A fairytale in process.... Ummm No.

Ok, so yesterday`s post and "prediction" was not to be. Tom Watson came so close and we all suffered with him. All he needed was a par at the last to create history and surely something so historic that it would never have been beaten.

He played really good golf and gave us so much pleasure during the last few days. It was awesome to see an older guy stick it to the youngsters. The play-off though, was just a step too far. He was finished and when he missed that putt on the 18th, it was all over. Very sad but hey, he still has his name on the Claret Jug FIVE times. Don`t feel too bad for him.

A fairytale in process

It is now Sunday morning and The Open Championship is about to write the final chapter of the 2009 version at Turnberry. Now The Open isn`t just any tournament. It is the oldest major championship in golf (the 2nd oldest being our own South African Open!). It isn`t known as the BRITISH Open but just as The Open. It is a very, very special thing.

Legends of the game have won The Open and held aloft the famous Claret Jug. Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Lee Trevino, Bobby Locke (South African with 4 Open Chamionships to his name) and the list goes on.

On this list you`ll find the name of a certain Mr Tom Watson 5 times. His first win was in 1975. He followed that up with wins in 1977, 1983,1980, 1982 and 1983.


He is 2nd on the list of all time Open winners behind Harry Vardon. Although it must be argued that Harry played in a time when there were much less, shall we say, competition. He also won 2 Masters and 1 US Open title to take his tally to 8 majors.

Tom Watson played in an era dominated by Jack Nicklaus and to a lesser extent Gary Player and Arnold Palmer. Keep in mind that these 3 are reckoned to be some of the best of all time and it becomes clear that 8 major titles is no small feat.

Now, coming back to The Open Championship and Turnberry. A certain Mr Tom Watson was the leader after the 1st round. We all got nostalgic but it was never gonna last. I mean the pros these days are super fit, with mechanically perfect swings, the best equipment, coaches, mind coaches, fitness coaches, media managers etc etc. You get the point.

But, after round 2 Mr Watson was still leading. To put that into perspective, the world best player, Tiger Woods failed to make the cut. Now, a 59 year old who recently had a hip replacement was leading. Once again, I thought 'nice story' but it could not possibly last.

Round 3 came and went and guess who was still leading? You guessed right, Mr Tom Watson.

So here we are, on the last day of the biggest major in the world. A 59 year old still the leader after 3 rounds. The oldest man to ever win a major was 48 years of age. Could it be?

I will be on the edge of my seat today, willing Tom on to the claret jug. These stories are so rare these days. A wily old campaigner who drives the ball about a 100 yards shorter than his younger counterparts but who has a silky putting stroke and wonderful short game. This is a fairytale in the making but instead of they all lived happily after the announcer will proclaim:

"and the Champion Golfer of the year, Mr Tom Watson"

The Best South African Sportsman of all time

This should be quite a difficult choice but in fact it`s pretty easy. There are many sportsman who have staked a claim. Graeme Pollock is rated as one of the 5 best cricketers of all time and has a test average (of players with 20 tests or more) second only to Donald Bradman. We have had some of the best rugby players ever to grace the game. Jody Scheckter became the F1 World Champion driving for Ferrari.

Yet, one man stands head and shoulders above all the others. This man is Gary Player. He has won 9 majors titles, which is 4th on the all time list, the South African Open (which is the oldest national championship in the world) a record 13 times. He has won 163 tournaments worldwide and was voted the South African Sportsman of the Century.

Looking at the stats it seems pretty impressive and rightly so. But, if you delve deeper it becomes blatantly clear that Gary would have won a lot more majors if he had an equal opportunity. Ok, I know that`s a big statement but I base it on the following.

Gary played golf when South Africa was ruled by the National Party and Apartheid was the order of the day. SA became the pariahs of the world and most of our sporting teams were banned. Golfers were not though and they could play throughout the world but at a price.

You see, golf is a gentlemans game but the fans haven`t always been gentlemen. Gary was abused for most of his career. There were instances where he was spat at by spectators. Other times spectators would shout on his backswing. There are many other examples of bad behaviour. This happened mostly in the States but also in other countries.

Through all of this, Gary kept his head down and kept working. He once famously replied to a reporter who asked him why he was such a good golfer; "The more I practice the luckier I get". That is the essence of the man. The more life threw curveballs at him, the harder he worked.

Jack Nicklaus won 18 majors. I have huge respect for Jack and him and Gary are best of friends. But, Jack played 3 of every four majors in front of partisan crowds at home. The only AWAY major was the British Open and crowds were never nasty towards Jack in the UK.

I am not saying Gary would`ve won more than Jack if the playing fields were level but I am saying that Gary would`ve won a lot more had he been treated fairly. Or even if he had played most of the Majors at home. Being blamed for the mistakes of the government, one in which he had no say, was very unfair.

