{"id":5545,"date":"2014-07-30T20:16:13","date_gmt":"2014-07-30T20:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2014\/07\/column-hr117-so-you-think-phil-taylor-is-through\/"},"modified":"2024-02-14T22:24:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:24:14","slug":"column-hr117-so-you-think-phil-taylor-is-through","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2014\/07\/column-hr117-so-you-think-phil-taylor-is-through\/","title":{"rendered":"Column HR#117 So, you think Phil Taylor is through?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, July 30, 2014
\nColumn HR117
\nSo, you think Phil Taylor is through?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s then written that she said, \u201cLet there be light.\u201d \u00a0That was followed with her creation of the world. \u00a0It\u2019s not that she didn\u2019t have a blueprint to work from. \u00a0In her own unique way she was able to almost copy the schematic in her mind (which explains why most have\u00a0so much trouble\u00a0navigating through life).\u00a0 From that point she pretty much left us on our own.<\/p>\n

Well almost.<\/p>\n

To help us with our travels she provided \u201cgivens\u201d – so we would have some clues. For example: if you like toast with butter and jelly for breakfast and are carrying it and stumble it will land jelly side down.\u00a0 Or, if you have one dart left on a double and your opponent is in four dart range you\u2019ll nail it.\u00a0 If you have just dart and the opponent is<\/em> on a finish you\u2019ll miss. \u00a0It\u2019s a given.<\/p>\n

One other given, which some of you seem unable to comprehend, is that the laws of age and performance do not apply to Philip Douglas Taylor.\u00a0 On that day when the world comes to an end there will be three creatures left: cockroaches, Cher, and Phil Taylor hitting T80s and doubles.<\/p>\n

Just a few months ago the Taylor-haters were out in full force.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPhil Taylor you suck!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood-bye and good riddance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFlash in the pan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the tune has changed\u00a0 just because Taylor won his 15th World Matchplay title in a display of brilliance not seen in a coon’s age. \u00a0Yes, they live a long time. \u00a0His opponent in the final was one Michael van Gerwen who just a few months ago was \u201canointed\u201d as the next best thing since Phil Taylor, late night Indian, and $1.00 McDonald’s coffee.\u00a0 The problem: Phil Taylor wasn\u2019t ready to advocate the crown.<\/p>\n

On his way to the title, and \u00a3100,000 pounds sterling (or 90,909 Guinea), Taylor opened a can of \u201cWhoop Ass\u201d using it at will. In\u00a0 the final he held leads of 7-1 and 11-2 before winning 18-9.\u00a0 He averaged 107 and a meaningless 27% on doubles. When van Gerwen whittled Taylor’s lead to 14-8 he\u00a0missed a double 7 for a 122 finish.\u00a0 Taylor jumped at the miss pulling away 4 on the trot for the 18-9 win.<\/p>\n

There was some minor controversy – pronounced CON TRAV IS SEA – as Taylor wore a ball cap during his walk on. \u00a0That\u2019s serious stuff. \u00a0Does anyone out there think that Taylor gives a \u201coxidized copulation\u201d what you think?<\/p>\n

Michael van Gerwen might take a page\u00a0from the Taylor book as he came under some \u201cstick\u201d when he said that nothing came before darts including his wife. \u00a0The \u201cScreaming Meanies\u201d got their thongs all in a crevice over those comments.\u00a0 Those who excel in individual sports put nothing above their performance.\u00a0 That\u2019s especially true of darts and golf as both sports are cruel mistresses. \u00a0Mess with them and you\u2019ll pay the price.\u00a0 When golfer Rory McIlroy stopped doing the horizontal mambo with women\u2019s #1 tennis player Caroline Wozniacki his game improved – and he won The Open. \u00a0Next he\u2019ll want to be Phil Taylor.<\/p>\n

Taylor opened the week with a 10-4 win where he hardly broke a sweat hitting 5-T80s, averaging 101.79.\u00a0\u00a0Next, against former World Youth Champion\u00a0Michael Smith, Taylor fell behind 0-2 on a pair of 14-darters. \u00a0With three 126 finishes Taylor took six on the trot going up 6-2. \u00a0He started the 9th leg with T80, then 177, then a pair of treble 20\u2019s and double 12 for the 9-darter.\u00a0 In the 13-6 win he averaged 105.64.<\/p>\n

