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I'm off to Adelaide tomorrow and I'm still packing so this is going to be brief.
Warnie got his 700th wicket.

Shane Warne proved again there's no better show-stopper in cricket by turning a milestone into another bag of wickets at a packed MCG.

Warne became the first man in history to take 700 wickets, when he bowled England opener Andrew Strauss, who was the first victim in a haul of 5-39.

Warne's performance orchestrated another England collapse and proved good his prediction of two days ago, when he forecast one more bag before retirement.

England folded meekly for 159 after winning the toss and batting.
Australia was 2-48 at stumps, having lost Justin Langer (27) and nightwatchman Brett Lee (duck) in successive balls to England captain Andrew Flintoff.

I'm guessing he finishes with 714 in his career. Why? I dunno, it's just my wild guess.
Austraalia looked mighty wobbly this morning, but in the afternoon, 'Roy' Symonds and Hayden righted the ship and put Austarlia ahead by 213 runs.

The Queensland team-mates came together with Australia on 5 for 84 before lunch after the quick dismissals of Ricky Ponting (7), Michael Hussey (6) and Michael Clarke (5).

Their big-hitting stand finally ended nearing stumps, when Hayden walked on 153 after being caught behind off paceman Sajid Mahmood (2-67).

Mahmood then added the wicket of Adam Gilchrist, caught at second slip for 1 in his next over, to claim his first scalps in Ashes cricket.

Australia went to stumps on 7 for 372 with Symonds carrying his bat on 154 not out after recording his first Test century on the game's biggest stage.

Shane Warne was 4 not out and Australia had an overall lead of 213 runs in the first innings.

Earlier Symonds had reached his milestone with a huge six back over bowler Paul Collingwood's head after tea.

Symonds - often derided as not being a Test-quality player - threw both arms above his head and roared in delight as the ball disappeared into the stands.

England saw the game slip away from them after taking quick wickets to put Australia on the back foot in the morning session.

You'll take that any day. It's hard to se England come back and win this one from here. They could easily get bowled out for less than 250. They've got to be pretty down after day 2.

The Big Useless

I used to like Randy Johnson when he pitched for other teams, far away from New York. He was easy to root for; even in that 2001 World Series where a bloop single won it for the Diamondbacks, I was a little happy for the gangly ornery pituatary-case pitcher.

Nonetheless, it's been a bunch of disappointing Octobers for the Yankees since, and to see Randy Johnson contribute to the October futilities of the last years was actually quite difficult. The guy was supposed to make a big difference. Instead he sort of just sputtered blue-smoke and backfired along like an old engine where a head-gasket is about to blow.

The trade itself was pretty upsetting. Adding to the aggravation today is that the Yankees traded away Dionar Navarro and Javier Vazquez to get Randy. Navarro would actually be a very useful piece right now; and Javier Vazquez's uninspiring subsequent years would have basically duplicated the RJ effort.

The 'Big Unit' may have won 34 games in his 2 seasons with the Yanks but he's also posted a 6.92 ERA in the post season - you know, the seaosn that actually counts for bragging rights? I've already made my big rant about him, so I'm pretty glad to hear the Yankees are looking to move him.

If the New York Yankees are serious about trading Randy Johnson, the Arizona Diamondbacks would love to have him back. Arizona confirmed its talks with New York about the Big Unit, who won four Cy Young Awards with the Diamondbacks from 1999-2004, but thus far the Yankees' asking price has been too high.

"There's no activity at this point," Diamondbacks general partner Jeff Moorad said Tuesday. "The Diamondbacks as an organization have a tremendous amount of respect for Randy, yet also recognize he's under contract to the Yankees. If there's ever an opportunity that made sense to reacquire him, we'd be at the head of the line."

The San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants also have talked with New York about Johnson, a baseball official who had been briefed on the talks said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no deal had been agreed to.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman declined comment on Johnson, and Padres GM Kevin Towers didn't return messages seeking comment.

Getting anything for Johnson would be a bonus. The Yankees would shed years and millions in their payroll. Hopefully it should work like the Sheffield deal where they got 1 good prospect and 2 reasonable prospects; adding depth would be good. If they could actually score a serviceable backup catcher or a firstbaseman, would simply be awesome.

Goodbye James Brown

Please, Please, Please

What a drag on Boxing Day to find out James Brown passed away overnight.

James Brown, the singer, songwriter, bandleader and dancer, who indelibly transformed 20th-century music, died early today at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, where he been admitted on Saturday with pneumonia, his agent, Frank Copsidas, said. Mr. Brown was 73 years old and lived in Beech Island, S.C., near the Georgia border.

Mr. Copsidas said in an interview that Mr. Brown had participated in his annual Christmas toy giveaway in Atlanta on Friday, but had been hospitalized after a dentist he saw on Saturday for a routine visit advised him to see a doctor.

Mr. Brown’s condition did not seem to be life-threatening, Mr. Copsidas said. On the contrary, after cancelling performances planned for mid-week, Mr. Brown on Sunday night got his doctor’s approval for going ahead with a show on Saturday in New Jersey and one on New Year’s Eve at B.B. King’s nightclub in New York.

He said Mr. Brown used one of his best-known expressions to convey his determination to perform, saying, “I’m the hardest working man in show business, and I’m not going to let them down.”

