Oh ho ho..

I'm not posting much here - I presume its just normal for me to stop blogging, I just get bored I guess, presumably by the lack of interesting stuff to post. However, this one's a cracker. We all know Freddie Flintoff is back and if you've missed what you did to Jacques Kallis the other day at Edgbaston, you've just got lucky with this clip. For a change, there are a couple of most exciting Test matches going around, but this short stint from the Big Fred is worth more than just a single watch.

Relive the magic

I can't get enough of the epic final, and fortunately someone had put a high quality series of highlights of the match. For those who missed the magic, like I did, get yourself a second chance. Epics like these don't take place too often, for I haven't seen Federer hit the forehand so hard and yet see a winner fly by him, and for I haven't seen anyone till now who's scurried on grass from one end to the other during a 5 set course. For those who said rallies are only meant for clay (including me), we need to take a break after all. Having said that, I've got to say no one beats Federer in the tie breakers. Even though I've been a Rafa supporter for quite sometime, it would be foolish not to complement how the King played. Simply put, I think either of them would have won against anyone else with this level of play.

Magnificent..

This year perhaps is one of the biggest in the Spanish sporting history. As if winning the Euro wasn't sufficient, Spain finally conquered the All England's Club with Rafael Nadal edging out King Fed in what might be described as perhaps the greatest duel in the history of tennis.

Tennis had lost its excitement on its most beautiful surface, with Roger Federer nailing Wimbledon five times in a row. But watching the finals last year, it was evident that fortunes might change in the next edition.. and boy did they change amidst some drama! I didn't get to see the finals this year, but was lucky enough to catch what happened to be the last game of the match. The light conditions reminded me of the farcical cricket World Cup final last year in the Caribbean, except that hardly anyone left the stadium during this game. The Cardie King and the Muscleman were still not ready to give the other an inch.. stuff that legends are made of.

Four hours and forty eight minutes, and I couldn't help catching on the highlights. Flair in any game looks beautiful, but determination takes an altogether different stage. Lleyton Hewitt and Michael Chang were perhaps the best on this premise during their days, but I guess we are safe to say that Nadal is in a different league altogether. Critics might have sidelined him only to the clay courts, and how wrong have they been proven.

Normally press conferences are all about light humor and nonsensical stuff, but this time it wasn't the case. The King has been wounded and he left no d oubts in our minds about that through his statements. Terming this loss as a 'disaster', it is apparent that things might only get more difficult for Federer in the future. With Nadal already there, and Djokovic breathing down his neck, it's going to be a war out there. I can't wait for the closing act of the season - 'The battle of Flushing Meadows'..

Oh the 'dead'lines

Been away for a while and I can't remember putting this kind of effort earlier. I was facing a conference deadline and it was all about spending endless hours trying to get the results. Its over and things are much better now.. till the next deadline.. :D

At Last..Cricket in whites

I was so relieved to read the proceedings in Lords where the 1st Test between England and Kiwis took place. But at the same time, I was a little baffled since the headlines on most websites instead chose to continue putting IPL on center stage. Well, am not against IPL as such or for that matter the cheerleaders, but the fact is that its been going for a touch too long now. Entertainment's good, but only if its within check. IPL is growing or rather being promoted rather uninhibitedly.

Well, no doubt that most cricket watchers wouldn't have known about the potential of some of the Indian domestic players without IPL, since BCCI has (in)advertently done all it can to kill the biggest domestic tournament of the country - the Ranji Trophy. Its quite mystifying to think that they were never able to schedule the domestic tournaments at a time when all the national squad players were available all this while, and now they have managed to stitch together a tournament which is dictating the international calendar, which could only be potentially matched by the World Cup. Money can do wonders and perhaps Modi and co. and too busy minting it to take note of that. Accepted..

People are comparing the Packer revolution to IPL - a question which would probably be answered in the time to come. I just hope the answer doesn't turn out to be true, since it probably would prompt all wannabe Rahul Dravids to instead have the likes of Afridi as their mentor. Funny as it might sound.

Further, if the folks at the top think that they'd soon be seeing the fanaticism of the crowds supporting their own teams, then I pity the people of other states.. Well, one never knows but BCCI may come up with any team.. the Bhopali Blunders!