WHICH GAME ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST

NRL ROUND ONE ANNOUNCED

The Parramatta Eels will officially kick off the 2010 NRL season when they play host to the St George Illawarra Dragons. Parramatta stadium will be no doubt at capacity for the season opener. What a chance for St George to get some revenge for the position Parramatta put them in, in last years final series. The game will be the first channel nine game of the year and will be the first of a double header. The second game of the night will be the Brisbane Broncos hosting the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp. Queensland derby's are always great to watch and most of the time they deliver a nail biter of a finish. Pencil it in folks, Friday night football will be back on the 12th March.

The next day fox sports will deliver a triple header when the Bulldogs face the Knights, Cronulla host the Storm and Penrith play Canberra. The first game will be a cracker but I'm thinking the other two are nothing to write home about. I'm hoping the Bulldogs get off to a great start to the season by thumping Newcastle. Those two teams always put on a great game. I'll never forget the comeback in Newcastle before Hazem kicked it from the sideline to win the game. Oh the memories! 

Sunday will see the rebirth of Greg Birds NRL career when he helps the Titans take on the Warriors. I wonder how Bird is going to play this season. Do you think he may cop a bit of a ribbing from the fans around the country and across the Tasman? The second Sunday fixture should be a ripper when the Rabbits take on the Roosters. Both teams have recruited new faces to their rosters. Souths have stacked their forward line while the latte boys from Bondi have added party boy Todd Carney to help rejuvenate the once successful club. Can Brian Smith weave his magic this year? 

Finally the first Monday Night Football game of the year will see the Tigers play the Sea Eagles at the SFS. When will the Tigers learn? Every year they continue to play their home games at a neutral venue! It has cost them points in the past, and they have come so close to the finals in the last few years. Maybe if they had played those few games at Leichart or Campelltown it could have been a different story. I think the Tigers will be too tough without the likes of Orford guiding Manly around the park. It could take a few weeks for them to click into gear. 

It all shapes up to be an exciting first round, I certainly can't wait. It seems so far away but I'm sure it'll be here in no time!

LeBron vs Noah and Some Pretty Fly Dance Moves By The Cavs

LEBRON ALL FIRED UP AT NOAH

On Saturday Cleveland toweled Chicago 101-87. It's not the scoreline I am here to write about. It is why the hell would Joakim Noah be talking smack to LeBron James while he was at the free throw line. It must have been something pretty offputting because James left the free throw line and proceeded to walk towards the Chicago bench where Noah was sitting. Big Z and Mo Williams had to step in to slow the man down. Noone from the Chicago bench wanted to stop what was going on. It even looks like the assistant coaches are having a chuckle in regards to what Noah is yelling out. James insisted it was "nothing personal" on nba.com. The Cavs were having that much fun they were dancing all over the court. Some of their dance moves are pretty cool and some are pretty daggy! I know which ones I'll be taking to the d-floor. Check out the standoff and the dance moves in the clip below.

You're Kidding Mr Cooper and Julius Hodge

YOU ARE KIDDING

New found Wallaby sensation, Quade Cooper, has been charged with one count of burglary by the Queensland Police. The funny story behind this is, my brother went to the Gold Coast for a bucks party and were celebrating at a pub in which Mr Cooper was at. A bunch of the party goers were dressed as the Wallabies and a few as the All Blacks. A few of the Kiwi guys performed the traditional war cry while the Wallaby impersonators sang Waltzing Matilda. During this Cooper came over to see what the fuss was all about. Some of the Kiwi blokes recognised him and chanted 4-0(series record that the All Blacks held over the Wallabies this year). He took offense to it and started to aim up. Fat chance seeing there were 25 of the party boys and only 2 of them. However they proceeded to think they were tough and Coopers mate poured a beer over the bucks head. Who do these football players think they are? Can they really take on the world? Once kicked out of the pub the boys got on with the rest of their night only to read in the papers the next morning he had been arrested. Why the hell would he be stealing anything? He would be on a great salary by the ARU and by the Reds. No brainer kiddo!

The second no brainer of the week has to go to Julius Hodge of the Melbourne Tigers. Hodge traveled to Adelaide to play the 36ers in one of the most hyped NBL games in years. If you don't know the story, check this out. The Tigers won the match in overtime much to the delight of Julius. However Hodge took it too far. He proceeded to walk over to the Brett Maher signature on the middle of the court and stomp on it. Come on, who do you think you are? What has Brett Maher ever done to you Julius? That man has been through some tough times with his family and losing a child. I had the pleasure of playing on Bretts team when he was in Sydney. He is a great guy and does not deserve any of this nonsense. Some imports think the sun shines out of their arse. Well Hodge it ain't shining out of yours! For Hodge to say that it would have been his signature on the court if he remained in Adelaide makes me sick. I love what John Rillie had to say on his blog, "Too bad the Tigers have visited the South Australian franchise twice this year already. That could have turned into a pay-per-view event." Check out the clip below to see Hodge stomp away! What a tool.

Kobe's Huge Game Winner

KOBE'S BUZZER BEATER

Yesterday Kobe Bryant again proved why he is the man when the game is on the line. I watched more than three quarters of the game but had to leave to go out to dinner with my girlfriend before the game finished. On the way to her place I checked my Facebook. The news feed was flooded with Kobe Bryant status updates. I was spewing that I missed it. When I got to her place I checked it out and it was amazing. Replays are not the same as watching it live though. You know it's going to happen! Oh well it was still awesome to see. One of my good mates friends went to the game and payed $250 for great seats. I bet they got their moneys worth. That is what you dream of seeing when you attend a live event. Check out the replay below, it's unreal!

PHOTO: http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2009/12/05/kobes_3_at_buzzer_sends_lakers_past_heat/

Spain Have One Hand On The Davis Cup

SPAIN 2 CZECH REPUBLIC 0

Spain are oh so close to winning the Davis Cup two years in a row. Early this morning Rafael Nadal took care of business against Thomas Berdych in three sets 7-5,6-0,6-2. He is just too good on clay, especially when playing for his country! Last year he was unable to partake in the final so he it looks like he is making up for lost time. On the other hand Radek Stepanek gave the Spanish fans a fright in the second rubber against David Ferrer. Ferrer was down two sets to love and pulled himself back to tie the match, two sets each. A monster third set saw the crowd help Ferrer win the crucial rubber 8-6 in the fifth set. David winning the match 1-6,2-6,6-4,6-4,8-6. Davis Cup produces so many thrilling matches. Players tend to step it up a notch for their respective countries. Spain certainly have this one in the bag. If the doubles don't get the job done I'm sure Nadal will!

PHOTO: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/dec/05/spain-davis-cup-final-rafael-nadal

Socceroos Tough World Cup Draw

TOUGH LUCK FOR SOCCEROOS

Early this morning the World Cup draw for 2010 was announced. At 5am ADST the Socceroos were dealt a blow to their World Cup aspirations. The pool consists of European powerhouse Germany, African sensations Ghana, and Serbia. The Aussies first match will be played on June 13th against Germany in Durban, South Africa.

In my opinion playing Germany in the first round could either do the Socceroos the world of good or could send us packing. If the boys can have a great first game, maybe even settle for a draw, that could set them up for the tournament. If they cop a beating it could smash any kind of confidence they had going into the Cup. Next stop Ghana. The Aussies have never lost to the African nation which gives the team some confidence heading into the match. However they pose a huge threat with quality players such as Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien and Inter Milan star Sulley Muntari. I think the Australian defense will frustrate the superb attack of Ghana which could leak a goal or two on the counter attack. Last but not least, Serbia. The question must be asked, are they a legitimate footballing nation? The answer is Yes! They were the surprise packet in the qualifying stages in Europe. They topped their group ahead of France and are ranked one place higher than the 20th placed Socceroos in the world rankings. Australia must respect the Serbians ability which could be the do or die game for the Socceroos. 

The fans can take some confidence in the fact Coach Verbeek is content with the draw. He was actually smiling! Lets hope he can take us to the promised land. There is one thing to look forward to if we get to the second round. If the Socceroos finish second in their pool and the English finish first, AUSTRALIA V ENGLAND in the second round! England should definitely finish first with the pool they have been dealt with (USA, Algeria and Slovenia). Wouldn't that be great to see the Aussies knock the Poms out! There would be the biggest party ever. 

The World Cup is so exciting, I can't wait! I'll be over in Europe celebrating with the rest of the world. It can't come quick enough.

Philly Seeks The Answer, Artest Admits To Drinking On The Job and 2 Minutes and 2 seconds!

IN AND OUT OF RETIREMENT

Allen Iverson has been plucked out of retirement by the Philadelphia 76ers. It has only been a week since AI announced his retirement from the league. I can't believe he is back in Philly. I wonder how the fans in Philadelphia are going to react. Cheers or Boos? He is their golden child! Surely they will embrace his return. I understand that Iverson was not going to agree to the deal unless he was made the starting point guard. At the moment that is a good option with Holiday going down injured. What about when Holiday comes back? Are they going to be able to play them both at the same time? Is Louie Williams going to lose out on this deal? Williams is an awesome energy player off the bench! These questions will be answered in the weeks to come. All in all though I think this deal is a good one for the franchise. The 76ers are struggling at the moment to string some wins together, will Iverson be the ANSWER! The ten time all star makes his debut on Monday against his former club the Denver Nuggets.
PHOTO: http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/news/intelligencer/wp-content/blogs.dir/4/files/2008/August/Tuesday/iverson.jpg

YOU ARE KIDDING!

Ron Artest is a joke! He has now admitted to drinking on the job. Artest admits to drinking Hennessy during half time breaks when he was playing with the Bulls(1999-2002). "I kept it in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store(near the stadium) and get it". Why do players admit to these things and further tarnish their image. Especially in Ron Artest's case who already has a bad boy image going for him. Great role model material Ron!
PHOTO: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_W7r3FCoMZI4/R0zduG-QsiI/AAAAAAAAAZk/OGBB73X8UcA/s400/IMG00069.jpg

Check this shot out by Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. Good luck beating him in HORSE!

FAIR FIGHT OR A RIGGED ONE

Two minutes and two seconds was all it took for Danny Green to stop the fight against Roy Jones Jnr at the Acer Arena last night. Unbelievable would have to be the words that came out of my mouth last night! Who would have thought this is how the fight would have ended. Thousands of people were left disappointed to see the fight not go the distance or atleast have a round finished. People probably still had a full beer in their hands. Danny Green should have shouted the place a beer or two for sticking around for that long to see two minutes worth of fight. Should people be disappointed? I mean an Australian won the title in convincing fashion. That's money well spent, right? I couldn't believe the amount of Australians hoping Green got the shit beat out of him. It doesn't make sense, there isn't many Aussie sportstars that fans want to see lose. I've placed a poll on the side for people to vote on,feel free to click away! I'm leaning towards a thrown fight by Jones Jnr but I certainly hope not. The eight count by the referee was a bit dodgy and Roy just stood there copping the punches. A boxer of his calibre would try and slow it down, maybe lean forward to grab onto Green instead of holiding his gloves up and getting the shit beat out of him!
Watch the fight below!.