Is there life after soccer? - 28/06/04

Awesome weather on Saturday, crap on Sunday.

LOCAL NEWS

Winston Peters (MP and leader of New Zealand First party) and former MP Ross Meurant hit the headlines as being a recipient of a $300,000 bribe in the Scampi fishery thing. The allegations were made under parliamentary privilege and then TVNZ dug deeper. Winston Peters is now suing TVNZ for $7m, as you would expect. Here comes another winebox.

Huge fuss about Olympic boxer who killed his daughter continued all week. Debate over rehabilitation, forgiveness, and being a complete scumbag raged in all quarters. No easy answer. Some people said that kids that fall of the rails lose hope if their chance of redemption is flattened (ie if this guy doesn't go to Athens). Others point out that murderers shouldn't represent their country given that people with cannabis convictions can't enter the US or Australia.

Some teenage moron did evolution a favour and stood on the motorway and got hit by a truck near us on Friday, mucked up traffic that morning something rotten.

NZ fruit labels are on sale in China to make fruit look like it came from NZ. I am sure there are labels from other countries too, but local press don't care if they are faking other country's fruit.

Apparently Australians are buying property in Invercargill. They are buying houses for $100,000+ and renting them to students for $200 a week. It's kind of funny because usually it's NZers buying houses on the Gold Coast and renting them for, um, nothing.

Sick waste of time interview last night on the telly of the woman who married Scott Watson, the guy jailed for Ben & Olivia's murder. She has four kids to four different fathers, and they all now call Mr Watson (still in
jail) "Dad". This shouldn't be news.

WORLD NEWS

Handover of Iraq happens in two days.

REAL SPORT

Rory's water polo team had a tight game, think it was 5-3, over a much tougher St Mary's team. He did okay, didn't score, but one awesome pass set up a goal. Then team 3 needed players so him and David played for them. The game was stopped by a fire alarm and we misplaced the goalie but she was okay. The game carried on and although it was looking dodgy for a while in the last quarter when both Rory and David had a rest, Rory came on and sent the ball forward and they scored again to with 9-5. Rory got three goals in that game.

Hannah was playing the dreaded Birkenhead Birds, who gave us a 7-0 thumping (our worst of the season) in our first meeting. They arrived with only six players, so we gave them four and played a friendly (according to the rules, you must have seven players within ten minutes of the start time or forfeit). They had five arrive at 20 past, so we balanced off the teams and continued. We nearly scored a couple of times but couldn't, and let one in badly so lost 0-1, hell of a lot better than last time but the scorecard will show a 2-0 win as they defaulted. Kind of a cheap win but gets us some points. We next play a team that I think was below us in the other group.

Rory's team played a team they drew with, on the same pitch at the girls, so I got to see the whole game. It was a high scoring match, 3-2 up at half time. A free kick was given to our team just outside the penalty area and the hags from the other team were screeching "bend it like Beckham!" (now a derogatory term, see below). Stephen slotted it, beautiful shot. They won 5-3 but it was 3-3 for a while.

SPORT

Euro 2004 has been interesting and awesome. It's great getting up to watch a game. England scraped through with a good 4-2 win over the Swiss. France nearly blew it. Germany lost to Czech Republic and the Netherlands won so they went through second and Germany went home. Portugal went through, Spain went home. Italy won their last game but it wasn't enough because the Swedes and Danes knew a 2-2 draw was all they needed to qualify. Italy are probably the unluckiest as the went out based on goals for and against with the other two in a three way tie (would have been better if they had won another game).

England lost the first quarter final in penalties, if you didn't know that you would be living in a cave without a newspaper delivery. Then France lost to Greece Saturday morning our time 1-0. Then a 0-0 bore between Netherlands and Sweden with a penalty shootout that the Dutch won (first time after losing last four penalty shootouts). I remember the game where Jaap Stam missed one and another guy (was it Bergkamp?) - that was at Euro 2000, I think. This morning the Czechs were struggling to crack the Danish defence then did it in style winning 3-0. The Czechs play the Greeks (and should win) and the Netherlands play Portugal (too close to call, think Portugal might win).

