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ANZAC Day Spirit

An Australian soldier on the day he was evacuated from Anzac.

Photo from www.anzacsite.gov.au:

Today is ANZAC Day. It is a day or remembrance.

My thoughts about today is that it is about remembering what our soldiers have done and are currently doing for us. It is not about the glorification of war. We must respect our soldiers. They put their lives on the line for us, so we can maintain the freedoms and lifestyles we have. Let us remember their deeds and hope that the current serving soldiers can come home alive and safe.

Sport is very Australian. We use it to show the respect and courage of our society. Today there are games of football in different codes showing their form of appreciation to our soldiers, both fallen and serving. Good luck to all involved and thanks.

"They shall not grow old, as we are that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them."

"Lest we forget."

“How was your golf game, dear?” asked Jack’s wife Tracy.

“Well, I was hitting pretty well, but my eyesight’s gotten so bad I couldn’t see where the ball went.”

“But you’re seventy-five years old, Jack!” admonished his wife, “Why don’t you take my brother Scott along?”

“But he’s eighty-five and doesn’t even play golf anymore,” protested Jack.

“But he’s got perfect eyesight. He could watch your ball,” Tracy pointed out.

The next day Jack teed off with Scott looking on. Jack swung, and the ball disappeared down the middle of the fairway. “Do you see it?” asked Jack.

“Yup,” Scott answered.

“Well, where is it?” yelled Jack, peering off into the distance.

“I forgot.”

NRL - Melbourne Storm's Shame !

The news from the NRL today was extremely surprising to most rugby league fans and sports reporters. The Melbourne team, the Melbourne Storm, have rorted the system for at least 5 years and paid their players amounts above the salary cap. It is no wonder that they were able to keep the majority of their team together and even attract new players. What they did was cheat.

The NRL have stripped the club of three minor premierships, two premierships and all the points gained this year as well as not being allow to accrue any points for the rest of 2010. They were also fined a large sum of money and told to return the prize money gained from the two premierships they were stripped of.

This might kill the team in Melbourne especially with a new rugby union team starting there soon.

Australian Tennis

Left: The last triumphant Davis Cup Team of Australia 2003.

What has happened to Australian tennis. In the past Australia produced some of the best players in the world. We were able to compete with countries which had much larger populations and win. We used to dominate Davis Cup and the four majors, now look at us. We struggle to have any male or female in the top 100, let alone the top 10.

It might seem like I am stuck in the past, but what I am actually trying to say is, what has caused the demise. Is it the lack of structure in the system? Is it the lack of early identification of talent? Is it that there are too many other sports and recreations to choose from? Has everyone else in the world just caught up and as their populations are bigger, are able to find more talent? Or is it a combination of some or all of these and possibly other things not mentioned?

Tennis needs help. We need to find money to keep our past players in Australia to coach our next generations. We need to find money to spot talent and pay new talent so they won't go to other sports. And we need to prasie people and not try and knock them down when they do well.

This is over simplifying the problem, but it is a start.

PS: We also need to go back to grass courts and get rid of the synthetic rubber. It was our advantage in the past and we should bring it back, just llike the Europeans play most of their tennis on clay.

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Posted a comment in blog, Aussie Golfer: Wie Mistake Costs Her $100,000

Doug_mq said...

I agree, Michelle Wie should know better and handled the situation with good grace and professionalism. She did not look off balanced to me. However, we are all human and we all make mistakes. I don't think that she will make this one again.

9 April 2010 7:31 PM

"http://aussiegolfer.blogspot.com/2010/03/wie-mistake-costs-her-100000.html#comments"

Danny Green Retains IBO Cruiserweight title

Danny's Elation after win: Photo Perth Now

Danny Green faught Manny Siaca (Puerto Rico) on Wednesday night for the IBO (International Boxing Organisation) at Challenge Stadium in Perth. Danny defeated Manny with a TKO (technical knockout) in the 3rd round.

Danny Green's reord to 29 wins from 32 fights with 26 knockouts. Manny Siaca's win-loss record is now 22 wins and 7 losses.

Danny Green commented after the fight:
"He took 20 or 30 uppercuts and he felt the power and was intimidated by it".
"I'm stoked, I'm rapt".
"I am frustrated I wanted to go 12 rounds to punish Many", "I would have loved to have given you guys a better show but unfortunately when you have the power like that you can't."

Danny is now hoping the win will bring Anthony Mundine back into contention for a re-match.

Augusta - 2010 US Masters Golf Tournament - Day 4

Phil Mickelson and his family with the US Masters trophey, 2010.

The 16th hole at Augusta Golf Course

Congratulations to the new wearer of the green jacket and US Masters winner, Phil Mickelson.
Tiger finished the US Masters in equal 4th place. Not a bad start to his comeback.

