How do we prepare for this?

This past month, most sports and football fans will have been shocked into the actual world we live in by 2 incidents. Fabrice Muamba's collapse during and FA Cup game at White hart Lane and Stillian Petrov's discovery of acute Leukaemia.

Seeing Muamba collapse and get CPR right there on the field, hearing his heart stopped beating for over an hour and the Petrov news is a hard pill to swallow for many. Sports fans have many such pieces of news in the past and the future is sure to bring more.

There are however some notable successes of athletes beating the odds and illness. Being sick myself, I have followed keenly these stories and used them to encourage me from time to time. Most notable is Lance Armstrong and those 7 Tour de France victories after battling cancer. The fact that he made it back onto a bike itself is a miracle, but he used it to propel him to unparalleled success. It took a lot of heart and every sinew of all muscles especially the brain to do that.

Muhammad Ali still battles Parkinsons, as does Michael J Fox. Jonah Lomu got a second chance with a kidney transplant and even played rugby in England with the dream on donning the All Blacks jersey again.

Alonzo Mourning played for the Miami Heat, had a kidney transplant and came back to win a championship with the Heat. These are some of the stories that Fabrice and Stillian need to encourage them to recover and life a fruitful life.

Once this happens to you, the outlook of life that you have will totally change. A support group needs to be in place to help you through the difficult days and long nights. Unfortunately for us in Malaysia, our health system is geared more to combat the illness rather than help and strengthen the patient as well.

Just recently, embarrassingly an injured players in a televised match locally, had to walk out and get a cab to seek medical attention for a game related injury. Questions asked about the medical personnel on standby have NOT been sufficiently answered.

I hope and pray that it doesn't take an incident like that from the Lane to wake those responsible up. I don't think they realise its a human life at stake. What if it was their son or daughter? This scant respect for life is yet another reason why many parents are shying away for pursuing sports for their kids career.

As John Wooden said, "Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

A weekend of upsets!!!!

Wot a weekend! First in Sepang, blistering heat on practice and qualifying days and then on race day, the heavens opened! Umbrellas and the like went flying, the cars wished their paddles weren't flappy.......and Lo and Behold, Ferrari actually won. That's HOW BIG and upset it was. Sergio Perez was collosal and now is on the radar.

Fiji beat the favourites New Zealand in the HSBC 7s in Hong Kong and it was a HUGE match. Brilliant playing and absolutely gutsy display from the Fijians.

The to top it all of, Liverpool lose for the 1st time this season at Anfield. Calls for King Kenny to resign are getting louder, everyone seems to have caught that deadly football managers disease, Romanabrohamovichty.

But I've saved the best for the last, the dead have awaken! After 2 and half years of being dead and buried, with obituaries being written on his death every week, TIGER is alive. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, injured or not. Brilliant. Now what will the naysayers do? It's a flash in the pan they will say, a fluke.

Whatever it is, like William Arthur Ward said, Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.

The Development of Sports

I've been quiet for some time. Had some medical issues. Now it's time to resurface. Too bad this piece has to be kinda negative. For 3 years we have run the Junior Football League. Picked up rubbish, carried goalposts, drew lines on the field, nailed spikes into the goalnets etc.

Now when we've finally got some traction and 3 years of data to be able to talk to a top 6 EPL club to send malaysian kids there on an attachment, THIS is when others want to "develop" kids as well. Now that all the blood, sweat and tears have been shed, Now that the hard work in the trenches has been done, "Some" body wants to join the party.

In the US, England and Australia, sports development is done by professionals, hence the array of trophies, athletes, winners and record breakers. Here however, Politicians want to develop their handshaking abilities and give speeches and many are only too happy to jump on that bandwagon to help them win elections.

When oh when, will be grow up and join the real world? Till then, our kids will continue to just DREAM.

Massacre at the Lane

As a rule, I only start watching the BPL around November, as I am involved in football 24/7 and it just gets a little tired. So I spend the "off" months watching the Tour de France, Rugby, some basketball, beach football and more importantly movies.

Well, this past Sunday, I thought I was watching a game, but it ended up being a movie nite. Being a fans of the Reds, I thought, this would be a good game. My best mate, a Spurs fan was in town and it promised to be a good nite.

It started off badly, to put it mildly, and then progressively got worse. The good guys, Liverpool were getting hammered. As in all movies, the heroes get walloped first and then make a comeback sweeping the floor with the bad guys. No such thing this time!

The "Bad guys" were good ad getting better by the minute. The speed at which the football was played made me think that they had Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay on the bench. Could football be played any faster. At this point, poor Arsenal fans who were watching may think, "Isn't this they way we are supposed to play with our young lads?"

Good God Almighty, this is why Malaysia is where it is. We are exhilarated by watching this kinda football, but we can't emulate it. The touches and speed come from years and years of playing games at pace. Not thinking about what to do when you get the ball but knowing where it's going next and sending it on its way.....immediately!

Sufficed to say, the Reds turned out being the bad guys, pummelled from the 1st round onwards and left punch drunk at the final whistle. They have to learn from their mistakes. Kudos to Dalglish though, he stood there with the players and didn't cower in his seat.

Spurs fans have been in this position before and have always played flamboyant, devil may care football. This time they showed intelligence as well and slowed the game down showing restraint and tactics. That was great to watch. This looks like a mature team.

Act 2 was Man U v Chelsea, which I thought the Blues would nick. They played breathtaking football and had 21 shots on goals and some of their 1st time touches and passing was a sight to behold. Frank Lampard showed he is too pedestrian for the team, with Ramires, Meireles, Sturridge, Torres and Mata keeping the ball on the ground and at super quick pace.

The Red Devils were happy to take advantage of the mistakes the the Blues made and it was all over in 45 minutes. Torres goal and subsequent, confidence sucking MISS will haunt him for some time. Poor chap. He will start scoring though, but this will leave lingering doubt.

All in all, it was a great weekend for football, and Spurs fans are the big winners. After years in the shadows and with some doubt in their mind, this team could make the grade and cause some real damage. Best of luck guys.

a blooper that scores for the opposition

awesome avalanche skiers

awesome avalanche skiers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SwbP9WLX3fY