The Lippys
By Rob Hodgetts and Alex Trickett
´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport's Louisville Lip has been out and about all week at Valhalla to fire back assorted anecdotes and tidbits. You can read them here: part one; part two; part three; part four and part five.
But now it's time for some awards for extra special anecdotal acheivement.
Ladies and gentlemen, here are the 37th Ryder Cup Lippys...
Best Booism:
"The adrenalin, I feel like a dog that somebody done stuck a needle to and it juiced me up like I've been running around a chasing one of them bunnies."
step aside, we have unearthed sport's next .
This, after all, is the man who also pumped up Paul Azinger and his team-mates by telling them they all had to "compatibate". Job done, Boo.
Best Zingerism:
Captain Azinger has spoken all week about his players needing to be fit for the fight. Here was his reaction to Saturday's play:
"I just think that our gamers gamed up today."
Best Faldoism:
In the wake of "sandwich gate" (which flared up when his pairings where filmed by TV ahead of their official release), Faldo tried - as ever - to be witty.
Read the media centre transcript and judge for yourself how successful he was...
Media question: "Have you identified any player who will play all five sessions?
Faldo: "Who will play all five? Yeah, I have a few. I have to put it on my list so you can read it some time. (laughter)
"If you see five cheeses next to it, then he's going to be... could be in, so four tunas means four matches and chicken is three matches, OK, lettuce is two.
"Let us begin. (no laughter)"
Went down as well as the Raquel gags Nick.
Biggest success stories:
Boo Weekley, who had a week he will never forget. Wildcards Ian Poulter and Hunter Mahan, who snared four and 3.5 points respectively out of five.
Most vindicated:
Faldo for selecting Poulter as a wildcard when a vast majority of people disagreed with the pick.
Biggest disappointment:
The form of flag bearer Sergio Garcia, who took just one point out of four for Europe. Back-to-back major champion Padraig Harrington gets a not-so-honourable mention.
Biggest disappointment (fans award):
The many US fans who set up camp at the 18th on Sunday, hoping to see the putt that won back the Ryder Cup.
As it turned out, they only saw one hole of golf - which Paul Casey won after Hunter Mahan plopped in the water - as the celebrations took place on 17.
Best dressed:
Honourable mentions go to the Leeds Leprechauns and the Manchester matadors/Boer War soldiers/Nick Faldos (they changed outfit every day).
But for sheer comic genius, the American wearing a white sheet simply bearing the word "Boo" wins the award.
Most bizarre sight from a golfer:
Boo riding his driver like a horse and pretending to whip his backside going up the 1st on Sunday.
Best put down: (NB might not be quite so valid now)
Sergio Garcia is practising with his driver on the range.
A US fan shouts, "Hey, Sergio, JB Holmes hits his five wood that far." Garcia counters with: "At least mine is on the fairway."
Best almost-but-not-quite grasp of European culture by an American:
It's a tie between one guy saying to his mate as they listen to the European fans' vast repertoire of songs, "They learn them at soccer tournaments" and another chap explaining to his wife the various flags draped over the front of the grandstand; "I think the blue one (Scottish saltire) is Wales."
Best European chant:
A dead heat between: "We play football with our feet. Doo-da, doo-da", "Where's your Tiger Gone?" and, in response to burgeoning Boo-mania: "Boo ate all the pies, Boo ate all the pies..."
Best US chant:
...ummmmm?
Best fans:
The Europeans. Their unflinching dedication to duty in the face of overwhelming numbers of opposition made this an event for all fans - Euro and US - to savour.
The highlight was serenading each and every player onto the 1st tee on Sunday with a taylor-made song. Try some of these on for size...
Ollie Wilson: Ollie, Ollie, Ollie, oi, oi, oi!
Justin Rose: We've got our own JR, we've got our own JR
Graeme McDowell: You've got Big Mac, we've got Gmac
Sergio Garcia: Viva Espana
Robert Karlsson: Karlsson's bigger than Abba, Karlsson's bigger than Abba, la-laa-laa-laa
Paul Casey: Casey loves his spinach, Casey loves his spinach, la-laa-laa-laa
Ian Poulter: Walking in a Poulter wonderland
That said, a very honourable mention to the American fans, who conducted themselves with good grace and respect and ensured no repeat of Brookline.
That is, except for one chap watching Hansen v Holmes at the 16th, who hollered: "Close him out JB. Step on his neck!"
Scariest moment:
Watching a crazed Azinger bounce up and down like a madman at the the night before the action started.
The US captain whipped the crowd into a frenzy as the Lip stood by, vulnerable and quivering in a sea of raw American patriotism.
[NB The Lip lived to tell the tale and actually quite enjoyed it (er, well one half did).]
Best nickname:
Johnny Valhalla, for the Leeds leprechaun who in his weary, I've been partying all week state, sounded exactly like Johnny Vegas.
Best contextual use of legend Muhammad Ali:
The Lip is too modest to say. Pah, no it isn't - the Louisville Lip of course.
Best country crooner:
Being in the country music hotbed of Kentucky, this category has been keenly contested all week, but the Lip has come across a worthy winner. He's called and he is a lyrical genius.
Hey I'm a country man
A city boy can't do the things I can
I can hotwire your tractor and plough up your land
Hey baby I'm a country man
You like the Ivy league, , tennis sweater type
But girl I'm here to tell you: 'don't believe the hype'
Hey I'm a country man
I can with my two bare hands
Girl you better move quick I'm in high demand...
Quite sure you are. The Lip would marry you tomorrow if he were a she. But you might be more comfortable with .
Comment number 1.
