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CHEATING EXPOSED

From Peter Roebuck’s Saturday column:

Yes, India has its castes and colours. It is imperfect. But it has also had in recent years a Sikh president, a Muslim prime minister and a white, female, Catholic divorcee leading its main political party. Other nations should be as lucky.

A white, female, Catholic divorcee? Sonia Gandhi is Rajiv Gandhi’s widow, but has never been divorced. You’d think an apology would be due. But one day after publication, the Sydney Morning Herald version of Roebuck’s column was sneakily changed instead:

But it has also had in recent years a Sikh prime minister, a Muslim president and a white, female, Catholic widow leading its main political party.

Clearly caught out - blogger Street Car noticed the original error - Roebuck and his team have resorted to blatant tampering. Peter Roebuck must be sacked.

UPDATE. Alert reader RR emails: “There is another mistake in that very same sentence—two mistakes, in a way. In recent years India has had a Sikh Prime Minister and a Muslim President, not a Sikh Prez and Muslim PM as Roebuck has it. Manmohan Singh, the current PM, is Sikh. And A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a Muslim, was President between 2002 and last year. He was actually India’s third Muslim president and well-loved mostly for his role as a scientist in developing India’s nukes program. Anyway, point is that Roebuck got three things wrong in a single sentence. He’s a repeat offender!”

Three things wrong in a single sentence? He’s another Chris Sheil!

Posted by Tim B. on 02/05/2008 at 07:51 PM
  1. Trousers down for six of the best for Roebuck. Oh wait, that’s not a punishment for him.

    Posted by Penguin on 2008 02 05 at 08:17 PM • permalink

  2. Sounds like a job for…. Media Watch!

    Uh. Never mind.

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2008 02 05 at 08:26 PM • permalink

  3. I was truly glad to see Australia responding to all this ICC and Indian BS in the best possible fashion in the 20/20 game.

    Oh sorry, I forgot we were supposed to loose to appease the Indians…

    Peter Roebuck must be sacked.  - Seconded.

    Posted by The_Wizard_of_WOZ on 2008 02 05 at 08:33 PM • permalink

  4. What?

    Spanky? Tampering?

    Who would have thought? Facts are as treacherous as little boys, it would seem.

    Posted by Toiling Mass on 2008 02 05 at 08:33 PM • permalink

  5. What unmitigated PC waffle. Roebuck is obviously positioning himself for job offers from Indian media and the coming cricket circuses. Courtesy of a free ride at the less than objective SMH.

    Posted by mehaul on 2008 02 05 at 08:38 PM • permalink

  6. “Kill! Kill! Kill!”
    —Full Metal Jacket
    Also: Alice’s Resturaunt

    Posted by mojo on 2008 02 05 at 08:39 PM • permalink

  7. “Other nations should be as lucky.”

    What the hell does that mean?  Why does that make them “lucky”?  Number one, it’s not luck, and number two, I ask again, what the hell does that mean?

    Notice he doesn’t say one word about the content of their character.  Or what was good or decent about them as human beings.  Or how they aided India in the betterment of its society and future.  Instead, it’s simply a grab bag of identity politics.  There was one from Column A and one from Column B, etc., etc. and that’s all that matters and is somehow a good in itself.

    What has the world come to when a person’s character is irrelevant.  That wobbling you feel is Martin Luther King Jr. spinning around in his grave.

    Posted by kcom on 2008 02 05 at 08:54 PM • permalink

  8. So what does Roebuck say about the latest Indian to be fined for dissent?  This makes their team easily the most fined over the last few years.

    I’ll accept that anyone fouly abusing any other player ought to be sanctioned, if he shows the same courage to call on India to start themselves showing respect for the umpire’s decision. 

    And lastly, India are not the number 1 cricket superpower on the field - not by a long way in 1 dayers, and in Tests, not so much.

    ps who coined “not so much” or “maybe not so much”?

