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Subject: Nasty goes to The Match

Posted by: nasty_liar
Date: Jan 15 18

This is my new blog about all things sports.

Warning to any North American readers expecting any of your sports to be featured. They will not. I do not watch Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey or American Football.

I am a huge sports fan though. The most important being football, or soccer to those in North America, in particular the team I have supported since I was a boy. Huddersfield Town.

702 replies. On page 6 of 36 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

nasty_liar

So Angelique Kerber defeats Serena Williams to win her first Wimbledon title having lost two years previous to the same opponent in the final. That was during her golden year when she won both Aussie and US opens and was runner up at the olympics and the world tour finals. She is the first German to win the title since the incredible Steffi Graf. This of course ended Serenas hopes (until the next grand slam) of becoming the fourth woman to win a grand slam as a mother and also prevents her (for now) from equalling Margaret Courts total Grand Slam record.

Looked a fairly routine match but I only saw the last few games. Well done Angelique, only the French Open now needed to complete the set.

Reply #101. Jul 14 18, 12:34 PM

Mixamatosis

I think some of the soccer/football explanations here are not quite clear or slightly wrong..

Timing of the game.I don't know about how it's shown in the USA (on the Fox channel?). However here we see the clock on the screen, which runs from the first minute to 90 minutes (end of game in normal time). However the referee has kept a personal record (personal stopwatch?) of any stoppage time for injury of players or deliberate time-wasting by players. At the end of the game that total is added on to the 90 minutes to be played. It's called injury time or stoppage time and there's an official at the game who holds up a digital display with the number of minutes to be added. In a normal game it's rarely more than 5 minutes. If you didn't have this rule, you'd see an awful lot more time-wasting and gamesmanship by the team who was winning at any point in the game..

Teams tying for second place in the group stage tables.
If there are teams with the same number of points, immediately below first place at the Group stage, so that it has to be determined which of them will go through to the play-offs, the criterion used to decide that is goal difference not tie break games. Goal difference is the difference between the number of goals scored by a team and the number of goals conceded. Take the latter from the former and that gives you the goal difference number. If the number of points the teams have won is exactly the same and the goal difference is exactly the same, then 'fair play' is used as the criterion. Of the tied teams, the team which team has received fewer yellow/red cards goes through to the play-offs (or the last 16 as we say)

I hope this is not confusing. Even I wasn't aware of the 'fair play' criterion until it was invoked. I think it must be pretty rare for it to be needed. The competition avoids playing tie break games because the winners would be at a disadvantage and the playing field not level. Having played an extra game they'd be more tired than other group stage winners. Also there's no guarantee that a tie-breaker game wouldn't also end in a tie so the extra effort might be for nothing and it would either throw the scheduled timetable off kilter or tie-break games would have to be squeezed into time normally allowed for rests between games. Not good for the players.

Senegal went out at the Group stage on the 'Fair Play' rule. Japan survived the Group stage because it had received fewer yellow cards that Senegal.

People don't really need to know all this because the commentators here always explain it, if it occurs.

Reply #102. Jul 16 18, 2:03 AM

Mixamatosis

A good way of thinking about soccer rules is to think why they are there, or rather what would the game be like if they were not there.

Without the offside rule, there'd be nothing to stop attackers and defenders merely crowding into the goal mouths and waiting there to receive or fight over a ball. It would be an impossible situation for goalkeepers and other players alike and the game just wouldn't work well.

Reply #103. Jul 16 18, 2:08 AM

terraorca

It's not a Grand Slam unless you win them in order:
Australian Open
French Open
Wimbledon
U.S.Open

Reply #104. Jul 16 18, 3:20 AM

nasty_liar

I use Grand Slam in the individual, as in the four Grand Slam events.

Reply #105. Jul 16 18, 10:10 AM

nasty_liar

But I will endeavour to make sure I don't shorten it and add 'event' or 'tournament' to make it clear.

Djokovic beat Anderson as predicted. He is a remarkable player, Djokovic. I think I would have to credit him with the best movement I've seen. His sliding even on hard courts is just ridiculous. His ability to play just one more shot is probably second to none. So with this Grand Slam Event win adding to his total to take him into clear fourth place of Grand Slam Event winners.

US Open should be interesting!

Reply #106. Jul 16 18, 12:02 PM

terraorca

I was merely trying to clear it up.
I meant no disrespect.

Reply #107. Jul 16 18, 7:37 PM

terraorca

I was a fan of Rod Laver, I think the only player that can compare, in Grand Slam Events is Don Budge.
I live near and have hit with Tony Trabert, if you've ever heard of him.

