Matadors Tame Expectations

After decades of failing to live up to the expectations of fans, Spain has finally delivered. They are the new European champions and they did it in style beating the strong Germans, with their nifty foot work and crisp passing. All through the tournament baring the game against Italy they were the better side and they literally toyed with the opponents.

They have good players both up front with the likes of Torres and Villa and in the middle with Xavi(Player of the tournament) and Fabregas and world class goalkeeper in Casillas. They all played their parts through out the tournament to help Spain. With both Torres and Fabregas at their top form for their respective clubs and falling short of winning any cups this year, it must have been a moment to relish.

This augurs well for the future of Spain and their football fortunes. Like their Latino counterparts Brazil they play an attractive and attacking game of football which is of high quality, unlike their counterparts though their cupboard was mostly empty. They have the basic building blocks for team that can go higher and win the world cup next time around.

Germans played their usual dour game of defence first and counter attacking; they never clicked up front through out the tournament except against Turkey. Podolski and Schweinsteiger were the only saving grace.

DEMISE OF BOXING

The game of boxing has been spiraling towards doom the last few years. When you say boxing people usually relate it with Heavy weight division, the other divisions are mostly an after thought. After Tyson there has been a vacuum that needs to filled pretty soon.

Adding to the woe of multiple different titles and no boxer capable of winning them all, the boxing scene is filled with multiple heavyweight champions. What used to be an art form in the hey days of Ali has come down to mere slug fights with boxers like Lennox and Klitschko relying more on their brawn then their brains.

With the advent of Kick boxing with leagues like Pride and MMA and colorful personalities, boxing slug fights have taken a back seat. The big money that used to be in boxing has also moved to these sports, which are more dangerous then boxing and there by attract more audience. The money is automatically alluring all the big names. An added advantage is there is no fixed style of fighting and they are kind of a free for all.

To stop the free fall and to resurrect the game of boxing the need of the hour is a boxer who can capture the imagination of the world and infuse fresh breathe of life into a game which is tethering on weak legs and is facing a count down.

THE MYTH OF THE GREATEST

Some of the Legends to have played in their respective sports have graced us with their presence in the last couple of decades, Sampras and Federer in Tennis, Sachin and Ponting in Cricket, Tiger Woods in Golf, etc and most of these sports are equipment sports.

How much of a role has the improvements of these equipments played in these performances? The power that these guys generate from their latest equipments was unimaginable in olden days. Yes, on average athletes are fitter today but you surely would have had a well build guy in olden days to whack the ball a long way or powerfully.

John McEnroe when he came back from semi retirement was not the same player, the graphite racket had changed the game immensely and his touch game was not quite as effective against these players as it was against the wooden racket players.

Similarly the amount of wood that can be packed into a cricket bat or the sturdiness of the golf club is noteworthy. All these advancements have not only made the equipment lighter in weight, there by easy to handle but also generates huge amount of power. This by no mean demeans these athletes’ achievements as the equipment is same as the other current players.

The advancement in the equipments means that we cannot compare the players from a bygone era with a current player. In my view point Rod Laver cannot be compared with Sampras or Federer just because they played the same game or have won more titles, it’s pretty much like comparing Apples and Oranges.

Go Green – Go Celtics

Celtics have won again; even if it comes after a long break there are enough people around to remember the last time it happened. The 6th game ended with Celtics blowing out the Lakers. This one should be sweet though since it was won by roll players. There was no big 3, everyone played their role. Someone had to get the MVP, Pierce got it for sticking through the team for the last 10 years in all its up and downs.

If by now Kobe has not learnt that even the best player Jordan required Pippen, Kukoc and other side kicks to win his titles his legacy is going to be a losing one. Of all irony Kobe’s hope for next season is a healthy Bynum a player he wanted the team to trade. Maybe if the decisions had gone his team’s way in the first two games, he could have been the champion, but he was never there the last 4 games.

More then anything it’s bought rings to the leagues 3 outstanding players namely KG, Ray and Pierce. These guys have been marquee players for their respective teams, but they game together for the ring. These guys deserved it and it should inspire others for the greatness.

What really gladdens me most is these guys are in the news always for their games. Once the game is over you never hear about them. Unlike other super stars who throw tantrums and are embroiled in all sorts of controversies these players are perfect role models for the future generations. The game is the ultimate winner.

These guys were ably supported by Rondo, whose quickness played a major part in the steals and rebounds he made. Perkins is a stable center who is not shy of sacrificing his body. Of course Posey and House whose 3 pointers were a steady influence whenever the game was on the line. Kudos to Doc for making the guys stay focused on the goal.

TRUE STRIPES OF TIGER

I view golf as a less viewer friendly game, a game that can be enjoyed as a player but its hard for a viewer to really follow the game completely as the players are all over the 18 holes. What Tiger bought to the game were new viewers who earlier saw golf as a game for the elite. Tiger charisma and vibe also played a big role in it.

Tiger did what Becker did to tennis, he bought the power game into Golf, and he revolutionized golf. Golf courses across the world were scrambling to lengthen their fairways to make it tougher for Tiger. Following Tiger footsteps a lot of younger players are coming up with power games.

5 days back Tiger teed of with one knee, but it was more then enough to win his 14th major in his illustrious career thus far. He was coming back from a 2 months lay off after his knee operation and his game was rusty, still everyone was in awe and he struggled his way to a victory in this years US open.

Like Wimbledon in tennis, the US open is still played the old fashion as there is no sudden detah play-off immediately after the normal play if it is tied. Tiger had to play a full 18 round play-off one on one with Rocco, a format Tiger has never been good at. To Rocco’s credit he stayed with him through out and extended him to sudden death play-off which he eventually lost.

