In the five minutes that it takes me to write this, I should presumptuously be able to get my point across.
For all the joys of athletic wonder that we have witnessed, for all the staggering sporting feats that we never imagined would be attained; there are equally devastating ditches that lie in wait - for the wrong athlete, at the wrong time.
To all those who follow the world of Athletics with a passion, (quite simply because it remains the most divine and purest form of sport), rewind your memory a couple of years back when Jeremy Wariner seemed destined to clinch his second consecutive Gold medal in the 400 metres Men's event in Beijing.
There is a reason why the 400 meters event is arguably considered the most difficult to run and this is primarily because it qualifies as a 'sprint distance'. Therefore, while it doesn't take 10-20 seconds like the 100m or 200m, it also isn't long enough to maintain a constant and quick pace. The 400 brings out the truest of athletes and this is precisely why some of the most famous 400 meter runners in history are widely respected as some of the greatest runners ever. Otis Davis, Butch Reynolds and of course Michael Johnson.
Wariner, by all means was a prodigy and in many circles was talked about as being able to challenge Johnson's magical 43.18 mark set at Seville in 1999. At the Athens Olympics as a 20 year old, he won Gold in the 400m and in Osaka 2007 at the World Championships, he clinched Gold with a dazzling personal best of 43.45 seconds!
And at the 2008 Beijing Games? Wariner set another record. He came second to LaShawn Merritt by the largest margin (0.99 seconds) in Olympic history between any Gold and Silver medalist! Merritt simply seemed too strong down the stretch and at one point of time, it appeared as if he was running twice as fast as a badly fading Wariner. Merritt went on to win the 2009 World Championships in Berlin as well. Wariner came a comfortable second yet again.
Newsflash! - The 400 metres Olympic and World Champion LaShawn Merritt has failed a doping test and accepted provisional suspension. His statement said that he had used an over-the-counter product containing DHEA and pregnenolone (endogenous hormones) following the 2009 season. Till the case is decided, he remains in line for a standard two year ban.
Furthermore, he hopes his "sponsors, family, friends and sport will forgive him for making such a foolish, immature and egotistical mistake".
Now Merritt doesn't grab the limelight quite simply because (a) he isn't Michael Johnson (b) he isn't Usain Bolt either. However, this doesn't stop the announcement from leaving a bloody bitter taste in one's mouth. We've seen 'mistakes' like this by the dozen, proceeded to criticize them with a disapproving shake of our heads and apparently we move on, leaving the door open without perhaps sending the message strongly enough.
The message that there is NO place for a drug inside a sportsman's body. And more importantly, there is NO place for such a sportsman inside our hearts.
Friday 23 April, 2010
Thursday 22 April, 2010
GET IN THE HOLE!: Are You Cheering for Tiger this Weekend?
Tiger Woods tees off in less than 20 minutes. By the time this gets published, he'd have probably whacked that first ball off the tee with millions of eyes watching.
Billy Payne's eyes too. Billy who?
It was wrong of Payne to voice his opinion on Tiger in that manner. Sure, in his defense, Woods' actions have warranted universal scrutiny and more importantly, universal judgment. But come on Billy, take the high road. All you had to do was say that it was good to see Tiger back at the Masters, because let's face it—It IS good to see Tiger back on a golf course!
We're all human right? We make mistakes. We do the crime, we do the time. We live a life based on faith and when our faith fails us, we tend to react abnormally. Clearly, Woods' transgressions, while being perfect tabloid fodder, are horrendous. They reflect on a man who failed in his duty as a father and a husband. THEY DO NOT, however, reflect on a man who failed as a golfer!
The price of stardom ensures that privacy no longer remains a word with meaning. It ensures that once the cat gets let out of the bag or one skeleton out of the closet, more are likely to follow. And it ensures that for the rest of his life, Tiger Woods will never be allowed to forget the past year even on the golf course.
Well. Too bad! Suck it up!
If you want to be one of those hypocritical moms in Sunday hats or those distinguished looking fine gentlemen who claim that they'll never cheer for Tiger again because he let them down and their kids can no longer look up to him then that's alright. You cheer for whoever you want to. Pick that Phil guy or whoever he is.
Me? In about three minutes, I know what I'LL be shouting.
GET IN THE HOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Billy Payne's eyes too. Billy who?
It was wrong of Payne to voice his opinion on Tiger in that manner. Sure, in his defense, Woods' actions have warranted universal scrutiny and more importantly, universal judgment. But come on Billy, take the high road. All you had to do was say that it was good to see Tiger back at the Masters, because let's face it—It IS good to see Tiger back on a golf course!
We're all human right? We make mistakes. We do the crime, we do the time. We live a life based on faith and when our faith fails us, we tend to react abnormally. Clearly, Woods' transgressions, while being perfect tabloid fodder, are horrendous. They reflect on a man who failed in his duty as a father and a husband. THEY DO NOT, however, reflect on a man who failed as a golfer!