    Posted by peter m on 2008 02 05 at 08:55 PM • permalink

  9. India is a country now founded in English Common Law and Common Sense. No luck about it.

    I’ve often wondered why they were so easy to become part of the British Empire. It wasn’t because they were out-numbered or cowardly or didn’t have an advanced civilization themselves. I figure that they figured it was better than the moghul one.

    Just a thought thrown out into cyberspace.

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 02 05 at 09:17 PM • permalink

  10. India:

    Likes cricket (tick)
    Close to rattan plantations (tick)
    Millions of young lads (tick)
    Traditional attitudes to correction (tick)

    Pete’s moving to India?

    Posted by Nic on 2008 02 05 at 09:22 PM • permalink

  11. #5 Good post.  Roebuck is an itinerant stirrer, currently sucking up for his next colonial stint.  Given his other proclivities, it probably makes sense for him to keep moving every few years.

    Posted by Big Jim on 2008 02 05 at 09:24 PM • permalink

  12. #10 Beat (Ouch Peter!) me to it.

    Posted by Big Jim on 2008 02 05 at 09:27 PM • permalink

  13. “Other nations should be as lucky.”

    LOL.  Yeah, every day I curse God because America isn’t just like India.

    Not.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2008 02 05 at 09:29 PM • permalink

  14. A case of Roebuck currying f(l)avour?

    Posted by egg_ on 2008 02 05 at 09:29 PM • permalink

  15. #13, Dave;

    “Other nations should be as lucky.”

    LOL.  Yeah, every day I curse God because America Australia isn’t just like India.

    I bet we aint the only ones…

    Posted by The_Wizard_of_WOZ on 2008 02 05 at 09:41 PM • permalink

  16. “I bet we aint the only ones…”

    Yeah, no kidding.  Probably because India is an overpopulated, impoverished, third world hellhole where a third of the people can’t even read and write, that still has a functioning caste system, and that engages in colorful customs like bride burning.

    There’s something about being stacked up like sardines in a can, broke and illiterate that kind of cancels out the joy of having a Sikh president.

    At least that’s how I see it.

    OTOH, I guess their cricket team is reasonably well behaved.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2008 02 05 at 09:54 PM • permalink

  17. The cricket controversy continues to rage, does it? Very Swiftian, in some respects . . .

    “Besides, our Histories of six thousand Moons make no mention of any other Regions, than the two great Empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Which two mighty Powers have, as I was going to tell you, been engaged in a most obstinate War for six and thirty Moons past. It began upon the following Occasion. It is allowed on all Hands, that the primitive way of breaking Eggs, before we eat them, was upon the larger End: But his present Majesty’s Grand-father, while he was a Boy, going to eat an Egg, and breaking it according to the ancient Practice, happened to cut one of his Fingers. Whereupon the Emperor his Father published an Edict, commanding all his Subjects, upon great Penaltys, to break the smaller End of their Eggs. The People so highly resented this Law, that our Histories tell us there have been six Rebellions raised on that account; wherein one Emperor lost his Life, and another his Crown. These civil Commotions were constantly fomented by the Monarchs of Blefuscu; and when they were quelled, the Exiles always fled for Refuge to that Empire. It is computed, that eleven thousand Persons have, at several times, suffered Death, rather than submit to break their Eggs at the smaller End. Many hundred large Volumes have been published upon this Controversy.”

    Posted by paco on 2008 02 05 at 10:02 PM • permalink

  18. Tim Blair’s Roebuck obsession goes on.

    Here’s what Punter said about the reaction to the Sydney Test:

    Ponting has told his team they’re to think twice before reacting to anything on the field, following the fall-out from the so-called Bollyline series.

    While he insisted the criticism would not affect the way he captained Australia, he was now aware the public’s perception of his team’s image was far from the one he’d tried to mould.

    “I’ve been shocked [by the backlash] because it has come from out of the blue,” Ponting told The Sun-Herald.

