Man U Looks For A Quadruple

January 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment

By John ST

Soccer Net Live

If Manchester United are in the grip of an injury crisis, they are not showing it. The Red Devils were rampant in a masterful 5-0 thrashing of West Bromich Albion on Tuesday and moved two points clear of Liverpool who failed to destroy Wigan. Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo were utterly irresistible in front of goal.

At the start of the season, Manchester United’s fortunes were draped in a dark fog as they dropped points carelessly while their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, seems half-hearted in repeating last season’s glory. Speculation abounds that he prefers the white jerseys of Real Madrid after achieving all possible honors in England and his August public statement of “staying at United for the time being” left the door open for future suitors.

However, the fog cleared after Manchester United picked up the Club World Cup last month. The players returned from Japan in ominous form. Their back line was not breached in the Premier League since that defeat at the Emirates, 11 games ago. Slowly but surely, Manchester United’s Quadruple dreams is taking shape and to the consternation of their rivals, this era of absolute dominance may continue for years.

I believe the immediate and realistic goal for Manchester United is to win a third consecutive Premier League title. It is an ultimate test of consistency to finish top after 38 games and they are now in a strong position to do so.

There is an added prestige to maintaining domestic superiority for Manchester United. Winning an 11th crown in 17 seasons would bring them level with Liverpool’s record 18 league titles, and rub shoulders with the all-conquering Anfield sides of the ’70s and ’80s. Fergie’s babes would be well and truly be legends.

The implosion of their closest rivals has also made the work easier for Alex Ferguson. Liverpool ended their short reign at the top of the Premier League on an unhappy note. Successive draws against Stoke, Everton and Wigan compounded Benitez’s misery and sent Liverpool sliding to to third in the Premier League table.

Defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday could leave Liverpool five points adrift of Manchester United after holding a 10-point advantage over his rival Sir Alex Ferguson in December. The dip in form has coincided with some unexpected outbursts from Benítez, who has made public his contract dispute with the club while launching conspiracy theories about Sir Alex Ferguson’s influence over match officials.

Football pundits are now questioning the state of Rafael Benitez’s mind, especially after his “crazy” rant about “uncontrollable events” in the second half against Wigan. Some choice words from Benitz: “What you can’t control, you can’t change and maybe you have to understand it has to be like this for years.”

gd7361988manchester united pla 5230preview 300x177 Man U Looks For A Quadruple

Running Into History?

I don’t blame the players for feeling clueless when the manager is talking in such cryptic terms and being resigned to his fate. The heat of the championship race and Alex Ferguson’ mind games have really affected Benitez badly. When the boss loses the plot, the battle is lost.

As for Arsenal, the players have continued their tradition of being soft in the face of physical challenges, despite Arsene Wenger’s insistence on his team’s resilient character. This season, the Gunners got worse by failing to dish out their fluid passing game consistently and missing crucial chances. These days, it is common to read post match descriptions of Arsenal’s performances like “lack of quality,” “lucky,” “living dangerously,” and “finishing not up to scratch.”

Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Everton was lackluster. Against Cardiff, they only manage to eke out a goalless draw and hence, another meaningless FA Cup replay. Clearly, this batch of Gunners lacked the killer instinct nor the sense of urgency to clinch titles. Wenger has failed to boost Arsenal’s squad sufficiently which left them extremely vulnerable to injuries.

Meanwhile, the same elements causing discontent within the ranks have not been eliminated. Top of the list is William Gallas and there are those who want away because of unhappiness over their wages and contract terms. It is up to Arsene Wenger to stop the rot; if Alex Ferguson can show Roy Keane to the door, I don’t see why Wenger is hesitant in exercising his authority.

Chelsea is another inexplicable disappointment. Scolari coached Brazil to the World Cup crown and also brought Portugal to the threshold of similar glories. Why isn’t he able to achieve the same success at Stamford Bridge, and also failing to outperform Avram Grant, an unqualified manager to boot? I suspect a combination of cultural clash, players politics, technical abilities, language barrier in motivating the players, as well as maladjustment to the attacking strategy/formation and training methods.

In any case, Scolari deserves respect for accepting blame for the poor run of results. After the 3-0 drubbing by Manchester United, Chelsea won unconvincingly against Southend (4-1) and Stoke City (2-1). I don’t care much about the scoreline; against these two clubs, nothing short of clean sheets will suffice.

