Has to be a quickie as it's been a pretty busy period at work and home and, to make things a tad worse, I seem to have picked up a touch of the flu at the fag end of (the southern) winter.
Can't see anyone toppling Roger Federer in the men's event at Flushing Meadows. Rafael Nadal, struggling for peak match fitness following his injury lay-off, looks the most vulnerable of the Top 4 as far as semi-final places are concerned. Roger to beat Andy Murray in a repeat of last year's final.
The women's field is wide open. The Williams sisters have looked shaky on the North American hard court circuit over the past few weeks. I'll go for one of two Russians - Dinara Safina or Elena Dementieva - to break their Grand Slam duck. They've both got the talent. The question mark is over their temperament as both have been known to 'choke' at crucial moments. This might be their time.
I was asked by one of our readers to highlight the fact that the English (broadsheet) media complimented Ricky Ponting on his gracious post-match interview(s) at The Oval. That was indeed the case and well done to both Ricky and the English broadsheets!
Now, all we need is to see the Australian broadsheets showing a touch of humility in victory and grace in defeat. I suspect it might be a long wait for either.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Will Barca face a Real challenge?
Some cynics in England have, not completely unjustifiably, labelled La Liga as a glorified version of the Scottish Premier League, with no club outside the Big Two having a realistic chance. That's a somewhat disappointing scenario as it wasn't too long ago when the likes of Valencia and even Deportivo La Coruna were providing sustained challenges to Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Barca were light years ahead of the field last season and whilst it's not unreasonable of Madrid fans to expect big things of their Galacticos Mark II, I suspect they'll find the gulf too big to bridge within a season.
The weak link in the Catalan side could well turn out to be their new signing up front. I was staggered to see Inter receive millions of euros and Samuel Eto'o in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede did score a fair few in Serie A over the past couple of seasons but Italian defences aren't quite what they used to be. More pertinent is that fact that he has tended to freeze on big European occasions. Nevertheless, I think the brilliant creative prompting of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi will carry Barca to domestic and European success once again this season.
Real Madrid's performances will generate keen interest around the footballing world. For all the brilliance they've bought in attack, they haven't quite addressed their defensive deficiencies and their games could well generate high-scoring score-lines that were commonplace back in the fifties and sixties. As a Barca fan, I'm expecting to experience some - admittedly shameless - schadenfreude when it comes to Real's results during the season.
Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Villareal and Sevilla will probably fight it out for two Champions' League spots. Actually, with David Villa, rated by a lot of Spanish experts as better than Fernando Torres, and David Silva still at the club, Valencia could quite conceivably mount a pretty serious challenge.
There is one thing you can be certain of, though: the standard of football in La Liga will be unrecognisable from that in the SPL.
Barca were light years ahead of the field last season and whilst it's not unreasonable of Madrid fans to expect big things of their Galacticos Mark II, I suspect they'll find the gulf too big to bridge within a season.
The weak link in the Catalan side could well turn out to be their new signing up front. I was staggered to see Inter receive millions of euros and Samuel Eto'o in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede did score a fair few in Serie A over the past couple of seasons but Italian defences aren't quite what they used to be. More pertinent is that fact that he has tended to freeze on big European occasions. Nevertheless, I think the brilliant creative prompting of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi will carry Barca to domestic and European success once again this season.
Real Madrid's performances will generate keen interest around the footballing world. For all the brilliance they've bought in attack, they haven't quite addressed their defensive deficiencies and their games could well generate high-scoring score-lines that were commonplace back in the fifties and sixties. As a Barca fan, I'm expecting to experience some - admittedly shameless - schadenfreude when it comes to Real's results during the season.
Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Villareal and Sevilla will probably fight it out for two Champions' League spots. Actually, with David Villa, rated by a lot of Spanish experts as better than Fernando Torres, and David Silva still at the club, Valencia could quite conceivably mount a pretty serious challenge.
