Pedigree Counts For Everything

New Zealand beat Australia for the Rugby Sevens gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This was the Kiwi team's fourth successive gold in this competition, a dynasty in the building. The final score was 24-17, not a great margin, and one that hid the Houdini-like escape that New Zealand had to perform to come from behind . Australia led 17-7 in the second half and it was only three quick blitzkrieg-like tries that allowed the team in black to respond with the win.

Although the path to the final for both teams was aided by the absence of twice-silver medalist Fiji, the final was closely fought, to the bitter end. The Fijians were not allowed to compete in the Games as they were expelled from the Commonwealth over the military coup that brought the current regime into power. It is sad for sport that the hugely popular Fijians were not on the field, where they so much belong. Instead, the Indian public were treated to their first taste of the trans-Tasman rivalry in rugby that rocks the oval-ball world.

South Africa won the bronze medal with a 17-14 victory over England. The three southern hemisphere championship teams finishing in a nice tight trifecta. Once again the Tri-Nations teams dominate over their northern cousins. After the gold medal winning performance, New Zealand coaching wizard Gordon Teitjens hinted broadly that he would stay on to see his charges fight for gold again, this time in the 2016 Olympic Games. Why not, Tietjens is the master tactician in charge of a team undefeated in sevens since 1988.

Police detain 17 after Serbia-Italy soccer riot

Republished from TMCNet. Police have detained 17 people including the alleged ringleader of a riot at a soccer match between Serbia and Italy, and UEFA warned that sanctions may include disqualification from the European Championship or exclusion from future competitions. The match in Genoa was called off after seven minutes when Serbia fans threw flares and fireworks onto the field, burned a flag and broke barriers. Violent clashes continued through the night, and sixteen people, including two policemen, were injured. UEFA has opened an investigation into the events and its disciplinary panel will hear the case on Oct. 28.

Police found the alleged instigator of the riot in the trunk of a bus that was due to take the Serbian fans home from the European Championships qualifier. While his face was covered by a mask during the violence, police identified him by his tattooed arms and found explosives material with him. Of the 17 people detained, 16 are Serbian fans and one is Italian, Genoa police official Sebastiano Salvo. Salvo identified the ringleader as 30–year–old Ivan Bogdanov, who climbed onto a barrier separating fans from the field, used a wire cutter to slice apart a mesh fence and launched fireworks onto the field. Bogdanov didn't say anything when he was arrested and is being held in a Genoa jail under accusations of causing violence and damage and resisting arrest, Salvo said, adding that 600 pieces of fireworks and explosives were found in four bags inside the bus holding Serbian fans.

To read the full article, written by the Associated Press, please click on the title link, "Police detain 17 after Serbia-Italy soccer riot".

Netball's Finest Hour

There are many great sporting rivalries in sport: the Yankees and the Red Sox, Manchester United against Liverpool, the All Blacks versus the Springboks. Arm wrestles year after year, and nothing is more important in the universe. But there is one that is only spoken of locally but is as intense and competitive as anything I have ever witnessed, and that is the annual duel between the New Zealand Silver Ferns and the Australian Diamonds in netball.

The jewel in each teams' crown is either the world championship or the Commonwealth Games, both held every four years. This week, Australia's champion netball team slumped to a second consecutive loss in a Commonwealth Games final, a two-goal double overtime heartbreaker against New Zealand. Worse still, defeat came in the last event of India's Games against the arch enemy who inflicted that Melbourne 2006 loss on home turf.

Both sides were locked when the full time whistle sounded after an Australian fightback from seven goals down, and they remained locked after the first period of of extra time. Then New Zealand and Australia went goal for goal in double overtime for ten nerve-wracking minutes in search of the win. Finally the Diamonds cracked when Cath Cox's shot to win bounced off the rim, Silver Ferns shooter Maria Tutaia's attempt dropped in to give New Zealand a classic 66-64 win.

