{"id":5817,"date":"2018-12-11T12:15:16","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T12:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2018\/12\/column-hr247-the-world-championship-is-days-away-and-the-pdc-has-checked-all-but-one-box\/"},"modified":"2024-02-14T22:21:57","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:21:57","slug":"column-hr247-the-world-championship-is-days-away-and-the-pdc-has-checked-all-but-one-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2018\/12\/column-hr247-the-world-championship-is-days-away-and-the-pdc-has-checked-all-but-one-box\/","title":{"rendered":"Column #HR247 The World Championship is days away and the PDC has checked all but one box!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, December 11, 2018
\n<\/strong> Column HR247<\/strong>
\nThe World Championship is days away and the PDC has checked all but one box!<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the traditional holiday column in which the Old Dart Coach kicks things off by singing \u201cDeck the Hall with balls from Holly,\u201d one of the great Christmas tunes. Too many people in the world today forget that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. Jesus worked as a joiner, called a carpenter by Yanks. Mr. John Lowe also labored as a joiner. \u00a0Just reporting the facts.<\/p>\n

For the PDC darters it\u2019s time to\u00a0say goodbye to 2018 and hello to a 2019 PDC year that will yield an estimated \u00a314 million\u00a0or $21,664,351 and a meaningless 86 cents. That\u2019s a heck of a long way from doing \u201cone-nighters\u201d for 100 pounds with all the beer you could drink and phone numbers for your black book with the advice: \u201cIf a man answers hang up.\u201d\u00a0 The Edwin Hawkins Singers can be heard singing \u201cOh Happy Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom collaborated on the 1940 song \u201cFools Rush In.” The opening two lies are \u201cFools rush in\u2026 Where angels fear to tread.\u201d The ODC\u2019s no angel – proven beyond doubt \u2013 rather, many times a fool so he rushes in with wild abandon.<\/p>\n

For any popular sport there\u2019s always a bit of controversy (properly pronounced: \u201cCON TRAV IS SEE\u201d). \u00a0Raymond van Barneveld announced that this will be his last year of darts. A kerfuffle ensued. The peanut gallery – long on opinion, short on common sense – has come out in full-throated opposition to Barney appearing in the Premier League. When asked, Wayne Mardle spoke vociferously echoing the words of an ad executive when asked what his agency was doing for Greyhound Bus.\u00a0 \u201cPutting\u00a0asses in the seats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mardle was a little more diplomatic, although not much. \u201cIt\u2019s about putting bums on seats. It\u2019s about selling out arenas.\u00a0 Who would you rather watch Jamie Lewis or Ray van Barneveld?\u201d<\/p>\n

In answer to those that say, \u201cYou can\u2019t<\/em> put Barney in the Premier League. What\u2019s he done<\/em>? What\u2019s he done<\/em>?\u201d Mardle machine-gunned, \u201cBesides 5 world championships\u2026 absolutely nothing. \u00a0Absolutely nothing apart from a Grand Slam, a Premier League\u2026 he\u2019s done absolutely nothing. He\u2019s someone that may have changed the landscape of darts in Europe\u2026 so, he\u2019s done absolutely nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mardle could have added, \u201c\u2026you ignorant bastards!\u201d He didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not fair,\u201d some say. \u00a0The PDC isn\u2019t about fair – it\u2019s about money<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Recent studies indicate that the major concerns in the world today are climate change, drinking beer in a cup that isn\u2019t recyclable, fish eating plastic straws, bathroom choice and Caucasian men. No idea why non-Caucasian men get a pass, but they do.<\/p>\n

The PDC checked off the first two concerns when they announced\u00a0with trumpets not blaring that they will be serving beer at the Ally Pally in \u201creusable cups.\u201d \u00a0This to assist in the fight against climate change. The estimate is that 800,000 beers will be consumed during the 16-day tournament.\u00a0 Quite possibly, some will engulf more than their share of the golden elixir, become disoriented and wander into the wrong restroom.\u00a0 Shazam! \u00a0THREE boxes checked: climate change, reusable cups and on a technicality, bathroom choice.<\/p>\n

