2011 - Formula 1

The 2011 Formula 1 season is just a smokey burnout away and as per usual the season will start with more controversy than a Max Mosley 'German themed home video'.


So far we've had:
1. Political unrest - the opening round in Bahrain, scheduled for 13 March 2011, was cancelled due to political unrest in the Middle Eastern State. Melbourne has been blessed by Bahrain's bad luck and will take all the publicity and glory as being the opening round of the Formula 1 season. It may just be the turning point for the much maligned Melbourne Grand Prix (it has been the subject of much political debate recently with the Victorian state government all but revealing that the race has been a massive money pit for years and hinting that it may not renew its current contract).


2. Tyre issues - Pirelli is the official tyre of the Formula 1 in 2011, having replaced Bridgestone, but throughout testing, drivers have been complaining faster than they've been driving that the rubber in the tyres just simply cannot handle the heat. World Champion Vettel wont be getting any personal sponsorship deals from Pirelli any time soon, having been the most vocal driver about the performance of the tyres and in particular stating that the tyres go bald quicker than Prince William, that the tyres will cost drivers seconds per lap and may even put lives at risk.


3. Car Performance - There has not been a day gone by without a driver claiming that:
a) his car is faster than everyone else's car - in an attempt to scare his rivals;
b) his car is slower than everyone else's car - in an attempt to lull his rivals into a false sense of superiority; and/or
c) a) and then b) or b) then a) - in an attempt to really screw with his rivals and also be a royal pain in the ar*e for journalists.
Simply, its all just smoke and mirrors from these guys at this stage. We will find out how fast the Ferrari 150° Italia, the McLaren MP4 - 26, and the Red Bull RB7 really are around the Albert Park Race track (http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/australia_844/circuit_diagram.html) between this Friday and Sunday. 


4. Drivers Contracts - On the cusp of this season, Vettel signed a new three year contract with Red Bull for a reported whopping AUD$16million a year. And interestingly, he has an escape clause from this deal if the RB7 is not 'a competitive car'. Just how that is measured or what that exactly means is anyone's guess, but if Vettel is not in the top four by midseason, look for the prancing horse to be circling like a vulture ready to swoop and entice him to Italy's finest. Also on Vettel's contract, if there is any question about who the number two driver at Red Bull is, you only have to look at Webber's contract extension (signed only last year) in comparison to Vettels. Webber's contract extension is for a 'paltry' AUD$8million per year. Could be a long season for Webber if he is looking for equal footing with the young German.


And these main issues are just the beginning. Wait till we get into the season itself and we have the obligatory whining about tire issues, in-fighting, contractual issues, old age (see Schumacher and constant questions as to whether he can still cut it), and dare I say anything about an Ecclestone rain idea or 'team orders during races'.


That said, looking forward to the sound of the engines and the smell of the burning rubber. Bring it on.

NFL 2011 Lockout?

It increasingly appears likely that the 2011 NFL season will be consigned to the history books as a non-event much like the 2004-2005 NHL season, part of the 1998-1999 NBA season, and the 1994-95 MLB season before that.

The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL players and the NFL owners ran out on 11 March 2011. There is no new collective bargaining agreement on the horizon and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has since filed a lawsuit against the NFL owners.

On a very basic level, the main disputes are:
1. Games per season - currently there are 16 games per team per year (plus 4 pre-season games) but the NFL owners are proposing to extend the season to 18 games and reduce the number of pre-season games. The reason.....? Money. Pre-season tickets are usually the same price as regular season tickets but in contrast to the regular season games, the pre-season games are rarely sold out. The players, however, are not so keen on this idea as they are already burning out earlier on in their careers due to injuries. Hence the sticking point

2. Rookie wages - there are disputes about rookies signing astronomical contracts without them being tried and tested professionals.  It appears that both the NFL owners and the NFLPA agree on this but until the collective bargaining agreement is signed this may yet turn out to be a false dawn.

3. TV revenue - a number of the NFL owners are arguing that the players are receiving too much of the TV revenue. This appears to be a strange argument as from all reports the players are asking for the same cut that they received under the old collective agreement, which the owners signed off on. Seems the owners have had a change of heart!?

As yet there is no discussion or preparation for pre-season training camps let alone talk of a new collective bargaining agreement. Could be a long year for the pigskin faithful......

NBA regular season climax....

The 2010-2011 NBA regular season is 4 weeks from expiration and explosion into one of the most anticipated finals series on record.

The Miami Heat, with the holy trinity of James, Wade and Bosh, talked the talk 7 months ago, but have failed to consistently walk the walk. Yes they have qualified for the post season, but after a recent run of 5 losses (including some very public crying) followed by 3 wins, they do not at this stage have the aura of invincibility that the Celtics, Lakers, Spurs and the Bulls have.

Speaking of which, the Bulls have excelled under the supreme leadership and performances of Rose. He is currently the MVP favourite and justifiably so. He is currently generating 40.5 points a game (averaging 24.9 points and 7.8 assists) and involved in clutch after clutch play. The last two seasons the Bulls finished with 41-41 win loss ratios and this year they are back to Jordan-esque results. Barring a catastrophic run in to the finals, the Bulls should finish with at least 55 wins and will be neck and neck with the Celtics to be the number 1 ranked eastern conference team.

Despite the naysayers arguing that this year's Celtics will reach for walking frames before they reach for the Finals trophy, the Celtics should still shake up the post season. KG, Rondo, Allen, Shaq and Pierce all on court at the same time will be a force that most teams will struggle with - if they can all keep fit and healthy - not to mention that they have all been there, done that and smoked the celebratory cigars before.

The Lakers, the reigning champs, are as consistent as celebrities 'accidentally' releasing sex tapes/photos, and the finals would not be the same without them. Kobe, whilst he is getting on a bit (being a 14 year veteran) he is still averaging 24.8 points a game and has lead the Lakers at this stage to a 49-20 win loss season. Like the Bulls, with four weeks to go they should also reach at least a 55 win season and with the experience from last season and the four other recent championships to boot, the Lakers will be tough to beat.

If the Lakers are to repeat, they will, however, have to get past the multi-national, multi-talented, tight-knit Spurs who have the leagues best record with only 13 losses to date. With 4 weeks to go, the Spurs have already betted their last season's performance and as a team there are no better. They have 9 players who have played 50+ games so far this season and those 9 players average a minimum of 19 minutes on court. They are much like the dutch total football masters of the 1970's with all players being multi-dimensional and able to shoot, pass, rebound and give out good trash talk (in 4 languages no less).

The other teams in the mix for the finals are the fast finishing Knicks (with Melo being the injection of inspiration) and Thunder (currently on a 6 game winning streak), the Magic, the Mavericks, and the Hawks, but they should not really test the top five. Then again, stranger things have happened, I mean who knew Elin Nordegren could swing a 1 wood so well?

Bring on the finals series......

Long Break......

Hey people,

After a hiatus almost as long as Tiger Woods, I am back. My hiatus however was not as dramatic as Tiger's as my normal job does not involve 'discussing golf' with adult film stars. Nevertheless, with the Australian football seasons upon us, the European football leagues and the NBA coming to a climax, the NFL looking like it will take an annual break because of pay disputes, with 12 days until opening day of the MLB season, Formula 1 about to spin onto our tv sets, not to mention tennis, cycling and much more on the go, what better time to get back into it.