Many on here regularly post on sports other than football, yesterday saw the Rugby League Cup Final and as RTID posted, it was a cracking game and well worth watching. The Olympics also provided a view of so many sports we rarely see on TV yet we find ourselves glued to the box watching the outcome. So perhaps we can have a thread reserved for the lesser viewed sports which can produce some amazing action. Very aptly, I'll kick it off with some action from Speedway, I actually tried my hand at this as a teenager and failed miserably breaking my arm in the process so I know just how brave/mental these guys are. This was the final of last night's Polish Grand Prix with the home rider a hot favourite up against a British World Champion and two Aussies but the race was quite simply one of the best I've ever seen...
I like baseball and follow the New York Mets, can you imagine following a smaller club in a big city as opposed to a richer, more smug, more fickle/tourists supporters, wonder where I got that idea. My first game was the first game in the 86 World Series, we lost 1-0 but won the series, the Mets became my team. Not a lot of success since, but I ain't changing, we won 12-1 last night.
Yeah, that underdog thing is very appealing. I've followed the LA Clippers in the NBA for over 20 years, they were always also-rans and in the shadow of the famous LA Lakers but in the past 3 years they've been one of the top teams and the Lakers are shyte now, something very satisfying when that happens...
I went to see baseball once, the College World Series in Omaha. What a boring sport to watch. Watching paint dry would be just as entertaining. Sorry but that was my experience.
I showed quite a keen interest in the Olympic ladies beach volleyball final (Germany beating Brazil very comfortably) And I wasn't the only one - it was on the big screen in the McDonalds I was in during a recent stay in Zurich
I used to go down to watch the speedway at Rye House quite a bit - not the world's most luxurious sporting venue but an exciting spectator sport And Rye House was right next to the karting track that I used to race at. In fact only sold my kart a few weeks ago - decided that at 50 it was time to move on, and given my non-work time commitments of cycling and following the Rs, I just can't do everything I've been to baseball games in both Toronto and Chicago, and I have to say that it isn't a sport that I could ever get into - too slow for me
I actually went to watch the Wembley Lions speedway on a few Saturday nights back in 1970, it was surreal with a crowd of about 3-4,000 in the old stadium. Wimbledon was our home track on Thursday nights. Many of the greyhound stadiums staged speedway at one time or another, particularly in the late 40s and throughout the 50s when it drew crowds on a par with football. With the planning consent approved for AFC Wimbledon's new stadium the closure of the old Wimbledon stadium marks the end of greyhound racing in London...
Womens team GB hockey Didn't realise a couple of rug munchers in the British squad as well! Sorry MOD's if inappropriate!
I got to see a few speedway World Championships at Wembley - I remember Barry Briggs as being the main man at the time. I also went to see the Wembley Lions ice hockey team a few times in the early seventies. It's sad that the last London greyhound racing stadium may be closing. I used to go to White City dogs with my dad and remember the Derby nights as being particularly special.The 'Derby roar' with 50 or 60 thousand people in attendance was remarkable.
Always been a big cycling fan and avidly watched the Tour de France highlights when I got home from work. Of course cycling has a much higher profile these days thanks to the GB Olympics team and the Tour de France successes of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.
Had a colleague (who became a great mate) for 14 years who was a very keen cyclist. Got me into The Tour which is very exciting at times. Also you tend to think it is relatively easy since there is the mechanical help of the machine. However, just try and cycle up a moderate hill, let alone the Alps!! It is 06:55 on a beautiful Bank Holiday morning and I'm about to set off for a cycle ride myself!
The most boring 'sport' I have ever participated in is clay pigeon shooting. I've shot at real birds as well, once, and that was incredibly tedious and surrounded by arcane snobbery too (apparently I shot too many birds too quickly). Archery is almost as bad. Anything that does not really involve tactics or decision making against an opponent (not questioning the skill) has to be questionable. Darts, snooker, bowls all have much more to them. My wife had a sort of step brother (complicated) who was an amateur speedway rider. Slightly insane. Any machine that runs on alcohol gets my vote. Ivan Mauger is the name I remember when it was on the telly a lot.
Mauger is rightly regarded as the greatest World Champion of all, I was privileged to see him close up when he was at his peak when he visited Wimbledon with his team, the Belle Vue Aces in the early 70s. The consummate professional and he very rarely was beaten in league speedway scoring incredible averages. On a sporting note his nephew is the All Black Aaron Mauger...
Saturday night speedway, watching the Wembley Lions in the early 70's, Dave Jessup was my favourite rider, also attended the 72 world championship won by Ivan Mauger.
Beware when competing in Triathalon events in Dublin:- Deer collides with competitor on bicycle during Dublin city triathlon Updated yesterday at 10:25pmMon 29 Aug 2016, 10:25pm please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Map: Ireland A competitor at the Dublin City Triathlon had an unexpected run-in with a stag while cycling through Phoenix Park. Shane O'Reilly said he was left with a cracked helmet after the encounter, but went on to finish the race — although with some bruising. "The helmet definitely saved me," 30-year-old O'Reilly said. "Apart from that my shoulder was a bit sore and had a headache." Photographer Erik Scraggs, who captured the moment, told the BBC "it all happened so fast". "I had a feeling [the deer] might make their way across the cyclists' path, so I tracked them though my lens," he said. "I never envisaged that they would actually try and leap over the cyclists ... It was a really heavy crash." O'Reilly said he was "100 per cent" the next day thanks to the medical team and organisers, adding the deer might have had an eye on his bicycle. The park, which was originally conceived as a royal deer park, is home to a herd of about 500 fallow deer. The stag reportedly joined the rest of its herd after the collision. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...-escape-after-colliding-with-a-deer-in-dubli/ Meanwhile here in peaceful Canada:- please log in to view this image
They are beautiful animals Kilburn but incredibly dumb. I hit one as I was entering that park one night with a fare.
I hit one too about 12 years ago when driving up to Montreal to attend the Canadian F1 Grand Prix. It happened right at daybreak, on dual carriageway, just outside Sherbrooke, Quebec and the deer jumped out of nowhere and landed on the front of the rental vehicle. It scared me and certainly jolted my two sleeping companions awake. It was all rather surreal as the vehicle had a black bra cover (to prevent rock chips) that became detached and was flapping over the windshield obscuring my view as I braked to a halt on the road shoulder. Luckily no other vehicles were around at 5:30am. The deer was of course deceased and the hood was smashed in so you couldn't release to open and inspect for any fluid leaks, the rental insurance was luckily $0 deductible and we made it to Montreal and back to New Brunswick okay. Funny when we stopped in Sherbooke at the Tim Hortons a Quebec game warden truck pulled in right beside us, but he didn't question the tan deer remains on the front of our vehicle.
