Sunday 31 October 2010
Redman
Source: http://cornellbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/10/redman.html
Pizza- A Great Apres Heliskiing Tea Goodie
by Sean Peltier, Chef, CMH McBride
I am a huge pizza fan. Huge. It would be safe to say that I eat pizza about twice a week. I always make my own as it is such a great vessel for all the vegetables that grow in my garden. Pizza is comfort food for me that screams summer al fresco dinning.The winter is a whole different beast and most definitely after a long day of heliskiing in neck-deep powder something that is warm and crispy and easily accompanies a bowl of hot soup is usually what I'm looking for. Not to mention that anything with a lot of carbs and protein will help your aching muscles recover. Sure pizza would be good, but for me the real ticket is the calzone. Or simply a pizza folded over before it's baked.
What I love most about a calzone is that it seems to lend itself to a much larger spectrum of toppings than a pizza. A personal favorite of mine involves Salmon or Ling Cod, some sauteed cabbage, a really great tomato sauce and some crumbled goat cheese. Now if this sounds a little too risque for you and your fellow skiers than stick to what makes you warm and fuzzy inside like pepperoni and mozzarella.
One of the other great advantages of the calzone is that if you make them the night before and keep them in the fridge until you get in from your day of slicing up fresh tracks of champagne powder, they work even better. Letting the dough sit in the fridge overnight makes it a lot crispier when baked.
Here is the bomb proof, fail safe pizza dough recipe. Fill it with what ever makes you smile!3 cups flour (preferably bread flour, but all purpose works just fine)
1/2 cup water (luke warm or room temperature)
1/2 cup white wine (or if you don't have the wine...ya right...just use 1 cup of water)
7 grams of instant rise yeast (1 packet)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
a pinch of salt
In a bowl combine the flour, yeast, honey, water and wine. Mix all this together until the liquid is absorbed and then add the salt. Add the salt later because if the the salt comes into direct contact with the yeast it can kill it. Then add the extra virgin olive oil. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8-12 min or until a smooth and elastic dough has been formed. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap, set the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to double in size. This can take anywhere between 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of the room and the temperature of the water that was used. Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto your counter and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a round pizza shape.
Now it's time to put in your filling. Make sure that you don't over fill them. Place all the ingredients on top of one another in the center of the dough and then fold the dough over top, pressing down on all the dough to seal in all the goodness. They can be baked now or refrigerated up to 24 hours before baking. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 min or until nicely golden. I like to slice mine before they go into the oven so that the steam can escape while baking, I find that the dough doesn't get as soggy that way. Once they come out of your oven all cooked to perfection and such, give them a brushing of olive oil. Give them a few minutes to cool down a little so you don't burn the roof of your mouth.
Serve this with a hot bowl of soup and I promise that you will be making this an apres-ski tradition.
Rotterdam 2010: WAG Prelims LIVE!
Necessary fuel...See "coverage" post for links to live quick hits and scores as competition unfolds.
I politely ask that you don't post scores or routine quick hits in Comments as I will already be reading and posting them, as they become available, up here. I heartily welcome discussion (of course) but I don't want my inbox exploding with notifications of things we have already read. Just keep hitting refresh to see updates. Cheers! Enjoy the show.
*************************************************
Women's Qualification start list is available HERE.
IG has put a session 5 preview HERE.
Couch Gymnast's interesting note from training:
Overheard- Peggy Liddick telling Georgia Wheeler (in a joking fashion) "Do one beam set on the floor and concentrate or I will take off my tennis shoe and..." gestures throwing it at her! Funny!
Right. Err... consider the tone set?
******************************************************
5:55pm Rotterdam time - "And here come the athletes!"
Blythe says:
The Aussies, in white and green and gold leos similiar to ones they often wear in international competition, are the only team to swing their arms in that oh-so-gymnast way as they march out.
VT:
Bonora: Clean Y-full with a small hop to the side 13.833
Brennan: Clean Tsuk full with a small hop back 13.766
Mitchell: Clean Baitova (IG says 'very nice'!), again a small hop back 14.733
Little: Baitova landed with chest low, small stumble out of it but looked good in air 14.466
Wheeler: Handspring front pike with a big step forward 13.066
Team Total: 56.798
Peggy Liddick looks thrilled and is even kind of joked with her team for a little bit before waving her hand and saying "OK, stop."
UB:
Bonora: Jump to high, Comaneci. Clear hip to bail to Ray or toe hecht, full turn, blind, front giant legs apart to stuck double front. "Well well well Australia..." YAAAAAAAY! That last remark made me immeasurably happy. HELLS YEAH BONORA, YOU SHOW 'EM! 13.766!
Little: Toe on, toe on 1/2 tO Jaeger, toe on full, DLO STUCK!. 13.791
Mitchell: Stalder, Jaeger, toe on full, toe on, toe on 1/2, double front with small hop. 13.700
Miller: Straddle toe hecht to high, inbar stalder full to Geinger. Bail to Ray. Inbar stalder blind to Jaeger. Full turn to immediate full twisting double tuck, STUCK! 14.300
Wheeler: Toe stalder to Maloney, had to muscle swinging out of it. Went for a Tkatchev and fell. Bail to Ray, blind, front giant, half turn, full turn, double pike with big step forward. 10.766
Team Total: 55.557
If Peggy Liddick was happy after vault, she must be dancing for joy after bars, even with that fall from Wheeler. More sticks on this event than any team yet, even China!
BB:
Little: Wobble on front tuck? Full turn in sit position. Front aerial, bhs, layout, no problem. Switch, back tuck. Switch side. 'Easy' roundoff double tuck with a step. 5.4/13.567
Brennan: Front aerial, switch, Gainer, wonderful! Switch half to back tuck, shouldn't get connection. Split, wolf. Side somie with legs straight. Switch ring. Bhs, layout, perfect. Side aerial, side somie. Not a wobble. Roundoff, double pike, basically stuck. WOW. That was World medal worthy. And worthy of a hug from Peggy. (aka ASH HITS BEAM LIKE A BOSS, WOOOOHOOOO!!!) 5.9/14.300!
