The Ashes Chronicle: What on Earth Happened at the Gabba?

Where was this Gabbatoir as the Aussies had so affectionately nicknamed the Gabba. Where was Mitchell Johnson? Where was Ben Hilfenhaus? And why did the selectors pick Xavier Doherty? I predicted that the Aussies would win this series, and there is just enough evidence on the Gabba to stay with my pick, however the Aussie bowlers must be ruing the coming test at the batters paradise that is, the Adelaide Oval.

I’ve just read an article from the Sydney Morning Herald where Michael Clarke has enlisted the help of Ricky Ponting for some batting tips. Am I the only one who finds it odd that first, what is the point of Dene Hills being signed on and then Clarke goes and gets help from the out of sorts Ponting, and what is Ponting doing giving Clarke throw downs? I would suggest that he should be working on his own batting.


If you didn’t see what happened at the Gabba, England won the toss and elected to bat, then getting rolled for 260. Australia made 481 in reply with Mike Hussey getting 195, before England replied with a truly miraculous 1-517 with Andrew Strauss and Jonathon Trott getting centuries, and Alastair Cook (pictured right, with Trott) notching up an unbeaten double hundred. England then put Australia in for about 40 overs but nothing came about with the match meandering towards a draw.

Going into Friday’s test in Adelaide, England must be the more confident side. I really think that England’s batters are too good for Australia’s current bowlers (having said that, I think that Australia’s batters are too good for England’s bowlers also), and Australia must make changes before Friday. Doug Bollinger should be brought in for Ben Hilfenhaus (he is an average bowler who should not be opening the bowling), and Ryan Harris should be brought in to replace Xavier Doherty. Marcus North showed that he is just as good as Doherty in his limited chances in England’s second innings claiming the wicket of Strauss, and that way you have an extra pace bowler to give Shane Watson less of the workload so he can concentrate on his batting. That gives Australia an attack of Bollinger, Harris, Peter Siddle, Johnson, Watson, and North. Much better than that at the Gabba.

Whoever loses the toss in Adelaide has no chance of winning the game. The side who wins the toss will bat first, and more than likely, rack up 400+. I don’t think either bowling unit is good enough to knock over the team batting first cheaply. Unless someone does something like the medieval looking Siddle managed at the Gabba...

The Ashes Chronicle

Welcome back to everyone who has decided to read this blog after my prolonged absence. I’ve had a very hectic last few months, but the excitement of The Ashes has forced me to come out of retirement. With the series starting tomorrow in Brisbane, and a green pitch that the opening bowlers have to look forward to, we should be in for a cracking first day.

If we all remember the first ball of the 2006/07 Ashes when Stephen Harmison sent it straight to Freddy Flintoff at second slip, it set the tone for the whole series. I can’t really see Tim Bresnan or Stuart Broad bowling that type of ball in the first over of proceedings, but then again, Harmison who was one of the top ranked Test bowlers in the world at the time, was hardly expected to do that. We would have expected that sort of ball from say Darren Gough or Dominic Cork, but not Harmy…

There has been a lot of banter heading into this series beginning with the Aussies putting a massive hologram (pictured right) in the centre of London, welcoming the Urn back to Australia. Then you have England being the first team in history to have no one show up to the pre test luncheon, you have the ex England coach Duncan Fletcher calling this Australian side the worst Australian side in 30 years (I bet the English will be hating Fletcher for that), and now you have Mitchell Johnson throwing verbal abuse at Andrew Strauss, saying he can’t handle the short ball.

From a neutral perspective, I can’t really decide who to back. Australia are the favourites (despite what everyone is saying) for numerous reasons.

1) The first test is at the Gabba where they haven’t lost since 1988 against the ferocious West Indies pace attack.

2) The Aussies love playing on fast bouncy tracks – wait until they get to Perth and Adelaide and watch their batsman knock up huge scores.

3) The English hate playing in Australia – 2006/2007 will be in the players minds that were part of that tour (even if they do say it’s forgotten).

4) The Aussies are desperate and a desperate Aussie side is a dangerous one – you have half the team playing for their place or out of form, some pundits will argue this is a negative, but I think this is a huge positive. Look for Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting to have HUGE series.

On paper, I would back the English, but I can’t really get past the flimsiness of Alistair Cook, the rashness of Kevin Pieterson, the inability of Matt Prior to make large scores, and the lack of pace from England’s top bowlers. Not one has the ability to frighten the Aussie batsman and these pitches will not be as friendly (except the Gabba) as the pitches at Durham/Headingly/The Oval.

I think England would have more chance if Australia held The Ashes, then the English would have to play attacking cricket to win it back. England will play a little bit defensive looking for draws rather than wins, and in the end, it will be the attacking mindset of Shane Watson, Ponting, Michael Clarke and every Englishman’s favourite player, ‘Mr Cricket’ (Hussey, pictured left) that will get Australia over the line. I think Australia will win this series 3-1 with most games being tight, but England never really looking like winning it.

What just happened at the PGA?

