Champions League Matchday 7 - Part 1

A mouthwatering match-up, when English champions Manchester United faced Italian champions Internazionale at the San Siro. United, who I expected to play a little defensive, being an away leg first and down with most defenders, played the more attacking football in the first half. Ronaldo and Berbatov got close shots in but were unlucky. Second half showed Inter fighting back and creating a few chances, though none were on target and van der Sar was never in any trouble. All in all, I would say a good match with some chances. United would feel the unluckier with no away goals to show. It's game on at Old Trafford, where Inter will relish the chance to score away goals to make their progress. But, United may just have the upper hand, with Vidic set to return and Rooney back in shape.

A van Persie penalty was all that Arsenal could muster after a dominating performance at the Emirates against Roma. Arsenal created many chances, and seemed to be the only team to do so, while Roma's defense faltered and caved. They should be thankful that the scoreline shows only one goal, thanks to an Arsenal side who have failed to score on the last three Premier League matches. Bendtner, who feels he should start every game, showed why he does not. A wayward touch and then a clear shot over the bar means that Wenger will want Eduardo and Adebayor fit for the trip to Rome. Meanwhile, Roma have to get their act together and play some attacking footbal. Totti who was almost invisible tonight has to score and while de Rossi is suspended, the gap in the midfield needs to be filled. I back Arsenal to reach the next round, only because Roma is not up to the challenge.

Lyon hosted Primera Liga leaders Barcelona. They started well, and a spectacular free kick from Juninho meant Lyon had a deserved lead. They created many chances. Benzema struck the post and showed he was as good a defender as anyone in Europe. Barcelona seemed to be leering from the defeat at the Camp Nou on the weekend and had just one chance from Eto'o in the first half which struck the post. The second half showed more chances for Barca as they looked for the crucial away goal. Henry struck with a header and Barca came level with Lyon and that's how it ended. Barca, with the away goal and a home tie, look to be favorites to go through to the next round. But if Lyon can spring a goal as they did here, it would be game on.

The Iberian derby was played in Madrid between Porto and Athletico. The game started slow, but was a treat to watch as the sides drew 2-2. Porto came back twice to level the score and take a massive away goals tally to make their passage to the next round a reality. Athletico have the firepower to make Porto pay, with Forlan and Maxi Rodriguez, but it may not be enough as Porto are a powerhouse at home.

The Dark Knight

First of all let me just say that, the IMAX Experience, for this movie is a must.
I was just browsing through WIRED magazine one day, unaware that I had actually subscribed to it. While reading through it, I came across a picture of Christopher Nolan. Now, he being my favorite director, I naturally started reading the article and I found out that he was making The Dark Knight and that he had previously made Batman Begins.
Now I am not a Batman fan, and in fact I don't like superhero movies. It's so like, bad guy does something bad, in comes the good superhero, who has all these powers and he subdues the villain and his henchmen and la, there ends the movie. I get enough of that in Indian movies. So, I was never too excited about Batman Begins. But after reading about it online, I realized it was more than just a superhero movie. First it's not a superhero movire per se. Batman has no super powers. And second, it's more of a drama, as the name suggests, how and why Bruce Wayne became Batman.
So, a film by my favorite director and the above points in mind, I watched it and loved it. And it was but natural that I was going to watch The Dark Knight. An added bonus, the film was partly shot in IMAX. So, it was like a documentary-ised thing. It was going to be different from watching butterflies and birds on the 8-storey screen. Rather an action packed film, with car chases and explosions and a painted face.

With extreme anticipation, I saw The Dark Knight last night at an IMAX theatre and the exprience was awesome. The film, if seen on a normal screen would have been great too, but IMAX made it special. The film is well made, good story, great action sequences (thanks also to the IMAX cameras) and super acting.
Action, yes, the main character may not be the villain, but he is the main character the people love. The film, and especially the Joker was extremely hyped up and he lives up to the hype. This is a scary clown... or rather, a scary, clown person. I want to use them as adjectives. Scary, because he is, he scares the hell out sometimes with his weird deep voice, and his antics. Clown, because he has those moments when he actually is a clown, not the fake red-nosed one, but a clown with a painted face and a female nurse's uniform, walking as if his legs were tied together. People laugh as some of his dialogues, but the humor is subtle and does not affect the dark tone of the movie.