At 22nd Sep 2008, BSowder wrote:Nicely done. We Americans have a long way to go with the chants/songs. We tend to just go for the obvious and repetitive...a difference of cultures I guess.
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Comment number 2.
At 22nd Sep 2008, Alex Trickett - wrote:BSowder - I have theory about that actually. I think that the vast distances in the USA have their part to play in this. Most of our chants come from the football terraces when home fans and away fans bait each other in a (largely) good natured way. At every match in almost any sport, there will be a reasonable away fans contingent.
In the States, there is much less of this in-stadium rivalry (because, let's face it, you can't pop over from LA to NYC for a game). Hence, there are less chants...
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Comment number 3.
At 22nd Sep 2008, BSowder wrote:That's a very good point. That is definitely a factor, I'm sure. I had several friends go to the Ryder Cup and they were all transfixed by the spirit of the Euro songs. Already looking forward to the next contest in two years.
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Comment number 4.
At 22nd Sep 2008, kwiniaskagolfer wrote:No Tigers comments, Alex?
Tigers vs Tigers that is??
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Comment number 5.
At 22nd Sep 2008, Alex Trickett - wrote:kwiniaskagolfer - Tigers comment coming right up. I was gutted to miss all but one minute of the game because the driver of our media shuttle back took a wrong turn and did two laps of Louisville before depositing us at our hotel at 2300.
I was then delighted to see that LSU had literally just scored the winning TD, did a little dance in my room and went to eat dinner in my Bayou Bengals cap high fiving a slightly bemused Ron on the way. Geaux Tigers!
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Comment number 6.
At 22nd Sep 2008, Alex Trickett - wrote:Ron (blimey, I'm getting a bit tired). A bemused "Rob" that should read.
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Comment number 7.
At 22nd Sep 2008, Maccatastic wrote:Poulter is being served an injustice here, he was out on his own on 4 points as tournament highest scorer, Mahan only scored 3 and a half. Not bad for someone that most 'experts' said shoudn't be there!
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Comment number 8.
At 22nd Sep 2008, BMACO1981 wrote:Surely the American fans "BOO S.A." chant deserves a mention - at least give them some credit.
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Comment number 9.
At 22nd Sep 2008, NeilB wrote:A mention should also be made of the quality of the American Hi 5s. They were snapping in from every conceivable angle, high, low, side, slide etc. etc. On many occasion the Europeans were completely missing, notably Gmac. A lesson to be learnt here then!
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Comment number 10.
At 22nd Sep 2008, JC_LFC wrote:C'mon lads,
Schoolboy error, Mahan got 3.5points. Two Wins, Three Ties. Not 4 as you have put down.
Although I do agree a huge success.
Got to echo the Boo S,A chant, must have been hard to play against.
Fair play to the US, the better team won. Roll on Celtic Manor.
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Comment number 11.
At 22nd Sep 2008, Eewires wrote:ERm, didn;t Justin Rose get 4 as well?
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Comment number 12.
At 22nd Sep 2008, Russ Wirral wrote:Anyone who had seen Happy Gilmore would have known Boo's riding of the club was called
"The bull dance"
to which spectators should turn to the person next to them whilst clapping and say
"working it - working it"
everyone knows that, tsch!
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Comment number 13.
At 22nd Sep 2008, Alex Trickett - wrote:Maccatastic (comment 7), JC_LFC (10) - you are absolutely right. Apologies to Poults. The Lip apparently gave Hunter Mahan an extra half for his name.
BMACO1981 (8) - fair call. The Lip - at least this half - did enjoy Boo and everything he drew from the crowd - this week.
russwirral (12) - Thanks for that - the Lip will be sure to check it out. Are we talking Airplane style slapstick here?
ps. by way of footnote, Gmac was the only player (Euro or American) that the Lip bumped into last night. He had the fans at Howl at the Moon (Louisville's duelling piano bar of course) cheering until the early hours and then some.
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Comment number 14.
At 22nd Sep 2008, Russ Wirral wrote:Happy gilmore is no were near as good as Airplane, but still worth a watch.
Jaws - the 7ft grock - from James bond rocks up in it as Mr Larson.
So does a few other Hollywood stars...
But when you see Happy's Bull Dance youll agree Boo's impression was extremely good.
On another note - did anyone hear Boo's interview just after completing his round?
His answer to how much he ranked the Ryder cup against fishing and hunting?
To which Boo replied "well, dang, I dunno, there shaw aint nothin like shooting a deer..."
I was expecting to hear "we got da bandit" next.
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Comment number 15.
At 22nd Sep 2008, saltone wrote:I just wanted to thank you for your coverage of the Ryder Cup. I attended the event, and listened to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ coverage over my portable headset. I don't believe that I will ever be able to go back to watching or listening to US coverage of Golf. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ entertaining, and interesting and everyone I was with concurred. I think I turned to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ channel early the first day I was there, and I never went back to the NBC coverage. Thanks again. by the way my favorite comment... "It went in like a rat down a hole". hilarious!
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Comment number 16.
At 27th Sep 2008, Rob Hodgetts - ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport wrote:Cheers Saltone,
Like all good players would say, we probably left a few shots out there but I hope we gave you a flavour.
Some that might have made the cut on another day were:
Justin Rose's line about Ian Poulter being "the fat kid from Milton Keynes" as he thought back to how far they had come together;
Paul Azinger's lengthy monologue on his love for foosball (table football) and hanging out anonymously in crowded, smokey foosball dens;
And Azinger's fun-but-serious quip to the American caddies at the closing ceremony, "thanks, but you still can't come in the locker room next week."
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