THE JUDAS STRAIN

LAST weekend while watching the Liverpool vs. Manchester United game in the English Premier League my most difficult moment as a Liverpool fan came in the 73rd minute of the game. The Reds were already leading via a fantastic Torres strike, but Sir Alex had just made a
substitution. Michael Owen had taken the field at Anfield, in a Man U. shirt. It was a strange feeling for someone who'd seen Owen from his earliest days and one of the reasons Liverpool became my favourites was Owen's style and enthusiasm. But then 'Boy Wonder' left his nursery for Newcastle, and a few frustrating seasons later committed the footballing equivalent of apostapy by signing up with Manchester United. It was a strange feeling akin to the great cricket writer Nevile Cardus's who used to pray "Please God let Trumper score a century tomorrow in an England win". Cardus loved the Australian batsman Victor Trumper, but after all he was English. So, Anfield did roundly boo Owen, but surely some (Ok, at least me anyway!) were secretly hoping for some magic from Owen.

When one of Mersyside's favourite sons moves over to their archrivals, it is hard not to get sentimental about it, say what you will about the professional sportsman and dreams of avarice being the fuel that keeps their engines running. Or take the case of Brett Favre - NFL quarterback who spent his entire career with the Green Bay Packers first retires and then comes out of it (un-retired, as some savvy newspapers put it!) and dons a Minnesota Vikings shirt. And then? Well, he returns to Green Bay to beat the Packers (thus becoming the only QB ever to earn a win against all of NFL's 32 franchises!). Green Bay fans, players and officials obviously weren't totally kicked about it - again never mind the fact that they wouldn't have given Favre a start had he stayed with the Packers. And of course, the biggest case of them all - Boston Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1919. The Yanks, led by Ruth, went on to become one of baseball's most successful franchises (actually, the most successful) while the Red Sox suffered from the 'Curse of the Bambino' going title less for 86 long years in baseball. Wonder how the Red Sox fans felt as Ruth rocked every department for the Yankees.

But in this modern world of globalized sport, should this 'Judas' strain be considered so seriously? Yes, players will move where the flow of capital takes them (you know, it's way more than 20 pieces of silver for which Jesus was betrayed) and often they may land up with bitter rivals. But if they are true professionals they will continue just the same - plying their trade at the highest level possible. Naturally, a Michael Owen can't let the sentiment of returning to Anfield mar his chances of making a contribution to United. For the fans, though, it will always remain a different story. And boy, was I glad that I was saved some seriously conflicting views had Owen scored a winner or an equalizer. As a student of mine put it, 'There would be a riot out there'. Sure...a riot of conflictinf emotions.