Bonora: Switch leap, tuck back, aerial wo ff layout, onodi, aerial cartwheel, pike double dismount 5.8/14.266
Mitchell: Chest stand cartwheel mount. Bhs, bhs to two feet, layout to two feet, had to fight to save it but did. 2.5 turn in sit position. Switch half to back tuck. Front aerial, switch, front flip. Saved switch ring. Two bhs to double pike, covered the step forward by saluting the judges. 6.7/14.966!
Wheeler: Long wait for her...press handstand mount. Forward roll out. Full turn in sit position, a little tentative. Punch front. Bhs, back tuck, solid. Switch, pike. Switch side, a little tentative again. Side somie, small wobble. Two bhs to double pike. She stayed on and finished it well! 5.3/13.366
Team Total: 57.099
FX:
Bonora: High double tuck. Very high double full. Switych ring, Tourjete half. Triple full. 1.5 to full twist. Front aerial. Switch half. Double pike, chest low and took a bounce, but hit routine. Not difficult tumbling, but no huge mistake. 5.1/13.400
Little: Full in tucked. Double tuck. Front aerial. Double turn. Tense music. OOB on 1.5 to double full. Switch, switch half. Double pike, landed a bit back and had to take a step forward but saved any catastrophe. 5.2/13.200
Brennan: Stuck full in tucked. Stuck double tuck. Oh my...Aussies are nailing this. Switch ring, switch side half. Front layout, front full, single stag jump. Double pike, small hop forward. (Looking good, ladies!) 5.3/13.833
Miller: Front layout to front double full, really nice. Steps OOB on double pike second pass. Switch ring, Tourjete. Third pass ended well with a punch front. 2.5 to single stag jump to end. 5.3/13.633
Mitchell: OOB on Arabian double pike to single stag. Traveled a little too much. Full in pike. 2.5 turn in sit position. Same routine as 2009. 2.5 to front layout, much better than in training. Tourjete half, crisp. Double pike with a hop back. 5.8/14.466
Overall Team Total: 224.785 and into third place overall! Go girls!
Concensus in the blogosphere is that they "performed better than Romania" today. What a ringing endorsemsent! Here's hoping it's good enough for a team finals slot.
As if it's 4:30am right now.
AS IF IT IS.
Oh... bugger. It is.
Source: http://ozgymnastics.blogspot.com/2010/10/rotterdam-2010-wag-prelims.html
Saturday 30 October 2010
Monty rocket ignites Europe revival
Colin Montgomerie was flustered, panicky even, at the start of Saturday's third session.
By the end of play the European Ryder Cup captain had less reason to stress. But he was still clearly agitated.
Montgomerie has put his heart and soul into winning back the Ryder Cup but a bunch of freewheeling Americans looked to be riding roughshod over his best-laid plans.
But the Ryder Cup is all about momentum. There are highs and lows along the way and going into Sunday, Europe are soaring. Theoretically, anyway. The scoreboard still says Europe 4-6 United States but the home side are up in all six unfinished matches - two foursomes and four fourballs.
If Friday's washout marred the start of the event, Super Saturday, one of the longest days in Ryder Cup history, was a feast with 16 matches on show, and six foursomes played in their entirety.
It may have been messy to follow at times, and there is an argument that some of the tactical intrigue has been lost, with the selection conundrum removed from the captains. But tell that to the paying public.
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The all-blue scoreboard on Saturday night is no guarantee of anything, of course, but it puts a different hue on the match, which looked to be going the way of the US when Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar stole a point off Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy to conclude the earlier six-match foursomes session.
"It wasn't going so well this afternoon, to be honest with you," bemoaned Montgomerie. "It was a bit stale. I felt there wasn't enough passion on the golf course."
Sighing, emotional and distracted by his shoes ("I must throw these things in the bin") Montgomerie bizarrely embarked on a long monologue in his news conference.
He told us how he had implored the players to fire up the crowd and get them acting as Europe's "13th man". He also revealed he has asked for the giant screens to show less action on Sunday in order to display more of the scoreboard, and hopefully a profusion of blue.
And he admitted any further delay would result in a Monday finish and, perhaps crucially, dismissed notions of a shotgun start or revamped singles order, depending on when the morning matches finish, to get the competion finished on Sunday.
He gushed about how pleased he was to have Jose Maria Olazabal with the team and admitted a recording of the radio traffic on his team walkie-talkies may have rendered the air bluer than the morning's scoreboard.
He also hinted he may have given his side something of a "talking to" before the third session, and revealed he spent a long time trying to gee up McDowell and McIlroy after they let slip a one-shot lead with three holes to play.
Young McIlroy is still a work in progress after a number of errors at crucial moments. The 21-year-old had his moments, but missed a short putt for a half on 17 and leaked his pitching wedge approach into the right greenside bunker on 18, after finding the water with his second on the same hole earlier in the day to leave his partner under pressure.
As the third session got under way Montgomerie told TV: "We need to go into the singles at 8-8 minimum, minimum. (Monty says lots of things twice).
"All I can do is tell my players how good they are. We've got the motivational videos on with clips of them winning trophies and holing putts. I can't do any more. It's all about passion and want. All I can do is give them passion. The motivation is there from losing in 2008. They've got to want it and by God they do."
Monty's rocket seemed to have done the trick and Luke Donald and Lee Westwood set the tone by surging to a five-hole lead over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker before dropping back to four up at the close. Behind them, McDowell and McIlroy responded well and lead Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan by three.
In the other three matches, Europe are two up in two, and one up in two. Slim margins, but something for Europe to cling to.
"It was a very important two hours of play and we came through it with flying colours," said Montgomerie, who lauded Westwood and must also be pleased with the way Padraig Harrington is edging back to form in the company of Ross Fisher, who is growing in stature.
Indeed, Harrington, whose wildcard pick caused such consternation, won his first Ryder Cup match since 2004 on Saturday afternoon.
The last time a team came from behind after the first session to win was 1999 when the US overhauled a 2.5-1.5 deficit. Europe trailed by the same margin when Friday's fourballs were eventually concluded at 1045 BST on Saturday.
Should they hold firm in all six matches still on course, that would give them a 10-6 lead going into the singles, also the same as in 1999. Trouble is, that year the Americans came storming back to win. Further session comparisons don't really count because of the reworked format.