The great thing is, that this titanic struggle is the norm, not the exception. It is often only a mere couple of points that separate the two after each match, so well matched are they. One thing is for sure, a loss is like losing an arm or a leg, so fierce is the competition. Some of the best matches, in any sport, anywhere, at any time!

Weight of Expectation

Weight of expectations, whether personal or from fans, can cause crazy things to happen. Sometimes it can create a groundswell beyond the norm or sink a team to into an abyss. It seems that the latter is to blame for the Pakistani hockey team's recent disastrous showings, first at the recent World Cup and now at the Commonwealth Games, both held in India, home of their arch rivals.

Pakistan has always done well in field hockey, and are expected by the legion of screaming fans to compete well at the highest level. Their 12th-place finish at the World Cup created huge consternation in sport-mad Pakistan. It looks like this trend has continued in a very ill-tempered match against South Africa, where both teams had failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

South Africa fought back to beat 10-man Pakistan with a golden goal to finish fifth in the Commonwealth Games men's hockey competition. With the scores tied 2-2 at full time, Justin Reid scored the decisive goal in extra-time after Pakistan were reduced to ten men following a red card to Muhammad Irfan (shown above) in the 58th minute. Irfan was punished for bringing down South Africa's Marvin Harper inside the "D".

It was veteran striker Rehann Butt who put Pakistan ahead, scoring field goals in the 28th and 52nd minutes. Trailing 2-0, South Africa fought back to level the scores with Reid converting a penalty-corner in the 55th and Gareth Carr in the 62nd. The seocnd goal was scored while Pakistan was down a man after the red card. It went from bad to worse when Irfan was banned for three matches for hitting an opponent with his stick, which drew an angry reaction from the South Africans who believed the tackle was deliberate and Irfan aimed for his opponents head. But try telling the Pakistani fans that they should let up on their national team; somehow I think that it simply won't happen.

Keep On Swinging

Last night I watched the quintessential warrior, Brett Favre, play his heart out for his Vikings, albeit in a losing cause. Anyone who watched that game against the New York Jets saw Brett at his best and worst, the gunslinger. Nothing has really changed at all in his 20 season in the NFL, he just keeps doing what he has to do, and tries his darndest to keep winning.

Brett became the first NFL player to throw 500 touchdown passes and pass for 70,000 yards. But two early fumbles against his former team helped put the Vikings in a 12-0 hole. It's funny how two stats almost go hand in hand, most TD passes and most fumbles, because he holds that record too! Favre finally finished 14-of-34 for 264 yards for the Vikings. This is what I love about Brett, he just keeps swinging.

Favre reminds me of Hank Aaron. Aaron once said, when asked what he did to keep batting so well; "My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging." How familiar that sounds in today's context for Favre. What many people do not know, was that Aaron, when he claimed the home run record in baseball, was also the player who had struck out the most. A good lesson for life that one... Keep On Swinging!

Sports Shorts

Derek Stepan had the kind of NHL debut every player dreams of. The 20-year-old became the first player in the 85-year history of the Rangers and the fourth in the NHL since 1927 to score three goals in his first NHL game, powering New York to a season-opening 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

Colt McCoy, the final member of the big four QBs in this year's draft, may be getting his shot under center. The former University of Texas star appears to be the last QB standing for the Cleveland Browns. Jake Delhomme, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1, is scheduled for an MRI today after re-injuring the same ankle in yesterday's 20-10 loss to Atanta. Meanwhile Seneca Wallace, who started in place of Delhomme since Week 1, is scheduled for his own MRI after also going down with an ankle injury vs. the Falcons. So now it's down to McCoy, who hasn't taken a snap this season, to start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Browns figure to sign another QB if there's no improvement from Wallace or Delhomme.

