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The Greatest Turnaround From a ‘Boo’ in History: Rocky Vs Drago

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The Greatest Turnaround From a ‘Boo’ in History: Rocky Vs Drago

by The TLDR Dribbler

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Lately I’ve been really loving the “boo” rhetoric, and it got me thinking once again, what is the greatest turnaround from a boo?
 
After much research, thought, and consideration, I came to a historic event that unfolded in 1985 on Christmas Day in the Soviet Union. 
 
One of the greatest boxing matches of all time.
 
Rocky Balboa vs Ivan Drago.
 
Leading up to the boo & turnaround was an agreed 15 round unsanctioned fight to take place at a troubling time for relations between the US and the Soviet Union. The match was built on rage and a deep urge for revenge and justice.
 
Rocky was riding high on his emotions after the shocking death of his friend, trainer, previous rival, and mentor Apollo Creed. There was a lot of kickback to the match even being held, so much so that Rocky’s beloved wife Adrian refused to travel in support.
 
The Match.
 
Rocky enters the area and is almost pounded into the core of the earth with boos alone. To take that much booing and still be able to stand before Drago has entered the ring is an achievement in itself for any man. Drago enters with high applause, basically setting the tone for the rest of the match.
 
ROUND 1: Drago goes on the offensive and smokes Rocky to within an inch of his life. Rocky stays strong like the champion he is.
 
ROUND 2: It starts off similar to the first with Drago on the attack. Towards the end of the 2nd, Rocky connects a brutal right hook that cuts Drago eye. This stuns Drago so much that he comments to his corner, Rocky “is not human, he is like a piece of iron”. At this point Drago realizes he’s in one of the great alpha battles. This is momentous as it gets the crowd to take notice of Rocky….
 
Over the following rounds, a fierce battle takes place with plenty of connecting shots. Warriors giving their all for their nation and for their lost ones.
 
Now in the 12th round, the hostile Soviet crowd has been moved so much by Rocky’s determination, will, power and hog, they have started chanting his name. 
 
Think about how huge that is. The Soviet Union is chanting for Rocky over Drago. The Soviet Union is chanting for an athlete from the USA over their beloved fighter created in a lab by the Soviet Union. What a fucking turnaround.
 
Rocky takes an opportunity and with a series of well-timed blows, eventually knocks out Drago to win. Afterward, he gives one of the great speeches to a Soviet crowd sitting in silence, hanging on his every word.
 
“If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change”.
 
Led by the premier of the Soviet Union, Rocky then gets a fucking standing O by the entire stadium. An American has gone from one of the all-time boos to turn it around for a standing O in the Soviet Union.
 
Question to the punter aaaaaannnnddddd dribbler…. What’s the greatest turnaround from a boo.
 
Boos & standing Os soon x
 

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #342 – The Ten Tenors

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The Mayo Report: NRL Announces End of High Tackle Crackdown and Allows Knives On-Field after Latrell Calls Out Softness of the Game

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The Mayo Report: NRL Announces End of High Tackle Crackdown and Allows Knives On-Field after Latrell Calls Out Softness of the Game

DYOR Dave

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A late rule change for the upcoming NRL season has been reported by the Mayo Man following Latrell Mitchell’s comments backing his aggressive style of play that landed the Bunnies star a six-match ban.

In round 24 of last year, Mitchell was placed on report for a sickening high shot on former teammate Joey Manu, which left the Rooster with a shattered cheekbone and eye socket.

Despite the tackle causing Mitchell to miss his team’s finals campaign, he proclaimed that “I don’t think I need to [change my style], I think the game needs to change.”

Now, in an extraordinary turn of events, the Mayo Report can announce that the NRL have taken these comments to heart, and the crackdown on high tackles has been ended, while players will now also be allowed to carry knives on the field.

The issue of disciplining high tackles has been at the forefront of the game since the crackdown began in magic round last year, but it would seem that the league has changed its tune, with an unnamed source stating, “Latrell is spot on. If players like Joey Manu can’t get up after a minor shatter to the cheekbone and eye socket, well then maybe they should be playing Oztag instead.”

