Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Knock, Knock.. Is the Coach there?
Ian Chappel nails the Coach Carter issue brilliantly and to the point in this article on Cricinfo. And yeah, for the unaware folks, Cricinfo has been bought from Wisden by the Walt Disney owned firm ESPN for an undisclosed amount.
Yet Another Weekend..
Nothing really too different happened on the weekend.. Rafael Nadal won once again at Roland Garros, confirming that his forehand's the best in the business and on the other hand the BCCI gets wrapped on the knuckles and yet again reasserts its incompetence at this level.
Well, I didn't witness any as I was off unwinding myself on the foothills of Western Ghats away from even the cellular network. Stay tuned for the travelogue for the same..
Well, I didn't witness any as I was off unwinding myself on the foothills of Western Ghats away from even the cellular network. Stay tuned for the travelogue for the same..
Friday, June 8, 2007
Rafael Nadal.. unstoppable!
Sometimes I really wonder what the word 'sport' means? Is it the executiveness displayed by Golf, or athleticism by Soccer or craftiness by Snooker? At times, we witness the biggest games being played involving the biggest stars, but it still fails to evoke that feeling of the real Sport! However, sometimes it does just the opposite..
Time and again I've watched several sporting events, but it really counts when I do get a shot in my adrenaline. The second semi finals played at Roland Garros came pretty close to it, sadly though it wasn't able to sustain throughout the match.
How often have we seen Rafael Nadal getting flustered? And how many times has it happened on clay? Not many for sure. Yeah, he did lose at the recently concluded Hamburg Open, but then it did prove that he's not a robot! On the other hand, Djokovic has been a rising star, and somehow I see little shades of his opponent in him. Perhaps the one thing that he really needs to get in is RESILIENCE! Nadal showed why he's perhaps the most exciting player on the tennis circuit. We have seen the likes of Thomas Muster in the past who've been simply brilliant on clay, but this kid has lot more than that.
Rafael Nadal looks unstoppable to say the least. This wonderboy from Spain has 'headstrong' written all over him. Give him an inch, and he'll look to take the entire piece, or rather more than that. I am not saying that he's the greatest tennis player on the planet, its Federer who takes that spot. But what Nadal brings to this sport is something more magical!
A scoresheet of 7-5,6-4,6-2 in the favor of Nadal doesn't speak volumes of the match, but ask the folks who saw the match. The first set was a cracker, a supreme exhibition of power and precision. Nadal was great leading 5-2 at one point of time, but then Djokovic showed his abilities by breaking Rafa twice and levelling at 5 each. Mark Woodford would have been proud of the way Djokovic volleyed the ball on clay! Sadly though, the other 2 sets didn't really generate the same excitement level. But it was not that Djokovic played bad, but rather Nadal forced him into submission, we could see it with Djokovic applauding his opponent more than once. Such was the quality of tennis.
Sunday's final might just turn out to be a replay of the last year's event between Federer and Nadal. Roger did manage to end his 81 win streak on clay, but I guess another's just begun!
Time and again I've watched several sporting events, but it really counts when I do get a shot in my adrenaline. The second semi finals played at Roland Garros came pretty close to it, sadly though it wasn't able to sustain throughout the match.
How often have we seen Rafael Nadal getting flustered? And how many times has it happened on clay? Not many for sure. Yeah, he did lose at the recently concluded Hamburg Open, but then it did prove that he's not a robot! On the other hand, Djokovic has been a rising star, and somehow I see little shades of his opponent in him. Perhaps the one thing that he really needs to get in is RESILIENCE! Nadal showed why he's perhaps the most exciting player on the tennis circuit. We have seen the likes of Thomas Muster in the past who've been simply brilliant on clay, but this kid has lot more than that.
Rafael Nadal looks unstoppable to say the least. This wonderboy from Spain has 'headstrong' written all over him. Give him an inch, and he'll look to take the entire piece, or rather more than that. I am not saying that he's the greatest tennis player on the planet, its Federer who takes that spot. But what Nadal brings to this sport is something more magical!
A scoresheet of 7-5,6-4,6-2 in the favor of Nadal doesn't speak volumes of the match, but ask the folks who saw the match. The first set was a cracker, a supreme exhibition of power and precision. Nadal was great leading 5-2 at one point of time, but then Djokovic showed his abilities by breaking Rafa twice and levelling at 5 each. Mark Woodford would have been proud of the way Djokovic volleyed the ball on clay! Sadly though, the other 2 sets didn't really generate the same excitement level. But it was not that Djokovic played bad, but rather Nadal forced him into submission, we could see it with Djokovic applauding his opponent more than once. Such was the quality of tennis.
Sunday's final might just turn out to be a replay of the last year's event between Federer and Nadal. Roger did manage to end his 81 win streak on clay, but I guess another's just begun!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Roland Garros Showdown..
Roland Garros is definitely gearing up for one helluva showdown this year in the men's singles. I did cover up on the prospects when it was starting and to be honest, I must acknowledge that the draws lined up couldn't have been much better!
