Top-flight football and competitive golf and tennis are back after the coronavirus shutdown, with club rugby’s restart in Scotland scheduled for Saturday as Glasgow and Edinburgh clash at Murrayfield.
In a series of Q&As to mark the return of the action, Courier Sport’s writers – today it’s Steve Scott – lift the lid on their idols, favourite events and sporting pet hates.
First sporting hero:
Three particular ones as a boy, and I got to see two of them live. Kenny Dalglish was a hero to every Scottish boy in the 1970s regardless of affiliation, as was Scotland full-back Andy Irvine. But I never saw Viv Richards play except on TV. The coolest man in sport came with the West Indies tourists of 1980 to play a two-day game against Scotland at Forthill in Broughty Ferry, and it rained solid both days.
Favourite sporting event you’ve attended or covered:
The 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club, Chicago. No explanation is really necessary, but it was already a brilliant experience even before the unmatched drama of the final day. Five weeks in Japan at the Rugby World Cup last year would have surpassed it, if the rugby had been even halfway decent.
Sportsman or sportswoman you were blown away by when you watched them live:
I’m not easily impressed…but watching Jason Robinson, the England and Lions wing, run with his legs a blur like a real-life Billy Whizz was truly awesome. I’ve never seen a human being move so fast.
What other athletes do you enjoy watching today?
I like watching Tiger Woods now more than I did at his peak; he’s much more relatable and a more imaginative player. Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell in full flow are a delight Scottish rugby fans waited too long for. And Leone Nakarawa, the Glasgow and Fiji lock. Even press box cynics find themselves laughing at his audacity and athleticism.
Favourite sports pundit:
Tony Romo, big game analyst for CBS’ coverage of the NFL in the USA. Funny, unashamedly enthusiastic, and so knowledgeable that he correctly predicts what’s going to happen before it does.
What do you like best about Scottish sport?
That we are a tiny little country which has had such a profound influence on the history of so many sports, and still punch way above our weight. I love that golf is so celebrated and acknowledged across the world as the game Scotland created.
What infuriates you about Scottish sport?
The extreme factionalism and hatred, an abomination on what should be simple and joyous, for both participant and spectator.
What historic sporting event do you wish you’d witnessed?
I’ve written and read so much about it, and the details are so cloudy even at just 70 years distance, I’d like to walk every shot of Ben Hogan’s 1953 Open victory at Carnoustie, the only time the great man played competitively in Britain.
Favourite Courier Country moment:
The 1999 Open at Carnoustie. I ran round from the press tent to the 18th green when it became apparent that the first born and bred Scot in 100 years was about to win the Claret Jug, figuring it might be another 100 years before it happened again. I got there just in time to see Paul Lawrie’s six-iron finish four feet from the flag and a partisan crowd go nuts.
Best sports book, film or documentary you’ve read or watched:
Two books from the 1930s – Paul Gallico’s Farewell To Sport, detailing his years as a US sportswriter covering the “Golden Age” of Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth and Bobby Jones, and The Spirit of St Andrews by Dr Alister MacKenzie, the architect of Augusta and many other great golf courses. Both have bits that are – ahem – of their time, but so much is evocative and still even relevant to today. Other than those, Roger Angell’s beautiful elegies to baseball in the New Yorker turned me into an avid fan of that game. People should really read more.