    “It’s important for me that we’re also remembered for doing good things along the way, like helping kids [through charities] and the community and to make sure we’re doing the right thing by the game.

    “We had an opposition captain question that a few weeks ago and it seemed to set off a chain reaction from people around Australia.

    “If we can take anything constructive out of the last few weeks, we will. We’re not too good to cop criticism.”

    Souunds like Punter has learned something about his own conduct that Tim Blair has not.

    Shall I start a campaign to have Tim Blair sacked from his job every time he makes a small factual mistake? It could be a long campaign…

    Posted by John A on 2008 02 05 at 10:10 PM • permalink

  19. Other nations should be as lucky.

    They are! Iraq once had a leader from the Sunni minority named Saddam and Germany once had an Austrian in power. Foreigners are way cool!

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 02 05 at 10:11 PM • permalink

  20. It’s still divorcee in the Age.

    Whatsup with the Fairfax ugly sisters?

    Posted by Tony.T.Teacher on 2008 02 05 at 10:14 PM • permalink

  21. John A’s obsession with defending Roebuck continues unabated… Just meet him at the Hellfire Club and get it over with paddle boy.

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 02 05 at 10:17 PM • permalink

  22. 18

    Shall I start a campaign to have Tim Blair sacked from his job every time he makes a small factual mistake? It could be a long campaign…

    I will type to YOU, what was typed to ME...

    Dude You Need Your Own Blog

    Give it a shot…”Dude”. I did!

    Posted by El Cid on 2008 02 05 at 10:26 PM • permalink

  23. Yes, India has its castes and colours. It is imperfect. But it has also had in recent years a Sikh president, a Muslim prime minister and a white, female, Catholic divorcee leading its main political party. Other nations should be as lucky.

    Multiculti bullshit that fails to recognize those hordes of Indians leaving India for other countries, most notably in the West.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2008 02 05 at 10:30 PM • permalink

  24. Apropos of nothing I outsourced the redevelopment of my two commercial websites to a small firm in Madras. Cost me under AUD $1,000 including new logo and took a week each. Brilliant.

    Posted by walterplinge on 2008 02 05 at 10:45 PM • permalink

  25. #18, Sounds to me like Ricky has started to believe what he reads.  Thats never a good thing, especially with the ‘tards who work in the Australian media. 

    With some notable exceptions of course.

    Oh yeah, i know im way behind time here but its sad to see the bulletin go under.

    Posted by The_Wizard_of_WOZ on 2008 02 05 at 11:29 PM • permalink

  26. john A, if you knew Tim better, you’d know that Tim admits when he makes a mistake by publishing the correction, but does not change the original mistake to hide it, and earns respect as a result.

    Roebuck has never admitted to making a mistake (especially re that beating / show me your arse incident), is a hypocrit/e, is often wrong and often given to gross generalisations, contributed greatly to the Sydney reaction being all 1 way and glossed over anything the Indian players did (something his most recent article points out was done before against India and must not be repeated - heh!), and generally should stick to commentating the game and STFU about life, as he clearly is a clueless wombat.

    You also have been soundly taken to task over your Sydney test views, and are now taking your wounded pride into the troll territory - so you can toddle off too.

    cheers.

    Posted by peter m on 2008 02 05 at 11:53 PM • permalink

  27. How disgusting! Really, every time you think they’ve gone as low as possible, they remind you that there is no such place.

    Did he really suppose nobody would catch this? What did he imagine people would think? I guess if you have no pride, you can do anything.

    Posted by Mambo Bananapatch on 2008 02 06 at 12:29 AM • permalink

  28. john a,

    The issue isn’t the mistake, as bush league as it is. The issue is the cowardly, pathetic attempt to pretend it didn’t happen.

    Posted by Mambo Bananapatch on 2008 02 06 at 12:31 AM • permalink

  29. re #28

    Then blame the sub-editors at the SMH, after all isn’t that what they’re for?

    re #26
    if you knew Tim better, you’d know that Tim admits when he makes a mistake by publishing the correction, but does not change the original mistake to hide it, and earns respect as a result.

