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Some Sporting Observations

8. McLaren threw away the F1 Drivers Championship. That is the only conclusion that could be reached after Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen came from third in the overall standings to win the most thrilling F1 title chase in history. Lewis Hamilton, looking to become the youngest ever F1 champion and the only rookie to win the title, clearly felt the pressure of the situation as well as the distraction of his rivalry with teammate Fernando Alonso, who claimed McLaren officials were favouring Hamilton. In the end it was Raikkonen and Ferrari who scrapped their way to victory by a single point. Hamilton will be better suited next season with Alonso on a different team.

7. The Baltimore Ravens have to be the most overrated team in the NFL and will not make the playoffs this season. The Ravens, with running back Willis McGahee in pseudo-revenge mode against his former side, were beaten by Buffalo 19-14 to send the Ravens to 4-3. Four wins is definitely more than the Ravens deserve considering their easy draw to date. Kyle Boller is pulling the trigger, the defence is not as fearsome as it once was and nobody is catching. Don’t expect the Ravens to make much of a splash for the remainder of the year.

6. Joe Torre is no longer a Yankee. After twelve years of exceptional success, the Yankees manager rejected a one year offer of less guaranteed money from the organisation, an offer he considered an insult. Torre, essentially, was forced out of the Yankees by owner George Steinbrenner’s sons, Hank and Hal, who have recently taken over the ownership of the storied franchise. Torre was beloved by Yankee fans, more so than any player he managed over those twelve memorable seasons that saw the Yankees make every post-season. Wherever Torre goes from here, he will always be remembered as one of the greatest Yankees ever.

5. Boston hurler Josh Beckett is the ace pitcher in the American League and most likely all of Major League Baseball and it would be most unwise to bet against him in the World Series, if the Red Sox are to make it that far. Beckett has had a sensational season, going 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA. He is the only MLB pitcher to break twenty wins and is the raging hot favourite to win the Cy Young Award, particularly after his two fine displays against the Indians in the ALCS. Beckett is a gun and can be bet with confidence for at least the next few seasons.

4. Pandemonium reigned supreme at Caulfield on Saturday with the Caulfield Cup overshadowed by pre-race sensation. The Caulfield Cup had already caused plenty of excitement with Maldivian set to go around as the shortest priced favourite in over four decades when the drama started. Second favourite Eskimo Queen felt uncomfortable in the barriers and lay down beneath them, motionless, causing a great deal of worry. While all this was going on, hot pot Maldivian played up and cut his neck on a foreign object in the barrier, believed to be a television camera that was placed there without permission. Both were scratched. An investigation has been launched by stewards and there will no doubt be some big ramifications with plenty of money lost by both connections of the two favourites and those who had bet them all-in.

3. The West Coast Eagles and the AFL have both been severely tarnished by the plentitude of drug related incidents at the club and it will be a harrowing few weeks for both organisations with any further poor decisions sure to send each deeper into the mire. West Coast still refuses to admit a culture of drugs at the club despite the mountain of evidence against that claim and the simple response has to be to overhaul the club at every level. It will cause short term pain but it is entirely necessary if the Eagles are to cleanse themselves and start afresh. The AFL also needs to play some role, punishing the Eagles for their inaction while looking at their internal structures for acquiring and receiving advice after their abject malfunction in addressing the issue of drugs at the Eagles. Failure for the AFL to do so will leave a scare on the AFL that will not be healed for many years to come.

2. South Africa were the team most deserving of World Cup glory and that is what they got Sunday morning when they grinded out a 15-6 victory over England. In what was a dour game that hardly put the sport’s best foot forward at its most important moment, South Africa were just too tough and too disciplined for the English. South African coach Jake White, in a twist of fate, is expected to become England’s mentor in the near future. Assistant South African coach Eddie Jones would also see the win as somewhat redeeming, having been forced out of Australia by internal politics.

1. The NRL needs to be applauded for their 2008 season draw, a season where the game will celebrate 100 years in Australia. Rather than maintain the arbitrary pool system used to determine who would play each other twice and who would play each other only once, the NRL invited clubs to request who they would like to play at home. The result is many more local derbies with most Sydney clubs playing each other twice and all three Queensland teams meeting each other on a home and away basis. The result will be increased crowds, television ratings and interest in rugby league. There is also a chance that the Grand Final will return to a Sunday afternoon, pleasing most rugby league fans. The NRL board should show some leadership on this issue and ensure the fans and lovers of the game get what they want.

Upper of the Week: The All Golds- Northern Union centennial celebration game in Warrington. The match was played to honour a century of rugby league since the important tour, crucial in the development of the game in the Southern Hemisphere, took place. The old scoring system was used, Steven Price played the role of Dally Messenger as the Australian invitee and Wayne Bennett used the 1970’s tactic “The Wall”. It was a wonderful way to celebrate a pioneering tour.

Downer of the Week: The racial taunts suffered by Andrew Symonds and the complete dismissal by Indian cricket authorities. While it is par for the course for players to be taunted when riding the boundary, no player should have to accept taunts about their race. Symonds, always the class act, mentioned the incident and then belted a century. He will bat with the same focus this summer with this incident sure to have steeled him.