Gary has made a lot of money from golf. He has one of the most renowned golf course design companies in the world. He has however ploughed a lot of that money back into SA. He built a school for underprivileged children on one of his farms and pays for everything the kids need to get through school. He hosted the Nelson Mandela Invitational which raised a lot of money for charities in SA.

The other thing that Gary has been very vocal about is his Christianity. He has never been afraid to openly chat about his love for God.

Another quote that comes to mind and which has left a major impact on me was when a fellow player once said to Gary while they were playing in wind and rain "What a horrible day". Gary turned to him and said "God has never made a horrible day" I always remember that and I have never complained about a horrible day ever.

We have a lot of good golfers. Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and more recently Trevor Immelman rates among the best in the world. They have had the benefit of friendly crowds and hospitality. Ernie was the heir to Gary`s throne and had all the potential in the world. He however never had Gary`s work ethic and that is why he has won only 3 majors. I mean Gary still does 300 sit ups every morning of his life!

Gary Player will go down as South Africa`s best sportsman of all time. Not just that, he will be remembered as a human who made it against the odds and who gave back as much as he won. Gary the person is as big an icon as Gary the champion golfer.

Josh Hamilton

I switched over to ESPN last night to catch the highlights of the World Series game. Unfortunately, as you know, it was rained out but they did show some baseball and it was the Homerun Derby at the All Star Game at Yankee Stadium earlier this year. I had missed it the first time round, so I sat down to check it out.

I must be honest, as a baseball fan being 14, 000 km`s away from the USA, it is quite difficult to catch games and to stay in touch with what`s happening. I am a massive Redsox fan and have been for a long time now. I bought a few Redsox books on our visit to the States and also got an authentic Sox cap, which I rocked in NYC, as my friend Lisa once said. I met Lisa on the blogs a few months ago. It turned out that she is the biggest Sox fan in the world and she willingly gave me info and sites to visit and just kept me updated. The live games only start here at 01:00 in the morning, so watching it live is not possible, for me in any case.

During the play-offs, I would receive an email every morning after the games, firstly against the Angels and then against the Rays. The subject would say something like "we won 4-2" and then she would give me a quick rundown of the game. I in turn would then catch the replay of the game later during the day here on ESPN. Some mornings I would wake up at 05:00 and switch the tv on to see the last inning of the games. It was great and from being 3-1 down, the Sox levelled the series at 3-3 and I along with all Sox fans across the world believed.

Obviously the last email just said "it`s over" and I must say, I was devastated. I know Lisa was even more devastated cos she lived those games and experienced it first hand. I at least got the bad news and didn`t have to sit with the hope in me only to see the Sox lose.

So that brings me to last night and the Homerun Derby. I saw the guys come up and get 5 or 6 HR`s or in Justin Morneau`s case 8. Then a guy named Josh Hamilton came up to the plate and proceded to hit 28 HR`s in the first round! That bettered the previous single round record of 24. The distance of some of his hits were astounding. 3 of the HR`s were in the TOP 10 of ALL TIME in the Homerun Derby. Unbelievable.

I was quite impressed by this guy. Then he was interviewed after his heroics and he said something along the lines of "God is a God of second chances". The commentators then mentioned his struggle with heroin and alcoholism and the fact that he had beaten his addictions.

Of course I was really into this story by now, so I googled Josh Hamilton and what incredible reading it turned out to be.

Josh Hamilton was a prodigiously talented youngster who was the 1st pick in the draft. He received the biggest sign-on bonus ever, $ 4 million, from the Rays. But then, he squandered ALL of it on drugs and alcohol. A sad, sad story. He was banned from MLB. He was 6`4 and had weighed 230 pounds before his addiction. At the worst point he had dropped to 180 pounds and was a shadow of the man he used to be.

Then things changed. One morning his grandmother sat him down and spoke to him earnestly. He made the decision to give his heart to the Lord and changed his ways. He got back into baseball and was signed by the Reds. He undergoes drug testing, every 2nd day. He has a full time manager / friend that travels with him and makes sure he stays out of situations that might get him in trouble. This was requested by Josh himself. When he feels the need for drugs or alcohol, he calls his manager and they do Bible study. He has been clean for more than 2 years and his life has turned around completely. He was voted the Rangers Player of the Year earlier this week. The turnaround was complete.

I was really taken by this story. This I think is the perfect modern day retelling of the Prodigal Son. A young man with everything going for him stumbles. He gets lost in the world and all the bad things it has to offer. However, he does see the light and comes back to His Heavenly Father who welcomes him with open arms. From my perspective his life comes full circle at the All Star game where his prodigious God given talent comes to the fore in an amazing way. His comeback is complete.

God is indeed a God of second chances.

This is a video of the story of Josh Hamilton. Well worth watching and so inspirational.

The Springbok

I am a relatively calm person. I don`t get overly upset about too many things. It takes quite a bit to get me really worked up.