    Then why doesn’t Tim admit that Ponting actually made critical mistakes in his captaincy in the Sydney test which have overshadowed their good work elsewhere and jeopardized the good name of Australian cricket worldwide. Ponting gets it. Blair blames Roebuck for pointing it out rather than ever admitting that Ponting badly screwed up.

    Instead of criticizing Roebuck for expressing his opinion which is rather more attuned with cricket than Tim’s, he calls for Roebuck to be sacked on every occasion. If someone has changed the mistake without admitting it then complain to SMH’s chief editor, not Peter Roebuck. I’m willing to bet good money that Roebuck was closer to the real opinion of Cricket Australia than Tim Blair and I think Ponting has learned his lesson because he’s a bigger man about it.

    Had Ponting simply shrugged it off and done the same thing in Perth then I’m sure that CA would have fired him from the captaincy because Ponting would have endangered the financial position of CA with a threatened walkout. Ponting didn’t do that, to his credit.

    We get this same thing with Dick Smith for expressing his opinion - instead if simply rounding on Dick Smith for his view of David Hicks, Tim calls for a boycott of Dick Smith’s businesses. Why should the people who work for Dick Smith have to bear the brunt of such a boycott because their former leader expressed his opinion? What did they do to deserve it?

    Tim Blair clearly has a problem with freedom of speech when that speech isn’t about the things that Tim Blair thinks should be true. Should we shamelessly follow the line of thinking and boycott the Daily Telegraph for every factual error that isn’t immediately apologized for on page 1 in banner headlines?

    Posted by John A on 2008 02 06 at 01:51 AM • permalink

  30. Can a muslim nuclear scientist still believe in the god of gaps; and, more to the point, is roebuck a collapsed quantum wave function (ie: he is decoherent)?

    Posted by cohenite on 2008 02 06 at 01:51 AM • permalink

  31. On top of Roebuck’s errors, there is the redundant “female widow”. Tautology is not normally a sin for a sports writer but Roebuck does like to show off his Cambridge education too much.

    I’m sure his English master at his old public school, Millfield, would have stopped the young Roebuck from playing in the school XI had he used such a term in an essay. Maybe if he had it might have saved the English XI the embarrassment of being defeated by the Netherlands.

    Posted by Contrail on 2008 02 06 at 01:54 AM • permalink

  32. Had Ponting simply shrugged it off and done the same thing in Perth then I’m sure that CA would have fired him from the captaincy because Ponting would have endangered the financial position of CA with a threatened walkout. Ponting didn’t do that, to his credit. /i]

    Do you also believe that if you plant a feather a chicken will grow? You are the first cricket troll I have ever encountered - Bravo!

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 02 06 at 01:58 AM • permalink

  33. uh oh. Ital slippage

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 02 06 at 01:59 AM • permalink

  34. Who the f..k is this john A person? I read and post on this site because it’s the closest I’ll get to being in a monty python movie (since they’re all now dead; or was that fat); it also gets me away from bastards like sammer and accusations of islamophobia; which is not true; my attitude towards muslims is very balanced; I despise them all; only the other night I dreamt about a woman in a burqa; I lifted her hem and underneath was a plate of steaming haggis; and I’m not even bloody Irish! How balanced is that? Anyway, if I wanted reality, I’d go to my bail hearings.

    Posted by cohenite on 2008 02 06 at 02:05 AM • permalink

  35. All that steams is not haggis

    Posted by Pickles on 2008 02 06 at 02:08 AM • permalink

  36. #29, why doesn’t Tim admit that Ponting actually made critical mistakes in his captaincy in the Sydney test  Critical mistakes? Like what, we won didn’t we?

    CA would have fired him from the captaincy because Ponting would have endangered the financial position of CA with a threatened walkout.”  Oh so its ok when the Indians do it, but if the Australian captain does it he should be sacked?