Taylor found himself down 4-2 after squandering a 2-0 lead against Wes Newton.\u00a0 Taylor responded with a string of 7 legs won which included a 160-check.\u00a0 Newton didn\u2019t surrender, cutting Taylor\u2019s lead to 12-6 before losing 16-6.<\/p>\n

One of the Old Dart Coach\u2019s favorite women golfers is Brit Laura Davies. \u00a0One evening at a blackjack table at the now gone Desert Inn Davies said, \u201cGolf would be an easy game if you didn\u2019t have to putt.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Scot Gary Anderson probably feels that darts would be an easy game if you didn\u2019t have to hit doubles.<\/p>\n

In America the ODC\u2019s friend George Van Etta was a world class scorer, and guy,\u00a0but somewhat less as a finisher. \u00a0He even lost a one-leg game in the Oregon Open round-robin to the ODC. \u00a0Oh the shame of it.\u00a0\u00a0In the\u00a0final qualifying for the old Pacific Cup in Cincinnati Van Etta went through the preliminary field like a dose of salts.\u00a0 In the final four-person round robin Van Etta couldn\u2019t buy a double.\u00a0 At one point he turned to the ODC in utter frustration\u00a0 saying, \u201cKid this would be an easy game if I didn\u2019t have to hit a double.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the above setting the plate one would think that if Anderson outscored Taylor and had a higher percentage of hitting doubles he would have won. \u00a0Nay, nay as you know. \u00a0In their semi-final, which was a \u201cwing-ding-doodle\u201d of a match, Anderson had the advantage in averages 105.68 to\u00a0105.27 while hitting a higher percentage of doubles 44% to 38%. \u00a0He won battle of statistics but lost the war 17-15. \u00a0How?<\/p>\n

Twice Anderson squandered big leads by missing doubles. \u00a0Down 4-2 Anderson\u00a0 missed 6 darts at a double allowing Taylor to steal a leg. \u00a0At 10-9 up Anderson missed 5 darts snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.\u00a0 Once tied Taylor\u2019s can of \u201cWhoop Ass\u201d came out even though Anderson had the opportunity to level at 12.<\/p>\n

The key question here: Would an English dart player sweat more playing Taylor or in the dentist chair?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible, maybe, that in\u00a0the grand scheme of things darts fans place way too much importance on the accomplishments – of not only Taylor but all darters.\u00a0 The Sage of Sittingbourne, Dave Whitcombe, may put darters and the darting world in the proper perspective when he writes, \u201cGot so pissed tonight I fell over a dustbin, then fell in the road, then fell arse overhead in a bush. \u00a0Too dangerous to walk home so I drove.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joel Osteen, the American minister, tells the story of God making a visit to one of his flock…<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may have one wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like a highway from California to Hawaii so I can drive my family on vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impossible but I\u2019ll give you one more wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to explain life and the mind of a women so I can be a better husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould that be two or four lanes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stay thirsty my friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIn the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.\u201d It\u2019s then written that she said, \u201cLet there be light.\u201d That was followed with her creation of the world… 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the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.\u201d It\u2019s then written that she said, \u201cLet there be light.\u201d That was followed with her creation of the world...","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":17,"user_id":4,"is_guest":0,"slug":"howie-reed","display_name":"Howie Reed","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/111howie.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/111howie.jpg"},"first_name":"Howie","last_name":"Reed","user_url":"http:\/\/www.dartoidsworld.com","job_title":"","description":"Astute, often controversial, and always humorous, the Old Dart Coach, Howie Reed (a former rodeo cowboy and advertising executive), is heralded as the Dean of Darts Chroniclers - the most prolific and widely followed writer ever about our sport. He goes back decades with the legends and knows where the skeletons are buried (just ask any of the ADO and WDF old-timers!). Here are four well-known facts about the Old Dart Coach: 1) he is a Republican, 2) he loves the ladies, 3) he can drink most anybody under the table, and 4) he throws darts as bad as Dartoid."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5545"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6407,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5545\/revisions\/6407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5545"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}