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"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words, it is war minus the shooting." - George Orwell
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When you sign the best player in the league – and arguably the greatest player of all time – while he’s still in his prime, your goal for the season should be the NBA championship.
With Australia’s loss in the Gavaskar-Border series complete, the post-mortem on what went wrong has already begun.
With stories circulating that Carmelo Anthony’s time with the Houston Rockets will “soon be ending”, and few – if any – teams in need of his services, it’s an appropriate time to look back on the career and legacy of the man they call ‘Melo’.
The first week of the 2018-19 NBA season has been completed, and it’s always hard to not overreact to what you’ve witnessed after just three or four games played by each team.
This annual tradition – where I revisit my pre-season rugby league predictions – is both my most dreaded piece to write each year, yet also the one I most look forward to.
After Penrith’s crushing, one-point loss to the Sharks on Friday night, there was footage of Ivan Cleary consoling his son, Nathan, in a show of family support.
There is no real way to prove it, but there is an undeniable feeling that 2018 is the year a large portion of the rugby league community said “enough” to News Corp journalist Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield.
In the battle for the attention of rugby league fans, there’s a sure-fire way to appeal to as many of them as possible: bash the refs.
With six rounds to go in the 2018 NRL season, the Telstra Premiership is well and truly up for grabs.
Yesterday, NBA superstar LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year deal worth $153.3 million.
Given LeBron James’ epic performances in the 2018 NBA Playoffs, the debate about who is the greatest basketball player of all time has really heated up of late.
For roughly the last decade, this is the period of State of Origin football where New South Wales and their fans have traditionally felt the most optimistic: before the series. Before that pesky thing we call ‘reality’ kicks in.
It’s hard to believe we’re already over a third of the way through the 2018 NRL season, but as they say, time flies when you’re having fun.
In the wake of the ball-tampering fiasco involving the Australian cricket team, it’s become popular to talk about what type of athletes we want representing us on the national stage.
Last week, I ticked off a major bucket item in my life: sitting courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Australian opener David Warner was involved in a couple of ugly incidents in the first Test against South Africa, which have once again called into question his temperament and behaviour.
With the 2018 NRL season kicking off this Thursday, it’s time for the most unforgiving article I write all year. The one that regularly makes me look foolish come October – and quite often, a lot sooner!
In NBA circles, it’s become trendy to pick anyone but the Golden State Warriors to win this year’s NBA Championship.
A few weeks ago, I wrote that the real battle this summer might be between the Australian selectors and ‘armchair critics’.
The lead-up to this summer’s Ashes series was relatively subdued compared to previous encounters, when the sledging, mind games and banter have usually began well in advance of the opening Test of the series.
Tristo!
Yeah, the Lakers track record of developing youngsters is terrible. I can’t even think who the last young player they had who grew within the organisation. I mean, I think it’s Kobe, and I’m not even joking.
Are the Lakers wasting a year of LeBron’s prime?
No. Nope. Not at all.
But if he suffers another injury and misses extended time again? It’s not the worst idea in the world.
Are the Lakers wasting a year of LeBron’s prime?
Don’t disagree with too much there, but it still adds up to wasting a year of LeBron’s prime, and risking a second year too.
Are the Lakers wasting a year of LeBron’s prime?
Geez, I like that last paragraph. Hope you’re right!
Are the Lakers wasting a year of LeBron’s prime?
I think they’d love to get any of those 3, but they all come with a risk.
Durant’s “toxic” comments about LeBron would suggest he’s not coming to the Lakers. If the Pelicans continue to suck, Davis may ask for a trade but there’s no guarantee the Lakers can put together the best package. And no one knows what Kawhi will do.
There is a scenario where the Lakers miss out on all 3, plus Klay stays with the Warriors, Kyrie stays with the Celtics, Boogie goes elsewhere, etc, etc, etc, and the Lakers can’t get the other star they desperately want. What then?
Are the Lakers wasting a year of LeBron’s prime?
One extreme view: considering the Lakers own their draft pick this year, and LeBron James is currently injured, they could outright tank the rest of the season.
A top 3 of the draft pick could add a talent that is ready to help right away, or be a valuable trade chip in getting another star.
Are the Lakers wasting a year of LeBron’s prime?
Thanks for reading and commenting, Bigal.
Just on the question of how the could bowlers not know the ball had been sandpapered, it’s worth noting that the umpires inspected the ball, and didn’t even replace the ball, or punish Australia 5 runs. So it’s certainly plausible that there wasn’t significant enough damage to the ball for the bowlers to notice/see what had been done.
Not saying that’s what happened, but just worthwhile pointing that out for consideration.
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
Did you see the way they executed it?! They clearly wasn’t much practice!
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
As an ex-bowler, I’ll support this proposal!
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
I think you have a point about the talent cupboard being less full than it has I the past.
However, I think every single team in the world would struggle to “seamlessly” replace their top two batsmen (especially Smith, who is arguably in the top 2 to 3 batsmen in the world).
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
But India did get the old ball talking at times?
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
Using sandpaper (correctly) would definitely work, but in this exact case, the umpires inspected the ball and didn’t even replace it or dock Australia 5 runs.
So either Bancroft was so completely inept at doing it (certainly possibly, judging by the footage), or he was just getting started.
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
Haha! Sheek, when I read your opening words, I was expecting one of the many (actually valid) reasons to not like Crash!
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
I didn’t cast judgement either way on the “treatment”, just stating what occurred.
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
I think that’s been confirmed, hasn’t it? That Warner told Bancroft to do it, because he knew the cameras were on him?
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
I’m confused? What’s the difference between “…after Bancroft sandpapered the ball” and “AT THE TIME”?
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
I think that’s my summation: they were doing something, but probably not sandpapering.
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
It’s a fair point, Steve.
Again, without knowing, a possible scenario is the point about Warner’s frame-of-mind. There are suggestions he was so incensed at his treatment by South Africans, that his mental state was so angry, and essentially “I’d do anything to beat these guys.”
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
I think your first point/question is the same as Broads. Though he appears genuine in his bemusement, I think he was being a bit cheeky.
Your last point, if true, is a very good one.
Sorry folks, sandpaper-gate ain’t over just yet
Spot on, Big Mac. One of your best pieces ever.
Here’s the thing with Test match batting: it’s about not making mistakes and batting for long periods of time. To do that, you need to concentrate.
Great bowlers don’t even need you to make a mistake to get you out, but for the most part, it’s batsman error that causes a dismissal, and minimising that – irrespective of the bowling – is a skill. So, runs are runs.
Plus, if you’re cynical, you can literally say “but…” for every single achievement in cricket.
“Yeah, but it was” …the laziest cricket argument going