    Why should the people who work for Dick Smith have to bear the brunt of such a boycott because their former leader expressed his opinion?” Its called free market economics.  If your boss is an arsehole, quit.

    If I were you I’d check my cinch and stirrups real good, coz its a long fucking way down from that horse of yours mate…

    Posted by The_Wizard_of_WOZ on 2008 02 06 at 02:12 AM • permalink

  37. #34

    here you is..

    Posted by Pickles on 2008 02 06 at 02:13 AM • permalink

  38. [ Thats for Tiger next time he’s using italics :P

    Posted by The_Wizard_of_WOZ on 2008 02 06 at 02:16 AM • permalink

  39. Bruce

    Posted by Pickles on 2008 02 06 at 02:17 AM • permalink

  40. Sonia Gandhi is President (or Chairman or whatever) of the Congress Party, just as Chris McDiven, whoever she might be, is President of the Liberal Party of Australia and Carmen Lawrence, God help us, was President of the Australian Labor Party.

    i.e. Sonia Gandhi is ‘leader’ of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s party.

    Posted by monaro on 2008 02 06 at 02:24 AM • permalink

  41. Over 3000 posts and that’s my first spillage. Although I once had a post del;eted for being too disgusting.

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 02 06 at 02:24 AM • permalink

  42. Damn these italics, will they ever stop.

    Posted by Contrail on 2008 02 06 at 02:27 AM • permalink

  43. Shit, they did

    Posted by Contrail on 2008 02 06 at 02:27 AM • permalink

  44. re #28

    Then blame the sub-editors at the SMH, after all isn’t that what they’re for?

    So on your planet, “sub-editors” are for rewriting previous days’ stories to conceal errors. Well, here on Earth, things are a little different. It appears your alien masters didn’t brief you thoroughly enough.

    Posted by Mambo Bananapatch on 2008 02 06 at 02:29 AM • permalink

  45. #39, Pickles, The only Aussie I’ve ever met named Bruce is the gayest human I’ve ever laid eyes on.  He makes the queer eye guys look positively butch. 

    Fortunately he knew what i was on about when I asked him if he’d seen that sketch.

    “He’s welcome to teach any of the great socialist thinkers, provided he makes it clear that they were wrong.”

    And so it should be.

    Posted by The_Wizard_of_WOZ on 2008 02 06 at 02:34 AM • permalink

  46. John A., as you seem unfamiliar with life here on Earth, if a blogger commits an error of fact, he/she is obliged to acknowledge and correct the error.

    If he/she simply sneaks into the Secret Blogging Room late at night and rewrites the post to conceal their error, they are considered to be assholes, pathetically stupid, and unreliable.

    Posted by Mambo Bananapatch on 2008 02 06 at 02:38 AM • permalink

  47. Sorry Fairfax, sorry Rudd.

    Who’s sorry now, who’s sorry now? Whose heart is aching for breaking each vow? Who’s sad and blue, who’s crying too? Just like I cried over you…

    Who’s Sorry Now?” music written by Ted Snyder and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. It was published in 1923.

    How did they know in 1923?

    Posted by stackja1945 on 2008 02 06 at 02:47 AM • permalink

  48. Christ, The Wiz knows a Bruce so gay that he makes queer eyes look straight and IT has had a post deleted for being too disgusting.

    What a day for revelations

    Posted by Pickles on 2008 02 06 at 02:53 AM • permalink

  49. #48 - Beleive it or not, it contained no reference to Margo, Phil and a tube of grease either.

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 02 06 at 03:02 AM • permalink

  50. Hey just coz im a card carrying bogan doesn’t mean i dont know or have never worked with gay people.  I just dont hang around with them after work….

    Oh yeah; considering the catholic churches views on divorce, Roebuck may as well have slapped Ghandi in the face.

    If that isnt deserving of an apology, perhaps John A’s parents need a good swift kick in the arse.

