Cricket: Why Ponting should 'retire'

Ricky Ponting can play some magnificent cricket when he is on song but his recent form has him under pressure to retire (or should I say: 'be sacked'). Ponting has played 150 tests for Australia and has captained the Australian cricket team since 2004. 


As a professional you are expected to play and represent your country well. In my opinion the 36 year old has outstayed his visit, a bit like Alan Harper in the TV show  Two and a Half Men. His playing ability and decision making has deteriorated over the years and is now at an all time low. So far in this Ashes series Ponting has played poorly and as a result has allowed England to take a 1-0 lead in the series. 


His consistently low scores have caused other players to do all the work and make up for his lackluster cricket. I'm afraid that his 'solid' scores have rubbed off onto other players. I think that players such as Michael Clarke watch there captain fail and as a result think that it is alright to do the same.


I think that Australian cricket has endured a downward spiral since players such as Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden retired. The Australian selectors just can't find the right players for the job. There are lots of domestic players in Australia who play well against other teams but when it comes to playing for their nation they can't perform. 


Australian cricket needs to slowly rebuild and hope that one day the Australian cricket team can return to being a powerhouse of international cricket.        

NBA game of the week: Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers

The in-form Boston Celtics took on the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Philadelphia looked like they were going to stage an upset win against the Celtics when they led by 1 point with 6.6 seconds remaining in the game. However Boston point guard Rajon Rondo threw an amazing alley oop pass to Kevin Garnett who grabbed it in mid air and shot it in. Boston won 102 - 101. 


The Celtics lead by 1 point with 1.4 seconds remaining in the game and Philadelphia turned the ball over and lost all hope of winning the game, Kevin Garnett held on to the ball until the final buzzer sounded. 


Boston has now moved to 18 wins, 4 losses and sit at the top of the eastern conference. Philadelphia has now slumped to 7 wins, 15 losses for the season.



Having watched this game I think that the 76ers should be very disappointed with themselves. At times Philadelphia looked like they were going to romp home and win but Boston stayed with them and hit some clutch shots including a Ray Allen three pointer late in the game to give the Celtics a one point lead. This game was very entertaining because the lead changed so many times. I honestly thought Philadelphia were going to win but you can't afford slip ups against Boston because they will make you pay and tonight they did just that. 

Ashes: Hussey spurs Australia past England in first test-Lunch day 3

Michael Hussey on his way to a fine century

Australia has taken a 69 run lead at lunch on day 3 of the first Ashes test in Brisbane and are on 5/329. Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin came out this morning and were faced with some brilliant bowling from James Anderson.


After just 6 overs of batting James Anderson appealed twice in a row for LBW. Luckily for Hussey the umpire gave not out to the second appeal as well which was in fact out. However England had used all their referrals and had to keep on playing. 


The selectors were scrutinised for selecting Mike Hussey and Peter Siddle. These selections have definitely payed off, Siddle bowled a hat-trick and got 6 wickets in England's first innings. Michael Hussey is on 124 not out and is batting beautifully.  


Brad Haddin has batted conservatively and has scored 79 runs and is doing well to stay in. Hussey and Haddin have built a solid 186 run partnership at lunch. 


I think that Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin should be very proud of themselves. The top order failed and all the pressure was on them to perform. Thanks to these two batsmen Australia are now poised to win the first test of the 2010/11 Vodafone Ashes series. 

Cricket: Clarke in, Bollinger out for first Ashes test

Michael Clarke will play in the first test in Brisbane after overcoming injury but bowler Doug Bollinger will be missing the first test due to Victorian bowler Peter Siddle being selected instead. 


I think that Doug Bollinger should have played instead of Peter Siddle. This first test will be very intriguing and will definitely set the tone for the rest of the series. Having said that I think England are currently in much better form than Australia and that was evident in their thumping of Australia A. 


The 2010/11 Ashes series should be a great contest but I'm expecting England to win. 

News: No survivors in New Zealand mine

This afternoon a second blast in the Pike River coal mine has killed all 29 miners trapped inside the mine including two Australians. Queenslanders Joshua Ufer, 25 and William Joynson, 49 were among the 29 miners stuck in the mine since friday after a methane explosion trapped the miners.

Families of the miners entered a briefing thinking positively before being shattered after hearing the bad news from mine chief executive Peter Whittall. The youngest miner was just 17 years of age and  the oldest was 62 years of age. Families were angry and shouted abuse when told of the explosion.

