Macca

Ha ha ... Belichick makes Brendan McCartney look like a loud mouth. Though Bill in his own way, is entertaining. He has refined the art of saying 'nothing' to perfection. I think you had Arians as coach of the year - good get. Anyways, Bill Simmons column this week is a decent read. The column has a focus on PED's ... ... Daring to Ask the PED Question

Bill Parcells gets in as well. Cris Carter is a terrific analyst on the sport. Always look forward to his comments. Not much 'filler' with Carter. Just tells it like it is. And he tends to lighten the mood as well. Yep, AP has been talking a bit. But that's how it generally works over there. I don't really have a problem with it. Show a bit of personality - the AFL could learn a lot about access to players and coaches. Shooting from the hip a bit makes the whole thing way more interesting. Even Belichick is interesting (because he's so conservative compared to everyone else) Adrian Peterson wins MVP Russell Wilson wins Rookie of the Year Edit : added award recipients

Thought Pakistan had a decent 1st day against South Africa. Bowled the Proteas out for 253 and seemingly right in the game until ...... day 2 .... Pakistan all out for 49 with Dale Steyn taking 6 for 8 ! South Africa have already got an overall lead of 350 odd with 7 wickets in hand (batting the 2nd time). Game over.

RG3 might get on that 'Deer antler spray' and be ready to go in a month! Apparently all you need to do is spray it under the tongue and next minute you've turned into Usain Bolt. The Kiwi's are revolutionising sport with their livestock. Whooda thunk-it ! Maybe Ray overdid it a bit ... (allegedly)

It's nice having a quality QB who stays on the park. It's almost a guaranteed 8-9 wins. The thing about RG3, Wilson and Kaepernick is that they can all accurately throw the ball (with velocity and distance). They don't necessarily need to run, it's more the threat of the run that can dismantle defence's. All three are capable of getting to the sidelines quickly (with extra yardage) than the average QB. Which QB would you take if you didn't have AP? I know if the Packers didn't have Rodgers I'd take Kaepernick. They are all 'winners' so I can see all 4 having great career's. It's a toss up between RG3, Luck and Wilson for my 2nd choice.

I believe so, but I stand corrected. The fans vote on the award and I think the voting continues past the regular season right up until close to the Super Bowl. Therefore, the Post season will count (sort of). He's a very likeable sportsperson but so are Wilson and Luck. Washington being a big city has to help him.

The only way I can see Smith playing is if we encounter a 'raging turner'. Even so, it's drawing a long bow. Either Maxwell or Henriques will probably play as the 5th bowler/no.6 or no.7 batsman. (Wade might bat at no.6) Much will depend on the make up of our 4 front line bowlers. If/when we play 2 spinners then Henriques will probably play as the 3rd seamer. I can't see Smith being picked as the 2nd spinner over Doherty (though Xavier hasn't got great credentials either). I hope Doherty can step up because if he doesn't, we could struggle to bowl the Indians out for a reasonable score. India will have looked at our squad and identified our weaknesses. Expect all the wickets in the 4 tests to favour spin. Or more to the point, not give any assistance to the quicks. England defeated India 2-1 when they toured there late last year. The only time England played one spinner was the Test that they lost (the1st Test) Of course, England have 2 class spinners in Swann and Panesar. Maybe Pup can chime in with another 6 for 9 . That would help

Blood passport ? I see that as the start of effectively fighting PED's in sport. Might be a ways off though considering how these type of things are viewed over there. Reckon RG3 will win the Rookie of the year. Just edging out Wilson and Luck. Think I'm right in saying it's a regular season award. Think he'll get it because of his profile at the Redskins. Wilson shone late and Luck seemed a bit more low profile.

Round 6, pick 44 Shane Watson (Oz) Over to you, Biff

Who knows, Cards? It's a fairly murky business. At the moment the NFL aren't testing for HGH (maybe next season?) My comment re Lewis was more flippant than with any real fact based accusation. (though many over there are a bit 'sus' about his recovery from that tricep injury). The thinking in the States has a little bit of a leaning towards using PED's in the aid and recovery from injury. I don't agree with that thinking for a variety of reasons - none the least being where do you start and finish with regards the 'degree' of injury? What if an athlete has a 'moderate level' strained calf and would ordinarily only miss maybe one week? If PED's were allowed in that case then 'how much' is allowed? Could that slight injury be used as an excuse to 'super boost' yourself? (so to speak) Most veteran athlete's have some form of injury concerns . They're nearly always 'carrying' something. Strangely enough, cycling is somewhat leading the way with their 'blood passports'. Even Armstrong admitted that these blood passports were going to make it difficult for athletes to take PED's and get away with it in the future.(if you can believe him!) Anyway, that chatter shouldn't detract from the game on Monday (our time). As long as the people who are running these sports are diligent, then that's fine with me. If they were turning a blind eye it would be a whole different story.

