  Readers, S&T was a little disturbed by the story in this month’s news that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has gone High Def. We don’t doubt that the Lycra-obsessed ‘fighting’ genre can afford such lavish kit, but surely such technical wizardry will just make it easier to spot all the props and wires etc? And won’t some of the wrestlers have to lose dressing room space to accommodate the HD trucks? It could be handbags at dawn....
We are extremely concerned that the superior technology will render Rey Mysterio’s mask completely see-through thus unveiling him to be the janitor from Scooby Doo (see last issue of S&T) or someone equally bland/nefarious (delete according to your view of the janitor’s role in Scooby Doo. This could of course equally be applied to lovable pugilistic cartoon hound Hong Kong Phooey, who thanks to the observations of a reader following last month’s S&T, was unveiled as also being a janitor, in his case, a mild-mannered one called Henry).
Janitors aside (although we doubt much sweeping up/chair stacking/chewing gum removing/martial arts japery will be going on in the empty classrooms of the US this coming weekend), one sporting occasion guaranteed to excite the manufacturers of HDTV units is of course the National Football League’s Super Bowl. And that’s not necessarily because such manufacturers are (like S&T), fans of the sublimely magnificent New England Patriots (go Pats!), but because this weekend’s extravaganza is expected to drive the purchase of 2.4m HDTV sets by American fans according to a survey conducted by the Sports Video Group and Consumer Electronics Association. Apparently, beer and popcorn (and perhaps a few boxes of pizza) are no longer enough to enjoy Super Bowl weekend; a swanky big screen is a must-have item. All the better for viewing ESPN’s HD coverage….. Fries with all that anyone?
S&T’s next line was going to refer wittily to the Patriots’ inevitable thrashing of the New York Giants on Sunday, thus securing the team’s place in NFL history through becoming the second team in the modern era to achieve an unbeaten season. And BTW, whoever believes that the Pats’ ingenious studying of their competitors on videotape was cheating rather than just good business gumption clearly has no sense of competitive spirit. Unless that’s the view of the NFL of course in which case it was all very naughty and coach Belichick deserved his $500,000 fine, yes indeedy. However, when we say such expectantly success-related things about our beloved Exeter City FC, we normally put the hoodoo on them good and proper, thus ensuring eternity is spent in a lower division (otherwise known as Hades/The Blue Square Premier, or the Football Conference in old money). So we won’t say anything.
We did however promise to share the following joke with you that was sent in by another reader, thus doubling our mailbox for the past month. Here goes:
A joke about the Patriots  God had an opportunity to meet with three of his favourite New England Patriots, Randy Moss, Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick.
God spoke with Moss first and asked: "What do you believe?" Randy thought long and hard, looked God in the eyes and said: "I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving. I believe in always doing right by my fans."
God couldn't help but see the essential goodness of Moss, and offered him a seat to his left.
Then God turned to Brady and asked: "What do you believe?" Tom said: "I believe passion, discipline, courage and honour are the fundamentals of life. I have always tried to be a true sportsman, both on and off the field."
God was greatly moved by Tom's sincere eloquence, and offered him a seat to his right.
Finally, God turned to the coach and asked, "What do you believe?"
Belichick replied: "I believe that you are in my seat."
Talking of God, the ethereal being has had a bit of a busy month (in addition to saving the world from global warning/the Spice Girls and watching ‘Strictly Come Walking on Water’ that is). GodTube.com, the website which S&T delightedly reported in a previous issue (we can’t be bothered to look up which one; just ask God), set the record as the number fastest growing website in the US according to ComScore during its first official launch month, has only gone and partnered with Los Angeles-based Fluidesign to bring the world's first Virtual Video Prayer Wall to life. (Los Angeles is the City of Angels after all). According to a press release about the partnership: “Fluidesign took the new internet sensation, the Virtual Video Prayer Wall, from concept through design and implementation in record time.” Thanks to a bit of divine intervention perhaps?
"Fluidesign is built on the principle of pushing the envelope of everything we do," added Michael Schneider, CEO and founder of Fluidesign, in the press release worthy of a punning Pulitzer award. That’ll be a prayer envelope obviously……….Stop it. Our sides are splitting. Pass the Sellotape. Or the Communion Plonk. We’re not fussy.
For Whom the Bell Tolls  Finally, before S&T heads off to buy a HD television set for Sunday night and offers up a small non-denominational prayer for the Pats, we’d like to forewarn you of a change that is almost upon you and will affect your reading experience of S&T from March onwards. After nearly five years of producing award-winning (from our mum) online missives (heck, we started off as an internet newsletter and are now an ezine apparently; tres grown up), S&T is going post-retro chic and turning from a monthly outpouring into a slick, glossy, luxurious quarterly magazine supplement which will be found in the centre pages of SportBusiness International Magazine, our parent publication. Yes, it’s true. S&T will become a pull-out after next month’s final online issue. Ouch – just watch those staples.
Just to clarify, the February issue of S&T will be the last EVER issue in this format. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. We won’t be there to pick up the pieces when you log on in March for your monthly fix of technology-related sporting news in a junkiesque frenzy and then fall to the ground in a sweating swoon when you realise the content is the same as February’s. It’ll be your own faults, you sorry souls.
We think the change is a positive step, indeed, we deserve a little luxury now that S&T Towers has relocated to the quiet fields of Devon (quiet that was until we were dive-bombed by an angry swan over the weekend when walking by a canal. Now we fully appreciate the WWE term ‘swan-tom-bomb’.) However, we need to find some new hobbies to fill our time between issues (after all, we haven’t had a break from this monthly diatribe for 57 months, yikes), so this really is your last chance to write to us, if you can be bothered, and make some suggestions. That we can publish in the February issue of course. The February issue being the last EVER issue of S&T in this format. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. We won’t be there…oh sorry, we’ve said that already.
Go on, be a Devil………….write/email/carrier pigeon us. We may even award a prize for the best suggestion. But then again, we probably won’t.
In the meantime, don’t forget that next month’s S&T is the last EVER……etc. Ciao until then you crazy kids….
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