I think that this was bound to happen. I the rescue operation had started as soon as the miners were trapped then maybe they could have saved the miners. It is sad but this is the risk that these miners take when they sign up for this job.

Image courtesy of www.heraldsun.com.au   

News: Jeff Kennett delivers a 'Kool' tip for drink drivers

Hawthorn Football Club president and former premier today told drink drivers to eat Kool Mints to reduce their blood alcohol level. Kennett was live and on the air when he announced the revelation: "If you have had a couple of drinks and you want to absorb the alcohol quickly, Kool Mints will do it,'' he said. Police quickly labeled this as impossible,stating that the only thing that will lower your blood alcohol concentration is time, waiting until your body recovers. 


He also said that he tries to have a packet of them in his car at all times. I think that this is just another stupid comment that is damaging his reputation, wait! WHAT REPUTATION. All I have seen him do is make stupid comments on things that have nothing to do with him. I can't even imagine how he was elected premier of Victoria. 


Jeff Kennett needs to learn that the world does not revolve around him! 

AFL: Sam Crocker drafted to St. Kilda

AFL Prospect Sam Crocker from the Oakleigh Chargers had been drafted in tonight’s AFL Draft 2010. Saint Kilda Football Club has picked up Crocker at Pick 43 in round 2. The Carey Grammar year 12 Graduate in 2010 is a Strong Midfielder who can play forward and use his Wonderful left boot with accuracy and Distance. 

Crocker played for Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup this year and Averaged 19 disposal’s with 65% efficiency. I’m sure everyone is looking forward to seeing an illustrious career for young Crocker and good luck with the saints. 

AFL: Andrew Gaff heading to West Coast

Exciting AFL prospect Andrew Gaff has been picked at no.4 by the West Coast Eagles in the 2010 AFL draft. The year 12 graduate from Carey Grammar is a strong midfielder and has good pace and endurance. 


He was a member of the 2010 NAB Under-18 Championships All-Australian team and averaged 27 disposals a game. The left footer and Melbourne supporter should be very proud of himself and I have no doubt that he will bring immense talent to the West Coast Eagles. 

Cricket update: Sri Lanka all out for 115 at the GABBA

Australia has bowled Sri Lanka out for 115 runs in the third One Day International in Brisbane. The Australians have already lost the series after losing in Melbourne and Sydney. Clint McKay bowled a new personal best of 5-33. 


I think that Australia should definitely win this match. They have put themselves in a perfect position to win and should not lose.  


  

Cricket: Australia lose to Sri Lanka again

The Australian cricket team have continued their horror run just 20 days out from the start of the Ashes. Last night the Australians lost the One Day International series against Sri Lanka. 


Sri Lanka was full of confidence after winning the first match at the MCG in stunning fashion. The tourists won the toss and elected to bat first. In a rain effected innings Sri Lanka reached 240 from 38 overs using the Duckworth-Lewis rule. 


Australia now needed a strong batting performance but it wasn't to be. Brad Haddin was bowled for 1 while the skipper Ricky Pointing was caught on the boundary after amassing a "solidly impressive" 10 runs (yeah right). It was more of the same as the innings progressed, Shane Watson scored a high for his team with 44 runs before being trapped by Muralidaran. 


Cameron White and Steve Smith got started but ran out of time to score the winning runs as Australia slumped to a 29-run loss, losing the series. Australia's losing streak in all forms of the game has reached seven matches, the longest since the 1996-97 season. 


I think that this is just ridiculous, Australia used to be regarded as a powerhouse in cricket. It is shocking to watch such bad cricket, Mitchell Johnson needs to improve his bowling considerably, every over at least one ball is either close to a wide or is a wide. In fact every player needs to improve their cricket before the Ashes. It certainly doesn't help when you have your captain getting out for poor scores. With the Ashes so close I think the result has already been determined. Australia will have to play at their best just to match England's scores. At the moment something is definitely not right within the squad and big changes need to be made. 

So You Think likely to retire

The owner of the stallion said he would let the dust settle after So You Think's fighting third in today's Cup, but added: "I would say there is a good chance he could be retired now.

The horse had high expectations after winning many races throughout the carnival including the Cox Plate for the second year running. However he failed to deliver in this afternoons Melbourne Cup, he finished third. 

