February 2008 - Sports Bar

Sports Bar

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

Vimu Subscription

Spotlight Posts

My First Taste inside a Boxing Ring

The Decline of our Culture - Is the media to blame? What does this tell us about our history?

WHY DO VOTES IN ORBLE MATTER? VOTE-Spotting

The Rise and Fall of Les Darcy - The Tragic Tale

WOMEN DISADVANTAGED IN SPORT - The Stats, The Figures & The Inequality

Marquee search for Sydney FC

[ more ]

Sports Bar - February 2008

Inspirational Tiger - A story of perseverance and determination

February 29th 2008 03:26

John ‘Tiger’ Tassone can still vividly recall the accident that caused him to become a quadriplegic 18 years ago.

Aged just 15, Tassone was involved in a freak accident that left him paralysed, but it was a meeting with Tigers great Wayne Pearce 14 years ago that he says really changed his life.
Tassone is paralysed from the shoulders down, but that has not slowed him down…

Click Here for the Full Story

John Tiger Tassone soes over stats with Tim Sheens

Well, I met this guy and it is truly inspirational – a top bloke and a remarkable story.

His wheel chair is controlled by his chin and he does all his statistics using a straw like implement… He hasn't missed a Tigers game since 2000 and says although he has his tough days - knowing that his Tigers are playing on the weekend gets him through.

“I might have a bad week but knowing that the Tigers are playing on the weekend, it gets me going and I look forward to it every week – win, lose or draw.

“That’s the great thing about the Rugby League community, when there is someone down and out and needs help the Rugby league Community – maybe I am being bias but there is nothing better than the collective group of Rugby League that helps people in need.”

The tackle that caused him to be paralysed he says was nothing more than a standard hit-up. He just got into an awkward position clashed heads and in an instant his life was changed forever.

He requires 24 hour care - but this man knows his Rugby League and is in regular consultation with coach Tim Sheens - the longest serving NRL coach.

I just found it a really good story - hope you do to.

To read full article click here

He is having a Benefit night on Saturday and if you want to know more information go to

http://www.weststigers.com.au/

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

BBC's unbelievable aplology - Too much sport?

February 29th 2008 02:22

AAP reports;

The BBC has been forced to apologise to viewers amid complaints that Britain's public broadcaster is screening too much sport on TV.

More than 120 viewers complained after BBC One broadcast almost 12 hours of continuous sport last Saturday.

Most of the action was from three live Six Nations rugby games featuring England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy which went to air between 2pm and 10pm (GMT).

BBC bosses apologised to those who complained, but said ratings of 15 million people justified the decision to broadcast hours and hours of sport.

"We are sorry that some viewers felt the BBC One schedule on 23 February contained too much sport," the broadcaster said.

"We realise that not everyone enjoys watching sport.

"But there is undeniably a large section of our audience who do and as a public service broadcaster, we are obligated to cater for them as and when we can."

Does such a thing exist as too much sport? really?

As far as my understanding goes they must have figured out a way of showing 25 hours of sport in a single day... The then technically could be considered too much...

Come on people - sport is one of the biggest industries in the world - it promotes healthy lifestyle and engages millions and millions of fans the world over...

Please... the remote is there for a reason guys...

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

20,000 reasons to get involved in Rugby League's greatest debate

February 28th 2008 06:32

So you thought the greatest 30 players of the last 30 years was controversial?

Try naming the greatest 100 players of the Century!

Who made it and who missed out?

Ron Coote a member of the elite list

For your chance to win $20,000 click here

Okay, so this list is bound to cause heated debate…

To find the entire list click here

Where are the modern day players? Could they cut it in the pre-war era? Vice versa – could pre-war players keep up with the modern game?

And what of the hookers – the role has been totally redefined – there is no pushing in the scrums – no competition for the ball, so how can you rank them against each other?

Where are the Menzies, Stuart's, Tallis's and Tooveys?

If historians and media mainstays can't decide, you know that it is a tough task...

Well, start the debate ladies and gentlemen…

Remember, the team of the Century is picked from this list of 100 players and with any luck you might win 20,000 Smack-a-roos...

How you ask?