US captain Corey Pavin, as he has all week, remained level-headed and pragmatic. "I have not seen points given for matches that are through four, five, six or seven holes," he said.
Of some concern for Pavin must be the form of Woods. The world number one was carried by the putting of Stricker for much of the day and he cut a dejected figure after a series of wayward irons in the unfinished foursomes match.
The skipper wouldn't admit it, nor would he say that Phil Mickelson has disappointed so far, though he agreed the mis-firing partnership with Dustin Johnson needed to be split up. Mickelson, incidentally, last won a Ryder Cup point six matches ago in the second session in 2008.
If Montgomerie has put pressure on his side by demanding they go into the singles level at the very least, Pavin was less specific.
"Everybody is trying to do the best they can and that's all you can ask," he said. "Where we end up is where we end up. The objective is to have more points than Europe at the end of the competition."
When that is, we don't yet know. And Sunday's forecast is not promising. What we do know is that while the results of Sunday morning's resumption will be important, the fate of the Ryder Cup will be decided by the singles. There will be no hiding places.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/robhodgetts/2010/10/colin_montgomerie_was_flustere.html
Time is running out to volunteer for London 2012
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So here's a reminder to all of you busy people who haven't had time to volunteer for the Olympics, the deadline to apply is midnight TONIGHT.
I'm reminding you because several friends of mine recently were almost caught out by the speed of which the application process has raced by. I'm pleased to say they have now got on the London 2012 website and filled in the application form.
I know they will make great volunteers because they are highly intelligent people with professional skills. But they are also heavily involved in sport and other activities and will know exactly how the competitors are feeling just hours before a race.
They will know how the athletes will be completely in the sporting "zone" and they will know how to help them through those decisive moments.
I've mentioned in my blog before that I believe the volunteers are crucial to the 2012 Olympics being a success. They are the people whom many visitors from around the world will remember when they leave the Games.
I'm not convinced that London 2012 have got their volunteer programme completely right.
I want to see more under-18s involved and, as I've said before, I think there should be more financial support for travel and accommodation to make sure people from around Britain get the chance to volunteer.
I will keep pressing 2012 and their sponsors to find ways of making this happen. In the meantime, I would encourage people from around London,the south east and from around the UK to volunteer.
Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to play a role in what has the potential to be the most exciting event in this country during our lifetime.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adrianwarner/2010/10/time_is_running_out_to_volunte.html
Penalty controversy fails to mask Rangers' superiority
What Neil Lennon really needed in Sunday's Old Firm game was his assistants - Alan Thompson, Johan Mjallby - and himself in the team.
What Celtic missed was exactly the kind of mentality those three brought to the Hoops jersey in spades when they were playing.
Rangers had mental toughness by the bucketful and that did for Celtic, who could not match their desire and will to win.
Lennon can feel justifiably aggrieved over a poor and wrong penalty decision, but overall Rangers had the better players.
Kenny Miller (centre) is congratulated by Lee McCulloch and Kyle Lafferty after scoring for Rangers. Photo: SNS
Indeed, Anthony Stokes was lucky he wasn't plying his trade in England's Premier League, because his lunging tackle in the opening minutes would probably have seen him red-carded in that league.
The Old Firm's mission is not to beat the rest.
With the vastly mismatched resources in Scottish football, they should do that as a matter of course.
No, their mission is to beat each other and it is Rangers who have emerged with the psychological upper hand until the next clash.
Walter Smith's side are a much better team than critics have given them credit for.
Their Champions League results and Scottish Premier League form cannot be argued with.
In Allan McGregor, they now have a keeper as good as anything in the English top flight and, in Kenny Miller, a front man with a level of confidence unmatched by any Celtic player.
Their strength of belief and teamwork was superior to that of a Celtic side with seven derby-day debutants.
Their central-defensive pairing of David Weir and Madjid Bougherra was firm in its resolve and the midfield, once into its second-half stride, had too much strength and organisation for Celtic.
However, Lennon, who is just in the management door compared to Smith, a vastly experienced campaigner, can take some heart.
Lennon looks to have a winner in forward Gary Hooper, who received little service throughout but who took his goal with a speed of reaction that promised much for the future.
The Celtic manager also lost talisman Shaun Maloney just into the restart and who knows what difference his pace and trickery might have made to the second half.
In Emilio Izaguirre and Ki Sung-Yueng, he had two players of genuine flair and talent who were unflustered by the day's events and look to have the credentials for a successful stay at Parkhead.
There is a school of thought that, with a starting line up of six Scots and two Northern Irishmen, Rangers had players who understood what was required in such a hothouse occasion. Celtic kicked off with just two Scots in their line up.
I'm not convinced of the argument. Professional football has been a global game for a long time.
What surely counts is the quality of player and the hunger, desire and commitment they show. This time round, Rangers players had more of all of those things.
Lennon is articulate, smart and intelligent. He'll need all of those qualities now to quickly build a side that can match the qualities of Celtic's great rivals if the SPL flag is to fly at Celtic Park at the end of this season.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jimspence/2010/10/penalty_controversy_fails_to_m.html
Friday 29 October 2010
Fall Equinox
Source: http://comeskiwithme.blogspot.com/2010/09/fall-equinox.html
Juan Alberto Schiaffino Dixie Dean Johan Neeskens Mario Kempes
No Easy Answers to Giants' DH Question
Filed under: Giants, Rangers, MLB Playoffs, World Series
ARLINGTON, Texas -- So far this postseason, just about every time Bruce Bochy has had a choice among Door No. 1, 2 or 3, he's picked the one with the new car behind it.As the World Series shifts to Texas and American League rules, the Giants' manager won't be tested by quite so many in-game decisions, but he'll have one more big issue facing him each day he fills out his lineup.
Who will be the DH?
Bochy was giving few hints as to which way he'd lean before the Giants left for Texas. However the Giants play it, the extra hitter they put in the lineup is not likely to have much of an impact. Their two-game World Series outburst notwithstanding, the Giants are usually stretching to get eight quality hitters in the lineup, so don't expect the the ninth to be a difference-maker.
Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/29/no-easy-answers-to-giants-dh-question/
Your classic Italian Grand Prix
The 1991 Italian Grand Prix is the selected race in the latest edition of our classic grand prix series.