Heath Ledger has done a magnificent job, and everyone else, even Christian Bale, are happy to let him take center stage. I don't think the fact that Ledger passed away earlier this year has brought his performance (sympathetic) praises. If he were alive, they would have just handed him the Oscar right away. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Batman is really good. He carries over from where he left in Batman Begins. He hasn't fully evolved yet. He is still unsure about his work as Batman and is ready to hand over the baton to one Harvey Dent. In comes Aaron Eckhart, who I think is good as Harvey Dent, but then when he transforms into the villain Two-Face, brings down his performance. I thought that the Two-Face scenes were just not good enough. Maybe because you have seen the Joker, you feel Two-face should b as good. But he isn't No offense to Eckhart. I think he gave his best to the role, but Ledger just gave more. Another weakpoint is the character Rachel Dawes. It feels so unnecessary sometimes, but she does become and integral part of the plot. There could have been something else, but the romantic angle seems to work a bit. Maggie Gyllenhaal is as bland as Katie Holmes was in Batman Begins. Other characters played by Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman do justice to their roles.

Overall the film is great. Barring the scenes with Two-Face, that seem dull (as compared to The Joker and Batman scenes), the film is an entertainer. Action sequences filmed in IMAX are worth the IMAX experience. The truck sequence is one of the best I have ever seen inmy life. I was awed by some of the sequences and even clapped for some of them. They were that good. You never know what the Joker is upto and it keeps he suspense building. You try to second guess sometimes, and you are even sure what's going to happen, but then ujust the opposite thing happens. That is Nolan style. And it makes for a great film. I would recommend it and recommend it on IMAX more than anything, it won't disappoint.

My rating, 4.7/5.0 (0.3 cut for Two-Face).

Fed is still King!

The Times of India ran the headline "Fed is Ex, it's Nadal now" as soon as the Wimbledon final was over. They could not be more wrong. So Federer lost. That was supposed to happen someday. Even Sampras lost at Wimbledon, after 4 consecutive titles (his 7th overall). But that does not mean, Federer has been dethroned.

Didn't Federer beat Nadal in the last two finals at Wimbledon? So, doesn't the record say 2-1 in favor of Federer? Then why rebuke him for a loss. Yes, he lost, but he played a great match. It was just that Nadal was better. It was his game that made Federer commit so many unforced errors. But that does not mean Federer is history.

The important point here is that tennis fans were treated to the best match that has ever been played. Facing Championship points, Federer took the game away from Nadal with beautiful plays, made the match go to the final set which was, till Nadal broke Federer, a see-saw battle. I have to agree, Federer looked out of touch, but that was because Nadal played shots that pulled Federer away from his natural game. Nadal was the deserving winner, after an epic battle of 4 hours and 48 minutes. At the end, it wasn't Federer's loss that thrilled the audience and the fans, but the spectacular tennis that was played. I am sure, Federer will come back strong. He has the US series now to show he is still the best. Will he do it, we shall wait to see. But till then, no one should doubt his ability and his class. One loss is not the end of the world. But it's like they say, everyone remembers your downs more than your ups. How can they forget that he won at Wimbledon for the last 5 years, he has a win percentage of more than 80% and he has a record of 65 consecutive wins on grass, 56 on hard court, 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals appearances and has been ranked number 1 for 232 consecutive weeks. Now that's a record hard to beat, and all those people who want to write off this man, read these statistics and then think about criticizing him.

FA wants World Domination!