 

Furthermore, in response to the waning viewership of events like state of origin, where the centrepiece was usually some sort of violent confrontation, the NRL has implemented a controversial new rule allowing players to carry knives during matches.

It won’t be a free-for-all though, with strict regulations requiring knives only to be used in breaks of play, so as to not interfere with the air pressure of the football itself.

After the ref has blown his whistle to indicate a break of play, players are welcome to retaliate to newly legal high shots with their blades, which must be regulation NRL knives. (Team supporter knives will be available to the public shortly)

In an exclusive interview with the Mayo Man, Latrell Mitchell praised the new rules, saying “It’s great to see the NRL standing up to PC and cancel culture, I mean for fucks sake they even make us cut our nails before matches.”

The new rules have caused a flurry of contract renegotiations, with Bulldogs enforcer Jack Hetherington reportedly chasing a multi-million dollar deal due to his extraordinary 2-1 ratio of high-tackles to hit-ups.

Additionally, Manly Hooker Manaise Fainu is being pursued by numerous clubs for his alleged knife skills despite the fact that he maintains his innocence, although clubs are uncertain whether these skills will translate from the church to the footy field.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #342 – The Ten Tenors

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Dribblers Round Up: Nilsso Busting Moves for a Good Cause While Danny Exotic Braves Sunlight to Present Jerseys for Penrith

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Dribblers Round Up: Nilsso Busting Moves for a Good Cause While Danny Exotic Braves Sunlight to Present Jerseys for Penrith

DYOR Dave

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It’s been a long and arduous off-season where dribblers have enjoyed the break from footy and focused on ripping, tearing, getting horizontal, and pounding Margs into the earth.

But as the new season of footy rolls around, the dribblers begin emerging from their summer hideaways ready to help 2022 once again be the year of the P and D, and two of our most cherished dribblers have had a busy week.

Danny Exotic (of R&R fame) was spotted outdoors for the first time since his bender began following Penrith’s 2021 grand final victory.

He made the special trip in broad daylight and (relatively) sober to present the team jerseys for the Panthers’ first trial match against the Sharks.

Clearly buoyed by the support and inspiration of a Panthers legend, the team went on to win 34-6 and were offered the once-in-a-lifetime experience of a guided celebration from the great Danny Exotic.

However, due to the professional sporting careers that the players hope to maintain, the team respectfully declined his offer, much to the relief of Danny’s bank account.

 

Meanwhile, Newcastle’s favourite firefighter Nilsso the Novacastrian has sent shockwaves of excitement through the female population of the city, as he’s announced he’ll be dancing the Tango at the Stars of Newcastle charity event in June.

Nilsso is no stranger to the spotlight, featuring on HitFM’s dating show in Bali, as well as acting as male model and face of Newcastle’s Fire and Rescue services, leading many to wonder if he was hired for his handy hosework, or his ability to sell calendars.

In support of Cancer Council’s annual charity dance competition, Nilsso will be partnered with professional dancer Denise, although after 4 months of lessons in the art of the tango, he reckons it’ll be hard to tell who’s the pro and who’s the dribbler.

The event will take place on the 24th of June at Newcastle’s civic theatre, and if you’d like to donate or grab tickets to see Dan “Fred Astaire” Nilsson in action, you can head HERE.

Alternatively, if you wanna throw some money towards Danny’s less worthy cause, you can contact him on Wickr or Signal @DannyLovesR&R

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #342 – The Ten Tenors

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The Curse of the Wiggles: How Australia’s Most Beloved Band has Doomed Every Team They’ve Sung About

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The Curse of the Wiggles: How Australia’s Most Beloved Band has Doomed Every Team They’ve Sung About

DYOR Dave

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It’s hard to find a less polarising piece of Australian culture than the Wiggles. They’ve been a trusted friend of young parents for decades, and a nostalgic memory for all those lucky enough to grow up watching them.