The conventional\u00a0wisdom, which seldom is, holds: as Caucasian men run the PDC there\u2019s no PDC women\u2019s tour.\u00a0 The PDC kind of responded to that \u201ccriticism\u201d when they opened the World Championship to two female qualifiers. The \u201cscreaming banshees\u201d will claim that pressure by them caused the PDC to capitulate.\u00a0 Dream on. All they did was check a box.<\/p>\n

An example of Caucasian males actually acquiescing occurred many years ago at a\u00a0tournament in Elmira, California. The ladies convinced the always amendable males to schedule the ladies\u2019 singles on Saturday afternoon rather than morning. Following the morning\u2019s open doubles (31 teams), many\u00a0men adjourned to an open air bar across the street to drink beer and play horseshoes while singing \u201cElvira\u201d along with the Oak Ridge Boys.\u00a0 The ladies\u2019 singles drew 21 ladies.\u00a0 Come the mixed doubles the men that did show were unfit to play. The event became Open \u201ckind of\u201d Mixed Doubles with 19 ladies and 6 men recycled.<\/p>\n

When the \u00a32.5 million 2018\/2019 William Hill World Darts Championship opens on December 13 at the Alexandra Palace there will be two women, Lisa Ashton and Anastasia \u201cThe Russian Fox\u201d Dobromyslova, in the 64-person field.\u00a0 Both ladies went through qualifiers open to all ladies or those that felt they were. Another box checked.<\/p>\n

For the first time, a lady will be in the Sky commentary box alongside Wayne Mardle, Rod Harrington and John Part. Trina Gulliver, the #8th<\/sup> ranked lady player, will be joining the boys.\u00a0 This hire by Sky has also raised the ugly head of controversy. Some say there\u2019s\u00a0no ugly head. But that\u2019s not the point.\u00a0 Just in is a blog that claims the hiring\u00a0of Ms. Gulliver was so Sky could check at least two of the politically correct boxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake no mistake, the only reason that she was picked is solely to appear politically correct – and by hiring her they get to tick the women and gay boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The remarks are pure conjecture, offensive to some, bordering on unfairness with a degree of rudeness mixed in.\u00a0 Then again, there\u2019s\u00a0more than a\u00a0modicum of truth\u00a0considering today\u2019s PC environment.\u00a0 The hiring is also a little \u201cTake that!\u201d from Sky Sports to PDC major domo Barry Hearn. The two free women\u2019s qualifiers drew 250 entrants. Ms. Gulliver wasn\u2019t one of them as a\u00a010-time world champion and still playing at a high level. It would be delicious if either Part or Mardle ask her why she didn\u2019t enter a qualifier.\u00a0\u00a0Won\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

Only time will tell if Ms. Gulliver is actually qualified. She can quiet all critics by her performance behind the mic. As one that has been in her position the ODC knows the challenge she faces. His first try was okay, the second better and the third REALLY good. At least he thought so, others not so much. He got fired with no offers in the last 20 years. Now that\u2019s a hiatus.<\/p>\n

As another former joiner she may find the switch to behind the mic more difficult that cutting a 2×4, hammering a nail or taking 100 out with three darts.\u00a0 If she doesn\u2019t shine, a herculean task, then it will be an experiment that failed.\u00a0 Sky will get brownie points and check boxes and get kudos from the watercress sandwich and champagne set despite the results.<\/p>\n

The PDC and Sky still need to address the problem of fish eating plastic straws.<\/p>\n

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the traditional holiday column in which the Old Dart Coach kicks things off by singing \u201cDeck the Hall with balls from Holly,\u201d one of the great Christmas tunes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[17],"class_list":["post-5817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-howie"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":1547,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?fit=499%2C520&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?fit=499%2C520&ssl=1",499,520,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?fit=288%2C300&ssl=1",288,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?fit=499%2C520&ssl=1",499,520,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?fit=499%2C520&ssl=1",499,520,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?fit=499%2C520&ssl=1",499,520,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?fit=499%2C520&ssl=1",499,520,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-26.jpg?resize=45%2C45&ssl=1",45,45,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Dartoid","author_link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/author\/dartoid\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"This is the traditional holiday column in which the Old Dart Coach kicks things off by singing \u201cDeck the Hall with balls from Holly,\u201d one of the great Christmas tunes.","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\/5817","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=5817"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6277,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5817\/revisions\/6277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5817"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}