Well, I'm absolutely delighted that the first part of this blog attracted so much attention, virtually all of it very favorable.
Before I continue in that vein, I'd like to backtrack a little and discuss some particular responses.
Firstly, there were a couple of people who felt that my comments regarding wanting to play for a beer or a couple of bucks,
just to "make it interesting" weren't representative of many players. They felt that by adding some sort of reward, it did
actually mean a little more. That isn't really what I was questioning; I was questioning the NEED for these rewards.
I do consider myself to be somewhat old-fashioned, and even though I play this game for a living, I still believe that
participating in a sport purely FOR THE SPORT is vital. That said, this is a practice that does appear to be disappearing
in the modern world, for one of the most wonderful aspects of darts is its purity; the player against the board. There is
not a single entity that can prevent you from finding - or missing - your target, other than you yourself. It is this quest
for personal excellence, or the desire to triumph against another individual, that SHOULD be the main reason for participation.
I'm sorry, I just don't think that a beer or a dollar is an added incentive.
It's the same even with tournament play. Even though I do this for a living, the very first thought that enters my head when
the winning dart hits the board is : "I'VE WON!" Sometimes that feeling is much stronger, but never simply as a result of
material effects. Last year's win at the Houston Open was a prime example...
To some, it may not mean anything, but that win in the 501 Singles meant that my span of WDF-ranked victories actually
exceeded that of a certain Philip Taylor! Of course, that was only a temporary glitch in Phil's quest for total world
dominance, and he has certainly collected a few more W's than me on the way, but to me, that was a very special moment.
Sometimes, pride in achievement can outweigh everything. Always, pride in performance should be the goal.
In fact, one of my most satisfying moments was indeed a loss. At the PDC's Bobby Bourn Memorial Tournament in 2003
(Bobby was a PDC official and a lovely man, who left us all too early), I lost to that fellow Taylor in the semi-final.
Having already seen off the challenges of players like Roland Scholten and Mark Dudbridge, I felt that I was playing very well.
Against Phil, I played even better, but went down 6-4.
Sure, 6-4 looks like a close match, but how close? Firstly, we had almost identical averages of around 100, which is a
victory in itself, I feel! Then, when you consider that THREE TIMES, Phil checked out from a 100+ finish while I was
looking at a two-dart out, you can see that I really was matching him. For the record, I was on 60, and Phil took out 105.
I was on 96, and he took out 161. Finally, in what proved to be the final leg, I was on 41 (after 12 darts), and he put away
a 108 for the match.
Last time I touched on the apparent jealousy of players toward others, particularly if those whining claim to "play for fun."
Now, I'd like to touch on the jealousy and resentment from outsiders. When I say "outsiders", I'm talking about spectators,
and that includes players who are not - and never will be - at the same level as those who they are lambasting. Specifically,
I am talking about some of the comments made about Phil Taylor's success at the World Matchplay earlier today (I'm writing
this section on Sunday evening).
I've seen everything from, "so tired of Taylor" to, "I hate Phil Taylor."
Really? Perhaps there are reasons in this world to "hate" another human being, but I don't think a game of darts is one of them.
Phil Taylor is the best the that the world has ever seen. That is a direct result of the hard work and effort he has put
into - and continues to put into - his darts. Okay, we can admit to sometimes being a little jealous of another individual,
but there is absolutely no need for such animosity and resentment.
I'm not one to direct vitriolic diatribes at Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, or anyone else of that ilk, and that's because
I have no real intention of desire of reaching that level in their particular fields. Neither will I do that with Phil
Taylor, as I do want to be where he is. To my mind, anyone that reaches the level of Tiger, Roger, or Phil, deserves my
admiration and respect. I hasten to add that I am talking solely about professional achievement here.
If people are "so tired of Taylor", then it is up to them to stop him! It doesn't matter what sport we are talking about,
someone will ALWAYS be the best. That's fine, and it is up to everyone else to do better.
It's not as if Phil Taylor is invincible, because he isn't; it's just not easy to beat him! There are a number of reasons
for that, but one of the main ones is that he usually hits what he's aiming at - WHEN HE NEEDS IT! Today was a perfect example.
Twice Raymond van Barneveld was poised to break Phil's throw, only for Phil to put away two huges finishes. Had he missed even
one of those, the result could have been very different. The fact is that he didn't, and it wasn't! Sorry, but that's life...
There are those who posted that the final was "boring." How can watching the two best players in the world (at the moment)
trading blows, and displaying such tremendous form, be "boring"? Watching Phil Taylor take out shots of 105 and 135 under
extreme pressure was absolutely scintillating!
Beside, if any of you were in Phil's position, would you consider it boring to win most of the time? Would you think,
"no, I'll step aside and give someone else a chance"? Of course not. As I said earlier, Phil is still striving to
improve his game, which should help everybody else's game as they try to keep up. There's nothing wrong with that at all.
So, thanks to a fellow chubby Englishman, I have now completed part two of this blog! I know exactly where I'm going
with the next one, so I'll be back soon.
PS Warmest congratulations to Stacy Bromberg on lifting the PDC Women's World Championship, and commiserations to beaten
finalist (and my old mixed doubles partner) Tricia Wright.