It's not enough that they are the most profitable and the most lucrative football league when it comes to foreign countries. I can personally guarantee that more people follow the EPL than any other league in India. But that does not seem to stop the FA's elite think that there needs to be more support for the game abroad.
How come people who don't actually get onto the field and run miles and miles on end every gameday decide what's good for the game. Ask a player how he feels about playing an extra game in an already packed schedule and he'll scream and shout. Already every manager in the league is revolting against the announcement. Even the international leagues have voiced their shock and opposition.
Here the managers are fighting for a winter break and there the management fools are burdening the players with more competitive games. Are there not enough International friendlies and Champions League games and Domestic Cup games and International qualifiers to make the players feel the longing of an outstretched day on the beach with their lovely wives.
An almost $2 billion a year television contract isn't enough that they have to look for more avenues to make money.
I for one am totally against this policy and the FA stupid decisions. No wonder the national side is filled with such hapless players.

Just Bad Sports!!!

Watching his winning streak come to a sudden halt, a sportsman can stoop to such levels as to become an evil competitor. That's what I call Ricky Ponting. Don't get me wrong, I admire him as a batsman. No doubt he is one of the world's finest in that field. But as a player I feel he lacks the integrity and spirit that's required to become a sportsman.

That was clearly indicated during the Sydney Test. An Australian win would equal a record set by them for most consecutive test wins, set when Steve Waugh was the captain. Seemingly, that streak was coming to an end. India were well and true on their way of at least saving the game, and maybe even winning it. With Ganguly and Dravid at the crease, it seemed a good bet that they can get through a couple of sessions and save the day and rub the Australians' noses after halting their streak yet again.

I wouldn't say that the umpires were also considering not letting India enjoy that feeling again. But Steve Bucknor has had a poor umpiring record when it comes to Indians. And I think he likes it when people appeal more aggressively, then he puts his slow finger up. And who can do that better than the Australians.

A player like Ponting should know that a catch is not a catch when you ground the ball immediately after catching it. But that rule seemed not to apply when he started shouting even before he made an attempt to reach for the ball. Then, Dravid given out. We have seen it so many times that a knick cannot be heard by the umpire, but to hear one even when there isn't one is unusual. Even more unusual was the appealing from the Aussies. The went up even when they could see that the ball had gone through untouched. Sourav stood his ground when he was caught, but had to be on his way when the umpire consulted with a player and Ponting pointed that he was out. Now I was under the impression that if the umpire isn't sure about a decision, then he either talks to his colleague on the field, or to the colleague in the stadium, or just plainly says 'No'. But he didn't do either thing. And the catch is so dubious that even today none are convinced if it was cleanly taken.

The game didn't stop here. The Aussies then revolted against Harbhajan for racial slur. I agree that Harbhajan may have or may have not said all those things. But now when it is clear that Symonds initiated the abuse, no action has been taken against him. Moreover he and the other Aussies are angry at the minimal punishment handed out to Harbhajan.

The Australians have been guilty of sledging for decades. And don't feel that they say nice polite things during these frequent sledges. No action has been taken against that sort of behavior. Nayan Mongia was reprimanded when he shouted from behind the stumps when Kumble bowled, but Healy was let go every time he did so when Warne bowled.

They may be the best team out there, but the players need to be sportsmen first. Players with the right spirit. But the Australians don't seem to be the sportsmen kids would and should hang posters of in their bedrooms.

Who wears a yellow shirt!!??!!

There was time when my mother bought me an orange t-shirt and I freaked out. I was extremely embarrassed about wearing that color in front of my friends and so I passed it onto my sister who happily made it part of her favorites.

I let my mother know that she should never pick out clothes for me, especially if she was to think that a light green or a sun yellow t-shirt would go with the black pair of jeans I own. Never in my wild dreams did I see myself wearing a 'girly' color, if I may call it.

But as I say this, today, I own 3 yellow tees and one of them is actually a favorite of mine. That change came from the time I enrolled into Michigan. It's absolutely a norm to wear yellow tees out here. Yellow shorts, yellow sweats, caps, jackets and what-nots. Yellow shirt over a pair of blue jeans makes you a Michigan dude or dudette in a way.

