Fantastic Federer

He's one of the greatest tennis players of all time.  He's won more Grand Slams then you've had hot dinners, and he'll probably win another one in New York tonight.  He's reached a phenomenal 22 Grand Slam semi-finals in a row, arguably the greatest active streak in sports.

He says this is his "greatest ever shot".

NFL, Oh How We Missed Thee

Apologies for the recent silence. I’ve been on holidays. It was lovely.

So, the NFL is back. How we missed it. It’s been a summer where the world of American football has rarely been a quiet one. Between the comebacks of Brady, Vick and Favre and the indiscretions of Stallworth and Burress, the League has flexed it’s muscles as America’s premier sport – it’s creating headlines when it really shouldn’t.

However, now, on Week 1, all of that hardly matters as we’re now back in front of televisions, computers and mobile phones, watching one of the finest sports in the world.

For the record, I think this could be a vintage year in the NFL. Favre is spearheading a Vikings team that could be tough to beat – his games against the Packers will be a treat to watch. Tom Brady is making his return from the best part of a year out. He picked up a serious knee injury against my own Chiefs, meaning that he’s only played about one half of football since his New England Patriots lost in Super Bowl 42, and lost a potential perfect season.

We also have other interesting teams to watch. Can the Steelers repeat after their battling win over Tennessee in the season opener on Thursday? What about LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers? Is he still a force to be reckoned with in the backfield? Is Jay Cutler the answer at Quarterback in Chicago? Can Joe Flacco (Ravens) and Matt Ryan (Falcons) build on their impressive debut seasons or will they suffer from the sophomore slump? Who among this year’s Draft class will follow them as first-year sensations? There are so many questions and they’ll all be answered in the coming weeks.

For the record, I think it will be New England’s year. Over in the NFC, there’s no clear winner right now but Green Bay will be hard to beat, though I wonder about their schedule. Don’t underestimate San Diego, or the Jets or Seattle. It’s set to be an intriguing year, no doubt about it.

Yet all is not rosy in the NFL world. Labour strife beckons. The NFL must negotiate a new deal with the Players’ Union, and in a time where both sides are looking for bigger slices of a shrinking pie, this set of negotiations looks set to be long and difficult. Next year is all but certain to be the first uncapped year since 1993, while 2011 may be impacted by a strike. Such a stoppage is seen as more likely than not by many, far more informed people than I. While Favre, Vick and co. made headlines this summer, that’ll be nothing like what will happen should there be no football on the second weekend of September in 2011.

Enjoy this season football fans.  While you can.

Bye Bye Tyree

It wasn't a surprise, but I still felt that I had to note the news today that the New York Giants have decided to release David Tyree.  Never a remarkable receiver (in a statistical sense) Tyree will nonetheless be remembered by all fans for THAT play in their Super Bowl XLII.  Don't forget that Tyree caught a crucial Touchdown earlier on in the Giants' win over the Patriots (his first of the season) but how Tyree caught this long heave from Eli Manning...  I guess that's something only the football Gods will ever know.  I give you a play so memorable that it has it's own Wikipedia article, Manning to Tyree.

Stephen Ireland - A While Elephant, Not A Great White Hope

One of the most crucial games in Ireland’s qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup takes place on Saturday, but you’d hardly know it.  On paper, a trip to Nicosia for a clash with Cyprus should be more than winnable for Ireland.  Cyprus are ranked 73rd in the FIFA World Rankings, and they’ve only ever won 22 of their 176 competitive games.  However, any Ireland fan knows that this is no simple trip to a Mediterranean outpost.  One of those 22 wins was a humiliating 5-2 drubbing of Ireland in 2007, while Cyprus also held Ireland to a 1-1 draw at Croke Park later that year, a game the minnows should have won.

Those games, unfortunately, took place under the not-so-watchful eye of Stan so with Trap now in charge, surely Saturday’s game is an opportunity for revenge for those games and a chance to affirm Ireland as a rejuvenated football power.  Add to this a need for three points as Ireland continue their march towards second- or (perhaps) first-place in Group 8 and the importance of Saturday’s match is clear.  Someone should point that out to our national media because, when it comes to the Ireland National Football Team, there’s only been one story told this week.

Stephen Ireland.

