by xtgplayer

No way, Jose

Oh goodie, West Ham had an away midweek fixture to Chelsea. Those always end well </sarcasm>.

Thank you West Ham for finally proving me wrong. We came away from Stamford Bridge (which after this morning I’m convinced must be the most boring place for players to play, as there is no atmosphere) with a 0-0 despite having one shot on goal as opposed to Chelsea’s total of 9 on target from their 39 shots in the fixture.

I could write about the comings and goings from the fixture, but the biggest story comes after the whistle goes signalling scenes of ecstasy from West Ham fans, and confusion from Chelsea fans, who as they’ve only known about the club since 2003, still struggle to comprehend what happens when the final whistle goes.

I make no bones about the fact that Sam Allardyce is neither the right man to take West Ham into the future, or the man I want doing it, but for once Allardyce showed something that has been lacking for most of his time in the hot seat – passion.

After the game, Jose Mourinho wasn’t about to mince his words when discussing what he thought of the effort from the Hammers.

“This is not the best league in the world, this is football from the 19th century,” said Mourinho.

“The only [other] thing I could bring was a Black and Decker [tool] to destroy the wall.”

“A football match is about two teams playing and this match was only one team playing and another team not playing.”

Big Fat Sam, often short of useful words of wisdom, who usually likes to focus on downplaying the problems we face, was happy to fire straight back at the man who is in his second stint at Chelsea and WAS widely hated by those who now forgive and forget (Proof of their forget element can be seen if you ask them about anything prior 2003, as I’ve mentioned above).

“He can’t take it, can he? He can’t take it because we’ve outwitted him – he just can’t cope,” said the Hammers boss.

“He can tell me all he wants, I don’t care.

“I love to see Chelsea players moaning at the referee, trying to intimidate him, Jose jumping up and down saying we play rubbish football.

“It’s brilliant when you get a result against him. Hard luck, Jose.”

Thank you Sam for finally standing by your club and backing up the decisions you make.

As Sam so rightly said, Jose has the right to say whatever pleases him. Should that include being in the face of the fourth official for the last 15 minutes and making sure his players do the same with the referee, then sure, do that. You won’t make friends in that league or any other league by doing it, and it gives people who aren’t blinded by the blinkers of your club another opportunity to see what you are really about.

If you’re a Chelsea fan reading this, say and think what you want. Oh you’ve won trophies? Money will do that, but money will never by you the passion you’ll find in the East End, and newsflash, as boring as Chelsea are, watching them isn’t a funeral and you are allowed to sing, maybe something to consider now that some of West Ham’s finest have shown you the way to do it?

Jose hasn’t changed in the slightest, but that’s why he fits at Chelsea. The god complex is funny, and made much funnier by the fact that the fans buy into it. You don’t have a right to win the league, you don’t have a right to get every decision, and the Premier League doesn’t need you to survive.

The money will run out one day, and when it Chelsea fans are going to run quicker than Defoe did when we went down in 2002-03, when we hadn’t been relegated for five minutes before he announced on an international broadcast that he wanted nothing further to do with the club.

The facts are simple – Chelsea weren’t good today and we were. We played to our plan and the one that they tried to play to didn’t work. They were given seven minutes of stoppage time when there were four signaled – AND THEY STILL COULDN’T SCORE!

What’s that Jose? We parked the bus? When you did it against Arsenal, you said this.

“I think boring is a team that plays at home and cannot score a goal, that’s boring.”

There we have it, by his standards his own team are boring and after today, I have to agree.

01.20.14

by xtgplayer

Richard Sherman and media honesty

We’ve all heard how Richard Sherman likes the sound of his own voice, but his post game interview after the Seahawks beat the Niners to make to Superbowl? That takes the entire proverbial bakery.

It’s not new information that Richard Sherman isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. He speaks his mind, often thinks he is bigger than the game, and is in no way going to let someone get the better of him. But you know what? He’s earned the right, so let us all enjoy what I’m thinking is going to be the best interview of 2014.

He was in the crucial spot with 22 seconds left and was able to tip a pass away from Crabtree leading to an interception that clinched the game for the Seahawks, leading to their first Superbowl appearance in eight years.

