Sports and More’s Weekly Top Ten!

FRESH FROM THE WORLD WE BRING YOU THE WEEKLY TOP TEN! 

10. RAFAEL dos ANJOS

It took him nearly six years and 16 fights to headline his first UFC card — but he didn’t waste the opportunity when he got it! Spectacularly defeating former champion Benson Henderson in a 1st round TKO in a huge upset. Where does Benson Henderson go from here?

9. NATHAN TINKLER

The man who stormed to power only a few years ago as the billionaire mining magnate to the applause of all of Newcastle fans has gone on record saying “I’ve been very good to Newcastle,’’ Tinkler said. “But that place hasn’t done anything but shit on me. It a spectacular fall from grace for troubled magnate who has also been forced to sell his Australian Patinack Farm racing and breeding operation at an unreserved auction next month.

8. ARSENAL

Great comeback and grit shown by Arsenal in the draw at Goodison Park. A strong and disciplined Everton side holding a comfortable 2 nil lead with 7 minutes to play, Arsenal uncharacteristically (in recent years)  pulled their socks up and salvaged an important away point. The Premier league is closer than ever for the all important Champions League qualification spots up for grabs with no less than 7 teams all in the running this year. Away points are crucial in these early stages for all teams to get a great start to the season ahead.

7. ALBERT EBOSSE

Cameroonian striker Albert Ebosse has died after being hit in the head by an object thrown from the stands during an Algerian league game, his club JS Kabylie have announced.The 24-year-old was fatally struck by a projectile at the end of JS Kabylie’s meeting with USM Alger in Tizi Ouzou. Our thoughts are with his family.

6. BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Karim Bellarabi scored the fastest goal in German top-flight history – after just nine seconds – to help Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Dortmund.The 24-year-old midfielder received the ball on the edge of the Dortmund box before turning and sliding in from 15 yards.
It was two seconds quicker than the record held by three players, including Bayern Munich’s Giovane Elber in 1998.

5. GORKA IRAIZOZ

Goal keepers have a tough go of it the best of times but this surely rubs salt into the wound! Athletic Club Bilbao shot stopper seemed to salvage a point with a brilliant header from beyond the box to score the equalising goal, but it wasn’t meant to be as the linesman controversially ruled the goal as offside! It was horrendous referring decision as he was at least 2 meters onside! 

4. ASADA BANS

This drawn out process has come to some sort of conclusion with the implementation of backdated bans against players that apparently weren’t smart enough to ask questions when being injected with banned substances by former club sports performance director Stephen Dank. I find it hard to believe that no one had any idea as has been claimed and the fact that the bans are a paltry 3 games in some cases, Gives me reason to wonder if any of this is taken seriously. Would Olympic athletes have the same free pass? 

3. MARIO BALLOTELLI

Why always me? He’s baaaack! The great enigma that is Mario Ballotelli is bringing his talents back to the premier league in the famous Liverpool jersey. Will he be a success? Or will the off field antics garner much more of the headlines? 

2. ANGEL DI MARIA

A British transfer record is about to be smashed with the touted 64 million pound move for the Argentine International by Manchester United. A late bid has been reported coming in from Manchester City although with the financial fair play regulation watchdogs watching closely it seems unlikely. One question remains will this signing alter the fortunes at Old Trafford?

1. ALL BLACKS

The World Champions have done it again with a thumping over arch rivals Australia in the 2nd Bledisloe Cup match in Auckland overnight. 12 long years since Australia  held the Bledisloe cup and a further 28 years since they have won at Auckland’s famed Eden Park. The Wallabies were outclassed by the dominant New Zealand side by a score of 51-20 the highest margin of all time between the 2 proud nations. Any doubts that the All Blacks are not the best team in the world by some margin were quickly extinguished with an almost flawless display. This marks another milestone in their storied history as they are now unbeaten in 19 consecutive test matches. This is without doubt one of the most impressive records in global sporting history and we at Sports and More tip our hats.

 

Till next week remember it’s more than a game! 

  

Are Tennis Players A Protected Species?

After watching the Australian Tennis Open recently one thing consistently springs to mind. The players appear to be either very easily distracted or quick to blame outside factors for a poor performance. Be it jibes from the crowd, shrieking from an opponent or the elements themselves. Tennis players it appears are given extra protection that other athletes in high level sports are not afforded the luxury of.

The issue of heat has been drummed out in the media in the past few weeks with temperatures regularly hitting well over 40 degrees on court. While I acknowledge this is without doubt a less than Ideal situation, This strikes me as another example of Tennis players not being forced to show the fortitude and mental toughness required in elite sport.

