owlhouse's profile

owlhouse
1114
Name: bill pennington (no, not that one)
Location: Australia, but reasonably peripatetic
Member since: June 26, 2004
Last visit: May 30, 2023

owlhouse has posted 166 links and 3,267 comments to SportsFilter and 11 links and 756 comments to the Locker Room.

Sports Bio

I'm Australian, but a Pom by birth. So, watching Australia beat up England at sport is a bit like watching a family fight.

My main reason for being here is to eavesdrop on quality discussions on sport, society and culture. I like to think I've also added a bit to the mix.

I am learning about North American sports, mainly from this site. I think I like baseball, but I have this uncanny feeling that if I start to get involved, I'll end up being a Cubs fan. Ditto for the Lions in American football. It must be a self esteem problem. I am clearly not drawn to success, as my lifelong devotion to Derby County indicates.

Recent Links

Good Morning Football with Fin Taylor: Billed as the most awkward TV appearance ever, comedian Fin Taylor on the NFL in Britain, and other stuff.

posted by owlhouse to football at 09:15 PM on March 22, 2023 - 3 comments

US World Cup Covfefe: "Fox’s coverage of the World Cup is so bad it’s become unmissable."

posted by owlhouse to soccer at 07:12 PM on December 05, 2022 - 5 comments

Women's World Cup 2023: You're all welcome to join us down under in three years' time. Note that I only have a couple of spare rooms so book early. :-)

posted by owlhouse to soccer at 11:04 PM on June 25, 2020 - 5 comments

Icarus: A new film exposes the level and scope of state sponsored cheating by Russia in the London 2012 and Sochi 2014 Olympics. And the limited ability of anyone to do anything about it.

posted by owlhouse to olympics at 08:47 PM on July 23, 2017 - 1 comment

The Table Never Lies: Are Brentford one of the first Moneyball-era football clubs, and can they make it work?

posted by owlhouse to soccer at 09:50 PM on February 20, 2017 - 4 comments

Recent Comments

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

That goalkeeper won't be waiting for a big European club to come knocking, that's for sure.

posted by owlhouse at 02:00 AM on May 29, 2023

Everton, Leicester City and Leeds Fighting to Stay Up

Barney Ronay's analysis of a club sleepwalking to relegation.

posted by owlhouse at 09:02 PM on May 28, 2023

Luton Town is a Better Story Than Wrexham

Bring me sunshine.

posted by owlhouse at 09:01 PM on May 28, 2023

Luton Town is a Better Story Than Wrexham

Eric Morecambe.

That is all.

posted by owlhouse at 06:44 PM on May 26, 2023

Cricket is Coming to America

This will be T20 cricket which is only about 1.5 to 2 hours long

Closer to 3 hours, NoMich. But certainly not like a five day Test match*!

*Which, given the chance and with no outside "interference**" from Mrs Owl, I would still watch every ball.

**"Why are you wasting your time watching that?"

posted by owlhouse at 09:36 PM on April 18, 2023

Browns to Rebuild Stadium, Play Somewhere Else 2-3 Years

Didn't Tottenham also rebuild a big part of its ground without closing?

They played all their home games of 2017/18 and most of them in 2018/19 at Wembley.

posted by owlhouse at 09:30 PM on April 18, 2023

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

Yes! I was at the Paddo Town Hall one - apparently we found out after the fact that it was their farewell before heading off overseas. There was a bit of drunken aggro at the back of the venue at one stage, and us youngsters (I was a 16 y.o. with some school mates) ended up being sprayed with a lot of beer foam.

The gig itself was good, if nothing special, but the time and place, and the (then unknown) future of the band appeared to give it legendary status, very much in retrospect.

posted by owlhouse at 07:55 PM on March 21, 2023

Would You Bet on a WWE Match?

"Never bet on anything that can talk".

- Damon Runyon (anecdotally)

posted by owlhouse at 09:03 PM on March 13, 2023

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

I'm not a fan of the three-team groups. Too many opportunities for a Gijon 1982-like "fix".

By contrast, the groups stages in Qatar were extraordinarily exciting.

posted by owlhouse at 09:24 PM on February 20, 2023

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Is MLS a Major League? It depends where you are, and who you ask, apparently.

posted by owlhouse at 06:47 PM on February 20, 2023

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Hi Team. Bit of The Saints' Brisbane DNA in that one. Did you know that the Brisbane City Council have not only named a park after Ed Kuepper, but a bridge after the Go-Betweens?

But the best Brisbane band ever is Powderfinger.

posted by owlhouse at 11:07 PM on January 11, 2023

RIP Pelé

World Cup Final 1958. Still only 17 years old.

posted by owlhouse at 04:46 PM on December 29, 2022

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

Well, that was a game and a half.

Literally.

posted by owlhouse at 07:21 PM on December 18, 2022

US World Cup Covfefe

Hi there NoMich. The Go-Betweens were quite well known around the indie/alternative circuit, playing lots of live gigs, but never really made it on commercial FM radio. They were a bit too poppy for the hardcore alternative audience, and a bit too "Brisbane" for the larger cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

In recent years, and following Grant McLennan's death, they seem to have captured a bit of the nostalgia market for 80s music for people of my age. Lindy Morrison is currently advertising aged pensioners insurance, which makes me feel old.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan. I once called them the most over-rated under-rated band in Australia.

If that makes sense.

posted by owlhouse at 07:12 PM on December 06, 2022

US World Cup Covfefe

Fortunately, down here we have full, live and uninterrupted coverage on SBS, one of our national public broadcasters. And the classy Martin Tyler commentating on at least half the matches.

My only two issues are with the panel - Craig Foster's lack of socks and Mark Bosnich opening his mouth. Still, Fozzie and Bozzie sound far better than what you're getting.

I saw this article on The Grauniad and thought my American mates would get a kick out of it. So to speak.

posted by owlhouse at 07:59 PM on December 05, 2022