The PGA Championship was completed today/last night depending where in the world you were watching it, with 25 year old German, Martin Kaymer (pictured right) claiming the Wanamaker Trophy with a total score of 277 (11 under par), outlasting Bubba Watson in a playoff. Mired in controversy was American Dustin Johnson, who was penalised two shots on the 72nd hole for grounding his club in a whisker of sand.


If you were unaware what happened, Johnson, tied for the lead heading down the final hole, skewed his tee shot well right of the fairway (Johnson, pictured left in the 'bunker' preparing to hit his second shot). Lining up to hit his second shot from a sandy lie in the rough (or so we thought), Johnson grounded his 4 iron into the soft turf, before hitting his shot. Although having been treated as a walkway by the patrons the entire week, rules officials claimed that it was in fact a bunker, and a two shot penalty was incurred. With over 1000 bunkers on the course at Whistling Straights, you wonder if you are allowed to ground your putter on the greens or are they classed as bunkers also?

Although many people are rating this PGA Championship as one of the greatest of all time, simply because of the young upstarts who produced some pretty fine golf, many people are glossing over the fact that only one of the top 10 players in the world were in contention on the final day (Martin Kaymer jumped from 13th to 5th in the World Rankings with the win). Even in young Rory McIlroy who was the only top 10 ranked golfer on the leader board, he is still not a household name.

There were many subplots to this championship with the main one being whether Phil Mickelson would be able to claim the number one ranking. With the need to finish in the top 4, Mickelson started the day in a T-48th and with a final round 67 jolting him up 36 places into a T-12th, Mickelson would’ve needed a final round 62 to achieve the number one ranking.

With the final major having taken place and your major winners for the year being Mickelson (US Masters), Graham McDowell (US Open), Louis Oosthuizen (British Open) (who by the way is having a fantastic season), and finally Kaymer with the PGA Championship. Four different winners, and now we have the pleasure of the Ryder Cup to look forward to starting in October.

As a final note, I realised i’ve just written a whole article on golf without mentioning his name...

Rafael Nadal – A Great Champion.

I don’t think we realise how lucky we are. We have Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (pictured right) both playing tennis at the peak of their powers. It is not just that these two men are two of the finest to ever set foot on a court, but that they are great champions and great people (not that I know them personally but I reckon they’re pretty sweet). After Nadal won Wimbledon yesterday, the graciousness he showed was fantastic. It was his eighth major victory, and no offense to Tomas Berdych, but Nadal had the right to gloat. He did not, and he showed the utmost respect to Berdych. If Nadal had lost, he would not have sour grapes – sure he would be upset that he didn’t win, but he would accept it, and congratulate the winner.

We live in a world where sports are idolised, where sports fans are idolised before they go and do something that everyone just goes...what the f*ck?! Tiger Woods for example. Everyone wanted Tiger to win the 2008 US Open on one leg – you think everyone was rooting for Tiger at this year’s US Open after his mishaps, or the underdog from Northern Ireland (Graham McDowell), who just happens to have the best accent in the world! Nadal and Federer are shining lights in a dark world. They uphold the most righteous of values in a game where all eyes on watching. There is no place to hide on a tennis court; there are no players to hide behind, no referees to bail you out. All eyes are on you, and these two men, are the perfect role models for young players.

Nadal who is currently ranked number one in the world, just in front of his fierce rival and good friend, Federer, won his second Wimbledon and eighth major last night. Add to that Federer’s 16 major titles, and they have won 24 majors. If you had those in a row, that would be six straight years where no other player wins a major. That is an incredible stat. You have to feel sorry for the likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray who have been halted by these two on numerous occasions (Murray is a little bit younger so he should eventually break through, but if it wasn’t for these two, he would most likely have won multiple majors by now). But these guys can’t complain, as Nadal and Federer are impossible to dislike.

As for the US Open coming up, this should be an absolute cracker. If Federer wins, he will regain his number one ranking. If Nadal wins, he will join Federer, Rod Laver, and Andre Agassi as the only players in the Open Era to capture the career grand slam. Pretty big carrot to chase. Of course Federer is trying to regain his number one ranking and add to his 16 major titles, and Roddick is always hard to beat in the US Open, in front of his raucous home fans.

Bring on August/September.

NBA Free Agency...Let’s Speculate!

Before we begin sources have just said that Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks has been offered a six year $119 million contract by the Hawks and he is believed to be ready to sign.

As we know, it is pretty slim pickings this year for the teams with cap space as there are limited free agents out there with any real skills...Oh wait – this is 2010 free agency isn’t it? Well there may be a couple of hidden gems out there – let us look at the players and then see where they could be headed. At the top of the list is Lebron James. Everyone else will wait to see where Lebron signs before they sign so the future of the NBA lies with Lebron. Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, David Lee, Rudy Gay, Shaquille O’Neal, J.J. Redick, and Tyrus Thomas are all free agents (Gay is the only restricted free agent) this summer.

