La Dee-vina Comedia

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." - President John Adams (although said in a court case before he became President).

"...it was England that transitioned soccer, or what the British and many other people around the world call “football,” into the game we know today. The English are credited with recording the first uniform rules for the sport, including forbidding tripping opponents and touching the ball with hands." I like that the British have been the leaders and creators of so many sports and sporting competitions - soccer, cricket, rugby, golf, tennis - but are so abysmal at all of them.

Is that what you saw or what you want? (Could be both, I suppose).

Fritsch spent most if not all of the last quarter on the half back line and played very well there. That might be a hint that Vince is in trouble and that the match committee believe they've got a replacement for Fritsch on the wing. Of course, as someone mentioned earlier, that might just have been to cover Jetta who I hadn't realised spent a lot of time on the bench in the last quarter. Anyway, I think Vince and Hannan would be the only two players who might be replaced although I wouldn't be at all surprised if there is no change.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good theory.

I thought it was the other way round. In the book "Tom Brown's School Days", the eponymous character goes to Rugby School which, the legend states, is where a game of football (soccer) was being played when one of the players decided to pick up the ball and run with it, therein inventing the game known as rugby, obviously named after the school in which it was first played. There's an American sports historian whose name escapes me who once said (and he may have been quoting someone else), "Soccer is a gentleman's game, played by gentlemen; Rugby Union is a thugs' game played by gentlemen; while Rugby League is a thugs' game played by thugs." Not sure what he would make of our game.

Them's fightin' words! But we'll (hopefully) have to agree to disagree.

I'd go one step further...if their feelings are hurt that much that it affects their performance, then they are probably not CEO material in the first place. I'm not for one moment saying that any of them feel that way. Hopefully, each has seen the opportunity to be considered to have been an honour in itself.

"Trust but verify", made famous by Ronald Reagan, sums your post up quite neatly.

I think you're confusing cheating with incompetence. And not just the umpires, but the whole Umpiring Department and the AFL's footy department.

Almost. I think it's the most important game since round 23 last year. That''ll be the margin, too. Just not sure which way. I suspect Tyson coming in might mean Harmes and Petracca play less midfield and more forward in place of Spargo. I think that's an improvement. Pedersen was so ineffective last week I can understand why T Smith has come in. Not introducing an additional tall backman seems risky, but might also give Joel Smith more confidence as the Match Committee is, in effect, telling him that they trust him.

We don't know about that. My suspicion has always been that giving up the pokies was the price to be paid for getting State and/or Federal government support (cash and perhaps expedited planning approval) for our new admin and training base, wherever that might be. And if we can make money out of the new site as well, all the better.

We made a mistake a few weeks ago when we stated we were getting out of pokies. What we should have done was consolidate that announcement with this one by stating that we were intending to move the pokies from Oakleigh to a new social club to be built over the Jolimont railyards next to our new training oval. After an expected outcry from East Melbourne residents and Ellen Sandell we would then "back down" by withdrawing the pokies component. The East Melbourne residents and Ellen Sandell would have had a victory and may then have accepted the rest of the proposal. I'm only half-joking.

I rather like the idea posted earlier of replanting trees which have to be removed on the site of the Punt Road Oval which is the real eyesore in the precinct.

So, what happens when a flat track bully in Port Adelaide meets another (possible) flat track bully? A high scoring affair? Or low scoring?

Do you mean Ellen Sandell was asking what concerns locals about the MFC proposal specifically or was it a more general question not linked to yesterday's announcement? If it's the former, she's been quick out of the blocks and suggests to me that she's already decided to object to it and wants to get the community to support her.

I reckon you can read whatever you want - harmony or disharmony - into that story. That the three internal candidates attended (harmony), Mahony took a later flight to Adelaide (harmony), "concerns key staff have harboured for the past week" (disharmony); the role Jackson did or did not play (disharmony). All in all, it's really just a puff piece presumably put out by the club to at least suggest harmony, whether it's true or not.

I think access for supporters is possibly the least important consideration for this venue. The primary aim would appear to be to consolidate admin and the footy department, including the gym and all the other stuff needed for indoor training, within one site and to have it near a training oval of similar dimensions to the MCG. The next consideration is to have it as near as possible to our home, the MCG. The third aim would likely be revenue generating possibilities. I don't know whether a social club and a "Demons store" are revenue positive or not, but I suspect both are likely to be less revenue positive than other options such as leased office space, a commercial car park or even a non-Demon branded coffee shop. My preference for that third aim would be to maximise revenue and if that means no social club or even a Demon shop, I could live with that.

I don't know how much the taxpayers contribute. (As an MCC member, it feels like I'm personally helping pay off the redevelopment of the stands built in the early 2000s every time I renew my membership). However, I'm sure it is significant. I agree with the points you make about transparency and equity.

Out of context I don't know what to make of this. Did he mean: (1) he's in favour of it but because the ALP is scared of the Greens, and the Greens hold the seats where this is to be situated, the Premier won't support the proposal so it won't happen; or (2) he's against it. The most likely scenario, though, is that he hasn't made up his mind because he hasn't had a chance to see what the opinion polls tell him. NB: Forget the Rod Grinter Riot Squad reference. I was going to make a comment on his earlier post but have changed my mind but been unable to delete the original reference.

I'm astounded that Fritsch (at 21) and Guelfi (at 20) are described as "mature age".

Old dee, could you please confirm whether I am meant to interpret this post optimistically or pessimistically.

Travelling from Melbourne to Alice Springs is approx 1,888 km whereas Melbourne to Perth is about 2,700 km. Since we won our last flag, West Coast has won three while travelling to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane far more than we ever have to travel. The excuse that we are 'flat' because we have to travel to Alice Springs doesn't wash with me. (Darwin, on the other hand, is problematic, not because of the distance but because of the conditions.)

I don't know if he can play as a forward, but in answer to your question, he would be playing with two in form, strong-running, strong-marking key forwards where as previously there was really only one. Could this be enough to mane a difference? I don't know.

The little bit of East Melbourne which is right next to the proposed site (ie, that bit south of Wellington Road and west of Hoddle Street) includes Berry St. Is there still the old "Berry Street Babies Home" there? And if so, does the MFC still support it? If the Home is still there, now would be a very good time for the club to make sure that it does support it and if it has been all along, to get maximum kudos for it (in a way which doesn't seem superficial or self-serving.)