Grant Wahl’s much needed shake-up

Respect is ah hell-have-ah-ting. Is long time visitors, including returning Vincies, complaining bout de poor customer services at de Airport. We hearing dat recently, two of our National Football Players coming home to play wid de national team against de USA, were hassled by Customs officials at de Airport, but we hear of no apology.

Kingsley De Freitas in ah recent R-tickle spoke extensively about de security parking mess at de Airport, but still nobody cares to address these issues. Fortunately ah far-rain-yah name Grant Wahl arrived hey and within hours he picked up de vibes.{{more}} He observed dat de Natives of SVG nice, thanks Mr Grant we trying eh. But he was dissatisfied wid de Customs services at de Airport; thanks again Mr Grant, we know it stinks, and we know de offender. But s/he has de right colour. And finally Mr Grant finds lodging on de island is ah disaster when compared wid de rest ah de Caribbean; maybe we did not meet yuh expect-hear-shun, but we got good places to stay. Man I just spend ah couple nights in Bequia, in Bequia is way yuh should be staying, wid Bert King at Kingsville Beach Apts in Lower Bay, or my daughter’s lickle cabin on Lawler Hill. For dis lousy plug ah want two free nights. But thanks foh ventilating dat problem.

Now ordinarily, Grant Wahl’s comments would ah bin totally ignored and treated as mischief, and he might ah get ah Full-some, verbal thrashing from de ULP Pit Bulls on Radio. But dis is not Grant Connell of Grass Root Tennis fame, de Grass dry-up and turn Glass Root. Dis Grant is an American Sports Journalist, ah Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated and Correspondent for Fox Sports. He is here in connect-shun wid de FIFA World Cup 2018, ‘Group 3’ qualifying match between de USA and SVG playing Today September 2nd. Cyber Crime or not, ah disappointed Grant immediately made known his experiences on his “Twitter Post.” And all of ah sudden everybody is ready to do damage control. Of course de PM has to be at de forefront.

Trust Lie-Za not ah darm thing will come out of dis matter. She however finds Grant brave to be on Face Book and Twitter saying negative things about SVG. Her guess is he ain’t hear bout Dr Draco’s Cyber Crime Bill dat was passed in Par-liar-mint three weeks ago. And she tells me to remind Mr Grant dat he does not have to leave SVG thru E.T. Joshua Airport; ask bout Ames of Buccama or Kaisonian I-mad on how best Not to depart SVG.

USA, WATCH OUT FOH TEAM SVG

De Love Vine welcomes de USA team and will be at Arnos Vale to mek sure dat Vincy Heat give dem ah lesson to remember. We have ah serious problem wid some ah de Organ-I-say-shun or parent bodies in SVG when it comes to hosting events. Lie-Za thinks de SVGFF needs a crash course in dis area. Maybe de first question ah should ask, is if we getting de thousands ah far-rain based Vin-sin-shun dat de PM promised to fly in foh de match. Dis is crazy, since December we witnessed LIAT flying into Argyle. Lie-Za’s challenge to de PM, is dat nobody wuking at de Argyle International Airport could give an honest answer, on when de Argyle Airport will be officially opened foh Inter-nah-shun-all Flights.

Airport apart, has de local Football Federation done enough promotions foh de game. Have we heard or seen Ads on Radio, TV or Newspapers? Do dey have ah budget foh Promotion ah de Game? Don’t tell me dat Jack Warner tek all de funds. Man dey nah serious, imagine dis is ah FIFA world Cup Qualifier wid de USA! Over de last two weeks our local Radio and TV Stations and indeed our near-bars in Sin Lucia and Grenada should ah been promoting de Match.

And ah don’t like dat NDP Ad foh de match. Yes it has pull-it-to-kill sat-higher, it’s humor-us but very inappropriate. Dis country is too pull-it-to-size, Man SVG is on display and we need to show only Positive Vibes, be in one accord. If yuh have no positive Vibes to offer, den stay quiet till de game is over when everybody gone. There is way de SVGFF fell flat. Dey’s not enuff Ads.

Ah hope dey had ah Gala Welcome foh Team USA: Vincy Flags and Buntyn, Vincy Rum or Fruit Punch, Live Vincy Music, Pan, Bum Drum, Carnival costumes. Maybe dat is what we should have had foh Grant Wahl, ah double Captain Bligh Rum Punch while he waited foh Customs clearance, he would ah spent all day and didn’t notice de time data lapsed.

My pre-dick-shun is dat Team foh team, man foh man we are no match foh de USA, but when it is all over, Team USA and de officials must be made to say: “SVG yuh small but yuh are de greatest!” And those overseas who watch de game on TV must scratch dey head and say : “Ah wish ah was dey in person!” And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.