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Reading list – Game Changers: How Videogames Trained a Generation of Athletes

February 17, 2010 in reading list by Richard Irvine | No comments

Wired magazine on how video games are changing the game:

Then Brandon Stokley snagged the ball on the play that would soon be dubbed the Immaculate Deflection and pulled his astonishing did-you-see-that Maddenball maneuver. Donny Moore, an EA designer who was sitting to Madden’s left, leaped to his feet. “That’s what happens in the game!” he screamed, ecstatic.

Other examples include Jonah Lomu playing a lot of Jonah Lomu Rugby, Shane Warne’s addiction to Leisure Suit Larry, and the NRL playing roster’s re-enactment of Grand Theft Auto most Sunday nights.

Reading list: A-Z of cheating in sport

October 27, 2009 in reading list by Richard Irvine | No comments

The Observer’s latest Sport Monthly features an exhaustive list of all the ways cheating gits can prosper in sport. My top three:

3. face clutch, the n ham-acting technique employed by footballers to make clear to officials that they have been struck, punched, touched, or nearly touched in the face by an opponent. See: Rivaldo

2. goalposts, moving the vb 1. figurative for changing the rules after a contest has begun. 2. actual method deployed by Swedish goalkeeper Kim Christensen during a match between IFK Gothenburg and Orebro in September 2009

1. Henry Hill n, proper the real-life Goodfella who arranged, in 1978, for basketball players at Boston College to “point shave” – or miss shots, deliberately, at certain times – to aid gambling gangsters. Hill said he first snared the players with offers of free booze, drugs and prostitutes.

The Underarm and Andy Hayden’s lineout work are also noted.

Reading list: Todd Marinovich

May 6, 2009 in reading list by Richard Irvine | No comments

Epic Esquire article on ex-USC and Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich, who went from child prodigy to stoner to full blown junkie via pushy Dad.

Observer’s ten most tormented fans

April 21, 2009 in football, reading list, rugby by Richard Irvine | No comments

Abandon all hope all ye who enter

All Blacks at three and Spurs narrowly miss out. Between them and the Black Caps, I really know how to pick ‘em.

KP’s coming home

April 15, 2009 in cricket, reading list by Richard Irvine | No comments

Laurence Booth summarises just what Kevin Pieterson is up against in the South African IPL jaunt.

In the two weeks he’s there he’ll match wits with ex-best mate Shane Warne and his England team-mate / power-struggle nemesis Andrew Fintoff, and will captain Boucher and Kallis, who’d probably rather KP played international Cricket for South Africa.

Add in that the expat is as popular as a punch in the nuts in the Republic, where crowds aren’t renowned for subtlety (nice work Richie, BTW). He’s up against it – his planned jaunt through the exotic sub continent, before collecting US $1.55M has a very different look now, not that it will bother this supremely confident Cricketer. It’s a little known fact (to me, anyway. Ahem) that Pieterson has only three 5os from 29 attempts in T20, a poor return for a guy who’s made for the Ramones form of the game. He should do better than that at home.

sportreview.net.nz is off piste for the week

March 23, 2009 in cycling, football, general sport, not sport, reading list by Richard Irvine | No comments

No sportreview.net.nz this week. Reading list ’til next time:

The No-Stats All-Star – Michael Lewis, NYT

Lance Armstrong Rides Again – Douglas Brinkley, Vanity Fair

The pain of pedal power – Simon Scardifield, The Times

‘Happiness was defined by the moment when you slotted a Subbuteo football past your best friend’s goalkeeper’ – Extracts of Graham Taylor and David Baddiel’s Subbuteo reminiscences, The Guardian

Sex, drugs and shoulder pads – The unbelievable story of the implosion of the Dallas Cowboys – Jeff Pearlman, The Observer

Non sport: Playing The Beatles Backwards: The Ultimate Countdown – Jamsbio

Reading list: Updike on golf

January 28, 2009 in books, reading list by Richard Irvine | No comments

John Updike died today. As well as being a literary athlete, he was a keen amateur golfer:

“Indeed, few sights are more odious on the golf course than a sauntering, beered-up foursome obviously having a good time. Some golfers, we are told, enjoy the landscape; but properly the landscape shrivels and compresses into the grim, surrealistically vivid patch of grass directly under the golfer’s eyes as he morosely walks toward where he thinks his ball might be.”

Essay excerpt.

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Reading list: Barry O’Bomber

January 21, 2009 in reading list by Richard Irvine | No comments

Chuck Klosterman interviews Michelle Obama’s brother, a basketball coach.

“When I played basketball with Barack, he was quietly confident, which means he had good self-esteem without being cocky. He was certainly a team player — he wasn’t a pig, he passed when he was supposed to pass, and he cut when he was supposed to cut. To me, that speaks to a lack of selfishness. He had natural leadership ability, because he didn’t just pass me the ball because he was dating my sister.”

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World Cup reading list

October 10, 2007 in reading list, rugby world cup 2007 by Richard Irvine | No comments

If you’ve not actually moved from the couch since final whistle, and are starting to contemplate brightening up your pit of despair with a fridge, toaster, and large plastic tub to catch the dribble, then here’s all the interweb action you’ve missed

- Stephen Jones responds to readers letters – Jaysus. Stephen Jones is either the bastard child of Margret Thatcher and a dashing young Clive Woodward, or John Clarke’s greatest ever creation

- NZ’s own Jed Thian writes in the Guardian (the GUARDIAN!) on the pain – heh, yes the poms at work had a field day on Monday. Nice croissants, though

- Bart from The Silver Fern on why we lost and the reconditioning programme – some well considered points from a smart rugby guy

- Inky on his primal response to Sunday’s loss, ie going out and getting covered in blood and guts. I’ve only just started reading Inky, the archives are highly recommended

- Public Address System gets it out of their system – Following Russell Brown’s thoughtful post, there’s a mammoth thread really worth reading, and watch the youtube vid of the Paris Rugby ball..

Reading List – Rugby World Cup

September 14, 2007 in reading list, rugby world cup 2007 by Richard Irvine | No comments

Time to round up the interweb’s best – anything’s got to be better than watching England v South Africa. England are crap, their boneheaded approach summed up thus – Jason Robinson’s just gone to ground having pulled a hamstring, only to have his entire forward pack leap on him as one. Dicks.

- Habana beware as we unleash our whizzo pranks - the brilliant Harry Pearson on how England can compete: “…Clive Woodward led his squad team-building in what survival experts acknowledge is the world’s harshest environment – a provincial prep school… Martin Johnson and his men were subjected to a brutal regime of syrup of figs, boiled cabbage, cold showers, cross-country runs, Latin, and being forced to watch as the older boys ate all the cakes their mummies had sent…Jonny Wilkinson told the BBC’s John Inverdale… “Please don’t lock me in the ink cupboard again, sir. It’s dark and it smells and there are creatures scurrying and scratching . . .” – Har

- The Dropkicks help office drones survive the World Cup – nice action. The droppies have been on fire, with a record turnaround podcast and bonus fashion run-down… they were even nice enough to publish my lame-ass lolblacks

- This guy reckons Doug Howlett looks like Darth Vader - makes a change from the usual Greg Sommerville / Yoda comparison

- Oh, and go see Superbad for a break from the rubgy, it’s way funny

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