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On the couch / Faithful to our thrilling old lass By Jerrold Kessel I suppose they're right, the nattering nabobs of Israeli soccer, calling off all games this weekend because of the war in the south. Yes, of course they are. Still, one can't help feeling just a little sad about the sensible decision. Of course, no one wants to be stupid or reckless, but while we love sports in the good times, we need it all the more in the bad times - as a diversion, as a way to focus at least some of our time on other important things. It's a time, too, when we need to feel inspired, a time more than ever when we'll thus have to rely on what action is provided for us on our TV screens. "Ata chai be'seret" ("you're living in a dreamworld") charges the son of a friend of mine who doesn't agree with his dad's liberal politics. And, of his propensity to tune away from the blanket war coverage and into TV sport. Advertisement He wouldn't have such a problem in England, from which I've just returned from a 10-day visit. Even during the Christmas-New Year period when in many parts of the world sport takes a back seat, if you don't go out to a match yourself and have only terrestrial channels, you can forget about getting anything sporting to watch; the most you'll find on the box are a few snippets of goals at the tail-end of the news plus once a week "Match of the Day" to round-up the Premiership action. That, and that all - nothing of the wonders that were going on Down Under where South Africa was taking over from India and upsetting Australia's cricket cart so dramatically. That made even more relevant an appealing e-mail I received from Betty Korman of Jerusalem: "How can we encourage the local cable companies to show more cricket? The "Cricket Show" on Fox," says Mrs. Korman strikingly, "is irritating with more advertising than any content. We did have the Ashes live a year-and-a-half ago, but since then NOTHING! I have many friends who are interested in watching cricket. My son (who has played cricket for Israel under-13 and under-17) learned so much from watching live cricket. Please, can you help us deprived cricket fans." Fox, as far as I understand it, Betty, are not to blame, having lost out in the bidding to an ESPN/STAR conglomerate that now controls all the rights to telecast world cricket. They, in turn, sell off regional rights to local buyers and apparently the Mideast was snapped up by a group which didn't want to include Israel. So I'm told, anyway, by people in the know. Still there are a couple of things you could do. For one, there's a great Web site www.ooxtv.com, which carries cricket live on the Internet (and other sports on allied sites). Obviously, it's not the same as on the TV unless a smart technician in the family can link the computer to the bigger screen. Then there's the possibility - though this costs a bit - of putting up one's own dish and finding a satellite provider who can give us action from South Africa, India or the Gulf where there are a couple of super cricket channels that, despite annoying between-overs commercials, are excellent value; almost all the major Test series are covered. There's yet another road we might take - induce or threaten Yes or Hot to understand that we honestly don't need 26 channels in exotic languages or half-a-dozen porno channels or 964 cooking channels, and that the well-being of Israeli youngsters requires a dedicated cricket channel. Anyone care to take upon him or herself the forming of such a lobby? After all, we're not asking for coverage of horseshoe tossing from Montana or the finals from the Brandfort Jukskei club in deepest dark South Africa. While we're getting this petition going, we should really also campaign to have ESPN's formidable Classic channel included in our Yes and Hot packages. They have wonderful replays of old events one can watch over and over again. Only yesterday I indulged one after the other in "The Rumble in the Jungle" when Ali beat Foreman in Zaire, a 1981 Test match in Wellington in which the Springboks beat the All Blacks despite a massive anti-apartheid demonstration, and the Springboks beating Australia on their return to World Cup cricket in 1992. Great stuff, and definitely worthy of inclusion on the roster on anyone who delights in being challenged for "living in a dreamworld." Without TV sport there's been a blessing though - plenty of time to read more on sport and to contemplate the state of our passion within the current wretched economic climate: The big problem that we are going to have to confront in 2009 is whether the squeeze may mean that there just won't be enough sponsorship money to ensure that we get all the action to which we've become accustomed on our TVs. As the IHT's sports editor Peter Berlien put it, "For anyone still clinging to the illusion that sport can ever hope to disentangle itself from politics or economics, 2008 was a sobering year." There's an upside to this economic downside. Sure, sport is the one thing we can afford to do without - or so we tell ourselves as sponsorships tumble like Aussie wickets to the Protea pacemen. Simon Barnes of the Times put it deliciously: "Suddenly, sport is no longer sexy, suddenly the gorgeous pouting minx of sport has found that no-one fancies her any more, or at least, they've stopped stuffing banknotes down her cleavage. What's a girl supposed to do in such circumstances?" Well, for one, sport can do a lot worse that cast away false admirers, even those with the big bucks and get back to its essence with less hype of celebs and their antics. For real fans, sport will always be as thrilling as it was, attractive as ever to those for whom its wonders never cease to fascinate, or as Barnes concludes, "All it needs is us: people who are stupid enough to care about it." Go on, call me "stupid!" But, I know pleasures to be had from Usain Bolt sending his bolts of lighting over the track, of Jason Lesack turning miracle provider for Micahel Phelps, of Bnei Lod eking out a last-minute victory to keep away from the clutches of the third division, of Detroit Lions fans remaining loyal for all that their team wasn't able to boast a single NFL victory all season long, of Pini vaingloriously battling his way back into the hearts of the Maccabi faithful, of Tiger limping bravely to greater glory still, and of the thought of Rafa and Roger, and maybe Andy, entrancing us with yet another magical final in just a few weeks time in Melbourne. Go on, call us "stupid!" Betty, start drawing up that petition! Readers are encouraged to send comments to jerrkess@yahoo.co.uk. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Crisis in question The Arab League slams Livni's remark 'there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza' Acts of Terror In their waning days in power, Bush and Rice work to try organize a truce.

Read & React Bush: Hamas attacks on Israel are an 'act of terror' Responses: 71 Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff: Now IDF is getting personal with Hamas Responses: 76 Yossi Sarid: If you (or I) were Palestinian Responses: 128 Anshel Pfeffer: Right and Left, Diaspora Jews more critical of Israel than ever Responses: 80 Bradley Burston: To win in Gaza, Israel only has to survive Responses: 50 More Headlines 01:36 Israel launches a ground operation in the Gaza Strip 01:36 WATCH: Israeli troops launch ground incursion in Gaza Strip 22:23 Barak: Gaza invasion won't be short, and it won't be easy 22:39 Hamas: Gaza will become graveyard for Israeli troops 00:03 Israel okays call-up of tens of thousands of IDF reservists 00:27 Hezbollah urges Hamas to 'kill as many Israeli soldiers as they can' during Gaza op 22:41 EU presidency: Israel ground op in Gaza 'defensive not offensive' 00:53 Tens of thousands rally across Europe against Israel's Gaza offensive 00:56 Thousands rally in Tel Aviv for and against Israel's Gaza op 01:17 UN Security Council to hold emergency session on Israel's Gaza operation 20:14 Netivot home collapses as Hamas intensifies rocket fire from Gaza 13:32 ANALYSIS / Are air strikes enough, or is a ground op needed in Gaza? 17:47 Arab League slams Livni remark 'there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza' 14:04 Bush calls Hamas attacks 'acts of terror', says working on truce 10:41 ANALYSIS / Israel must prepare to turn its military might from Gaza to Iran 09:42 UN chief wants international monitors for Gaza cease-fire 18:59 Gaza 2009 - To win, all Israel has to do is survive 18:45 Top Iran official holds talks with Syria on Gaza violence Previous Editions Select Day 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec 29 dec 28 dec 26 dec 25 dec 24 dec 23 dec 22 dec 21 dec

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