Mr. Brown died at 1:45 am today as a result of congestive heart failure caused by the pneumonia, Mr. Copsidas said.

Along with “the hardest working man in show business,” over a career that lasted more than 50 years, Mr. Brown called himself "Mr. Dynamite," "Soul Brother No. 1," "the Minister of Super Heavy Funk" and "the Godfather of Soul," and he was all of those and more.

Mr. Brown’s music was sweaty and complex, disciplined and wild, lusty and socially conscious. Beyond his dozens of hits, Mr. Brown forged an entire musical idiom that is now a foundation of pop worldwide.

"I taught them everything they know, but not everything I know," he wrote in an autobiography.

Everything I know about funk, he taught me.
So long, the Godfather of soul, and rest in peace!

No He Won't Be Retiring Soon

What, Me? No Way!

Contrary to recent news reports, Glenn McGrath won't be retiring anytime soon.

McGrath poured scorn on a report in News Limited newspapers today that he would bow out after the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney but continue to play limited-overs internationals up to and including the World Cup in the Caribbean.

He said Shane Warne's resignation from the Australia team didn't mean he would be doing the same.

"To be honest, I haven't said anything (about retiring). It's funny where it all comes from," McGrath told commercial radio.

"To me, I'm just preparing for another game. Nothing's changed since the end of the Perth Test match, apart from the fact that Shane Warne's retiring at the end of the Sydney Test.

"So it's funny how Warnie decides that and . . . whether it's in his wake and I'm being pulled along as well or whether the media think it's time for me to go, I don't know."

But asked whether this Ashes series would be his last Test appearance, McGrath remained non-committal.

"All I'm saying is that to me, it's business as usual," he said. "I'm just preparing for these next two Test matches, then it's the one-day series and then I'll take it from there."

News Limited cricket writer Robert Craddock wrote that McGrath would fly to Melbourne on Friday for the fourth Ashes Test carrying his resignation letter after discussing his departure from cricket with his wife Jane, who has endured a lengthy battle with cancer.

But the veteran paceman said: "All I did was finish in Perth, come home and I've done nothing since and I've had journalists camped on the front door and hassling me at home and everything."

"For me, it's just another day at the office," he said.

Well, so much for that one. Makes you wonder where these 'news stories' come from.

Space Shuttle Coming Home

Discovery Readies For Re-Entry
Here's the article.

THE shuttle Discovery astronauts glided sensors over their ship's wings and nose yesterday, scouting for any heat shield problems before Friday's scheduled landing in Florida.
The survey was intended to find any damage from tiny meteoroids or space debris that may have occurred since the shuttle reached orbit on December 9. The astronauts inspected their ship once already to see if it made it through the launch without problems.

Both inspections stem from safety upgrades implemented after the 2003 Columbia disaster, which was triggered by a piece of foam insulation that fell off the shuttle's fuel tank during launch and hit the ship's wing.

Damage from the impact was so severe the shuttle broke apart as it flew through the atmosphere for landing 16 days later, killing all seven crew members.

Though Discovery showed no signs of damage from launch, NASA decided the final inspection was more important than preserving the standard two-day supply of cryogenic chemicals, which are used to make electricity, for any weather-related or technical problems that might postpone landing.

Discovery's mission had been slated to last 12 days, which would have left enough supplies for the two-day reserve, but was extended a day to retract a jammed solar wing panel on the International Space Station.

Discovery departed the space station on Tuesday after rewiring the orbiting outpost and adding a truss segment to its backbone.

With just one day's supply of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in the tanks, Discovery is poised to return to Earth on Friday. NASA mobilized all three shuttle landing sites, including its rarely used New Mexico landing strip, to improve the chances of a homecoming on Friday.

Godspeed Discovery.

JAXA

HII-A Rocket

The HII-A Rockt Flight 11 was launched today carrying a payload of 5.8tonnes. It had 4 SRBA strap on booster rockets and cleared the 70m tower in twice the normal speed of 2seconds.

宇宙航空研究開発機構種子島宇宙センター（南種町）から１８日に打ち上げられたＨ２Ａロケット１１号機。固体ロケットブースター（ＳＲＢＡ）を初めて４本装着した機体は、地鳴りのようなごう音と太い噴射雲を残して、冬の空に消えた。迫力を増した打ち上げの様子に、見学者たちは息をのんだ。

　Ｈ２Ａは、打ち上げ時の加速に用いるＳＲＢＡと、固体補助ロケットを組み合わせ、打ち上げ能力を４段階で調整する。１１号機が載せた技術試験衛星「きく８号」は、国内最重量の約５．８トン。ＳＲＢＡを通常の２本から初めて４本に増やし、「最強型」にした。

　同機構によると、発射直後の初速度は通常の２倍。射場にある高さ約７０メートルの避雷鉄塔を越える時間が６秒から３秒に短縮された。噴射の音や光量も増したという。

　通常はゆっくりと浮き上がるＨ２Ａ。この日は、まるで空からつり上げられるようにスムーズに上昇した。打ち上げを見慣れた同機構の広報班員たちも「今回は違った」と興奮気味に話した。

The payload was 'Kiku 8', a communication satellite with two 19x17m antennae and should hit stationary orbit in 2weeks.

