And other highlights. Jamie had mentioned that Dickson Etuhu hit the bar, and I was hoping I’d get to see it. Is there anything more thrilling in football than hitting the bar? Other than actually scoring, that is? Thwack. I had hoped Dickson’s shot would wallop off the bar and out again, not just flick the bar and keep on over. And to my delight it did. He caught it full on. THWACK! Soooo close. Inches.
Which reminds me of a W.P. Kinsella short story. Kinsella writes some half-interesting stuff, and about fifteen years ago it appealed to me greatly. Less so now. In this particular story, called “Distance”, a travelling conman named Roger Cash takes on a championship baseball team with the help of the local high school side (two of whom he befriends at the start of the story). Cash’s speciality is knowing the distance between US Cities, something he uses to win money in bars.
The baseball game is organised for big money, and sure enough, the local high school team and Roger Cash wins. How? Because Roger has fixed it so that home plate and the pitching mound are six inches further apart than they ought to be, thus throwing off the radar of the opponents’ star pitcher. Such a small variation in distance, nobody ever notices, but it allows the bad high school team to beat the local hotshots, and Roger Cash disappears with all the, er, cash.
If Dickson Etuhu had hit that shot six inches lower he’d now be some kind of cult superstar. Instead he’s still the bloke filling in for Jimmy Bullard. On such tiny margins are fortunes decided, games won and lost. Although we won anyway, Jimmy Bullard might not be here to fill in for soon, and Dickson may yet become a cult superstar.