That used to be something which can be taken for granted during Mourinho’s era, especially at Stamford Bridge. But the home ground is no longer a fortress. Will Chelsea regain their aura of invincibility and threaten Manchester United? From what I have seen so far, the squad is not fully united behind Scolari nor committed to implementing his ideas. Getting rid of Drogba and securing capable replacements will take time, thus, the fans have to be patient with Scolari this season.

In the Carling Cup, Manchester United booked a place in the finals after a taxing tug-of-war against Derby County. United will clash next with Tottenham Hotspur, led by Harry Redknapp (winner of last year’s Carling Cup at Portsmouth). Based on Spurs’s current state of affairs, they are a long way off from getting their house in order.

Harry Redknapp has started on the umpteen Tottenham’s rejuvenation process by calling his old boys up for a gathering. I don’t know how effective that will be because Spurs have been rebuilding for the last ten years and since the buck always stops with the manager prematurely, we may not even see Redknapp next season, whether Tottenham are relegated or not.

By the way, unless Redknapp considers himself master of reverse psychology, he will do well to motivate his team without going to the press and lamenting about individual performances.

The FA Cup is a similar story for Manchester United. They are three matches away from wresting the title. United have enough experience and intelligent players to turn around the games when the chips are down. Their greatest enemy remains themselves, complacency and tired legs notwithstanding, there are few defenses in England which can withstand the firepower of the Red Devils.

Turning to the European scene, the Champions League will present a tougher challenge. In the forthcoming last-16 tie of the Champions League on 25 February, Manchester United will face Inter Milan. Actually, the prospect of clashing with the Italian team is less daunting than confronting the manager, Jose Mourinho.

Alex Ferguson has never got the better of Jose Mourinho, be it psychologically or on the pitch. Porto eliminated Manchester United 3-2 over two encounters and they went on to clinch the Champions League in 2005. In Mourinho’s two seasons at Chelsea, they accumulated 86 unbeaten games at home and Manchester United were not able to hurt Chelsea even when they were struggling with injuries, suspensions and international commitment.

Jose Mourinho is an astute tactician and he knows how to play the intelligent, or rather boring game of football to counter superior opponents despite scarce resources. However, Alex Ferguson can take heart from the way Inter-Milan fell to Atalanta 3-1. It was a disgraceful performance which left Mourinho visibly upset. We shall not revisit his harsh criticisms of the squad here.

Given that Mourinho is not omnipotent in the Champions League (he has never won it with Chelsea), the odds are good that Manchester United can scrape through if Inter Milan perform below par.

Another factor which made Manchester United’s Quadruple dreams not only a distinct possibility but also replicable in the coming years is their strength in depth. United’s squad is now bursting with young talents after a series of shrewd acquisitions.  Save for Barcelona, few clubs in Europe pursue youth development with such vigor and patience.

That is not to say that “old men” like Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar are about to become dispensable. They are crucial in imparting their experience and technical skills to the youngsters; more importantly, there is a continuity of the special bonding and Manchester United identity with these veterans around.

The days of Ryan Giggs blazing down the left flank, evading defenders and crossing the ball into the box may be over. In fact, the last couple of seasons, he has been fading into the background, so much that a lot of fans are questioning his value and contribution to the team.

Surprisingly, he is now enjoying a new lease of life with Alex Ferguson placing him in central midfield. He created three assists against West Brom and was devastating against Chelsea. Giggs has been rewarded with a new contract, a rare privilege of eventually retiring with Manchester United as his only club. In fact, he could even win the Footballer of the Year award this season.

Edwin van der Sar is also getting better with age. He has eclipsed Petr Cech’s four-year-old top-flight record by stretching his personal unbeaten run to 1,031 minutes at West Bromwich Albion and the Dutchman could yet approach the Football League milestone of 1,103 minutes, set by Steve Death for Reading during the 1978-79 season.

Even if these veterans were to retire tomorrow, Alex Ferguson need not fret. Rising stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Nani, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson, Carlos Tevez are now holding the fort and have nearly a decade of service left in them… but Alex Ferguson is not contented.