The Cobh native is a curious case, to say the least.  He’s a man with dubious taste in cars, odd tattoos and a phenomenal natural talent for the beautiful game.  Robbed of the Premier League’s Young Player of the Year for the 2008-09 season, Ireland should be the talisman of Trapattoni’s midfield.  He’s a man who defied logic and outshone the likes of Robinho at the Middle Eastlands last season.  Indeed, Ireland was named as the club’s player of the year.  What could he do for his national side?  One wonders.

Yet Ireland doesn’t play for Ireland, and hasn’t done so since Grannygate.  A dubious exit, to say the least, but the underlying point is that this incident has robbed Irish fans of one of our finest talents in the position where we are most lacking, the centre of midfield.  On the pitch, we feel his loss – his presence would have been telling in the clashes with Bulgaria and Italy – but the lack of Stephen Ireland could hurt Ireland in an altogether different fashion come Saturday as it seems that he's proving to be a distraction.

Already, two players have spoken openly about his absence.  At least.  Journalists are persuing the Stephen Ireland angle, even though the player himself slammed shut the door on a possible return in an interview over the weekend.  He’s moved on, so why can’t we?  We miss Stephen Ireland, sure, but we have to let him go.  Trapattoni should draw a line under the entire affair, rule out bringing back Ireland for the remainder of this campaign at least, if not his entire tenure as manager, and most importantly tell his players not to comment on a man who's not a member of their team and does not want to be.  It's time that Trap and his players focus on Ireland and not Stephen.

***

Edit:  It looks like Trap is an Almost Daily Sports Blog reader!!!

Renault Probe Could Have Consequences

Interesting reports from the world of Formula 1 this morning regarding Fernando Alonso's win at last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

According to Brazilian TV Channel Globo, Renault are accused of ordering Nelson Piquet to deliberately crash in the racce last year, shortly after Alonso made a surprisingly early pit-stop.  I remember watching the race at the time, and I realised instantly how much of a boost this crash was for Alonso, who was, of course, Piquets' team-mate.  The ensuing safety car allowed Alonso to catch up on the rest of the field and overtake them when they made their pit-stops, thus putting the Spaniard into a lead that he never relenquished.

There were, I read, rumours at the time surrounding Piquet's crash (they went over my head) and how much of an 'accident' it was.  They make sense to the cynic, for sure, but an FIA investigation will determine whether or not the Brazilian was ordered to dump his car into the wall, a very serious offence if true.

A few comments regarding the investigation however:

It would not be a gross assumption to presume that the source for Globo is Piquet, or someone from his camp.  The Brazilian was fired recently, and a statement on his personal website showed his disgust at the decision.  This may not be any more than sour grapes, but only time will tell on that.

If it turns out that Piquet is telling the truth, then Renault will (rightly) find themselves in hot water.  Any such action, which not only corrupts the essence of the sport but also endangers drivers and patrons, would be dealt with in the most severe of fashions by the FIA.  Coming off the back of their screw-up with an Alonso pit-stop in Hungary, an offence so serious that it initially earned them a one-race ban (later revoked on appeal), there's no telling what sort of a penalty would be imposed.  A multiple-race ban and hefty fine would both be likely. This could end Renault's participation in the sport, as it is already in doubt, but I doubt that the sport's governing body would let that stop them in the imposition of their penalty.

And finally, how will Filepe Massa feel if it turns out that Piquet's crash was deliberate?  The Ferrari driver saw his World Championship hopes fade after a botched pit-stop in the aftermath of Piquet's crash.  He had been leading but he lost the lead when her drove off with the fuel-hose still attatched, while he was then given a drive-through penalty to rub salt into the wounds.  How different things almost certainly would have been if not for the incident?  It could turn out that Piquet cost his fellow countryman the World Championship.

Bolt Is Boring?

Just watched Usain Bolt run in Zurich.  He did the 100m a time of 9.81 seconds, a time which has only ever been beaten (legally) by three other men, and he did it in an odd way.  Bolt was pressured by Asafa Powell and then seemed to change up in gear to overtake him, in a manner which defies the normal flat-out nature of the shortest outdoor sprint.  Without a doubt, it was impressive.

Yet...  I'm feeling ambivalent about the run.  Meh, even.  Bolt has set such a high standards with his heroics in Berlin recently that a 'mere' 9.81s is disappointing.  It's like Michael Schumacher winning repeated Grand Prix, it gets boring.  It shouldn't, because it is so impressive, but if Usain Bolt fails to build on his Berlin brilliance, then I get the feeling that this ambivalence will return.