At this moment, I am really worked up. The reason? The poor Springbok is once again under fire. Will this ever end? We have a few idiots in government who are doing their utmost to get rid of the one thing they know white people hold very dear in this country. The Springbok has been the emblem of our national rugby side for more than a 100 years and is the only emblem to have remained intact after unification. Mainly due to Nelson Mandela`s influence. However, with Madiba on a well deserved retirement a few of the government officials have taken it upon themselves to get rid of the Springbok and to replace it with the Protea (which is used by the other sporting codes as the official emblem).

The only problem is that the Springbok is the lone world class side left in this country. The national soccer side has fallen from number 15 in the world to 83. Our Olympic squad brought home a grand total of ONE medal, a silver one in the men's long jump. We don't have a tennis player in the top 100! Our sport is a mess and it is purely because of government intervention.

So now, they want to change the emblem of the Springbok, the current world champions. The funny thing is that the gravy train riding government ministers who all wore their Springbok jerseys happily last year in France when we were crowned world champions, are now rooting for the emblem to be scrapped. Strange, if it was an issue then surely they wouldn`t have accepted the jerseys presented to them by the team last year, not to mention WEAR them at the final! It is a joke, a complete joke.

Things like this make me very unhappy in South Africa. Instead of focusing on the poor Olympic performance, they focus on stripping a team of it`s identity? Maybe it`s shifting the focus from their own incompetencies.

The fact is that the Springbok is not the white mans. Brian Habana is a Springbok and a hero to millions of South Africans. Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira is one of our favourite players in this country and a proud Springbok. Chester Williams, Ricky January, Bolla Conradie, Conrad Jantjes, JP Pietersen, Adi Jacobs, Jongi Nokwe to name but a few, are all players of colour who would die for the Springbok. Did anybody from government ask their opinions? Guess not, cos it`s only governments opinion that counts.

The ironic thing is that no other sport has done more to unify the country. Winning world cups in 1995 and 2007 was indescribable and showed just how we can all be one. Seeing black and white celebrate in the streets after the 1995 victory is something that I`ll never forget. Then there was no black and white, only South Africans. The same happened in 2007, one country, one nation.

This is a complex country and I am as liberal as the next guy but please, hurting us for the sake of payback? That`s not what a government in a true democracy would do and not what the great Nelson Mandela envisioned.

Western Province - It`s in your blood

I have been a Western Province (WP) fan for 31 years now. It`s not like I was born in the Cape and therefore just supported the homeside, no I was born 1200km away. It`s not like I supported the team my Dad supported, no he wasn`t even a rugby fan. Nobody told me to support them or even gave me a heads up about them. I just found them and fell in love with them and it has been a love affair which has given me the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

I sat all by myself and watched my first rugby match on tv, I was 5 years old and had no idea about the rules, who was playing or anything else. I was just a little kid falling in love with a game and with a team. One team was wearing a light blue jersey and the other wore hooped, blue and white jerseys. They were called WP. I sat transfixed, mesmerised by this team in their hooped jerseys. I cannot tell you if WP won that match against their arch enemies the Blue Bulls (from Pretoria). What I do know is that I have never supported any other provincial side, even though I have lived in 3 different provinces.

WP was established in 1883 and won their first Currie Cup (the CC is the premier provincial competition in SA) in 1889. They have won the CC a record 32 times, their closest rivals having won in the region of 22 CC`s. The fact that the CC plays such a massive part in most south african lives is because it was all we had during the bad days of sanctions and apartheid. We had no international sport, only provincial rivalries to keep us going. The matches between WP and the Blue Bulls were our test matches. That`s why even today, the provincial rivalry is unprecedented. I won`t support a Blue Bulls player and will only do so grudgingly if they play for the Springboks, our national side and current world champions.

WP play their rugby out of Newlands, which is the oldest test venue in SA. It is the home of rugby in South Africa as far as I`m concerned. I went to Newlands for the first time in 2005. It was a test match between the Springboks and the All Blacks which the Boks won and in which Andre, my buddy, played a major part. I remember looking at Hayley when we sat down on the Railway Pavilion and saying to her that it felt like I was home. It was a dream come true to be there. I have gone to a lot of matches since that first visit and each time is still unbelievably special.

WP have always been known as the team that plays attractive, running rugby. It is our rugby, it is what we are known for and what the fans love. WP will forever be the flamboyant team to the dour nonsense rugby dished up by our northern rivals. It might not be winning rugby all the time but it is beautiful to watch. I suppose it`s also got a lot to do with the lack of hair I have now!

WP players are some of my favourite sportsmen. Bob Skinstad, Schalk Burger, Carel Du Plessis, Morne Du Plessis, Jean De Villiers, Tiaan Strauss, Chester Williams to name but a few. These guys are icons as far as I`m concerned.

We have been going through a bit of a slump during the last few years. We haven`t won the CC since 2001. It feels like forever. Since then the Blue Bulls have won it 4 times. It has been terrible.
But, it seems like we are showing a revival. We are building a brilliant squad and have a pretty good coach. Things are looking up.