    Posted by The_Wizard_of_WOZ on 2008 02 06 at 03:13 AM • permalink

  51. Way OT, but I figured people were over the Jihad Sheila’s thread.

    Anyway, here it is on you tube in 7 parts for our unskippy friends and those who missed it last night.

    It was much better than I expected.

    Back to the topic… exactly what relationship does John A have with Spanky? (I just love that name lol)

    Could John A perhaps be Spanky’s sockpuppet here in Blairistan?

    Something else to think about….

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2008 02 06 at 03:28 AM • permalink

  52. #26 Peter m, what do you have against clueless wombats?

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2008 02 06 at 04:09 AM • permalink

  53. John A. I don’t know if you’re generation abc, or x,y,z. But you’re the one I don’t like. You’ve been pampered and protected. And you know duck shit about cricket. If you’ve played, I can’t imagine any Australian competition at any level that would produce someone like you. Maybe you coach a women’s team because they don’t see you as a threat.

    And the other reason you shit me is because I promised myself this morning, that all my blogs today would be nice.

    Posted by mehaul on 2008 02 06 at 04:26 AM • permalink

  54. Well we’ve had an atheist as a prime minister. When India can claim that I’ll be impressed.

    Posted by Francis H on 2008 02 06 at 04:59 AM • permalink

  55. While you’re all giving John’s Arse a deserved dressing down! oops, pardon me!!!, what about the commenter that rabbited on about Symonds wearing zinc cream on his lips, and being a darkie, WTF did he expect!!!

    Did anyone notice if the Indians called the Sri Lankan player with the “bleached dreadlocks and ZINC CREAM on his lips” a Monkey????

    Especially after he bowled a few of the scummy bastards????


    mmm, I thought not.

    Posted by Pogria on 2008 02 06 at 05:26 AM • permalink

  56. nilk, 52 - just a colloquiall turn of phrase - I did think I’d be pulled up on it by the protect all creatures org, and was going to say “obviously this is not meant to be taken literally - there is nothing wrong with being a wombat if that’s your lot in life”, so anyway, I’ll pick on the ostriches next time.

    the sri’s weren’t abused because the Indians need their support on the ICC

    racists!

    Posted by peter m on 2008 02 06 at 05:52 AM • permalink

  57. #34
    Cohenite
    Hi there, yeah, and you’re a racist if you don’t support “$orry”, and the rollback of the Coalition plan for aboriginal communities. Those people are sick.
    Sammer is, searching for the word. Mentally ill. That’s it.

    Posted by kae on 2008 02 06 at 05:57 AM • permalink

  58. #56 Peter M I was being facetious lol. It’s sad that we have to use tags for everything these days, innit.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2008 02 06 at 06:12 AM • permalink

  59. #57
    Well, Beazley always promised a rollback - hopefully, not of the Tiananmen Square variety ...

    Posted by egg_ on 2008 02 06 at 06:18 AM • permalink

  60. Fuck me John A is a stupid Pommy wanker.

    Posted by murph on 2008 02 06 at 06:28 AM • permalink

  61. #60 Murph. That would place the missing puzzle piece. I once played under a pommie captain. His idea of an attacking field was to place everyone in defensive positions - expecting defeat. He had no idea of setting an attacking field and asking the bowler to bowl to it.

    I actually think John A is a female. Maybe a pommie chick with an arts degree. Or Roebuck’s love child with a social worker. The peramb’s are endless. Bugger, I promised myself I’d be nice today.

    Posted by mehaul on 2008 02 06 at 06:43 AM • permalink

  62. #17 Paco, you have exceeded my patience. I am going to retaliate. I like US baseball, but it is so much a monopoly that it cannot find any nation to play with - any whose players it hasn’t drugged and pinched, or just drugged..
    So, could you give us a Swiftian piece about the US playing with itself in its own ‘World Series’?
    I could say much the same for American Football, which disports itself so curiously that it perfectly deserves the metaphor an Australian poet Clive James invented to describe Arnie Schwarzanegger - a condom full of walnuts.