There is one thing you can be certain of, though: the standard of football in La Liga will be unrecognisable from that in the SPL.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
9.58s and 19.19s
Nine-point-five-eight and nineteen-point-one-nine. Nine-point-five-eight ... [pause] ... nineteen-point-one-nine.
Now, let's try and get our heads around those astonishing figures. Each of them shaved ... sorry, wrong word ... chopped 0.11 seconds off the old marks. Taking 0.11 seconds off sprint records is unheard of. Well, it was unheard of until Usain Bolt came along.
Bolt turned 23 yesterday (Friday) and sprinters don't usually peak until their late twenties. How much quicker can he go? Can he break 9.5s and 19s? I'll be amazed if he doesn't because he didn't seem to be exerting himself unduly in Berlin.
Where does the Jamaican stand amongst the pantheon of sporting greats? Has he done enough to merit being mentioned in the same breath as Muhammad Ali, Pele, Diego Maradona, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Babe Ruth, Don Bradman, Michael Jordan & Co?
I think he most definitely has. It might be a tad early but I'm going to predict that by the end of his career, he will go down as the greatest sportsman of all time.
If you think that's a rash call, just contemplate those times again: 9.58s for the 100m and 19.19s over 200m. A week ago, I wouldn't have believed it possible. Now, I'm wondering how much lower the great man can go.
Now, let's try and get our heads around those astonishing figures. Each of them shaved ... sorry, wrong word ... chopped 0.11 seconds off the old marks. Taking 0.11 seconds off sprint records is unheard of. Well, it was unheard of until Usain Bolt came along.
Bolt turned 23 yesterday (Friday) and sprinters don't usually peak until their late twenties. How much quicker can he go? Can he break 9.5s and 19s? I'll be amazed if he doesn't because he didn't seem to be exerting himself unduly in Berlin.
Where does the Jamaican stand amongst the pantheon of sporting greats? Has he done enough to merit being mentioned in the same breath as Muhammad Ali, Pele, Diego Maradona, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Babe Ruth, Don Bradman, Michael Jordan & Co?
I think he most definitely has. It might be a tad early but I'm going to predict that by the end of his career, he will go down as the greatest sportsman of all time.
If you think that's a rash call, just contemplate those times again: 9.58s for the 100m and 19.19s over 200m. A week ago, I wouldn't have believed it possible. Now, I'm wondering how much lower the great man can go.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
World Athletics Championships Preview - and where to view it
There's no doubt about which event will be the highlight of the 12th World Athletics Championships, which gets under way in Berlin on Saturday.
Ever since the Beijing Olympics, when Tyson Gay missed the sprint finals due to injury, track and field fans around the globe have looked forward to seeing how he fares against the all-conquering Usain Bolt, who appears to be transcending his sport to the same extent that Roger Federer and Tiger Woods currently are as far as their respective sports are concerned; and the likes of Pele and Michael Jordan did theirs in the past.
On one hand, you have the effervescent, party-loving Jamaican - it must be stressed, though, that when Bolt goes partying, he spends his time dancing rather than drinking - and on the other, the polite, mild-mannered American. Whilst other contenders like Asafa Powell appear to be psyched out by Bolt's confident strut on the start line, Gay's calm temperament is likely to keep him focused on nothing but the lane in front of him.
Let's hope we get an injury-free 100m contest this time. The athletics world deserves it! For what it's worth, I can see Gay leading until Bolt swoops 40m out. It's worth noting, though, that Gay has recorded the fastest time this year: 9.77s.
Gay would appear to have a slightly better chance of upsetting Bolt in the 200m. The American won their last contest over the distance although that was back in 2007. He is also the defending world champion at the distance.
The women's sprints should be a much more open affair. Seven ladies have gone under 11s in the 100m this year. Kerron Stewart, another Jamaican, is the bookies' favourite although countrywoman Shelly-Ann Fraser, the Olympic champion, is in with as good a chance as any. Veronica Campbell-Brown could make it a Jamaican one-two-three. Campbell-Brown and American Allyson Felix will probably fight out the 200m finish.