The full 'Grand Prix' highlights programme from the time is embedded below, with the links to the shorter edits of it and all the other races we gave as options in my blog last week underneath it.
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WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1987 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1991 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1996 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1998 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2009 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
WATCH LONG HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2009 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
The highlights will be available on satellite and cable television in the UK from 1500 BST on Wednesday 8 September until 1000 on Friday 10 of September. Unfortunately, because of a lack of bandwidth, they will not be available on Freeview.
As regular readers will know, we make the decision about which race to highlight after reading your responses to my previous blog.
It is not a 'vote' per se - in that it is ultimately our decision which race to show the extended highlights for - but we do take your views very seriously. And this was one of the closest calls we have had to make.
In terms of your responses, there was almost nothing to choose between the 1987, '91 and 1996 races. By my reckoning, '87 and '96 were tied in terms of backers, with '91 only three ahead.
In the end, though, Nigel Mansell's victory for Williams in 1991 is a deserving choice.
The Englishman won after a three-way battle between himself, team-mate Riccardo Patrese and McLaren's Ayrton Senna, who was Mansell's rival for the title that year.
Senna led from the start, tracked closely by both Williams drivers, who were also engaged in their own private fight.
In 1992, Mansell utterly dominated Patrese and the rest of the field in the FW14B, which was fitted with active suspension. In 1991, though, the two men were closely matched in its predecessor, the original FW14, which had standard suspension, and Patrese flat beat Mansell on some occasions.
When Patrese passed the Englishman at around half-distance, when the two men were still hounding Senna, Monza looked like being one of those times. But the Italian then spun on the very next lap, leaving Mansell to challenge Senna alone, and he passed the Brazilian a few laps later.
It was an important victory for Mansell, who had spent the summer trying to eat into the big lead Senna had built up by winning the first four races on the trot, at a time when Williams were struggling with reliability problems.
Following his Monza victory, with the faster car under him and momentum apparently riding with him, it was beginning to look as if Mansell might do it.
There were more wins to come - including in Spain, where he and Senna famously went wheel-to-wheel millimetres apart down the main straight - but ultimately the title slipped through Mansell's fingers. The end of his challenge was a mistake early in the Japanese Grand Prix, when he ran off the road and out of the race.
He would have to wait another year before finally getting his hands on the title.
You, though, can watch these videos right now. I hope you enjoy them.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/09/your_classic_italian_grand_pri_1.html
News and Notes: Monday Edition
Below, some news and notes for Monday. Above, an autograph card signed by several members of the Big Red. Players were signing autographs following the Red-White scrimmage on Saturday.- The Heights, a student newspaper of Boston College writes, "New head coach Steve Donahue brings a different coaching style and worthy experience from coaching the Cornell University men's basketball team, which triumphed as Ivy League champions from 2008-2010 and reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last year."
- MidMajority.com is ranking each of the 263 Mid Major basketball programs based on their performances during the last six years. Each day MidMajority is counting down the teams among the top 100. Here is a look at the top 30 teams revealed-to-date. Cornell is the only Ivy League to finish among the top 50 mid major basketball programs.
30. Saint Joseph`s, Atlantic 14 (66 points)
29. Sam Houston State, Southland (67 points)
28. Akron, Mid-American (70 points)
27. Rhode Island, Atlantic 14 (72 points)
26. Cornell, Ivy League (73 points)
25. Kent State, Mid-American (73 points)
24. Massachusetts, Atlantic 14 (73 points)
23. Vermont, America East (76 points)
22. Morgan State, MEAC (77 points)
21. Missouri State, Missouri Valley (79 points)
20. Creighton, Missouri Valley (80 points)
19. Temple, Atlantic 14 (80 points)
18. South Alabama, Sun Belt (83 points)
17. Siena, Metro Atlantic (84 points)
16. George Mason, Colonial (90 points)
15. Wichita State, Missouri Valley (92 points)
14. Southern Illinois, Missouri Valley (92 points)
13. Dayton, Atlantic 14 (97 points)
12. Utah State, Western Athletic (99 points)
11. Bradley, Missouri Valley (100 points)
10. Winthrop, Big South (109 points)
9. Saint Mary`s, West Coast (111 points)
8. Northern Iowa, Missouri Valley (112 points)
- Throughout the season we will provide periodic updates on Cornell's eight (8) overseas alumni playing professionally. These former Cornell players include: Jeff Aubry ('99) (Halcones, LNBP Mexico); John McCord ('97) (Strasbourg, Pro A France); Cody Toppert ('05) (Plymouth Raiders, British Basketball League); Jason Hartford ('08) (Ginasio, LPD Portugal); Louis Dale ('10) (Gottingen, Bundesliga Germany); Ryan Wittman ('10) (Forli, LegaDue Italy); Jeff Foote ('10) (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel Winner's League); Jon Jaques ('10) (Ashkelon, Israel Winner's League).
Source: http://cornellbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/10/news-and-notes-monday-edition_25.html
Thursday 28 October 2010
Cup replay against Preston Athletic will be tough
First of all, I'd just like to apologise for the lack of my blog last week - hopefully there were a few of you who actually missed it!
The name of Annan Athletic will be pulled out of the hat for the third-round draw of the Scottish Cup on Thursday afternoon.
Everyone at the club is delighted to still be in the competition but that's about the only positive the boys have taken from Saturday's performance. Don't get me wrong, we were never in any danger of losing the match.
We controlled the game in terms of possession but we were very disappointed in ourselves in terms of creating chances, especially in the second half.
Annan will be without captain Kevin Neilson for their Scottish Cup replay with Preston Athletic. Photo: SNS
You have to give massive credit to Preston Athletic for their performance in the match. They were harshly reduced to 10 men within half an hour but restricted us to very few chances and even created a couple of half chances themselves.
They were a very organised unit and, after speaking to their manager, Stevie Myatt, he is expecting their squad to be stronger for the replay so by no means should any of us be taking the result of the replay as a formality.
I, for one, won't be paying any attention to the third-round draw until Saturday is out of the way.
Whereas Preston will have players back who missed the original tie, we will be without our captain, Kevin Neilson, for the replay. Big Nelly is going in to hospital to have his metal plate removed from a facial injury he received in a work accident a few months back.
