Ron’s Thoughts …

It started on Friday afternoon with the 1st game of the 2010 Soccer World Cup played at Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa. The first time ever that the competition is being hosted in Africa.

Bafana-Bafana surprised many by playing the more fancied Mexico to a 1-1 draw.

Well done to the whole team and a special commendation to Itumeleng Khune who kept goal superbly.

On Saturday the Springboks thrashed France 42-17 in a rugby test match played at Newlands, South Africa.

We showed them why we are the world rugby champions.

A special commendation to Gio Apion who scored 2 tries in his debut test.

Then on Sunday the Proteas beat the West Indies by 163 runs on day 4 of a 5-day cricket test match played at Port-of-Spain.

Our fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are as good as any of the legends that the West Indies have ever produced.

A special commendation to Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince who showed that they deserve their places in the team.

I consulted with my eye specialist this afternoon who is treating me for an old-age eye problem.

He informed me that he would be leaving this evening to Berlin to attend a  conference of eye specialists and that his family would be joining him later for a 2-week holiday.

I said to him, “You have timed it perfectly, while the soccer circus happens in South Africa you will have a lovely holiday in Germany.”

Well done to the Stormers and the Bulls for meeting each-other in the final of the Super-14 this coming Saturday.

We are all looking forward to a good game. Please guys, play rugby, not “Hospital” rubbish.

Well done to the Bulls and the Stormers who will meet in the final at Orlando Stadium next Saturday.

In very South African slang, ‘Nag for the Aussies and  New Zealanders.’ 

I have no intention of trying to explain to Aussies and New Zealanders what the slang word ’nag’ means, but suffice to say that it will be nag for either Bulls or Stormers next Saturday.

I am pulling for the Stormers.

My heart bleeds for these Aussie Cry-Babies who grumble about the Bulls resting their 1’st team players and fielding a 2′nd string team to play the Stormers in the last game of the league season.

The Stormers duly won and now two South African teams will contest the semi-finals with home ground advantage.

Would the Aussies or New Zealanders have done any differently if they had an unassailable lead at the top of  the log with one game to play just one week before the semi-final ?   I think not.

So go and buy a box of Kleenex you bunch of cry-babies.

I watch horse racing on TV and whichever horse wins, the jockey, the owner, the trainer, the groom are all called up to the mike to say something.

I watch rugby on TV and whichever team wins, the two captains, the two coaches, the TV presenters are all called up to the mike to say something.

I watch cricket and golf and soccer and tennis on TV and always people are required to make a speech.

I wonder if the speech-making and the grand-standing detracts from the merits of the win ?

Who is running the country ?

Jacob Zuma and the ANC who profess to being democratic ?

The SACP, ‘South African Communist Party’ who cling to a failed ideology ?

Cosatu, the Trade Unionists who are endlessly out on strike ?

Or an unholy alliance between the three of them who have only joined forces to entrench their hold on power.

Maybe it is the loudmouthed uncouth Julius Malema, the 29-year old President of the ANC Youth League who wants to bankrupt the country by nationalising the mines and the farms ?

The answer is ‘None of Them’.

The country is being run by a bunch of opportunists who are all individually out to enrich themselves.

“Affirmative Action”, morality, culture and the so-called ‘Liberation Struggle’ are just vote-catching smokescreens to bluff the uneducated masses into blind, unquestioning support and to keep themselves in positions of power and privilege.

God help us.

I admit to being racist in many of my thoughts but I would like to hear other peoples thoughts regarding the Dancing Girls who perform each time a boundary is scored in IPL Cricket.

They are all white girls.

Surely the Indian ‘Bollywood’ girls should have taken the stage ?

When I marked (scored) a game for the blind bowlers yesterday I commented that neither they nor their Directors ever smiled.

I said that, “Surely they should revel in the occassion.” 

A friend, older and wiser than me, said, ” They need to concentrate far more than you and I. They cannot see when we are smiling.”

I apologise for my insensitivity.

Some months ago I promised to report back about the merits of growing tomatoes in upside-down, elevated buckets.

It does not work.

The plants instinctively bend around to face upwards.

Then, on hot days, the buckets soak up the heat of the sun and the plants wither.

“Good try, but no Cigar”