宇宙航空研究開発機構は18日午後3時32分、技術試験衛星「きく８号」を、種子島宇宙センター（鹿児島県）から国産主力ロケットＨ２Ａの11号機で打ち上げた。

　きく８号はテニスコート一面ほどの縦19メートル、横17メートルという世界最大級の大型通信アンテナを2枚搭載しており、打ち上げ時の重さは日本で過去最大の約5.8トン。畳んであるアンテナを打ち上げ約1週間後にバネの力で広げ、その約2週間後に静止軌道に入る計画だ。災害時の状況把握などに役立てるため、地上の小型携帯端末と直接通信する実験などに取り組む。

More details can be found here.
Another successful launch by JAXA.

Hail Joba!

Digging Up The Prospect Profile
Joba Chamberlain was drafted by the Yankees this year and went to the Hawaii League to confirm his talent. Here's a Prospect Profile on the big man.

Year ERA W-L IP ER BB K BAA
2005 2.81 10-2 118.2 37 22 130 0.218
2006 3.93 6-5 89.1 39 34 102 0.255

What really sticks out is Chamberlain’s phenomenal 4/1 strikeout to walk ratio. He’s also has a large frame that – despite the concerns with arm injuries – could log 180-200 innings a season.

Chamberlain does not have problems with his stuff. He uses great arm action and a fluid drive towards the plate to hit 98, and sits with a plus control fastball at 93-95 on the gun. He likes to mix in an average to above-average changeup of 80-83 and has found success with the pitch at lower levels. His changeup will have to learn more fade to survive against top-tier hitters.

Chamberlain’s out pitch is his 10-to-4 plus slider that stays low and tempts hitters. Some reports from Hawaiian Winter Baseball have noted that the slider was declining into a loose slurve. He also throws an average curve that does more to change pace than change plain. He excels with the command of his pitches spotting them where he needs.

While many organizations decided against sending top-shelf pitching prospects to the island, there is little argument Chamberlain was the most dominate and ready player of the group in Hawaii. There he continued to display the characteristics scouts love, an uncanny ability to make hitters miss. He struck out 46 and walked only three.

You know, this guy is what scouts call a player to dream upon. Looking at the numbers, they seem to confirm their dreams. This guy is projected to be a No2.-3 type like Pettitte, but he may jusst turn out to be a No.1. He probably won't turn into Roger Clemens (who does?), but he could turn into better than C.C. Sabathia.

What's even more cool is this little tidbit of rivia:

Others: Joba is a member of the Winnebago Tribe, and could be one of two Native Americans playing in the Major Leagues when/if he makes it up (the other is Bobby Madritsch).

Now that's sort of interesting. With the arrival of Wang, the coming emergence of Philip Hughes, and the likely emergence of Joba Chamberlain, adding in names such as Ian Kennedy, Humberto Sanchez, Dellin Betances, by 2009, the Yankee rotation is going to look decidedly young, homegrown, and that's really exciting.

Coming To A Close

Warnie's About To Retire

Speculation is mounting that Shane Warne will call it quits after the Sydney Test.

Australia's greatest cricketer of the modern era, Shane Warne, will announce his retirement from international cricket tomorrow, effective from the end of the Sydney Test.

Warne will almost certainly take his 700th Test wicket at his home ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, during the forthcoming Boxing Day Test. It is thought that Warne viewed this as fitting way to close the book on one of the most celebrated, and controversial, careers of all-time.

Warne, 37, is Test cricket's leading wicket-taker and in 2000 was named one of Wisden's five cricketers of the century.

So an amazing era in Australian cricket is about to close.
I can remember in the days before the internet, Brutus Colcagoon and I used to run a little newsletter for the literary set at the now defunct Harold Park Hotel. In one of our editorials, we lambasted the then new addition, Shane Warne for being s tubby lout, but his cricket prowess sure shut us up over the years. Now he's about to walk away from it all with over 700 wickets. How time flies. Thanks for the memories, you tubby lout! SMS-messaging will never be the same after you!

What will happen when 'Straya will lose their amazing leggie? My guess it that there is some kid somewhere right now who has grown up watching and adulating Shane, who may just step into his shoes very comfortably. Don't bet against the regenerative powers of Aussie cricket. :)

McGrath Too
Stalwart fastbowler Glen McGrath is also tipped to quit after the Sydney Test.

Glenn McGrath, 36, is also tipped to announce his retirement after the Sydney Test.

McGrath is the third-leading Test wicket taker in history and his combination with Warne has been credited with much of the success of some of the great Australian sides.

The news Australian cricket fans have dreaded comes on the heels of 35-year-old batsman Damien Martyn's surprise retirement, while Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden are all over 35.

Well, if this is all true, so long and thanks for the 1254+ wickets, guys. :)

Shark Attack

Second Attack Of The Summer


Our morbid fascination with shark attacks continues. A man was attacked by a shark, while surfing, this time at 7pm.

A VICTORIAN man is lucky to be alive after surviving a shark attack at Bells Beach yesterday. The 25-year-old surfer suffered puncture wounds to his left calf and a major gash to a bone under his knee.

