Basketball seasons started this week. I was going to go to Shippensburg to watch York College scrimmage them but work got in the way. Too bad I guess. Could have probably made it if I had driven myself but I didn’t.
I had big plans for Saturday as I was going to visit all 6 York breweries but things changed. I saw that an encore presentation of the Rugby World Cup was on Saturday afternoon on NBC at around the same time as York College’s scrimmage against Haverford. I was planning on doing 2 of the breweries, driving to the scrimmage and then parking at home and doing the rest. Scrimmage or World Championship (that is played every 4 years)? Easy choice, I stayed home to watch the rugby. It was extremely hard not to look to see what the score was since the game was over by about 7:30 AM but since I am weening myself of Facebook it was easier than I thought. There was temptation though. At first I saw that it was being broadcast only on NBCSN which I don’t get since I have an antenna but obviously they want people to watch it. I guess with Notre Dame playing at 2:30 NBC had the time slot to fit it in. I was rooting for England. If anyone wonders I think York won the scrimmage, not that it matters. I don’t think this year’s team will be as good as last year’s.
I was surprised that England was the prohibitive favorite in this and the doubts I had about it can to fruition only a few minutes in. South Africa set the tone and they played Springbok Rugby. The same issues that England forced on New Zealand in the semis South Africa forced onto England. The South African scrum set the tone and England really had no answer. The match was won in my opinion when the Springboks held England out of the try zone for something like 15 phases, even pushing them back. Now I will say that it seemed like the ref let South Africa play their game and did let them get away with some things while he seemed to have a quick whistle for England but South Africa was set the tone and was the better team.
South Africa seems to have quite the pattern hoisting the Webb Ellis Trophy every 12 years. I wonder if I could put money down on them winning in 2031? I did see South Africa play in 2018 in DC against Wales. I am going to have to look and see how many of them played yesterday. I know at least a few played in that match.
You know I hope that the Rugby World Cup will come here in 2027 or 2031. I’d like to go to France in 2023, if just because I’d love to go into Belgium to see Waterloo and some of the World War 1 battlefields. We’ll see. It will be cheaper to fly there than Japan and I did take French in high school so while I will not ever be mistaken for being fluent I’m not lost. If I had to guess right now South Africa will host in 2027 but it seemed like it was a successful event in Japan and if they want to expand the game they need to bring the “minnows” into the game and where better to continue it than the US? Canada could probably even co-host.
Went up to Hershey on Sunday to see the Bears take on the Syracuse Crunch. Hershey struck first with Matt Moulson netting the first of his 2 goals and at the end of the first it was Moulson 2, Syracuse 1. Hershey added another in the 2nd on a Beck Malenstyn goal. Halfway through the third I went down to get in line for the autograph session. Syracuse quickly added a tally and I was hoping for no overtime. Hershey’s defense tightened and Mike Sgarbossa added an empty netter as time expired. Hershey wins 4-2.
There’s a 45 minute wait between the end of the game and the start of the autograph session and everyone has to take 3 different photos with the players. Or someone has to tell each player their life story and I got stuck behind two of them for several players. I don’t mind it with kids but adults don’t need to hold the line up for 2 minutes just so they can gab with someone. Just takes a long time to get through the lines and that could be solved by having a separate photo night like they do at Lehigh. It is nice to get out onto the ice though, it’s certainly a different perspective. I did manage to get everyone but 2 players, Sgarbossa and Garrett Pilon. If there were 5 more minutes I could have gotten them. It will be very difficult to figure out who’s signature is whose. Hockey players have terrible signatures.
Pregame stops at Millworks and Newfangled beforehand. First time at Newfangled. Nice place, it’s situated in what looks like a future housing development. There is one of those over in Mechanicsburg too, I guess this is the new big thing. Didn’t have as much time there as I would have liked to since Weenie Boy left his sunglasses at Appalachian. I stopped there so he could pick up a sixer of his favorite beer. Had to drive back there to pick them up.
Other than that a normal week. Had a haircut on Monday, which makes me feel better. I don’t like my hair long.