Spraying champagne in the visitors' clubhouse after completing the first postseason sweep in franchise history was merely a ritual for the Philadelphia Phillies. They won't really celebrate unless they win the World Series. The Phillies moved a step closer toward becoming the first NL team in 66 years to win three consecutive pennants by beating the Cincinnati Reds in three straight games in the division series. Now they'll wait to face the winner of the San Francisco-Atlanta series in the NLCS. Game 1 is Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

World number two Novak Djokovic easily defended his China Open title for his second win on the ATP tour this year. Djokovic recorded a 6-2 6-4 win over Spain's David Ferrer in a final that had been carried into a reserve day because of heavy rain in Beijing. Caroline Wozniacki celebrated taking over from Serena Williams as the new world number one by beating second seed Vera Zvonareva in the women's event. The 20-year-old Dane came through 6-3 3-6 6-3 to earn a sixth title of 2010. She officially succeeded injured American Williams as the top ranked player in women's tennis on Monday, and got off to a fine start in the final in Beijing against Russian Zvonareva.

Tony Stewart still needs help to catch Sprint Cup Series points leader Jimmie Johnson, but he jump-started his climb back into contention for the series championship Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. Stewart beat resilient Clint Bowyer to the finish line by .466 seconds in Sunday's Pepsi Max 400 to win his first race at the 2-mile track, his second of the year and the 39th of his career. In sharp contrast to Stewart's victory, which left him 107 points behind third-place finisher and Chase leader Jimmie Johnson, a handful of Chase drivers took big hits in the championship battle.

The Fresh Start Jazz

I did a lot of listening and observing at the Utah Jazz scrimmage game last Saturday afternoon and the opening pre-season game against the Portland Trailblazers. I wanted to gauge something ethereal: a feeling, a mood. What emotion was I attempting to measure? How the fans saw the upcoming season with all the major changes that had taken place with the team in the off-season. You know what the vibe was? Really great, very positive, with real hope of something special happening. It was really great watching all the people with big smiles on their faces. So what did Offseason Santa bring in his big old sack?

The Negatives:

• The trade of Kyle Korver to the Chicago Bulls. Kyle was a great guy, perfect off the bench, with a tremendous work ethic and example, who hit 3-pointers with regularity. He will be missed.
• The acquisition of Wes Matthews by the Portland Trailblazers, who made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and the Jazz couldn't (not wouldn't) match. He was a real gentleman and very humble. He too will be missed.

The Positives:

• The trading of Carlos Boozer to Chicago. Carlos is a good player, when he wants to be, but is too injury prone and not tough enough mentally. As nice a man as he was to me personally, the Jazz are better off without him for a number of reasons best left unsaid.
• The signing of Al Jefferson and Raja Bell, both of whom, WANT to be here in Utah, not like some others who will remain nameless.
• The acquisition of rookies Jeremy Evans, Gordon Hayward and Ryan Thompson who are already bringing their fresh-faced enthusiasm into everything they do.
• The physical transformation of C.J. Miles to 232 lbs of muscle just adds so much more hustle to the team who he is on the court.
• That captain and talisman Deron Williams will be as good as ever and may be even better than he was last year.
• The continued upward evolution of Paul Millsap at power forward.
  

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see the list of positives is much longer than the other. No wonder then the Jazz fans feel good about their prospects for 2010-11. If you add to that that Mehmet Okur will return to the fray hopefully sooner rather than later from his achilles injury, and things look bright. Since sport at the elite level is as much or more mental than physical, all that positive energy and attitude ought to amount to something great.

Sports Shorts

Atlanta goaltender Ondrej Pavelec collapsed on the ice and had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher just 2:35 into the Thrashers' season-opener against Washington on Friday night. With play stopped after a whistle in the Washington zone and just 2:35 gone in the game, Pavelec collapsed onto his back a few feet in front of the Atlanta net and did not move. Medical personnel from both teams raced onto the ice, and after several minutes he was taken off on a stretcher. The Thrashers said Pavelec lost consciousness and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, but that no other details were available.

Snooker world champion Neil Robertson showed why he is the new world number one with a 5-1 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final of the World Open in Glasgow. He claimed his sixth ranking title with an assured display, capitalising every time O'Sullivan made an error. After losing the first two frames, a 72 break gave O'Sullivan the third and he looked good in the fourth before a slip let in Robertson to win. The Australian made it 4-1 and won the title by edging a nervy sixth frame. Robertson said the confidence boost of being world champion had transformed his game.

