By the Short and Curlies
Talking Balls No Comments »
Every cloud has a silver lining as full forwards the length and breadth of the country will breathe a sigh of relief that they no longer face the prospect of being Francied in a qualifier this summer.
Francie is one of those players that you love if he’s on your team but despise if he’s not, for no other reason than he’s blindingly effective.
Behind those rosy cheeks and that Mrs Doubtfire appearance is one hell of a fearsome competitor. Francie had a great knack of absolutely devastating an opposing player, taking with him, ball, half the pitch, three quarters of his own back line and a wayward stray dog.
The ball would be cleared, blood and snotters everywhere and Francie would look coyly at the ref as if to say: “What else did you think I would do.” One of the few GAA players to have his own fan website – created by delusional Armagh fans, not himself we might add – Francie boy, we’ll miss you. Not half as much as the Armagh full back line will, but still we’ll miss you!
***
After weeks of speculation it was revealed that Des Cahill, he of the unfeasibly black curly hair (Grecian 2000 anyone?) has been installed as the new Sunday evening host of the Sunday Game. Some had speculated on a two-some with the Seoige sisters or even the prim Joanne Cantwell going solo but Des it is and fair play to him.
Now before I let someone into my living room on Sunday evening to share my pint bottles of porter and me half’un of Bushmills, I want to know a bit about them. To be fair Pat Spillane ruined more than his fair share of decent bottles of wine and curdled pints of milk up and down our lane with his oul shite talk over the years. I can tell for certain there’s no-one on the RTE switchboard that time of night for many’s a time I rang looking for the hoor. But Talking Balls is much happier with Des on board the Sunday Game mother ship.
We are fairly hopeful Des can do much better than Pat. Credited with partially saving the Late Late GAA Show from total disaster, Des does a mighty job with the Road to Croker. How he’ll get on with Spillane on the sofa and Ger Loughnane back in the saddle after his two disastrous years with Galway remains to be seen. Spillane reckons he can be more opinionated from the sofa. Is that so Pat? Doesn’t matter where you place it, a horse’s ass is still a horse’s ass. So to Spillane we say, as he says himself ‘Oiche wha.’
***
Talking Balls attempted to drop in to the Ulster Camogie website to check on fixtures and results. A visit to the following website: www.ulstercamogie.org revealed a page with the following message:
The Ulster Camogie Website has been suspended
pending payment of Domain Registration and Hosting fees.
For all the good work done in promoting the game of camogie and encouraging the commitment of those that contribute so much to camogie, this is hardly good enough and sends out a poor message. Do we need to organise a whip around?
***
Thanks to Farooq from Modern Sports, located presumably somewhere in Pakistan or India. Farooq must have seen our new tee-shirt range as he posted this message on Talking Balls:
“We have created new technology in with our special hurling balls with pu core in any kind of stuff. We cannot satisfy you unless you examine our balls. Please ask us to send you our ball samples.” Regards. Farooq, Modern Sports.
If you’re reading this Farooq, of course we wouldn’t dream of asking you to satisfy anyone without first examining your balls. . .
***
AND FINALLY. . .
Overheard in a conversation between a member of the current Derry squad and a family member who was getting him to autograph a football for a young fan.
Family member: “Can you sign this ball?”
Derry player: “Aye, no problem. What name do you want me to sign on it?”
Family member (slightly confused): “Your own.”
We’re not joking. . .