The Americans should dominate the men's 400m, given the current form of LaShawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner. On the women's front, will Sanya Richards finally break through and win a major title? Her biggest challenger could be young Russian Antonina Krivoshapka.
20-year-old Sudanese sensation Abubaker Kaki and compatriot Ismail Ahmed Ismail should fight it out for the men's 800m gold. The women's 800m could be one of the most open events of the championships with the Russians having a fairly strong group. Mariya Savinova has been the most consistent performer in 2009.
The middle and long-distance events will almost certainly be dominated by the Africans again. Kenyans Augustine Kiprono Choge and Haron Keitany are the men's 1500m favourites. Can anyone challenge Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele in the 5000m? His countryman Adebe Dinkesa has the fastest 10,000m time for the year while Sileshi Sihine, another Ehtiopian, is a strong chance too. The biggest question is whether or not Bekele will back up and run the 10,000m in addition to the 5000m. Another question: will Brimin Kipruto continue the Kenyan domination of the 3,000m steeplechase in recent years?
The women's 1500m could see Bahrain's Maryam Jamal successfully defending her title, although Ethiopia's Gelete Burka may have a say in that. Kenyan and Ethiopian ladies should fight out the 5000m with Tirunesh Dibaba, Meseret Defar and Meselech Melkamu being the names to watch. Expect Ethiopia to continue their domination of the 10,000m too, thanks to Dibaba and Defar.
I'm not even going to try to predict what might happen in the two marathon events, where unpredictability is the name of the game!
A few key dates and times (Australian Eastern Time) for the major finals:
Men's 100m: 05:35 am on Monday, Aug 17
Women's 100m: 05:35 am on Tuesday, Aug 18
Men's 200m: 04:35 am on Friday, Aug 21
Women's 200m: 05:00 am on Saturday, Aug 22
Men's 1500m: 04:25 am on Thursday, Aug 20
Women's 1500m: 03:00 am on Monday, Aug 24
Men's 5000m: 00:25 am on Monday, Aug 24
Women's 5000m: 03:35 am on Sunday, Aug 23
Men's 10,000m: 04:50 am on Tuesday, Aug 18
Women's 10,000m: 03:25 am on Sunday, Aug 16
Men's Marathon: 7:45 pm on Saturday, Aug 22
Women's Marathon: 7:15 pm on Sunday, Aug 23
One of the (very, very few) disadvantages of living in Oz is the obsession the local media has with a minor sport such as swimming, compared to the global world of athletics. Swimming! Pah!! Synchronised swimming can engage my interest for a while - at least there's a bit of art involved there - but watching people trawling up and down water lanes is much more ennui-inducing than observing snails trying to out-race each other!
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Thankfully for track and field fans in Oz, SBS has come to the rescue again. SBS TWO (Channel 648 on Foxtel) will have extensive coverage from Berlin. Check the Foxtel EPG for details.
If you find swimming fascinating, give the World Athletics Championships a go. You'll soon realise why the rest of the world views it one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar.
Ever since the Beijing Olympics, when Tyson Gay missed the sprint finals due to injury, track and field fans around the globe have looked forward to seeing how he fares against the all-conquering Usain Bolt, who appears to be transcending his sport to the same extent that Roger Federer and Tiger Woods currently are as far as their respective sports are concerned; and the likes of Pele and Michael Jordan did theirs in the past.
On one hand, you have the effervescent, party-loving Jamaican - it must be stressed, though, that when Bolt goes partying, he spends his time dancing rather than drinking - and on the other, the polite, mild-mannered American. Whilst other contenders like Asafa Powell appear to be psyched out by Bolt's confident strut on the start line, Gay's calm temperament is likely to keep him focused on nothing but the lane in front of him.
Let's hope we get an injury-free 100m contest this time. The athletics world deserves it! For what it's worth, I can see Gay leading until Bolt swoops 40m out. It's worth noting, though, that Gay has recorded the fastest time this year: 9.77s.