Test Cricket immediately springs to mind. A great example is the famous Madras Cricket Test between Australia and India in 1985. The teams played for 5 days 8 hours a day In the stifling sub continent heat. Throw in daily bouts of ”Delly Belly” boisterous Madras crowds and the point becomes clear. One memorable moment during the game was the performance of Australian Player Greg Matthews. With his fellow players almost dying of heatstroke, Matthews chose to play the entire test in a thick woolen sweater merely to prove his mental toughness and performed admirably. Taking man of the match honors. Perhaps it can indeed be mind over matter in even the most hostile of conditions.

The incessant complaining from the Tennis elite does not stop there however. Another example is the funeral like silence that must be adhered to by the crowds. While I acknowledge this is an edict of the sport written into it’s long and rich history. Should this mean fans who have paid very good money to attend not be allowed to shout, jeer and enjoy themselves with affinity?

Imagine the mental torture of an MMA fighter being pummeled in the cage literally fighting for his life, Or Soccer player taking a penalty infront of 100,000 fans with the result of a World Cup at their feet. None of these sports deny the crowd from participating nor do the players look to blame the elements to explain away a loss. And when they do they are justifiable ridiculed for it. Some will counter this and claim Tennis is an individual sport that needs high levels of concentration therefore silence is necessary… Has anyone watched a Darts tournament recently?

I would argue the mental strength of these athletes (barring darts players in the term ”athletes”) is at a much higher level. The added pressure of the surrounding environments I would submit make this far more difficult to concentrate than the comfortable silence of a tennis arena.

I have heard the excuse that because Tennis is a very technical sport that if they allowed fan interaction the standard of play would drop and therefore would be less entertaining……

This again sounds like another example of a very protected species indeed..

SPORTS AND MORES WEEKLY TOP TEN! THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE DOWN RIGHT WEIRD….

HERE IT IS FOLKS YOUR WEEKLY INDULGENCE OF ALL THINGS SPORT! LETS KICK IT OFF WITH…

10. CANCELLING OF THE WINTER CLASSIC – If there was a prize to hand out for singlehandedly ruining what was to be one of the shining lights of the season in NHL, This takes the cake. To allow it to just fall away is a disgrace to the integrity of the sport and its loyal fans. The NHLPA and the Board need to take a good long hard look at themselves and ask, do they have the games best interests at heart?

9. QUADE COOPER – Well well what will he do next? silly comments on twitter, reprimands from the Australian Rugby Union, Horror run with injuries, Court proceedings  All is definitely not rosey with Mr Cooper at this point, and to be honest he only has himself to blame. If he concentrated on his game and less about off field rubbish, he stands to be one of the greatest fly half’s to ever play the game. If he doesn’t he will end up a forgotten man with a tarnished legacy to boot. I really hope he can put it behind him and be the very talented player we know he can be. Rugby needs great exciting players now more than ever.

8. CAPITAL ONE CUP – Who said the English league cup was a dead rubber trophy in the English soccer landscape! Some fantastic games this week saw Arsenal go down by 4 goals in the first half to storm back in the 2nd and win the game 7-5! Unbelievable stuff!

7. BERNARD TOMIC – The highly touted young Aussie tennis ace has had a shocker this week, and his tennis is really suffering. Bombing out of tournaments, showing petulance towards the press, and having police called to domestic issues. All conspiring to see him slipping down the world tennis pecking order. I for one hope he can pull it together and be a great player, but at this stage it looks highly unlikely. Is the Father son relationship to blame? Or overly aggressive media just waiting for him to fall?

6. STEPHAN BONNAR – I was to write a tribute to this man regarding the ending of a less than stellar yet important career in the brutal world of mixed martial arts.He and Forrest Griffin ushered a new era in the sport when they fought a war in the first edition of UFC’s the Ultimate Fighter taking the Sport of MMA global and making it one of the fastest growing sports in the World. However after his loss to the great Anderson Silva at UFC 153 it has since emerged that he for the 2nd time failed a drugs test for steroids. A disappointing end to a career which never reached the highs it should have..

5. NBA SEASON UNDERWAY – The greatest basketball league in the world got underway and a few old stars have turned back the clock and come up with some great performances! Carmello Anthony led the NY Knicks to a great win over defending champs Miami Heat! Will the heat defend there title???

4. ISRAEL FOLAU – The former gun of the NRL and the AFL’s star recruit has decided to quit the game after 2 years into a lucrative contract with new franchise The GWS Giants. A waste of time or smart career move?   Will he return to Rugby League or will the very talented youngster make a play in Rugby Union? Alot of interested clubs will be sniffing around for his signature and who can blame them!

3. THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON – One of the worlds great Marathon races had to be cancelled this week due to the devastation wrecked by hurricane sandy. Due to the huge clean up that will be needed it was the right choice to make, A good show by some of the runners who will stage impromptu runs around the City to raise funds for the victims.

2. LUIS SUAREZ – The much maligned Uruguayan is singlehandely keeping Liverpool’s heads above water this season. Take him out of the team and I smell a relegation battle for the once  most successful club in England, who have been at times woeful this year. I hope Brendon Rodgers is given a chance to mold the side and not shown the door by the clubs owners.

1. ARSENAL vs MANCHESTER UNITED – All the talk midweek was about one man Robin Van Persie. And it took him only 5 minutes to show his former club exactly what they lost with a beautiful finish after a dreadful piece of defending from Thomas Vermalen (who is having a shocker this year) a few odd points from the game was Van Persie handing his shirt at half time to Andre Santos? A strange peace offering of sorts was quickly paid up by Santos by posting a photo of himself on twitter, using the shirt as a table cloth! Once again drama intertwined with sports standard fare in the Premier League. It begs the question is it real or is it all staged??

Thank you again for reading we hope you enjoyed the sporting week that was and remember its more than a game!

 John Gorrie

 

 

Happy Friday People!

Whats the plans for the weekend!?

Sports and Mores Weekly Top Ten

Its that time again our weekly countdown of all things sport from around the world!

10. Banning the Broomstick! For some reason the powers that be have decided an unfair advantage comes from those using the long putter……Surely if there is a distinct advantage to using it everyone one would have one?

9. Martin Crowe – The former New Zealand Cricket captain was last week diagnosed with cancer….We here at Sports and More wish Martin the very best and hope for a speedy recovery. The finest batsman of a generation in New Zealand Cricket.

8. San Francisco Giants win the World Series – Who needs Barry Bonds? 2 titles in 3 years suggests no one!

7. Emile Heskey – A great to display from the former English Forward in the A league sees him scoring almost at will! If only he had shown such touch for the years he played for England!

6. Lance Armstrong – The world just keeps crumbling around him. Stripped of his titles and and facing criminal procedures in the US for lying under oath. Will he ever confess??

5. Mark Clatternburg – Accused by Chelsea players of racial abuse and 2 decisive red cards have put him front and centre of an ugly situation. In my view for too long officials in Football deal with abuse every time they take the pitch, I’m not condoning what may or may not have been said but surely players have to ask themselves Is right to yell in the face of an official screaming obscenities?

4. Sydney MLB season opener – A huge coup for Sydney this week with the Los Angeles Dodgers looking to bring there opening series of the new MLB season to the hollowed Cricket ground of the SCG. Will it be a failure? or will it be a raging success? Either way a big television audience will be on hand to watch and some good thinking outside the square form on Magic Johnson!

3. Matthew Wade – The new glove man for the Australian Cricket team has had to climb many hurdles in his life. Being Diagnosed with cancer at 16 being one of them! A true champion and he has now realized his dream! Well done son!

2.  Sir Wilson Whineray – The former All Black captain (And some say the greatest All Black captain of them all!) Died this week aged 77. His record speaks for itself. Leading The All Blacks in 30 of his 32 tests losing only 4. 50 first class tries (he was a prop forward!) And the first man from New Zealand to be inducted into the IRB’s Hall of Fame. A great New Zealander and a true leader in everything he did. He will be sorely missed RIP Sir Wilson.

 

1. Casey Stoner – A remarkable achievement to win his 6th Straight Australian Moto GP at the weekend. After coming off hard in practice while already carrying a broken ankle as well he powered through to take a commanding victory at his home track of Phillip Island. For a man as young as he is to have achieved such greatness in a sport is nothing short of breathtaking! Hats off to a successful career and lets hope we see him back in the saddle one day soon to thrill us again. Cheers Casey your a true legend of the Sport!

There you have it our weekly top ten! Thank you for reading and once again leave any comments or suggestions below! And remember its more than a game! 

 Cheers,

           John Gorrie

           

Sport and More’s Sports Origins of the Week! Rugby Union

SPORTS ORIGINS : RUGBY UNION

We have all heard the endearing story. William Webb Ellis from the famed Rugby School in England frustrated with how his team were faring, Picks up the soccer ball and runs with it! Thus creating what some call “the game they play in heaven” That account is rather scratchy at best!