If you can pick the Team of the Century - who will make the best of the best 17 man squad and their coach you will be rolling in the sweet sweet money train..

From a recent post

How do you determine the best team of the past 100 years? How can you pick a person that you have never seen with your own eyes?

Are Raper and Langlands assured of a starting spot? What about the battle for Half-back and five-eighth?

Just look at the names for Five Eighth and tell me who is most worthy, given that if they do not make it at five-eighth they most likely will miss the side altogether…

Brad Fittler,
Brett Kenny,
Wally Lewis
Bob Fulton
Laurie Daley
Vic Hay
Terry Lamb

(To name a few!!)

There is only one five-eighth position and most of these players - legendary they may be – will miss out on being in the 17 man Team of the Century list. It seems so cruel that so many great players will miss out… But that is the nature of picking a team of this caliber, it prompted one of the panel members to utter; “Can we pick two teams?” to rapturous laughter.

So many options… Will Churchill make your team? Who will play up front? Is Joey the best Halfback or does his indiscretions prevent his selection? Remember, other Halves in the day also played up – it was celebrated back then though…

What about players pre the war? Some really great players, some pioneers – some who changed the game forever… Where do they fit into the scheme of things?

Players like Duncan Thompson and Bryan Bevan - Forgotten by our modern generation, but superstars back in the day.

Also a really interesting thing to consider is the No.9… This is one position that is unrecognisable across the different era’s. In the days of actual scrums, the hookers role was to win the ball… Fighting it out with the forwards. Now-a-days this part of the game is non existent and how can you pick the best hooker ever if the position has changed? - Just food for thought…

Also, you are required to pick a coach of the Century to coach the greatest team…

With 20,000 cold hard cash up for grabs - there is no reason not to get involved...

Have fun

For your chance to win $20,000 click here

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

The Toyota Cup Broadcast Live on FOX SPORTS!! The new competition that has everyone talking

February 27th 2008 06:45

The new U20s competition is a one of its kind in this country – an elite semi professional youth competition where you can see all the game’s next biggest and brightest stars before they hit the big time… And Now Fox Sports has come to the party and will show games live!

You can now watch the next Israel Folau, Darren Lockyer or Jonathan Thurston running around before your very own eyes in a competition designed specifically for the young up and comers.

Future Stars

What is the competition? You haven’t heard of it?

The Toyota Cup U20s competition is a mirror competition of the NRL – (run by the NRL) for players under the age of 20… What does that mean?

It means 2 hours before every 1st grade game you can see the U20s run around… no more confusion with who is playing… All 16 NRL clubs have an U20s team and they will play the curtain raiser before each and every game…

Which means these players get the opportunity to travel around Australia and New Zealand - play on all the big grounds and get a taste of what its like to make it in the big time.

Semi-Professional I hear you ask?

Like the NRL the Toyota Cup teams have a Salary Cap – but they also have exceptions of up to $10,000 per player to invest in education, traineeships or cadetships…

Tuesday through Thursday players are not allowed to be training between 9-5 which gives them the opportunity to follow their careers – be it at Uni, or applying a trade somewhere.

Thus, the Toyota Cup is ensuring that these players are ready for life after football

“I think that is the key, that these guys are not disadvantaged to the peers that they left school with” Toyota Cup Manager Michael Buettner said.

So whether these players have long or short careers, they have something to fall back on when they hang up the boots.

Why U20s?

The NRL conducted thorough research and found that 70% of players running around in the NRL made their debut at 20 years or younger and 90% made it before 22.

So the news today that Fox Sports will cover the games is a massive boost to a competition in its Inaugural year. It is a very exciting year to be involved in League with the game celebrating its 100th season – it is also somewhat significant that this new elite competition is starting when the game is celebrating its centenary…

Fox Sports will show all of the finals live – and the Grand Final will be a joint telecast between Fox and Channel 9.

Got to love the footy, the season is almost here.

To read related articles on the Toyota Cup click Story 1, Story 2

To read the full story on the TV DEAL

To Read about the Battle of the Codes

To get all the latest Rugby League information log onto
www.nrl.com.au

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Politics is a dangerous game... Sport is no different - The dramatic push for the World Cup

February 26th 2008 23:48

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is making a lot of head-waves… It seems someone has told him that he only has months to live and he is determined to get as many things done as he possibly can… in the shortest timeframe as well.

