other interesting golfing story to add to my blog this week. I hear that a Pro-Celebrity golf event will be held at Hawick later this year (August) to support the Bill McLaren Foundation. Hawick could be playing host to a plethora of celebrities. They will all enjoy the opportunity to experience the delights of the Vertish Hill, the delights that stayed with McLaren throughout his life. Watch this space for further developments.
19 February 2010 - Email: fordy@hawickonline.co.uk
If there was a sport about how to create new ways of losing I think Scotland would be World 
Champions. Just when you think it can’t become any more bizarre, it does!
The Scotland Rugby Team over the years has mastered the art of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. But last Saturday was surely one of the finest collapses of all time. With around 14 minutes to go Dan Parks slotted a monster drop-goal and I joined in the celebrations as Scotland looked destined for a deserved first victory at the Millennium Stadium for eight years. But when I watched the after-shot of Parks running back over the halfway line doing what looked like a victory dance, I feared the worst. Just a few minutes earlier I watched in disbelief when a well paid experienced Scotland professional demonstrated how to pass the ball forward when any other pass would surely have sent Kelly Brown scampering over the creosote and ensured the Dark Blues an unassailable lead. But sadly the final eight minutes saw the Scots implode. Yes, there are the usual howls of protest regarding the performance of the referee. But the Scottish side should never have needed to look for assistance from the whistler. A poor Welsh side should have been dead and buried.
What is it about the Scottish psyche that means that we are brilliant as underdogs but appalling favourites? The Scotland Football side can beat World Champions (at the time) France home and away in the Euro qualifiers, but struggle against the mediocre sides.
Maybe films like Braveheart actually work against us? Maybe we are encouraged to fight against the odds and perform above our station. But something is fundamentally wrong.
I will never stop believing, I will never stop cheering on Scotland in any sport, and TV talent contest, anything that features a Scottish person. I am patriotic to the core. And the first 65 minutes against Wales was a pure joy to witness. But the final eight or so minutes were among the toughest moments ever. The pain of watching a side crumble was just desperate.
It is clear that Andy Robinson has made a big impression with the Scotland side in the short time since he took up the International reigns but the next week ahead of the Italian match could well define his tenure. Scotland has the chance against Wales to compete for the Six Nations title. A slip up in Rome could see us once again staring into the abyss. We deserve better!
One final thought! Nikki Walker plays alongside and against the Welsh players on a weekly basis. Defensively don’t you feel he would have been more streetwise than the other Scottish backs that allowed the Welsh danger men to exploit their weaknesses?
12 February 2010 - Email: fordy@hawickonline.co.uk
Worldwide Cyber Pub
I am a big fan of social networking sites. I love the way they have the capacity to bring so many people together in an incredible way.
It is like one huge cyber pub, but the great thing unlike a real pub is that if you don’t want to speak to someone you are under no obligation to do so. I spent five summers working at Summer Camps in New York State, while there I met people from all over the world. If I had made my first million by now I would probably have visited most of the great friends I made, most of whom live in Australia or in various states within the US. While I have managed to meet several people from New York on my various return visits, I have never, so far, travelled down under. But most weeks I am still able to keep in touch with these people via the likes of Facebook. I love when they post photos it allows you to feel even closer to friends who are so far away.
Recently I have also been involved in organising a High School reunion, and once again the likes of Facebook has proved to be invaluable and indeed enlightening. I have suddenly begun to realise that the people who were in the same year as me at school have migrated all over the world. It really allowed me to appreciate the whole concept of the Overseas Night during the Common-Riding. Now this is where I am left in a quandary.
I have a real travel bug inside me, and it has been allowed to roam free at various intervals in my life. But would I have that same feeling if I moved away from Hawick. I for one have always felt that travelling and spending time away from Hawick, I have spent more than two years of my life in the States, helps you appreciate what you have at home.
A lot of people knock Hawick, but I guess that is because they refuse to see some of the great attributes this town has. We are relatively crime free, our cost of living is good and despite various floods in recent years we do live in a safe environment. And I like the fact that we are no more than an hours drive from three major cities, Edinburgh, Carlisle and Newcastle so we are hardly geographically disadvantaged. With the various social networking sites that geography is made even easier. The one down side of these sites however is that they are so addictive. People become nosey. I often flick onto a sight with the intention of a quick five minute update and …..one..two..hours later I am still speaking to people.
Tribute
I was moved by the minute silence to Bill McLaren at Murrayfield last weekend ahead of the RBS Six Nations International. I couldn’t help but feel a real sense of pride towards the great man. Following the rugby I tuned into the Bill McLaren tribute by John Inverdale on BBC2. Now I am no fan of Inverdale who always comes over as smarmy. But I think he captured The Voice brilliantly and showed everyone why we loved Oor Bill so much. There were no airs and graces from Bill, he was just such a down to earth character, and a man who showed a real sense of stability. But following the programme I couldn’t help thinking that instead of a minute silence to Bill. The best possible tribute to the King of commentary would be for some of the present day incumbents to watch a few of Bill’s former matches and learn a thing or two. Too many commentators still refer to teams they are watching as ‘we’ and some too often tell you something you are sitting watching. The champion of frustrations however is Brian Moore who just infuriates me. He is like a broken record during matches, if he mentions something once he mentions it several times, and of course if HIS England are losing the toys, the rattle and the whole blanket are thrown from the pram. I would love for the Head of Sport at the BBC to take some of these characters to one side and remind them it is the British Broadcasting Corporation to the Biased Broadcasting Corporation. Feel free to listen to some of the drivel these characters spout during this weekend’s rugby and judge for your self. Oh and then as a remedy search for a Bill McLaren match on Youtube to lift your spirits.
5 February 2010
Heart on your sleeve
Did you get up early last Sunday morning to cheer on Scotland’s Andy Murray in the Australian Open Final? It was incredible how much Andy had been hyped up by the media ahead of the final, with so much emphasis being placed on his moment of glory. Many seemed to forget that standing between the Dunblane dynamo and his first ever Grand Slam title was none other than Roger Federer. The Swiss superstar was chasing his fourth Aussie crown and a remarkable 16th Grand Slam title. Just 12 months earlier having lost out in a titanic battle against Rafael Nadal, Federer burst into tears. It was a rare moment of emotion from a player who exudes self-control.
Contrast this with Murray, who wears his heart on his sleeve. A player that isn’t afraid to let out a verbal tirade to himself if feels he isn’t performing as well as he expects. And a player who, when he, produces a stunning shot lets his opponent know how delighted he is. While there was no mistaking the fact that Federer produced some stunning tennis to beat Murray in straight sets, I couldn’t help feeling that the Scot was furious with himself during the presentation ceremony as his facial expression fought with his inner emotions. When Murray was eventually asked to speak the weight of a nations expectations, finally erupted in his voice and Murray choked back tears. But Murray had nothing to apologise for, despite having one of the best chances to end the UK 74-year wait for a Grand Slam title.
Murray played some of the best tennis of his life in the build up to the final, and showed that it is a case of when not if he will win a Grand Slam title. I for one suspect that chance will come either at Wimbledon or Flushing Meadow this year.
But what are your thoughts on sportsmen, or entertainers showing their emotions. I for one can’t stand the sob stories that accompany any contestant on either the X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent. While I also hate the fake emotions displayed by footballers who attempt to con the referee as they try to win a free-kick or a penalty for their side, or even worse try to get an opponent red carded.
Showing emotion in sport or in life should be meant, it should be a display of hurt, or a demonstration of how much something means to you. That has to be coupled with ability, determination and passion. Andy Murray has all these qualities and I can’t wait to get behind him in his next quest for history.