Their recent hottest 100 victory has brought them to unimaginable heights of success, with over 18s tours and albums filled with banging covers now commonplace in Wiggles folklore, but there may be a dark side to this shining light that some have overlooked.

Most dribblers will be familiar with their 2017 hit “Ba Da Da Da Da,” which was created in support of the NSW Blues for State of Origin.

While it may have flown under the radar at the time of its release, it has become an unofficial anthem in the PnD community, who proudly sang it during this year’s series victory.

However, at the time of its release, it didn’t do much to help the team, who suffered a 2-1 defeat thanks to a Valentine Holmes hat trick in game three.

 

By itself, the result may not seem like it had much to do with the Wiggles attempt to buoy the boys, but a look at the history of the band’s association with sporting teams showed that their support could have been a dark omen.

In 2018, the Wiggles recorded the song “It’s Our Jungle” for the Wests Tigers, who appropriately matched their childlike style of footy with children’s music as their theme song.

Written by Blue Wiggle, OG member, and Tigers fan Anthony Field, the music video strangely featured zero coloured skivvies, as the band understandably may not want to be associated with a club like the Tigers.

The Tigers are no stranger to a curse, and it would seem that 2018 was no different, finishing in their much loved 9th place, 3 wins away from the top 8.

Since then, the Tigers haven’t bothered to create a new team song, and their results have mirrored that lack of effort, finishing outside the 8 every year since.

 

The curse doesn’t just confine itself to the borders of this nation, after all, the Wiggles are a worldwide phenomenon.

In 2013, they released a song called “Shock The World” in support of the USA Tomahawks’ Rugby League World Cup campaign.

With a video starring former Penrith and Parramatta player Joseph Paulo, the song featured the lyric “President Obama, you’re gonna hold the World Cup up high,” which seemed strangely ambitious even for Americans.

The Tomahawks didn’t fully disappoint, winning two matches in the group stages against Wales and the Cook Islands, which led them to face Australia in the quarter-finals.

Thanks to four tries each from Brett Morris and from former Silverwater star Jarryd Hayne, Australia ran riot over the US, winning 62-0 in what was barely a speed bump on their way to winning the title.

The Wiggles haven’t released a sporting song in nearly four years, as it would seem they have recognised their unfortunate influence on the teams they try to help.

Alternatively, there may be no curse surrounding the wiggles, and the poor results may in fact stem from their decision to support teams that were destined to get smashed anyway.

But at the end of the day, the Wiggles were just standing up for the little guy, for the team that didn’t stand a chance but tried their hardest anyway, and in this humble writer’s opinion, it’s that integrity and continued joyfulness that makes the Wiggles so loveable, despite their questionable sporting choices.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #341 – Napoleon’s Member

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Why Is Australia the Only Country That Does the Nutbush Dance?

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Why Is Australia the Only Country That Does the Nutbush Dance?

DYOR Dave

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For someone who’s as native to Australia as the sport of curling, Tina Turner has certainly left her mark on our culture.

She appeared alongside Jimmy Barnes singing ‘Simply The Best’ to promote the 1989 and 1990 NRL seasons, as well as performing at the 1993 grand final, but her biggest impact on our nation came completely unbeknownst to the singer herself.

In 1973, Turner released “Nutbush City Limits,” her last song with husband and collaborator Ike Turner, and despite it being the title track of the album, it failed to reach the heights of her other hits.

While most countries took little notice of the song, Aussies took to it like Dribblers to margaritas on a sunny Saturday arvo.

Remarkably, Australia is the only country in the world that performs the Nutbush dance to accompany the song, and unfortunately, no footage exists of the first time Tina witnessed Aussies bust out the jig at her concert, although it’s not hard to imagine her confusion.

Turner grew up in the town of Nutbush Tennessee, which is actually an unincorporated rural community and therefore doesn’t even have city limits, although the song details her experiences as a poor child growing up in the small town.

The earliest reports suggest that the dance moves were the brainchild of primary school teachers in the late 70s, although there are no concrete reports of how the dance originated.

By the 1980s the Nutbush had taken the nation by storm, performed by dribblers in discos, dances, weddings, barmitzvahs, and school classrooms around the country.