Rounds shown in order played Score shown once for players that are tied:
1. P.Mickelson -16 (67) (71) (67) (67)

2. L. Westwood -13 (67) (69) (68) (71)

3. A. Kim -12 (68) (70) (73) (65)

4. T. Woods -11 (68) (70) (70) (69)
K. Choi (67) (71) (70) (69)


The highest placed Aussie was Adam Scott in 18th at 1 under (-1).

Phil receiving the covetted Green Jacket.

Augusta - 2010 US Masters Golf Tournament - Day 3

Tiger is still has a chance to win the US Masters after day 3. He only 4 shots from the lead and anything can happen on the last day of the tournament.

Rounds shown in order played Score shown once for players that are tied:
1. L. Westwood (67) (69) (68)
2. P.Mickelson (67) (71) (67)

3. T. Woods -6 (68) (70) (70)
K. Choi (67) (71) (70)

5. F Couples (66) (75) (68)


The highest placed Aussie is Geoff Ogilvy, 16th at 1 under (-1).

Augusta - 2010 US Masters Golf Tournament - Day 2

Tiger is still near the top of the leaderboard on day 2. He finished his round and is still only 2 shots from the lead.

Rounds shown in order played Score shown once for players that are tied:
1. I. Poulter -8 (68) (68)
L. Westwood (67) (69)

3. T. Woods -6 (68) (70)
K. Choi (67) (71)
R.Barns (68) (70)
A. Kim (68) (70)
P.Mickelson (67) (71)


The highest placed Aussie is Adam Scott in 21st Even (on Par).

Virtual sports, virtual friends, virtual calories, virtual skills.

As the laughter finally died down, I raised my head up and looked at the TV screen. There it was in big bold letters “YOU LOSE” I then looked over to the other side of the TV screen, there were also big bold letters but these said “YOU WIN.” I couldn’t believe I had been beaten, beaten by a.... 5 year old. That’s right I had just been beaten by a 5 years old in Wii tennis and I was not happy. I demanded a rematch but he wasn’t an idiot he saw the fire in my eyes and told me he didn’t want to embarrass me again, another round of laughs fills the room. I now being the joke of the party took off my Wii controller and gave it to his next awaiting victim. Later on in the night (he had grown bored of beating everyone) I asked him how he was so good at Wii tennis. His answer was short “School” on more questioning it turned out to be after School care, but he said his school was planning to get it.

As he ran off, I wondered about this weird new concept of Wii in schools. I had heard of Wii being used in retirement houses and I thought that was a great idea, grandma vs. grandma in a boxing match. Great don’t you think? But Wii in school, maybe this is the way to future, the next level of sports training? Maybe the Wii is the key Roger Federer success? Or was it more likely just another waste of more tax payer money.

The education system in this country has already created a major shortage of skilled workers. The number of people getting into university to become doctors, mathematicians and scientists are so low we are actually lowering the requirements to get in, soon enough all you will need to become a doctor is a pencil. And it seems the same mistakes the department of education made with teaching our young kids to read and write they are making with running and playing.

Kids are being kept locked away, safe under lock and key. No longer can young kids play outside because “they might be bitten by a bee” or “they might eat some dirt”. Kids are no longer allowed to let their imagination run wild with Lego blocks because “they might eat a piece”. And now they’re worried parents have found a great “safe” way for kids to play outdoor games inside, Wii sport.

Of course this is not what the government and schools are saying they say it is a legitimate form of exercise. But as statics show playing Wii games even combined with the Wii balance board is no WHERE close to level of exercise obtained by outdoor activity. Statics also show that over 1/3 of Australia’s kids are overweight or on the board line. Staying indoors and swinging a 20cm stick is not an efficient way of combating this epidemic. Getting out doors and playing some actual sport is the best way to lose calories and have fun. Kids need to actually feel the ball come on to the racket, bat or club; they need to run after the ball instead of letting the game do it and they need to feel the grass under their feet.

Team sports such as cricket, soccer, NRL and AFL all have a way of bringing people together. From the highs of wining to the heart break of losing, being involved in a team sport means your friends will always be there. Sports are also a good way to build self esteem and social skills, skills which kids will need throughout their adult lives, and without them they will no doubt crash and burn.

With the immediate skilled worker shortage, the government has found “genius” solution instead of fixing the system that creates the shortages; they are just going to fly in people from overseas who can do it.

This is the same solution I see for what will one day be a sporting shortage. With the obesity rate on the rise, and virtual games in schools, the number of well trained sports stars will no doubt fall. And what might the government do about this; they will most likely get more realist simulators, maybe even in 3d. But as a quick fix they will probably fly in sporting stars from overseas, no doubt another “genius” solution.

