Vale Peter Roebuck

[Father Jack]

I enjoyed his commentary, won't quite be the same without it. Agree with him or no, was always worth a read.

 

[mattymac]

wow thats one for the books. sad for his family.

i wonder what they took from his room? i hope for everyone's sake what it sounds like isn't the case especially for his family

 

[Tulip]

Sounds like the Police knocked on his door, so it must have been something devastating for him to just eck himself after they left

 

[Blessed]

In his diary of a season "It Never Rains", Roebuck reflected upon how strange it was "that cricket attracts so many insecure men."
"It is surely the very worst game for an intense character, yet it continues to find many obtuse sensitivities among its players," he said.
"Men of imagination, men of ideals risk its harsh exposures."

 

[XFactor1979]

Whoa, thats a jolt of shock to the system

Definite outsider

 

[Daytripper]

Always offered thought provoking opinion and comment. Didn't always agree with him but pretty obvious he genuinely loved the game and had a real passion for it. Cricket commentary in this country will be all the worse for his passing.

His personal life is of no interest to me.

 

[Jef Costello]

Class, insight and decorum from Gideon as per usual (see video).
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-13/peter-roebuck-dies-at-fifty-five/3663176

There will be plenty of time to rake over the coals should it unfortunately prove necessary. l didn't always agree with what he wrote, sometimes great, occasionally horrid like Sydney, but it (along with his better broadcasting) was certainly skilled and he knew the game exceedingly well. To my mind, for today, it is worth recognising his contribution to cricket and expressing sadness at that passing.

 

[dmc333]

Shocked. Besides being a good writer on cricket he could play the game at a high level as well.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/19456.html

Captained England 'A' I believe (and lost to Netherlands in a one day game I think).

Played 335 1st class matches.

Played for Somerset along side Ian Botham and Viv Richards.

Scored a 100 against the touring Australians in a county match, when Australia was near the top of their game. From memory I think the English selectors gave him some consideration to play for England after that match.

Two blokes who had zero regard for him.

 

[PHX]

Didn't always agree, and at times loathed but he was an individual mind and one to be overall respected.

Cops have taken suspicious items from his room.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...-in-south-africa/story-e6frg7mf-1226193735099

They had quized him only an hour before he topped himself.

He had reportedly been spoken to by police earlier and had been seen in an agitated state.



In his diary of a season "It Never Rains", Roebuck reflected upon how strange it was "that cricket attracts so many insecure men."

"It is surely the very worst game for an intense character, yet it continues to find many obtuse sensitivities among its players," he said.

"Men of imagination, men of ideals risk its harsh exposures."


Only pieces to the puzzle but the picture is coming together.

 

[XFactor1979]

He didnt have many friendships with players, he stood on the side and observed

A lot of people dont like that

 

[The Speaker]

Good to see we have so many psychologists on this board.

Vale Peter. Your steadfastness and sureness was unique, and valued.

 

[Gasometer]

Roebuck was the only reporter worth reading re cricket.

Sorely missed.

 

[RandB]

I agree with everything TBD said.

I went off Roebuck after Sydney too and it wasn't just the Symonds issue. I think he over stepped his bounds as a commentator with the conveyance of his opinions, especially on Ponting along the way.

As a journalist I don't judge him as harshly as at least that was the domain to get his grievances across.

He still had his place though and offered great insights and discussion, it's just a shame that I became disinterested in them post-Sydney.

Inevitably a loss to his industry and understandably sad news (to many) at his passing.

 

[galindez]

He didnt have many friendships with players, he stood on the side and observed

A lot of people dont like that

Well his role was to observe and report on what he observed so that sounds like a positive trait to me. Sports writers too often try to be mates with their subjects, it makes them toothless. Whatever else you can say about Roebuck, he wasn't that

 

[Joffaboy]

I disliked Roebuck intensly. I hated his haughty prose when writing, I hated his pompous foppish , oh Hooray Hillary, jolly hockey sticks, oh so English understatement in his commentary.

I hated his abuse and siding with racists in the Symonds incident. I was enraged at his unjust and hypocritical critisism of the Australian cricket team and the way they beat India in Sydney.