He is racking up more notches on his belt than Clint Eastwood and Jabba the Hut combined..

The latest deluge is a play at the 2018 Soccer World Cup… Whether or not he seriously believes we can get it is one thing… But the other sports must be wondering – what about us?

Rugby Union was stripped of millions of dollars of funding this year…

Rugby League was also stripped of 10 million dollars – despite it be the game’s Centenary year- Traditionally governments recognise this significant achievement – especially when the game has given so much back to the community and continues to do so..

Funding has always been there to support a milestone for sport - why shouldn't league be recognised an honored?

But no, this was thrown on the scrapheap.

But wait – what do we have here? Rudd wants the World Cup and he is prepared to fund the bid as well!

Now, I love soccer, and there is nothing more than I would love than to see the biggest sporting event in the world on these shores.. It would be massive. Believe me it is as big as the Olympics… We might not totally understand that here, but it is considered almost on par in every other country… To have the Cup here would be the Ultimate.

But how can you justify taking away funding for a Rugby Academy and Rugby League – who a celebrating a great milestone if you are going to throw money at a soccer event which is over a decade away?

The problem with this audacious claim to “Steal the World Cup” is the timing of it… Is this a cheap publicity stunt (or an extremely expensive one…) or a serious tilt at one of sports biggest events.

The problem:

South Africa has the next World Cup followed by Brazil in 2014 – that’s 8 years without Europe holding the premier event…

So what chance does Australia have of getting the World Cup in 2018… Realistically there is no way we can compete. We are in a different time zone which means tv rights can not be sold for as much as if it were in Europe. This is a major problem!

One feels that Europe will flex its considerable muscle and demand that the World Cup is held on local shores… Can you imagine Europe going without a World Cup for 16 years? Thats what would happen if Australia won the rights in 2018.... FORGET ABOUT IT!

It would be more realistic to vouch for a 2022 berth.. More financially viable to.

The best bet would be to support an English bid for the cup or similar nation and then get them to return the favour for the following 4 year cycle.

But what about the other codes? How and why should they back the bid effort? It can only cost them money and it will undoubtedly promote a rival code…

It takes 5 weeks out of Winter which means their competitions will be directly effected and either they will have to postpone there competitions – Unlikely – or they will have to play games in alternate venues as all the major ones in this country will be taken…

Politics is a very tedious thing, a risky thing….

Whilst I would love to see the soccer World Cup here, I don’t thing we should be wasting our money just yet, 2018 is fools gold, a blind obsession… We would be biting off more than we could chew and there is no way we could compete with Europe for a 2018 bid…

Unless we cut all funding – for everything…. In a bold “all-in”, risk it all gamble

Watch this with interest...

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Jets win A-League Grand Final – The game, the controversy and the Aftermath

February 25th 2008 06:07

It was built as the big F3 Derby – and if passion is anything to go by, the game did not disappoint… It took all of 10 seconds for the first harsh challenge to fly in and the lines in the sand were drawn.

Keep-er-way

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Cricket goes crazy on Auction block...

February 21st 2008 05:07

Well they went under the hammer – for insane amounts of money… It’s Cricket but you’ve never seen it like this…

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Latest Fifa Rankings - Socceroos move to 38 - up 10 places!

February 14th 2008 05:36

FIFA has announced its latest World Rankings with Australia moving up 10 places to 38 on the list.

Ghana were the big winners jumping a staggering 29 places to 14th to become the highest ranked African nation

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

30 Greatest players of last 30 years; Who made it & who missed out - the Ultimate Pub Debate

February 13th 2008 05:21

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Broncos clean-out a new experience

February 11th 2008 04:48

They have lost Carlaw, Petero, Tate, Thorn, Berrigan, Webcke in recent times... and with Wayne Bennett set to leave the club at the end of the year - it is the biggest clean out of the club in its 20 year history

How are they positioned? Who will step up? Who should you look out for

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: sportsbar - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

November 2008

3 Posts

October 2008

9 Posts

September 2008

6 Posts