5 of the top 10 seeds (which don't include Guillermo Canas and Carlos Moya) into the quarters. Further, the final spot is taken by Igor Andreev, the 125th Ranked Russian who literally scuffled Baghdatis in 4 sets.
Well, y'day was some of the best tennis I saw in quite some time now. The 3rd set between Rafael Nadal and Lyetton Hewitt was a jaffa, and though I'd really want Nadal to stay and fight off the Big Fed, but would have loved Hewitt pulling that set off from Nadal. Heck, the Hewitt forehand at 5-4 in tiebreak ruined it all! Powerful baseline tennis, and the weakness in Nadal's backhand was being exploited, until he really started to take almost everything on his forehand - and I believe, I need not iterate on his forehand capabilities..
Djokovic looks extremely impressive, and this young Serbian has definitely been pretty clinical in his approach. However, the one player with all the flair is Carlos Moya. He got nailed by Federer in the recently concluded Hamburg Open, but I've really not seen Moya so balanced and strong in the recent past. He looks to be a revelation, watch out for the giant Spaniard.
Canas playing Davydenko also has all the ingredients of a classic. Davydenko is perhaps one of the toughest triers in the game and Canas' re-emergence since the past couple of seasons will definitely be tested, even on his favorite surface.
Whatever said and done, Robredo might just pull off the biggest upset yet, whether it really happens or not is something, time will only tell. For now though, lets head on to The Chatrier..
5 of the top 10 seeds (which don't include Guillermo Canas and Carlos Moya) into the quarters. Further, the final spot is taken by Igor Andreev, the 125th Ranked Russian who literally scuffled Baghdatis in 4 sets.
Well, y'day was some of the best tennis I saw in quite some time now. The 3rd set between Rafael Nadal and Lyetton Hewitt was a jaffa, and though I'd really want Nadal to stay and fight off the Big Fed, but would have loved Hewitt pulling that set off from Nadal. Heck, the Hewitt forehand at 5-4 in tiebreak ruined it all! Powerful baseline tennis, and the weakness in Nadal's backhand was being exploited, until he really started to take almost everything on his forehand - and I believe, I need not iterate on his forehand capabilities..
Djokovic looks extremely impressive, and this young Serbian has definitely been pretty clinical in his approach. However, the one player with all the flair is Carlos Moya. He got nailed by Federer in the recently concluded Hamburg Open, but I've really not seen Moya so balanced and strong in the recent past. He looks to be a revelation, watch out for the giant Spaniard.
Canas playing Davydenko also has all the ingredients of a classic. Davydenko is perhaps one of the toughest triers in the game and Canas' re-emergence since the past couple of seasons will definitely be tested, even on his favorite surface.
Whatever said and done, Robredo might just pull off the biggest upset yet, whether it really happens or not is something, time will only tell. For now though, lets head on to The Chatrier..
Monday, June 4, 2007
Pirates.....Yaawwwwnnnnnnnnnnn
Bangalore..weekends..rain..power disruption - all the words seem so analogous to each other. Anyways, this weekend saw the release of one of the most awaited movies of the year - Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End. Well, to be very honest, I'm not that 'huge' a fan of this trilogy, but yeah it did provide some decent entertainment with The Curse of the Black Pearl, which did drop significantly with the sequel, Dead Man's Chest. Now with the latest release, there's just one reaction - Disappointing..
Well, the fans might really differ from me on this, and mind you Capt Jack Sparrow didn't disappoint me this time as well..just that the others did and which overshadowed Johnny Depp's brilliance. A sorry script, which they try to complicate beyond comprehension literally forced me to contemplate walking out in the middle of the movie! Sample this, the final battle in the middle of a vicious maelstrom and the 2 protagonists, Elizabeth and Will getting married among flying swords with the help of Hector Barbossa.. Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnn.. worst sequence of events in a long long time..
Fantasy is a dicey genre, it can be fascinating or just outrageously annoying. Well, for me this high expectations flick falls into the latter category. Special FX can't just carry on for almost 3 hrs!
P.S: As an antidose to my carribean adventure, I saw 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.. an abstract movie, but then its definitely worth a watch. How I wish, I can get a Lacuna Inc to help me as well!
Well, the fans might really differ from me on this, and mind you Capt Jack Sparrow didn't disappoint me this time as well..just that the others did and which overshadowed Johnny Depp's brilliance. A sorry script, which they try to complicate beyond comprehension literally forced me to contemplate walking out in the middle of the movie! Sample this, the final battle in the middle of a vicious maelstrom and the 2 protagonists, Elizabeth and Will getting married among flying swords with the help of Hector Barbossa.. Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnn.. worst sequence of events in a long long time..
Fantasy is a dicey genre, it can be fascinating or just outrageously annoying. Well, for me this high expectations flick falls into the latter category. Special FX can't just carry on for almost 3 hrs!
P.S: As an antidose to my carribean adventure, I saw 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.. an abstract movie, but then its definitely worth a watch. How I wish, I can get a Lacuna Inc to help me as well!
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