He has had a remarkable career and will be missed by the racing world if he does retire. 

Americain wins 150th Melbourne Cup

Americain made an amazing late run to steal a victory in this years Melbourne Cup. 
The Geelong cup winner stayed beautifully in the 3200m race and timed his run perfectly to beat Maluckyday and red hot favourite So You Think. 


Bart Cummings failed to win his thirteenth Melbourne Cup, So You Think looked like a winner half way up the straight but ran out of steam on his sprint to the finish.  Zipping finished fourth for the third time, edging out Harris Tweed. 


Our family spent the afternoon with some friends and it sure was an exciting race. I had put money on a place for So You Think, Descerado and Harris Tweed. However my friend won hundreds of dollars after he put five dollars on a trifecta and tipped it correctly. 


It was a great race but a disappointing result for me and for several other punters who bet thousands of dollars for a win on favourite So You Think.     

The finishing order in the 2010 Melbourne Cup:

1. Americain

2. Maluckyday

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3. So You Think

4. Zipping

5. Harris Tweed

6. Holberg

7. Manighar

8. Precedence

9. Illustrious Blue

10. Mr Medici

11. Once Were Wild

12. Tokai Trick

13. Shoot Out

14. Monaco Consul

15. Master O'Reilly

16. Campanologist

17. Profound Beauty

18. Shocking

19. Red Ruler

20. Buccellati

21. Linton

22. Zavite

Descarado failed to finish.

Bauer was scratched

Horse Racing: 2010 Melbourne Cup barrier draw & field

View full field and barriers at: http://www.cupcarnival.com.au/2010/10/30/2010-melbourne-cup-barrier-draw-field/

Horse Racing: Lion Tamer wins AAMI Victoria Derby

New Zealand trained horse Lion Tamer has taken out this years AAMI Victoria Derby.


He won convincingly by about 6 lengths. I didn't bet on this race but I was hoping that Praecido would win the race. Unfortunately he finished second, just in front of  Retrieve. 


Lion Tamer's odds for a win was $13. 

News: Fresh terrorism threat for US

The United States has a new "credible terrorist threat" as quoted by President Barack Obama in an announcement he made after authorities discovered two suspicious packages on cargo planes in transit for the United States, one package was found on a plane in Dubai, the other was found in Britain. 


The packages had originated in Yemen and were addressed to Jewish synagogues in Chicago. The two packages were indeed carrying explosive materials. President Obama immediately ordered cargo planes at Philadelphia and Newark international airports to be isolated and checked for further packages from Yemen.


The Pentagon even sent two fighter jets to escort an Emirates Airlines passenger plane carrying cargo from Yemen, the plane was escorted from the Canadian border to New York City as a precautionary act.


Yemen is now being linked to this event but the Yemeni Government released a statement saying that no UPS cargo planes had taken off from Yemen bound for British or American airports.


I think that things like this are always going to happen as long as there is a war in Afghanistan. The only thing the US Government is doing at the moment is tightening the security in the US, sure this is good if your flying out of the US but the threat is on the US. This just inconveniences travelers while the Government still has no control over incoming flights to the US. 


I think that the US troops should be pulled out of Afghanistan and peace should be made without any violence. However if this does not work I guess the US will just have to keep working with other countries to create alliances and get tighter security in airports across the world. 

NBA: Lakers edge past Rockets in season opener

The new look Los Angeles Lakers have beaten the Houston Rockets 112-110 in Los Angeles. 
The night started with the championship ring presentation. The Lakers players walked one by one to centre court and received their immensely huge ring with several diamonds before introducing the next player in line with uplifting comments. 


The defending champions had a dream run last year but this match was far from a dream. The players were pushed to their limits. It was also a special night for Houston, star player Yao Ming returned from a serious foot injury which kept him out for the whole of last season.


I think this was a really good test for the Lakers. As a Lakers supporter I was expecting the back to back champions to win this game quite comfortably. However i was shocked when I went on the NBA website and saw that the Lakers were losing 110-109 with 29.5 seconds remaining in the game.


But with 18.8 seconds remaining new Laker recruit Steve Blake hit a game winning three point shot. 


Kobe Bryant had 27 points and 7 assists as the Lakers started their quest to win three NBA championships in 3 years.   

Stoner wins Australian MotoGP

Australian MotoGP rider Casey Stoner won his fourth straight Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island. He dominated from start to finish after he started from pole position. 


