'There are no characters in the game any more.' How many times have you heard that phrase? Said that phrase? Yet what's the point of being a character if you don't win anything? So let's be thankful that, for at least a portion of the tournament, we can celebrate someone who bucks the trend - the compelling character who is actually a winner.
If Higgins had snapped his cue after missing a simple blue, then it would undoubtedly have lodged in my brain, but he went about his business, came to do a job, etc etc… and duly won. John Higgins beat Mark Selby in the final, but even though I was among the millions who devoted their Bank Holiday Monday to watching the denouement of this 17-day jamboree, I couldn't recall much about it. I confess I had to look up who the defending world snooker champion was. If he'd screamed 'Oh my God, you moron' and smacked his club on the ground as the ball sailed into the drink, you sure would, but then in losing his cool, he'd probably have lost his green jacket.
(How many times, when players eventually did take their caps off on the 18th, did you exclaim, 'Oh look, he's bald!')Īnyway the South African kept his emotions in check and deservedly won, but when, in 51 weeks' time, as an occasional golf follower, you turn your attention to Augusta, will you recall who the defending champion is? Probably not. It seems reasonable to assume that Trevor Immelman was having several litters of kittens as his tee-shot at the 16th on Sunday disappeared into the water, and his grip on a first major title became slightly precarious, but we couldn't really tell, as his eyes were hidden beneath the mandatory visor. The sponsor's cap is the scourge of modern golf.
Now if you're reading this with a broad grin on your face, going 'Oh yeah, I remember', you have very neatly summed up the perennial dilemma that we all face when assessing the behaviour of our sporting stars.ĭo we want role-models or divas? Do we want excellence at the expense of personality? Can you have both? It's an interesting debating point in the context of the two sports events that have, and will, occupy most hours on our April TV screens - the Masters at Augusta and the World Snooker Championship, which starts this weekend. It was undoubtedly one of the most ridiculous but compelling pieces of drama at the All England Club over the past 20 years. Explosive Ronnie O'Sullivan is compellingĭo you remember Jeff Tarango? He was the guy who, at Wimbledon in 1995, stormed off court hurling a tirade of abuse at the umpire, being booed all the way by the crowd, and whose wife then went and smacked the poor official round the chops.
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