Lescott's Transfer, Another Blow For Football

So the Joleon Lescott saga is over, or so it seems, now that the Everton defender is reportedly at the Middle Eastlands undergoing a medical. Lescott, it seems, is set to move to Manchester City for a fee of £23m, making Lescott one of the twenty most-expensive players in the history of the game. Fools and their money...


The problem with transfer fees in football is a long-standing one but in these recessionary times, surely it is madness for so much money to be spent on a player. This year, 2009, has seen the three most expensive transfer deals occur (Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kaka) and also the worst economic slowdown for about eighty years. Surely these are two opposing events and shouldn’t happen at the same time. Yet they do.

I don’t know why you love sport but for me, it’s main attraction is in the fact that it gives a sense of community. Manchester United fans, for example, are bonded by their love of the side, the club, it’s history and the buzz of match days. We’re all united by this and it’s the same for every club in every sport across the world. This bond should also include a bond with the players, a respect for the heroes who represent your community on the pitch.

The problem with this, however, is that in an age where players are moved for so much money and earn stratospheric wages, this bond is weakened. Lescott is a perfect example. He should be a hero down Goodison way, having made over 100 appearances for the club, played with his heart on his sleeve and helped the club to some of its highest league placings in over 20 years. I’m sure that there are many young Everton fans who have his name and number on their jerseys. They had the bond with him that fans of not so long ago had with many players on their teams. Had.

The bond that used to exist has gone. There’s no link between players and fans because players, at the game’s highest level, are disposable. They play for the pound and the euro more so then the club. The National Game is weakened in many ways for the same reason. Champions Leagues, television rights, extortionate season ticket prices and lucrative pre-season tours to far-flung destinations are all signs of how clubs extract as much money as possible to pay these wages and to pay the increasing number of foreign owners. Ultimately, however, it is the fans that pay. In real terms, we shell out for jerseys, tickets and TV subscriptions but in a less-tangible but more hurtful sense, we lose the bond we once loved so much.

Need Some Assistance Over The Unassisted Triple Play

I know they're very rare but that aside, I really do not understand why Eric Burntlett's Unassisted Triple Play for the Phillies against the Mets last night is really a big enough deal to warrant the lead headline on the American sports websites this morning.  Anyone get it?

Gender Bender

Gavin has already spoken about this earlier in the week, and some interesting debate was generated but its a rainy Sunday morning, and there's nothing I enjoy more then flicking through the Sunday Sports papers. The back pages of the sports sections are full of opinion on the South African 18 year old Caster Semenya. Semenya won gold in the 800 m at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics with a time of 1:55.45 in the final, a personal best and the fastest time in the world that year. In August 2009, amid growing speculation, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) conducted a gender verification test in the weeks before the 800m event at the World Championships. Results have not yet been published.

The IAAF have not handled the situation with the sensitivity they should have. It put the poor women into a situation in which the world's eyes were on her and her life itself was put on display and questioned.

The fact of the matter is that these allegations are not new. They have followed Semenya for a few years. Therefore, there was ample time to verify sex (again, a difficult process) and clear the way for her to compete. There is no doubt however, that the question was always going to be raised in Berlin, that people would ask and scrutinize, and so good management and coaching would have seen this resolved BEFORE the Championships even began. Because it was not, we are sadly seeing that Semenya will be the loser in what might well become an ugly story. There is surely nothing more offensive than the question of a woman's sex - even a doping accusation does not come close.

Opinion has been divided amongst athletes and media pundits. "For me, she's not a woman, she's a man," said Italian Elisa Piccione, who finished sixith in the final. "Jeez, she's fair big, she's no bulge down below though, must be a woman," said Pat Conliffe from Castleblayney. This guy had some interesting opinions on the matter.

Brett = Barney

Watching the first half here of the Chiefs - Vikings game. It's turgid stuff but I am a K.C. fan. Tonight also marks the comeback of Brett Favre and it was interesting to see him get a standing ovation from the Minnesota crowd.

His stats line's pretty poor (so far: typing at the end of the first half). Brett is 1 of 4 for 4 yards. Hey, at least he's got no interceptions or fumbles.

God he's old. If he wanted to see a purple dinosaur I'd have checked out this guy: