Sports Quotient

Note to all cricket channels - send SOS to Ajay Jadeja

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:05:13 +0530

On one hand we have to bear the likes of Lalchand Rajput and Sunil Joshi playing cricket expert and on the other a far more articulate and knowledgeble, Ajay Jadeja, is playing judge for some inane comedy show. Don’t cricket fans deserve a little better than the pathetic attempts of the likes of Rajput to try and sound cliched. Yes, they are trying to be cliched and doing a poor job of it. Time to boo the TV executives who take such decisions.

Arsene Wenger and Mike D'Antoni - soulmates

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:18:31 +0530

The Arsenal Eleven which got away

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:16:57 +0530

Arsenal are the only big time club which doesn’t seem to be making any serious effort in holding on to its key players, thanks to a combination of two reasons : one is Wenger’s insistence on youth and his reluctance to spend in the transfer market. Second, which is actually a consequence of the first, is their inability to win titles which forces players to head out to fulfil their silverware ambitions.

How bad is this exodus for the club?

If you look at the list of players who have left in the last 3 years, there is enough quality to build a fine side; good enough to compete in Europe and England. The team looks something like this.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Thierry Henry

Aleksandr Hleb

Jose Antonio Reyes

Gilberto Silva

Mathieu Flamini

Lassana Diarra

Justin Hoyte

Kolo Toure

Fabrice Mumba

Jens Lehmann

This team could play 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1 or even a 3-5-2 such is the versatile nature of the squad.

These guys weren’t misfits during their time at Highbury or the Emirates. Most of them left for bigger clubs and Arsenal benefitted financially from the move. They have continued to perform at a high level for their new clubs; clearly proof that they were not let go because they weren’t good enough to play for Arsenal anymore.

The only other major European club which has had a similar outflow of top talent is probably Sevilla in Spain.

I can’t help but think.

Who would win if this XI took on the current Arsenal side?

Why the former Yugoslavians deserve more respect in world football?

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:52:44 +0530

The erstwhile Yugoslavia, which was a decent footballing nation, was broken up into many parts in the 1990’s. Today these countries have carved their own identities in world football.

Croatia – They have missed only one World Cup and one European Championships since they burst on the scene in 1993. Semi-finalists in the 1998 WC and 2008 EC. Currently ranked 8th and have been as high as 3rd in the FIFA rankings. Have a population of 4 million.

Serbia – They have been regulars in the WC, missing out only in 2002. Currently ranked 20th and have been as high as 8th in the FIFA rankings. Have a population of 7 million. Have topped their group ahead of France for 2010 WC qualifying.

Slovenia – They have qualified for the 2000 EC and 2002 WC. They beat eventual winners Italy in 2006 World cup qualification. Currently ranked 49th and have been as high as 25th in the FIFA rankings. Have a population of 2 million. Have finished ahead of the Czech Republic and qualified for a play-off spot for 2010 World Cup.

Bosnia – They have never qualified for a major event but have come very close. Currently ranked 42nd and have been as high as 25th in the FIFA rankings. Have a population of 4 million. Have finished ahead of Turkey and Belgium and qualified for a playoff spot for the 2010 world Cup.

Four quality football sides. Two of which have been in the top 10 and the other two in the top 25 of World football at different times. Out of a total population of 17 million.

Among the so called leading football nations

England has a population of 61 million

Brazil has a population of 191 million

Germany has a population of 83 million

Argentina has a population of 43 million

Spain has a population of 41 million

Italy has a population of 58 million

Russia has a population of 141 million

Holland is one country which compares with a population of 16 million.

All of them have, at different times, struggled to qualify for major tournaments.

Would they have the depth to put together 4 squads or more, with each squad capable of making it to the final round of the World Cup or the European Championships? The squads should be 22 strong each.

I seriously doubt it, save for Brazil and Argentina, but given their population they should be fielding 45 and 10 such teams respectively. And that is impossible for them.

What does that say about the strength and depth of football in the former Yugoslavia?

The futility of building sports infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:31:59 +0530

Most of the sporting facilities for the Delhi Commonwealth Games were built during the 1982 Delhi Asiad. They are now being upgraded to modern standards for the 2010 Games. Which means that they were in an almost ancient state and have not undergone any upgrades for 27 years. This could have happened in only one scenario;that most of these stadia have not hosted an international event of any stature since they played host to the Asian Games in 1982. Because if they had done so, then there would have surely been some upgrades. There is also a lot of renovation and repair going on which clearly indicates that these facilities were poorly maintained and looked after for all these years. Our sportsmen and athletes have been practicing in these poorly maintained and ancient facilities.

It is for the lack of regular upgrades and proper maintenance that we are spending so much extra on the upgrades now. That a substantial portion of this money is filling various pockets is another story.Should we be spending this massive amount of money if all this infrastructure will remain largely underutilized and left to rot once the games are over? Is there any reason to believe that the new facilities will be properly maintained and well utilized to train world-class sports persons and host top-level international events? They will probably get a makeover when we host the next international event; say sometime in the 2030’s under the aegis of Suresh Kalmadi operating from a hospital bed.

Is it still a matter of great pride that we are hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games?

A man who has stolen more then 4000 baseballs from stadiums and is still a hero

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:11:00 +0530

A man who has stolen more then 4000 baseballs from stadiums and is still a hero:

This guy believes in being the best at whatever he does

Should the IPL increase the number of teams?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:30:00 +0530

Already the existing teams are struggling to find enough Indian players who are good enough to play at the IPL level. No wonder they keep asking Lalit Modi to increase the quota of foreign players. More teams would lead to an increased scarcity of decent Indian players. I don’t think we have the depth to support 10 or 12 teams.

On the other hand you can probably argue that more domestic players playing in the IPL would increase the depth of Indian cricket. Over a period of time, we will have a larger pool of battle hardened players thanks to more domestic talent getting exposed to top quality cricket.

What say you?

Who is the most articulate Indian sportsperson of all?

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:47:53 +0530

Virender Sehwag takes the cake when it comes to being direct and to the point, but Leander Paes has surely got to be the most articulate of them all. Or is there someone who has been better?

Why it's a good idea for professional sports teams to have meaningless names

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:01:26 +0530

Because your name cannot offend anyone and no one can take you to court.

Guess the IPL teams must be smiling to themselves.

NFL Fantasy Files: This is what NFL players can do This is a...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:50:00 +0530

NFL Fantasy Files: This is what NFL players can do

This is a combination of the best NFL Fantasy Player Files. Each video contains a different NFL player doing a cool move whether its passing, catching, or kicking the football.

I would like to see similar videos for other sports

The inevitable jokes about the sex theory of Guru Gary

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:55:00 +0530

Coach Gary Kirsten’s mantra for Indian cricketers to have sex to boost competitiveness could soon lead to the following scenarios.

Coaching academies across the country also starting sex-education classes to ensure that their wards are in top quality mental shape.

Coaches accused of molesting their pupils pleading that they were merely trying to get them mentally prepared for the action.

The BCCI sending under-performing players to a recovery program in the red-light district of Amsterdam. This could also lead to a situation of players under-performing on purpose to get more ‘sexual’ treatment.

Dressing rooms to have a new section called the ‘undressing room’.

Viagra getting banned by the ICC as an illegal performance enhancing drug.

John Buchanan’s entourage of trainers and assistant coaches getting a new addition – a stripper. Also Buchanan coaching his players to be ambidextrous - in the practise of the going solo technique.

The next IPL could be sponsored by Playboy.

The ‘Kitkat break’ getting replaced by the ‘Kamasutra break’.

Tournaments will also have an official condom like official drink, official chewing gum and official carrier.

This would make Lenin and Stalin turn in their graves

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:42:58 +0530

A Russian indulging in the favourite hobby of uber-rich Americans in the heart of the capitalist world. Wonder what the stalwarts of communist Russia would have had to say about it?

One of my favourite memories of Sir Bobby. I am also looking for...