This obviously means that the manager and Andy Aitken have at least one enforced change to make. I'm sure we would all rather have our captain in the team but we're in the fortunate position of being quite strong in that area so there are plenty of options available to Harry and Andy that shouldn't disrupt things too much.
A few of the boys who played on Saturday had the chance to get it out of their system when we faced Queen of the South in a reserve game at Palmerston on Tuesday night. We fielded quite a strong side in the game and got ourselves a 2-2 draw after last week's disappointing result against Partick Thistle.
We just about managed to put a full team out who all had first-team experience, with the exception of two under-19s in Callum West and Patrick Slattery. It was probably just as well because Queens themselves had five of their first team involved in the game.
I'm hoping for a double celebration this weekend to go along with a win in the Scottish Cup. It's our yearly jaunt to Carlisle Racecourse on Sunday afternoon along with a few of my friends and our partners.
I'm not one for gambling at all so I save it all up for this weekend. Hopefully the boys have a few tips for me, otherwise it will be left to my girlfriend Laura to pick the winners. Laura normally makes her choices either by the name she likes or by the fanciest outfit worn by the jockey so I won't be getting my hopes up!
As much as it would be nice to pick up a few bob winning on the horses I'll definitely settle for the win bonus against Preston Athletic on Saturday afternoon.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chrisjardine/2010/10/cup_replay_against_preston_ath.html
The inner circle behind Liverpool's takeover
No fans would have recognised him.
None would have known to thank him.
But as Philip Hall took his seat in the Anfield Directors' Box for the match against Blackburn, he allowed himself a smile of satisfaction.
As the man who brokered NESV's dramatic takeover of Liverpool, the Senior Partner of American investment bank Inner Circle Sports knows better than most what went in to the club's change of ownership. For months, Hall worked tirelessly, desperately scouring the world for somebody who would buy the club from Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Now, finally, he could reflect on the fruits of his labour.
For NESV chairman Tom Werner and the other new Anfield directors David Ginsberg and Michael Gordon, the match against Blackburn was their first experience of Anfield since the deal was completed 10 days ago, and for Hall it was extra special too.
"It felt like the end of a journey for me," the Harvard MBA graduate says in his soft Manhattan accent.
"Anfield is always a very special place to take in a match. It was good to see familiar faces and most importantly for the club to get three points. Gerry Marsden's rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone in person was particularly moving. Tom and the other attendees from NESV were in awe of the atmosphere. They spent a few minutes with manager Roy Hodgson after the match to congratulate him on the victory and to get his take on how it went."
Back in 2007 it was Inner Circle themselves who had introduced Hicks and Gillett to Liverpool as the men to carry the club forward. Some would suggest that Hall and his colleagues had a responsibility to help bring an end to the controversial regime they had helped put in place in the first place. But, with the threat of a $1.6bn lawsuit hanging over the club and the takeover, Hall is understandably diplomatic and sympathetic towards the former owners.
"George and Tom were well-intentioned and wanted the best for club but a number of events conspired to not allow them to follow through" says Hall.
"The relationship between both themselves and with former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was difficult."
Liverpool's co-owner Tom Werner enjoys a taste of the unique atmosphere at Anfield
Inner Circle are effectively a football finance 'dating service', bringing clubs and potential investors together, not only in the US but increasingly in Europe. Having overseen the sale of Liverpool to Hicks and Gillett, the company then focused on arranging Ellis Short's takeover of Sunderland and began work on finding a new buyer for Sheffield Wednesday. But even though Hall stopped working for Hicks and Gillett in 2008, he maintained key relationships with senior figures at Anfield, constantly looking out for someone with the money to buy the club.
"I kept working talking and working behind the scenes" he commented. "I always hoped this day would come. It's a huge sense of accomplishment. I had a good relationship with NESV and three months ago I started talking to them seriously about the possibility of a deal. Three weeks ago we came to London to agree a purchase with the club's board. A lot of people played key roles, including the team from Shearman & Sterling (the corporate lawyers advising NESV), but then obviously things got delayed."
Hicks and Gillett's opposition to the �300m sale to NESV meant that the purchase Hall had brokered went down to the wire as the drawn-out dispute was dragged through courtrooms in London and Dallas.
"It was very difficult, hearing about all this back in the US" he says.
"I was waking up at 2am to read reports in the media. It was an emotional rollercoaster but in the end it was a great result. This was the culmination of two years hard work, of countless meetings and phone calls. It tugs at you a little bit because I knew how much Liverpool fans wanted this to be done."
Hall, whose interest in European football stems originally from his Leeds-born father, understands the reservations of Liverpool fans who are wary of another American, introduced and advised by the same company that brought about the previous regime, but he insists Henry and his associates can be trusted.
"This is not some fantasy. NESV is a very strong business which underpins their investment. NESV are fiercely competitive, they want to win and understand the frustration of Liverpool's fans. They will do the right thing.
"They won't be a Sheikh Mansour or Roman Abramovich, they'll take a more holistic approach, applying sound business judgement on all aspects of the club, including what to do about a stadium. It's not going to be easy but they're here for the long-haul. They're not interested in a 'quick flip' sale in a year or two. They want to turn this around, right the ship and win. Debt will not be an issue, they do not believe in building brands with leverage."
Hall believes the new owners will give Hodgson time and listen and take a long-term perspective as they seek to usher in a revival at Anfield - but should Liverpool supporters expect an influx of signings in January?
"They should be patient" says Hall.
"The summer is when there may be a surge, rather than the new year. These are well-intentioned individuals but above all they are winners. Look at what they've done at the Boston Red Sox. They are intensely competitive."
With Liverpool, Manchester United, Sunderland and Aston Villa all owned by Americans, and Stanley Kroenke hovering just short of the shareholding level which will force him to make an offer for all other Arsenal shares, the influence of the United States over the Premier League is growing. So does Hall believe the trend will continue?
"The challenge is that only a few of the Premier League clubs have the global brands and international resonance that US investors are looking for.
"However, the game in England is still 10 to 15 years behind the US when it comes to the commercialisation of sports so the Premier League remains an intriguing proposition."