All sport in England this weekend has been cancelled. No Wimbledon, no cricket.

All Blacks played Argentina, who cares. I think Australia beat England too. Rugby is so boring, all these reset scrums and stuff. Give me soccer any day.

MY SAD LIFE

Well, Tuesday was a big day for the children. Rory aced his talk on dragons which was finished at the last minute. Hannah got a gold award for her art in the school exhibition (which means it is displayed at the local intermediate school) and then got O (for awesome) in hiphop dancing (not really, but I can't remember the grade, it was the one below maximum (which requires 95% to achieve). She also got honours in Jazz, which was what she really wanted.

Diana's birthday passed without too much drama. She went to work as she usually does, and we had a nice dinner for three of us (Hannah doesn't come home from dancing until 7pm). Rory and I did the dishes, as agreed prior to the day.

Jono, did you do a flash version of cave? Rory spotted one on a site called addictinggames.com that looks like your cave game. It's one of the most popular ones there. (I said happy birthday to Steph)

Paul Chambers turns 21 on the 2nd of July.

Mum disappears for about six weeks on a grand tour this week.

Spent some of Sunday doing a Six Million Dollar Man on Mr Vader. We can rebuild him, we have the technology.

Rory's science fair project continues, along with a continuing stream of homework.

Hannah wants to play in the inter-school soccer team. I may be coaching but not sure if Hannah should play in the A team or B team. It's mixed teams so in theory the top team is likely to be all Year 6 boys, a Year 5 girl would be doing well to get into it.

NEWS FROM LAST WEEK

I forgot to mention my watch strap broke just before we went away to Christchurch, I have been without it for ten days and just about got used to not having it. It drove me (and Diana) crazy for a while (because I would ask her what the time was every five bleems, especially on the plane when I couldn't look at my cellphone).

And let's talk about Christchurch for a sec. In particular, the Avon River. Pardon? River? I think not. It's barely a streamlet, perhaps a trickle hoping to become a creek. It's about two metres wide in places and four at most and flows slower than someone with a prostate problem. And punting on the Avon, that looks so pathetic it's not funny.

You don't have to read the bit at the end, unless you hate England.
Have a good week.
Rob

THE ENGLAND GAME - PENALTIES IN DETAIL, OR HOW COME DOING A BECKHAM IS NOT A GOOD THING ANY MORE

Portugal versus England quarter final. What a game. England lead 1-0 for most of the game, Portugal equalise late (again). Extra time, no goal in the first half, one each in the second, Portugal first then England.
Penalties:
England: Beckham shoots first, slips and cocks it up over the bar. I wouldn't have let him take one at all. He's crap at them. (Later video analysis shows the ball rolled to one side just before he kicked it)
Portugal: Deco scores, 1-0 to Portugal

England: Owen slots it. 1-1, England still have a chance.
Portugal: Sumao scores, 2-1 to Portugal

England: Lampard scores, 2-2
Portugal: Rui Costa takes it, and misses! 2-2 still. Rui Costa scored the second goal, he's a good player.

England: John Terry's hands are shaking when he places the ball, but scores. 3-2 to England.
Portugal: Ronaldo (the one that plays for Man Utd) scores. 3-3

England: Owen Hargreaves, late sub, scores (first time England haven't scored in middle of goal, first time goalie stood his ground)
Portugal: Maniche scores.

That's 4-4 after five. Now it's sudden death shootout. A different player has to take each one. Nobody has saved one yet. Only two misses.

England: Ashley Cole scores. 5-4
Portugal: Postiga (scored the first Portugese goal) scores with a bobbly one. 5-5

England: Vassell, Ricardo goes the right way and saves it! 5-5
Portugal: Ricardo takes it and scores! Portugal win.