LITTLE ROCK — ‘Scandalous’ words worth recollecting
London’s The Independent recently published a list of “The most scandalous sports quotes of the year,” taking a seven deadly sins approach to grouping them.
Tiger Woods’ text messages to his mistresses and his apologies to his wife made the “Lust” section, as did this one from Swannyg66, aka English soccer player Graham Swann, who tweeted after England’s exit from the Champions Trophy: “My worry now is paying off my hotel-room bill and keeping a straight face as the lady looks through the ‘Channel 43 charges.’ ”
In the “Sloth” category a few surprising faces showed up, from Usain Bolt, who broke the 200-meter world record at the world championship in Berlin - “I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try” - to soccer star David Beckham, discussing his “scary beard” - “Well, Halloween’s coming up and Iwas thinking of Wolverine. It’s not anything to do with any playoff ritual - I’m just lazy and can’t be bothered to shave.”
Another soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo, highlighted “ Greed”after musing about his move to Real Madrid for $129.9 million: “The great players cost a lot of money, and if you want them, you have to pay it. I’m happy to be the most expensive player in the world.”
Footballers and golfers weren’t the only athletes with memorable quotes. Boxer Manny Pacquiao, who made the list under “Pride,” when he spoke about knocking out Ricky Hatton in May: “I believe it was a very hard punch.
My hand still hurts.”
Tennis player Serena Williams also showed up after her comments when Dinara Safina took over the sport’s No. 1 ranking: “We all know who the real No 1 is. Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”
“Envy” featured a few good lines, as illustrated by world champion gymnast Beth Tweddle: “I’ve not had a phone call yet from the Prime Minister. [Formula One champion] Jenson Button got one, but I haven’t. I’m clearly not important enough.”
As for “Gluttony,” Ted Hankey, the British Darts Organisation’s national champion, said he’d given up drinking for his health. When asked by TV host Ray Stubbs if he was going to a bar after winning the title, Hankey said, “No, I’m off outside for a cigarette.”
“Wrath” featured many great one-liners - after all, competition breeds aggression - but Mike Tyson seemed to bring it all together when he was asked by British media about rumors of him appearing in a new Rocky movie: “Don’t be facetious.”Good idea
David Thomas, who writes the “Fans’ Insider” column for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, had a bad bowl experience over the weekend.
“I sat down at noon Saturday to watch the Little Caesars Bowl, and Mrs. Insider decided I should go get pizza for the family,” he wrote. “Then I sat down to watch the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and Mrs. Insider reminded me I promised to get her car’s oil changed.
“After that, there was no way I was going to try to watch the Emerald Bowl.” Pie guys
The latest sport to fall victim to the necessity of testing for performance enhancers: competitive eating.
Competitors in the annual world pie-eating championships in Wigan, England, already upset over the substitution of pies from another nearby town, were further rocked when organizers banned the use of “outside gravy” in response to rumors from last year of some competitors using cough syrup to quickly ease the small meat pies down.
Quote of the day “I thought about dropping some dynamite down Preston Watts’ chimney.”
Harold Horton, the Razorback
Foundation executive director
and former Arkansas defensive assistant, on an SEC official
working the 1971 Liberty Bowl
Sports, Pages 20 on 12/29/2009