According to Hall, in Liverpool NESV saw a similar "unpolished diamond" that the Boston Red Sox represented when they were bought in 2002. Two world titles, a renovated stadium and a reinvigorated business swiftly followed. If the same can be achieved at Anfield, Liverpool supporters might spare a thought for Hall and the 'inner circle' behind John W Henry's arrival.
You can follow me at twitter.com/danroan
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/danroan/2010/10/the_inner_circle_behind_liverp.html
Rotterdam 2010: PRELIM VIDEOS!
BEAM:
While you can see Emily's floor routine here.
FLOOR:
(Click through to Dutchfan's channel to see the rest of Australia on floor)
Source: http://ozgymnastics.blogspot.com/2010/10/rotterdam-2010-videos.html
Wednesday 27 October 2010
Day Late: US Open 2010 Week One Review.
::
With all the extreme heat and wind that has occurred this week at the US Open, we are finally into the second week. There are still some interesting fourth round/quarterfinal matches to be played, and some surprising upsets. Here are some of my storylines so far:
Performance of American Men
Andy Roddick was bounced in the second round of the US Open by Janko Tipsarevic in four sets. After the foot fault incident, Roddick?s Grand Slam performance ultimately stands as another disappointing performance at a major. He had a good opportunity to take advantage of a favorable draw in New York as well as during Wimbledon and failed both times. The tenth ranked American?s recent performance has made American tennis fans wonder now if he will ever win a major again. Eighteenth seed John Isner also lost his third round match to twelfth seeded Mikhail Youzhny in four sets. His serve was dominant as usual, with 33 aces, but the problem was his footwork and forehand were not on Sunday night. Can Isner build around that powerful serve? He had a great chance to make the quarterfinals with Andy Murray?s loss and failed to take advantage. I expect a big 2011 from Isner if he can recover from the 70-68 fifth set with Mahut at Wimbledon and once the torn ligaments in his knee are healed.
As for some positives, twentieth seed Sam Querrey has matched his best performance at the US Open with a dominating straight sets? victory over fourteenth ranked Nicolas Almagro. Also, twenty first ranked Mardy Fish has continued his great summer with a berth in the fourth round against Novak Djokovic. However, American men have struggled on Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 0-3 record in this tournament. Querrey and Fish did their winning on Louis Armstrong Stadium and the grandstand, but with the central spotlight on them, can they come through?
Top Seeds Show Form
On both sides of the draw, the one seeds have held their own. Without Serena Williams in the draw, top seed Caroline Wozniacki has had the luxury of not being on the court that often. Through her three matches, she has been on court for an average time of one hour and one minute. However, she has yet to face the tougher competitors in a Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, or a Kim Clijsters.
On the men?s side, Rafael Nadal has looked strong on the hard courts, particularly with his serve. He has raised his velocity on his serve into the 130 miles per hour range. He has also not had his serve broken in this tournament despite some close sets in each of his first two matches. He had his best match of the tournament against former top ten player Giles Simon in the third round. With Murray out of the draw, Rafa has a great shot to make his first U.S Open final at the age of 24. He might have to play Federer and his tweener shot in that final. As for me, I hope Rafa-Fed happens this year.
Can the Brit Win a Slam?
Andy Murray suffered a third round loss at the hands of the number 25 seed Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets on Sunday. A lot of experts picked Murray to advance to at least the semifinals in this tournament, but the Scot disappointed once again. Last year, he was the two seed until losing in the fourth round to Marin Cilic. Murray had a chance to put the Swiss away when he was up a break in the second after winning the first set in a tiebreak, but failed to do so. A lot of pressure is on him to be the first person from the United Kingdom to win a slam since Fred Perry, but will they have to wait for the next British phenom? Only time will tell.
Extreme Weather Conditions
I live in New York City and have experienced these conditions first hand of extreme heat and wind over the last week. With winds up to thirty miles per hour on Saturday and heat going up to 100+ degrees on the court in the first week, it has been tough for some players to deal with the conditions such as fourth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia on the women?s side. She lost to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the third round on Saturday in straight sets. On the men?s side, six time finalist Roger Federer used the wind to his advantage in his win over Paul Henri-Mathieu and looks like he has a great chance to win his sixth US Open title.
Source: http://craighickmanontennis.blogspot.com/2010/09/day-late-us-open-2010-week-one-review.html
Korie Lucious, Michigan State Guard, Suspended 2-4 Games
Filed under: Michigan State, Big Ten, Police Blotter
Korie Lucious, who was charged with drunken driving in August, will have to serve some time on the sidelines during the Michigan State basketball season. Spartans coach Tom Izzo told reporters after practice Monday. The junior guard will have to miss at least one regular season game and up to four games total -- including exhibition games. Izzo indicated the punishment will ultimately be somewhere from two to four games and will include at least one exhibition and one regular-season contest. Reportedly, the suspension will be timed around injury issues -- such as with fellow guard Kalin Lucas, who is coming off a torn Achilles tendon -- and Lucious will certainly be making the trip with his team to the Maui Invitational.
"But I don't want the penalty not to fit the crime, too," Izzo told reporters. "I'm trying to understand that."
"I know I'm going to miss some," Lucious told the Grand Rapids Press. "At the same time, I know the reason for it, and I'm just going to sit out and cheer my teammates on, no matter how many games it is. But when I come back, I'll be ready to play."
Source: http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/26/korie-lucious-suspended-for-2-4-games/
Your questions answered - Japanese Grand Prix
Does Lewis Hamilton have the composure and ability to get his title challenge back on track? Who do I think have been the best new team? Who would I like to win the world championship and who do I think will? Is there a chance this season's title fight could go down to a last-race climax as exciting as 1986?
Watch my answers below.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE THE UK, CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2010/10/your_questions_answered_-_japa.html
Stars VS. Ducks Preview Plus AHL & CHL Previews
In addition to the Dallas Stars, the Texas Stars play the final game of a 5 game home-stand tonight as they will play the Peoria Rivermen for the 2nd time in the last few days. Back on Saturday, the Texas Stars lost a close fought 2-0 decision with the T-Stars outshoting the Rivermen 36-19 in the game back on Saturday Night.
Finally, the Allen Americans and Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs will be battling it out in a battle for the Southern Conference Lead as well as the Tulsa Oilers will play the Colorado Eagles tonight in the Central Hockey League.