Sports fans are a horribly fickle bunch at the best of times, and are often torn between athletes who are going to toe the company line, and are willing to let it all out because they’ve done something that then backs up what they are about to say, and you know what? He did just that when he dominated Michael Crabtree, who had previously discussed his belief that Sherman wasn’t as good as he was cracked up to be.

Naturally, when Sherman was given the chance to discuss this after the game, he made sure he mentioned what he thought of what Crabtree had to say about him.

Say what you want about it, but Sherman did what I like. Told it as he saw it and at the end of the day he is playing in two weeks time while Crabtree and his buddies are playing golf. That win gives him bragging rights over an opponent who directly stated how much better he was than him but couldn’t come up with the goods when it mattered. More of the same thanks.

01.20.14

by xtgplayer

Lakers beat the Celtics? Life could be worse

Long before I was a Celtics fan, I was anti Lakers.

The reasoning was simple enough. My dad was a Celtics fan and I was taught that under no circumstances was it ok to align with the Lakers, so I didn’t.

This was the mid 1990’s in a small country town in Australia, so the access to the NBA isn’t what I could have if I was living in the same situation today. I had no reason to support a particular team, and to be honest, with the lack of coverage, my interest in the NBA never really spiked beyond video games, where I always found myself drifting towards the Warriors, Celtics or T-Wolves.

I can’t remember exactly when it happened, but the decision to become a Celtics fan was easy. The franchise have a great history, play in a wonderful city (which I already loved because of my love for the Red Sox) and the rivalry with the Lakers was something which captivated me.

The Friday night game against the Lakers was exciting for a number of reasons – Rondo was coming back, the team have shown positive signs despite not getting the results to go with it, and it’s the Lakers visiting the Garden, which is always special.

Simply put, we should have won on Friday – The game was ours for the taking and we blew it with some terrible decisions in the final quarter (not the first or the last time that will happen this year, that’s for sure). For once I don’t see a loss to the Lakers as the most frustrating thing we could suffer through.

Simply put the Lakers aren’t going to win a banner this year, which means the Celtics still have the most banners in the history of the NBA. Narrow-minded view? You know it. But having the most titles in the history of the league is something we should be proud of. While banner 18 might be a few years away we should celebrate the fact that the men from the West Coast won’t be raising their seventeenth any time soon.

11.28.13

by xtgplayer

Bases Loaded 29/11/13

In the first ever addition of Bases Loaded I discuss attendance, fixture and streaming issues in the Australian Baseball League.

11.20.13

by xtgplayer

An open letter to future ABL imports

We’ve come a long way in three years

Dear future Australian Baseball League imports,

One day, someone is going to ask you if you’d like to play winter ball in Australia. If I was you, then I’d say yes, but of course it is more complicated than that.

The above picture shows where the league kicked off in 2010, a stadium, barely recognisable for baseball, with no shelter to protect fans on what was a very cold and wet Melbourne afternoon, where not a pitch was thrown.

Let’s flash forward to what it is at the moment, because after all that is what you are going to want to look at before deciding to come down here. Six great teams, with six great fan bases competing for one of the oldest trophies in Australian sport, with one of those teams potentially being 6-7 hours away from being crowned the champions of Asia.

The difference you see is that baseball isn’t going to get the media coverage that you would find in your own country, but we are moving in the right direction.

Media of some form are at every game, slugging it out to bring the loyal fan bases the latest news on the clubs that make summer more enjoyable, while on occasions the national media will see a story they like and run with it. So the chance is there.

The crowds might be smaller than what you are used to, but when push comes to shove we have the best elements of Minor League ball in the best country available to play your winter ball in.

The mid-inning games, the music blasting between pitches, the delicious yet at times questionable ballpark food, cramped hotels with guys that will go on to become lifelong friends.

You might need to look at a map to discover how big Australia is, or you might have to Google to make sure that we do in fact play baseball out here and that you aren’t being taken for a ride, but you know what?

If you give it your all then the fans are going to love you, and the front office may want you back next season too.

It might not be the Big League but we’ll do everything we can to make you feel like the next stop for you is Cooperstown.

See you soon.

11.18.13

by xtgplayer

The Good, The Bad and the Inbestream

Woo! Uni is over and the ABL is back. Summer is perfect. Or is it?

