1. “Abraham Klein had his hands in his pockets. He was 36 years old and about to referee his first World Cup game. To one side stood Pele, Carlos Alberto, Rivelino and Jairzinho; to the other Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst and Gordon Banks. This was the grandest game, between the favourites Brazil and the holders England; the final before the final. The referee was an unknown Israeli. One report said that appointing him was “like sending a boy scout to Vietnam”.
Do yourself a favour and check out this excellent piece by Rob Smyth about ‘master of the whistle’ Abraham Klein.
2. “My arm was bigger than my leg. I couldn’t bend it 10 degrees. And I did eventually get it to almost 90, but then I knew that that was probably it, for sure. And, again, they didn’t have all the equipment and everything that they have now. As I said, it was not only just an injury to the cartilage; the tip of the tibia had a break in it. So there were other complications.”
Deadspin are running a series of interviews in which they ask former athletes to describe the moment they realised their careers were over. check out this piece by a former Tar Heel basketballer, Joe Quigg.
3. “After games Messi retreats to the home he has made for himself with girlfriend Antonella in Castelldefels, a small city just down the coast from Barcelona. His older brother Rodrigo lives in the same complex with his wife and their two children. And Messi’s friend and team-mate Javier Mascherano lives close by. Messi’s parents and another older brother Matias, plus his younger sister Maria-Sol, live in Rosario, Argentina, where Messi returns every summer and Christmas. His father – who remains the closest thing Messi will ever have to an agent – travels regularly to Barcelona, and his mother makes the trip when she can.”
Who doesn’t love reading about Leo Messi’s low-key life away from the pitch? Check this piece by Ben Jensen for the Independent out.
4. “St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally the day when New Yorkers wearing green and drinking beer stumble into Madison Square Garden en masse to see some Irish boxers beat up handpicked non-Irish opponents. On the day of the Puerto Rican day parade, a Puerto Rican fighter headlines a fight at the Garden, and wins; on St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish fighter does the same. This is an important part of the care and feeding and nurturing of the tribal partisanship that sustains a slowly dying sport. The twist this year was that the Irish headliner, Matthew Macklin, was goddamn near guaranteed to lose. His prize was just getting the fight against Sergio Martinez, one of the world’s best fighters, an Argentine with flashy head movement and movie star looks. Both of which are extremely non-Irish.”
Hamilton Nolan pieces together just how Sergio Martinez beat Matthew Macklin on St Patrick’s Day. Though I’d suggest we’ve had our share of handsome movie stars.
5. “Even when he is spooked, Leonard still looks like a million dollars. The handsome face and the gleaming smile remain, even if they are worn by the years of pain. Beyond his epic fights in the 1980s against Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán and Marvin Hagler, Leonard has waged lonelier battles. The 55-year-old struggled for decades with the secret fact that he had been sexually molested twice as a boy by middle-aged men; while his more recent trials with drugs and alcoholism crossed bleak terrain. Yet this is how an involving interview with one of the greatest fighters in history unfolds, as Leonard reacts with raw immediacy. ‘Tell me again what he said,’ he urges.”
One of our favourite interviewers meets on of our favourite boxers. Donald McRae chats to the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard.
And a non sport one for luck? Here’s the Roger Sterling diet for all you Mad Men fans.