Ray Lewis is annoying everyone it seems - deer antler spray and all. Think him and Moss cancel each other out. Wish that 'Deer antler spray' was around back in the day. All we had was a bit of 'deep heat' and some orange 'quarters' (both largely useless) I'm tipping a thriller - it may come down to a bit of magic. The Kap shades Flacco in that area so it's the 49ers - just ... Got a strong inkling that San Francisco are going to feature in the playoffs in the next few years. This could be the start of something big. The Ravens would be worthy winners as well. This match could be 'One for the Ages'

Yes TD, I reckon DRS will bring both types of finger spinners more into the game and there are a reasonable amount of Test matches where 2 spinners are played. The doosra is another reason we're seeing more and more front foot LBW's. Vettori has terrific all round skills as well. Test match starts tonight Between South Africa and Pakistan. A feast of Test cricket in the next 2 months. England are also in New Zealand for 3 Tests.

17 seems a tad high without a reserve keeper. They've got 9 batsmen in the squad so in any given Test, 3 will sit out. In the Tests where we play 2 spinners, 3 of the quicks will be 'rotated' out. The 1st and 2nd Tests are back to back with a weeks break before the 3rd and 4th Tests are again 'back to back'. We now know that they're probably going to continue on the fast bowler rotation so maybe at least 4 of the quicks will play at some stage. Possibly all 5. Not sure on Doherty but O'Keefe was his only real rival for the left arm orthodox position (Beer and Holland are both injured apparently) Xavier could play in at least 2 of the Tests. Surprised with Smith's selection but can understand Henriques getting a call up. They will possibly need a 5th bowler who can bowl medium pace instead of spin. Think I'm right in saying that Watson has put his bowling on hold for the time being. At least they've got quite a few options (except a back-up keeper). I agree with you re Haddin. You never know what can happen on the eve of a Test.

Daniel Vettori (NZ)

Much will depend on the Lakers run from Feb 5 to Feb 24. Over a stretch of 9 games you've got Boston twice (H & A) and have other games against Miami(A), Brooklyn(A), the Clippers, Portland(H) and Dallas(A). 7 tough games. 3 or 4 wins in that lot and you never know. Anything less than 5 wins (overall) in that stretch and it's all over. (definitely!) Still reckon if Kobe maintains his new role then the Lakers may well be a team that some other team's would rather avoid. And now for something completely different ... gotta love those accents from across the ditch ... A snowmobile with a mind of it's own

Phoenix Suns fire coach Alvin Gentry Maybe the Lakers have turned things around with 'Mr Assist' (Kobe) being the chief reason. I wonder how long Bryant can maintain this role? If he's able to, then the Lakers could become more than just nuisance value in the lead up to the playoffs. They'd probably have to get to at least 45 wins to make it. Currently sitting at 19/25, they'd have to come home at about 26/12. (give or take a few wins) That's a rather tall order, though they are quite capable of playing winning basketball against many of the teams. I hope they get on a run and Kobe maintains his new found role. Good to see Bogut back. Golden State are doing alright (27-17) and you'd reckon they could only be improved with Andrew's return.

Hasn't he just skyrocketed in all areas? Talent, personality, media savvy, clean living and he's a winner. I see he's filed to 'trademark' Kaepernicking (the bicep smooch) Only in America !

Bit like the long bombs in footy. Just wanna see a few hangers ... They allowed to use their knees and feet 'Aussie Rules style?' If not, bring in a new rule I say. Jeremy Howe could have a 2nd career after playing in multiple flag sides for the Dees. Can just see Joe Buck or Collinsworth introducing Howe for the 'Hail Mary'. I'm on the phone to McCarthy as I type this. The Packers need a 'Howe' type for those Rodgers bombs. Use him on defence as well. A defensive screamer. No padding required. The Pro Bowl was a bit of fun. Kept watching it for some ungodly reason. Go figure ...

Murray couldn't get around the court with that heal blister . His foot looked a right mess and obviously hampered him. Shame really, but those are the breaks. Djokovic got the extra day's break by virtue of his no.1 seeding. And fair enough too. Full marks to Novak - worthy champion. Friday's Federer/Murray match and Djokovic's 5 set match against Wawrinka were the pick of the matches. Didn't get to see Azarenka's win over Li Na but heard that the crowd played up a bit.

