Howie Reed’s Column

Thursday, September 9, 2021
Column HR310
Netherlands, Poland & USA: SOCKO!  Singapore gets a Mulligan.

Day One of the Cazoo World Cup began when the resplendent John McDonald called the meeting to order on a day that had been a sunny 80 degrees in Jena, Germany.  Prior to the opening dart, the Old Dart Coach …

Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Column HR308
2021 World Cup of Darts PREDICTIONS!

The Old Dart Coach was singing at the top of his voice with all his baby heart (in the key of ugly):

How is your mother,  

How is your brother,  

How is your sister Sue 

How is your Granny   

How is your Fanny …

Monday, July 26, 2021
Column HR308
Colorful hair, pants, shoes, “Old Mo” and Snakebite GIT ‘ER DONE!

The Old Dart Coach could dine on crow, fava beans and a nice Chianti (not Pierazzuoli Chianti Montalbano Riserva 2015 – but on the brown bag stuff).  But still, his Matchplay predictions were right more than wrong.  He …

Friday, July 22, 2021
Column HR307
And this year’s World Matchplay champion will be…

Matchplay 2021 officially kicked off at the Winter Gardens when Dimitri Van den Bergh belatedly raised the Phil Taylor Trophy he won last year.  That one played sans crowd in Milton Keys.  The Old Dart Coach was shocked that presenter John …

Friday, July 16, 2021
Column HR306
Tip a few for Andy Fordham

As the summer wind blows across the English landscape the last two of the Brit’s four premier summer sporting events are played.  Already in the books is “The Championship,” the official name for Wimbledon, and Euro 2020 – played in 2021.  So far, …

Thursday, June 25, 2021
Column HR305
Has the ADO filed for bankruptcy?

The ether will be filled with dart stories in the coming weeks and months predicting what the future holds.  That applies to both steel and machine…

The speculation will be based on little bits of fact and globs of guessing – all nicely …

Thursday, June 3, 2021
Column HR304
THE FERRET RULES!

In 1939, author Agatha Christie published her best-known mystery story.  Most know it as either “10 Little Indians” or “Then There Was None.”  Neither was the original title.

If published today, “Ten Little Indians” would be titled “Ten Height Challenged Human Persons from the Subcontinent.”

In …

Friday, May 21, 2021
Column HR303
Rest in Peace, Terry O’Dea – more gold gone from the Golden Age

There are times when the Old Dart Coach takes advantage of this space to wax “not very eloquently” about the Golden Age of Darts.  The ODC accepts that today’s players wonder what the hell the “aged …

Tuesday, April 24, 2021
Column HR302
The torch passes…

There is an old canard around that to be a successful person it’s necessary to be evil, mean, a slave driver and generally unpleasant to those who are of little value economically to you.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Currently, in North America there are few “new” canards as …

Tuesday, April 14, 2021
Column HR301
The ODC scoops the (little) big boys, again!

As most regular readers know, the Old Dart Coach avoids the spotlight like the devil does holy water.  Those who knew him during the Golden Era are well aware that he’d routinely slip into a tournament hall, always inconspicuously dressed in …