Pubcast Episode 34

Shabadoo & the Tinman

The Tinman & Shabadoo we back in the mancave to record another podcast in what is being coined as a poolroomcast. The surrounding sporting memorabilia provided great inspiration as another tumultuous sporting week unravelled requiring our unique take.

The NRL was centre of the headlines and dominated the conversation from the start. Is Earl Sandor the tip of the iceberg and how many players out there are having sleepless nights. We also look at how the NRL is taking the use of drugs seriously, compared to the the lacklustre, slap them on the wrist, approach the AFL takes. Yet another league player is in the headlines for a selfie that would even make Kevin Rudd blush.

Rugby gets the Shabs fired up after the Wallabies were never given a chance by a referee so far in the back pocket of the All blacks side that they needed to extract him out of Richie Mccaw backside. Given poor officiating though the Wallabies were terrible and will never win a game until they learn that holding onto the ball and finding some passion for the game is required at the top level.

The half time break was provided by Wednesday 13 - Bad Things, a little song to fire up the F.U.N.Z. chant in everyone. For reference to the chant, check out this article,  The F.U.N.Z. Chant

Back from the break we get straight into the cricket and with the Ashes over and liquid urinated over the test pitch, it is no time to look at the Twenty/20 games & one dayers coming up. The Brisbane Heat are the champions in Australia but there was a void of players from the team in the Australian squad. So it was a little bit of a surprise that Australia won. Shane Warne may have gotten another serve in this sec? tion.

Before getting into the awards we give the weekly update on the Big Dogg team at Beach 365. Beside talking about how great Thursday nights are at Beach 365 we find time to talk up how well the team went this week. Maybe we need to get the members names on their singlets, Tinman, Shabadoo, F1 Adonis, Cheech, Sasquatch? Might need to find some more sponsorship dollars first though.

To close things out we finish with a Guns 'n' Roses classis - Mr Brownstone.

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Pubcast Episode 33

The Shabdoo was rather proud of his new cammo hat. It ain't too shabby.

After a slight delay we got the recording under way in the Tinman's man cave. The mighty pool room. The Shabadoo was on hand to cover the weeks events in sport and help deliver a few serves.

The NRL is getting toward the crunchy end of the season and after Fridays game it is starting to be apparent the the NRL has an agenda to ensure the final eight is made up of certain teams and preferably no Broncos. Regardless of how poorly the Broncos played in parts, some of the decisions by officials can not be seen as mistakes but purely as reason to think the organisation is either corrupt or has a hidden agenda. Rant aside though we do cover a bit more in the game.

Rugby is not great to watch if you are a Wallaby supporter but even if they were playing well, it is doubted the the officials would let them get close anyway. The All-Blacks are a great side but maybe the easy run they get from the tools with whistles has a large part to play in that.

Heading into the cricket we pause for a break and dedicate a song to Stuart Broad - Awolnation "Guilty, Filthy, Soul."

In the cricket, the Ashes has become a boring spectacle thanks to the negative slow approach England take to the game. Seems that they have forgotten that 2 runs an over and deliberately slowing play to a standstill is not great to watch. The Tinman lays in to Shane Warne &  Michael Clarke and both seem to think they are greater than the team.

The Tinman gives a wrap up of how the Big Dogg team went at Beach 365 during the week and seems to be a little peeved at some poor sportsmanship that surfaces in the game.

The awards wrap it up and one of the Big Dogg team members gets a fail nomination which was how we finished up with the closing song, The Doors "I'm Horny, I'm Stoned"

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Pubcast Ep: 32

Back again at The Cove, which will become a regular spot again. So if you are ever in Bundaberg, you are sure to catch The Tinman & the Shabadoo at Coral Cove Bar & Bistro on a Friday evening.

This week we are straight into NRL but not quite the same way that Sam Burgess was into Will Chambers. Obviously Sam gets a bit of a mention as it seems that the Burgess boys like a bit of controversy. We do find time to talk other topics in the NRL too.

ASADA is still in the headlines and even after 6 months of accusations, media hype and not much else we are still waiting to find out what ASADA actually have.

The cricket has been a debacle and the Australian batsmen a shambles. We unleash on the team and highlight what Queenslanders need to do to get into an Australian side that is chosen by selectors that have forgotten that Queensland is still part of Australia.

