Amerikansk sport i brevlådan

Jag prenumererar på ESPN the Magazine, som kommer till Sverige någon vecka senare än till amerikanska prenumeranter men som ändå är väldigt trevlig att få hem i brevlådan. Några grejer i det senaste numret som jag fick hem idag:

Bill Simmons kan i sin krönika fortfarande inte riktigt släppa USA–Spanien i OS-finalen:

"I can't let the Gold-Medal Game go. USA 118, Spain 107. One of the 10 most dramatic basketball games of my lifetime. And nobody gave a crap or even knew. The game started at 2:30 in the morning ET and vanished into thin air. Only West Coasters and super-diehards stayed up to see it. Everyone else woke up Sunday, heard the score, caught the highlights and never thought about it again.

When was the last time a truly great sporting event completely slipped through the cracks? That never happens anymore. Ever! I feel about 3% cooler just for being one of the few who watched it live."

Hallå! Det han beskriver är ju exakt det alla NBA- och NFL-älskare upplever varje säsong. Varje slutspel, varje match. Jobbigt med en match som börjar 02.30? Come ooooooon, här sitter vi uppe 04.30 och då har vi ibland inte ens en vettig tv-sändning utan får kolla på korniga webbsändningar som nån lirare i Kina kablar ut över sin ADSL-uppkoppling.

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En intervju med Terrell Owens livvakt, en 140-kiloskoloss vid namn Carlos "Pablo" Crosby. Han berättar bland annat att vissa livvakter tar upp till 500 dollar i timmen, men att han tar betydligt mindre eftersom han och TO är polare och TO förser honom med grejer ändå. Och jobbet handlar mer om att ha huvudet på skaft än att ha de fetaste musklerna:

"I focus on keeping away unruly fans and paparazzi and watching for threats. Anyone approaching him has to get by me first. I can't recall a situation in which I really had to get physical. In the end, the job is 85% mental – like making sure that, at the mall, he stays close to the wall as I walk slightly behind. I don't have to worry about safety at home, he lives in a high-rise with security."

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Jeremy Shockey berättar hur det känns att som stjärna bli skadad och sedan se sitt lag vinna Super Bowl:

"It's like how every year you get older and fewer and fewer people realize it's your birthday . It's supposed to be your special day, and you're not being noticed. It's like your married to someone for 50 years, but you don't celebrate the anniversary. It's a day you build up to and work for, and just at the moment that you are supposed to have fulfillment and happiness – no, you don't get any. /.../ It hurt to miss that game."

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NHL-skribenten Lindsay Berra ställer sig tveksam till om Tampa Bays massiva re-make under sommaren – ny ägare, ny GM, ny coach, nya spelare – kommer göra laget så mycket bättre. Men "the acquisition of offensive D-man Andrej Meszaros and his 6 PPGs is a small step upward".