The price of stardom ensures that privacy no longer remains a word with meaning. It ensures that once the cat gets let out of the bag or one skeleton out of the closet, more are likely to follow. And it ensures that for the rest of his life, Tiger Woods will never be allowed to forget the past year even on the golf course.
Well. Too bad! Suck it up!
If you want to be one of those hypocritical moms in Sunday hats or those distinguished looking fine gentlemen who claim that they'll never cheer for Tiger again because he let them down and their kids can no longer look up to him then that's alright. You cheer for whoever you want to. Pick that Phil guy or whoever he is.
Me? In about three minutes, I know what I'LL be shouting.
GET IN THE HOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of Barcelona and Messimania
Take this from a Manchester United supporter.
Football has never seen a team like Barcelona PERIOD.
We’ve seen attacking football; the kind that looks good and the kind that’s played to win by simply scoring more goals than the other team. We remember Eusebio’s Portugal, Cryuff’s Holland and the Brazilian National Team at nearly each and every World Cup. At the club level, we remember (statistically at least), Di Stefano’s Madrid, Arsenal’s ‘Henry’-Era and the advent of the Galacticos. Ironically, we also remember a Barcelona team of not too long ago – Ronaldinho’s Barcelona.
It’s entirely unfair of me to comment on teams that I haven’t visually witnessed play so I won’t dwell on them. Football however, is an eleven man game. Over the past couple of decades, the team that has the reigning Player of the Year has never been guaranteed club success, especially when it has been awarded for International brilliance and consistency. And this is precisely what makes the Barcelona story so alluring.
While praises continue to be sung about Messi and Messi alone, we must ask ourselves when the last time was that a Football club, at almost each position, had one of the Top 5 players in the world at that position. Or ask yourselves this: Pick the Top 10 players (irrespective o f position) in football today. I did, and without thinking (in no particular order), I came up with Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney, Kaka, Torres, Ribery, Iniesta, Xavi, Aguero and Villa/Drogba/Gerrard/Lampard etc. Three of those players play for Barcelona and they’re heavily involved in controlling the game and setting up (as well as scoring) goals! Anyone who watched both the Barcelona-Arsenal Champions League legs probably found themselves asking when the last time was that the gulf between two premier clubs was ever so wide.
For some, Bendtner’s goal might have sent shockwaves through Camp Nou and may have had even the most devout of Blaugrana fans wondering whether this was one of those dreaded nights when frustration would overcome brilliance. Ah! Therein lies the difference between the Barcelona of today and all the great club teams of the past. The latter had ‘off-days’, days when they just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net or days when the defense would erroneously concede goals that they would never dream of conceding. This team doesn’t really go through ‘off-days’, and when they do, it’s not entirely that ‘off’ after all.
And just like they did in last year’s final, Barcelona succeeded again in playing the beautiful game the way it’s meant to be played. Those short, crisp one-touch passes at a dizzying pace, the careful and patient build up towards a run down the flank or penetration through the middle and above all, clinical and comprehensive finishing evidenced by one man alone.
The only stage where they can be upset (and since it’s in the Bernabeu it’s highly unlikely), is in the Final where everyone would like to believe that anything can happen. Over two legs? Sorry. Even with a four goal deficit I would never bet against them.
FC Barcelona is here to stay.
Football has never seen a team like Barcelona PERIOD.
We’ve seen attacking football; the kind that looks good and the kind that’s played to win by simply scoring more goals than the other team. We remember Eusebio’s Portugal, Cryuff’s Holland and the Brazilian National Team at nearly each and every World Cup. At the club level, we remember (statistically at least), Di Stefano’s Madrid, Arsenal’s ‘Henry’-Era and the advent of the Galacticos. Ironically, we also remember a Barcelona team of not too long ago – Ronaldinho’s Barcelona.
It’s entirely unfair of me to comment on teams that I haven’t visually witnessed play so I won’t dwell on them. Football however, is an eleven man game. Over the past couple of decades, the team that has the reigning Player of the Year has never been guaranteed club success, especially when it has been awarded for International brilliance and consistency. And this is precisely what makes the Barcelona story so alluring.
While praises continue to be sung about Messi and Messi alone, we must ask ourselves when the last time was that a Football club, at almost each position, had one of the Top 5 players in the world at that position. Or ask yourselves this: Pick the Top 10 players (irrespective o f position) in football today. I did, and without thinking (in no particular order), I came up with Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney, Kaka, Torres, Ribery, Iniesta, Xavi, Aguero and Villa/Drogba/Gerrard/Lampard etc. Three of those players play for Barcelona and they’re heavily involved in controlling the game and setting up (as well as scoring) goals! Anyone who watched both the Barcelona-Arsenal Champions League legs probably found themselves asking when the last time was that the gulf between two premier clubs was ever so wide.