Gay would appear to have a slightly better chance of upsetting Bolt in the 200m. The American won their last contest over the distance although that was back in 2007. He is also the defending world champion at the distance.
The women's sprints should be a much more open affair. Seven ladies have gone under 11s in the 100m this year. Kerron Stewart, another Jamaican, is the bookies' favourite although countrywoman Shelly-Ann Fraser, the Olympic champion, is in with as good a chance as any. Veronica Campbell-Brown could make it a Jamaican one-two-three. Campbell-Brown and American Allyson Felix will probably fight out the 200m finish.
The Americans should dominate the men's 400m, given the current form of LaShawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner. On the women's front, will Sanya Richards finally break through and win a major title? Her biggest challenger could be young Russian Antonina Krivoshapka.
20-year-old Sudanese sensation Abubaker Kaki and compatriot Ismail Ahmed Ismail should fight it out for the men's 800m gold. The women's 800m could be one of the most open events of the championships with the Russians having a fairly strong group. Mariya Savinova has been the most consistent performer in 2009.
The middle and long-distance events will almost certainly be dominated by the Africans again. Kenyans Augustine Kiprono Choge and Haron Keitany are the men's 1500m favourites. Can anyone challenge Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele in the 5000m? His countryman Adebe Dinkesa has the fastest 10,000m time for the year while Sileshi Sihine, another Ehtiopian, is a strong chance too. The biggest question is whether or not Bekele will back up and run the 10,000m in addition to the 5000m. Another question: will Brimin Kipruto continue the Kenyan domination of the 3,000m steeplechase in recent years?
The women's 1500m could see Bahrain's Maryam Jamal successfully defending her title, although Ethiopia's Gelete Burka may have a say in that. Kenyan and Ethiopian ladies should fight out the 5000m with Tirunesh Dibaba, Meseret Defar and Meselech Melkamu being the names to watch. Expect Ethiopia to continue their domination of the 10,000m too, thanks to Dibaba and Defar.
I'm not even going to try to predict what might happen in the two marathon events, where unpredictability is the name of the game!
A few key dates and times (Australian Eastern Time) for the major finals:
Men's 100m: 05:35 am on Monday, Aug 17
Women's 100m: 05:35 am on Tuesday, Aug 18
Men's 200m: 04:35 am on Friday, Aug 21
Women's 200m: 05:00 am on Saturday, Aug 22
Men's 1500m: 04:25 am on Thursday, Aug 20
Women's 1500m: 03:00 am on Monday, Aug 24
Men's 5000m: 00:25 am on Monday, Aug 24
Women's 5000m: 03:35 am on Sunday, Aug 23
Men's 10,000m: 04:50 am on Tuesday, Aug 18
Women's 10,000m: 03:25 am on Sunday, Aug 16
Men's Marathon: 7:45 pm on Saturday, Aug 22
Women's Marathon: 7:15 pm on Sunday, Aug 23
One of the (very, very few) disadvantages of living in Oz is the obsession the local media has with a minor sport such as swimming, compared to the global world of athletics. Swimming! Pah!! Synchronised swimming can engage my interest for a while - at least there's a bit of art involved there - but watching people trawling up and down water lanes is much more ennui-inducing than observing snails trying to out-race each other!
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Thankfully for track and field fans in Oz, SBS has come to the rescue again. SBS TWO (Channel 648 on Foxtel) will have extensive coverage from Berlin. Check the Foxtel EPG for details.
If you find swimming fascinating, give the World Athletics Championships a go. You'll soon realise why the rest of the world views it one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar.
EPL Preview
As Manchester United embark upon their quest for an unprecedented four domestic titles in a row, their closest challengers will almost certainly be the side that prevailed over penalties during last Sunday's season-opening Community Shield at Wembley.