Reply #108. Jul 16 18, 7:41 PM

nasty_liar

My mum was a big fan of Laver and told me lots about watching him play. Obviously I’ve read about him too. I feel that modern tennis history treats him unfairly in terms of comparisons. Although comparisons across generations are troublesome anyway. I’m sure that Laver would have been the record holder (or close to) in terms of Grand Slam tournaments won had he continued in the amateur events through the sixties.

I have heard the name Tony Trabert but wouldn’t know about him without researching.

Reply #109. Jul 17 18, 1:28 AM

nasty_liar

Or perhaps for sheer numbers it could be considered Ken Rosewall, winner of 15 pro slams and 8, I think, Grand slam events?

Laver won 8 pro slams in the mid sixties and 11 grand slam events.

My mum always says Laver was the best though so I have to go with that!

Reply #110. Jul 17 18, 1:46 AM

terraorca

Rule of thumb, always go with Mum.

Reply #111. Jul 17 18, 3:15 AM

nasty_liar

Looks like Trabert won three amateur slams in a row and then went pro? Were there many top male players from that era that never went professional until the open era began?

Reply #112. Jul 17 18, 7:56 AM

terraorca

As best as I can remember, the top male players were thought to be traitors if they turned pro. How times have changed!

Reply #113. Jul 17 18, 10:06 AM

terraorca

They could earn their living playing and teaching tennis, as long as they didn't accept prize money from a tournament, they weren't considered a pro.

Reply #114. Jul 17 18, 10:08 AM

nasty_liar

Now Wimbledon and The World Cup are over I can turn my attention to le Tour de France. Always enjoyed it and to a much lesser extent the other grand tours in passing.

I haven't managed to watch any of it just yet but have kept upto date with reports of each stage. Really want Cavendish to win a few more stages but perhaps his time has passed?
Controversy has courted Froome of late but was given the all clear just before the Tour started with regards the salbutamol use. I think the problem is that when you watch his performance on some mountain top finish stages sometimes it is so reminiscent of similar performances in years gone by that were produced by those doping that it is hard not to assume something. The way he destroyed the field in the recent Giro on stage 19 with a truly remarkable solo performance... is it because he is suspicious? Or is it simply because cycling's past has bred that suspicion to be cast on all great riders who follow.

But I refuse to allow any of that to stop me enjoying an event that I have watched and loved for the last 25 years, starting with Indurain. It is so relaxing (not that I ever have chance to do it these days) to stick the coverage on as it starts and have it on the whole day as I do other jobs around the house and keep track of the days progress, the beautiful French countryside, the story that unfolds during the day. Each stage tells its own story and then those 'chapters' comprise the whole event. Brilliant.

Reply #115. Jul 17 18, 2:40 PM

samak

I've given up on the Tour de Narcotique entirely; I see no point in watching something where you don't know whether the participants are top performers because of their dedication and hard work or whether they just have a better chemistry set.
Nice scenery though.

Reply #116. Jul 18 18, 5:58 PM

nasty_liar

I'm not defending the cheats when I say this, but whether they are doping or not it is an exceptionally hard sport that all competitors are putting themselves through incredible rigours.

I refuse to allow them to spoil my enjoyment of a fantastic sport.

Great stage win for Britains Geraint Thomas yesterday! Ride himself into the yellow jersey, temporarily at least.

Reply #117. Jul 19 18, 5:53 AM

nasty_liar

One of the most famous mountain finishes today, the Alpe d'huez. Britain's Geraint Thomas riding for Team Sky won his second stage in two day's a team the end of a really entertaining stage. Felt sorry for long time breakaway leader Kruijswijk though who was so close he would have been imagining crossing the line to win the stage.

Thomas should enjoy being in yellow while he can, I assume that his team mate and four time winner Chris Froome will surpass him at some point.

Watched highlights of the Open golf this evening. Bit Tiger obsessed on the highlight show, plenty of other players in front of him but it was all about Mr. Woods. Be interesting to see how it develops into the weekend.

Reply #118. Jul 19 18, 5:30 PM

nasty_liar

Geraint Thomas still in the yellow jersey after today.

Exciting finale to the Open!

Reply #119. Jul 22 18, 10:38 AM

rubytops

Virgin TV just lost the station Dave and have replaced it with something called Premier Sports channel 127. Last night they showed the match from North Carolina live of Liverpool v Dortmund. Liverpool 1 up at half time but finally lost 3-1. Lots of world cup players absent. Few more blunders from Karius. Thank goodness we have a new goalie arriving.

Pleased Lewis won and Vettel crashed out on formula 1 yesterday.

Reply #120. Jul 22 18, 11:10 PM

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