Although I had Friday off to make a rather feeble attempt at fishing for my dinner, I was intently trying to get some form of access to the NBA Finals. It was sure to a be classic with Boston Celtics and L.A. Lakers going head to head in a Game 7. Talk about thrillers and a classic rivalry!
Thankfully, I was getting updates - and I had an inkling that the Lakers won when my friend decided to take the Celtics in our side bet and I didn't hear a peep from him after the third quarter. So I now have a ramen to claim from my side wager!
So the purple and yellow jerseys have done it! Go the Lakers!
World Cup fever has hit and has really taking a strong grip of my natural sleeping patterns. I feel a bit hazy at around 2-6am and usually have loaded up on coffee by the time 4pm rolls around! It's like one big hangover when day merges with night.
Firstly, the green and gold Aussie campaign has been a bit of a disappointment in my (not well informed) opinion. Versus Germany, Australia seemed to have gone in with the mentality that the result was a foregone conclusion and that a loss would be expected. So a loss was what Germany dished out to us in what can only be described as a lesson in clinical finishing. The icing on the cake was a terrible challenge by Cahill resulting in a straight red. Although I don't necessarily believe that it was deserving of a straight red, the question which I had was, "What was Cahill thinking?". Seriously - a tackle from behind in the Aussie's attacking half was ambitious at best. It wasn't like he was saving a goal....
Versus Ghana, the Aussies appeared to fare much better, fielding a side which was definitely strong enough. Good job Holman, but Wiltshire should have had a better finishing touch which would have put the game away. Kewells dismissal was harsh, but I believe that it deserved a penalty. The shot was an absolute bullet and there was almost no way he could have moved out of the way.
On the world stage where everyone expects sportsmanship and professionalism, I found certain participants really lacking. The latest example of course has to be during the game between Brazil and the Ivory Coast and the incredulous reaction to what appeared to be Kaka bracing himself for a bump. Fabiano's "touches" for his second goal were also questionable. A winning mentaility is one thing, but with technology so good how could one expect not to be found out by a simple replay? Unfortunately, reputations can be destroyed as easily with an email going viral, so credibility of the player, the referee and the sport will start to get called into question. Perhaps this was redemption for Rivaldo's rather infamous reaction to a ball hitting his feet for a corner kick in the 2002 WC. At least Hollywood won't be short of budding artists....
Finally, the RICE treatment has somewhat helped and the swelling has now subsided. Still out for a few weeks with no impact sports or anything requiring me to pivot on my leg. So the positive news is that it didn't require draining! *fingers crossed*
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