    The arcane mysteries of international cricket are much to be preferred to either of these over-muscular spectacles of Yankee invention…

    Posted by Barrie on 2008 02 06 at 06:45 AM • permalink

  63. #22
    Congrats on the blog, old man ...

    Very edumacational, too - didn’t realise that Dick~ was into extra virgin olive oil ...

    No paparazzi shots of the Obamas-in-Pyjamas?

    Posted by egg_ on 2008 02 06 at 06:48 AM • permalink

  64. #60
    Jack A. for short ...

    Posted by egg_ on 2008 02 06 at 06:51 AM • permalink

  65. John A - the problem is that Roebuck panned Australia’s conduct while ignoring the deplorable behaviour of the Indians, especially the disgusting threat to pull out of the tour if they didn’t get their way at the appeal hearing and the improbable “maa ki” defence.  The latest column that somehow India is blessed because of the characteristics of various Prime Ministers is just more mindless PC rubbish.  Roebuck never played test cricket because he is too strange a person and he is just as strange a writer.

    PS please change your christian name as you are embarrassing us other Johns.

    Posted by johnt4103 on 2008 02 06 at 07:09 AM • permalink

  66. #62 Barrie: I should have known better than to poke fun at someone’s religion :>)

    Posted by paco on 2008 02 06 at 07:31 AM • permalink

  67. #62 Barrie, FYI the US and Canada can compete in the World Series. You seem to be complaining that it is called the World Series and also that the US poaches players from around the World.

    About Clive James and his condom full of nuts : someone should tell him he’s doing it wrong.

    Posted by Col. Milquetoast on 2008 02 06 at 07:50 AM • permalink

  68. #67 - Col. Milquetoast, sir! Your fine illustration has arrived. Much thanks; it’s terrific.

    Posted by Tim B. on 2008 02 06 at 08:56 AM • permalink

  69. #61 Mehaul commented that he thought that John A was a female. Well I cut and pasted one of his entries into the Gender Genie, and guess what:

    Female Score: 434
    Male Score: 260

    The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female!

    Posted by Burbank on 2008 02 06 at 10:04 AM • permalink

  70. #67; #68; The ever curious Ash ponders what illustration.

    Any clues?

    Or is Ash destined to puzzle this forever, and eventually gnaw off her arm, feeling unloved?

    Posted by Ash_ on 2008 02 06 at 10:15 AM • permalink

  71. Barrie #62…. Point taken…..But:
    Abner Doubleday’s claims to the contrary, twas the brits invented baseball. I believe they call it something strange like “rounders”. All the Americans did was popularize it and export it around the world.
    I would spend a few more lines defending paco but if memory serves he’s a Detroit Tigers fan.So your on your own, pal.
    Kidding , y’all

    Posted by greene on 2008 02 06 at 10:55 AM • permalink

  72. What a cretan.

    Posted by the wolf on 2008 02 06 at 11:02 AM • permalink

  73. Anybody who feels the term World Series is an arrogant symbol of American self-importance is mistaken. From Wikipedia, the origin of the term:

    The title of this championship may be confusing to some readers from countries where baseball is not a major sport (or even where it is), because the “World” Series is confined to the champions of two baseball leagues that currently operate only in the United States and Canada.

    The explanation is that when the term “World’s Championship Series” was first used in the 1880s, baseball at a highly-skilled level was almost exclusively confined to North America, especially the United States. Thus it was understood that the winner of the major league championship was the best baseball team in the world. The title of this event was soon shortened to “World’s Series” and later to “World Series”.