Peter Galvin, of Torquay, was waiting for a wave with a friend about 100m offshore at surf spot Winki Pop, when he was attacked about 7pm.

Sen-Constable Lisa Kearney, of Torquay police, said the shark attacked Mr Galvin from behind.

"The shark has grabbed his leg by the calf and taken a pretty nasty bite out of it," Sen-Constable Kearney said.

"He's very lucky he wasn't pulled off his board. It was an extremely large, deep bite. He's one very lucky man to be alive."

Mr Galvin, formerly of Yarraville, was helped to shore by his friend. English backpackers then applied pressure on the wound until paramedics arrived.

Surfng at magic hour probably wasn't such a wise move.

WACA Ashes Test Day 4 & 5 Observations

English Grit

So I was lying there with food poisoning. *Ugh*.
I think I might have got it at my old boss' Christmas party, though I can't be too sure.
Anyway, England put up a good fight for 2 sessions, but at the end of the day, Australia made a breakthrough to make it 5/265.

For a good while there, it looked like last year's Perth Test all over again. England, resuming on 1-19 with 557 needed to win or, more realistically, two days to survive for the draw, had defied the Australians all day.

With only 16 balls remaining until stumps, it had lost only two wickets to be 3-261. Century-maker Alastair Cook and Pietersen looked set to safely negotiate the remaining overs with the new ball.

Glenn McGrath changed all that in three balls. He was wicketless and overlooked when the new ball became due, it being taken by Brett Lee and Stuart Clark. Finally, McGrath was tossed the ball amid fading light, but his first two overs did not trouble the batsmen unduly.

At 6.32pm (local time), however, McGrath delivered a ball angled across left-hander Cook, who had defied everything else thrown at him over more than six hours. This time he pushed forward, the ball took a thin edge, and Adam Gilchrist gleefully celebrated a catch that removed Cook for 116.

Flintoff, due in next, stayed in the dressing room, instead trusting the resolute straight bat of nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard to see out the night. On his second ball, however, McGrath effected the type of clever tailender dismissal you might expect of Test cricket's most successful paceman, a slower ball that deceived and beat Hoggard and took his off stump.

Two minutes earlier, with seven wickets in hand, England would have liked its chances of batting through the day to keep the series alive. Now, however, such hope seemed gone.

The English limped into stumps at 5-265, after a couple more scares through appeals and hot-headed running from Pietersen and Flintoff.

The thing that made it worse for the Englishmen was the Hoggard as Nightwatchman effort that just went bellyup in 2 balls. I hold with the notion that a nightwatchman is not what you want to be doing in a run chase. It did backfire badly, making all the commentators look like geniuses.

Just looking at that number,chasing 557 runs, I don't think they can really win it easily on Day 5. It sort of lies on the remote parts of possibilities even though the WACA seems to be playing very nicely for batsmen the last 2 days.
I guess I'll watch day 5 as I lie on my side.

Day 5
And barely 2 balls after lunch and the deal was sealed. Australia romped to their inevitable win.

Warne knocked over Monty Panesar with the second ball after the interval to dismiss the tourists for 350, well short of the victory target of 557.

Kevin Pietersen finished 60 not out while Warne took 4 for 115 to reach 699 Test scalps.

England limped to lunch on 9 for 349 with any hopes of reaching the target or batting the day out seemingly dashed after Warne and Stuart Clark combined to rip the heart out of the English tail.

The win wraps up the five-Test series 3-0 and sees Ricky Ponting's men regain the urn they lost to England only last year. England's Ashes reign was the shortest in history.

"[Losing the Ashes in 2005] was one of the lowlights of my career but right now is one of the more special times," Ponting said.

"You have to take this for what it is, it's a huge occasion for me and a huge occasion for the rest of the team. To win the Ashes back the way that we have has been unbelievable.

And he confirmed that he had banned any mention of winning the Ashes from the dressing room during the match.

"I thought England played a very good Test match down in Adelaide and I knew that we had to be at our best here if we were going to win," he said.

"So I didn't want anyone thinking any further ahead than what they had to. And to all the players' credit it hasn't been mentioned at all - but I'm sure it will be a few times tonight."

Warne said he thought Australia's extraordinary win in Adelaide had been the turning point.

"To win that game there was something special," he said. "It showed we can do special things like that."

In the end it was anti-climactic as Australia clinically removed the tail-enders, who were already shortened in numbers by the botched Nightwatchman ploy.
It's nice to see the urn returned to Australia on my birthday. :)

WACA Ashes Test Day 3 Observations

Was Watching... Gilly!

It's been a while since Gilchrist worked his bat like this. Maybe it was never. He almost equalled Viv Richards' quickest century mark by hitting his century off 57 balls.

Gilchrist came within two deliveries of scoring the fastest Test hundred of all time, hammering 12 fours and four sixes to bring up three figures off just 57 balls.

His stunning display, which included hitting left-arm spinner Monty Panesar for 24 in one over, saw him narrowly miss beating the 56-ball ton by the legendary Viv Richards against England in Antigua 20 years ago.

Gilchrist added an awesome 162 in only 20 overs with Clarke to bury England under weight of runs.

Until Gilchrist's stunning innings, England could have counted themselves unlucky not to have made further inroads after a combination of missed chances and denied appeals.