In all sports there will always be a debate between the old school and the new school on who was the better player. Going beyond the game itself, I would consider Tiger as the best role model for all upcoming players for what you can achieve if you have the heart to fight it out. Undoubtedly he will end his career as one of the legends of modern sports history.

RAFA ON VERGE OF DERAILING FEDEX

Fedex game was pure magic not anymore, after the spanking he got from Rafa in the French open finals. Fedex might be looking at the prospect of finishing his career with 12 grand slams if Rafa has his way. Fedex game has been on the decline with his unforced errors slowly on the rise and making him look like a mere mortal then the god he was the last couple of years.

The upcoming Wimbledon will provide us all the answers where Fedex has been unstoppable the last 5 years but for a minor hiccup in last year’s final and guess who, Rafa again. Contrary to Fedex, Rafa has been improving and expanding his game beyond his favorite surface The Clay. With both these players breaking all kinds of records the last couple of years it’s got all the potential to be a dream final.

The strongly build Rafa was punishing everyone on clay and most worthy was his last two matches in French against Djokovic and Fedex, one the man who is chasing him and the other who he is chasing. The lopsided manner in which he disposed both of them from his presence literally made him the best ever clay court player ever to grace the game. Fedex was clueless was apparent from the score line.

If Rafa’s recent win against Djokovic is anything to go by in the finals of the Queens, again a rarity double to win the French and the Queens back to back, Fedex has a problem on hand. Fedex’s problem is even more compounded that Rafa is a leftie and his confidence against Rafa is at an all time low.

If Rafa ends up winning the Wimbledon, it may well be the defining moment of his career and may signal the end of Fedex’s dominance over the Men’s game that he was lording over for the last few years.

EURO - 2008

As I am writing this the Euro is well on it’s way and most of the spots available for the quarter finals are filled. Couple of spots are still up for grabs based on the last round matches. The quality of the games have been below par mostly and not many spectacular goals so far. Lets hope the second half of the tounament is better.

Based on what I saw and match results so far, 2 teams that have perennially under achieved on world stage Netherlands and Spain have played the best football. They always flatter to deceive at the latter stages; hopefully one of them wins as they are both playing attractively. Netherlands have a total team game and Spain’s David Villa seems to be in a very good scoring touch. This is a prospective semi final that has potential intrigue.

Portugal looks like they can do one better then last time; much of it hinges on its star players Ronaldo and Deco. So far they have delivered. Germany looked clueless against Croatia, but can move on if they can beat the other co-host Austria. With some Austrian players choosing to play for Germany this could be a chance for the Austrians to go one up on the Germans. German’s defense against Portuguese flair.

France and Italy are fighting for one of the spots between themselves and whoever wins can go though to the next round provided Romania loses or draws their match with Spain. Both these teams have brought ageing players and have paid the penalty looking lethargic so far. My money is on the Italians to get through rather then France to meet Spain.

Croatia and Turkey have already provided some upsets, with Turkey losing the first choice goalkeeper to a red card, I think their chances of going past quarter finals is in jeopardy. Croatia has always been a strong side since their formation as a separate country; their win over Germany should have reminded them of their 3rd place finish in the 1998 world cup. Expect a hard fought rough and tumble game.

Sweden and Russia playoff for the final spot, whoever wins will face Netherlands in the quarter finals. Marco Van Basten is looking for a unique double after having won the Euro as player and is the current manager of the Dutch team.

One thing is certain we will have a new winner as the defending champion Greece is already out of the tournament already.

REFEREE KONTROVERSIES

Sports have always been a favorite past time for ages both to participate and to view. With the ever increasing prize money across all sports, it’s kind of the numero uno career choice for many people. It does come with its own pros and cons like cut throat competition, unsportsmanlike conduct, etc.

Every game has its own Laws some of them so complicated, no one’s really clear about them. To complicate things further some rules are left to the discretion of the on field or court referees or umpires whatever the respective sports calls them. Now this is where I have a problem with Professional sports.

Tennis has its line calls, Cricket has its LBWs, and no where is it more prevalent than NBA basketball which is a fast game and every possession can be called for a foul based on how you want to call it. Why cannot be there be more clarity in these rules, why make the winner feel like a loser for no fault of his. If the rule cannot be made clear why not make the game easier by removing it, LBW does nothing to the game except that most of the times you feel for the batsmen that they were unlucky.

Many a close matches have been decided by either wrongful or correct interpretation of the law. I think this is one of the easiest methods to fix a match, you can always claim I interpreted the Law as I understood. Looking at the latest Lakers-Celtics finals, it does look like the out come has already been decided.

KAPTAIN DHONI

Sports and Superstition go hand in hand. Every sport person has one or even more. Some of them are legendry stuff like MJ’s Blue Shorts and Steve Waugh’s Red Handkerchief. It is all good as long as the player is doing well even though it is pretty much on top his mind all the time.

That pretty much brings us to the topic of Dhoni’s captaincy. Yes, he is a winning captain and Mr.Cool. He is strong willed and backs his men but my problem is he is a superstitious captain. He pretty much has a fixed take on everything pertaining to the game, win the toss bat first and put the opposition under pressure seems to be his mantra.

I really don’t buy that you need laptop strategy to win a cricket game but you just need to adapt to certain situations and be ready to gamble a bit. Dhoni always prefers a certain bowler to bowl the last over. Even though Sehwag is a better bowler he always bowls Yuvraj who is a pathetic bowler.

In these modern day versions of slam bam cricket the opposition would by now have known Dhoni to a tee and would be ready for his moves. Hopefully he learns it quickly and adapts to it sooner the better he will be as a captain and better we will be as a team.