Ducati rider Casey Stoner has won the Japanese Moto GP at Motegi. Starting third on the grid, the Australian immediately beat pole sitter Andrea Dovizioso and reigning champion Valentino Rossi off the line. Dovizioso finished second, with Rossi third after a thrilling battle with championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, who had to settle for fourth. The victory is Stoner's second in as many races following his win at the Grand Prix of Aragon.

Liverpool: Between a Rock and a Hard Place!

LIVERPOOL FC is a proud and storied, champion football team. The club has won a record eighteen league titles, seven FA Cups and seven League Cups (currently called the Carling Cup after its sponsor). Liverpool is one of the most successful clubs in English football, also one of the wealthiest and most widely supported football teams in the world. The club is the most successful English club in European competition, having won five European Cups and three UEFA Cups.

BUT their last two seasons have been a massive disappointment. 2009-10 was a frustrating season for the Reds, who underperformed for most of the season and finished 7th in the Premier League, their worst finish since 1999. This was not good enough for their fans and owners, who haven't won the Premier League since 1990. Rafael Benitez, under increasing pressure throughout the season as results continued to slide, finally left the club in June, 2010 by mutual consent.

ROY HODGSON was appointed manager a few weeks later, in time to start fresh for the new season. The former Fulham coach was seen as an inspired choice, one seen as changing the fortunes of the slumping team. However, his appointed to drink from the poisoned chalice as Liverpool has become has seen Liverpool drop into the relegation zone, third from bottom, with only six points from seven games. The Red's fans are seeing red, if you know what I mean.

IN THE MIDST of this awful start comes a new controversy. This is in the form of a takeover bid for Liverpool by the owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. In fact, Liverpool's board have agreed to sell the club to John Henry's New England Sports Ventures group, though the current owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, have said that they intend to oppose the deal, which they say dramatically undervalues the club.

I PREDICT that Hicks and Gillett will lose their battle. They are universally despised by the Liverpool faithful. But event more importantly, the Royal Bank of Scotland is owed £237m ($378m) in debt and they want their money, now! They have threatened to put the club into administration if the offer from Henry is not accepted. The result of administration would see the English Premier League dock 9 points from the club's results for the season, which on current form, would pretty much doom them to relegation. This something all parties would want to avoid.

IN MY VIEW, this puts the current owners on the rack. They will try their hardest to delay administration and anything like it. Only by attrition can they hope to get a better deal. And they need a better deal, because the NESV will leave them with almost nothing for their personal investment in Liverpool. Sad but true. Hicks and Gillett not have to face the fans and the RBS, but their own board is hostile. The NESV plan is great for the club but terrible for the owners. But with the weight of administration and green light from the board will see Henry and his team owning Liverpool within the week.

Patience MUST be a Virtue

Roy Halladay spent twelve long seasons in Toronto, Canada, playing for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays were actually a top team at one time, winning the World Series in 1992-93, becoming the fastest American League expansion team to win the Fall Classic. But unfortunately for Doc he went to Toronto in 1998, five years after their heyday and things never quite gelled after that. But his luck changed when he was acquired in the 2009 off season by two-time National League Champions the Philadelphia Phillies, and baby, as the song goes, he's never looked back.

Last night, he showed why the Phillies wanted him so bad, Halladay pitched only the second no-hitter in postseason history, leading the Phillies over the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 in Game 1 of the National League division series. Quoting the Associated Press Halliday said ""It's surreal, it really is, I just wanted to pitch here, to pitch in the postseason. To go out and have a game like that, it's a dream come true." The patience that Doc grew in Toronto must have really paid off because Mr. Calm only allowed one runner on base and that was a walk not a whack. A single-minded Halladay got into the heads of the batters quickly, throwing first-pitch strikes to 17 of the first 18 batters. He even worked his magic with the bat when he sparked a three-run, two-out rally in the second with an RBI single.