Everything posted by Macca
-
Big Bash
KP has some strong opinions and that may rub people up the wrong way ... I like him and always have. He's a gun batsman and adds a lot of colour and personality to the sport. I only wish he could come to some sort of agreement with the ECB so he could still play international cricket again. Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen.
-
The Soccer thread
A draw will secure top spot but Ange likes to play to win. In the crossover matches (in the QF's) we'd be up against the runners up in group B if we win our group and ... we'd play the winner of group B if we finish runners up in our group - hope that makes sense ... Group B In a nutshell we'll now avoid Japan until at least the SF's and we may well avoid them until the final (if both teams make it that far) if we win our group and Japan win their group.
-
Tennis Anyone?
You may or not be part of the target audience, TD. They would have done a few surveys you'd reckon - data bases of tennis goers and the like. There was a fair crowd there and they seemed quite enthused by the whole concept. It's on again tonight but ch9 got lucky on Monday night with the t20 game on ch10 being interrupted by rain. I've no idea whether it will work or not but I watched the last hour of the match and I didn't "dislike" it. The people launching this brand of tennis will probably see my attitude as a win. I much prefer traditional tennis with those 5 set marathons being favs of mine. One thing I do know is that a popular view is a popular view. If it finds an audience, so be it.
-
Tennis Anyone?
It's interesting that ch9 are the broadcast partners and they're showing the games in prime time ... if it was hidden away on one of the cable channels then one might not take much notice. The other thing to consider is the money on offer to the players ... they're going to need the big guns involved and the tournaments are going to need to have some meaning to the public & the players. Like anything new, it's a wait and see process and a lot will depend on ratings numbers - apparently the numbers were quite good (all things considered)
-
NFL
Peyton has been carrying a bad quad injury as well according to reports
-
NFL
It's becoming a long season for Peyton but I still believe he's got a fair bit to offer ... the alternative is who or what? Obviously he can't play forever but he might be able to be managed differently. Denver are still a probable playoff team if Peyton can be healthy most of the time ... for a lot of this season he's been very good. His numbers were right up there despite the way he finished off the season. I wouldn't be ruling a line through him just yet. The trouble is that the position of QB tends to be all or nothing ... how does Denver rest Peyton within games or rest him for complete games if indeed they even want to manage him that way? It may be possible to do so but I can't ever remember a veteran top line QB being used in this way before. As for next week, I reckon there's more chance of the Colts upsetting the Pats than the Packers beating Seattle. If Rodgers was 100% fit then we'd have a much better chance but even though he had a terrific game today, he was nowhere near full throttle. Seattle's offense isn't great so I guess if we can remain within striking distance then we're a sneaky chance. On the other hand it might just be the Colts time. After seeing how well the Ravens did in New England they'll believe they've got a real chance.
-
Big Bash
Ha! This version of the game is rapidly gaining acceptance ... I've found the whole concept to be quite fascinating with regards to how it all fits into our summer. It's not going away in a hurry. ... and just when you thought we'd exhausted all avenues for new sports we've now got another one to deal with ... 'Fast4 Tennis' ... Lleyton vs Roger on ch9 right now. The sporting purists will be beside themselves with grief
-
NFL
Playoff tipping comp leaderboard 6 - JV7, Go the Biff, Macca 5 - pantaloons, Georgiou R.R. Martin 4 - Gorgoroth (a clean sweep this week) 3 more games to go and don't forget that the SB is worth 3 points.
-
NFL
The ground caused the ball to move but in my opinion it should be ruled a catch unless the ball spills free. As it was, it was a spectacular play and those sort of highlights need to be kept in the game. I'm more thinking about future incidents like these. Not sure there's any grey area either - if the ball is being controlled and isn't moving before a player and the ball hits the surface then in my opinion it should be ruled a catch (unless the ball spills free) Edit: The other thing to consider is what if by 'reaching out', Bryant had have broken the plane of the goal line? (he was probably only about a foot short) Is that then ruled a TD? We've seen numerous examples of where a ball gets knocked free just after a player breaks the plane of the goal line (a TD is normally awarded in these instances)
- Big Bash
-
NFL
A Des Bryant catch or non catch on the goal line with under 5 minutes to go. In the end it wasn't paid NFL.com will probably have it highlighted if you can access it. A tense game and the commentators were calling it a good one. I was just hoping for a win :-)
-
NFL
Was it a catch or wasn't it? It seemed unfair not to pay it but normally it isn't paid under those sort of circumstances ... however, it could be argued he was making a football move after completing the catch. Again, they've probably ruled that the ground dislodged the ball and caused the bobble. Watching it live I thought I saw the ball move and once it moves, they'll often rule it to not be a catch. Murray also fumbled the ball in the 3rd quarter which helped turn the game. Rodgers finished strong after looking shaky in the first half ... happy to get the win but the Cowboys put up a terrific fight.
