I have a confession to make – I have not bothered much with the Olympics.
By chance, I did watch a bit of the women’s marathon with one of my daughters. We both developed homicidal thoughts towards Eddie McGuire – if he read from that cheat sheet one more time, there could have been trouble. But we would have been exonerated, with the rest of Australia providing solid defence.
(And his timing could not have been worse. Just as he was rereading out the story about some lass from Russia or somewhere nearby – you know she survived on a lettuce leaf a day, husband died, war broke out, etc. etc – she pulled up lame.)
But as I was flicking through the channels last night, I came across a little promo (?) from Channel Nine, funky music in the background, involving a collection of current Olympic disasters/tragedies/accidents. You know the sort of thing – athletes crashing into hurdles, divers doing unplanned belly flops, footballers hurtling over seats at the side of the field, lots of hysterical tears.
Hilarious? I think not, but maybe I have now discovered what the Spirit of Olympism really is all about. It’s the equivalent of waiting for the car crashes at Indianapollis 500.
Eddie McGuire certainly was annoying during the marathon (perhaps even more so than other occasions at the Olympics). At one point Mrs entropy voiced wonderment that the denizens of Melbourne seem unable to grasp that the rest of the country regard Eddie as a complete dick, and an embarrassment to Victoria.
Entropy
7 Aug 12 at 1:30 pm
“We both developed homicidal thoughts towards Eddie McGuire”
Ah yes. The man who – during his magnificent winter olympic stint – described an ice hockey goal as “the ball in the back of the net)
One of our most wretched national embarrassments
Tex
7 Aug 12 at 1:45 pm
Good grief, bundle of good times at this blog.
Yes, Maguire is annoying and is barely literate; however, running over 42 miles in less than 2 ½ hours is worthy of appreciation.
And you may have noticed from the commentary that the best placed Australian woman in the marathon is basically an amateur with a full time paying job at IBM.
adrian
7 Aug 12 at 2:15 pm
The denizens of Melbourne, unless of the toothless, Magpie following variety, have grasped perfectly the fact that Mr McGuire is a complete dick and a State embarrassment. It seems to be Channel 9 and its management team (using the term loosely) that are so enamoured of his mediocre talents. My Olympic homocidal moment was during the opening ceremony when he referred to the group of young athletes on their way around the arena with the flame as a “peleton of potential.”
If they were his words then he is a numnut. If they were written for him to say then he lacks the intelligence or self awareness to recognise the numnuttery of others and refuse to be a party to it.
Megan
7 Aug 12 at 2:18 pm
I intend going through the whole fortnight without watching a second of it.
So far, all is proceeding to plan.
Rabz
7 Aug 12 at 2:22 pm
I liked him on ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’.
candy
7 Aug 12 at 2:24 pm
I am on track to beat my own olympic record.Sydney 42 minutes, beijing 37minutes , London so far 21 minutes. On trackto gold for me! Is it true there is no Soya sauce because no Soya sauce maker gave the olympic crooks money? Poor Asian athletes have to buy their own do they?
Borisgodunov
7 Aug 12 at 3:00 pm
“We both developed homicidal thoughts towards Eddie McGuire” yeah…you and the 22 million other Australians who have had to endure that smug git for the last how many years.
I haven’t watched any of it. But it’s nice how i can’t read a paper without being reminded of just how much of a waste in taxpayer funds gets splashed on these brats.
Luke
7 Aug 12 at 3:03 pm
Why on earth?
Jc
7 Aug 12 at 3:07 pm
Adrian – 26 miles / 42 km.
Was a great race / finish.
The mens 100m race the other morning was a highlight.
Nice to see more aussie gold – CL will cry.
pete m
7 Aug 12 at 3:11 pm
Listening to radio coverage can be interesting.
Gordon Bray is part of the team. He’s really slumming it alongside that noisy blabbermouth Ray Hadley and various other bone heads.
Bray last night said of a trap shooting competitor, “he had a dental procedure three months ago and they found he was a haemophiliac! No blood here today, though, as he bags another target effortlessly.”
Classic Bray.
C.L.
7 Aug 12 at 3:11 pm
No, that’s fine, Pete. It’s a very expensive exercise for taxpayers, though. Completely out of all proportion to the fleeting yield of jingoism which seems to be the community’s only pay-off.
C.L.
7 Aug 12 at 3:14 pm
We are still losing to New Zealand, and that’s how it’s going to stay.
Fisky
7 Aug 12 at 3:25 pm
In Sailing. Now there’s a sport that needs more taxpayer funding…
“Tom Barrington-Smythe grew up in the hard scrabble back blocks of Vaucluse. His father a partner at a mid tier law firm worked long hours while his stay at home mother Janice juggled her time raising money for sun bears and driving Thomas to to the Royal Sydney Flying Squadron…”"
Infidel Tiger
7 Aug 12 at 3:46 pm
You’ve got to love Eddie’s medical knowledge as well. Hearing him try to pronounce supraventricular tachycardia was laughable. He had Greg Welch sitting next to him who knew all about it. Eddie, you retard, if you couldn’t say it, why not just leave it to Welchy to talk about it?
Catfeesh?
7 Aug 12 at 4:19 pm
Sheer poetry!
Hanyu
7 Aug 12 at 7:40 pm
Is Bray back doing Rugby commentary somewhere? I do hope so – when the ABC lost the rights to televise it, they had him commentating on lawn bowls. Just sad. It wouldn’t be a real rugby call unless Gordon was doing it.
Tim
7 Aug 12 at 9:37 pm
My sources indicate he is a local Sydney comp referee and he does a running commentary of games he officiates!
.
7 Aug 12 at 9:43 pm
What a lot of snobs. If only you could look at what you are writing here. Do what you tell others to do on censorship. Turn the bloody thing off. I am just waiting for the first “I went to Tuscany in 2000” rot. Complain, as I do, about the corrupt Olympic organisation or about the stupid ‘gold’ obsession but give some credit to the millions of Australians who watch it every night.
What’s the problem? Those little people who like it?
M Ryutin
7 Aug 12 at 11:46 pm
Judith
What about the objectification aspect to it ??
Thats fun!!
smirk
selen234
7 Aug 12 at 11:51 pm
With the utmost respect
If you cant “appreciate” the worlds best male athletes form, then you may take life too seriously darls
selen234
8 Aug 12 at 12:47 am
Olympism? Is that a condition? Like gigantism or priapism? Or Commanism?
Abu Chowdah
8 Aug 12 at 1:54 am
Your source is correct. He is a Level 2 referee and ticketed rugby coach. He actually represented Combined NSW High Schools as a school senior.
C.L.
8 Aug 12 at 2:01 am
And I’ll confess I have not watched one minute of the circus.
Eddie Everywhere is part of the problem, the rest of the once -weres commentating would bore me to tears.
But today I will watch Pearson and Meares on the net and do my own cheering at two great Australian women!
Jazza
8 Aug 12 at 10:04 am
Tuscany? Peasant.
.
8 Aug 12 at 10:07 am