Stoner finished more than eight seconds ahead of new world champion Jorge Lorenzo with the Spaniard's Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi third, a further 9.5 seconds back. Rossi did well to finish third after he started from 6th position on the grid.


I didn't watch the race but Stoner must have ridden his heart out to get such a commanding win. 

NHL: Capitals beat Predators in OT

The Washington Capitals have kept their winning streak alive after beating a top ranked Nashville 3 - 2 in OT. 


The Predators were dominating the game 2 - 0 before the Capitals started to play some amazing hockey in the second period. By then it was all over, Alexander Ovechkin scored again and lead his team to victory.

NHL: Montreal edge Ottawa

Montreal has won their first game at home this season after beating Ottawa 4 - 3.


Montreal is starting to play very well and are looking like a real threat.

NHL: Montreal beat Buffalo

It was a fairly straight forward game for Montreal goalie Carey Price, he made 22 saves from 23 shots.


Montreal stayed calm and won 2 - 1 in Buffalo.

NHL: Penguins beat Islanders for first win in new home

The Pittsburgh Penguins have beaten the New York Islanders 3 - 2 in Overtime to clinch their first win in the new Consol Energy Centre.


Alex Goligoski's power-play goal 1:51 into overtime gave the Penguins the win. His shot was deflected by an opposition player and ended up in the goal. 

NHL: Goalie leads Colorado to victory

Colorado goalie Craig Anderson had a night out. He amassed 41 saves from 43 shots and wasn't even breathing heavily. He was the star on the night and lead his team to a 3 - 2 win over New Jersey.

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs remain unbeaten

Toronto travelled to new York today to play the New York Rangers in what turned out to be a brilliant game. New York came back late to tie the game yet couldn't deliver the winning goal in Overtime. 


Phil Kessel was the star for Toronto, he scored 2 goals including the match winner and helped his team to a 4 - 3 win. Toronto remain unbeaten after four games this season.

NHL: Panthers shutout Flames to snatch first win

Florida has beaten Calgary 3 - 0 to get their first win this season. The stars for Florida were their goalie who amassed 27 saves from 27 shots and Radek Dvorak, who scored 2 goals.

NHL: Dallas beat Detroit to ruin Modano's return

Dallas has beaten Detroit 4 - 1 to ruin (former Dallas player) Mike Modano's homecoming. Modano's Detroit were playing catch up all game long and never got into a rhythm.

Dallas took full advantage of this and got out to an unassailable lead. Brad Richards was the star for Dallas, scoring 2 goals.

NHL: Minnesota secure first win

Minnesota Wild has beaten the Edmonton Oilers to secure their first win of the season in their first game at home. Minnesota were happy to host the Oilers and won 4 - 2.


Mikko Koivu was the star for Minnesota, scoring 2 goals.

NHL: Predators beat Blues for third straight win

The Nashville Predators have won their third straight game after edging out St. Louis Blues, 4 - 3 in Nashville. 


Nashville were always going to win, especially when their goalie made 32 saves and Steve Sullivan scored two goals. 

NHL: Ottawa upset Carolina

Ottawa has miraculously beaten the Carolina Hurricanes 3 - 2 in Carolina.
Ottawa were at the bottom of the conference ladder and were going up against a well placed Carolina team. 


Carolina was coming back from a tour of Europe and were playing away from home.


It was an interesting matchup and the Hurricanes made a late comeback but it wasn't enough, Ottawa's early lead got them the win.   

NHL: Tampa Bay scrape past Philadelphia

Airline Pilot dies during flight

The pilot of a Qatar Airways flight from Philippines to Qatar has died as the plane was in the air. The plane was forced to divert to Kuala Lumpur and then change crew in the Malaysian capital.


The 43 year old Indian complained of chest pains and the co-pilot requested to land in Kuala Lumpur.    


I think this could have been much worse yet the pilot did well to speak up and the co-pilot worked well to get the plane down.

Two horses scratched from Caulfield Cup

Master O'Reilly is the second horse to be scratched from Saturday's Caulfield Cup.  The horse suffered a bout of colic and was forced out by his trainer. The first horse to be pulled today was Rosehill Guineas winner Zabrasive. 


Master O'Reilly would have been running in his fourth consecutive Caulfield Cup. He is best remembered for his 2007 Caulfield Cup victory when favourite Maldivian injured himself in the barriers. 