The Nutbush followed the trend of line dancing that was gaining popularity in the US, with easy-to-remember moves, individual dancers performing in a grid formation, as well as long intros which allow people time to take their positions on the dance floor.

 

Dances like the Madison, the electric slide, and the bus stop were already popular at the time of the Nutbush, and the release of Saturday Night Fever in 1977 pushed disco and dancing to the forefront of pop culture.

In 1990, Billy Ray Cyrus’ hit ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ featured cowboy-style line dancing which once again promoted line dancing, but was all but forgotten when ‘the Macarena’ took over the world in the late 90s.

As time passed, the Nutbush seemed to only grow in influence, becoming a staple of Aussie weddings and celebrations, as well as entering the Primary school curriculum in 2002 which ensured its longevity in our society.

Although the song is about a place on the other side of the world, the themes of hard-working small-town people reflected the sentiments of many rural Australians in the late 20th century, and with her connections to our nation’s culture, something about the dance feels uniquely Australian, or perhaps that’s just because it’s been ingrained into my head since year 2 PE lessons.

With easily memorable moves, and a catchy beat at a steady walking pace, the dance is perfect for all ages, and individuals are able to choose the amount of panaché they add to the moves.

Because of this, young children are encouraged to practice the dance to improve coordination, and for the oldies, it helps keep their brain and body sharp in a fun way.

In 2015 the Victorian town of Horsham set the record for the most number of people performing the Nutbush, with 254 dancers. The record has since been broken 3 more times, the most recent being 2,330 people at the Big Red Bash in the Simpson Desert.

Despite the popularity of the dance, Turner has never performed it, instead opting for a more choreographed and fluid movement for her live performances.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #341 – Napoleon’s Member

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SEX! Now That I’ve Got Your Attention, Super Rugby Starts Tonight

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SEX! Now That I’ve Got Your Attention, Super Rugby Starts Tonight

DYOR Dave

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With Less than a month before the kickoff of god’s winter game, you would be forgiven for not even remembering that there was another code of Rugby played in this country, such is the woeful promotion of this year’s Super Rugby season.

After a fractured past two seasons, which saw rule changes, format reshuffles, and probably some other events that no one took notice of, Rugby fans are hoping that this new season can bring some excitement back into the game, with new rule changes and another format reshuffle to try grab the attention of dribblers around the world.

Along with the rules they have already borrowed from Rugby League, such as the 50/22 kick and the goal line dropout, the competition has introduced a golden point rule to replace the ‘golden try’ that was implemented last season.

While there was only one match that went into overtime in 2021, the NZRU have convinced Australia to agree on a golden point system, although many fans are apprehensive about the change, as it places significant importance on the luck of the coin toss rather than the skill of a team.

One genuinely exciting change that they have made is the inclusion of two new teams, Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua, who will for the first time represent pacific island nations and could possibly bring an exciting brand of rugby into a league that has struggled to produce entertaining footy in the last decade.

 

Both Pacific Island teams have planned pre-match war cries, meaning there will be at least something interesting during these matches

Both Pacific Island teams have planned pre-match war cries, meaning there will be at least something interesting during these matches

 

While the novel coronavirus has made it difficult to properly incorporate pacific island nations into the League, Fijian Drua have already locked in one game to be played in Suva in round 7, with another possibly on the cards later this year, although the majority of their home games will be played at Leichardt oval, Suncorp, and Commbank Stadium.

Meanwhile, Moana Pasifika will play out of Mt Smart Stadium, representing the nations of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. Their season is off to a shaky start already with a minor covid outbreak forcing them to postpone their opening match against Roger Tuivasa Scheck’s Auckland Blues.

Teams in New Zealand have gathered in a bubble on the South Island, while Australian teams are free to play in their home towns (except for the Western Force), although officials are confident that teams will be able to travel freely between their home cities by the midpoint of the tournament.

Fans are hoping that the addition of two pacific teams, as well as the removal of South African teams, will provide a more exciting and energetic brand of Rugby, rather than the penalty heavy brand we’ve seen in the past.

