Are You Ready For Some Football?

This weekend the Manly Sea Eagles take on the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League Championship Game! This is the Australian version Superbowl back in the States. For the past several weeks teams from all over Australia have headlined the sports news as they played each other in the playoffs to get to the 'big game' on Sunday night.
Why a 3/4 naked man on the blog? He is none other than Michael Witt one of the star players for the Manly Sea Eagles. The blokes in the league being good old chaps put together a calendar -Naked Rugby League- to raise money for breast cancer awareness. October is the Australian National Breast Caner Awareness month.

The game will be played in Sydney on Sunday night very similar to how the NFL has the Superbowl on Sunday night. This sport has captured my attention.... no comments necessary! When I go out to a local pub and there is a game on and someone notices my American accent I know that a discussion about Rugby vs. American Gridiron is about to begin. The Aussies have the upper hand in not only numbers but the fact that they are mad about Rugby. The same way that most of the world is crazy about soccer the Aussies are crazy about rugby. Getting League vs Union mixed up is one of the worst things that an American could do. Union is currently being played on the world stage in France in the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup. League is another form of rugby that is played within the boundaries of Australia. The 'discussion' starts the same way every time: "You like rugby?" an Aussie will say (always with a pint of XXXX, VB, or Teweys in hand). I reply "Yea, I think its a great sport". In which they reply "Who do you think is tougher our rugby players or your American Gridiron players who wear helmets and pads and can only play either offense or defense and need to rest every other play?" Right away I am at a disadvantage and I used to defend American Gridiron to the bitter end until we would both agree to disagree. After one night talking to some blokes at the Casino and getting my good friend Jeff on the phone to help out in the discussion Jeff said it best. When asked by the Aussie, 9,000 miles away and 14 hours ahead on the clock, why the Americans had to wear pads Jeff, without missing a beat replied 'because they are pussies'. That is exactly what the Aussie and his buddies wanted to hear and it was as though Jeff had just told them they had free beer for life! I learned a valuable lesson from Jeff that night. When in Rome do as the Romans do. So even though Jeff and I don't believe that American Football players are pussies in any form it is the easiest way to end a discussion that I could never win down here anyway.

This Sunday I will be watching the Championship Game from a local pub and will soak in all of the Australian pride being displayed by the locals in both their national sport and their country in general!
*Follow up - ESPN Australia is showing the New England Patriots vs Bengals Monday night game live here on Tuesday 2 October at 10:00 AM!!!!! Now trying to decide if I tape it, which will require me buying a DVD recorder, or if I 'chuck a sickie' (Australian slang to call into work sick when you are perfectly healthy) to stay home to watch it......