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:08:00 +0530

One of my favourite memories of Sir Bobby. I am also looking for a picture of Sir Bobby doing a touchline jig after David Platt scored a last gasp winner against Belgium in Italia 90. Would really be grateful if someone can send it to me.

We want an Indian version of 'Shaq Vs'

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:18:35 +0530

A new sports reality show is grabbing a lot of eyeballs in America. ‘Shaq Vs’ pits NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal against top athletes from other sports at their own game. He started off by taking on NFL champions Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in football. Later duels will feature the O’Neal against the likes of Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps, boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, tennis star Serena Williams and beach volleyball Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

Watch Shaq in action against Phelps.

I totally love the concept and would really like to see an Indian sports channel plagiarize the concept in the near future.

But I am wondering which set of guys or gals would form the best line-up for the contest; given the need for supreme athletes who can perform well in other disciplines as well.

I think the following guys could make for a good contest.

Vijender Kumar

Yuvraj Singh

Leander Paes or Somdev Dev Varman

Baichung Bhutia or Sunil Chetri

Virdhawal Khade

Viren Rasquinha or Dilip Tirkey

Would you like to see an Indian version of ‘Shaq Vs’ ?

If you love to abuse refs and umpires then you should take up tennis

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:39:52 +0530

Because, as we saw in the case of the Serena Williams, it will just cost you a fine.

You will get a much harsher punishment in any other sport.

Who says winning is important

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:58:31 +0530

The Chicago Cubs baseball team in the USA have not won the World Series for a 101 years. But they just got sold for 845 million dollars. The previous highest amount paid for a baseball team was the 450 million paid for the Atlanta Braves in 2007.

But in spite of having paid a humongous amount for a franchise steeped in glorious failure and under achievement, the new owner Tom Ricketts has got himself a deal.

That because the Cubs boast of one of the largest and most loyal fan bases in American sports, which creates multiple highly lucrative revenue streams.

The Cubs can lose all they like; the fans keep coming back undeterred.

Who says it takes winning to attract more supporters?

Netflix have a lot in common with the New York Yankees and Real Madrid

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:15:00 +0530

The recruitment policy at Netflix is simple - find the most brilliant person for each and every job and pay him what he deserves and not what the HR salary manual says; and this is often more than what anyone else can pay.

The New York Yankees have a full line-up of highly paid superstars. Their wage bill is the highest in the MLB and sometimes almost double that of the team in second place. They are also the most successful team in professional baseball.

Real Madrid have a team full of Galacticos who command record-breaking transfer fees and are amongst the highest paid. The club has won the highest number of Primera Liga titles and European crowns.

Thanks to this and some of their other revolutionary HR practices, Netflix is growing at an amazing pace and could possibly become as successful as the two famous sports organizations.

I have one word of advice from them though - don’t overlook the low profile jobs.

For all their great hitters, the Yankees have struggled whenever their pitching has been weak.

Similarly Real’s attacking riches have counted for nothing whenever they have ignored their defense.

Does this mean that even the receptionist and the accountant at Netflix need to be superstars?

Clijsters all set to do a Capriati

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:45:00 +0530

Kim Clijsters is one match away from completing a fairytale comeback. And I am willing to bet my mortgage that she will beat Caroline Wozniacki to complete the fairytale.

After doing so, she will join the company of Jennifer Capriati as tennis’ comeback queens.

Jennifer Capriati’s second innings in tennis, after the first foray ended in burnout, saw her win three grand slam titles. She received the 2002 ESPY for Comeback Player of the Year.

Clijsters won just one slam in her first essay and will match that haul by winning the final against Wozniacki. More importantly, she managed to get the better of both Williams sisters - something she never managed in her first stint. Clearly she is doing much better in her comeback; a la Capriati.

This gives hope to every women player who isn’t quite managing to live up to her potential. Take a few years off and then make a comeback.

You might just do a Capriati or a Clijsters

Guess who’s been training under Vijender?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:35:00 +0530

Guess who’s been training under Vijender?

Is Nadal copying Federer’s hairstyle?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:59:00 +0530

Is Nadal copying Federer’s hairstyle?