The whole NBA landscape could change. If Lebron stays in Cleveland, not much is happening. Miami and New Jersey will get a whole lot stronger but that is about it. Let us assume Lebron is moving. The teams legitimately in the running for Lebron are in order of chance: Cleveland 30%, Chicago 30%, New Jersey 25%, Miami 10%, New York 5%. We’ll have a look at each of these 5 teams as these are the teams that will have the biggest say over who goes where.

Cleveland has the best chance of keeping Lebron. This is where Lebron’s loyalty lies. This is their best case to keep him. Remind him of his friends and family in Ohio. Not to mention that the Cavs have made deep runs at the playoffs the last few years. New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and Miami have all been mediocre at best the past few years. Cleveland already has a winning mentality. Add to that they are probably going to get a very good coach in Byron Scott and you have a good case to keep Lebron. There are also rumours (among the thousands) that Brendan Haywood may be involved in a double sign and trade involving Shaq, and guards, Allen, John Salmons, and Mike Miller have all been banded about (whether Lebron goes or not). If Lebron is to sign, the word from the Cavs camp is that they will seriously go after Bosh or Stoudemire.

Chicago is a very intriguing option. Chicago have the players in place right now to lure Lebron. With point guard Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah (pictured right), James would have the players in place to make a run at a championship. I honestly believe that he will sign with the Bulls. As much as I want him to go elsewhere (I think he will forever be in Jordan’s shadow with the Bulls, chasing 6 rings etc), I can’t see it. The Bulls have the cash to sign a second tier free agent also (Gay, Boozer, or Pierce) and if Lebron does sign, players will be lining up to sign with the Bulls. The Bulls offer more than the Nets in terms of a sure thing with proven players. If the rumour was true that Phil Jackson was going to coach the Bulls, look out.

The third option for Lebron is the Nets. The Nets have a very good chance to get Lebron thanks to hip-hop superstar Jay-Z. Although their team finished with the worst record in the East, this team has a heap of upside. With young center, Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, rookie Derrick Favors, and Kris Humphries, Lebron would see potential. If Lebron were to sign with the Nets, he would have to have a guarantee from the Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, and coach Avery Johnson that they were able to sign another marquee free agent (Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh/Amare Stoudemire/Dirk Nowitzki). How about Avery Johnson and Nowitzki being reunited? With a new arena in place, and the lights of New York, New Jersey is the exciting opportunity for Lebron to market himself as a world superstar. Although the chances are slim of him going, this would be the most exciting move he could make.

The fourth option for Lebron is south beach where D-Wade and Pat Riley will be waiting. Apparently Riley and team officials are meeting Amare Stoudemire today in Los Angeles to try and sort something out. If the Heat could convince Stoudemire to come to Miami, then their chances of getting Lebron just increased dramatically. The only realistic chance of Lebron going to Miami is if they can get another star player to join Wade. With the lack of quality at the Heat (with the exception of Wade and Michael Beasley), Lebron will be reluctant to go their. If wade was to get injured, it would be just like Cleveland all over again. I think Miami signs Stoudemire or Boozer. I think Bosh will end up with Lebron either in Cleveland or Chicago.

The final option for Lebron is the New York Knicks. This is far fetched as the Knicks only have there city to sell. They do not have a coach (Mike D’Antoni is great but will his style ever win a championship?), a team or an owner who has shown that they can win a championship. If David Lee stays with the Knicks, they have a small chance, but I just can’t see this happening. The only chance they have is if Lebron really cares more about his image than championships, then Madison Square Garden is the place to be.

So there are Lebron’s options. Okay, so I think he is going to Chicago. What does that mean for everyone else? Bosh goes to Chicago. There is no way Bosh is good enough to win by himself as shown with Toronto, so he goes and plays sidekick to Lebron, with Rose and Noah. Wade stays in Miami (that is pretty much set in stone already). Stoudemire decides to join the second best player in Wade and signs with the Heat. Joe Johnson stays with the Hawks (assuming the rumour at the top is true). I think the Nets go after Boozer and get him. This gives them a great frontcourt of Boozer and Lopez. The Nets also get Rudy Gay. Gay is a very good young player and has tremendous upside. The alternative for the Nets is to go after Nowitzki/Pierce to go with Boozer and try and win now but I think they will try and keep a young nucleus together to build upon. Pierce and Nowiztki stay where they are. Those two aren’t going anywhere, let us not kid ourselves. David Lee is gone – possibly to the Nets, but I think the Hawks might make a run at Lee (the Hawks must have promised Johnson something to get him to stay when the possibility of playing with Lebron/Wade was on the cards). And the Nets/Heat/Knicks pick up the rest in J.J Redick, Ray Allen, Tyrus Thomas and Shaq. All four of those players would be very useful contributors in a deep team.

So there you have it, Lebron/Bosh in Chicago, Wade/Stoudemire in Miami, Boozer/Gay in New Jersey and Johnson stays put. A pretty interesting NBA next year I reckon? With all these changes, I guess it's the Sixers who go into next season as favourites then?