I found this on the old desktop computer the other day. I saved it about 9 years ago and it still sends cold shivers down my spine. Like it says, WP it`s in your blood....

It was a perfect day.
There was rain, wind and a penalty right in front of the posts.
I had rushed to the grounds, not because of the weather, but because of the excitement that awaited me. I visited Newlands as often as the rain did, and like the rain I believed that I could influence a match.
Clenched fists could help a conversion, evil thoughts could make an opponent stumble, my lucky underwear made Corne tackle that much harder. The faithful didn't come here to watch, we came to take part.
It seemed to rain every time I visited Newlands, but I only seemed to get wet when we'd lost. Victory kept me warm, a try that started on our 22 kept me dry.
That's what Province is all about: running out of danger, all fifteen players handling the ball. Total rugby means wings see the ball as often as the scrumhalf, the fullback joins the line at pace, and 120kg props find themselves rushing (in a manner of speaking) down the touchline.
But today had started badly. We had lost the toss. I hate when that happens. Province is supposed to win everything. When I was at school Cape Town was where you found the mountain, the beaches, and the Currie Cup. It belonged here. Just 30 seconds ago, things seemed hopeless: behind by two, pinned in our half, unable to get our hands on the ball.
But a midfield tackle, a grubber kick and some fine handling had forced our opponents to concede the penalty.
The kick was about to be witnessed by 50 000 pairs of eyes, but for anyone listening, not a thing could be heard.
Every player on the field was still. The only movement was that of the ball boy bringing on the kicking tee. It was a time for courage. And courage was bred through courage. We got courage from the players; they got it from the blue and white. It was the courage of generations of Province players filtering through. Chris Rossouw placed the ball on the tee. And went through his familiar routine. We went through our routines too. Men, who hadn't been to church for years, prayed. Couples who had argued about parking now held hands desperately.
And all the while the northwester howled.
I hadn't held a man before. But with that successful kick (of course it was, you weren't expecting anything else from Province, were you?) I found myself hugging the closest streeptrui I could find.
I was beyond joy, but the guy next to me was actually crying. He must have noticed my expression because he shouted to me (the cheering hadn't died down yet): "That's my son, that's my son." I was deeply impressed. "Chris is your son," I said. It had been a straightforward kick, but in treacherous conditions. "Not Chris," the man replied, "my boy's the one who brought on the kicking tee."

Western Province. It's in your blood.

Roger Federer - The story continues

So today is the final of the last Grand Slam of the year, The US Open. This is the one Grand Slam that we (in SA) do not always get to watch due to the time difference. The final is either early in the morning or very late at night, so I have missed more finals than I`ve seen.

Today will be different though. It is Roger`s 3rd GS final in a row this year and his nemesis (this year in any case) Rafael Nadal was knocked out by Andy Murray. A 0 for 3 record is unheard of when it comes to Roger, so I am very comfortable that he`ll put it right this evening. I found this on Rafa`s blog and it shows just what a great sportsman he is:

“I am writing a short note as my last blog post from New York. I am flying back home to Spain and will have 3 days of rest. Andy played better than me both yesterday and today and he deserved to win. No excuses, no complaints. Some have asked if I had something to say about yesterday and the match being changed of courts, etc. The conditions are the same for both players and he simply played better. I had said on my previous blog that I knew this was a very, very difficult match. That Andy was playing great and that I knew this could happen. Well, it did.
Tomorrow it will be his first Grand Slam final and I am happy for him. It will be difficult for him since Roger is still Roger. I remember when lots of people were saying he was finished. I always said that Roger deserved more respect, and that he is still there, the favourite always. Well, he is in the final, again. Good luck to both and let's hope we see a great tennis match.”

I must say I have been very impressed by Andy Murray. He is a very talented young man who seems to have gotten his temper a bit more under control. He has been known for his petulant behavior in the past but has been pretty well behaved during the last fortnight. However, it`s easy to be well behaved when things go your way, like it has been going Andy`s way. What will happen when Roger puts him under pressure and things start unraveling? Well, we`ll have to wait and see.

I always get very nervous when Roger`s on court. I am just such a big fan that I live those matches myself! I know, I`m a loser but I really get very tense whenever Roger plays. I so want him to beat Pete Sampras` record of 14 Grand Slams. At the beginning of the year, I thought he would have been at least equal by now. That was not to be. Roger fell ill just before the Aussie Open and has not been his imperious self this whole year. He has however been fighting all the way and today might just mark the occasion where he gets his 13th GS. I really hope he does.

So, will a venture a prediction? Of course I will! It`s gonna be Roger in 4 sets and he`ll make it 5 in a row in NYC.

Please, please, please let me be right…..

A great Friday night

Ok, Hayley and I are weird like that. We both love movies but NEVER go to them. Strange really. We always end up watching everything on dvd.
I think it`s my fault. Take tonight as an example. Hayley said "I know, let`s got to the movies!". I said "No, let`s get dvd`s".
I won.
Don`t ask me why. Ok, at the moment there is a money issue so I can always use that as an excuse. We ended up getting dvd`s and I had fish and chips which we cooked ourselves. I opened a nice bottle of red wine. The perfect evening if you ask me.