That was some wild hitting. The over in which he smacked 24 runs off Monty Panesar was a delight. It looked so effortless. Anyway, Australia look to be about set to re-take the Ashes today.

England lost the wicket of Andrew Strauss, LBW without playing a shot, in the first over of its second innings, after a demoralising day in the field all but ended its chances of regaining the Ashes today at the WACA Ground.

After Australia's batsmen teamed to grab the ascendancy, Adam Gilchrist blasted the second fastest century in Test cricket to put the Test beyond England's reach.

It took Gilchrist just 57 balls to register his 17th career century, and he fell just one delivery short of equalling the record set by the West Indies' Viv Richards 20 years ago.

His remarkable innings of 102 not out, which contained four sixes and 12 fours, took Australia to 5-527 when captain Ricky Ponting declared late on day three of the third Test.

England needs a virtually impossible 557 runs to win, or must bat out more than two days to draw the match and keep the series alive.

Now, I didn't think it would happen twice, but Strauss was unlucky again. The English really haven't had much luck in this series, a little bit like 2005 where it could be said Australia didn't have much luck at all.
Well, so much for the hype.

WACA Ashes Test Day 2 Observations

It Ain't About Skill Sometimes
Predictably England were humbled and the Aussies stormed back to control the match.
Strauss was really unlucky to be given out, but as a wise man once said, "it's better to be lucky than good". Other than that, it was business as usual as Australia turned the thumbscrews.

Let's face it, we're all thinking it. And, despite the caution voiced by Australian players interviewed after their fightback at the Waca, the Australian papers appear to be too.
"Ponting has one hand on the urn," says Trevor Marshallsea in the Sydney Morning Herald. He puts his finger squarely on the England problem again all too apparent in the wake of Monty Panesar's first day heroics. "By now, no one should doubt modern England's ability to produce a great day's cricket," Marshallsea writes. "It is their failure to string a few together that is the problem and that, by the end of this third Test, should have cost them their hard-won Ashes. In Perth, the tourists finally got their team right and revelled in the five wickets of Monty Panesar, which reduced Australia to 244. But by late on day two, much of the spinner's work had been undone."

Here's an interesting article on Ponting penned by Rod Marsh.

If I had to make a comparison between Ponting and anyone else in the history of the game, I'd go for Viv Richards, which says something in itself. There are technical similarities with Richards. Ponting gets his front leg down the pitch early and sometimes he plays across it, opening up the leg side. And, like Viv, he hooks and pulls brilliantly, very often off the front foot.

That planting of his front foot down the pitch can be regarded as a technical deficiency. He sometimes falls over to the off side, but even that can work to his advantage. It means that sides will bowl straight to him at the start of his innings in the hope of getting him leg before wicket, as occurred in Perth on Thursday. That sometimes happens when something is not quite right, but 99 per cent of the time he will soon be cracking those straight deliveries wide of mid-on.

It wouldn't surprise me if he kept going for another six or seven years, scoring as heavily as he is now. His fielding can be a good barometer of his cricket. He's working hard at it now; he loves fielding and he puts himself in the key positions, either in the circle or at second slip. As captain, he is not interested in hiding himself. Provided he keeps practising — and I'm not sure he did during the most recent World Cup — he hits the stumps more often than anyone.

Well worth a read.

Game On

Third Ashes Test Starts With Bang

After watching a lot of batting and batsmen beating up on bowlers until the last day in Adelaide, suddenly the name of the game is bowling. Australia were skittled for 244 and England were 2 for 51 at stumps. This is looking like it's going to be a low scoring game in comparison to the previous 2 tests. In the thick of the action was Monty panesar, the man everybody thought should haave played in Brisbane and Adelaide.

Panesar made a mockery of England's conservative selections this series when, given the chance to twiddle his spinning finger instead of his thumbs, took 5-92 on Ashes debut to help bowl Australia out for 244.

Aided by the reinvigorated fast bowler Steve Harmison, Panesar gave life to the tourists' dreams of fighting back from 2-0 to keep alive their chances of retaining cricket's most prized trophy.

However Australia's bowlers also sprang to life to orchestrate a home side fightback on easily the most absorbing day of the series.

England was 2-51 at stumps.

England's batsmen can expect the wicket to flatten and slow over what should be four more cracking days, but on the hostility Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee showed tonight, the tourists will have to bat superbly to forge out a first innings lead of any note.

McGrath halted a quickfire England start with the removal of Alastair Cook (15), and then Lee produced a peach to have Ian Bell caught behind for a second-ball duck, although television replays showed the speedster overstepped.

With Andrew Strauss (24 not out) due for a big score, England will be desperate to build a lead big enough to avoid a repeat of the last day of the second Test in Adelaide, when the tourists' batsmen were mesmerised by Australia's bowlers and succumbed to the pressure.

Panesar at least brought much-needed positivity to England's cause with a display of class, occasion and resilience after he got the nod over Ashley Giles, after two Tests on the sidelines.

Panesar bowled a dumbfounded Justin Langer - leaving the ball with an angled bat - with his seventh ball and then won the battle against Andrew Symonds' attempts to hit him out of the attack, when he had the allrounder (26) caught behind cutting at a wide ball.