I don't think O'Reilly would have won the race anyway. He has lacked form and in treacherous weather he would have had no hope.  

Medal Tally after day 11 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 10 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 9 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 8 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 7 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Melbourne Marathon 2010

Today I took part in the 2010 St George Melbourne Marathon. I ran the 5.7 km race that ended with a lap of the MCG.

It was a glorious day to head out to the city. Earlier in the day a record 27,000 people ran in the 42.2km Marathon.

I ran well but the heat really got to me, I was exhausted and desperately needed a break and it couldn't have come soon enough, I finished and went straight for the drinks station.

The event ran very smoothly and it was another successful Melbourne Marathon.  

Holden one-two at Mount Panorama

Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife have lead Team Vodafone to a historic win in Today's Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama. 


Craig Lowndes was given the task of driving the last 79 laps of the exhausting 161 lap race. It was a fairytale ending for Holden and for Team Vodafone, Jamie Whincup and Steve Owen finishing second. Holdens dominated the podium, the earliest placed Ford finished fifth.

I think it was a great race and a well deserved victory for Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife. I didn't watch it because I was at the Melbourne Marathon but I saw some exciting moments in the race. The most exiting moment i believe was on lap 1. Fabian Coulthard crashed out at 300kmh, he rolled six times but surprisingly walked out without a scratch. 


  


  

Medal Tally after day 6 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 5 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Man arrested carrying a machete on Melbourne train

This afternoon turned into a hectic hour after a man about 70 years old was arrested on my train after he was caught with a machete in his possession.


I first noticed the man when I arrived at Auburn train station. My friend told me that there was an old man at the end of the platform with a machete.


 I didn't know what to think at that stage, I had seen people do silly things on platforms but I had never seen someone with a weapon.


The man was old and wearing a bucket hat, a blue shirt and brown pants. I then told my sister and her friends about the man and they started to get a bit worried.


The man was walking up and down the platform very slowly holding what clearly was a machete. I was standing on the platform when he walked right next to me, he then stopped and looked down the tracks as if something was worrying him. At this sight I decided to walk away without being too obvious.


As our train pulled up me my sister and her friends all walked away from where the man was getting on, we got on one of the last carriages.


During the trip my sisters friend decided to call the police. She gave them a great description of the man and where we were and then hung up. As we arrived at our first stop we looked to see if the man had got off, however he stayed on. Apparently there were police that just didn't make it to the train station on time to catch the man.


We reached the next station and the train stopped as per usual and we again looked to see if the man had got off, he hadn't. It had seemed like we had been stopped at the station for a bit longer than usual, I was starting to get worried that something had happened involving the man with the knife.


It wasn't until I saw about four police cars show up at the station that I realised what was going on. The call had been responded to and the police were looking for the man. We were worried at this point in time because we didn't know where the man was or if he had done something bad.


A man and a woman from Victoria Police game running through our carriage armed with pepper spray and wearing bullet proof vests looking for then man. We told the police officers that he was in either the second or the third carriage.


After about 10 minutes of chaos and uncertainty the man was taken out of the train surrounded by police. It was an amazing 10 minutes or so, people were crying, others were just completely confused by all the police.


Unfortunately I can't confirm no one was injured on the train, however the Ambulance did not come so it seems to me that no one was harmed.


I have tried to show you some of the chaotic moment on my phone, i hope the quality isn't too bad for you.  

Medal Tally after day 4 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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QANTAS flight terror

A flight from Melbourne to London via Hong Kong turned into a nightmare for the passengers and crew on board. At some point during it's journey a passenger "became disruptive" and started shouting death threats to the passengers on board. 


A Woman on the flight said that she heard a man praying in what she thought was Hebrew, he then started shouting: "I'm going to kill myself, you are all going to die, it will be God's will, what will be will be, I'm going to open the door."


The man was subdued by the crew and was handed over to Hong Kong authorities.


I think that it is very lucky that none of the 280 passengers on board were injured.


Source: www.theage.com.au

Josh Fraser joins Gold Coast Suns

Collingwood ruckman Josh Fraser has become Gold Coast's last uncontracted player. I think he made a very smart decision, he only played nine games for Collingwood this year and he will join great players at the new club.

I think that Michael Malthouse had a grudge on Fraser, he only just let him play his 200th game for the club in round 22. 


Collingwood are now in search of a new secondary ruckman.