-
NFL
No doubt he'll play (or at least start) ... how well and for how long, that's the question. You just never know in this sport ... anything could happen including Rodgers not being incapacitated at all. I'm prepared for any outcome but obviously hoping for the best. Seattle in the end were just far too good and whoever is up against them next week is in for a torrid time. The crowd was seriously loud and I thought the Panthers did well to hang in for as long as they did. The Ravens had their chances and could have won ... credit to the Pats though - too good in the end. The match was not without it's controversy though ... Tom Brady: Study the rulebook
-
NFL
Dallas may not get a better chance to beat the Packers in Lambeau tomorrow ... a possibly banged up Rodgers with a questionable rush defense awaits. A torn calf muscle seems a lot to overcome but they might be able to get him right. It literally is going to be a wait and see situation ... if it was just a strain then he might be ok but when there's a tear involved it makes one think he could he could tear it even more so - especially in freezing cold weather and the nature of how he plays the position. I'd like to be more confident but I'm not sure he'll be able to get away with just throwing from the pocket without a lot of movement. The best protected QB in the sport seems to be Peyton and that's probably because he rarely ventures out of the pocket. The Denver O-line has to be absolutely first rate because of how Peyton plays the position. Rodgers likes to manoeuvre himself around as a general rule. He might have to adjust his game but then our O-line would then have to play out of their skin. We'll also need Lacy to have a big one and Starks would need to chip in as well. Denver should win the later game at home - might be close though.
-
Anyone for cricket?
I'd like to see Clarke get back ... there are going to be some games where we'll need his steadying influence and his unique batting skills. In the ODI's not every batsman needs to have the capabilities of hitting the ball out of the park ... mainstays are often required especially when it gets to the QF stage onwards. I like the look of the squad but I agree with TD about the reserve keeper ... of course, one of the 14 other players would then miss out but if it were a batsman or a bowler breaking down shortly before a game then at least that type of player can be replaced (apart from the spinner) The squads are too small anyway - 17 or 18 would be a better number. It's not as if it would be much of an added cost to the countries involved.
-
NFL
Good effort by the Ravens but the Edelman play turned the game As for this game, Carolina are hanging in there ... the scoreline at half time could have been worse for the Panthers. They probably need to score first in the 2nd half to have a chance - however, the Seahawks do get the first possession once play resumes.
- Big Bash
-
The Soccer thread
I guess we all see things differently ... I thought our first 5-10 minutes was average and then I thought we played really well for the rest of the match. It was a terrific open game in fact and we created plenty of chances. Kuwait were no match for us in the end but they had a go. I'm quite happy with the 4-1 scoreline and if we win our group, we'll avoid Japan until at least the semi-finals. A good start and we've got plenty of scoring opportunities with Cahill & Luongo being quite dangerous up front. Oman & especially South Korea will be much tougher opposition but I'm expecting at least 4 points from those other 2 group games - it might come down to goal difference to decide our group.
-
NFL
Now it's a tear in the calf muscle ... Rodgers may be far from 100 percent ... if that's the case then it's unlikely that his calf muscle has had enough time to heal. Couple that with the near freezing conditions and I can't see how he can be at his best ... or anywhere near his best if we're being brutally honest. It could be that he's just going to hand if off to Lacy and Starks and throw from the pocket only. That may or may not get it done and Dallas is sure to apply the pressure. If we have to go to Flynn or even Tolzein then we may have to end up relying on Romo not being able to take advantage - that's always a possibility
-
The Soccer thread
Nice equaliser from Cahill ... hopefully we can go on and win it. For those without cable the game is on ABC Grandstand radio Edit: Channel 2 are broadcasting the games involving Australia but tonight's game is on delay (10pm start) Edit (2) ... now 3-1 in front
-
Anyone for cricket?
The captain picks the batting order but I'm assuming on this occasion he'd be consulting the selectors and Coach. A no-brainer for mine anyway ... I reckon he can handle the no.3 spot with relative ease
-
Anyone for cricket?
He's come along way in a very short space of time ... Steve Smith scores fourth century of series, could bat No. 3 in Ashes series
-
NFL
I like Belichick's idea where the challenge flags that the coaches can use extends to penalties such as pass interference or holding penalties. They often use up their challenge flags anyway so it wouldn't necessarily add any extra time to the games. Think they get 2 challenge flags and an extra one if the first 2 are used successful. Anyway, most NFL fans are used to time outs and replay anyway - as long as the games don't descend to "flag football", I reckon it adds a bit more drama to the sport and I see it as just another part of the sport. The hold on Suh which wasn't called was fairly blatant but if we were to analyse every play of every game, they could find a reason to throw a penalty flag with even more frequency than they do now.
-
NFL
Baltimore 26 New England 29 Carolina 10 Seattle 33 Dallas 27 Green Bay 35 Indianapolis 19 Denver 25
-
Big Bash
What you see is what you get wisedog. Not only do I not compare t20 to test cricket, I've never really compared ODI's to test cricket - I see all 3 as separate sports with test cricket being miles ahead of the other 2 versions with regards to my preference. t20's has a high appeal to the holiday crowd, women and young people - the eyes say it all and popular culture is popular culture. Having said all that, I'm not in a hurry to watch the games ... what does interest me is the progression of this version of the game and what will happen to cricket in the future because of the presence of t20's - I'm certainly not concerned in a negative way though. The overall interest in cricket in Australia is quite high and the crowds and TV viewers reflect that opinion.