Brazilians Rafael da Silva and his twin brother, Fabio, were spotted during a youth tournament and a deal was tabled immediately. Rafael, only 18-year-old, has such sublime skills that he has kept club captain, Gary Neville, and his understudy, Wes Brown, an England international, in reserve, until his untimely injury.

Alex Ferguson said during his trip to Japan last month: “This boy has come in from Brazil, doesn’t even speak the language that well, but understands the football very well. Gary and Wes Brown are England’s best right backs but they have a little problem because the boy, da Silva, has just taken off.”

Fabio, a talent of even brighter proportions, captained Brazil to the Under-17 World Cup title in 2007. He has not yet featured until the impressive match against Tottenham in the FA Cup fourth round. It is incredible to note that he has not played a competitive match over the past year, yet he is as sure-footed as his team mates. Great ball control, defensive ability and attacking instincts seem to be the trademark of the twins, little wonder that they are slated to be the bedrocks of Manchester United’s defense.

The da Silva brothers are not the sum of United’s youth squad though. Rodrigo Possebon, half a year older than the da Silva twins, is another maturing midfield prospect. And the Serbian revolution is on with the latest acquisitions in January (Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajicwere) to add to the already established Nemanja Vidic. The strategic purchase of Zoran Tosic provides yet another replacement for the aging Ryan Giggs.

Ferguson has built winning teams around youth before in his 22 seasons in Manchester. He gave youngsters like Neville, Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham their chance at the start of the 1990s and began an era of dominance in the ’90s. The core of these players remain almost two decades on. Given Ferguson’s track record, I will not bet against him starting another renaissance at Old Trafford.

Pre-season, Manchester United were 1000-1 to win all six competitions they entered. That looks like a great investment already since the Red Devils had put two prizes in the cabinet – the Community Shield and the Club World Cup crown. They may well perform an unprecedented clean sweep, I am keeping my fingers crossed.


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2009 BCS Championship Odds

January 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment

By Vince Mullins

Fantasy College Blitz

Courtesy of Sportsbook.com, The Top 21 for the College Football 2009 Odds for BCS Championship (entertainment and market sentiment purposes only).

  1. Oklahoma +350
  2. USC +400
  3. Florida +400
  4. Ohio St +700
  5. Texas +1000
  6. Oregon +2000
  7. Alabama +2000
  8. LSU +2000
  9. Virginia Tech +2500
  10. Penn St +3000
  11. Notre Dame +4000
  12. Florida St +5000
  13. Georgia +5000
  14. Miami FL +5000
  15. North Carolina +5000
  16. Oklahoma St +5000
  17. Georgia Tech +5000
  18. California +5000
  19. Texas Tech +6000
  20. Pittsburgh +6000
  21. Mississippi +6000

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The Passing Of John Updike

January 30, 2009 By 1 Comment

By Beaker

In “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” John Updike begins,

“Fenway Park, in Boston, is a lyric little bandbox of a ballpark. Everything is painted green and seems in curiously sharp focus, like the inside of an old-fashioned peeping-type Easter egg. It was built in 1912 and rebuilt in 1934, and offers, as do most Boston artifacts, a compromise between Man’s Euclidian determinations and Nature’s beguiling irregularities. Its right field is one of the deepest in the American League, while its left field is the shortest; the high left-field wall, three hundred and fifteen feet from home plate along the foul line, virtually thrusts its surface at right-handed hitters.”

image0011 The Passing Of John Updike

Williams Swings For The Lonely

I first came across this article years ago in “The Best American Sports Writing Of The Century.” Updike masterfully wrote about Ted Williams and his final game for the Boston Red Sox.

Here’s another excerpt that may speak to some:

“But of all team sports, baseball, with its graceful intermittences of action, its immense and tranquil field sparsely settled with poised men in white, its dispassionate mathematics, seems to me best suited to accommodate, and be ornamented by, a loner. It is an essentially lonely game. No other player visible to my generation concentrated within himself so much of the sport’s poignance, so assiduously refined his natural skills, so constantly brought to the plate that intensity of competence that crowds the throat with joy.”

Baseball is tailor made for the lonely – or at least for those not afraid of solitude. I’ve spent many comfortable and painful lonely days and nights listening to the sound of baseball on the radio.

