George Best

This morning when I woke the first thought that flickered through my mind was how is George Best? I thought hed died during the night, but there is nothing on the news confirming this, so all must be well with the world. But regrettably, not for long.

I had the great pleasure of seeing George in the flesh over a hundred times, and many of those matches remain clear in the memory. He was the kind of player you couldnt keep your eyes off for long, for if you did, you might miss his latest piece of magic, kind of Rooney with many more goals.

There are so many stories of George, most of them you will have heard before, but I like the one of when he was a young lad and he first arrived at Old Trafford as a very skinny kid. He took the ball up to Harry Gregg, coolly dribbled round him and tapped the ball into an empty net. "Come here you little *******! How dare you do that to me," snarled Gregg, a senior pro from the old school who hated to concede goals, even in training.

George promptly did the same thing, three times more, and Gregg knew theyd discovered a star.

I suppose one of his most famous games was the match in Lisbon against Benfica in 1966. United had won the home leg 3-2 and were widely expected to go out in the return. (United having to win or Draw in Lisbon to stay in the competition, familiar eh?) Benfica were a much bigger club then than now, recently European Champions. But Best was unplayable that night, scoring two fine goals and United won 5-1 in that famous stadium. Even the locals applauded his brilliance and christened him "El Beatle", shades of Ronaldinho at the Bernabeau last weekend, or Thierry Henry at Portsmouth a couple of seasons ago. When the home fans applaud, you just know youve witnessed something special.

But my favourite match was for Northern Ireland in Belfast. The one against a very good Scottish team in 1967, and he didnt even score, but I have never witnessed a game where a single player dominated the whole of a game from beginning to end, as George did that day, not until Maradona came along anyway.

If ever there was a game of one player against eleven it was that day. George demanded the ball, and the lads in green gave it to him at every opportunity, because they knew he was simply unplayable. If you ever have a chance to see a video of that match, watch it, and you will see what I mean.

So where does Besty stand in the all time rankings? Right up there of course, for me, admittedly Im bias, he is head and shoulders above anyone else who ever came from these islands, certainly a better player in my humble opinion than Cruyff, which leaves those famous two old rivals, Pele and Maradona, both truly brilliant, but George was right up there with them, he was that good. The great Pele when addressed as the worlds greatest player said, no, the greatest player is George Best.

When he was at his very best he was unstoppable, and when he was like that, Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law (European footballers of the year both) would simply give him the ball, stand back and admire, and let him get on with it. He packed the grounds wherever he went, he played the game with an outrageous smile on his face. He inspired kids the length and breadth of the land, in playgrounds and on scruffy fields everywhere, he inspired them to try something special, something different, because they had seen Georgie do it on the telly.

The Liverpool Daily Post, a one eyed newspaper if ever there was one, as I suppose local newspapers are meant to be, once ran a huge headline which read: EVERTON FALL TO THE GENIUS OF BEST. I took the Daily Post for thirty years, and I can never remember them ever writing about an opposition player in such glowing terms, before or since. George had the habit of winning over the most hard-hearted of opponents.

Yet he was a man of many weaknesses, hands up those of us who dont have any of those, yet the people who knew him best, spoke of him as a generous and caring man, and I believe that to be true. On the football field he had no weaknesses. None whatsoever, he could shoot with either foot, he was a good header of the ball, a great tackler, an unsurpassed dribbler, (a rare talent today), he was quick, and dont forget he played in an age of ferocious tacklers, where the tackle from behind was legal and sendings off a rarity, and he gave as good as he received, but most of all, he had the ability to produce the unexpected, the true sign that marks out the great ones.

And now he is gone, and I for one will miss him greatly. But all those memories will live with us forever, and for those George, I thank you. George Best died peacefully in hospital in London with his family around him.

George Best

22nd May 1946 25th November 2005.

Rest in peace.