I was at Nike once and I liked a blue jacket. I loved it, but for the fact that it had yellow as a secondary color, with zippers in yellow and inner pockets in yellow and pocket edges in yellow. Then my friend pointed out that it looked more like a Michigan jacket rather than just a Nike jacket and that was all I needed to convince myself to buy it (It was on sale too...just another pull). And now it's my winter jacket, which means I need it 4-5 months a year.

This post just came as a thought when I remembered a certain incident when I was in India last year. I had to just step out of the house for an errand, and I chose to wear my favorite yellow Michigan and my mother just stood there looking amazed at me wearing that color. I said this was an exception and that she should not run out and get me another orange or green shirt.

Capello Regime!

It's not been long since Steve McLaren was axed as the English coach after failing to qualify for Euro 2008. The dust hasn't settled and the FA has gone and appointed a new man already. You would think if they have given thought to the decision. Why would they be so hasty in selecting a manager so soon. It's not like they don't have time. The next competitive games won't start till the end of next year.


Then, can they not give themselves time to first appoint better people to the decision seats in the FA and then deliberate over the most dangerous coaching job there can be. I mean, if these are the same people who had the short-sightedness of picking McLaren over proven men like Gus Hiddink and Scolari, then I am confident this is a disaster decision. Nothing against Capello, but time will tell.

First things first though. Why pick McLaren. What are his possible qualifications other than winning one lousy Cup with Boro and being an assistant to Ferguson at Manchester United. He tried to be bold and dropped Beckham when all he needed to do was break the Gerrard-Lampard misfiring axis and all would fall in place. He brought Beckham back, maybe to little to late and see what's happened.

A disaster is likely to happen when non-footballing minds come together to make a decision about something that they haven't themselves experienced. Even though he may have the backing of the world's best managers, it remains to be seen what Capello's first step would be to make England the footballing prowess it has always dreamed of being.

Now I am an avid English supporter. But even I know that they are far from being the best. As someone said somewhere, the best players do not necessarily constitute the best team. Team: that's what it comes down to. It's a team game after all. Individual accomplishments are actually not that important here.

I just hope that Capello won't make any bold moves and stick to a regime which will actually bring success. He should not pull out a McLaren and so something altogether absurd only because nobody though you would do it and it would show, you are afraid of no one. That won't work. He has to now bring together a team.

But finally, I still feel. It's just too hasty a decision that only spells more trouble. And of this move fails, the next to go after Capello should be the FA.

A deserving Champion

Say what you may, I believe Räikkönen is an absolutely deserving champion. Yes, I agree, Hamilton may have been a good one too, but then you can see the rookie mistakes that he made that cost him the championship in the first place. With the tire saga during the Chinese GP and then the itchy-finger mistake in Brazil cost him the world title. On the other hand, Kimi actually performed brilliantly to come out as a winner. His crucial victories in the final two races and performances throughout the year have made him the best.

Alonso never deserved to be the champion. If news about him is actually true and he has done all the things he has been reported to do, he doesn't make a good champion. With Renault, it was a different story. He was happy and hence made a good winner. But with what he did to undermine Hamilton, who overshadowed him throughout the year, it's god for the sport he didn't win.

But all in all, this was the best season I have ever seen. There have been close seasons before, with the Schumacher-Häkkinen, Schumacher-Räikkönen or the Schumacher-Alonso rivalries. But this was a 3-horse race and went down to the wire. And finally ending with just one point between the top three drivers. That's as close as you can get. What was most amazing about the final outcome was that it was actually the most unlikely scenario. Ferrari with a 1-2 finish, with Alonso third and Hamilton in 7th place. A dream result for Ferrari, and I must say, even they wouldn't have predicted that. And Räikkönen did appear stunned by the whole thing.

