A preview of who I think will be the main players at Melbourne Park in 2010.
Link: Somehow you can come clean but leave others feeling dirty
January 12, 2010 by 1 Comment
Dear Almanackers, Here’s another interesting piece from the New York Times, this time concerning the stage-management of mea culpas. The apologist here is Mark McGwire, but it’s an issue that play on the minds of footy administrators in 2010, I’m sure! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/sports/baseball/12sandomir.html?hp Rob Clarkson Almanac Admin
Bikes, bats, lycra: a big weekend in Ballarat and Bunni
January 10, 2010 by 9 Comments
Local civic and political leaders rarely miss a chance to proclaim Melbourne the “sporting capital of the world”, or “the world’s most liveable city”, blah blah. Whilst I agree that our beloved state capital is a very nice place to live (for most) and a fine sporting town, would it be too cynical to suggest [Read more]
Christmas Quiz: How did you go? Check your answers here
December 17, 2009 by 1 Comment
1. What the hell do the books The American Way of Death and Love In a Cold Climate have to do with the present-day politics of international Formula 1 car racing? Both were written by aunts (Jessica and Nancy Mitford) of Max Mosley, the recently deposed President of FIA, the F1 governing body (son of [Read more]
CHRISTMAS QUIZ: Some sporting conundrums
December 16, 2009 by Leave a Comment
1. What the hell do the books The American Way of Death and Love In a Cold Climate have to do with the present-day politics of international Formula 1 car racing? 2. In the history of Test cricket, the names of two players each appear three times in the top-ten list for runs scored in [Read more]
Russians not Hiddink it off with Guus
December 7, 2009 by 2 Comments
by Tim Ivins Guus Hiddink would have cast a lonely figure in the bowels of Petrol Arena late on November 18. His Russian team, chock full of talent and Euro 2008 runners up had been eliminated by lowly Slovenia on away goals. In the first leg, a goal from Nejc Pecnik in the 88th minute [Read more]
Boxing: It’s tough when you wait so long for something that’s over so quickly
December 4, 2009 by 658 Comments
With footy season over, I do my best to substitute footy with other sports. With the big Green v Jones fight tonight, I think it might be worth checking it out. I’ve never been a big boxing fan. My boxing knowledge spans only from Danny Green v Anthony Mundine to Rocky Balboa v Apollo Creed. [Read more]
Morality and sport
November 24, 2009 by 10 Comments
by Chris Riordan Morality in Sport is a very broad, interesting and controversial topic. Fine Cotton. Shoeless Joe Jackson. Recent Euro soccer and tennis betting scandals. All palpably deceitful. But it’s not always so clear. The “gentleman’s game” has had its problems. Trevor Chappell was within the rules (and following orders) when he rolled McKechnie. [Read more]
What were your favourite Almanac pieces of 2009?
November 24, 2009 by 42 Comments
This is not a forum for ranking. However, one of the pitfalls of this fantastic site is that so many articles can appear and then be smothered soon after. In the spirit of end of year lists, I wish to highlight some of my memorable reads from footyalmanac.com.au in 2009. crio
Off to South Africa along the All White road
November 18, 2009 by 5 Comments
by Tim Ivins World Cup Football provides me with some of the strongest emotions I’ve experienced as a sports fan. It’s almost like the golden path in the Wizard of Oz, countries play-off for the right to play in the greatest show of all. The show which causes me to shift my body clock to [Read more]
The table
November 16, 2009 by 3 Comments
by Damian “Dips” O’Donnell Our dinners at home were always noisy, cluttered affairs. The eight of us would sit around the delightful (though tiny) old mahogany table, which seemed to have a talent for expanding whenever Mum found there were additional mouths to feed. It could have been someone’s mate, a cousin, the local parish [Read more]
Life: Vale Uncle Ado, butcher, battler, family man, Australian
November 10, 2009 by 2 Comments
By Andrew Starkie My dad, Joe, is like the You Yangs: back from the road, strong, always there. He looked like Tom Jones before Tom had the work done. Joe turned 67 on Thursday, the day we buried his elder brother, Adrian. Uncle Ado was a few years older, but had been an old man [Read more]
Tennis: Federer says it’s good to be back home
November 9, 2009 by 230 Comments
Tennis god Roger Federer has made it to the final of the tournament on his home turf in Basel, Switzerland. The world No. 1 (and my personal favourite) was bound to get this far on a home court advantage. With 15 Grand Slam titles and gold Olympic medal (2008), the brown windswept haired beauty has [Read more]
General Sport: Supporter lobby group starts up
November 8, 2009 by 1 Comment
By Adam Muyt Roy Masters has written a piece in today’s SMH (7 November) on a newly formed lobby group, Sports Supporters Australia. Masters likens it to an RACV or NRMA for sports lovers and a quick squiz through its website heightens the comparison. This group is definitely ‘serious’, structured around a membership base and board, and complete with (obligatory?) commercial [Read more]
Ireland Correspondent: Saints’ new Irishman likened to big Cat
November 6, 2009 by 1 Comment
By Peter Lenaghan The speculation chased Tommy Walsh for the best part of two years, across Ireland, all the way to Australia and back home to County Kerry. Each month a story would appear in the Irish press and headlines would declare that the imposing and gifted youngster was “considering a deal” or “on the [Read more]
The Rumble in the Jungle
October 30, 2009 by 8 Comments
Champion of the World by Andrew Starkie Ali told everyone he was going to dance. Foreman trained for this. In sparring, he practised cutting off the ring. Closing in and cornering his opponents like prey to be devoured. You can’t dance without a dance floor. Everyone was frightened for Ali – his people, Foreman’s people, [Read more]
A wholly satisfying half-marathon
October 13, 2009 by 5 Comments
by Darren Dawson I will always be proud of the fact that I am a member of that small percentage of the population who has completed a marathon. In fact, I have competed in four of those 42.2 k runs, with a couple of half-marathons thrown in for good measure. And so it is with [Read more]
Ireland Correspondent: Kennelly a very happy man after earning unique double through Kerry triumph
September 22, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Peter Lenaghan The son returned to the Kingdom. He was welcomed home. He gathered up the strands of a life he’d put on hold a decade earlier. He joined the famous county football team in which his father had made the family’s name. He battled for recognition and form in an ageing and divided [Read more]
Ireland Correspondent: The toy leprechaun can go back on the shelf
September 16, 2009 by 13 Comments
By Peter Lenaghan It is a dilemma that I have been wrestling with for weeks. Our time in Ireland is drawing to a close and I need a souvenir. In stores across the island there are enough tacky postcards, fridge magnets, flat caps, toy leprechauns and T-shirts and trinkets advertising a certain black beverage to [Read more]
Top Ten: The best dummy spits in sport
September 16, 2009 by 49 Comments
1. Jeff Tarango, 1995 The American hot-head spat the dummy in the ultimate fashion by becoming the first tennis player to walk out on a match at Wimbledon. After losing a point that had been replayed during his third-round match against Alexander Mronz, Tarango told heckling spectators to “shut up”. A subsequent warning for an [Read more]
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