I know. Odd for a sports that’s produced many jerks and assholes who aren’t exactly interested in such things. Life. She’s so contradictory.

Nonetheless, between each pitch the beat and mood of life plays on. Each ball player on the field and person in the stand takes a brief moment to think of what may come next. What was just missed. How a loved one slipped away. Some may look at the sky and breathe in God’s complex air. For the chatty, conversation resumes. But not all are as abstract. They simply chew peanuts, gum and hot dogs and accept existence for what it is. Then another pitch comes in, anticipation is built and then quelled with a ball, strike or hit and the whole process starts again. The permutations of baseball are synonymous with how lives unfold.

An American literary giant, John Updike died this past week. He was 76.


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Lost Punks and Nasty Dunks

January 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Knowing that I need to write my first blog, and desperate for a new storyline in the NBA, I decided to write a running diary of the Mavericks/Warriors game last night. I was hopeful that I might see a Warriors team playing with renewed vigor after having played a relatively strong home stand (despite the lack of wins). Monta Ellis returned a few days earlier and Golden State fought the Cleveland LeBrons to the very end in a great game. I had been a huge Monta fan last year, as his reckless one-man fast breaking style was similar to my own on the basketball court (although my forays to the hoop were pathetically dunkless). Hopefully Golden State could parlay this influx of energy into something reminiscent of their role in years past as the giant-crushing team that nobody wanted to play.

It took less than a full quarter to realize the Warriors were in serious trouble. Being guarded by Steven “Jacko” Jackson, “Disco” Dirk Nowitzki used his full repertoire of herky-jerky mid-range jumpers and post moves with devastating efficiency. It became clear the Warriors had nobody to guard him.

As the game went on, the Mavs turned to Jason “Jet” Terry for more offense. Normally a more than capable offensive player, Terry lit up Monta Ellis who was still struggling to get his defensive reaction times back to where they ought to be. As the game wore on, it also became obvious that Golden State sorely needs somebody to be a voice of sanity tying the team together when times get tough. Perhaps Baron Davis filled this role a year ago, but this year the team gives big-time minutes to head-cases like Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, Steven Jackson and Jamal Crawford.

At no point in the first half did the Warriors play like a cohesive team, defensively or offensively. Perhaps this speaks to Don Nelson’s coaching more than anything else, but if he thinks this style can win consistently in the NBA he needs a wake-up call. Boston, Cleveland, L.A., Orlando and San Antonio all understand that the game is best played by a team, nay, a family (as KG often calls it). I bet for Christmas the Warriors just gave each other money. I bet if Don Nelson tried cooking a Christmas turkey he’d forget to defrost it. I bet the Warriors will remain in obscurity until Chris Mullin obtains a more vocal elder statesman for his team.

Warriors tirade aside, I thankfully missed some of the second half by changing over to an exciting Sixers/Rockets battle going on in Houston. At the start of the fourth quarter Houston was holding a seven point lead. Houston’s play has been impressive of late even with T-Mac and Artest out. They play as hard as anybody in the league, and defensively they really get after it with strong on-ball pressure and hustle for loose balls. They actually remind me of the way Philadelphia plays. The similar style of the two teams made for a hard-fought fourth quarter. This game was played very aggressively on both sides of the ball, with the Sixers amassing an incredible 14 blocks and 11 steals with each of them often leading to a frenetic race up the court to score.

It was like a Knicks/Heat battle from the late 90′s, but in the new seven seconds or less era of small-ball. The Sixers eventually would come back and win, using a style of play that can best be described as “video game.” They were like the kid who mashes the steal and block buttons on defense so much that he inevitably causes havoc, then gets the ball and while holding turbo races up the court and hits the shoot button as soon as he can possibly get a lay-up. I urge all NBA fans to get out there and watch this passionate Philadelphia team play.

Perhaps the funniest player on the court to me was Louis Williams, a true microcosm of this Sixers team. He looks like an eager young kid who plays streetball, and all he really needs is a haircut, a shower and a warm meal. Two plays you need to see from last night’s games include Nate Robinson of the Knicks throwing down a crazy double pump alley oop dunk. He’s a great player, similar to Louis Williams, and quicker than a hiccup too. Another incredible play was Andre Iguodala’s alley oop cram in Yao Ming’s face that reminded everyone watching of two things: Iggy’s freakishly long arms and huge hands which enable him to throw down dunks harder than anyone in the league, and Yao’s stubby weak arms that give him a soft shooting touch, but offer little in resisting dunkers cramming it down his mug.

