I actually like the way the football Ballon D'Or is decided. A shortlist is put together by the governing body then each nominee, club captain and manager get to vote their top 3. a system similar might work for Sports Personality. I do understand that you can't include every sport and obviously they go with the main ones. Its all very subjective and is down to personal opinion. Cricket and Rugby Union are extremely popular sports and two sports i know absolutely nothing about, my favourite sports by a country mile are Boxing and American Football and i'm sure everyone has their favourites too. My opinion on the sports personality is that it should be changed or scrapped.
And so as the dust settles on what was a most extraordinary cricketing feat yesterday I am still in total admiration of what Ben Stokes actually did at Headingly against a very good Australian bowling attack. I've seen the highlights twice now and I think it's onr of the best sporting moment I've ever seen... The questions will be asked of both sides, both knowing one got away with it, the other wondering how the hell did we lose it...?? This Australian attack is rightly spoken of being the best line ups in world cricket, but they could not get the man mountain Stokes out. Yes, with all things being very tight, Stokes was 'dropped' in the deep at third man, a 20/80 chance at best for me, and he should have been called LBW, but for an umpiring howler. But the heads of the Aussies had gone with the oncoming realisation that the game they should have won had all but gone. I'm not sure what the Aussie reporters will be writing about today but I do hope that they big up what an achievement they had witnessed first before grilling their own team. Yes I think Paine was at pains to steady the rocking boat, ( I still maintain that Smith is the captain in all but name, and he wasn't on the pitch was he, so Paine had no-one to go to. That's just my gut feeling on it...) and his tactical positioning of the field and understanding what was going on was poor. In saying that I don't think it's all rosy in the England camp as they will see a Aussie line up with 2 players we can't get out, Steve Smith and his replacement for this match, Marnus Labuschagne. The Old Trafford pitch will be hard and fast, just perfect for their front line bowlers, and they will be gunning for revenge after this latest defeat. And don't forget they only need to win one of the remaining two Tests to retain the Ashes...?!? As for England, they will need to sharpen the batting line up, get some consistency with the ball and show that they can hang around at the top table in the Test Arena, something we've lacked recently. It will be interesting to see if they recall Jimmy Anderson for his 'home' Test at Old Trafford and if they shuffle the pack at the top of the batting order. England, or maybe I should be saying Ben Stokes has brought the team back into this 5 match series but the work has to continue if we are to turn over this current Aussie side...?? I just hope we get to see more high drama and for this cricketing feelgood factor summer, and we get to see the continued rewriting of the history books once more...
I used to like the way the Ballon D'or was done Smokey but in recent years it's just got all political with the who's voted for who, and why havnt they voted for such and such. Mess and Ronaldo get all of the plaudits, and rightly so, but the way some of the Club Presidents goad and belittle some of the opposition players and clubs just makes me wonder if it's all that being voted by your peers. As for the SPOTY as they always seem to refer to it in the Media, well I've lost interest in that for a while now, basically because of some of the points you have made. It's all about the popularity of the person and not necessarily about what he/she has actually achieved. I know we are all horse racing fans on this particular forum but the way that AP was pushed and pushed by the racing pundits and media to get him to win the honour was a little bit pathetic. Should Frankie win it this year for all he has done for his sport and his achievements this year. he's very popular you know, even the housewives choice...?? Well I bet he dosn't even get a mention...?!? Couple this with the BBC, ITV, Sky Sports, BT nad whoever else you care to name only ever reporting on the sports that they show exclusively themselves then you see split votes and some nominees that leaves the regular sports watcher scratching heir heads as to who and what have they ever done this year...?!?
The press here was appreciative of Ben Stokes' efforts. Nobody anywhere can ignore the brilliance of what we saw yesterday. Those in the North will remember it with great warmth while we in the South will feel the pain for a while yet. I wanted that wicket to fall, but couldn't but feel admiration for both Stokes and Leach. I loved that Ben Stokes gave heaps of praise to his little mate at the other end. The pressure on Jack Leach was huge. At one stage when cleaning his glasses, his hands were shaking. He was brilliant. As for the media here, they were just as in awe as everyone else. But they also gave it to Paine and the ump. Our bowling to Jack Leach was terrible. There were far too many short balls while many others were pitched down the leg or off the stumps. They were not happy with field placements and bowler changes as well. But the simple fact is though, when Ben Stokes put Australia under pressure, they cracked.
In the lead up to the Silverstone Moto GP yesterday, one of my brothers and I were chatting about fast, road legal, production bikes and wondered which would be the quickest. These had to be bikes that could be bought by anyone walking in off the street. We sort of went close, but were shocked at what topped the list. In 1999 Suzuki rolled out a machine called the Hayabusa, a bike capable of 194 mph. It caused such a sensation that rumblings were heard in governmental circles. There was talk that nobody really needed a street bike that quick. This put the frighteners on manufacturers. So a gentlemen's agreement was reached among bike builders to make 185 mph the controlled limit. This pact held for about a decade or so before the you know what hit the fan. All of a sudden, speeds began to rise. Soon the 200 mph was broken and 205 became the respectable number. This is where my bro and I thought things might have flattened out. We had no ****ing idea! Today I did some research on the subject and came across a bike called the Kawasaki Ninja H2R. I knew of the H2, but not the H2R. Wiki states that the machine is not street legal, but a site called AutoWise reckons they can be registered for the road. I don't know where AutoWise is, (maybe the US) but from what I've since read, they can bought for somewhere around $55,000. It's a lot of money for a bike, but if you have the balls, you'll get a wild 249 mph ride. Madness.
Holy ****, I knew the H2R was quick, but it surprised me that it won that match up. If I'd had a bet, I'd have been on the F16 to beat the Red Bull with the Ninja third. And I'd have thought that the Ninja would have beaten the F1 off the line and then been beaten near the finish. But the F1 was amazing the way it launched. It didn't take long before the bike passed it though. And no, I hadn't seen the film before Smoke, thanks mate. Most enjoyable.
It's beginning to look as though we have another super star on the scene. Shaunae Miller-Uibo smashed the strongest 200m field we've seen in ages. The lady stopped the clock in the final of the 200m in a sensational 21:74. 3 from the outside.
The Final of the 400m Hurdles. What a sensational race. These people are scorching now, as the Worlds are just around the corner. Freakin' hell.
Men's 800m Final. Talk about coming from nowhere. The winner was out the back, he came from second last.
VAR still ****e. Misses a stone wall penalty for West Ham although result not affected. Then denies Villa a point at Palace because the ref had allegedly and incorrectly blown up for a dive even though the cameras can't see him ever putting the whistle to his mouth.
GRAPHIC WANING. I though long and hard about whether I should post the following, and I'm not sure that in doing so, that I've done the right thing. I apologies if I've done wrong. How sad is this? 22 year old Frenchman Anthoine Hubert lost his life yesterday in an horrific crash at Spa. His car was t-boned and torn in half. The poor man survived for an hour and twenty eight minutes. It's a very sad time for Anthoine's family and friends.
