EXTREME SPORTS (fans) by Chris Riordan As recounted in the “Soppy Saturday” review for this site, Flemington’s incredible hailstorm provoked widespread discussion on other awful conditions we’ve endured at the races. Sports goers often recall extreme conditions as a badge of honour. I’ll never forget the numbing rain and wind that seemed appropriate on the [Read more]
Team-mates who are the best of enemies
Andrew McLeod and Tyson Edwards are team-mates who have managed to play in the same side despite a public fall-out many years ago. The Guradian’s Lex Sim recalls some infamous soccer “friendships” in his article below. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/03/football-team-mates-enemies-knowledge Have a read and then return here to regale us with tales of your favourite sporting “enemy” team-mates.
Motor Racing: Build it and they will come
The expression build it and they will come has been an affirmation for many grand projects throughout time. The vision of an entrepreneur, the courage of an architect, has resulted in buildings and monuments that have thrilled people for centuries. The Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House and that great shrine of sporting worship, the [Read more]
Film Review: Bullock’s Blind Side is well-meaning but misses mark
Film: The Blind Side Release: 2010 Director: John Lee Hancock Starring: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates Reviewer: John Butler Anyone with an interest in the USA – and largely thanks to Hollywood, that would be many of us – would probably agree that part of the fascination lies in the many paradoxes and contradictions [Read more]
Tennis: The Garden and the Brat
My first visit inside the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s iconic centre court was indeed memorable. Instead of paying close attention to the action, I found myself reminiscing over famous Wimbledon centre court battles of yore. A catalyst for this was the presence in the BBC commentary box of a certain brash New [Read more]
Winter Olympics: The buzz around Whistler
by Brad Carr I had an amazing few days at the Olympics. I’m now continuing my ski-trip up in Alaska, but tinged with a little bit of regret that I didn’t schedule myself a longer stint at the Games. The main thing about the Olympics is the excited, euphoric mood that engulfs it. Forget the [Read more]
Gaelic football: Farewell to a legend of the game
Sixteen championship seasons, six All-Ireland medals, four National League titles and three All-Star selections. No wonder the Irish sporting public is in mourning. Gaelic football has lost one of its greats. Darragh Ó Sé (pronounced O’Shea) made the announcement this week on the national Irish language radio station, Raidió na Gaeltachta, during an interview with [Read more]
Link: Winter Olympics are more fun
The Winter Olympics, through their lesser scale, have been able to stay truer to the Olympic ideal. So enjoy the fun…
Winter Olympics: A rundown on what to look forward to at Vancouver
By Brad Carr I’m writing this in Everett, on the northern outskirts of Seattle. Best known as the site of the Boeing wide-bodied jet factory (which, incidentally, I can thoroughly recommend as a tourist excursion if you’re ever in the area), it’s one of those industrial places on the fringe of a major city that [Read more]
Tennis: Hits and misses on the road to the Roger and Serena show
By Bernard Whimpress It was a bad start to the women’s part of the 2010 Australian Open draw with the best body and maybe the best legs in the tournament exiting in the first round. Out went Maria Sharapova, the 2008 champion, back on the tour after shoulder injury and seeded fourteen. But this wasn’t [Read more]
Link: The Guardian’s Youtube round-up
Eddie the Eagle, Brian Clough, Dennis Bergkamp, Frank Tyson… they’re all here in this week’s excellent Youtube round-up by The Guardian.
Basketball: For this Lakers fan, it’s all in the timing
By Brad Carr Many of sport’s moments come down to an element of being ‘in the right place at the right time’. An adage that has proved true for many players, occasionally it holds for a supporter also. I’ve followed the Los Angeles Lakers since 1988. At that time, when basketball was in its Australian [Read more]
American Football: The Saints finally march in
By Cade Lucas. It was gonna be great. I had all these grand pretensions of getting right into the swing of the Superbowl. It was gonna be all buffalo wings, cheese fries and Budweiser. Instead it was gluggy porridge and black coffee as I staggered out of my bedroom just in time for the kick [Read more]
WANTED – the look of a future sports journalist
By Danielle Eid Firstly, a note to all adult and full licensed Almanackers- PLEASE DO NOT BEEP at Learner drivers! The BIG YELLOW L means that we are LEARNING and we don’t know what we are doing! I’m doing my Ls and have been driving to school and stuff with my instructor. On one occasion [Read more]
American football: Clear-eyed Colts stand in way of Saints’ Superbowl fairytale
By Cade Lucas Well it’s almost that time of year again. You know the one. It’s a Monday morning in late January or early February. You switch on the TV and, ‘Oh yeah, that Superbowl thing’s on.’ And so you lounge on the couch in your pyjamas till mid afternoon, trying to work out what [Read more]
American football: Favre leads all-star cast in Hollywood finals
By Cade Lucas Among the many weird and wonderful pleasures afforded Australian viewers by the arrival of Channel 10’s One HD channel, the orgy of American sport it delivers into Australian loungerooms, free of charge, at a conveniently pleasant hour of the morning, is among the best. And chief among these sports is that most [Read more]
Tennis: It’s a great day watching the battlers on the outside courts
By Rod Oaten I really enjoy the Australian Open, not to see the antics of the of the top stars as they strutt their stuff, but to watch and admire the battlers. There are 512 players on Day 1 of The Open, we all know the top dozen men and women, but what about the [Read more]
Tennis: Still awaiting the Aussie charge
by Dan O’Sullivan As another Australian Open winds up and the great Roger Federer flies back to Switzerland to collect yet another cow to go with his 16th Slam (are the Swiss still doing that?), the inevitable question will be asked, where was the Aussie charge? The predictable poor showing by the locals can probably [Read more]
Winter Olympics: Seductive Sigulda sweeps me off my feet
By Tim Ivins With the Winter Olympics just around the corner and with me experiencing a white winter for the first time, I decided to take advantage of the conditions and experience something that would be impossible in Australia. The four man bobsled. For those of you who aren’t quite sure what that entails, cast your [Read more]
Cycling: The Tour Down Under through a fan’s lens
You want colour and movement? Here’s a link to Anne Federowytsch’s album from the Tour Down Under. http://www.photovations.com/ims/album.php?u_id=5318uKg0o x x x x











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