sidelined

Remember that the Super 14 will start this weekend (given I still have 5 weeks of cricket left it seems a little strange).
I’ll post a preview every Friday during the season and hopefully Patrick will emerge from his summer rugby hibernation to give us some analysis.

Sydney FC 2 - Newcastle Jets 1
Adelaide United 0 - Melbourne Victory 0
The Adelaide v Melbourne game hasn’t cleared up much though as I understand the rules, Adelaide has a slight advantage on the away goal rule.
Newcastle would need to win at least 2 - 0 or 3 - 1 to overcome Sydney though [...]

Four teams remain to fight out for the A-League title. They are Melbourne, Adelaide, Newcastle and Sydney. The match ups are Sydney v Newcastle at Aussie Stadium on the 26th and Adelaide v Melbourne on the 28th at Hindmarsh Stadium.
So what does it all mean and who will emerge victorious? I haven’t the foggiest. [...]

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Brett Lee in action, originally uploaded by shaunc911.

I’m a little slow but have got around creating a Flickr account and uploaded some pics I took on the final Day of the Ashes.
The full set [...]

Michael Winkler writes in today’s Crikey:
No-one seems to be talking about this any more. The standard of men’s tennis has improved in recent years while the women’s game has wilted. The difference between the power and athleticism of the top male players compared to the top females seems greater now than for some time.
First [...]

[Stampy the elephant walks through the Flanders’ yard]
Ned: [gasps] It’s the four elephants of the apocalypse!
Maude: That’s horsemen, Ned.
Ned: Well, getting closer.
Indeed we must be. England have finally (and barely) won a game. They downed New Zealand in tri-series one-day international at Bellerive Oval in Hobart with one ball to spare.

One of the more interesting events of the past tennis week was an outburst of truthiness by world #3 Nikolay Davydenko on the issue of the run up tournaments to the Australian Open.
“Because it’s a small tournament. So I don’t think nobody care about here.”
He suggested another problem was that the court surface in Sydney [...]

I must admit getting a kick out of the Australia v England Twenty20 game last night. There is nothing finer than when Gilchrist goes the tonk. The three sixes in succession of Anderson were mighty blows. You could see the Australians having fun and enjoying the spectacle. And as relaxed as the Aussies were, [...]

At the end of play on Friday I shared a pleasant beer and a chat with Ashes poet David Fine. We dissected the Ashes; the heroes of Australia’s dominance and the culprits behind England’s meek showing. David seemed to be holding up remarkably well considering. I asked David for some final verses for Sidelined and [...]

I’ve been waiting out the egg and spoon events that comprise the majority of the tennis season in the lead up to the Australian Open to end before posting, however, the Roger Rasheed/Lleyton Hewitt bust up calls for some comment.
AN extraordinary expletive-laden tirade from Lleyton Hewitt is thought to be behind coach Roger Rasheed severing [...]