So it's looking like now we're going to see a Test match where bowwlers are goingg to get good figures and batsmen look like chumps. Panesar is making the seleectors look like geniuses, but I wonder how England will look when they face Warnie tomorrow. That's going to be fun on this pitch.

Six Years 52Million?

Sold Yourself Short, Dice-K

Daisuke Matsuzaka agreed to terms with the Bosox for 6 years and $52m. I'm shocked at how low that number is. He must have told Boras to STFU and rushed to sign the paper.

Daisuke Matsuzaka has reached a deal with the Boston Red Sox for six years, $52 million, a source close to the negotiations has told SI.com. The deal contains escalator clauses that could bring it up to $60 million.

The clauses are similar to the ones in the contract of Josh Beckett, another starting Red Sox pitcher, a person connected to the team said.

Matsuzaka and the Red Sox came to an agreement shortly before both sides boarded a private jet out of Orange County, Calif., around 9 a.m. PST on Wednesday. Matsuzaka is to take a physical shortly after landing in Boston.

The deadline to sign Matsuzaka, the most heralded pitcher in the Japan League, was midnight Thursday. But the sides rushed to finish the deal by early Wednesday so there'd be time to conduct a physical and to get the blood work back.

When Matsuzaka, agent Scott Boras and Red Sox officials all boarded the plane, speculation was high that a deal was at hand after very difficult negotiations over 29 days. "They all took off together,'' Red Sox owner John Henry wrote to the AP in an email. "Assume a deal is done or close.''

SI.com confirmed a deal had, in fact, been struck for the righthanded superstar who was 108-60 in his career with the Seibu Lions and MVP of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, won by Japan, this past spring.

Sort of dissappointed that Boras couldn't gouge more, but it probably means Igawa is going to come cheaply too.
God, what is the world coming to? :)

Funny Because It Just Is

The Red Sox Are Chumps

That high pitched sound you hear is the collective whine of the city of Boston as Scott Boras really twists the arms of the Red Sox Front Office.

Either Matsuzaka pitches for the Sox next season, at a reasonable price, or he can straighten his seatback and put his tray table in the upright and locked position.
It’s either Hello, Boston . . .
Or Sayonara, Daisuke.
Fifteen million a year? Please. If Matsuzaka and Boras are still asking for that today, the Sox have one choice and one choice only. They should help Matsuzaka pack his bags, call him a cab, then drop him off on the street corner before they board owner John Henry’s private jet back to Boston. Matsuzaka can go back to Japan, back to the Seibu Lions, who paid him roughly $2.75 million last year to dominate a second-rate league.
Somehow, somewhere along the line, a funny thing happened in these negotiations between Matsuzaka and the Red Sox: the tail started wagging the dog, the Red Sox started acting like the the ones that had something to prove. Boras is a brilliant negotiator and a master at leverage, and the Red Sox somehow came to believe that it was their responsibility to convince Matsuzaka to pitch for them.
The truth, of course, is that Matsuzaka is the one who has yet to prove a damn thing; if he goes back to Japan, it will be at least another year until he proves anything at all. For all that has been said during these “negotiations” regarding Japanese codes like honor and tradition, the irony is that Matsuzaka has spit in the face of Major League Baseball and the Red Sox.
Boras may be in the middle of these negotiations, after all, but he works for Matsuzaka.
Seriously: At what point does this madness stop? At what point does a team just say no to someone who has never thrown a pitch in the major leagues, yet demands to be paid as if he were a young Pedro Martinez?
At what point does an athlete offend our sense of what is just, solely because he has an agent who can manipulate the system?
When?
Let’s rewind here for a moment. The Red Sox did not create these rules. They simply have played by them. Through agreement between baseball officials from Major League Baseball and Japan, the Red Sox competed in an auction for Matsuzaka’s rights. They won that auction. They have since engaged in discussion with Boras, who wants to treat Matsuzaka as if he were Barry Zito.
More than ever, here is what the Red Sox need to realize: They truly have nothing to lose here. If Matsuzaka does not pitch for them, he will not pitch for another major league team next season. No baseball observer in his right mind will point to Matsuzaka, like we pointed to Bronson Arroyo, because the Chiba Lotte Marines simply do not qualify as legitimate competition.
For all of the problems that have plagued professional sports and, in particular, baseball over the years, this much has remained true: players have had to perform, on the biggest stage, to earn their money. No major league player is eligible for arbitration until he has reached three full years of service; no player is eligible for free agency until he has reached six years. You don’t get into the Hall of Fame just for showing up.
Matsuzaka? He looks like a unique talent with a gifted right arm. On the other hand, so did Robinson Checo. Now Matsuzaka wants a seat at the big table, but he wants someone else to bankroll him, too. He wants to win big. He wants to risk nothing.
And if that’s the way this man works, do you really want to give him the ball, at Yankee Stadium, with something on the line?

Heh. It's funny because it's happening to Boston. If it were happening to New York, I wouldn't be writing this up with a smirk, I tell you. I'm kind of over the disappointment of D-Mat going to the Bosox and their stupid 51.1m bid - at least I keep telling myself that so I can sleep at nights.