So, wait, is this happening?

The ABL is three weeks into their fourth season and things are getting interesting.

On one hand the table is skewed because teams haven’t played the same amount of games, and on the other hand fans are frustrated because they aren’t getting what has been promised of them (see tagline of the above image).

Naturally, I can see things from about four thousand different perspectives.

Positive

Baseball is back :: As usual there isn’t a lot better than sitting in the sun taking in a ballgame, Sure the sunburn on my knees suggests otherwise, but why would you want to spend your weekend any other way given how reasonable the price of admission is? The standard of the league is getting better every year, as is the standard of import that the league is bringing in. As a result the results are tougher to predict and we could easily see a similar situation to what was seen on the last day of the season in 201–12
The Aces have Chilli Dogs this season :: I tucked into two of these on opening night. Well worth it, but BYO hot sauce if you are looking for some heat. Also, to the person I saw eating one with a fork – You are doing it wrong.
There is more media coverage of the league than ever :: News Limited, Fairfax, ABL Website, ABC Grandstand, Independent Media organisations, live radio shows. This must be what heaven looks like
Regular Social Media updates :: Teams are on Facebook and Twitter not only throughout games, but throughout the week in an attempt to give the fans a look at everything happening inside the organisation.
Cavs getting the job done in Asia :: Semi-Finalists at the Asia Series. Enough said.

Negative

Aces lack the Home Run dog :: It’s a real shame I didn’t get a chance to take down one metre of hot dog. Probably not something anyone besides me is missing.
The way media coverage is being handled is putting some fans offside :: Hashtags DO NOT WORK WITH PUNCTUATION #C’monAces is in fact #C . Does not mean anything. Social Media 101, and fans took the opportunity to appropriately vent about it on Sunday afternoon.
Clubs non-responsive to fan questions :: Many fans have asked questions about streaming situations (more on that below), or roster moves, and for whatever reason those questions are being left unanswered.
Cake / Pie of a humble variety for ABL “star” :: Luke Hughes took to twitter over the weekend to display his discontent with Canberra taking players from other clubs for the Asia Series, yet attempted to justify that when Perth did it last season it was fine. Well, like it or lump it Hughesy, the Cavs have had more success in two days at the Asia Series than the Heat had in two years, and regardless of how that success comes it is great for the sport in Australia.

Inbestream

A dot point just won’t do for this.

So, where do I start on this point. ABLTV, the great digital hope. Finally fans could watch every game, only that hasn’t really happened. The Aces decision to stream only one of their three games this weekend has fans in a spin, and has me concocting theories as to what lead to this. Given the deal they have with SEN, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are only going to stream games where the audio is provided by the SEN team. Do I think this is acceptable? By no means, especially given the directive which has coming from the league, which stipulates that teams are to stream every game live. Whatever happens I hope there is an answer soon, because if the league get ABLTV right, then they are one step closer to striking it rich in the gold mine they are currently sitting on.

10.13.13

by xtgplayer

Strong Tee-Ball debut for Ward

Friday afternoon saw the dawning of a new era at the Essendon Baseball Club as five-year-old Cooper Ward made his first of what is predicted to be many starts for the Bombers.

Early nerves were apparent for the youngster in the field, but by the time he stepped up to the plate for his first at bat, no trace of the nerves remained.

In a 2-2 night, Ward lined his first single to short right, before firing back past the pitcher in his second at bat to complete the perfect night.

He didn’t see much action in the field all night, with the support of his teammates helping the side claw back late to claim the tie, a result which hasn’t occurred for over a year in a game involving the Bombers.

Speaking after the game, Ward expressed his delight at how his debut went and said he can’t wait to get on the diamond next week as he looks to extend his strong start to the season.

10.01.13

by xtgplayer

A Buddy good decision

In case you have somehow missed the news this morning. Buddy Franklin is going to Sydney. That’s no surprise, the surprise comes from the fact he is going to be wearing Red and White in 2014.

Buddy is Sydney bound in 2014

People are divided into two categories on this one. The Bitter Bus, which currently has a line as long as the list of zeros of Buddy’s paycheck, and the good for him, I can’t wait to see what he is going to do for them group. I am firmly in the second group, and if you’re not a Hawks fan (of which there are plenty after last weekend), or a Giants fan (literally, Giants FAN not FANS), then you should join me in celebrating an athlete doing what they do best.