It is now 22:30. Hayley is deep in dreamland next to me and I am watching the US Open tennis. Unfortunately the "Not so good looking one" is beating the "Reasonably good looking one" so I have lost interest. What better opportunity to get my "bloggin` down"?

We have watched some amazing dvd`s in the last few weeks. The Storm of the century hit last week. Ok, it was literally the storm of the century, the 21st century that is. Which means it was the biggest storm for 8 years and that a bigger one hit in 1999 but seeing that 1999 was not part of this century, we could call this one the Storm of the century. I digress. Because said storm hit last week we spent all weekend camped indoors. In fact cabin fever hit badly and I have the post to prove it. But, we also got to watch some dvd`s.


My favourites over the last 2 weeks or so have been Juno and Into the Wild. Both are incredibly cool movies with awesome stories to tell. I loved the performance of Ellen Page in Juno, she was amazing. Also, I have never been a big Jennifer Garner fan but her performance was exceptional. I actually found myself liking her.


Into the Wild is such a cool movie. It was a voyage into the unknown with the music of Eddie Vedder as your companion. I love Eddie Vedder. He has such an expressive voice and with Pearl Jam has made some of my favourite music.
Sean Penn is a really gifted director and I am a big fan.
The real star of the movie is Emile Hirsch. I think he is one of the best young actors in Hollywood today. I love the way he picks his movies. He obviously has a good head on his shoulders. The show stealer was Hal Holbrook though. If his character leaves you untouched, you must be a serial killer...

I am now watching a re-run of a Man Utd vs Man City game on ESPN Classic. Man Utd is winning, if they weren`t, I would be watching this specific match.

Tomorrow looks like a cracker weather wise. Not sure what we`re gonna do but Hayley mentioned Spring Cleaning. I hate those two words used together. By themselves they are really cool and I even like them. Together they do not inspire me. So wish me luck as I mow the lawn and pick up dog poo. It`s gonna be awesome....

Graeme Smith

Firstly, let me put it out there. Up until a few months ago I was not a Biff fan. I thought he was an egotistical control freak. The way he handled himself and the stories emanating from the local press made it easy to dislike Biff.
This all changed a few months ago. I read an indepth interview by Neil Manthorp where the real Graeme Smith came across for the first time. This article explained a lot for me and made a whole lot of sense.

Graeme or Biff as he is known, took over the proteas at the tender age of 22. A young man who had to jump into the deep end and take a struggling SA side to England on his first tour as captain. That tour to England was (until yesterday) Biff`s finest. He scored 2 double hundreds in consecutive tests and made a ton of runs.
BUT, the tour also established him as a brash youngster on the world stage. His tactical nous was questioned by all the pundits, his comments to the press scrutinised and his relationship with other international captains became strained. Stephen Flemming once mocked Graeme by mimicking him in celebrating a catch. Nasser Husain called him "whatsisname".

The Graeme Smith who has been leading the Proteas the last year or so has not been the same kid who took the job at the tender age of 22. The Biff who has been the leading the team has turned into a tactically astute captain, probably one of the best in the world today. A man who is at ease with both himself and his place in the team, a leader who men happily follow due to the example he sets. When we were teetering on 90/4 yesterday who did you want to bat? I only wanted one man there cos I knew if anybody had the stomach for a fight it is Biff.

What transpired yesterday was one of the best innings ever witnessed in international cricket. Biff`s 154* was an unbelievable effort when seen in the context of the match and more importantly the series. The odds were certainly stacked against him. No team had ever scored more than 280 to win in the 4th innings at Headingley. Monty Panesar was spinning the ball a mile from the footmarks. Andrew Flintoff was bowling with everything he had. The pressure was immeasurable. South Africa won the test and the series because one man had the grit to take it upon himself to win. He did not stand back and confronted the English team head on. They were the ones to blink, Biff never wavered.

Biff came full circle when Michael Vaughan called his innings "one of the most special ones you will ever witness" and said that Biff deserved "all the praise that was going to come his way". Big words from a losing captain. Big words from a captain who was to resign the next day.

Today we are a very happy nation. We have tasted a series win in England for the first time in 43 years. That is older than I am! One man`s courage made it all possible.

When the cricket transmission went back to the studio last night, Robin Jackman couldn`t talk due to the emotion he felt. Tears welled up in his eyes and he was speechless for a few seconds. Keep in mind that Robin played test cricket for England and then see the significance in the emotion he felt. He looked like a proud father.

Biff, I am sorry for doubting you. Enjoy the win and the adulation because to coin a phrase "you deserve all the praise that is gonna come you way".

Signed

Your Proud Fan

The elusive 200 Club - Part 2

I was wrong....

