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5/27/2009

Cycling: Giro D'Italia - Mark Cavendish - Typical Pom

What is the typical English trait?
I reckon its smashing the easybeats and quitting when you have to take on the tough challenges. Look at the English cricket team. They have smashed the West Indies who barely deserve to be called a test team, but will get beaten by the Aussies when it really matters. England's football team has a history of not winning a major title since the 1966 World Cup despite inventing the game and having probably the strongest domestic competition. They always get partway there before quitting when they face some real opposition. This brings us to England's great quitter: Mark Cavendish.

Cav quit the 2007 Tour De France in the 8th stage. That's not even half way. He then quit the 2008 version of the race after 13 stages, citing a need to rest up for the Olympics. He was the only British track cycist not to win a medal at those Olympics (alteast according to wikipedia), so obviously he didn't quit early enough. Cavendish has just recently quit the Giro D'Italia after the 13th stage. He apparantly needed to rest up for the Tour. How does he need to rest for an event in which he will probably manage half the stages? No wonder a former team mate, Roger Hammond said early in 2007 "To be honest, he started the season so catastrophically that the staff were wondering what they could enter Mark for so that he could finish the race."

Now onto some better riders in this year's Giro. The contenders should be down to 3, unless someone like Basso does a Oscar Pereiro. Denis Menchov holds the pink jersey by 39 seconds from Danilo "The Killer" Di Luca. Carlos Sastre looked strong yesterday, and won stage 16 to move to 2 minutes 19 seconds behind Menchov. The Blockhaus stage tomorrow should decide the winner. I expect Sastre to attack hard for the mountaintop finish. Di Luca and Menchov have to react and stick with him after yesterday. Di Luca should be capable of doing it, but Menchov might be dropped. I tip Di Luca to be wearing pink after tomorrow.

There is only one more stage that might affect the general classification after that, stage 19 finishing on Vesuvius. Expect lots of attempted attacks without much success as the shorter climb will not allow much in the way of time gaps.

One big disappointment for this year's Giro, from an Aussie perspective has been Mick Rogers. he has done as expected in the climbs, not quite having the weaponary of a Sastre or Di Luca, but for a former 3-time world time trial champion to lose 2:46 on stage winner Menchov and even 28 seconds on Sastre, who is not a noted time-triallist is very disappointing. Atleast Simon Gerrans flew the Aussie flag by winning stage 14.

5/21/2009

The Specialist Fielder - Jared Petrenkalenko And Legend Matthew Hayden


The picture is worth 1000 words (or in this case, 46 if you count numbers as words).  I guess I brought this on myself with my close wins last week. My undefeated streak is over, with losses in 2 leagues and the eliminator. On the plus side, now atleast I won't waste trades to keep a strong eliminator team. Two Points! Two Points? I blame Happy Chappy for this loss, if he had atleast played and went off injured in the 1st 1/4 (after getting atleast a kick) I would have won. 

That brings me on to the second specialist fielder in history (not counting Cam White, who is a given)  - Jared "Petrenkalenko" Petrenko

How did he keep getting a game? (He has just been dropped in the latest teams to be announced) Jared has had less than 10 disposals for his past five games. Sure, his first 3 games were fairly good, with 15, 18 and 14 touches, but surely someone better could have taken his spot. 

Less than 10 touches for 5 games in a row - thats Specialist Fielder material and also earns him a spot in the Shit List. 

Now lets talk about someone who quite clearly isn't shit at all. If fact, Matthew Hayden is the second addition to the list of Rushed Behind Legends. 
Haydos has 546 runs at an average of 55 in 11 IPL games this year striking at above 140. He was the highest run scorer in the last T20 World Cup. Yet his hasn't been asked back for this year's comp. Instead Australia have opted for the dubious talents of Dave Warner, and the 'totally not an opener' options of Hopes, Watson, Clarke and Haddin (Phil Hughes was obviously deemed in too good form to be picked). The form Haydos is in, you'd consider him for the Ashes, even if he plays it like a T20 game. The only problem is that he has 'retired'. But, the retirement was forced by selcetors who would no longer pick him (unlike the Huss, who has stayed in the side despite a far worse run than Haydos ever had). Surely he could come back as a T20 specialist and pulverise attacks for another couple of years?


5/14/2009

Geary You Legend!

Rushed Behind is adding a new sidebar, like the Shit List, but to recognise players who aren't shit. Like Jarryn Geary (well okay, his name is a bit shit) who single handedly saved my Dream Team from its first and second losses for the season (across 3 leagues and the eliminator). He and Travis Cloke (now added to the shit list for his long string of third rate performances across this season) needed to beat Pendlebury or Dal Santo and about 15ish points in 2 of my leagues in the last game of last round. Travis Cloke took the responsibility and got injured. Jarryn fired up for a 94 which gave me wins by 7 and 8 points to keep my record intact. He has also gone up $112,900 (even further than Luke Hodge (also added to the Shit List for consistant underperformance in DT) has gone down) and averaged more than 80 over the season so far. "The Vital Cog" is proving to be one of my most inspired selections (along with Otten and Krak-Whore). After Higgins ripped a hole in my side last week (assisted by Cloke and Hodge) I'm down to 1400th (exactly) but with those two Shit Listers out, I'm on the way up. If anyone has had 2 closer leagues (in 1 round) than 7 and 8, I'd like to hear about it!

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