Everyday is someones birthday....

An occasional feature of this blog will be a tribute
to someones birthday. A reminder to us all that as
we pull ourselves out of another long winter, on any
given day there is some reason to celebrate. Today
76 years ago Peter Alliss was born. A godfather
among commentators. A man who truly does have the
common touch.
Its a shame that a lot of commentary teams seem to
be just old boys clubs. There are some astonishing dull
and uninteresting individuals who claim to be pundits.
This area of sports presentation is so important in the
continued popularity that it deserves more care. Id love
to see some of these guys sent out to sell anything. They
would starve. I will not mention their names but we all
know who they are. Peter Alliss stood head and shoulders
above any of them. He was funny, laid back, interesting,
and smooth.
Once when he was commentating on a competition
in Florida, the camera moved to an alligator that was on the
course. He said that it reminded him of his accountant. He
wasnt always kind about caddies though....he once said that
the Dale caddies used to throw a brick through a jewellers
window so that they had somewhere warm to stay for the
winter. He was obviously talking about the old stylie caddies
like Billy the hat and Micky the moocher. Not us guys.
One of the things I like very much about his commentating
is his constant referance to clubs all round the country which
reminds the viewer that without these less famous clubs there
would not be such a richness of golf talent in this country. He is
a master at his craft and a phenomenal salesman for the game.
Happy birthday Peter old boy.......come and have a knock
round the Dale soon.
Stay cool , wont you..