Predictable playoffs to follow regular season drama?
After watching what was arguably the most exciting day in Major League Baseball history on Wednesday, one may come to expect more of the same drama in the upcoming playoffs. Sadly, that won’t be the case.
On the final day of the regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals completed their remarkable September comebacks to claim baseball’s final two playoff spots at the expense of the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves respectively. Or you can also say the Red Sox and Braves completed their epic collapses, it really doesn’t matter. FULL POST
Tevez 'strike' is sad for soccer ...
In the spectrum of jobs and career paths that exist in the world, some garner more envy than others. A survey by CareerCast.com in January 2011 found that - based on factors such as work environment, income, outlook, physical demands and stress - employment as a construction worker, taxi driver and lumberjack figured in the top-10 worst jobs in America.
Arguably there are worse to be found on the planet: what about diamond mining in Sierra Leone, gun running in Afghanistan or trafficking for a Colombian cocaine cartel? All the jobs above could warrant a call for better conditions. To strike as a drugs mule would be a bold move given the poor record of staff retention by the employer, but the employee would surely have the sympathy of others in less dangerous pursuits for wanting a better way to earn a living. FULL POST
Look out Europe – American golf is bouncing back
When Northern Irishman Darren Clarke deservedly won this year's British Open, the spotlight once again fell on America's under-achieving stars.
With Tiger Woods winless in majors since June 2008 and Phil Mickelson's last grand slam title coming in April 2010, the pressure on this current generation of U.S. players was immense going into last month's PGA Championship and the PGA Tour's big-money end-of-season series in September.
But I have to say they've risen to the challenge in highly-impressive fashion. Keegan Bradley started the ball rolling by claiming his first major title, and Bill Haas has topped it off by winning the deciding Tour Championship and the $10 million FedEx Cup jackpot on Sunday. FULL POST
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Bagpipe ban puts wind up Scottish rugby fans
(CNN) - Last year’s soccer World Cup in South Africa was memorable for many reasons, not least because of the distinctive sound of the vuvuzela.
The colored horns provided a unique soundtrack at every match and despite the predictable complaints from killjoys, the din added to a carnival atmosphere.
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Man Utd's dominance a sign of Premier League weakness
I was very surprised when I found out Manchester United had made their best start to a league season in 26 years. Since Alex Ferguson took over at Old Trafford back in 1986, they had never won their first five games.
It made me wonder: Is this team really that great, or is it that the other traditional contenders are just not that good anymore? FULL POST
Caddies, keep your heads down and mouths shut ...
Professional caddies do much more than just carry a bag for tournament players, what they provide should not be underestimated.
Caddying is a very well paid job for those good enough to attain the best bags and the individuals who chose this nomadic existence now come from a wide variety of backgrounds and not just the caddy shack clique of years gone by.
Australian Steve Elkington was so pleased with his caddy Dave Renwick’s performance at the 1995 PGA Championship, where he defeated Colin Montgomerie in a playoff; he presented the Scot with his entire winnings. FULL POST
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Can anybody break the dominance of Djokovic?
Five other men have won three major titles in one year in the Open era, but none so emphatically as Novak Djokovic.
The Serb secured his maiden US Open title on Monday with his sixth straight win, all in finals, against the man who was so dominant last year, Rafael Nadal.
This latest victory took Novak's 2011 record to an astonishing 64-2 and only one of those matches did he actually lose - the other was an injury retirement in the Cincinnati final. FULL POST
Has Serena Williams been judged too harshly?
Only hardened Australian tennis fans gave Samantha Stosur a chance of beating Serena Williams in the final of the U.S. Open.
It seemed the rest of the world felt sure that the American, a 13-time major champion, would romp home just as she had done through six rounds at Flushing Meadows and two hard-court tournaments before that, but the 27-year old Aussie clearly hadn't read the script. FULL POST
CNN's all-time Rugby World Cup XV
It’s a thankless task tackling the sports fans’ most-heated debate –- picking a greatest ever team. There is never a correct answer; facts are ignored, personal favorites picked and style preferred to substance. It’s always subjective.
So, I preface my selection of the best rugby World Cup XV of all time by saying that this is very much a side that I would want to watch. As a journalist, you need to think about balance and neutrality, but I’ve indulged myself here.
For me, sport at its most uplifting is about grace and poise, the balletic as well as the brawn; I like to see athletes make the mastery of their game look easy, as if they were born to do it. My ultimate World Cup XV has plenty of grit but, above all else, these players would be entertaining to watch - simple as that. FULL POST
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Should UEFA put weaker nations out of their misery?
As I watched San Marino get demolished by the Netherlands in a Euro 2012 qualifier on Friday, I thought that it’s time for UEFA to restructure the qualifying format for European Championships and World Cups.
11-0. That was the score in Eindhoven between the top and the bottom ranked teams on the FIFA standings. The question has to be asked, why did they have to play each other in the first place? FULL POST
