The darts on Sky

[NickSTFU]

The darts on Sky

Calvert wrote: I watched ten minutes of this earlier during half time of the Arse -Chelsea game and it just looked like the darts was pretty much providing some background to a massive piss up.

James Wade thinks so too.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/darts/james-wade-been-hit-cupids-2947927

[Calvert]

The darts on Sky

Her right hand in that black & white photo must be very cold judging by the expression on his face.

Wade meets Andy ‘The Pie Man’ Smith on Monday night for a place in the last 16.

Hahahaha

There's not much more to say about Darts, is there.

[Borracho]

The darts on Sky

It's only a bit of crack. I don't think anyone's claiming it's up there with the 1970 World Cup or anything.

The punters (I almost typed the much more apposite "pinters") in the crowd are striving manfully to outdo each other for sad wacky student-type get-ups. During the Raymond van Barneveld match the other night I spotted some Mexican bandits, some yellow-suited lab technicians who looked like Altern 8, a hippo, a gorilla and countless elves.

It's a glorified cover story for a mammoth session, but then so are lots of things. Munster rugby, for example.

[Ray de Galles]

The darts on Sky

Calvert wrote: I watched ten minutes of this earlier during half time of the Arse -Chelsea game and it just looked like the darts was pretty much providing some background to a massive piss up.

Weird sport.

I bet it was a fuck sight better sport than Arsenal v Chelsea.

I went last week and I don't think I had that much more to drink than I would on an afternoon out around a football match, didn't go anywhere near fancy dress ( and neither did large amounts of the crowd) and actually really enjoyed the darts itself.

The sporting event it reminded me most of in terms of the actual action was tennis, perhaps peculiarly.

.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The darts on Sky

Much like tennis, it's unbearably exciting when it's at its closest and best, and as dull as fuck when it's not. That's matchplay for you. Golf abandoned matchplay for a number of reasons years ago except in the Ryder Cup, which (funnily enough) is the most exciting and eagerly-anticipated event in that, too. Funny that.

Darts could, let's face it, be like archery or shooting at the Olympics, and just have them aiming at the bull. Again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again, then someone wins. Darts as entertainment is better by a factor of treble three and double two.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

The darts on Sky

Yet both have the commonality that you always need to win that last game to get over the line and there's always the chance of a shift of momentum or a choke. Whereas most other sports if you get a good lead you don't have to score any more to win, just stop the other side scoring. That keeps darts and tennis interesting until the last.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The darts on Sky

Some of darts' greatest finals have had that incredible comeback element - Bristow coming from 5-0 down against a clearly more and more rattled Jocky Wilson to 5-4 before Jocky finally won in 1989. And Martin Adams against Phil Nixon in 2007(?) where Adams led 6-0 but only won 7-6 in the end.

[NickSTFU]

The darts on Sky

I like to the watch the darts, particularly if the football is shit (Arsenal and Chelsea I’m looking at you) but I’m not a follower.

So I never realised that James Wade has been diagnosed as bipolar. Of all the sports, the isolation of the player on the stage the intimacy of the TV camera revealing the players triumph or despair - the pressure. Not to mention a theatre of pissed up punters dressed as characters from Rainbow.

I’ll never call him a miserable bastard again.

http://www.jameswade.co.uk/index.php/wade-shares-his-struggle-with-bipolar/

http://sabotagetimes.com/reportage/the-times-should-hang-its-head-for-ribbing-james-wade%E2%80%99s-depression-related-weight-gain/

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The darts on Sky

First-time semi-finalist Peter Wright (43)'s wiki entry:

"He is known for his mohawk hairstyle which changes colour each tournament and is made by his wife who is a hairdresser. His nickname 'Snakebite' refers to his favourite alcoholic beverage."

[hank williams]

The darts on Sky

Hopefully MvG wins the final, he deserves to be a World Champion. If he does he will be the first player to knock Taylor off the top of the rankings since 2008.

[Toro Toro]

The darts on Sky

Wright has just won his first leg in eleven. This is a procession so far.

[Borracho]

The darts on Sky

How can a man go out in public looking like that? How?

[Borracho]

The darts on Sky

Wright finally wins a set, and appears to say to the camera "Going for a shit" as he walks offstage.

[Borracho]

The darts on Sky

Wright wins another set to make it 4-2. Hmmm.

[Borracho]

The darts on Sky

Wright has another set within his grasp -- but messes it up and van Gerwen holds firm to make it 5-2. That's probably the end of it now.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

The darts on Sky

A score like 5-2 is never it in darts because you've always got to go out and get over the line. Obviously he should win but it's no forgone conclusion.

[Wouter D]

The darts on Sky

7-4 to Van Gerwen.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

The darts on Sky

Yep, although his level dropped off massively after 4-0. Which maybe isn't all that surprising as the nerves would have taken over. Wright had two darts to make it 5-6, with MvG's head already not in the best state, and that would have led to a very interesting finale.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The darts on Sky

The 2015 version of this is down to the last 8, resuming on Friday.

Michael van Gerwen - Robert Thornton
Peter Wright - Gary Anderson
Phil Taylor - Vincent van der Voort
Stephen Bunting - Ray van Barneveld

3 Dutchmen in the last 8, but probably the biggest surprise is to see Bunting in there - he swapped to the PDC after winning the BDO version last year, but only came into this event ranked 27th by the PDC.

Bunting, Taylor, Anderson and Wright all averaged over 100 in their last 16 tie, but as if to show that averages and stats don't mean everything, Thornton is averaging 95, has only hit 36% of his checkouts, and yet has won his three matches without losing a set so far.

[Gangster Octopus]

The darts on Sky

We know.

[Gangster Octopus]

I thought for a moment that we'd see the end of Phil Taylor...

[Ray de Galles]

He was so crap I don’t see him lasting long, hopefully.

There for the semi-finals on the 30th after missing it for a few years being on holiday over Xmas.

[jason voorhees]

Was watching Chelsea-Shampton. My wife asked "let's see what's on" HGTV (Home and Garden Network,) and there was talking wallets.

Then "let's see what's on the Food Network." There were talking chickens.

(By this point I was starting to chuckle.)

Then "let's see what's on the Oprah Network." There was a commercial with talking cars.

(Full laughing. Legit LOL.)

Then finally, "let's see what's on BBC America."

Thousands of people singing. Giant immense crowd like a boxing match with the great boxer Conor McGregor.

Fat men throwing darts.

(Full beer-belly guffaw)

A half hour later, my wife asking "how is the best show on tv a bunch of fat men throwing darts?"

Indeed, great television.

I daresay an even more perfect show for the American attention span. American football takes about :60 seconds between plays. Bowling takes about :30 seconds between each roll. This does 3 throws in less than :10 seconds.

We're hooked.

[nmrfox]

Monumental semi final in which first timer Rob Cross defeats MvG in the deciding leg. Brilliant stuff and utterly gripping. Sadly the nasty little pervert got through to the final and will no doubt win it to finish his career "in style".

[Ray de Galles]

I was there tonight and that second semi-final between van Gerwen and Cross was astounding. I wanted MvG to go through but nobody could begrudge Cross his victory after such an epic contest. Utterly thrilling, draining stuff that is certainly the greatest darts match I’ve ever seen live.

It made up for Lewis losing to the sewer rat and I just hope Cross can go all the way and deny that scumbag his fairytale finale.