Riise gives Chelsea the edge in Champions League
April 23, 2008
Until late in injury time in the second half of the Champions League semifinal between Liverpool and Chelsea it was looking good for Liverpool.
This changed when John Arne Riise had the misfortune of scoring an own goal to level the match at 1-1. Liverpool had taken the lead in the 43rd minute of the match when Dirk Kuyt slotted home a goal.
Liverpool had several other good chances which were well saved by the Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
As the tie moves to Chelsea’s home ground next week, Liverpool will need to do what they have not done at Stamford Bridge under the leadership or Benitez and that is to score a goal.
Anticipation Builds as Olympic Torch Nears Canberra
April 22, 2008
Today the Olympic flame is in Jakarta, Indonesia. Tomorrow it makes it’s way to Canberra, Australia.
Yesterday the torch relay route was announced. It has been shortened by around 4kms from what was originally planned due to security concerns.
The route has been fenced off with security fencing with the aim of keeping the crowd behind the security perimeter. In past torch relays through Canberra the public were able to get right next to the torch bearer.
Sadly due to the problems seen so far as the torch has travelled the globe the organisers have decided a fenced off zone is required to maintain security.
A list of torchbearers has been released for the Canberra leg of the torch relay. Many famous sporting names have been included in the list. There are also people selected from the arts and entertainment community and also from the general community. Torchbearers were selected as recognition for services to the Australian community.
As part of celebrations in Canberra there is an early morning fireworks display over Lake Burley Griffin, a balloon rise and a community breakfast at Reconciliation Park.
It remains to be seen if the security fencing will have the desired effect on keeping the Pro Tibetan protesters away from the Olympic Torch relay.
The ACT Government has called on protesters to respect the rights of families and stay away from certain parts of the route. I have heard comments from people in Canberra that they will be staying away from the relay as they have safety concerns.
I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the flame and will be attending a function at Parliament House on Wednesday evening to welcome the Olympic Flame to Canberra.
NBA playoffs almost go to plan
April 22, 2008
The first matchups in the opening round of the NBA playoffs nearly all were won by the higher seeded teams. The only match that did not go to plan was the Detroit Pistons versus Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers snuck past Detroit 90-86 after the Pistons blew a 51-38 half time lead and also a good lead in the third quarter. With 45 seconds left in the match either team could have won as the score was 87-86 to the 76ers.
The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns put on a show for the NBA fans. The match was decided in double overtime with the Spurs just coming out on top with a 117-115 victory.
The two top seeds had comfortable wins with the Lakers defeating Denver 128-114 and Boston getting over the Atlanta Hawks 104-81.
Le Bron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were pushed by the Washington Wizards. The score was 86-84 to Cleveland with 1.37 left on the clock. It was only in the last minute of the game that Cleveland secured the win.
In other matchups Utah defeated Houston 93-82, Orlando defeated Toronto 114-100 and New Orleans defeated the Dallas Mavericks 104-92..
Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls Autographed Game Jersey (Red)
April 21, 2008
What value would you put on a Michael Jordan game jersey? We are talking about one that is autographed by the man himself and one that he actually wore during his final season in the NBA in 1997-98.
Much to my amazement the asking price for a Chicago Bulls game jersey like this is upwards of $45 000. Quite amazing if you ask this humble sports fan. I guess if I had a few spare million stuffed under the mattress at home I would jump at the opportunity to purchase such an item.
I have seen this jersey going for $41666.67 on one of the online sports websites. I checked around on a few others and it is the lowest price I have come across so far for this rare one-of-a-kind Michael Jordan signed game worn collectible.
The good news if you buy this Michael Jordan signed and worn Chicago Bulls jersey is that the postage is free to the US.
I wonder if the jersey was washed after it was worn, and how do they keep tabs on such a jersey to ensure it is authentic. The website that is selling the jersey says that it is was obtained directly from the Charitabulls and has a letter of authenticity (LOA) from the Bulls organization. The signature has also been authenticated by Upper Deck Authenticated.
Any millionaires out there that may be reading this feel free to go ahead a buy one for me.
Danica Patrick history making motorsport win
April 21, 2008
It has been some time coming but Danica Patrick has the honour of being the first female to win a major auto racing event on a closed-course circuit.
The history making win came in the rain delayed IndyCar event held in Japan. This was Patrick’s 50th IndyCar series race.
You could call the win lucky, or you could say it was good strategy from her team. Patrick was able to take the lead as the other top contenders were forced into the pits to top up the fuel late in the 200-lap race.