The elusive 200 Club

Jacques Kallis is a fine cricketer (or cricketeer if Don King is to be believed). He is a true legend in the making. Probably the finest, or very close too the finest all-rounder to ever play the game. I`m sure Sir Garfield Sobers would have something to say about that claim but this is my blog and Sir Garfield is not a subscriber.

Kallis averages in the high 50`s with the bat and the very low 30`s with the ball. He has scored more than 9600 runs, more than 150 wickets nad has taken many magnificent catches. The complete cricketer you might say.

The one blemish on his record is the absence of a double ton. The magical 200 mark has eluded him his whole career. He had the opportunity many years ago but the captain declared when JK was on 189*. I am sure he was given ample time before the declaration came but he didn`t accelarate at all. He probably thought a 200 was just around the corner.

Well, it wasn`t. That happened almost 10 years ago and still, no double.

I feel though that that is about to change. Kallis has been well below his usual standards on the current tour of England. He has a high score of 13 in the current series. Now anybody who has followed Kallis knows, that is not something that is going to last. He already showed glimpses of a return to form in the warm-up to this test. Scores of 55* and 70* is proof of that.

So, I am making this statement in the company of all 3 my loyal readers (you know who you are).

Kallis will make a 200 during this test if he gets a proper batting chance and if the weather does not interfere.

Big words I know but then again only 3 people will mock me if I`m wrong....

My dream "To-Do" list

Everybody who knows me, knows that there are specific things that I want to do during my lifetime. Some I have been fortunate enough to do and some will probably have to wait a bit longer.

My To-Do list includes sporty things like seeing Man Utd play at Old Trafford - The Theatre of Dreams, enjoying a Boston Redsox game at Fenway Park, watching Roger Federer play anywhere. Or musical things like seeing Collective Soul in concert etc etc. It`s a long list and I won`t bore you with the details.

Some things I will never get to do though, like seeing Eric Cantona play, watching Elvis in concert (don`t laugh!) and seeing Bob Skinstad reach his TRUE potential (I did get to play golf with him, thanks Andre!). Bob is still a LEGEND!


Sitting here though, it suddenly dawned on me how many of the items I have been able to cross off my list.

- Watching the Boks play the All Blacks at Newlands and beat them - Check, August 2005 (and being there to see Andre nail a spectacular dropgoal which in the end was the difference between winning and losing)

- Watching WP play at Newlands - Check, 2008

- Watching Man Utd play - Check, 2006 AND 2008

- Seeing Ryan Giggs, a true United legend, play - Check, 2008

- Seeing Counting Crows in Concert - Check 2008

- Seeing Live in concert - Check 2000 and 2006

- Seeing U2 in concert - Check 1999

- Going to New York - Check 2007

- Watching the New York Knicks play at Madison Square Garden - Check 2007

- Running my first half marathon - Check June 2008

The latest dream "To-Do" came true on Sunday. It was always a dream to go to Hillsong Church in Sydney. Well, I did the next best thing and went to Hillsong Church Cape Town and what an AWESOME experience. Hayley and I were truly blown away by the passion for God. We are really inspired to be the best Christians we can be.

Looking back at the list, it is amazing how blessed I`ve been to have so much of it become reality. What makes it even more special is that I have shared most of it with Hayley. When you get married your dreams are not your own anymore and I am very blessed to have a wife who share my passions.

So, here`s looking at making a lot more dream "To-Do`s" come true.

Quick Update

I have been pretty quiet this week due to work demands and high stress levels! Being in this frame of mind certainly does not bring out the comedian in me, so instead of boring everybody with my "woe is me" routine I decided to keep a low profile.

The major sporting news is The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The weather is pretty horrendous and scoring is very difficult at present. Par looks a very good score on the first day. Goose had a very good round and ended on +1 (71). Ernie on the other hand was +9 with 1 hole to play. What a disaster. Fact of the matter is that he is not out of it at all and that just puts the difficulty of the course and the conditions into perspective. The Open can sometimes be a lottery with the weather. The morning field seems to have gotten the worst of it today. Weather report looks better for the weekend. But, it is Britain after all, so who knows what`ll happen.

Other big news is the Man Utd game at Newlands on Saturday. Hayley organised Box Tickets for us, so I will be cheering my guts out for my Red Devils. This will probably be my one and only chance to get to see Ryan Giggs play and I will cherish every second of it.

The Christiano Ronaldo story still hasn`t come to a conclusion but I am sick to death of it. Please let the man go. United is much bigger than him. He has shown complete disrespect to the club that MADE him the player he is today. Take your boots and bugger off.

To the Boks, good luck on Saturday. No matter what is said, the Aussies will be favourites under the coaching of Robbie Deans and home ground advantage. That said, I think the Boks can spring a surprise. here`s hoping Hayley has that "funny feeling" again come Saturday.

Oh and lastly, I am doing my 2nd Half Marathon on Saturday. The Worcester Voorsieners / Hospice Half Marathon, which is a matter very close to my heart. Here`s hoping I`ll do it justice.

