It's 1 o'clock in the afternoon and Johnny Abbott and I are watching darts from England on TSN.....all we can do is watch in awe at the spectacle....the whole production value and the crowd atmosphere is simply sensational and what is this all about, two guys playing a game that you would normally play once you've had at least two or three beers in you....
I'm sure I've talked about it before in the blog, but just in case I haven't, one of the new travel goals is to head to England to watch one of these events live so I can join the other drunkards in song and dance as they cheer on their favourite "dartsman" (is that what you would call a darts player?) as they chase the infamous "180" or the ultimate goal of victory against another worthy foe....
Now you may have thought that the last paragraph was a little bit over the top, but when it comes to Darts on TV, that's the name of the game.....you talk about commentators sometimes having to grind to try and make something more interesting than it is (ex. Panthers v. Thrashers game on Sunday afternoon in April).... give it up for darts commentators who make it a point of making it seem like each game is like the last five minutes of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.....
Don't believe me.....check this out.....
The best part is from 1:18-2:05.....if you had no video and only audio, you would have thought he had found the cure for cancer and not someone playing a perfect game of darts.....
So, the commentators do their part, but the TV crews do an unbelievable job of making these darts players seem like gladiators entering the lion's den or MMA fighters ready to enter the octagon as they come out to entrance music and have female escorts.....
I can't believe it.....our Canadian guy actually comes out to the Star Wars theme, has his own Princess Leah and has a storm trooper lead him out to the stage.....that is awesome! Starts at 5:36...
But it wouldn't be complete without the fan base and the alcohol that comes with it.....there's even a darts song that the fans get up and dance to.....and it's the simplest dance....you just have to alternate putting your arms up and down....so simple, anyone can do it and it still can be done after a 12-pack into the night.....
Alright, after writing this quick entry, it's been decided that I have to get there sooner rather than later.....this is just too good to be true.....who's with me for some drunken darts?