Patrick first grabbed motorsports attention when in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 she become the first female to lead the famous motorsport race.
The monkey is now off the back of Danica Patrick following this historic win. She has said she had become tired of answering the when are you going to win question.
The next race for her is the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway in a week.
Federer claims first title for the 2008 ATP tennis season
April 21, 2008
Roger Federer has finally notched up a tournament win for the 2008 season. He defeated the second seed at the Estoril Open, Nikolay Davydenko.
The match was handed to the world no. 1 player as Davydenko succumbed to a leg injury. The score at the time of his retirement was 7-6(5), 1-2 to Federer.
Davydenko had just broken Federer in the second set when he decided to call it quits.
“I have a little injury and I can’t finish the match,” Davydenko told the crowd after his retirement.
The title win for Federer was his 54th from 71 finals he has reached. His claycourt record is not so good as he has won 7 finals from 14.
Federer would have been dissapointed the match ended early as he is keen to get as much match practice on clay before the French Open.
In the women’s event Russia’s Maria Kirilenko defeated Czech’s Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-2. This was Kirilenko’s third tournament title.
Federer into Estoril semis
April 19, 2008
Roger Federer is using the low profile Estoril tournament in his preparations for the French Open. So far things have gone well for him. He has advanced to the semifinals following a win over Frederico Gil from Portugal. The final score was 6-4, 6-1.
The Estoril tournament is a low key event. The only other top ten player is world no. 4 Nikolay Davydenko who has also reached the semifinals. Davydenko defeated Gicquel 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in his quarterfinal.
Federer plays Denis Gremelmayr in one semi and Davydenko meets Florent Serra.
Australian Centenary of Rugby League - Team of the Century
April 19, 2008
In 2008 the Australian Rugby League is celebrating one hundred years of League in Australia. It all started exactly 100 years ago on April 18.
As part of the celebrations a team of the century was announced earlier this week.
The Australian Rugby League Team of the Century is:
The Team of the Century is:
Fullback: Clive Churchill
Wingers: Ken Irvine, Brian Bevan
Centres: Reg Gasnier, Mal Meninga
Five-eighth: Wally Lewis
Halfback: Andrew Johns
Lock: John Raper
Second row: Ron Coote, Norm Provan
Front row: Duncan Hall, Arthur Beetson
Hooker: Noel Kelly
Reserves: Dally Messenger, Bob Fulton, Graeme Langlands, Frank Burge
Coach: Jack Gibson
None of the players are active in the NRL. Andrew Johns is the most recent player to retire.
You can read more about the team and each of the players from the Team of the Century at the official site.
NBA playoffs to start Saturday
April 18, 2008
The NBA regular season has come and gone. It is now the business end of the season, the time champions are made.
Out West it took 50 wins just to make the finals. The ninth place team Golden State had a decent 48-34 season record however this was not enough to make the playoffs.
The Lakers topped the Western Conference with a 57-25 record and will face Denver (50-32) in the playoffs. The other matchups in the West are New Orleans Hornets vs Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets.
In the Eastern Conference of the NBA it was the Boston Celtics that lead the way, completing the season with an impressive 66-16 record. Boston takes on Atlanta who reached the finals with a losing 37-45 record.
Other matchups in the East are Detroit Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Majic vs Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards.
If you want to watch the NBA finals live in the venues you can get NBA tickets through Stubhub.
D’Arcy booted from Australian Beijing Olympic Swim Team
April 18, 2008
This morning a statement was released by Australian Olympic Committee President, John Coates advising that Nick D’Arcy has had his membership of the Australian Olympic team terminated.
The statement said that D’Arcy was advised of the decision this morning by a private and confidential letter.
In late March D’Arcy had qualified to represent Australia as part of the swimming team to compete in Beijing in August 2008. In the celebrations that followed the Australian Olympic Swim Team selection meet it is alleged that D’Arcy assaulted Simon Cowley. D’Arcy was later charged with assault.
Coates said D’Arcy was removed from the team as he had brought the team into disrepute. He acknowled D’Arcy is entitled to the presumption of innocence and the charges must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Despite this it was decided not to await the outcome of the court case when making the decision to remove him from the team.
D’Arcy is able to appeal John Coates’s decision to the Australian Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In an article on the Sydney Morning Herald website, D’Arcy’s coach Brian Stehr said the decision was unfair. “I think it amounts to a penalty that basically affects him for the rest of his life, and that’s not fair,” Stehr said.
