Oh my, I poke my nose around the corner after what must be a good 12 months, and look what we have going on! lol
Naturally, I look toward the voice of reason to see if Jumkie is still here! ....and he is, but he's starting to sound a bit like me!!!!
Here's the point, Jumkie, my friend, is a good bloke! He has morals, and with those morals come a whole bunch of mates very close to him, which allows him to come on here and tell it as it is without fear of losing a whole bunch of mates!
I know exactly where Jumkie is coming from. There is an element of unsporting behaviour, bitchiness if you will! But then I ponder on the rivals Valentino has used these 'mind games' on. Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Tohru Ukawa, Sete, Marco Melandri, Dani Pedrosa? In a nutshell, those are the names Valentino has beaten on his way to many world titles. Now, in your wildest dreams, can you imagine any of those names with a string of blue riband titles against them?
Maybe, just maybe, Valentino 'has' been the man of the moment, rather than been the man of all time. He came to attention with his flamboyant character through the 125 and 250 ranks, at a time when the media was making the 'lesser' series' more accessable to us, the fan, and while a somewhat less flamboyant character in the guise of Mick Doohan was dominating the main event.
I'll be honest, I don't understand Rossi mania, but then I don't understand any kind of mania toward any person. A man is but a man after all. I respect, I don't hero worship.
Jorge is World Champion. But he is vulnerable. I feel he had an open door last year, and simply took the opportunity. But I feel he, like Valentino, 'needs' to feel 'loved'! ....................and Valentino fans know it, because they know if Valentino wasn't 'loved' he would be a different man.
I question whether Valentino would have had the same mental impact on his competitors, and the fans for that matter, if his time had been during the Rainey, Schwants, Gardener, Doohan era. Or fighting it out with Roberts and Sheene. I just can't see it.
Anyway, this season..... I think the times they are a changing! Lots of new quick names, but I feel a dark shark lurking in the waters! Fast, aggressive, and doesn't 'seem' to give a ....! Jumkie? The mind games won't matter! Ben Spies for World Champion!!!!!!
So shoot me!