TV blackout

In my previous entry I noted the imminent arrival of summer. Of course, I'm not a big fan of the hot weather (as those who continue reading in the coming months will realise), however, there is one thing about summer that I've always loved, always treasured, ever since I was a teenager. Watching the English Premier League highlighs on Monday night.

There was always something undeniably special about kicking back on those warm nights, watching my beloved Manchester United 169% Own pretty much everyone who got in their way. Alas, this looks unlikely to happen this summer, as SBS has been unable to secure the rights to show it on free-to-air. I'm not likely to pay the $50/month to get cable just for an hour of TV a week, so unless this can be resolved in some way, it looks like coming to an end, sadly. That pretty much means I can probably get rid of my TV altogether now.

Shortly after hearing the announcement my mind was filled with memories of some of the things I've seen on those balmy monday nights. Of course, I discovered it almost by accident, baby-sitting my neighbour's kids one night back in December 1991. I still remember Manchester United beating West Ham 2-1, and I remember taking a particular interest in that game, having known the names of most of the Manchester United players through a computer game I had at the time. Of course, this was the roots of the team that went on to totally dominate the game for the next decade.

I think the 1993/94 team is the one I remember most fondly. I guess it's because I was of an impressionable age at the time, but ask any United fan about names like Cantona, Hughes, Schmeichel, Kanchelskis, Giggs, Robson, and possibly even Ince (although he later committed the ultimate sin and turned out for Liverpool). It's hard to say just what that team could have achieved. United could never field it in European competition due to the old "three foreigner" rule. By the time that was scrapped, that team has passed it's peak, and a new breed, led by the likes of Beckham, Scholes, and the Neville brothers had taken over.

When I think back to those relatively carefree days, those Monday nights are always on my mind, just as much as some of the things I used to get up to with my friends, some of which I no longer have contact with. Now it appears another tradition is about to die. While we must all let go of the past and move on, sometimes it would be nice to keep some of the little things intact, if only to serve as a reminder.