Between the Pay for Pain bounty scheme implemented by the New Orleans Saints, Tiger Woods’ continued woes on the golf course and Bobby Petrino’s troubles away from the football field, the negatives in sports have outweighed the positives as of late. What can be done about limiting concussions in football? Will more fines and penalties limit the problem? Will a better helmet help?
So, what’s the big news this week coming from the sports scenes across the water? How about a new dress code for players in the European Chess Union?
There is nothing new in using athletic equipment to get the upper hand, but apparently some women have figured out how to get the advantage in their matches against men.
Therefore, the European Chess Union has cracked down on the ladies showing too much of their décolletés, which is apparently French for cleavage. The ECU believes it distracts their male opponents. Gives a whole new meaning to checkmate, doesn’t it?
Columnist Norman Chad brushes off the need for a new dress code, saying that men are distracted by any number of things, including the smell of bacon.
While the new dress code actually covers men and women, I would say the ECU had the ladies in mind when they said that only two buttons may be opened on blouses and that limits on short skirts could be forthcoming. High heels are allowed, but flip flops are not. Sunglasses and neckties are allowed, but blue jeans with holes are not. The ECU also “encourages” sports coats for men.
Stay abreast for more changes.
I learned to play chess in elementary school. While I still remember how to move the pieces, it is not like riding a bike, and when I tried to play random opponents on the computer a few years back, I deleted the app after I failed to win a game for about a week. I was distracted by my lack of talent more than anything.
Chad makes a great point in that other sports (is chess actually a sport?) should consider dress codes, particularly golf. “At the Masters, Ian Poulter was wearing plaid coats and yellow shoes. It looked as if Walt Disney had thrown up on him,” wrote Chad.
•••
I caught one of the more entertaining shows I’ve seen in a long time when songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard recently brought his country/folk/blues act to Little Rock. He told a story before practically every song. One of my favorites was when Hubbard said that too many musicians name-dropped all too often, calling big-name artists their dear friend when it was simply a “lie.” Hubbard, who lives near New Braunfels, Texas, concluded this mini-rant by saying, “I was discussing this just the other day with Willie.”
•••
I can’t say it’s a new low in political campaigning because, well, that bar hit the floor years ago. Nevertheless, just this week, a member of an elected office informed me that he was shocked to see that he had endorsed a candidate for a state office in a newspaper advertisement near his home. The man told me that he did not think it was an honest error, but that the candidate knew exactly what he was doing.
•••
I’m not big into following TV shows, and when I finally got hooked on one, HBO’s “Luck,” it got canceled after a third horse died on the set earlier this year. The show portrayed the horse racing business from a variety of angles, from the jockeys to the trainers, and the lower-class gamblers to the high-brass ones.
When reality emulates a television script is when things are awry, such as the 48-year-old horse groomer being found dead Sunday morning in a stall just a few doors down from the one that housed Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another. Several altercations were reported on Saturday night in the area following the big race, and while the investigation into the death is still under way, police did say the man’s death appeared to be the result of some type of altercation.