That`s all from me today.

The Comeback Kings

Well, I have to eat humble pie. I was completely and utterly wrong with my prediction of 0/3 during the away leg of the Trinations. But, I hasten to add, I have never been happier being wrong!

Well done to the Springboks, what a wonderful and well deserved win in Dunedin. They were absolutely awesome and showed tremendous strength of character to come back with 14 men and seize an incredible win. You might say they played like true World Champions...

Ricky January was Man of the Match even before his quite unbelievable solo effort with 5 minutes to go. He played the game of his life. Harrassing around the fringes, putting pressure on his opposite number and Dan Carter, tackling his heart out, winning ball at the breakdown etc etc etc. What an awesome effort! One mistake during the whole game and that was a quick tap gone wrong. I think we can forgive him that.

I thought we had a chance when Ali Williams went off in the 28th minute. Let that be a lesson young man, you bump into the Incredible Schalk at your own peril. That collission probably caused a mini Tsunami! Schalk, got up, dusted himself off and got on with it. Ali though kept looking for the freight train that hit him. I think he is still looking... I digress! With 2 rookie locks on, I thought we could pressurise the AB`s into making mistakes and target the lineout. This we did with great aplomb. It must be said that the scrums were also much better and I believe we had parity in that department.

The test match was really an awesome example of what can be achieved with the ELV`s. Let the Northern Hemisphere clubs watch this game if they have any doubts about the new laws.

A few players stood up today. Schalk Burger, Juan Smith and Big Joe were outstanding as a combination. The frontrow was terrific and Percy brought a calmness that rubbed off on his teammates.

The one blight on the whole day was the yellow card dished out the Victor Matfield. Please explain to me what the difference was between that tackle and the one by Leon Macdonald barely 10 minutes earlier. Matt Goddard could have decided the game there and then if the Boks didn`t have other ideas. It`s time these bloody Aussie refs stop their nonsense and give SA teams a break.

Once again well done to the Bokke! You guys showed tremendous grit and made a country proud. Peter De Villiers, you silenced a lot of doubters today, keep it up!

Roger Federer

Well, I am devastated. Roger is probably my favourite sportsman and after an epic Wimbledon final he has lost his crown to Rafael Nadal.
The final will probably go down as the best of all time. It ebbed and flowed between two of the best players to ever play the game. Unfortunately it didn`t go Roger`s way but that is sport. There will always be a winner and there will always be a loser. My favourite didn`t win this time but surely there will be more grandslam titles. He will beat Pete Sampras`s record of 14 grandslam titles, of that I have no doubt.
What is however a fact is that Roger is the best player to have ever played the game. The elusive French Open title will no doubt come his way soon and that will be the final piece of the jigzaw.
I have a feeling that the loss today will be a catalyst in his career. This year has been his worst for 5 years. There is talk that he suffered glandular fever in January, which would explain quite a lot. He will however sit down, take stock and come back better than ever. He has walked the courts for the last few years knowing that he is the best. Rafa has been his only competition. On clay Rafa has no equal, the best to ever have played the game on that surface without a doubt. Until today, Rafa had not won a Grandslam on any other surface. That however all changed about 25 minutes ago. Rafa beat Roger on his favourite surface and that will hurt. Roger will go back to the drawing board and come back better. The topspin backhand will be refined and that will make him unbeatable.

I also want to add that he may have lost today but the fight he showed was that of a true champion. He wasn`t close to being at his best but he fought with everything he had. That makes him an even bigger hero is my eyes.

So, although my heart is very sore I know that you sometimes have to take a step back to go 3 steps forward.

This will be the case with Roger.

2009 will see him equal Pete Sampras`s record and hopefully overtake it and in doing so, become the greatest of all time.
I will be there for every second of the ride...

Trinations

Ok, so here we are at the start of yet another Trinations. So far, the Boks have won 2, Australia 2 and the All Blacks the rest.

Although it is always exciting, I have to ask myself if it still holds the public interest like it used to? Don`t get me wrong, I won`t miss a game and wouldn`t for the world but still, there is something missing.

Remember the good old days, when your Mom or Dad woke you up at 03:00 in the middle of winter to go watch the Boks play the All Blacks? Freezing cold you jumped out of bed and sat infront the tv until the final whistle. Then, I always wanted to go kick my "Bokkie" rugby ball outside. Mom of course wouldn`t let me cos it was 06:00 and picth dark, not to mention freezing cold!

But for me, that will always be better than the Trinations. Tours of old, where the Boks played midweek games (the perfect place to blood youngsters and see if they can take the step up) and test matches on Saturdays. Where the first side to beat the Boks (outside of the tests) got the coveted Springbok Head as a prize to honour their achievement. That to me is still the ultimate.
In 1981, the Boks slept in squash courts within the stadium in NZ due to animosity towards them by the public at large. That same team came within a whisker (no pun intended on the very large snorre back in the day!) of winning the series. An as yet unexplained penalty at the end gifted the win for the All Blacks.