All the same, all this hullaballoo is in stark contrast with the near-silence of the Yankee-Igawa talks that are proceeding. There has been a comment made by agent Arn Tellem that he thinks the agreement should be done by around the 20th of December. It would be really funny if the Yanks secured Igawa without a hitch and the Bosox really screwed the pooch on Matsuzaka, sending him back to Japan. Watch Boston fire up their blamethrowers then... and just that anxiety is probably driving Boston nuts already.

Go Scott Boras, you go screw with their heads right and proper, old chap. I'm sure Matsuzaka is going to be perfectly fine facing the Yanks as a Bosox; or facing the Orix Blue Waves as a Seibu Lion; and Igawa is going to be perfectly fine facing the Bosox.

Shuttle Flight

The Space Shuttle is aloft once more and I've been busy following events in sport. So apologies.

Astronauts on board the space shuttle Discovery will attach an extension to the orbiting International Space Station during a spacewalk today, in what is said to be one of the most difficult tasks ever carried out in space.

Discovery, which docked last night local time, will remain at the ISS for eight days, during which its crew will perform three spacewalks.

In the first, Christer Fuglesang, a Stockholm physicist and the first Swede in space, along with Robert Curbeam, the mission specialist, will attach a two-tonne, $11 million cube-shaped addition to the space station.

During the subsequent spacewalks astronauts will rewire the US-made portion of the space station, which will involve cutting off the power and activating extra solar panels to double the current electrical output.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration says it will be the trickiest manoeuvre ever carried out in space.

Meantime, Nasa was deciding whether there was any need for further inspection of the shuttle’s left wing after a sensor detected a "very low impact" less than three hours after docking.

Two astronauts had used a robotic arm to examine the wing leading edge. But John Shannon, chairman of the mission management team, said the impact was considered to be of concern but the agency wanted to play if safe.

"It looks like something happened," said Mr Shannon, adding that the wing looked fine during a focused inspection performed Sunday.

Since then they've had a spacewalk to confirm the shuttle was okay.

Two astronauts climbed out of a hatch on the international space station Tuesday, starting a difficult six-hour spacewalk during which they will guide and bolt into place a new 2-ton addition to the orbiting lab.

U.S. astronaut Robert Curbeam, a veteran spacewalker, and the European Space Agency's Christer Fuglesang, who is making his first spacewalk, stepped outside at 3:31 p.m. EST as the space station flew 220 miles over central Europe.

"I've got my head out the hatch," Curbeam radioed commander Mark Polansky.

Polansky, who flew on a 2001 shuttle mission during which Curbeam took three spacewalks, responded, "OK, Buddy. Welcome back. It has been a long time."

Right after the spacewalk began, a hand control unit was dislodged on Curbeam's backpack attachment used in case he becomes untethered, but the problem was quickly fixed. Spacewalkers are tethered at all times.

So all is well.

A Lovely Day

State Of The Australian Film Industry Part X
Here's a tip-off from Pleiades; Miranda Devine has this article today.

Box office receipts for Australian movies plunged to an all-time low in 2004, to 1.3 per cent of total box office, down from almost 10 per cent a decade ago. They have only recovered slightly since, with the help of Kenny.

Of course, 2004 was the year Somersault scooped the pools at the AFI awards - 13 awards in all, on top of rave reviews, for a movie that was simply unwatchable.

Box Office Mojo says Somersault took just $92,214 with no foreign sales, making it another big loss maker for the taxpayer, though the Australian Film Commission maintains box office receipts were more like $2 million.

The Australian Government, which pours $140 million into the local film industry each year, is looking at changing tax incentives for film investors so films can be funded outside the government system.

Variety magazine says private investment in all Australian films last year amounted to just $8 million - seven per cent of total production cost.

The best thing the Government could do is turf out all Film Bulgaria social engineers from the movie business, or at least get them to do it with their own money, instead of using mainstream budgets funded by taxpayers to create unoriginal film school dogs that say nothing about our culture.

You know, when even Miranda Devine can see the problem, then it's time the current government-led system be pulled apart. They really should let the market dictate what gets made and what does not.

Go Home Aussies?
Arab nations are upset that Australian Soccer has joined the Asian Football Federation.

Sheik Talah al-Fahd Al Sabah, president of the West Asian Games committee, echoed earlier comments by his brother Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, the Olympic Council of Asia president.

"We are against Australia joining the Asian continent, even in soccer," Sheik Talal said. "This is the biggest mistake made against Asian soccer. This will kill the ambitions of Asian soccer."

Australia reached the second round of the World Cup before losing on a last-minute penalty kick to eventual champion Italy. The Aussies had qualified for the World Cup through the Oceania group and beating Uruguay in a playoff for the last spot.

The Australians are among the 16 qualifiers for the 2007 Asian Cup, which is being hosted by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

"What are we going to benefit from Australia's soccer team when it plays a game with Asia? Is it the experience?" Sheik Talal said. "We might play with them once every four years, not more."

Earlier, Sheik Ahmad said Australia should not be part of the Asian group for any Olympic sports.

"If Australia will come to Asia, we are killing about 16 other nations," he said.

I think what's realy got them worried is that Australia is a strong sporting nation and this move will inevitably blow them out of the water. Whiners and whingers. :)
Australia would go back to Oceania if it actually had a berth of its own at the World Cup table.