Andrew


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Health and Fitness Advice: Personal Trainers need to do more

January 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Personal trainers need to do more than count reps, fix the seat and adjust the weight stack on equipment during a workout. Personal trainers need to be more than a valet. Tune in to get details.

 
Filed Under: Featured Articles, Health and Fitness

Pugilist Emery Doesn’t Shill For Anyone

January 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Goalie Ray Emery takes a stand against corporate sponsorship in Russia where capitalism runs wild. I’m sure Naomi Klein is horny tonight.

Didn’t Emery punch out an old man in Ottawa for a minor traffic incidence? He has problems.

Sure. NHL teams should sign him immediately.


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Plotting Super Bowl XLIII

January 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals will battle for football supremacy in Super Bowl XLIII on February 1.

Once the conference finals concluded, it came down to a legendary AFC franchise (Pittsburgh Steelers) and a vagabond organization from the NFC which has passed through three cities over the couses of its history: Chicago, St. Louis and Phoenix.

Plots, plots, plots. Always looking for storylines and plots during the Super Bowl.

While I’m sure there are many sub-plots here are “main” ones (plus some ethereal questions and statistics) to consider:

-The average QB pass completion rating  in the playoffs since 2000 is 60%. However, in three Super Bowl finals (2000, 2002, 2005) the average was 48%. Roethlisberger himself completed 43% of his passes in 2006 on his way to his first title. Warner hit 64% in 2000 while earning a championship. I’m not sure where I’m going with this but I will say you can win without bombing away with the pass. Question: which team has a better shot if their QB doesn’t carry them?

-The last time the Cardinals won an NFL title was in 1947 when they were in Chicago.

- Super Bowl XVIII will pit two Quarterbacks who have won a Super Bowl. Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a title in 2006 while Kurt Warner led the St. Louis Rams to victory in 2000.The last time that happened was in 1984 when Joe Theisman’s Washington Redskins beat Jim Plunkett and the Oakland Raiders.

-By now, cats already well-versed in football literature are familiar with the Kurt Warner story. When he signed on with the St. Louis Rams way back when he didn’t know at the time his career came with a built-in novel and movie script. From Bags’N Rags to Bowl Bash N’ Cash.

A forgotten passing relic, despite winning a Super Bowl, his career spiraled into obscurity (largely because of injuries) before joining the Cardinals as a back up to rookie QB Matt Leinart. When Leinart fumbled and stumbled at the start of the season, Warner was there to carry the Cardinals.

So yeah, Warner is a good story. A feel good story for an all-round good guy.

-The Steelers have reached the Super Bowl for the seventh time and are in a position to become the first NFL team to win six Super Bowls. Pittsburgh, Dallas and San Francisco each have five titles.

-Ken Wisenhunt and Russ Grimm used to be assistants in Pittsburgh. Present Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is 36 years old. Makes me wonder what I’m doing with my life.

- Many eyes, bespeckled or not, will be on Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to see what he comes up with to deal with Warner/Fitzgerald/Boldin.

-Will the officials decide the outcome of this game?

- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are performing at the Halftime show. What are the odds they play songs from Nebraska?

And so the Super Bowl hype machine continues. Next to college sports in the United States, the Super Bowl is a fascinating glimpse into American sports culture. It’s so deeply entrenched in the minds of people and fans, I remember reading how Hunter S. Thompson was dreading meeting President Richard Nixon; a man he loathed. To his surprise, he shared a common passion with the President: football.

When two people as different as Nixon and Thompson can find common ground with football what more proof do you want about its place in American sports culture?


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Browns Family Mourn Lavelli

January 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Quite possibly one of coolest name in football lore, Dante Lavelli died last week at the age of 85. Lavelli played E-DE for the Cleveland Browns from 1946 to 1956.

He was a member of Paul Brown’s legendary Cleveland teams that dominated the AAFC with four consecutive titles between 1946 and 1949. After the Browns became part of the NFL, he was part of three more championship teams in 1950, 1954 and 1955.