    Posted by Mambo Bananapatch on 2008 02 06 at 01:50 PM • permalink

  74. sorry, that link should be:

    http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series

    Posted by Mambo Bananapatch on 2008 02 06 at 01:54 PM • permalink

  75. #6
    ““Kill! Kill! Kill!”
    —Full Metal Jacket
    Also: Alice’s Resturaunt”


    Kill! Kill! Kill!
    Thrill! Thrill! Thrill!
    Make a scene!
    Knock off a dean!
    Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
    Bump off a square!
    That’s what it’s about!
    Hate is in!
    Love is out!
    Kill! Kill! Kill!
    Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

    -The Sacred Cows, appearing on the Groovy Guru radio program, an affiliation of KAOS Enterprises.

    Posted by MikeTheLibrarian on 2008 02 06 at 04:35 PM • permalink

  76. #71

      Well, sorta.  The British form of rounders is quite different than baseball.  Now the IRISH form of the game, under GAA rules, is very much like baseball.

    Posted by MikeTheLibrarian on 2008 02 06 at 04:46 PM • permalink

  77. #73 Precisely, Mambo. But when was the ‘world’ ever confined to one continent?  For many decades since 1870 the ancient game of cricket was contested in ‘tests’ only between Britain and Australia on alternate continents, but we never presumed to label it a ‘world series’ even though it would have been more appropriate.

    I am a Cubs fan, so any attack on the world series is appropriate.

    Posted by Barrie on 2008 02 06 at 05:11 PM • permalink

  78. #69 Burbank. Thanks for the link to the interesting Gender Genie site.
    I just tested it with the first paragaphs from Farewell the Trumpets (James Morris) and Wales, epic Views of a Small Country (Jan Morris).
    Results for James: Female 114, Male 46; Genie thinks James is female.
    Results for Jan: Female 39, Male 141; Genie thinks Jan is male.
    Who’s confused — James-Jan or the Genie?

    Posted by Skeeter on 2008 02 06 at 05:13 PM • permalink

  79. #77 Barrie…. Everyone loves the Cubbies. They never hurt anybody….. I’ll be here all week, don’t forget to try the veal, y’all.

    Posted by greene on 2008 02 06 at 06:12 PM • permalink

  80. #78 Skeeter. In this case probably james-Jan. It’d be interesting to run a large sample of authors through Genie some time to see how accurate it is. It’s a fun toy anyway.

    Posted by Burbank on 2008 02 06 at 07:24 PM • permalink

  81. #57 kae; holy segue and non-sequitur! Wouldn’t that be a culture feast; monty python meet batman? Anyhow, I just know I’m not a racist because I’m better than noone, but I wish you hadn’t mentioned sammer; I have a sinking feeling that woman I dreamt about was him. So, thanks for that.

    Posted by cohenite on 2008 02 06 at 07:25 PM • permalink

  82. #80 That’s sad. For a wee while I thought it was proof. Can we fix it?

    Posted by mehaul on 2008 02 06 at 09:59 PM • permalink

  83. #82 mehaul. To be fair to Gender Genie, I should tell you that I used small samples (80-100 words). The web site suggests that better results will come from samples of at least 500 words.

    Posted by Skeeter on 2008 02 06 at 10:24 PM • permalink

  84. And, mehaul, you might get more accurate results if the author being tested is not a transsexual like J-J Morris.

    Posted by Skeeter on 2008 02 06 at 10:27 PM • permalink

  85. #77 Barrie: I’m a Tigers fan, but I usually pull for the Cubs in the NL. For what it’s worth, I was really disappointed they didn’t make it into the series in ‘84; I was looking for a reprise of the 1945 match-up (with the same results, of course. Heh)

    Posted by paco on 2008 02 07 at 12:37 AM • permalink

  86. “...Bollyline series.”

    Bollywhine, I believe.

    Normally I take no especial interest in cricket. ‘Tis a sad day when the outfall* of such nudnikery reaches even to my little corner of the world.
    ***********************************
    *I like this better than fallout.

    Posted by carpefraise on 2008 02 07 at 01:44 AM • permalink

  87. #84 Ah Skeeter. The transexual JJ Morris - I often think about him…her…errr

    Posted by mehaul on 2008 02 07 at 04:36 AM • permalink

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