The Waratahs will open the tournament tonight at 7:45 against the Fijian Drua at Commbank stadium in Parramatta, where hopefully a few rugby fans can make the trek to an area that they’ve probably never visited before.

 

 

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #341 – Napoleon’s Member

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Have a Go at This Contraption Marnus Has Made to Prepare Himself for Subcontinent Conditions

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Have a Go at This Contraption Marnus Has Made to Prepare Himself for Subcontinent Conditions

DYOR Dave

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Some cricketers like to put their feet up and relax in between test series’, but not our Marnus.

The current #1 batsman in the world is using his free time to show off his craftsmanship, as well as prepare himself for the upcoming tour of Pakistan.

With the sub-continent always providing notoriously difficult batting pitches, compounded with the fact that it’s been around 25 years since our last Test in Pakistan, Marnus is doing his best to replicate the unfamiliar conditions at home.

Using a lined mat, similar to the corduroy texture of Hello Sport’s headwear range, he has been able to create a pitch that spins along with his half-taped-up tennis ball.

Additionally, he’s taped down pieces of foil to replicate the skidding action of spin bowling on sub-continental pitches.

With DIY skills worthy of a Bunnings commercial, Marnus’ contraption could prove a decisive advantage in the upcoming tour, and hopefully, he’ll roll it up and bring it to training to give the other boys a go.

Watch Marnus practicing on his home-made pitch below:

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #341 – Napoleon’s Member

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Has Lachlan Lewis Given Up on Footy to Become a Full-Time Influencer?

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Has Lachlan Lewis Given Up on Footy to Become a Full-Time Influencer?

DYOR Dave

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In his 3 and a half year career with the Bulldogs, Lachlan Lewis experienced more than most do in a Rugby League lifetime, except playing in a finals match of course. From leading his side to the wooden spoon, to making a tackle during halftime and getting himself sin-binned, and who could forget his classic “steal a speaker and try sell it for a profit” prank?

But now it would seem that his career has been put on hold for a new venture, partnering with his wife Stephanie to join the world of online influencers and photographers.

Branding themselves on Instagram and Tik Tok as “lewplustwo,” the couple has amassed over 27 thousand followers on the gram thanks to a carefully curated grid of sunsets, sepia and skin tones, as well as photos of their two young children.

Over on Tik Tok, their 170 videos have garnered them around 26 million likes, with one video of a shirtless Lewis (Lachlan) and his baby attracting 46 million viewers.

The world of babygram and babytok may be fruitful in views and likes, but being the sharp businessman he is, Lachie and his wife have also started a photography business called “filmsbysl” in order to cash in on this newfound fame.

Their website, titled “Film Haus,” describes them as “Brisbane based, capturing love in every corner,” although the majority of their pictures are clearly taken along Vaucluse beaches, along with a cute album from Nick Meaney’s wedding.

Their business focuses on photographing the special moments of families in what seems to be a specific colour tone, and includes “investments” (photoshoot packages) ranging from $1000 to $3500, or about 30 bluetooth speakers in Lewis currency.

@lewplustwo Even when I’m busy she’s just so happy to be there ? #family #babygirl #daddysgirl #bestfriend ♬ som original – Klébio Damas

 

However, if you’d prefer to take your own photos and not be “documented by your new BFF’s (aka us)” you can purchase presets that will give you “smooth creamy skin tones, while trying to keep the greens and blues and all the colours vibrant and beautiful.”

Nowhere on the site does it mention rugby league, or sport at all, as it would seem that new parents aren’t so keen to have NRL players hanging around their children.

It’s unclear whether his footy experience or mechanical engineering degree has helped him transition into his new career, but if the quotes on their website are anything to judge by, he seems to be excelling in his new endeavour.

My favourite is simple and original: “film – it just hits differently.” Never in my nearly 2 decades of being able to read have I seen such emotion and passion articulated in such a uniquely intelligent manner.

