FINISH LINE: Slovenia soccer team shines on
Published 12:01 am Saturday, November 21, 2009
You missed a spot
In the lame history of lame stunts by lame politicians regarding upcoming sporting events, there finally has come a creative turn.
Rising so very far above the dreaded lame wager between mayors or governors or legislators, the 46-year-old Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor promised that if Slovenia could shock Russia to reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he would shine the players’ shoes.
Well, when little Slovenia (population 2 million) did shock big Russia (population 140 million) on Wednesday night, it loosed loud celebrations in the capital of Ljubljana, rowdy dancing in the stadium in Maribor and one quiet gesture in the dressing room of Slovenia.
As the smallest nation in the 32-team World Cup rejoiced and the newspaper Dnevnik prepared its headline, “To Africa With Clean Shoes,” Pahor told TV Slovenia: “I just cleaned the players’ shoes, but I admit I did not clean them thoroughly.”
PARTING SHOT
“Allen Iverson playing for a really bad Knicks team had all the seeds of an epic disaster.”
— Barbara Barker
The Newsday columnist after the Knicks announced Friday that they’re not going to sign the talented-but-tempermental Iverson, a free agent now after being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