The only problem is tv now rules the world. TV rights make rugby unions profitable and ultimately, tours have been banished because the suits need money. A very sad state of affairs.

What of the Trinations this year? Australia are my picks, if for nothing else then for the fact that they nicked the best coach in the world from under the noses of the Kiwis. The AB`s will be a force as always and the Boks will definitely have the added incentive of proving their worth as World Champions.

I reckon this Trinations might just be the closest for a long long time but I would give anything for a Bok tour to NZ....

the Running GOLFER

Ok, so by now you get the "running" bit. What about the golfer bit?

Well, there isn`t too much to the golfer at the moment. In fact, I haven`t touched a club since 20 October 2007. I remember the date well cos we became the World champs at the rugby world cup that day. That was my last round. I played with a few buddies, Riaan, Henk and Fisher at Erinvale, a beautiful course here in Somerset West which has hosted 2 SA Opens (both won by Trevor Immelman who used to be a member here).

I remember the round pretty well. First nine I played pretty well. I shot 39 and was pretty consistent. Wheels came off a bit on the 2nd nine and I came in with a 44 which gave me an 83 for the day. Pretty decent considering the conditions and the fact that it was only my 3 round in 6 months.

We moved to Somerset West in May of last year. I left my regular four ball in Jhb and with that, also my regular golf. I was a member at Reading Country Club and it was a convenient 5 minutes from home. We also played a lot of golf at Germiston CC. Lots of fun. Riaan was my golfing partner and we won MUCH more than we lost. We had a regular competition called the SFAQ Cup and it was serious stuff! Riaan and I played against Quinton (Riaan`s brother) and Andre (our Springbok buddy and also the best golfer I know). It was INTENSE. Played for big money and the right to keep the cup until the next time.

I miss those days but for some reason I dont miss the golf as such. More the cameraderie and the 19th hole!

I was a pretty decent golfer. Handicap around the 8 mark with a lowest of 5. Best round was a 76 in the wind at Germiston, a day where I beat Riaan, a 5 handicapper at the time, Andre 3 handicapper and Quinton 5 handicapper. I was a decent driver of the ball but a terrible putter. Damn those knee-trembling 5 footers for par.

Now, I enjoy my running more. Maybe because I haven`t even thought about playing golf in such a long time. I still watch a lot of it and will always be a golfer at heart.

I`ll be back on the fairways but I`ll be more interested in how my new levels of fitness will affect my golf than I will be in how far I hit my Cleveland driver. Incredible how life takes you in different directions. Who would have thought, me a runner?

Christiano Ronaldo

So, the best footballer in the world has seemingly decided to let money be the "master of his domain", to coin a phrase from Seinfeld.
He now wants to leave Man Utd for the riches of Madrid.

Ok, so fair enough you say, footballers leave their clubs all the time. This time to me is different. Firstly, United have invested lots of time and money in this extremely gifted player. Remember how his, ummmm how can I put this gently, balls were on every English football fan`s wishlist when he got Rooney sent off? Sir Alex remained loyal to the player. Damn, he even sent Carlos Quiroz to go chat to Ronaldo and his ouma to keep him at United.
So, Ronnie stays at United and becomes the best footballer in the world. The United faithful adore him, the english press even plays "nice" and leaves him alone (most of the time). Utd then win back to back Premiership titles(beating Chelski and the Pounds brought in by their handsome and oh-so suave owner) and the Champions League Title. In doing so they probably get the mantle as the best club side in the world. Would that be enough for our Mr Ronaldo? You would think so.

As you now know, he has decided that he wants to leave Utd for Real Madrid because the Galacticos are throwing unparralelled money his way. What he fails to grasp though, is that he`ll spend quite some time on the bench next season. It happens to all the big ones who join the Galacticos. But, I suppose the new car, house and 300, 000 quid a week will make up for it.

Christiano must realise that loyalty is the trait of the true professionals. Look at Ryan Giggs, a more honest hardworking pro you`ll struggle to meet. He remained loyal to Utd for almost 20 years. It has brought him unequaled success in the game. Stevie Gerard at Liverpool is another example.

What would the next step be for Ronaldo? Unfortunately he is purely a commodity in the eyes of Real Madrid. He will be sold to the highest bidder in a few years time, be it LA Galaxy or a Man City funded by a certain shady character who goes by the name of Shinawatra. But until then, he would have sold millions of Pounds worth of merchandise for his new employers. Easy come easy go as they say. He also won`t have the best manager in the business looking after him and guiding him anymore. Leon, uhh sorry I mean Berndt, Schuster will be his new boss but for how long we do not know. The board at Real are a fickle bunch. The one thing he doesn`t have to worry about too much is that talented youngsters will come through the ranks at Real. They don`t waste time on such a ridiculous notion, they`d rather pillage other clubs for their best players.

But having said all of that, should he decide to stay at Utd, welcome home my son....