Still unsigned for 2022, it appears Lewis may be taking some time off the game, and perhaps planning a return next year in his new home town of Brisbane, where his royal uncle could give him a few pointers.

However, with his clearly talented wife alongside him, this new venture could bring him even more success than he saw in the NRL, after all, it would be hard not to improve on his 34% win record.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #340 – Unclassically Trained

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I Loved the NFL Halftime Show, But I Would Hate to Have Something Like That Here

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I Loved the NFL Halftime Show, But I Would Hate to Have Something Like That Here

DYOR Dave

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While the Rams went home with the choccys in Superbowl 56, the event is already being fondly remembered for the halftime show, which has been overwhelmingly recognised as one of the greatest of all time.

Featuring Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige, upside down 50 cent, Kendrick Lamar, and Anderson Paak (who was unfortunately confined to the drum kit), the show has been praised for its lineup, setlist, production and its wide-ranging appeal.

Naturally, the success has initiated discussions between Aussie dribblers about the potential for a similar show accompanying one of our many sporting spectacles.

How come the US gets treated to the best of their musical exports while we continually suffer through glorified advertisements for Sony artists presented as “entertainment?”

Well, apart from the fact that Superbowl halftime shows are organised by the host city and not the broadcasting network, Australia’s grand final entertainment adopts a drastically different format, and I for one am very glad we do.

For all its generational glory, the halftime show lasted 15 minutes, accompanied by another 15 minutes of commercials. That means the entire halftime lasted as long as two quarters, or half of the entire game itself.

As a player, you might as well have jumped into an ice bath and changed out of your uniform, as you’re going to have to warm up again before the start of the second half, and you can say goodbye to any momentum you felt at the end of the first half.

As a fan, I’d be surprised if you could even recall the events of the first half, with such an extravagant performance that it’s all but outshined the event it was there to support.

I’m not hanging shit on the show, I loved it, but I know I wouldn’t be happy as an NRL fan seeing my game take a lower priority to the corporate interests it serves.

 

Scheduling the entertainment for half-time ensures that the eyes of not just football fans, but pop culture fans are glued to the screen during the game, forcing them to engage at some level with the actual sport, and more importantly, the ads.

For fans of someone like Amy Shark, they could have tuned in and out of her 2020 NRL Grand Final performance before a single ball has been kicked.

But for footy fans, it means they have the option of either tuning in, and feeding off the energy to add to the anticipation of the game, or tuning out, if the entertainment doesn’t suit their tastes.

We’d all love to see a performance with some of the greatest rappers of all time, but what if it wasn’t them?

What if, in a crude attempt to recreate the glory of this event, we see the NRL roll out Timomatic, Good Charlotte, Troye Sivan, and a Bardot reunion?

As Australians, we’re lucky that the discussions following our sporting events don’t revolve around which brands had the best advertisements, or how good or bad the music is.

We enjoy sport for its own unique artistry, for the heights that athletes reach, and for the miraculous feats they achieve, not for the stage it sets to promote another medium.

In the US, football itself has become merely the pre and post-show entertainment for the musical acts at halftime, or Wayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson yelling into the microphone.

In years to come, people won’t remember the defensive error of Bengals Cornerback Eli Apple that lead to the game-winning touchdown for the Rams in the last minutes, they’ll remember the halftime show.

Not many people give too much credit to the NRL for their organisation of grand final events, but the fact that it stays out of the way of the actual match

The NRL has had mixed success in booking musical performances (check out my rankings of every performance since 2000), but for all their failures, it didn’t matter, because we came there for the footy, and each time we were treated to a game that rivaled the best of any artistic performance, the art of Rugby League.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

Check out the Latest Hello Sport Podcast episode #339 – Jarchy From Tik Tok

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The Balkan Book Club: 6 Books for Will Pucovski to Read During His Horizontal Concussion Break

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The Balkan Book Club: 6 Books for Will Pucovski to Read During His Horizontal Concussion Break

DYOR Dave

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Will Pucovski could be the unluckiest man in Australian sport, the anti-Bradbury if you will, after suffering his 11th concussion through a self-inflicted volleyball incident. While Aussies would love nothing more than to see the Balkan Bulldog open the batting as soon as possible, our collective concern for his health appears to show only one option: An extended break for Will to get horizontal and get his concussions under control.

