Excuses sound cheap so don’t be sore losers

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Congratulations to Somerset Cricket Club for thoroughly thrashing my team, St George’s, in the 2012 Annual Cup Match Classic. Having played and watched over 40 years of cricket, I can say that I have seldom before seen such an abysmal display of batting than I saw by my team on the second day of the classic.

The only thing that was worse than their batting was the feeble, lame, ungentlemanly and ridiculous excuses made by certain members of our team to explain our demise. Just accept it; Somerset were better than us this year and beat us fair and square. We sounded like sore losers. More on this after the top 20.

Advancing to the top is Wild Ones by Flo-Rida featuring Sia. This is a high-energy track that fills dance floors and makes you sing along. I find myself just singing it out of the blue sometimes, when I haven’t even heard it recently. Up to #2 is Birthday Cake by Rihanna and Chris Brown. Jumping to #3 is Rihanna’s other hit, Where Have You Been?

Falling to #4 is Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, one of the most popular songs on the circuit. Improving to #5 is Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia, a hot and trendy dance track.

Slipping to #6 is Starships by Nicki Minaj. Slipping to #7 is Glad You Came, one of the hottest pop/dance tracks on the planet, by The Wanted.

Up to #8 is Climax by Usher, a typically steady and consistent pop track which has a variety of remixes to satisfy everyone. Dropping one space to #9 this week is Boyfriend by Justin Bieber.

Improving to #10 is Cheater’s Prayer by Christopher Martin. Up to #11 is the crossover dancehall hit She Doesn’t Mind by Sean Paul. On the way up to #12 is Link Up by Destra, a soca hit which works whenever there is a party.

Tumbling to #13 it’s Give Me All Your Luvin’ by Madonna featuring Nicki Minaj and MIA. Falling to #14 is Dance Again by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull. Falling to #15 is the hot dance track by Chris Brown and Rihanna Turn Up The Music.

Improving to #16 is Wide Awake by Katy Perry, a former essential new tune that has quickly raced up the charts. Up to #17 is one of the most versatile and creative tracks I’ve heard in a while, Mercy, by Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz. Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra, advances to #18.

Navigating its way down to #19 is The Motto by Drake featuring L’il Wayne. Finally, tumbling to #20 is Take Care by Rihanna and Drake.

Now back to this week’s topic: Don’t Be Sore A Loser! Somerset kicked St George’s butt this year. I was trying to explain what happened, how it happened, why it happened, but after a moment I could only conclude that Somerset were the superior team. They really did outplay St George’s on both days and for the entire match, in all three phases of the game batting, bowling and fielding.

Anyone who knows anything about cricket, in any format, will tell you that if a team outplays you in two of the three phases of the game they usually beat you. If they outplay you in all three phases of cricket you get destroyed. That’s what happened to St George’s. A ten-wicket victory in the second innings? Ouch! Game over by 4.30pm on day two? Wow. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a good old-fashioned ass whopping. I started e-mailing Somerset fans to congratulate them by 2pm on day two.

I could tell by the way that St George’s second innings was going early on that they had lost the game, probably before they even went out to bat. So hat’s off to Somerset. Some days it’s just not your day. Some years it’s just not your year. This was Somerset’s year and I don’t think it mattered who we put out there.

But what disappointed me was when a certain faction of our team started making excuses, like blaming the wicket and whatever else. Absolute nonsense. Both teams had to bat on the same wicket. It didn’t stop Somerset from making nearly 300 runs in the first innings and not losing a single wicket in the second. They won the game fair and square. Get over it and move on.

The other thing that came to mind was arrogance. Listening to the lead-up interviews, although I know all about trash talking and testosterone and male egos, I must conclude that we were a bit arrogant and probably took Somerset’s young team lightly and for granted.

The moral of that story is to shut your mouth up and let your play do the talking. Talk trash after you’ve won, not before the game.

So St George’s, don’t be sore losers and don’t make excuses. Be gracious in defeat. Give Somerset their due. They were the far superior team this year the scores tell the tale. Sometimes you have to just tip your hat to the other guy and admit that he was better than you. One of my favourite poems is ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling and I now share the key and poignant line from it with players and fans of both teams, but especially St George’s. I try to live by the words of that poem, but in my athletic pursuits, I always remember this line:

“If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same....”

My version of this is that you should be gracious in both victory and in defeat. Even when you lose you should congratulate the winner and give them their due. Grace is a quality held by few and revered and respected by many. It takes emotional maturity to have grace in all circumstances.

Then the last line of the poem goes, “You’ll be a man my son”.

The poem has great life advice, especially for a young man but also for women. Read it below. Peace ... DJLT!

IF by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream and not make dreams your master;

If you can think and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

'Or walk with Kings nor lose the common touch,

if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And which is more you'll be a Man, my son!

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