Theirs also an interesting article regarding the Dallas Stars Home Attendance Concerns from the website Defending Big D.
Here's some fun that Adam Burish had with a recent email about his player on EA Sports NHL 2011. It includes an email that the person (Withholding his Name) along with Burish's Video Response.
Adam Burish's NHL 2011 Response
Here's the links for tonight's Action.
Anaheim Ducks VS. Dallas Stars 8:00 PM
Mike Heika: Kari Lehtonen to start his 8th straight game tonight
Mike Heika: Scouting the Ducks
Crawford Unsure on who will sit out Tonight
Defending Big D: Dallas Stars VS. Anaheim Ducks Preview
If you want to chat with me and other Stars Fans, check out the Defending Big D Game Thread where you can chat with other Stars Fans for every game during the season.
Defending Big D Dallas VS. Anaheim Game Thread
Defending Big D: Attendance Problems
Peoria Rivermen VS. Texas Stars 7:30 PM
Peoria VS. Texas Game Preview
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs VS. Allen Americans 7:30 PM
Bossier-Shreveport Gameday Preview
Colorado Eagles VS. Tulsa Oilers 7:00 PM
Colorado VS. Tulsa Game Preview
Source: http://texasicehockeyexpert.blogspot.com/2010/10/stars-vs-ducks-preview-plus-ahl-chl.html
Tuesday 26 October 2010
2010 PWC Superfinal Results and some News
Congratulations go to all seven guys: Nate Scales who was the highest scoring US pilot, at 23rd - Josh Cohn placed 28th - Eric Reed at 49th - Len Szafaryn at 54th - Nick Greece, who was leading after task two, finished at 59th - 2010 US Nat'l Champion, Jack Brown, at 88th and Brad Gunnuscio at 92nd.
PMA SAYS "GO SERIAL":
?The PMA believe that from the material point of view a significant way to improve safety in FAI cat.1 competitions is to restrict them to EN?D gliders. Open Class gliders have their place in competitions but FAI cat.1 is not that place.?Read the full Cross Country article HERE.
I've gone on record as being in favor of such a move, and I still believe it would help our sport grow and improve the quality and safety of our competitions. I do believe that there is a place for full-on racing (uncertified) ships for use in the PWC that will provide a venue for the highest performance and R&D for the manufacturers. Much like Formula One and America's Cup racing, there is a place for the spectacular performance of a "cost is no object" type of class*, but I feel that competing mano-a-mano on whatever performance wing will provide better 'sport' for a larger market. Admittedly, I am flying an EN-D wing in competitions and this obviously biases my opinion, but my choice of wing is due to my opinion that my EN-D wing provides a increased margin of safety and handling not exhibited by competition wings.
I am not cynical enough to assume that the PMA decision is to boost sales by requiring serious competitors to purchase a Cat 1 comp wing and another to fly in PWC events - I hope they feel it will stimulate the market and expand it. Am I naive? I hope not.
Do I think Cross Country Competitions will become safer? Probably not. Quite simply, it's the stuff between the ears that, ultimately, provides a safety margin. You can fly a Cessna 150 into trashy air & the result will be ugly. Pick your line intelligently and fly safely - THAT's the measure of a good pilot. . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------
* By 'cost is no object' I mean $$ is no object. . . Unfortunately in the sport of paragliding, the cost to compete on the highest performance wings can mean the cost is your personal safety - This I find unacceptable.
Fly Safe,
Tim
Source: http://biggovtsucks.blogspot.com/2010/10/2010-pwc-superfinal-results-and-some.html
2010 PWC Superfinal Task 2
Here's a bit of video, shot by Phillipe Broers. You get a good feel for the type of flying a PWC task requires. Today's task was 63K with an average speed of 41.3 kph! That's fast.
Superfinal Turkey taks 1 from broers philippe on Vimeo.
Tomorrow's weather looks good for another task, but later in the week they can expect some wind.
Go Team America F*#K Yeah!
Tim
Source: http://biggovtsucks.blogspot.com/2010/09/2010-pwc-superfinal-task-2.html
Dana White Says There Won't Be a Brock Lesnar-Undertaker Match
Filed under: Pro Wrestling
Well, so much for all that talk.Over the past 48 hours, message boards on wrestling and MMA websites haven been running rampant with talk about a possible Brock Lesnar-Undertaker showdown at WrestleMania 27 following their staredown at UFC 121.
However, UFC president Dana White quickly but the kibosh on that thought.
"Brock Lesnar is still under contract with the UFC ... he is not going to wrestle in the WWE. He cannot wrestle, box or fight anywhere else," White told TMZ.com.
You could understand why White would not allow his top draw to go back to wrestling, even for one mega-match.
There have been plenty of conspiracy theorists that believe that it was more than just coincidence that the two superstars crossed paths. But WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is one of the few people that thinks it was truly just a chance meeting.
"I have a hard time believing that the much-talked about 'confrontation' for the lack of a better term, and there has to be one, between 'Taker and Brock was staged," Ross wrote on his blog. "Perhaps I'm naive but that's what I think at this time. Cutting to the chase, I certainly don't foresee a WrestleMania 27 match between Lesnar and Undertaker in Atlanta's Georgia Dome even though the speculation on this matter is running rampant."
Mind you, if a match of this proportion were to take place on a stage like WrestleMania, you would think J.R. would be frothing at the mouth to return to the announcer's booth one more time to call the action.
But it now looks like the match won't be happening. It was nice to think about all the possibilities of a huge showdown between those two and the hype going into it.
Too bad. Let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope for a miracle.
Source: http://www.fanhouse.com/2010/10/25/dana-white-says-there-wont-be-a-brock-lesnar-undertaker-match/
Monday 25 October 2010
Pick your classic Japanese Grand Prix
As those who follow the sport closely know only too well, Formula 1 is a hotbed of rumours and gossip - some of which turns out to be true, some of which does not.
One of the many whispers that have been knocking around recently is that the future of the Japanese Grand Prix is not especially rosy.
The story is that its place on the calendar is vulnerable because of all the new races Bernie Ecclestone is determined to put on, and that it could drop off the schedule in the next couple of years, or perhaps alternate with the new race in South Korea.
