EL BLOG ILUSORIO DE RUDY: An Unholy Alliance of Spaniards

24.7.09

An Unholy Alliance of Spaniards

It's a relaxing evening as I am walking the streets of Palma de Mallorca. Sangria spills onto the cobblestones, and the clamor of a dozen different tongues fills the air. But only one thought makes up the filling of my mind:

Fernando Alonso has announced himself as the sponsor of Alberto Cantador’s cycling team next year!

Since Contador’s Tour de France victory is assured, this will create an unholy alliance of two of Spain’s best-known athletes.

(That is, if one considers either race-car driving or bumper pool to be sports!)

As a popularity Internet indexing of Spaniards shows (right), the Alonso/Contador bloc is in the top 20 already. And while Pau may be trailing at numero 25, you can imagine how I feel about barely eking out superiority over a coach and a sculptor!

That means that my work has been chiseled out for me. It will be no easy task to wrest the title of Spain’s best-beloved sportsman away from Contador's odious axis of excellence. So I need to get out and glad-hand the fanbase!

Further, I must shape myself into spectacular cardiovascular condition for the upcoming Eurobasket championships.

I am not there at the present. In fact, as I run, I have found that I seem to be missing a lung. (Please inform me if you find it.)

Alonso/Contador from the Guardian,
Rudy foto by David Cameron.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I welcome your civil commenting.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

"El Blog Ilusorio": In the Orbs of Others!

Rudy's Hypothetical Rules of Basketball

1. In ten years, nobody will remember the details of score, assists, or rebounds. They will only remember who won them a chalupa.

2. Any shot worth shooting is worth shooting twice.

3. When not shooting on offense, you should be communicating, passing, and running. Also, yell “Foul!” repeatedly. Why? How can officials summon help if you yell “Good D!” or “Our opponents are superior!”?

4. If legitimately called for a foul, say, “A good call!” (Do this no more than once a game.)

5. When in possession of the ball, have a plan. Further, have a back-up plan, because the first plan won't work (unless you are Brandon Roy).

6. Use cover or concealment as much as possible. (Both Oden and Pryzbilla provide these in abundance.)

7. On defense, ignore words and direct your eyesight to the ball. (Opposing Cleveland, LeBron James told me he would pull up for a jumper. I advanced upon him. Then James drove baseline with great speed. Both of my ankles gave way!)

8. The faster you begin an opponent’s blow-out, the more shots everyone will get.

9. Be polite and professional to everyone you play against. Then destroy them, for they wish to defeat you.

10. Practice shooting in a dimly-lit practice area with someone shouting unflattering threats at you. (I found this useful in Europe, where partial power outages were not uncommon.)

11. You may feel sad about snapping another team’s back with a clinch alley-oop or a clutching 3-pointer. But sadness is preferred to losing. And the winning will then bring happiness. (In the case of defeating the Lakers, the happiness will be most pronounced.)

12. Purple is not my color. (It may not be anyone’s color.)