Among the top receivers of his day, Lavelli’s career statistics over 11 seasons  included 386 receptions for 6,488 yards (average 16.8  yards per catch) and 62 touchdowns. He led the league in receptions (40), yards (843)  and yards  per reception (21.1) in 1946.

He was inducted into the football Hall of Fame in 1975 and made the 1940s NFL All-Decade team.

All-Pro Teams (from Pro-Football Reference):

1946
- AAFC: 1st team all-AAFC
- Associated Press: 2nd team all-AAFC
- NY Daily News: 2nd team all-AAFC
- UPI: 2nd team all-AAFC
1947
- AAFC: 1st team all-AAFC
1948
- AAFC: 2nd team all-AAFC
- NY Daily News: 2nd team all-AAFC
- UPI: 2nd team all-AAFC
1949
- AAFC: 2nd team all-AAFC
- NY Daily News: 2nd team all-AAFC
- UPI: 2nd team all-AAFC
1951
- NY Daily News: 1st team all-NFL
- UPI: 1st team all-NFL
1953
- NY Daily News: 1st team all-NFL
1953
- UPI: 1st team all-NFL


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Federer Book Documents Battles with Roddick

January 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

By TennisGrandstand

Swiss journalist and author Rene Stauffer chronicles in detail three of the most important matches between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick in his highly-regarded book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY, QUEST FOR PERFECTION (New Chapter Press, $24.95, www.rogerfedererbook.com) as the two tennis titans meet in the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open. In the 2004 Wimbledon final, a coach-less Federer sustained a Roddick surge to win his second Wimbledon title – and his third major tournament title. At Wimbledon in 2005, Federer dominated Roddick to win his third Wimbledon title and his first major title with his father Robert Federer in attendance. In the 2007 Australian Open semifinals, Federer played one of the greatest matches of his career to throttle Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 en route to his third Australian Open. Entering their 2009 Australian Open semifinal match, Federer leads his series with Roddick 15-2, with Roddick winning the most recent match by a 7-6(4) 4-6 6-3 margin in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. The book excerpts that chronicle these matches are featured below.

2004 Wimbledon Final – Federer def. Roddick 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4

On a rainy, bitterly cold Fourth of July, Federer played Roddick, who not only was in his first Wimbledon final on his country’s Independence Day, but on the birthday of his older brother John. Roddick clearly emerged as a solid No. 2 in the rankings behind Federer and took the identity of Federer’s primary challenger, especially on grass. The head-to-head between the two stood at 5-1 in the favor of Federer, who unlike the year before in his semifinal match with Roddick, was now considered the heavy favorite.

But Roddick and his coach Brad Gilbert both did their homework. Roddick played with an intensity that was palpable all the way to the top rows of Centre Court. Roddick’s power game dominated the early stages of the match as his brutal groundstrokes and lighting serve gave him the first set 6-4. The second set turned into a inexplicable rollercoaster ride-Federer took a 4-0 lead and had a point for 5-0, but lost two service games in a row and allowed Roddick to square the set at 4-4. But the tennis gods were in Federer’s favor. At 6-5, a let court winner gave him a set point. A gorgeously played running cross court forehand winner on the next point gave Federer the set.

The defending champion, however, was still unable to seize complete control of the match. In the third set, he trailed 2-4 when the heavens intervened as rain forced a temporary suspension in the action. The delay lasted 40 minutes and-as strange as it may sound-proved to be a pivotal moment in the match.

The rain stoppage also provided the Australian Pat Cash enough time on the BBC TV coverage of the match to make another false prediction-he wouldn’t bet any money on Federer winning the match. But Federer returned to the court as a man transformed and with a new tactic. As Cash used to do with much success, Federer rushed the net with greater frequency and began to win more and more points in that position. He won the third set in a tiebreak and was able to fend off six break points in the fourth set, before he broke Roddick’s serve at 4-3 without losing a point. In just a matter of minutes, Federer was again the Wimbledon champion.

It was 5:55 pm local time in Great Britain when Federer sank to his knees and rolled onto his back having once again won the greatest title in tennis. The sun, meanwhile, came out from the clouds, and like the year before, showered the award ceremony in sunshine. As with the ceremony in 2003, the tears flowed. “At least this time I managed to hold them back a bit during the award ceremony,” he remarked. “I’m even happier than last year.”