Like it or lump it, sport is business. That means that they are doing a job, not playing for fun, and as a result they are going to go to an employer who can give them the best working conditions. I was having a conversation with S the other night when she asked me if I thought athletes were overpaid, to which I responded that they weren’t because of the market value for their industry.

The AFL is worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and as a result the league need to employ people who are going to keep that money coming in. Franklin has kicked 580 goals in 182 games, including a 102 goal season in 2008, so it is fair to argue that he is one of the biggest drawcards in the league.

So why, as one of the most crucial cogs in the AFL wagon, would he go to an employer, who will not be able to provide him with the opportunity to continue to deliver the high level of product he started delivering in 2005? This is why the Red and White make sense. For this generation they have been one of the most active teams in the league in all senses, and regardless of how they have done it, they have found a way to get things done, which have seen them stay at the top of the AFL tree.

This is why we should be excited to see why Buddy is going to do with the SCG as his new playground. He has access to resources as good as he had at Hawthorn, so it is natural for us to expect that he will perform at the same level, which if he does should be enough to bring the Swans their third premiership in a decade.

You could argue this is the second time in a year we have seen the Swans pull this off after Mr. Tippett signed in less than pleasing circumstances last year, but there is one major difference. Tippett proved himself to be a liar, something Franklin hasn’t done.

Tippett claimed he wanted to go home, and last time I checked, Sydney wasn’t in Queensland, which led to an understandable level of frustration from Lions, Suns and Crows supporters.

Let’s all stop for a minute and celebrate the fact that an athlete is going out and doing what’s best for them and their family.

Lastly, at the end of the day I doubt anyone (myself included) wouldn’t take more money and better working conditions to do the exact same job.

I tip my hat to you Mr. Franklin

06.28.13

by xtgplayer

Hold the tears Jobe

Essendon produced a great come from behind victory last night. I admire the grit of any team that can do that in the west, Jobe Watson’s tears however aren’t so welcome.

Jobe Watson in happier times

Social Media went nuts last night after West Coast fans booed Watson every time he touched the ball. Some fans were outraged they could boo a player after the culture problems they’ve had at their own club, while some didn’t care because booing the opposition is part of the game.

Drugs in sport are horrible. Recreational drugs can often carry more health risks, while performance enhancers do just that, and for that reason I think the two are very different animals.

If a player makes the choice to take recreational drugs then they are putting their own health at risk while potentially putting those around them in danger. That can’t be applauded because it shows an obvious flaw in human nature.

If you take performance enhancing drugs, as Watson has admitted to then you are not only giving yourself an unfair advantage in your field, but you are tarnishing the name of your employers and the league to the point where the damage may be irreparable.

If you’re Jobe Watson, then you’d think being on roughly $800,000 to $1M a year, you would be able to independently check whether what you are taking is on the banned list.

In a past athletic life the first thing I did every time a doctor suggested I took something was check if it was on the banned list.

Now tell me, if I can be doing that from the age of 14 when I am earning absolutely nothing, what’s the harm in Jobe Moneybags (pun fully intended) placing a phone call or getting a second opinion?

I honestly don’t believe athletes can trust anybody who isn’t an official member of ASADA or WADA when it comes to what they are taking.

Sure, you can say that he was under the care of his employer so he should trust them, but look at the history of Dank and tell me if you’d trust him with anything.

Club captains are meant to be role models and set examples for not only the rest of the team, but everyone who in any way associates themselves with the team and I believe that while we should congratulate Watson for having the guts to come out and admit his actions, he has firmly failed as a role model as a result.

It can be argued that admitted his took a banned substance sends a great message to the community, and I agree on that point, but it doesn’t undo the wrong he has done through his own irresponsibility.

Should he lose his Brownlow? I don’t see an alternative.

06.27.13

by xtgplayer

The Boss and I

It might be over three months since I had the pleasure of seeing Bruce Springsteen but the time has finally come to put into words how awesome the night was.

For as long as I can remember I never thought Bruce Springsteen would come back to Australia. When combining his disaster tour of 2003 with the fact the man turns 64 in a few months, it was hard to see him making the trip to this side of the globe.

