There's gotta be more to life: Sports

An end of an era

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 21:53:46 GMT

So today (yesterday by now) saw the end of the La Liga season with Real Madrid edging Barcelona for the title on the last few meters; that's just too sad :(

This season was an "interesting" one; to say the least. With Barca being the big favorites from start all the way till the winter break, where it all started to change. Teams shuffled positions with Barca, Real, and Sevilla all taking turns with the lead, with Valencia staying close to the run. After that, it all began to clear up. Real was gaining momentum with the so called "resurrection" of David Beckham, and the self destruction of Barca that hit the bottom with the infamous 4-0 slip at Getafe in the Copa Del Rey. After which Real got in total control. So in a couple of matches, Barca lost all, they were knocked out of the cup by Getafe, and the Liga was slipping out of there hands with their own fate no longer in their hands.

On day 37, and up to the 89th minute, Barca had the lead restored, but in mere seconds, all was back "in order". Barca gave up a 2-1 lead against neighbors Espanyol, who got an equalizer after the Barca defense took a nap. And Real came back from being 2-1 down at Zaragoza thanks to the same. That's when it was officially over.

But yet again, the last day came with Barca saying there is hope left. Now, I've lost all hope after the Getafe loss, but I think when you are being paid to win, you need to tell the fans that you still have a chance. So in the 16th minute, Real was down 1-0 at home to Mallorca, who the gossip says were offered a huge incentive by Barca board so they can beat Real. And a couple of minutes later, Barca took the lead against Nastic. It was all going in Barca's favor and it was too good to be true. All until the 65th minute when Mallorca coach brought Maxi Lopez in. Now that Real were playing 12 men against Mallorca who chose to play with 10 men, all was going to turn around. In the 67th minute, Madrid equalized all to the joy of "the now on my black list" Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cruise, and it all went downhill from there. Now Mallorca tried to fight and earn the couple of millions "supposedly" offered by Barca, but playing 10 men against 12 that ain't gonna happen.

So, at the end of the day, Real won 3-1 to clinch their first title since 2003, and Barca got a consolation win beating Nastic 5-1.

In the end, congrats Real on making the best use of Barca mistakes, and we shall meet again.

sk8er boi

Do I dare?

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 17:49:44 GMT

Do I dare to compare Holland's euro2000 campaign with their FIFA 2006 campaign?

In 2000, Holland started the championship with a game against the Czech, a game that Holland managed to win 1-0 in an unconvincing fashion. In 2006, Holland started with a relatively unconvincing 1-0 win over Serbia.

In 2000, Holland won the second match against Denmark, by 3-0; which is the same score I have on my prediction's board for Holland's second match against Ivory Coast on Friday.

Holland concluded the group phase with a 3-2 win against France. Holland awaits another football "power" on June 21, when they play Argentina in the last group match.

As you can see, Holland survived a tough group in 2000, and I hope that they will do the same in 2006. Another similarity is that in 2000, Holland were managed by Frank Rijkaard, a former Ajax, AC Milan and Holland player, and now, in 2006, they are managed by Marco Van Basten, Rijkaard's team-mate in all of those teams.

So, do I dare to dream of an amazing performance as in 2000? Though I certainly hope that the ending will be happier this time.

Oranje Boven,
sk8er boi

Holland wins

Sun, 11 Jun 2006 15:56:03 GMT

So, the long awaited World Cup kicked off a couple of days ago.

Today, Holland, Pays-bas, Netherlands, Nederland, whatever you call them, won today. Though the 1-0 win against Serbia and Montenegro was not a convincing win; it is a cliche that Holland starts slow. I really won't mind a slow start as long as San Marco's team end up as winners on the 9th of July.

Oranje Boven!

sk8er boi

Go Barca

Wed, 17 May 2006 17:00:38 GMT

Tonight, it is D-Day. Barcelona will play Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League final for a shot at winning their second trophy in the competition.

I have extreme respect for Arsenal, they are my number 3 team after Barcelona and Ajax, but I have to say that Barca are favourites to win. But since today is Dennis Bergkamp's last official match before retirement, I won't be too sad if Arsenal win, especially if it is the non-flying dutchman who gives them the win.

Good luck Barca and good luck Dennis, I wish you both an incredible night. Only if both can win :(

sk8er boi

Barca Barca

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 16:33:46 GMT

Hoping for a great match tonight against AC Milan.

Tot el camp,
es un clam,

Som la gent blaugrana,
tan se val d'on venim,
si del sud o del nord,
ara estem d'acord, estem d'acord;
una bandera ens agermana,

Blaugrana al vent,
un crit valent,
tenim un nom, el sap tothom,

BARÇA!! BARÇA!! BAAAARÇA!!!!

Jugadors,
seguidors,

Tots units fem força,
son molts anys plens d'afanys,
son molts gols que hem cridat,
i s'ha demostrat, s'ha demostrat,
que mai ningú ens podrà torcer,

Blaugrana al vent,
un crit valent,
tenim un nom, el sap tothom,

BARÇA!! BARÇA!! BAAAARÇA!!!!

sk8er boi

Holland Rocks

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:15:32 GMT

This is how Berlin will look like on July 9th

P.S. I've tried embedding the video, but no luck, as soon as I publish the entry, it disappears!!!!

sk8er boi

They think they have become too big

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 17:56:01 GMT

A few days back, a friend and I listed a couple of players who thought that they have become too big for their football clubs and decided to make a change to another club for the sake of money and fame. The players who were brought up in the discussion were:

Rivaldo: the Brazilian who thought he got too big for Barcelona and headed of for AC Milan, only to be put on the bench for a year, then released by the club who didn't even try to sell him in order to cut their losses, they just didn't want him any more. After leaving Milan, he spent a few months looking for a job only to end up in Turkey or Greece (am not sure where exactly).
Michael Owen: the England forward who left Liverpool on what was called "the quest to win more championships (the UEFA Champions League to be more specific)", which is something he said that Liverpool cannot provide. He headed to Real Madrid, in summer of 2004, only to spend alot of time on the bench, where he got the chance to watch his old club Liverpool go on and have an amazing season winning the UEFA Champions League beating AC Milan in the final.