He admitted how surprised he was at Roddick’s aggressive and solid play. Federer said he himself made the decision during the rain delay in the third set to change tactics and to play more serve and volley. Of this, he said, he was proud. “Coach Federer is satisfied with Federer the tennis player,” he quipped.

2005 Wimbledon Final – Federer def. Roddick 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4

Federer unleashed a storm against Roddick at the start of the match-winning the first set in 22 minutes-a glaring difference to the previous year when the American dominated him from the start. In the second set, after the two players exchanged early breaks, Federer dominated the tie-break, taking it 7-2 to take a two-sets-to-love lead.

Although it was barely drizzling, Wimbledon officials ordered a suspension of play after the second set. Most of the spectators stayed in their seats, including Robert Federer, who watched his son play live in a Grand Slam final for the first time. While wife Lynette sat in the players’ box alongside Roche and Mirka Vavrinec, Robert sat on the complete opposite side of Centre Court.

Robert Federer didn’t have good memories of Wimbledon and it required courage for him to even venture to Centre Court to watch his son. His memories from his last visit to the All England Club in 2002 were still vivid-when he sat in the Players’ Box and expected to see his son roll through an easy first-round win over Croatia’s Mario Ancic. Instead, he witnessed “Rotschi” suffer one of the most bitter defeats of his career. Robert considered himself to be bad luck since then. His son finally convinced him to come. “Forget it! If I lose, then it certainly won’t be because of you,” Roger told him.

Robert Federer followed his son’s first two Wimbledon victories at home in Switzerland. When British reporters caught up with him afterwards, he explained that somebody had to look after the family cat. In 2005, he decided to come to Wimbledon from the beginning as a test. Most British reporters sitting only a few meters away from him in the Centre Court stands did not recognize him behind his sun glasses. The Sun actually ran a story about him, but the man in the photo associated with the story was not even him, but Federer’s physiotherapist Pavel Kovac.

Robert Federer was still nervous during the rain delay, even if his son’s two-sets-to-love lead calmed his nerves. “Even the points that Roger loses he plays well,” he said during the intermission. “I’ve always told him that he has to play aggressively and follow through with his strokes-anything else won’t work.”

Neither the short break-nor the supposed “jinx” presence of his father-could prevent Federer from winning his third Wimbledon title. After 101 minutes of play, an ace sealed his 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory. He fell to the ground and, as before, the tears flowed. Federer became the eighth man in history-and only the third player since World War II-to win three-straight Wimbledon singles titles. The other two to turn the “hat trick” in the last 50 years were Björn Borg and Pete Sampras, but Federer resisted the comparisons. After all, the Swede won Wimbledon five straight years and Sampras won seven times in eight years. What Federer didn’t say and perhaps wasn’t even aware of was the fact that his achievement in winning his three Wimbledon titles was, in fact, more dominant than the first three titles won by both Borg and Sampras. Borg gave up nine sets in the process while Sampras surrendered 11 sets. Federer, by contrast, lost only four sets.

Federer was at a loss for words for his near perfect performance in the final. “I really played a fantastic match-one of my best in my life,” he said. “I was playing flawless. Everything was working.”

Of the 35 grass court tennis matches Andy Roddick played over the last three years, he only lost on three occasions. All three losses were to Roger Federer. “His performance this year was clearly better than last year’s,” said Roddick after his third-straight Wimbledon loss to Federer. “If I had played as well as today last year I probably would have won.”

For a third year in a row Federer was the indeed the answer to the question “Guess Who is Coming To Dinner?” His guests for the Wimbledon Champions Dinner were Tony Roche and Robert Federer. Both men beamed with pride. The Wimbledon victory was very important to them as well.

“To me, Wimbledon is the greatest tournament in the world,” said Roche, happy that he stayed in Europe with Federer for the grass season. “Playing against such a great opponent as Roddick in a Wimbledon final and playing at the level that he did-it can’t get any better than that. On a scale from one to 10, that was a 10.”

The Wimbledon champion was glad that his father was able to be with him at this special moment.

“He still gets upset if I miss a backhand or a forehand,” he said to journalists the morning after his victory. “But I’ve learned to deal with this in the meantime because I know that he doesn’t know as much about tennis as I used to think.”

