David EdwardsCadel Evans- the new Greg "Choker" Norman?
July 28th 2008 03:33
Cadel Evans finished once again the bridesmaid of Le Tour de France yesterday, after failing to recover a large lead set by Carlos Sastre - lynchpin of the dominant CSC team. The ability of Evans cannot be doubted, however the question must be asked - "are we witnessing another Greg Norman in the making?"
The term "bridesmaid" is a common idiom in sport, one that has been attached to numerous teams and individual players over the years. Greg Norman springs immediately to mind, with his inability to close out wins in golf majors serving as a prime example. Norman is the quintessential bridesmaid; the promising and charming young lady, who has had countless steamy relationships, but commitment remains the one final flaw. Whilst her less pretty sisters and friends get married off into successful families, Norman is the never-to-settle-down wild child - whose biological clock ticks louder than a hens night in Sydney's "The Rocks" area. Ironically his recent marriage has made him more of a bridesmaid than ever before, with his dramatic loss in last week's British Open.
In swimming - Daniel "Killer" Kowalski was one of the great bridesmaids of the 20th Century, constantly being at the altar alongside the bride-to-be Kieren Perkins. Until recently, Rafael Nadal was the spinster sister to Roger Federer - during Federer's Wimbledon dynasty. Whilst never rarely making the Grand Final in recent times, the North Sydney Bears proved that they could match it all the way until the last couple of weeks - where they would inevitably crumble, too frightened to see it through and become the ARL premiers - instead seeing the Winfield Cup trophy as the embodiment of commitment; something to be avoided at all costs.
SportingMind eagerly awaits the touting of Cadel as a "choker", a lemon in lycra, a fizzled out flop of a failure. These forceful alterations are a taste of what will be to come if Cadel doesn't satisfy the pundits with a victory in next year's Tour, as the Australian public grows ominously anxious and demanding of a victory by which we can vicariously celebrate as our own. We did it! We are a pithy little island full of restless souls, spitefully eager to burn our athletes at the stake if they don't fulfil our insatiable thirst for international sporting success.
Is Evans going to be the next Norman - or will he reign supreme next year - as we await his triumphant victory with baited breathe?
Who knows. But in sport there are some people/teams that are destined to run second, individuals that simply cannot break through the final frontier and grasp an elusive victory. SportingMind takes no pleasure from watching teams falter at the final hurdle, however it is a reality of sport that some people prefer the comfortable room temperature of the restaurant dining room to the dramatic heat of the kitchen.
As Gordon Ramsay would suggest - "if you can't handle the heat, then *#%^&&$ off".
-SportingMind
The term "bridesmaid" is a common idiom in sport, one that has been attached to numerous teams and individual players over the years. Greg Norman springs immediately to mind, with his inability to close out wins in golf majors serving as a prime example. Norman is the quintessential bridesmaid; the promising and charming young lady, who has had countless steamy relationships, but commitment remains the one final flaw. Whilst her less pretty sisters and friends get married off into successful families, Norman is the never-to-settle-down wild child - whose biological clock ticks louder than a hens night in Sydney's "The Rocks" area. Ironically his recent marriage has made him more of a bridesmaid than ever before, with his dramatic loss in last week's British Open.
In swimming - Daniel "Killer" Kowalski was one of the great bridesmaids of the 20th Century, constantly being at the altar alongside the bride-to-be Kieren Perkins. Until recently, Rafael Nadal was the spinster sister to Roger Federer - during Federer's Wimbledon dynasty. Whilst never rarely making the Grand Final in recent times, the North Sydney Bears proved that they could match it all the way until the last couple of weeks - where they would inevitably crumble, too frightened to see it through and become the ARL premiers - instead seeing the Winfield Cup trophy as the embodiment of commitment; something to be avoided at all costs.
SportingMind eagerly awaits the touting of Cadel as a "choker", a lemon in lycra, a fizzled out flop of a failure. These forceful alterations are a taste of what will be to come if Cadel doesn't satisfy the pundits with a victory in next year's Tour, as the Australian public grows ominously anxious and demanding of a victory by which we can vicariously celebrate as our own. We did it! We are a pithy little island full of restless souls, spitefully eager to burn our athletes at the stake if they don't fulfil our insatiable thirst for international sporting success.
Is Evans going to be the next Norman - or will he reign supreme next year - as we await his triumphant victory with baited breathe?
Who knows. But in sport there are some people/teams that are destined to run second, individuals that simply cannot break through the final frontier and grasp an elusive victory. SportingMind takes no pleasure from watching teams falter at the final hurdle, however it is a reality of sport that some people prefer the comfortable room temperature of the restaurant dining room to the dramatic heat of the kitchen.
As Gordon Ramsay would suggest - "if you can't handle the heat, then *#%^&&$ off".
-SportingMind
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