Predictably, much has been made by the media of the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and, to a lesser extent, Carlos Tevez, from Old Trafford. Contrary to most expert opinion, I reckon United will actually end up scoring more goals than they did last season. Great player though Ronaldo undoubtedly is - the best in the world, as far as I'm concerned - it was becoming apparent that United's tactics were too predictable towards the end of the season. The Champions' League Final was the perfect example, with Ronaldo, playing as the lone striker, providing the only attacking threat, as Wayne Rooney languished on a wing and Dimitar Berbatov warmed the bench alongside Tevez. I expect Berbatov to have a much better season this time around and Rooney to flourish in his favoured 'No.10' role. The free signing of Michael Owen could turn out to be master-stroke to rival the GBP 1m capture of Eric Cantona all those years ago. Owen's no Cantona but if he stays fit, he'll score plenty of goals from the chances that his new team-mates will undoubtedly create. He looked sharp, if a tad wasteful, in the friendly against Valencia last week that was broadcast by Setanta Sports in Oz.
The main reason I'm backing United for the title, though, is the natural progress that is expected to come from the likes of Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Nani, Anderson, Darron Gibson, Jonny Evans and the Da Silva twins. The current batch of youngsters at The Shrine is the most exciting since Fergie's Fledglings made their mark fourteen seasons ago. Of the other contenders, only Arsenal, full of promising young talent themselves, can be expected to improve as much.
Chelsea's challenge will depend on how they react to Carlo Ancelotti's prompting. The initial signs are good. After being outplayed by United in the first half at Wembley, they reacted very well to some tactical changes after the break and were unlucky not to have won in regulation time. In a one-on-one contest, they'd probably fancy their chances against the champions. The question mark against them is their ability to last the distance, given almost all their top-liners, with the exception of Michael Essien, the best midfielder in the competition, are close to or over the age of 30. Add to that the fact that Essien and Didier Drogba, arguably their two most influential players, will miss a month during the African Nations' Cup in January, and suddenly, the prognosis doesn't look quite as good.
I expect Arsenal to have a much better season despite the loss of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure. If Andrei Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas remain fit, they'll challenge United and Chelsea. Eduardo and Robin van Persie are a pretty good front two and in Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, the Gunners have three highly talented youngsters who could all make a big impression.
Liverpool could face a real battle for fourth spot if Manchester City can get their act together. The Merseysiders over-achieved last season and the loss of Xabi Alonso won't help. Rafael Benitez will be hoping that Javier Mascherano, who has seemed unsettled by rumours of Barcelona coming in for him, is focused come the start of the season, In Fernando Torres, the Reds have the best forward in the league and his partnership with Steven Gerrard will be crucial. All said and done, though, they just don't have the depth to match the top three. If you need any proof of that, just compare their bench with that of the top three.
Manchester City's performances will probably provide the most intriguing aspect of the season. They seem to have signed an awful lot of strikers. Has Mark Hughes got the balance right? We'll know soon enough.
Tottenham, Everton and Villa will keep the contenders honest. Spurs should improve substantially. David Moyes and Martin O'Neill, two of the shrewder managers around, will ensure their sides don't slip too far.
It's much of a muchness after that, with Sunderland being my pick as the most improved team this season. It'll be good to have the likes of Wolves and Birmingham, with their large fan bases, back in the top flight. Burnley last played in the top division back in the mid-seventies, when I'd just started following English football. It's good to see them back too, from a purely nostalgic viewpoint.
Who are in danger of relegation? I can't see Hull City surviving if they maintain their atrocious form from the second half of last season. Beyond them it could be any two from as many as eight. Indeed, the relegation battle should be as engrossing as, if not more than, the fight for the title.
Time for predictions ...
Champions: Manchester United
Runners-up: Chelsea
Champions' League: Arsenal, Manchester City
Relegation: Hull City, Stoke City, Portsmouth
My projected favourite moment of the season: Rooney and Owen, both Evertonians as boys, combining for the former Liverpool striker to score the winner at the Kop End at Anfield.