We pause for a mid-pubcast song that we dedicated to the likes of Burgess, Monolithic by Monster Magnet

Returning from the break it is all Rugby and with the Wallabies going into the Bledisloe with an Australian coach again the optimism is there. The Kiwis copped a few jokes but all comments were in jest and should be taken with a grain of salt.

The awards always wrap it up and Greg Martin is tipped to get the Marto again this week but you will have to listen to find out who gets the Bryce award for poor officiating and the SSO Fail award.

The closing song is a little different this week but I am sure it will put a smile on your face.

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Pubcast Ep: 31

The Tinman & the Shabadoo are back after a slight break and are joined by Filthy Phil for the latest installment. Recorded at the friendly surrounds of the Coral Cove bar & Bistro where the Tinman always shows his knack to win a raffle.

There is a lot going on in sport and the first topic is the one that just goes on and on and seems to be going nowhere. Will ASADA ever lay charges or tell the public what is going on?

The NRL is getting to the pointy end of the season and the Queensland teams are still in with a chance to sneak into the eight.

The farce that is DRS dominates the Ashes talk that should be focusing more on the inept effort by Australia's batsmen. 

The mid break song is staying and this weeks song is one that is fitting for what we think of a few English players.

Phil gives us the update on what is happening in the world of rugby and will the Wallabies be a show of force now with a decent coach & squad?

The Tinman let's loose on the Suarez debate at LFC and it seems he has little time for the player at the moment.

The awards always wrap it up and unfortunately the Big Dogg Beach Volleyball team received one due to a fairly poor outing during the week.

A song always finishes things up and although the lyrical content does not quite match the name of the song seems to be the directive the ICC is taking with DRS - Anything Goes.

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My LFC Experience: Day 4 "The Hangover"

I tried to sleep in but still rose at the normal time. It wasn't due to a hangover though, it is because I need more than a week to reset the body clock. Unlike the movie I can vividly remember every great moment of the night before and will talk about it for years to come.

Today was a day to explore Melbourne a bit and due to poor information from people withing the public transport system in Melbourne we got to explore a little more than we expected. Why is it that people in Melbourne are so grumpy? After a few days in a climate where the sun tries to battle through the clouds bit decides it would rather stay out of the cold and it starts to become clearer. I would be grumpy too if it was cold & miserable looking every day.

If you don't think that weather can make you grumpy then take a trip to Melbourne Zoo like we did today. Many animals just couldn't be bothered to come out of their warm little hiding spots or if they had no where to hide looked more miserable than me with a really bad hangover. It must be said though that we had a great time at the zoo and all credit must be given to the people who work there.

From there we went to a different zoo and one that can cost a lot of money. The Crown Casino. We were not here to lay down the preparation for a hangover but I did certainly sample a few beers. After some good wins early on the pokies it was time to indulge and treat my beautiful wife to a meal at a fine restaurant. We had reservations for Rockpool Bar & Grill, a Neil Perry restaurant, and it did not disappoint. From the moment we were taken to our table the service was first class. The food was devine but we made the mistake of ordering a starter, thinking the main would be a minimalist meal like you see served in so many top class restaurant. 

After the starter we knew we were in trouble as it was quite filling in it's own. When the mains turned up we were staring at dishes that had half a chicken and half a duck on them as well as a bowl of the best potatoes I have ever eaten. I would happily duplicate them but I would need to get hold of waigyu fat. The torturous part was watching my wife want to eat but not be able to and then even worse say no to dessert. 

After dinner were were so stuffed that we couldn't even think of walking back to the hotel so it was time to hit the tables. Seems the Tinman's luck shone through and even after spending over $200 on dinner we still came pretty much with what we started. Looks like tomorrow will not start with a hangover either.

My LFC Experience: Day 3 "You'll Never Walk Alone"

We set the alarm for 8am to ensure that we did not miss breakfast but there was no need. Even though the game was not for 12 hours we were up and ready before 8.

Before we set off for the game though we had some time to spend exploring parts of Melbourne. But where could we go that would be as memorable as watching Liverpool play? We went to Ramsay St. That's right. I watch neighbours. With my lovely wife we went on the neighbours tour and saw the sets & street that feature in the iconic show. You may laugh but if we did not go I may had been walking home to Bundaberg alone.

After the tour, and before a nice lunch we took in the hollywood costumes exhibition. Unfortunately they did not allow photos but it was a great experience to be able to see some of the costumes from many iconic movies. After a bit of nerve wracking jewellery shop visists it was time to kit up and head out to the MCG.