Should these claims turn out to have any foundation, I would not be the only one to be concerned about an F1 calendar without Japan - many of the drivers in F1 would feel the same way.
That's because the Suzuka circuit is arguably the greatest in the world, right up there with Spa-Francorchamps and Monaco as a place that tests the best drivers on the planet to the absolute limit.
It is also rich in history - a small but dramatic sample of which features in the latest edition of our classic F1 series.
We have four absolutely cracking races for you to choose from this time. But before I go through the options, a quick reminder of the rules.
We select four great past races, and you - by way of responses on this blog - tell us which one is your favourite.
We use those views to inform our selection of the race for which we will show the full 'Grand Prix' highlights programme of the time, alongside the shorter highlights packages we cut for all the races.
The slight complication is that we can only show the 'Grand Prix' programme when there was one - so there is no longer highlights option when a race falls within the ITV era - from 1997-2008.
As it happens, only one of the latest selections does - 1998. The others are 1990, '93 and '95.
And to head off the inevitable criticisms of that choice, I'd like to point out that 1976, 1989, 1994, 2000 and 2005 were all choices last year.
So, a quick run-down of what you're choosing from.
The infamous 1990 race was the second chapter of the notorious Senna-Prost story in Japan.
In 1989, Alain Prost won the title after a hugely contentious race, from which Ayrton Senna was controversially disqualified following a collision between the two McLaren team-mates.
In 1990, with Prost now driving for Ferrari, they were again disputing the title, and the situation going into the race was the exact opposite of the year before - if neither finished, this time it would be Senna who would be crowned champion, not Prost.
Senna was determined to take his revenge - a determination that was heightened when pole position was switched to, in Senna's view, the 'wrong' side of the track.
Senna takes arch-rival Prost out at the start of the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix. Photo: Getty Images
Unknown to observers, he had decided that if Prost, who qualified second, beat him away from the line, the Frenchman would not make it around the first corner.
And, sure enough, Senna ploughed straight into the back of Prost's Ferrari at 160mph at the entry to Turn One, taking both men out of the race.
In the wake of all that drama, few remember the race itself.
It should have been a straight battle between Senna and Prost's respective team-mates, Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell.
But Berger spun out of the lead on the second lap, leaving Mansell apparently cruising to an easy victory from the Benettons of Brazilians Nelson Piquet and Roberto Moreno.
This, though, was another of those races that added to the Mansell's reputation for losing out for any one of a number of bizarre reasons.
This time, an over-enthusiastic getaway from his tyre stop broke the Ferrari's driveshaft, and his race was run, leaving his arch-rival Piquet to lead home a Benetton one-two.
Our next choice is 1993, and one of Senna's many brilliant wet-weather victories. The race is not remembered for that, though, but for the explosive F1 debut of Eddie Irvine.
The Northern Irishman had become a Suzuka expert in three years' racing in Japanese Formula 3000, and he was drafted in by Jordan for the final two races of the season.
Irvine was the talk of the paddock even before the race. He qualified eighth, four places up on team-mate Rubens Barrichello, and his media interviews had already made it clear that he was a unique, irreverent personality.
In the race, his impressive performance on the track continued when he jumped up to fifth at the start. But it was what he did later on in the race, after it had started to rain, that really made his name.
Senna was battling for the lead with Prost, who had already been crowned world champion for Williams in his final season in F1.
When Senna came up to lap Irvine, the Jordan was embroiled in a battle with Prost's team-mate Damon Hill.
Initially, Irvine let Senna past, but when Senna then struggled to pass Hill, Irvine unlapped himself, greatly angering the Brazilian, and went on to try to overtake Hill.
Irvine failed, Senna lapped him again, and then finally went past Hill - but by this time he had lost 15 seconds to Prost.
Senna went on to win but he was still cross about Irvine's cheekiness after the race and - after a couple of drinks - his friend Berger wound him up that he should go and have a word with the disrespectful newcomer.
Senna went off to the Jordan offices to confront Irvine, but he did not find him as apologetic as he expected. Instead, Irvine answered back, and the two got into an argument - all taped by the journalist Adam Cooper, a close friend of Irvine, who happened to be with him at the time.
Irvine at one point even said Senna had not been going fast enough and eventually it all got too much for Senna, and the two men came to blows.
The next choice is the 1995 Japanese race and, for those who have witnessed Michael Schumacher's struggles this season, a timely reminder of his former greatness.
The great German had already clinched his second consecutive title for Benetton. And it had been a painful year for his rival, Hill. The Englishman had the faster car, but Schumacher - in Hill's words from an interview I did with him a couple of years ago - "ran rings around us".
Suzuka was one of many examples of that, the German romping to a brilliant victory in a wet-dry race as Hill and team-mate David Coulthard struggled in his wake.
Hill spun twice at the same corner, Spoon, the second terminally, and Coulthard also suffered an embarrassing retirement, losing control on gravel that came out of his sidepods as he braked for 130R, the corner after his own off-course excursion at Spoon.
Our final choice is 1998, the race at which McLaren's Mika Hakkinen clinched his first world title.
The Finn went into the race with a four-point lead over Schumacher, who qualified his Ferrari on pole just ahead of Hakkinen.
But the German stalled on the grid and had to start from the back, allowing Hakkinen to coast to an easy win. Schumacher kept interest alive by fighting brilliantly back to third place, only for his tyre to explode and force him into retirement.
So, a great selection, I hope you'll agree. I look forward to reading your thoughts.
UPDATE 1000 THURSDAY 30 SEPTEMBER:
Thanks for all your responses so far. This was always going to be a tough choice, wasn't it?
I have to let you all know of a slight change of plan. Our multimedia team have discovered that there is a technical problem with the tape of the 1998 race which means that we will not be able to offer the highlights for that one next week. It's a shame, I know, but it's unavoidable, I'm afraid.
So there'll just be the three races next week, plus the long and short highlights of last year's race. Normal service will be resumed in two weeks' time for the new South Korea race, for which we will offer a selection of great races from circuits no longer on the calendar. It's worth waiting for, I can assure you.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/09/pick_your_classic_japanese_gra.html
Gunter Netzer Alessandro Del Piero Carlos Valderrama Ricardo Zamora