The totally off-topic thread

[JohnK]

Anyone in Melbourne play golf at Growling Frog? Booked in for Saturday.

Also thinking about Melbourne Airport golf club for Sunday.

 

[JessicaTam]

Dear Pushka,

I am only just catching up with my AFF reading. I am sorry to hear your news - it will be a tough few days. My thoughts are with you.

Jess.

 

[medhead]

Interesting that I'm getting those dodgy "Tune your PC" pop up windows when viewing AFF. Now my employer's IT security system has blocked a "verified fraud page" in a pop up window.

 

[medhead]

Seems you're missing the difference between the Code and the clubs. The AFL doesn't seem to support the clubs all that much despite their wealth. Just look at the fate of my club, Fitzroy.

Beyond all their usual idiocy, and the whole East-West debate??



It was in the paper today that they are spending $12M to renovate a sporting ground for the St Kilda football club. The local council of Kingston is coughing up an additional $5M. The club (~$5M) and the AFL ($6M) will make up the difference. Remember the AFL is absolutely loaded. They made $1 Bn from the last TV deal. Where is all that money going?

It just seems manifestly unnecessary to me for taxpayers to subsidise the richest football code in the country, and one of the richest clubs. Especially when there are so many other more deserving organisations struggling to get by.

To put things in context St Kilda moved their base from Moorabbin to Seaford in 2010 following a $9.5M development down there. I don't see any problem with the Seaford facilities except that the players have to drive a little further to get to training. People talk about the club's "spiritual home" (e.g. ~1950s-2010) being in Moorabbin, but if you want the real spiritual home of the club it is the St Kilda Cricket Ground (aka Junction Oval) where they played their early matches and continued right up until after WWII.

I think the real winners here are:
1) St Kilda players who don't have to drive as far in their $100K+ cars from their $1M+ houses in the inner suburbs to training
2) People of Seaford who will hopefully get the run of the existing ground when the club vacates. Mind you a local club is unlikely to have the funds to adequately maintain such facilities

The losers:
1) State taxpayers
2) Kingston council rate payers


Maybe I am just cynical?

But hey, I wonder if they will cough up another $30M-$50M to redevelop Victoria Park so Collingwood can move back there from the Westpac centre... After all it is their "spiritual home" too?


NB / Caveat - I am not a St Kilda supporter, but even if I was, this seems like a waste of public money to me.

 

[penegal]

Seems you're missing the difference between the Code and the clubs. The AFL doesn't seem to support the clubs all that much despite their wealth. Just look at the fate of my club, Fitzroy.

Don't get me started on the AFL...

Such hypocrisy is unspeakable. I am still amused every time the salary cap is mentioned, but then the AFL disproportionately supports individual AFL clubs... That's fair, right?

---

The problem South Melbourne and Fitzroy had is that they were Melbourne teams when the league was trying to expand interstate. They both receive heaps more support now as Sydney and Brisbane respectively.




Anyhow, my rant is over. I am glad I can pay $64 less in council fees because I don't live in Kingston

 

[Hvr]

Anyone in Melbourne play golf at Growling Frog? Booked in for Saturday.

Also thinking about Melbourne Airport golf club for Sunday.

You've picked the two hottest days of the month. Think you'll be on your own there John.

 

[JohnK]

You've picked the two hottest days of the month. Think you'll be on your own there John.

Heat is nothing.

I've booked in with 3 others at Growling Frog so hoping not alone. It would appear I cannot play Melbourne Airport golf club without invitation. What is it with the snobbishness of some Melbourne golf clubs.

 

[anat0l]

You've picked the two hottest days of the month. Think you'll be on your own there John.

Heat is nothing.

Fisherman, golfer or avid camper alike - the weather is never a barrier!

 

[JohnK]

Fisherman, golfer or avid camper alike - the weather is never a barrier!

Cold is a different story.

 

[drron]

Sitting at my desk with tears. A friend passed away on Saturday, (2 years after a stroke, and just diagnosed with cancer) and another that I went to school with was killed in car accident last week, leaving a 14 year old daughter.

Yes, hug your loved ones.

This is obviously a week with bad stars.
One of the bridesmaids at our wedding moved to the Sunshine Coast a couple of years ago with her new partner,married earlier this year.
He was mowing the lawn whilst she was at work.Neighbour saw him on ground,called ambulance and he was resuscitated but now not recognising anyone,incontinent,unable to mobilise.Basically a vegetative state.life can be cruel.

 

[drron]

Cold is a different story.

If you are a member of the Coober Pedy golf club you have reciprocal rights at St.Andrews when the conditions are like this-

 

[whatmeworry]

Perfect weather in Melbourne. Hey Sydneysiders what's happening there?

 

[JohnK]

If you are a member of the Coober Pedy golf club you have reciprocal rights at St.Andrews when the conditions are like this-

That could be a good time to play golf at St Andrews. With frozen creeks and bunkers the ball could easily bounce out. And the ball won't be nestling into knee deep rough.

 

[anat0l]

That could be a good time to play golf at St Andrews. With frozen creeks and bunkers the ball could easily bounce out. And the ball won't be nestling into knee deep rough.

If you hit a ball onto a frozen water trap, does it still count as a penalty?

 

[drron]

definitely no penalty if it comes out of a hazard under it's own steam without human help.I have been able to do the Barnes Wallis trick twice hitting across a lake.Sadly the other 19076 times it didn't work.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

That's not an in car phone holder - this is an in car phone holder!



And I bought it off the taxi driver - been racking my brain for a XMAS gift for Cruiserette - you know - what do you buy somebody who has everything? Sometimes you just stumble over the right gifts!

 

[JohnK]

If you hit a ball onto a frozen water trap, does it still count as a penalty?

Not if you play the ball as it lies without grounding club in said hazard.

 

[JessicaTam]

I just watched the news.

Sydney, are you still there?

 

[Bindibuys]

I just watched the news.

Sydney, are you still there?

I drove down there today, managed to miss most of it by staying on the north side, (Neutral Bay, Frenches Forest) but then got the tail end of it about 5km from home.

 

[RooFlyer]

I just watched the news.

Sydney, are you still there?

Reminds me of the story, probably apocryphal, that after Cyclone Tracey hit Darwin on Christmas Day, no-one in the outside world noticed (or realised) for 'a long time' because no-one was monitoring comms properly (being Christmas Day) and in those days, who thought Darwin being off the air was unusual?