As a Queenslander I can only say one thing about the walk to the MCG and the wait outside the Don Bradman Entrance at gate 5. It was bloody cold. Is the weather ever sunny and pleasant in Melbourne? Maybe this is why I see so many cars getting angry with other people. I would be angry too if I never felt the warmth of the sun. But that is enough complaining about the cold.

We entered the stadium and found our seats before the pre-game function started. As you can tell by the photo we had pretty good seats. Before the game started the pre-game function allowed us the privilege of listening to and meeting a few well known name in footballing circles.

Craig Foster & Myself

Darren Burgess & Myself

Enough of the pre-amble though as like myself the only thing I am sure you are interested in is the game itself. From the moment it was announced the team was entering the field the crowd awoke and then the moment I had been waiting for occurred and it was greater than I had ever imagined. To stand up and sing with 95000 others "You'll Never Walk Alone" is one of the greatest moments in sport I have been part of or witnessed. I have been at Origins games and partaken in Queenslander chants but even the atmosphere of an Origin falls short on this moment. Never have I seen a crowd of such a size where so many are proudly & passionately supporting the same team. To those in the media who question why a game that is only a pre-season game can get such a turnourt obviously do not understand what passion is.

In the 31st minute the crowd got what they wanted. Crowd favourite Stevie Gerrard slotted in the first goal and the eruption from the crowd showed how popular Gerrard is with the faithful. With the score staying at 1-0 at half-time everyone was expecting Suarez to come on in the 2nd half. With this not happening, continuous chants for Suarez to be brought on were ignored until about the 70th minute mark. Suarez may have sparked up the crowd with the odd touch and setting up the final goal but most of the time he just didn't look like he wanted to be there. If he keeps playing with the same attitude I can see him walking on to another club sooner rather than later.

At the end of the night walking back to the hotel hand in hand with my wife in the large procession of 95000 people out of the stadium is was a slow but reflective moment. There may have been many police both on foot and mounted but the need was not there. This was a group all with the same passion and pride in Liverpool FC and a sign that as a Liverpool supporter you will never walk alone.

My LFC Experience : Day 2 "Are We There Yet?"

The first sighting of the Tinman in Melbourne

After waking up in the morning full of excitement, knowing that later that day I would be in Melbourne, it soon wore out. Yes I am still excited about seeing Liverpool play tomorrow but the journey to Melbourne was a frustrating journey.

Restless all morning we ended up being at the airport more than an hour early. But this is where the frustration with flying down began. Our travel agent had informed us we could take our bags onboard as we were allowed 2 each. What he failed to mention is that we had to keep our bags under 7 kilos. Not an easy task when you are packing clothes for a cold climate that a person from Bundaberg is just not used to. $80 dollars later and our bags were now being checked in.

We were about 5 minutes late heading out of Bundaberg but things were still on track. We knew we had 50 minutes between connecting flights so no panic had set in with this slight delay. When we noticed the plane was doing a u-turn at the Sunshine coast though, we knew something wasn't right. At this point the pilot indicated that Brisbane Airport was holding the flight up as it was not quite ready. A small delay but we would still have time to get out connecting flight to Melbourne.

When the plane did another u-turn again at the same point at the Sunshine coast we knew things we not going to schedule. At this point we were advised that we would be put onto a later flight to Melbourne as we would not be there in time for the scheduled flight. Seems all the negative things I have been hearing about Brisbane Airport and flight delays are spot on the mark. I was getting close to saying, "Are we there yet?"

We eventually got on the flight to Melbourne which was scattered with quite a few Liverpool supporters who were flying out of Brisbane. Economy is a seat I never want to fly in again as they are seats clearly designed for people who are no taller than 5'4 tall. Surely it is inhumane to make tall people sit in seats with such cramped leg room?  Although I must admit that the airline did get some credit when they did not charge for the beer. Maybe things were starting to look up for the day.

We eventually arrived into Melbourne, a little tired and a lot hungry. First thing though was to get checked into the hotel before finding a nice little restaurant to have an intimate dinner with my wife.  Walking the streets around the hotel looking for a suitable restaurant was a journey that really highlighted how many people are in Melbourne for the big game. There were people everywhere with shirts & scarves proudly displaying their passion towards Liverpool.

We eventually found a nice little restaurant and going by the number of people inside with Liverpool shirts on, it couldn't be too bad. Indeed it was a nice little intimate restaurant. We are now resting up ready for a big day tomorrow. I promise that on the way to the MCG I will not say, "are we there yet?"