But as it turns out, that party may still be postponed, after McLaren, unwilling to accept defeat have appealed about a stewards' decision. But if you ask me, that is not the was Hamilton would like to win. He should accept defeat, and I think he has. Räikkönen deserved this after years of coming close to the big prize. Many congratulations to him, and now looking forward to a wonderful 2008 season.

World Champions...!

India started shocking the world by putting a newbie in the opener's slot in Sehwag's absence, who's absence I believe was a boon. Then they hit around and made a few runs that you feel were not good enough for a win and a possible World Championship. But then they bowled their hearts out. Made a few mistakes, got hit all around the park and then it cam down to a stage when victory was inevitable.
But then something changed. The ball sailed over the crowd a few times and we were in for the closest final we've had in years. No one could believe their eyes, we too here in America as we followed the text commentary, but Pakistan were on the verge of the comeback of the tournament. 12 or so runs needed in the last over and Joginder is hit for a six. And we feel, "Now it's over." Even reading the commentary was nerve-wrecking. It's better you watch it on TV, when you can see that they still have to bowl, something is wrong. You know the reason for the delay in bowling the ball. But we here were refreshing our browser out so know what was happening. Six runs to go and a few balls and you feel in that part of the body which always makes you feel that bad things are about to happen, that a six is only what is going to happen. And it almost does, but for the shot not hit very well and the catch that finally sealed a long awaited dream of becoming Champions of the World.
And there we finally were. Hugs all around, shouting the hell out and just going plain berserk. And all this because of a group of people who believed in themselves. Even a defeat would have been an accepted result, but a win did go a long way. Dhoni was the man, I think. He did captain well, with a side of fresh people and no experience in the format.
But sadly, it can only go downhill from here. I know what you will say. "Come on man, have a heart and be positive."
But to tell you the truth, the aftermath of the victory was unbelievable. A billion people now thinking and expecting India to roll over its opposition in the future, especially the Aussies coming to town. But that ain't gonna last!
Then, presenting Rs.1 crore to Yuvraj Singh. That's $250,000!!!! That's just BS. Give him Rs. 10 lacs, even 25 for that matter. Yes, it's a once-in-a-lifetime achievement to hit 6 6s. But come on!! This will just spoil him, and not in a good way. The team got $1mn, and he gets a quarter of that alone and a share of the million. I just want to say is that it is not money well spent.

But for what it's worth, this win did bring joy to the billion who cried and protested and rioted after India were shamefully out of the World Cup a few months ago...Retribution it was, I like to believe. Whatever it was, it's a nice feeling to be called World Champions.

A Dream Finale

Twenty20 isn't the form of cricket I ever thought India would excel in. But that's what happened. Beating powerhouses like England, South Africa and then Australia to set up a dream final, I know, everyone has been looking forward to since the World Cup started, in any form, I believe the Men in Blue can make it happen. But I completely believe in what Dhoni said during the presentation after the Australia game. "Enjoy the game, whatever the result". That is an excellent attitude.
But people in India will now be expecting them to fire all cylinders, even if they don't have that many. And if they fail, you can expect effigies to be burnt and houses to be pelted. That's because our people cannot handle the thought of failure. Maybe not failure, but disappointment.
And then there is the BCCI and people who think they are above the world. Why would anyone give $1mn to the team even before they have won anything? And please correct me if I am wrong, I don't think Yuvraj Singh should have been presented the Porsche 911 for his performances. I agree he has made a great contribution, but have people forgotten Sachin's contributions or for that matter anyone else who has played along consistently for India for years. If this were true, Sachin should have had to build a parking garage for himself. This act will not only make Yuvraj think he's the man, but will dip his performance in the Final. Mark my words.
But all in all, Twenty20 is the best thing that has happened to cricket, of course, apart from the time during a West Indies-South Africa match when 2 women flashed in front of everyone on camera. And India are in the finals. This will be a feast for the eyes.

On a personal note, Michigan is back on track after 2 wins and Manchester United beat Chelsea.