One High, Two Lows and Two Crazy People

The High.

The Tigers. I mean, what can you say? We’ve been beaten by Essendon in 9 of our last ten encounters – they are our hoodoo team. But not this year, no siree. With 7 of our best players missing the now Mighty Tiger’s held the once mighty Bombers to one of their lowest scores in a decade. It was ugly football but a win is a win, even more so against the red and the black. By my reckoning the theme song was sung with such gusto it could’ve been heard in Sydney. I floated out to Oakleigh for the hockey on a euphoric sea of happy yellow and black thoughts.

The Lows.

Melbourne Ice were skated off the rink by a Newcastle team chock full of imports. The scores from both games are too embarrassing to list here, check the site later today if you want a laugh/cry. It’s Adelaide next week so hopefully the teams will be more evenly matched.

Western Bulldogs. It was Mothers Day so we took Rae’s mum along to see the Doggies play at Telstra Dome. Not expecting a large crowd they had shut down the top level so we got to sit on the boundary line. This meant we had a magnificent view as Fremantle won their first game in Melbourne for a year and a half. Not only won, but stamped their authority on the game so conclusively it made it look like the Doggies hadn’t even shown up, which in a way they didn’t. The Doggies were booed off the ground at half time and we left at three quarter time. The pain of watching a beloved team being shown up so mercilessly by a team long derided as the ‘Fremantle Shockers’ was too much for Rae. You know the Doggies are in trouble when Rae declares she’s had enough and won’t be going next week.

The Crazy People

CP1.
I turned up at the game on Saturday afternoon and what should I find in front of my seat but a large tapestry bag. It seemed, rather odly, to belong to a ten year old boy sitting two seats up. I sat down and pushed the boy’s bag over to him. Within seconds the real owner of the bag came swooping down. “Excuse me, you can sit whereever you want!” she screeched at me and then, to the now bagless boy, “Give me my bag and come here.”

“I’m sorry, they are reserved seats.” I said most politely.

“NO they’re not. You can sit wherever you want.” she said again and she, her bag and the boy moved back three rows behind me.

I turned around a few minutes later to see she had ben replaced by an elderly couple, now she was at the other end of the row.

I turned around a few minutes after that to see she had now transformed herself into a family group. Where she ended up I do not know, she’s probably still perched on a seat somewhere in bay N10 crowing “It’s mine, mine I tells ya!”

Such undignified behaviour from a Richmond supporter, you’d expect that sort of thing from Collingwood rable but not from the Yellow & Black. Tsk tsk.

CP 2.
CP 2 was at the hockey on Saturday night. Phee, being a 7 year old, tends to fidget and it’s bloody annoying. Fair enough. Apparently Phee had been fidgeting and flicked CP2 in the face with her scarf. CP2 promptly turned to Phee and yelled at her to stop. Phee, being Phee burst in to tears so I swapped seats to sit between Queen Fidget and CP2.

Then, against every bit of better judgement I possess, I had a niggle.

I said, in a suitably loud voice, “Don’t worry Phee – she was just being mean.”

I know, I know, but the lady bugged me with her mean stare and cranky demeanour.

CP2 lets fly and for three minutes it goes to and fro. Phee is milking the attention for all it’s worth, I’m niggling back even though I know I’m grown up now and shouldn’t be, and Rae is trying to be calm.

Eventually CP2’s daughter (who had the off putting habit of referring to a hulking mountain of a skater as ‘Hunny’) dragged the mum away, glared at me in an effort to kill, or at least maim, and order was restored.

So, that’s the weekend in a nutshell. High, lows and crazy people. Who could ask for more?