A Fine Bloody Way to Start a Series

[fredfertang]

A Fine Bloody Way to Start a Series
With the first exchanges of the 2013 Ashes series less than a week away Martin looks back at an old controversy, which has never quite gone away.

 

[Howe_zat]

loved it

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Good read. And good to see a mention for Peter Smith

 

[Days of Grace]

"In my opinion the ball touched the bottom of my bat just before hitting the ground and therefore it was not a catch. Accordingly I stood my ground waiting for the game to proceed."

Not, "waited for the umpire's decision," but "waited for the game to proceed", because he was Don Bradman, and therefore he was right.

What an arrogant ****ing **** Bradman was. Probably one of the worst human beings to play the game. Never mind the fact that he was a cheating ****, but he held the game back for years by refusing the players better payment when he was chairman of the ACB.

Not to mention that the coward that couldn't handle Bodyline had no problem unleasing Lindwall and Miller on the English in 1948 and chuckling at slip when a batsman was hit.

 

[Midwinter]

Bradman thought he wasn't out ?

Was he the first batsman ever to think that ?

 

[bagapath]

"In my opinion the ball touched the bottom of my bat just before hitting the ground and therefore it was not a catch. Accordingly I stood my ground waiting for the game to proceed."

Not, "waited for the umpire's decision," but "waited for the game to proceed", because he was Don Bradman, and therefore he was right.

What an arrogant ****ing **** Bradman was. Probably one of the worst human beings to play the game. Never mind the fact that he was a cheating ****, but he held the game back for years by refusing the players better payment when he was chairman of the ACB.

Not to mention that the coward that couldn't handle Bodyline had no problem unleasing Lindwall and Miller on the English in 1948 and chuckling at slip when a batsman was hit.

He was miles ahead of the rest in his craft. He was abso ****ing lutely honest in life. He didn't bend that easily for emotional blackmail. He had unshakeable integrity in everything he did. He also happened to his own man. Doesn't deserve this diatribe at all.....

 

[Red]

He was miles ahead of the rest in his craft. He was abso ****ing lutely honest in life. He didn't bend that easily for emotional blackmail. He had unshakeable integrity in everything he did. He also happened to his own man. Doesn't deserve this diatribe at all.....

I was going to say the same thing, but you said it well.

The vitriol directed at Bradman nowadays has reached absurd levels in some places. He's portrayed as the biggest **** to ever walk the face of the earth by some people.

"In my opinion the ball touched the bottom of my bat just before hitting the ground and therefore it was not a catch. Accordingly I stood my ground waiting for the game to proceed."

Not, "waited for the umpire's decision," but "waited for the game to proceed", because he was Don Bradman, and therefore he was right.

What an arrogant ****ing **** Bradman was. Probably one of the worst human beings to play the game. Never mind the fact that he was a cheating ****, but he held the game back for years by refusing the players better payment when he was chairman of the ACB.

Not to mention that the coward that couldn't handle Bodyline had no problem unleasing Lindwall and Miller on the English in 1948 and chuckling at slip when a batsman was hit.

It's true that Fingleton and O'Reilly didn't see eye to eye with him. So what? Apparently Clarke and Watson don't see eye to eye. Does it really matter? Do you like everyone you come across in life? Bradman had great lifelong friendships with guys like Arthur Morris, Bill Brown and Allan Davidson.

And while I agree that the players in the 70s needed to be paid more, don't forget that up until that point everyone had played cricket as well as tried to work a fulltime job. Bradman included. He's unfairly portrayed as the villain in this whole saga.

And this incident aside (where Bradman had every right to stand his ground, and the umpire had every right to give him out), how is Bradman a "cheat"? I've stood my ground plenty of times when I've thought I was not out. If the umpire gives you out, you go. How is Bradman different from anyone else who has waited for an umpire's decision?

Coward? FFS. I'd love to watch you face Larwood, average 50 plus against that cowardly tactic (Bodyline) and see whether you still call him a coward.

 

[Days of Grace]

Lol, DoG be trollin'.

Despite that, I still think that Bradman was a bit of a ****. That quote of "waiting for the game to recommence", implying that he thought he was not out and therefore he will remain not out, just irks me.

 

[the big bambino]

True but he would have walked if given. Thats the distinction. He believed he was not out but would never have dissented the umpire's verdict. That said he did receive some home town decisions in that series. Doug Wright in particular suffering.