When I was a boy Grandstand was sport on television, now it is like the family run butcher stubbornly refusing to shut down despite the presence of the gleaming, glass fronted 24 hour supermarket down the road with its neatly packaged special offer chops and cling flim wrapped Beef joints with ready made Horseradish.
It survives, but only just, its trade constantly squeezed by powerful and ruthless corporate rivals in the same way that BBC Sport has been bullied ever since Rupert Mudoch started persuading us all to attach Sky dishes to the sides of our houses
But on a rare Saturday off during the football season I still like to tune in to Grandstand. After all, it's not every day you get to watch cross country running, rowing and tiddle winks from Chester Town Hall is it?!
The thing is, while Grandstand may no longer have mainstream live sports coverage - it was even worse when ITV had the rights to Premiership highlights and Football Focus was forced to use two-year-old clips while discussing the week's main talking points - it still has a place in my heart.
On Saturday, while lying in bed - erm yes it was the middle of the afternoon but it had been a heavy Friday night - I watched the Challenge Cup Final between St Helens and Huddersfield.
I've got to be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Rugby League - then again nobody is unless they were born somewhere near the M62 - but I do like the BBC commentator with his gruff Northern accent and when I've got a hangover I'll watch pretty much any sport as long as I don't have to move.
Obviously I'm no expert, but St Helens were fantastic and some lad called Sean Long won the trophy for a third time which is some sort of record. Martin Offiah was there presenting the trophy and I remembered him from my youth. He ran away from the St Helens players at the end because his horrible mustard suit was bring soaked in Champagne. Big girl.
Given the fact Rugby League is another of Murdoch's cash cows - as are fishing, darts and speedway, so Grandstand can't even get its teeth into those either anymore - the BBC don''t get to show many games, but this was a classic, albeit a pretty one sided one with St Helens romping home 42-12.
Then came Final Score, but I switched that off as soon as I'd seen Leyton Orient had lost 1-0 at home to Swansea. Rubbish!
Grandstand over, it was back to Sky Sports, just in time to watch a thrilling finale to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Cup Final between Sussex and Lancashire. A tremendous match between the two teams who are also neck and neck in the County Championship was eventually won by Sussex.
It was a fantastic advert for the one day game and I did feel a little sorry for Dominic Cork who had rescured the Lancashire innings only to run out of tailenders at the end. Still, it was Sussex' first trophy since 1986 so that's nice!
Some people might call it a waste of Saturday, I just call it lazy. Hangover subsided, I'm off out for a few pints so I haven't wasted the whole day have I? Then it's back home in time for Match of the Day!
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