2007 Australian Open – Federer def. Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-2

Spurred by new coach Jimmy Connors, Roddick’s career was back on the up-swing. In addition to his runner-up showing at the US Open, Roddick won the Tennis Masters Series event in Cincinnati and after his strong performances against Federer in the US Open final and Shanghai, as well as his exhibition victory over the Swiss at the Kooyong Classic, many speculated that Roddick was on Federer’s heels. The hype increased when the two faced each other again in the Australian Open semifinals. Roddick lost 12 of the 13 encounters with Federer but the longer this losing streak continued, the greater the likelihood that Federer would eventually stumble and lose to Roddick. In what many people predicted would be an upset victory for Roddick turned into one of the bitterest days of the American’s tennis career. Federer pulled off a masterpiece-one of the best matches of his career. He trailed 3-4 in the first set and then rolled off 15 of the next 17 games and won the semifinal match 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in 83 minutes. “It was almost surreal,” Federer said. “I’m shocked myself at how well I played.” The statistics were incredibly lopsided as Federer hit as many winners in the match as Roddick won points.

Federer hit 45 winners to Roddick’s 11, while he won 83 points to Roddick’s 45. Federer also out-aced Roddick 10 to four, never lost his serve, and converted all seven break-point chances on Roddick’s serve. At one point, Federer won 12 straight games to take a 3-0 lead in the third set. The signature shot in the match came on the opening point of the fourth game of the second set. Roddick unleashed a fierce forehand from short range that landed close to the baseline. Rather than getting out of the way of the rocket forehand, Federer leaned left into the ball and hit a reflex backhand half-volley that traveled cross-court for a winner.

“Darling, you are a maniac,” Mirka told Federer after returning from his day’s work to the locker room. Two-time Grand Slam winner Rod Laver, who witnessed the flawless display of tennis, also showed up in the locker room and congratulated the victor. “Roger played fantastic,” said Laver. “He used all the strokes there were and Andy was a little frustrated. The only thing you could do is go to the net, shake hands and say, ‘That was too good.’”

Roddick’s post-match press conference was one of the most difficult of his career, but the American took the defeat like a man and was at least able to treat the humbling defeat with some humor. “It was frustrating. You know, it was miserable. It sucked. It was terrible. Besides that, it was fine,” he said. Federer, he said, deserved all the praise that was being bestowed on him.


Filed Under: Featured Articles, Tennis

Ovechkin’s Town

January 27, 2009 By 5 Comments

By Alex

If I was a writer left to choose an assignment for a fancy sports magazine (the type that serves flavored bagels and beer), I would want to have a look at what’s going on in Washington with the Capitals. If that gig was not available, the revival of the Chicago Blackhawks after years of wallowing within a wobbly existence is not a bad second choice.

But the Caps thing is especially interesting. Washington is Redskins territory. It’s winning territory.

The city has indeed seen some championship teams. The ‘Skins have won three Super Bowl and two NFL titles, the Bullets one NBA title and the Senators won one World Series way back in 1924. Hey, at least it led to a broadway musical – Damn Yankees.

Now, the city hangs its contemporary hopes on the legendary Redskins, Wizards, Nationals and Capitals. You gotta believe. Up to a point. I think they’ve given up on the Generals.

While politics in Washington is witnessing something different in President Obama, hockey in the city is connecting to a legend in the making: Alexander Ovechkin.

Along with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Ovechkin gives the NHL a fantastically bright future. While NBA fans and pundits continue to hark back to the 1980s with Bird and Magic and Jordan in the 1990s, the NHL consistently manages to be blessed with stars to carry the game.

Ovechkin is a special player. I don’t know the guy (his interviews don’t help), but he clearly is a team player. One can see this when he celebrates goals from team mates as if it were his own. His panache, skills and enthusiasm for the game is contagious to not only his team but fans around the league.

In Ovechkin, the Capitals have a player who possesses a stellar character and strong leadership abilities. It’s no wonder the talk around Capville is Stanley Cup.

If they can get a proven goalie or consistent or strong goal tending from the tandem of Brent Johnson and Jose Theodore, I don’t blame them for thinking cup.

It may now be closer than ever.


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