Predictably, much has been made by the media of the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and, to a lesser extent, Carlos Tevez, from Old Trafford. Contrary to most expert opinion, I reckon United will actually end up scoring more goals than they did last season. Great player though Ronaldo undoubtedly is - the best in the world, as far as I'm concerned - it was becoming apparent that United's tactics were too predictable towards the end of the season. The Champions' League Final was the perfect example, with Ronaldo, playing as the lone striker, providing the only attacking threat, as Wayne Rooney languished on a wing and Dimitar Berbatov warmed the bench alongside Tevez. I expect Berbatov to have a much better season this time around and Rooney to flourish in his favoured 'No.10' role. The free signing of Michael Owen could turn out to be master-stroke to rival the GBP 1m capture of Eric Cantona all those years ago. Owen's no Cantona but if he stays fit, he'll score plenty of goals from the chances that his new team-mates will undoubtedly create. He looked sharp, if a tad wasteful, in the friendly against Valencia last week that was broadcast by Setanta Sports in Oz.
The main reason I'm backing United for the title, though, is the natural progress that is expected to come from the likes of Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Nani, Anderson, Darron Gibson, Jonny Evans and the Da Silva twins. The current batch of youngsters at The Shrine is the most exciting since Fergie's Fledglings made their mark fourteen seasons ago. Of the other contenders, only Arsenal, full of promising young talent themselves, can be expected to improve as much.
Chelsea's challenge will depend on how they react to Carlo Ancelotti's prompting. The initial signs are good. After being outplayed by United in the first half at Wembley, they reacted very well to some tactical changes after the break and were unlucky not to have won in regulation time. In a one-on-one contest, they'd probably fancy their chances against the champions. The question mark against them is their ability to last the distance, given almost all their top-liners, with the exception of Michael Essien, the best midfielder in the competition, are close to or over the age of 30. Add to that the fact that Essien and Didier Drogba, arguably their two most influential players, will miss a month during the African Nations' Cup in January, and suddenly, the prognosis doesn't look quite as good.
I expect Arsenal to have a much better season despite the loss of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure. If Andrei Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas remain fit, they'll challenge United and Chelsea. Eduardo and Robin van Persie are a pretty good front two and in Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, the Gunners have three highly talented youngsters who could all make a big impression.
Liverpool could face a real battle for fourth spot if Manchester City can get their act together. The Merseysiders over-achieved last season and the loss of Xabi Alonso won't help. Rafael Benitez will be hoping that Javier Mascherano, who has seemed unsettled by rumours of Barcelona coming in for him, is focused come the start of the season, In Fernando Torres, the Reds have the best forward in the league and his partnership with Steven Gerrard will be crucial. All said and done, though, they just don't have the depth to match the top three. If you need any proof of that, just compare their bench with that of the top three.
Manchester City's performances will probably provide the most intriguing aspect of the season. They seem to have signed an awful lot of strikers. Has Mark Hughes got the balance right? We'll know soon enough.
Tottenham, Everton and Villa will keep the contenders honest. Spurs should improve substantially. David Moyes and Martin O'Neill, two of the shrewder managers around, will ensure their sides don't slip too far.
It's much of a muchness after that, with Sunderland being my pick as the most improved team this season. It'll be good to have the likes of Wolves and Birmingham, with their large fan bases, back in the top flight. Burnley last played in the top division back in the mid-seventies, when I'd just started following English football. It's good to see them back too, from a purely nostalgic viewpoint.
Who are in danger of relegation? I can't see Hull City surviving if they maintain their atrocious form from the second half of last season. Beyond them it could be any two from as many as eight. Indeed, the relegation battle should be as engrossing as, if not more than, the fight for the title.
Time for predictions ...
Champions: Manchester United
Runners-up: Chelsea
Champions' League: Arsenal, Manchester City
Relegation: Hull City, Stoke City, Portsmouth
My projected favourite moment of the season: Rooney and Owen, both Evertonians as boys, combining for the former Liverpool striker to score the winner at the Kop End at Anfield.
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