But if you dig a little deeper you will find Rugby has many distant cousins at it’s core. At first glance Rugby seems to be an overly aggressive sport, purely for the Mountain men of this world!  However when you look at it more closely, you will see it is one of the most respectful and honored games in the world, played by all shapes, sizes, races and creeds. Described affluently in the following quote by an unknown source. “Football is a gentleman’s game played by thugs” “Whilst Rugby is a thugs game played by gentleman” But I digress onto the History!

Some of the Earliest forms of the game date back thousands of years. Forms of Football similar to rugby have been played throughout Europe and beyond. Many of these involved handling of the ball, and scrummaging formations. For example, New Zealand had Ki -o- Rahi which had similar look to modern Aussie Rules,Netball, and Soccer. Played between two teams of 7 players on a circular field divided into zones. There is no official history of the sports origin but there is some evidence of a game of this nature being played in Pre European New Zealand or Aotearoa

Australian Indigenous People’s played a sport named Marn Grook Gunditjmara for “game ball” Which is a collective name given to a number of traditional Indigenous Australian recreational pastimes believed to have been played at gatherings and celebrations of up to 50 players. It is distinct from the indigenous ball game Woggabaliri which is believed to be the subject of William Blandowski‘s famous engraving “never let the ball hit the ground” 

The Japanese had the very rough and tumble game of Kemari, The first evidence of Kemari is from 644. The rules were standardized from the 13th century. Kemari is a very physical sport; it is a whole body exercise for all ages. It is played primarily for the pleasure of those playing and watching.

The object of Kemari is to keep the ball in the air. Players may use their head, feet, knees, back, and even elbows to keep the ball of the turf! (Very Un Gentlemanly!) The ball, known as a Mari, is made of deerskin with the hair facing inside and the hide on the outside. The one who kicks the ball is called a Mariashi. A good Mariashi makes it easy for the receiver to control the Mari, and serves it with a soft touch to make it easy to keep the mari in the air.

Georgia, Which quite possibly had the earliest form of Rugby named “Lelo Burti”  (Georgian for “Field Ball”) Is a Georgian folk sport, which is a full contact ball sport with striking similarities to Rugby. In fact, even within Georgian Rugby Union terminology, the word ‘lelo’ is used to mean a try, and the popularity of rugby union in Georgia has also been attributed to it. It’s earliest acknowledgement appears in the 12th century Georgian poem The Knight in the Panther’s Skin in which the heroes play Lelo Burti.

The First modern Rugby Football Union was formed on On 4 December 1870, Edwin Ash of Richmond and Benjamin Burns of Blackheath published a letter in The Times suggesting that “those who play the rugby-type game should meet to form a code of practice as various clubs play to rules which differ from others, which makes the game difficult to play.” On 26 January 1871 a meeting attended by representatives from 21 clubs was held in London at the Pall Mall restaurant.As a result of this meeting the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was founded. Algernon Rutter was elected as the first president of the RFU and Edwin Ash was elected as treasurer. Three lawyers who were Rugby School alumni (Rutter, Holmes and L.J. Maton) drew up the first laws of the game which were approved in June 1871.

The First official governing body was formed In 1884 after England had a disagreement with Scotland over a try that England had scored but the referee shockingly disallowed, citing a foul by Scotland. England argued that the referee should have played advantage and that, (as they made the Laws), If they said it was a try then it was a Try!. The International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) was then formed by Scotland, Ireland and Wales in 1886 However England refused to join since they believed they should have greater representation on the board because they had a greatest number of clubs. They also refused to accept that the IRFB should be the recognised law maker of the game. The IRFB agreed that the member countries would not play England until the RFU agreed to join and accept that the IRFB would oversee the games between the home unions. England finally caved in and agreed to join in 1890. In 1930 it was agreed between the members that all future matches would be played under the laws of the IRFB. In 1997, the IRFB moved its headquarters from London to Dublin and a year later it changed its name to the International Rugby Board (IRB). And the modern professional game of Rugby was born!

So there you have it! A brief history of one of the oldest and widely competed sports in the World! I for one can’t wait for the next century of Rugby!

Thank you for reading as always please leave your comments below! And remember “Its always more than a game”! 

Cheers,

        John Gorrie

Time For our Sports Photo of the day!

Name your Caption…..

Welcome to the Weekly Top Ten!