Another track from Jeff Lorber Fusion ... 'City'... includes Kenny G in his early days ... Macca's jazz 5.8

Good 1st set win to Murray. Vital. Novak needs to step it up.

I agree with you totally on the balance, though all the nations will probably chase the cash so we will all have to be ready. Just on chasing the cash ... I read somewhere that Cricket Australia received 6 million dollars from the BCCI for each ODI that India were involved in last February (2012) . It was one of the reasons we had a round robin series involving Sri Lanka as well. CA received similar amounts for the India/Sri Lanka ODI's. Obviously driven by the huge TV audience back in India. It's any wonder we play India on an annual basis now (Tests and/or ODI's) . I stand corrected on the 6mil figure but I'm almost sure that's right. (couldn't find a link)

Ah yes TD, and every team needs a top class captain . Love him or loathe him he leads the no.1 nation ... Round 4, pick 28 Graeme Smith (South Africa) That's my 2nd Protea gone and I still haven't picked a fast bowler (who says that bowler's win games?) Is DK Lillee available ? All yours Biff....

Good post TD and you make some excellent points. I think it's more about a mindset here rather than who is right and who is wrong. I suppose I'm just one of those people who (on occasions) will embrace something new straight away, without hesitation. I've been a critic of modern footy for a number of years (as opposed to the 'glorious' days of the 70's, 80's and 90's) but have only recently decided to change. Mainly because those days aren't coming back and it's time I got on with things. So I've finally changed my mind and I already feel better for it. There is nothing wrong with hanging on to the past but if you know the future is going to be vastly different you have to adapt. I'll address your points individually TD ... 1 :- Australia day weekend :- I think on this particular weekend we may well go back to ODI's and the t20's will come later. Maybe it's because they've got to fit 5 ODI's in against the Windies in early February and then immediately go to India is the reason. Not sure on that but it seems they've chucked these 2 t20 games in before the Sri Lankans go home. Could be just an expediency thing this time around. 2 :- t20 World Cup :- Yep, every 2 years seems a bit over the top but the tournament only goes for 3 weeks and once again, it probably comes down to demand and money. Tomorrow's crowd could a huge one for instance and the counter argument for those who love t20 internationals might be - "Why aren't there more matches" . As an aside, a few years ago, ESPN paid 1 Billion dollars for the rights to broadcast the Champions League finals (another annual 3 week tournament) Money talks. 3 :- City based Big Bash teams :- I reckon in time the City based teams will be almost totally accepted. Remembering that this sport has a huge appeal to women and young people (who may or may not have any connection to the Bushrangers or such like) . Stars and Renegades pulled nearly 50,000 to their 2nd clash . That's good numbers. Perth, Hobart and Adelaide regularly played to packed houses. There's talk of Geelong and Canberra having teams in the future. The Big Bash could get very big. 4 :- Test status for minnow nations :- Maybe we could have a 2nd tier Test cricket system or for clashes between non Test nations, it just continues to come under the banner of 1st class cricket . Zimbabwe's and Bangladesh's infrastructure isn't strong and is largely the reason these 2 nations struggle. (though both nations have produced some fine cricketers) Don't know enough about Ireland's cricket infrastructure so it's hard to have a definitive view. You made some interesting points though TD. Think the Boxing day Test is fairly safe. Though we did get a Big Bash game in the evening! I view both sports separately so switching from one to the other is like switching from AFL to NFL Just a final point. Shield cricket has been heavily subsidised for many many years. It doesn't even go close to paying for itself. Of course, many of us would like it to stay in it's current set up. It's the lifeblood of our Test side and is still a strong and vibrant competition. But it plays to sparse crowds and has done for years. It would cost millions to run it. As a business model it doesn't really work but there is no talk of scaling it down. T20 pays it's way and in time it may end up helping to subsidise shield cricket. That's part of the reason why I believe t20 is good/great for cricket on an overall basis.

Most team sport is played over a 2 - 3.5 hour time period. Cricket, and in particular Test cricket, is played over a long period of time and on the World scale is not a massive sport. I love it but I also recognise that the sport itself needs to grow. But this is not about any particular individual's opinion. It has to be viewed as the masses view it. We've now got a version of cricket that goes for ...... 3 hours . 'Hey presto', it's really popular. IMO t20 can only get bigger as the years go on. Many people regarded ODI's in the early days with extreme skepticism and branded it 'rigged' or part of the 'Packer Circus'. I maintain that t20 can bring more people to the sport as a whole and it can help and enhance Test cricket (mostly of an indirect nature) Interesting that all 3 versions of the game were invented in England. I don't know how people can resist not sneaking a peek when Warner is at the crease in a t20 match.