He attacked Ponting in the most disgusting of ways, taking the moral high ground, even though he assaulted two 19 year old SA cricketers by beating them on the buttocks with a stick (and then making them drop their pants so he could inspect the dameage). He had a criminal conviction for this.

I think, personally it is an absolute tragedy. Terrible for a life to end so suddenly a 55.

However just like Adelaide Hawk, I will not mourn the passing of his professional public life.

I must be gutless and a coward as well I guess.

 

[beez]

Given the sentiments of many in here I'm not sure how many people will appreciate these interviews on The ABC today, but I thought they were fantastic.

Kerry O'Keeffe on Roebuck http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-13/grandstands-kerry-okeeffe-reflects-on-peter-roebuck/3663446

Caroline Davison on Roebuck http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-13/grandstands-caroline-davison-reflects-on-peter/3663444

 

[King Elvis]

Joffaboy goes boom.

Sherb, not celebrating his death, but the guy was easily and justifiably disliked by a lot of people; for valid reasons.

 

[Ron The Bear]

In his diary of a season "It Never Rains", Roebuck reflected upon how strange it was "that cricket attracts so many insecure men."
"It is surely the very worst game for an intense character, yet it continues to find many obtuse sensitivities among its players," he said.
"Men of imagination, men of ideals risk its harsh exposures."

"Cricket, because it is so monopolistic, because it swallows you up before spitting you out, because it enfolds you and plays on the mind, filling you with confusion and self-doubt, is by far the major sport for suicides."
- David Frith

 

[sherb]

Sherb, not celebrating his death, but the guy was easily and justifiably disliked by a lot of people; for valid reasons.

Despite whatever you feel about someone, surely it isn't that difficult to be measured in your comments upon finding out about their death.

I wasn't really a fan of his after the garbage he wrote following the Sydney test either, although most of what I heard of him on the radio after then I didn't find too bad.

But I am not going to go into detail about his shortcomings now, that's for down the track. In the meantime I won't find it that difficult to react to his death with a bit of class.

 

[Gough]

"Cricket, because it is so monopolistic, because it swallows you up before spitting you out, because it enfolds you and plays on the mind, filling you with confusion and self-doubt, is by far the major sport for suicides."
- David Frith

Great book, as a writer Roebuck belongs in the top pantheon with guys like Firth. He will be missed.

 

[jethro11]

Just heard the sad news on the radio.

My favourite cricket (perhaps even sports) writer for long time.

RIP

 

[Cousin Jed]

I am sure we can find another thread where you can debate your opinions of what you think of him.

I didn't often agree with him, but you can't noT acknowledge him.

RIP.

 

[larrikin]

Sorry to hear this news.

Didn't always agree with his points but I always read his articles and listened to his commentary - always interesting and came at things from a different angle.

RIP

 

[fairdinkum]

I will miss his voice on ABC Grandstand. I actually enjoyed his commentary, like I enjoy most of their team.

I don't tend to read too much sports journalism but, having looked back on what was so controversial about what he wrote regarding Ponting in 2008, it turns out I actually preety much agreed with him at the time. Looking back, I have a great amount of respect for somebody willing to take on the establishment the way he did. Far too many 'mates' in Australian cricket reporting and sometimes I wonder if that has been part of the reason we found ourselves in the quagmire we are now in: not enough people asking the tough questions of the people in power.

Sad day for cricket.

 

[Phone]

In addition to his work in print and radio, Roebuck was also a widely read columnist for ESPNcricinfo, contributing his views in both written and audio form. His last column had expressed cautious optimism about the progress of the Australian team. Sambit Bal, editor of ESPNcricinfo, said Roebuck had always pressed the importance of avoiding nationalism in how the game should be viewed.

"He was a rare global voice in the game," he said. "He used to say that there was too much nationalism in cricket writing. His writing was devoid of any allegiance to nation, team or any player. I cherished his friendship and counsel."

That's probably the thing I liked most about Roebuck. That is, you could get him to write an article about the state of Australian cricket, or the WI player strikes or all the mayhem in Zimbabwe and the ICC and it'd be a damn good article full of insight