Alongside mandatory beachside piña coladas and club sandwiches, the medical advice of the punter and the dribbler (definitely not a reliable source) points to time away from screens. The electromagnetic fields of blue-screen devices can have a detrimental effect on ‘vibe’ levels during horizontal concussion treatment (HCT), and the peer-reviewed sources recommend a good old-fashioned book. As well as sharpening his mind, the following books will help Pucovski pass the time, have a laugh, and most importantly, learn a thing or two.

 

War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy

Published in 1869, this classic blends historical and philosophical discussions to deliver over 1200 pages of hardcore literary insight. It’s a real book’s book. Not everyone is up to the challenge, but if the Balkan Bulldog wants to keep his mind sharp and active, all while pondering upon human nature and societal history, this is the book for him. To truly understand this book in all its intricacies would inevitably lead Pucovski to glory as the greatest captain the nation has seen, and finally, allow Australians to feel safe about our opening batters again.

The entire collection of Shane Warne Books

During his extended stay away from the game, it’s important that Pucovski maintains his love and passion for cricket, all while having a hero to look up to. With 5 books spanning over 20 years, the Shane Warne collection is a perfect companion, including ‘My Own Story’ (1997), ‘My Autobiography’ (2002), ‘My Illustrated Career’ (2006), ‘My Top 100 Test Cricketers (2008), and ‘No Spin: My Autobiography (2018). There’s no doubt that the Balkan bulldog will miss the soothing tones of Warne’s voice in commentary, so this is sure to tide him over until he can be back listening to Warne’s often unfounded criticisms in person.

The Power of Positive Thinking – Norman Vincent Peale

This 1952 self-help book provides a 10 step process to achieving one’s goals through visualisations, affirmations, and spoiler alert, God. The author states that “ letting go of anger and embracing a sense of calm can help with physical illnesses,” along with asking God for help, of course. If modern medicine has failed to heal Will’s concussions, maybe it’s time we turn back to the more traditional forms. After all, it helped so many others turn their lives around, with former reality TV star Donald Trump crediting the teachings for his survival in 1990 where he owed almost a billion dollars in debt, describing the author as his “pastor.”

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Textbook of Clinical Neurology – Christopher G. Goetz

Philosopher Emerson Pugh once said, “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.” While scientists have spent centuries studying the mind, we’re still no closer to seeing Will Pucovski consistently opening for Australia, which is essentially the end goal for most scientists. Perhaps it’s time that the Balkan Bulldog took matters into his own hands, and flexed his DYORing muscles to solve the issue. This book is merely an intro neurological study, but if Pucovski puts the hours in, he may end up fixing his concussion himself, or at the very least, become a neurologist which I hear pays well.

If I Did It – OJ Simpson 

Imagine you had been accused of brutally murdering your ex-wife and another man, but get proven innocent against all odds. Would it then be a totally normal thing to do to publish a book detailing the hypothetical scenario of you committing the murders for which you were recently acquitted? Say what you will about OJ, but you can’t deny he’s pushing the boundaries of literature, and if Will Pucovski can learn only one thing from the book, it’s that that even after 11 concussions, he still wouldn’t think that was a good idea.

The Day My Bum Went Psycho – Andy Griffiths

While this list has plenty of dense reads, it’s important for the Balkan Bulldog to rest his brain with something a bit more light-hearted. There is no better book for this purpose than this Andy Griffiths classic, if you didn’t pick up this book in the school library as a kid then you were wasting your time. I’m almost certain that this is the second book every school library purchases when they open, right after the dictionary. Chronicling the story of a 12-year-old boy’s bum which detaches itself and attempts to take over the world, the story is as riveting as it is witty, in its own subtle way. If Will is hooked, he can then move onto the sequels ‘Zombie Bums from Uranus,” and “Bumageddon: The Final Pongflict.”

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

 

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