When the announcement was made at the end of November last year that he was making the trip down for a series of shows on the East Coast it was a case of getting tickets at whatever cost, which I managed without a great deal of stress thanks to the wonder that is pre-sale.

The day finally arrived, and the excitement I felt was increased by the fact the concert came a day after another anniversary celebration with S, who would be accompanying me that night.

I’m sure if you asked her I probably checked the time once every two minutes to see if we needed to start getting ready yet.

Once we were seated inside Rod Laver Arena, the anticipation grew as the crowd filled with the show slated to start at 7pm.

The moment of reckoning came and went, and the applause was thunderous as he hit the stage at just after 7.45.

I’d spoken to several people before the show who had seen him at other shows on the tour so I was fortunate that I knew what to expect, and if there was ever a case of somebody delivering what they promised this was it.

It was almost like a scene from a movie for the entire night as it felt like I had floated into a magical place where everything went as planned and even if there was a hitch it certainly wasn’t noticeable.

Musically there were several highlights for me (Set list below) with Hungry Heart being the first indication of the energy he could draw from the crowd, and from there it didn’t diminish.

I’d heard great things about the Ghost of Tom Joad, thanks in part to Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, who was filling in for Miami Steve who couldn’t tour due to previous commitments.

With the Ghost of Tom Joad being widely renowned as one of, if not the worst album he had released my expectations weren’t exactly high, despite this conflicting what I’d heard.How wrong I was.

Tom Morello (who had been outstanding on guitar all night) brought enough of a vocal change to this rock-paced ballad to ensure that it left the crowd rocking.

In one of the many conversations I had with S after the show she remarked how incredible it was that he was still producing such great music at his age, something which her favourite track of the night (Death To My Hometown) is the perfect example of.

Many know of the emotion that goes into the words written by Springsteen, but the moment of the night for me (and many others I assume) came during Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out in the third verse, when the venue fell silent as pictures of The Big Man filled the big screen, which were in turn met with deafening applause.

Not only is that a great show of unity from Bruce, but also a show of strength from Jake Clemons who is on the Sax on the current tour, as I can’t imagine how tough it must be for him to see the tribute to his uncle night after night.

I said it multiple times that night and have said it multiple times since, I really hope I’m that healthy when I hit 63.

SET LIST::

1. Out In The Street (Video #1)
2. The Promised Land (Video #1)
3. Something In The Night (Video #1)
4. Wrecking Ball (Video #1 clip)
5. Death To My Hometown
6. Hungry Heart (Video #1 clip) (Video #2 clip) (Video #3) (Video #4 clip)
7. Spirit In The Night
8. High Hopes (Video #1)
9. The River (Video #1) (Video #2) (Video #3) (Video #4)
10. Seeds (Video #1) (Video #2 nice!)
11. Johnny 99 (Video #1)
12. Prove It All Night (With ’78 guitar intro) (Video #1) (Video #2 slightly distorted) (Video #3 clip)
13. Pay Me My Money Down (Video #1)
14. Darlington County
15. Shackled & Drawn (Video #1 clip)
16. Waitin’ On A Sunny Day (Video #1 short clip with a kid) (Video #2 clip)
17. The Rising (Video #1 + GOTJ)
18. The Ghost Of Tom Joad (Video #1) (Video #2 clip) (Video #3 clip) (Video #4) (Video #5 short clip) (Video #6)
19. Badlands (Video #1 short clip)
20. Land of Hope & Dreams

Encore:

21. Born In The USA (Video #1 clip) (Video #2) (Video #3) (Video #4) (Video #5) (Video #6) (Video #7) (Video #8) (Video #9 + BTR)
22. Born To Run (Video #1) (Video #2)
23. Dancing In The Dark (Video #1 clip) (Video #2 clip)
24. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (Video #1 clip) (Video #2 clip)

If there was ever a way to capture the night in one statement it was the following which came from the official tour program.
“Clarence doesn’t leave the E-Street Band when he dies. He leaves when we die.”

That loyalty and bond Bruce shares with each member of the touring party whatever role they play, made it a truly remarkable experience which I’ll treasure forever.

I can’t wait to do it again!