The thing that brought this issue up is that we feel that this is where Barca's Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinhio are heading. They have an image in the media that says that they are the best players in the world and that they are the reason why Barca has got where it is. Am not saying that they are not good players, am just saying that they are members of a team, if it wasn't for their team-mates efforts, then Barca wouldn't be where they are. We just hope that Eto'o and Ronaldinhio won't go down the career devastating path that Owen and Rivaldo chose to take.

Let's hope that Rivaldo and Owen are a lesson to the rest of players out there to keep their foot on the ground and not let their ego bring them down.

sk8er boi

No More

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 10:18:54 GMT

Last night, Barcelona visited Zaragoza for a La Liga game, a game that was expected to give Barcelona a chance to show their true form and prove that their Copa Del Rey loss to Zaragoza was not how things should have been.

Up until the last 15 minutes, Zaragoza were giving Barcelona a hard time, creating some chances and not leaving much room for Barcelona to create real chances. But then it happened. A bunch of racists marred the game with racist chanting targeting Samuel Eto'o. The chants made Eto'o furious and made a decision to walk out of the game in protest; saying: "No More". I personally kinda welcomed the "emotion driven" move, and would not have had a problem with a Barcelona walk out in protest cause racism has become a black ugly mark in football and the fines imposed by football federations don't seem to be do anything to stop it. Though I believe that in sports, the best way to proest is by playing your best on the field, and let the score do the talking for you.

Players from Barcelona and Zaragoza talked Eto'o into staying in the game. And immediately after play resumed, Barcelona won a corner which resulted in a penalty and a sending off of a Zaragoza player. Ronaldinho converted the penalty, and a few minutes after that, Eto'o played an inch-perfect cross to Henrik Larsson who had no trouble in scoring the second goal of the match.

If it wasn’t for the chants, the game would not have ended that way, and Zaragoza might have had a chance to win it. But the psychological effect the chants had backfired on Zaragoza fans and Barcelona won the game. I guess this proves how some people can spoil things for the rest of the group.

Let's just hope that this helps in putting an end to racism in football.

You can read more about this here, here, and here.

sk8er boi

Barcelona lost - but I am happy

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 11:18:00 GMT

Don't get me wrong, I am one of the biggest barca fans in the world.

Last night, Barcelona lost to Zaragoza 4-2 in their Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey) quarter final 1st leg match. For me, the lost was much needed. It was impossible for Barcelona to keep their 18-match winning streak going on for so long, it is just the way football is. If Barca hadn't lost now, they might have lost when it really mattered, I would have hated to see them keep their winning streak only to go down to Chelsea in the champions league; they just can't afford to go down to them again.

If I remember correctly, last season, when Barcelona were doing great, and they had a match against Villareal, they fell back 3-1 and I was happy. Cause they had a match coming up against Real Madrid I wnted them to go there with a loss; this way the can't loose again. Unfortunately, they pulled a come back and fought their way to a 3-3 draw in the end. Only to loose to Real 4-2. If they have saved their energy for Real, they would have won. And after all, that point wouldn't have made a difference.

Now, Barca can start winning again. I am happy

sk8er boi

81 pts for Kobe

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:54:41 GMT

Kobe Bryant, the LA Lakers' star with jersey #8, had the game of his life yesterday, scoring 81 points in a game where his team beat the Toronto Raptors 122-104. The 81 points are the closest anyone has ever come to Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points-a-game record made in 1962.

Since I missed the game, I will leave it to the pros to analyze this (at the bottom). But I have to say, Kobe looks like he will land himself the MVP crown.

sk8er boi

Pro Quotes

Kobe erupts for 81 points, 2nd most ever - NBA - MSNBC.com
Skip

Kobe by numbers: A lot more than 81 points - eurosport.com

Barca Rules

Sat, 19 Nov 2005 21:36:20 GMT

Just got back from watching an entertaining football match were Barcelona have demolished the Madrid team Real. It was literally a one sided match from start to finish where Barcelona had like a million chances to score.

Barcelona's goals came from Eto'o and Ronaldinho (2 goals). The game allowed the young Argentine Messi to display the great talent and potential he has. He had plenty of great chances to score and the only way the MAdrid defence found to stop him was to drop him to the ground over and over again, I just wish that he scored a goal especially that the first goal was "stolen" from him by Eto'o.

I kinda felt sorry for the Madrid fans, they gave the Magician Ronaldinho a standing ovation after he scored his second goal of the match and his team's third. The goal, like his first, came from an incredible effort and indivdula run into Madrid's front lines.

I also felt sorry for the Madrid keeper, Casillas, who looked like he was wishing that he was playing for Barcelona.

The win also sent Barca on top of La Liga as ex-leaders osasuna were held to a goalless draw by Getafe.

Let's not forget to thank the great coach Frank Rijkaard for his great management of the team.

Great game guys, and can't wait till the season's end when you are crowned as La Liga champions for the second year in a row.

sk8er boi