For some, Bendtner’s goal might have sent shockwaves through Camp Nou and may have had even the most devout of Blaugrana fans wondering whether this was one of those dreaded nights when frustration would overcome brilliance. Ah! Therein lies the difference between the Barcelona of today and all the great club teams of the past. The latter had ‘off-days’, days when they just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net or days when the defense would erroneously concede goals that they would never dream of conceding. This team doesn’t really go through ‘off-days’, and when they do, it’s not entirely that ‘off’ after all.
And just like they did in last year’s final, Barcelona succeeded again in playing the beautiful game the way it’s meant to be played. Those short, crisp one-touch passes at a dizzying pace, the careful and patient build up towards a run down the flank or penetration through the middle and above all, clinical and comprehensive finishing evidenced by one man alone.
The only stage where they can be upset (and since it’s in the Bernabeu it’s highly unlikely), is in the Final where everyone would like to believe that anything can happen. Over two legs? Sorry. Even with a four goal deficit I would never bet against them.
FC Barcelona is here to stay.
LBJ, Darko, Melo, CB4, D-Wade: Revisiting the 2003 NBA Draft
It's hard to believe that barely seven years have passed and already the 2003 NBA draft class looks like one of the best of all time. While this is largely due to the depth of the top five, we must not forget others such as David West, Mo Williams, Chris Kaman, Leandro Barbosa and Josh Howard.
Where are the Top Five now? How many points, assists and rebounds have they totaled? More importantly, with four out of the top five being quintessential "franchise players", what would have happened to Darko Milicic had the Pistons not had the Vancouver trade and some other lottery team had picked him?
In six and a half seasons, this is what the Top Five have statistically accomplished in the regular season:
Games Played (Minutes Played)
Lebron James: 539 (21,763)
Carmelo Anthony: 500 (18,202)
Chris Bosh: 498 (18,426)
Dwayne Wade: 458 (17,228)
Darko Milicic: 357 (6,127)
===============================================
For the Points, Rebounds, Assists I standardized everyone to 539 games (Lebron's Tally) and simply extrapolated the numbers based on the player's career average.
Points Rebounds Assists P+R+A
Lebron James: 14,997 3,794 3,734 22,525
Dwayne Wade: 13,678 2,618 3,577 19,873
Carmelo Anthony: 13,317 3,329 1,676 18,322
Chris Bosh: 10,835 5,060 1,182 16,627
Darko Milicic: 2,921 2,171 386 5,478
===============================================
The other two famous draft classes (1984 and 1996) had a Top Five of (Olajuwon, Bowie, Jordan, Perkins, Barkley) and (Iverson, Camby, Abdur-Rahim, Marbury, Allen). In terms of the first seven seasons, the only comparison is between '84 and '03. Bowie = Darko = Bust and Barkley = Bosh. The difference? Jordan had Six rings, Olajuwon had Two. Whereas only Dwayne has tasted championship success.
Still, it's scary to think where the four might end up statistically if each gets to play a full career (another 8-10 seasons). Sure shot Hall of Famers undoubtedly.
Where are the Top Five now? How many points, assists and rebounds have they totaled? More importantly, with four out of the top five being quintessential "franchise players", what would have happened to Darko Milicic had the Pistons not had the Vancouver trade and some other lottery team had picked him?
In six and a half seasons, this is what the Top Five have statistically accomplished in the regular season:
Games Played (Minutes Played)
Lebron James: 539 (21,763)
Carmelo Anthony: 500 (18,202)
Chris Bosh: 498 (18,426)
Dwayne Wade: 458 (17,228)
Darko Milicic: 357 (6,127)
===============================================
For the Points, Rebounds, Assists I standardized everyone to 539 games (Lebron's Tally) and simply extrapolated the numbers based on the player's career average.
Points Rebounds Assists P+R+A
Lebron James: 14,997 3,794 3,734 22,525
Dwayne Wade: 13,678 2,618 3,577 19,873
Carmelo Anthony: 13,317 3,329 1,676 18,322
Chris Bosh: 10,835 5,060 1,182 16,627
Darko Milicic: 2,921 2,171 386 5,478
===============================================
The other two famous draft classes (1984 and 1996) had a Top Five of (Olajuwon, Bowie, Jordan, Perkins, Barkley) and (Iverson, Camby, Abdur-Rahim, Marbury, Allen). In terms of the first seven seasons, the only comparison is between '84 and '03. Bowie = Darko = Bust and Barkley = Bosh. The difference? Jordan had Six rings, Olajuwon had Two. Whereas only Dwayne has tasted championship success.
Still, it's scary to think where the four might end up statistically if each gets to play a full career (another 8-10 seasons). Sure shot Hall of Famers undoubtedly.
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