So don’t be surprised in the not too distant future to see fat, uneducated, sports oblivious people walking around. And these same people will be the ones complaining about some Indian swimmer, who can’t speak much English, and has only been in the country for a couple of months, representing our country in the Olympics games.

Funny Sports Motivationals

Photos from:
http://www.icanhasmotivation.com/
http://www.funnypictures.net.au/

http://www.motivatedphotos.com/

Controversial actions of players in Cricket History

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) is taking its last breathes and the ICC Twenty20 World Cup less than a month away, we take a look back at some of the controversial actions of the players in cricket history.

1. Infamous Underarm bowling incident of 1981

On 1 February 1981, when a New Zealander batsman, Brian Mackenzie, needed to score a six from the last ball to win a One Day International match against Australia in Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Australian captain instructed his bowler, Trevor Chappell, to deliver the last ball underarm, along the ground. This action was technically legal, but seen as being unsporting. As a direct result of the incident, underarm bowling was banned in limited overs cricket by the International Cricket Council as "not within the spirit of the game”.

2. Ball Tampering by Shahid Afridi

On 31 January 2010, Pakistani All Rounder Shahid Afridi was caught on camera biting vigorously into the ball towards the end of the One Day International series in Australia, at the WACA Ground. He was immediately called by the match referee after the match was over. In his defence, he told a pakistani TV channel that he was trying to "Smell the ball", however later Afridi pleaded guilty to ball tampering and he was banned from two Twenty20 internationals. This incident was widely reported in media as the Bitegate incident.

3. Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds “Monkey” IncidentAndrew Symonds (left) and Harbhajan Singh shortly after exchanging word "blows" in 4th day of the Second Test of THREE TEST SERIES.

In January 2008, Indian spin bowler, Harbhajan Singh, received a three-match ban after a complaint that he had racially abused Symonds during the third day of the Second Test at the SCG. It was alleged that Harbhajan called Symonds a "monkey" after Symonds confronted him over touching fellow Australian player Brett Lee. The case was decided by the match referee, Mike Procter, in a hearing held after the match. The BCCI lodged an appeal against the decision. On January 29, 2008, after the hearing of the appeal, at Adelaide by ICC appeals commissioner John Hansen, the racism charge on Harbhajan Singh was not proved and the three Test ban was lifted.

Wife Carrying

Estonian-style (the wife hangs upside-down with her legs around the husband's shoulders, holding onto his waist).

For those that have watched Wide World of Sports in Australia (WWOS), you may have seen the sport of "wife carying". The sport apparently originated in Finland where the world championships are held every year. The championship will be in October this year.

The object is to run an obsticle course carrying your wife in any fashion you wish. The basic rules are as follows (per Wikipedia):

• Length of track - 253.5m
• 2 dry & 2 water obstacles with 1 being at least 1m deep.
• The "wife" - can be yours, your neighbours or maybe someone further afield, but she must be over 17 years of age.
• Min weight - 49Kg (A rucksack will be added with weights to make up any difference).
• The wife must wear a helmet and the carrier is the only one allowed to wear a belt.
• All participants must have fun
• Also there is a category for the most entaining couple, the best costume and the strongest carrier.
  

Our hats go off to the "wives" that participate in this unusual sport.

Augusta - 2010 US Masters Golf Tournament - Day 1

Tiger has finished his first round and is only 2 shots off the pace.

1. F. Couples -6 (66)
2. T. Watson -5 (67)
L. Westwood
P. Mickelson
Y. Yang
K. Choi

Woods is tied 7th with 4 other players.

The highest placed Aussie is Adam Scott in 12th at -3 (69)

Tiger's Back

Hat's off: Tiger Woods keeps autograph hunters happy during a practice round at Augusta. Photo: REUTERS.

Tiger Woods is back. Do we care? Well, yes I do! What Tiger did in his private life (not so private really), is his business. What he did was wrong in my opinion, but should not have a bearing on whether the man should or shouldn't be playing golf. Leave all that to his wife, his kids and their lawyers.

Look at the way he plays. Look at his style and finesse. Look at his competiveness. Look at the way he brings the field up closer to his standards. Look at the way the crowds turn up to watch him play. He is a delight to watch and a definite crowd pleaser.

Tiger is in Group 31 on day 1 paired with M.Kuchar (US) and K. Choi (korea), with a hit off time of 1:42 pm (EDT).

Dangers of Recreational Fishing

Recreational fishing is one of Australia’s largest sports. Unfortunately though, some people don’t respect mother nature. People die because they don’t respect what the elements can do. They don’t keep an eye on the waves when they are rock fishing. They don’t wear the proper clothing. People even are so stupid they overload their boats and don’t take out the appropriate safety gear with them. Then when the weather turns nasty, they wonder why they capsize or sink.