WELCOME TO SPORT AND MORE’S WEEKLY TOP TEN! A MIX OF THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY OF THE WEEK THAT WAS IN SPORT

10. Alessandro Del Pierro – The former Juventus man is living up to the hype in the A-League so far this season! He has been not only a huge crowd draw but a driving force for Sydney FC with some breathtaking displays on the pitch. A true professional in every sense of the word.

9. A-League 2012/2013 – I have never been a huge fan of the A-League I have found the product to be wanting on many occasions, And the mess of last season with bickering billionaire owners and the games administrators threatened to drive the code into oblivion. But this year has been superb with record crowds,exciting football,and big stars performing well has been a recipe for success! The change of season has been a master stroke with winter months in Australia being heavily stacked with Super Rugby, AFL, and the NRL The A-League needed its own time to shine which so far it is proving a great success!

8. Hero Cam… For everything going right for the A-League at the moment the adding of a hero cam by Fox Sports is a very strange addition indeed. Yes we are excited that some great players are in the A-League this season but having a camera on the marquee player for the entire game and dedicating and entire channel to it???  In my opinion overkill, It’s smacks of desperation and adds an element of farce to the sport.

7. Bledisloe Cup….. Well it’s all over for another year and for the 11th year on the trot The All Blacks have dominated and once again hold the trophy aloft. The Wallabies showed some spirit that has been lacking in previous outings but still have alot of rebuilding to do to once again be considered a force in world rugby.

6. Craig Joubert – A fine display by the South African whistle blower in the Bledisloe Cup test. A measuring stick for other Referees in the game which I hope they follow!

5. Kevin Mealamu – 100th Test for the true gentleman of world rugby! A classy bloke both on and off the field. Congratulations sir! 

4. NHL Lockout – For the 2nd time in less than 10 years the NHL are again locking out it’s players over a money dispute. Something the game definitely didn’t need at this point with business already tough It remains to be seen how much damage is being done to the Image of the sport and the continued viability of the NHL Especially south of the border from Canada.

3. Juan Mata – A Brilliant Display by the Spanish International lifts Chelsea to a 9 point gap at the top of the English Premier League table. Have they got the title sewn up already?

2. Manchester City – The Champions have done it again with a late goal to sink West Brom at the Hawthorns. Even with 10 men for most of the game, they have shown exactly why the are Champions. The Manchester United like comebacks are making it must see viewing! 

1. Barclays English Premier League – Once Again it has shown exactly why not only is it the greatest Football competition in the world, But the greatest Sporting competition in the World. With Amazing goals, High Drama and Passionate fans commonplace every week every sporting league in the world is envious of the product! and deservedly so! I can never see them putting a foot wrong. Even the issue of a pre match handshake somehow increases ratings! You know you are onto a winner when ratings rise with the prospect of whether or not a player wears a t-shirt….

 

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment below and give me your thoughts.  And Remember it is always more than just a game!

  

A Story of how sport can be Change for the Better!

A Story of how sport can be Change for the Better!

 

 

Final Bledisloe Test Final Thoughts

Full Time New Zealand 18 Australia 18

Well! Who would have picked that one! A brilliant test match and probably a deserving result. Both sides will rue some missed chances and poor execution at key times, most notably the inability of both sides to score with a man advantage. It was a frenetic pace throughout which had to be tough with the humidity in Brisbane at it’s sticky best! All in all a great advertisement for the game!

KEY MOMENTS:

Dan Carters Missed Penalties – The radar was off for the AB’s Sharpshooter tonight he will be unhappy with his performance as he was hassled well by the Wallabies in defense and not allowed any of his usual time and space.

Wallabies Lack Of Composure – Some Crucial moments in the game where the Wallabies simply coughed up the ball in there own 22 and conceded some silly penalties which allowed the All Blacks into the game if they had kept the heads they could have easily won the game.

All Blacks Lacked The Killer Instinct – The All Blacks looked very rusty tonight. Too many forced passes when a try looked a certainty and some sloppy work at the breakdown allowed the Wallabies into the game. 

Craig Joubert – Proved why he is the number 1 whistle blower in the game. He was absolutely brilliant allowing the game to flow and controlling the play well never loses his composure even at tight moments of the game.

Final Wrap up – All in all a rusty display from both sides but some very positive showings from the understrength Wallabies they will be pleased to walk away with a draw a great display after all the bad press during the week a fine performance. The All Blacks will be disapointed not to add to the 16 test win streak but they only have themselves to blame. Some great bursts by Cory Jane and some barnstorming runs by Kieran Read were all in vain as the final ball went wanting on too many occasions 17 games unbeaten is still nothing to sneeze at mind you!

Till Next time thank you for reading! And remember its more than a game!!