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Spring Cleaning: New Twist on an Old Tradition

When I was growing up in the 1940s spring cleaning was an annual event. Housewives prepared for spring cleaning with military precision. Because Monday was wash day, housewives usually started their spring cleaning on that day. But spring cleaning could last days or even weeks.

My mother took down all of the curtains in our house and washed them by hand or in the washing machine. I thought the washing machine was a metal beast, and actually, it could be dangerous. One day I heard my mother call me from the basement. Though her voice sounded calm, I sensed an urgency in it, and ran down the basement stairs.

My mother's hand and upper arm were caught between two rubber rollers. This wringer mechanism squeezed excess misture from clothes and you had to "feed" the clothes into the wringer one by one. Fortunately, I was able to reverse the rollers quickly and my mother wasn't injuired.

Like the other housewives on the block, my mother laid our scatter rugs on the front porch to freshen them in the sunshine. Larger rugs were hung on the clotheline and mother beat them with a rug beater. But the "star" of my mother's cleaning equipment was her vacuum cleaner.

A traveling salesman managed to sweet-talk my mother and gain entry into the house. The salesman spotted my father's ash tray (he didn't know about the dangers of smoking) and dumped its contents in the middle of the rug. My mother gasped in alarm. "Don't worry," the salesman said. "This vacuum will pick it all up." And it did.

My mother was so dazzled by the demo and sales pitch that she bought a vacuum cleaner. To say my father wasn't pleased is an understatement. Young as I was, I picked up on the fact that this was an expensive vacuum cleaner. Howwever, it was efficient, just as the salesman said, and we used it for years.

The electric vacuum and washing machine were invented in 1903. Most families had these appliances, and a few had a mangle, an electric appliance that ironed flat items. Commercial laundries had dryers, but they weren't avaiable to the home market yet. Housewives dried their laundry on outdoor or indoor clotheslines.

Our pully-type clothesline went from the kitchen window to the garage. This was a simpler time, a time when nobody locked their doors and when modesty was alive and well. My mother hung underwear inside a pillow case so nobody could see "unmentionables." In my mind I still see sheets flapping in the wind and smell the wonderful outdoorsy smell of those sun-dried sheets.

The concept of spring cleaning is also etched in my mind.

After I married I felt guilty because I wasn't doing my spring cleaning. What was wrong with me? Nothing was wrong. I lived in a time of electric or gas dryers, dishwashers, dusbusters, and powerful detergents. Cleaning equipment had improved so drastically that I did a little spring cleaning all the time.

Spring cleaning is an old idea, but it's still a good idea. Today, spring cleaning may include home inspection, trying new products, identifying and removing mold, and maintaining your home.

INSPECT YOUR HOME. Cleaning gives you the chance to look at things close up. I didn't know we had a cracked window until I looked behind a blind. Apparently the neighborhood boy who mows our lawn had hit a stone and the stone cracked the pane. So check your windows, look for cracks, peeling weather stripping, and other signs of wear.

CHECK FOR MOLD. Though molds are a natural part of your environment, some molds cause health problems. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, mold can cause allergic reactions and asthma. Mold grows in damp places so look for moisture as you clean. Fix a moisture problem right away because mold can get worse.

TRY NEW PRODUCTS. A vast array of cleaning products are available to us. I think the new static-charged dust mops and dust cloths are one of the best inventions yet. Stovetop cleaner is another time-saving invention. I use it to clean my stovetop, my oven window and toaster oven window. Stovetop cleaner also removes spots from counters.

MAINTAIN YOUR HOME. I've moved so many times I've lost count, but I learned a lot from realtors. One thing I learned is that clean places sell faster than dirty ones. Good cleaning practices also protect your home. "I don't know why, but empty houses get dirty," a realtor explained. "Dirt builds up and the property starts to deteriorate." Cleaning may be boring, but think of it as a way to maintain your home.

So I guess our grandmothers and mothers were right about spring cleaning. Thank goodness we have an array of appliances and products to help us. Spring cleaning is an old idea with a new twist. Put on your gloves and get to it!

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

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