The smart fishermen respect the rivers and the sea. They take all the safety precautions they can, including looking at the weather reports before they go and telling someone where they will be and when they intend to be back.

There is another kind of danger to fishing, it is the danger to our ecosystem, our environment. True fishermen across Australia fish for food and fun, but only take what they need and of a size that is legal. But there are those out there that take everything and it will be those people that will say, what happened to all the fish, where are they. If we over fish or take the breeding stock, we are left with nothing.

Please be careful and be aware of yourself and others.

Sports and Politics just don’t mix

Pakistani cricket fans burn an effigy of the IPL commissioner Lalit Modi during a protest in Lahore over the snubbing of the country's players in the IPL auction.

As I lay on my couch one late night, I flicked trough the multitude of channels. Most of which had nothing but depressing late night news, “bombing is Iraq”,” terror level raised in London” or “the us is warning ...” none of that cheerful good news you hear on the 6 clock news, this was hard hitting stuff. After some more channel surfing I finally found something a lot more joyous the ‘Indian Premier League’ better known as the ‘IPL’. The IPL a cricket fans heaven and all on free to air TV (channel 10 signed a 5 year contract for an estimated 15 million dollars). It was the Kings XI Punjab vs. Kolkata Knight Riders both teams owned by the BIGGEST names in Bollywood. I sat back and watched Chris Gayle (captain of the West Indies cricket team) hit six after six and thought this is great, way better than all the disheartening news reports of terrorism and politics.

But as I looked closer at the players in the teams I realised that not a single one of them was Pakistani. Pakistan are the current T20 world champions and yet not a single player is in the IPL, then like some sort of religious awaking I remembered a news article I had read a few months back and suddenly the IPL wasn’t so far away from terrorism and politics as I once thought.

Could it be a mere coincidence that not a single team placed a bid for any Pakistani player for was it part of a wider conspiracy. Some have suggested that they were not bought because the Pakistani players have not been up to scratch, that they were judged on their performance rather than their nationality. This sounds reasonable until you look at the finer details, while it is true that some players have been under performing this is mostly in the longer versions of the game. It is true that Pakistan didn't win a single game here in Australia during the summer, but they put up a good fight and nearly won on several occasions. On the other hand the West Indians didn't win any games this summer, and on most occasions they were nowhere close, and yet most of their players went for a lot of money during the IPL auctions.

Thus I’m lead to another reason. India and Pakistan’s relation has always been on a knives’ edge with many wars and constant border skirmishes. But after the Mumbai attacks (ten coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across the city of Mumbai killing 173) on 26 November 2008 by Pakistani terrorist, tensions have been extremely high. This event is no doubt the reason for the exclusion of the Pakistani players, of course this has been extensively denied by the IPL organizers and the Indian government. Before the auction even started the Indian government had be extremely slow in handing out visas to the Pakistani players. Sport has been a unifier on many occasions; it has turned ordinary men and women into little more than Demi –gods, and to let all this be corrupted by politics is very distressing. Even in ancient Greece warring tribes, fractions, states and even countries used to come together to participate in the annual games, to not attend was a sign of great disrespect, and to not welcome each other with open arms was an ever bigger disrespect.

So if it could be done over 2000 years ago why not now, like the old cliché goes ‘sports and politics just don’t mix.’ I hope next year I will see Shahid Afridi out there hitting all those sixes.

PS: Kings XI Punjab won by 8 Wickets

Pro Wrestler, Chris Kanyon (Chris Klucsaritas) Dies at Age 40

Chris Kanyon (whose original name is Chris Klucsaritas), an openly gay wrestler, was found dead at his home in Queens on Friday. He was 40 years old.

According to reports, Kanyon died of an intentional overdose of prescription pills. Nothing, however, is official until the coroner releases their report.

Kanyon has tried to take his own life in the past. In 2003, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after trying to commit suicide. As recently as last week, he was also evidently struggling with depression and talking about ending his own life.

After graduating from the University of Buffalo and working as a physical therapist, Kanyon left that field to become a professional wrestler in 1992. He worked for both World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment (then known as World Wrestling Federation.)

The WWE issued a statement onits website, saying, "World Wrestling Entertainment would like to express its deepest condolences to Christopher Klucsaritis' family and friends on his trajic passing". Klucsaritis was under contract with the WWE from 2001 to 2004 when he retired, although he still occasionally did battle in the ring.

Many wrestlers from WWE, TNA and other associations have expressed their deepest sympathies to Chris' friends and family and have said how great a person he was.

My condolences to Chris Kanyon's (Chris Klucsaritis) family and friends.

(Part of the information for this blog is from "http://www.cbsnews.com")

Sports Fail of the Week

You know you're not having a good day when you manage to kick a ball into your head, and score an own goal at the same time.