Comings & Goings & Happy Returns

Damien Martyn Retires

I know I've been giving Damien Martyn a very hard time and he need not have taken the rebuke so personally... :)
Just kidding, but the fact of the matter is, he fell on his sword and called it quits.

There appears to be no sinister motives behind Martyn's decision. Teammates and coaching staff are all convinced that desire, or lack thereof, was the sole reason behind his move to retire barely a week before his hometown Test. Since Adelaide, Martyn has spent time with his wife, Annika, discussing his preference to walk away from the game, and with an email to Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland at 11.15am yesterday, his retirement was confirmed.

Martyn's announcement has come as a major shock to all those involved with the Australian cricket team. At no point did he make known his intention to retire to teammates or coaching staff. Even Ricky Ponting, the best man at his wedding, was unaware of Martyn's decision until informed by phone yesterday afternoon. And Australia's openers, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, have fronted the press in the past two days insisting Martyn would overcome Michael Clarke's challenge and retain his place at No.4 for the Perth Test.

Still, in retrospect, some of the Australians believe the warning signs were there. When Martyn fell to a rash stroke in Australia's fifth-day run chase at Adelaide, he returned to the dressing rooms in a relaxed, almost reflective mood. That is in stark contrast to the dark demeanour he generally displays after posting a low score. Perhaps the decision had already been made.

Here's another interesting article on the WA batsman.

A teen prodigy with the bat, he was stung badly when the critics turned on him after his seventh Test. He never again trusted them, their praise, or the fame they promised.

Holden Caulfield complained in JD Salinger's Catcher In The Rye that if he were "a piano player or an actor or something and all those dopes thought I was terrific, I'd hate it. I wouldn't even want them to clap for me. People always clap for the wrong things. If I were a piano player, I'd play it in the goddam closet."

At times Martyn seemed to be of a similar mind. He played his best away from home, scoring nine of his 13 Test hundreds on foreign soil.

He hated the spotlight, was contemptuous of the cricket media pack and seemed always wary. He was, and remains, an enigma. He scorned the time-honoured adage that a batsman must position his feet to drive a ball, yet remained one of the most graceful and effortless batsmen of his era.

Men who defy convention are acceptable to those who insist upon it, until things go wrong. Only then are their eccentricities called to account, and there is some suspicion that two of Martyn's worst shots have attracted as much attention as the remarkable total of his best.

Few have paid as highly as Martyn did for one loose drive.

On January 6, 1994, at the age of 22, he was in the heat of battle against South Africa in Sydney. He scored his third half-century in the first innings of his seventh Test and held his head when the side collapsed in the second.

Martyn took the team from 5-63 to within seven runs of victory, but was out playing an injudicious shot at Allan Donald to leave the score 9-110.

The team lost. Martyn was blamed and unceremoniously dropped. From there he became cricket's David Hicks, spending six seasons in solitary confinement, unable to get a hearing or any sympathy from the selectors.

Ah yes, that infamous stroke in 1994. It was a long road back, but then he had to go and do a similarly rash thing again. No wonder he ended up under the scrutiny once more.
So an era ends. It's a good thing.

In Vogue
The man coming into the Australian Squad to replace Martyn is Voges, Adam Voges.

Although Voges remains a roughie to edge out allrounder Andrew Symonds and make his debut in the third Ashes Test in Perth, starting on Thursday, Clark believes the right-hander is capable of holding down No.4 long-term.

"There's no doubt he can fill the role," Clark said.

"He's got the opportunity, he's got to make the most of it.

"He's got the front running, and if he gets a game he's just got to take advantage of it."

Australia is yet to decide on who will replace Martyn at second drop, although Mike Hussey's seamless elevation from No.5 in the second innings of the second Test in Adelaide would have him favourite.

Michael Clarke has also batted at No.4 for his country and averages over 50 in the position for NSW.

Talent is rife. It's amazing how the selectors stuck with an under-productive Martyn for so long.

On Paul Collingwood
This guy can hit.
On the first day of the Adelaide Test, I was having a conversation with my good friend and Poet DBM and he thought "Collingwood just isn't up to Test standard". I argued, "he might not look it, but he's a grafter". He'd know, because he used to play cricket and what the hell do I know about playing cricket?
Still, Collingwood has been the best performer on the English side this tour.

The thing is, I'm not writing this to rub it into DBM, but this is the amazing thing about sport. I look at Collingwood's stats and think, he might look 'under-gifted' compared to players of the game, but the guy gets it done. There's a lot of merit in having a guy like that in your lineup. You know, not to rub it in again, but he's the opposite of what Damien Martyn has provided in this Ashes series.

BTW, here's a cool little article on the ball of the century.

According to Gatting, because it was Warne's first tour of England, he was given a chaperone in the shape of fellow Victorian Merv Hughes. "And what people don't know," said Gatting, "on the night before the Test he decided to take Warne out for a small drink. What we all know of course is that Merv never had a small drink and on this particular night when we (the England players) were coming out of the pub, they were going in." It was with this in mind that when Gatting faced up to Warne next day, because he thought the young spinner would be "suffering a bit", he expected him to drop the first one a bit short but he didn't. The rest, as they say, is history - but even to this day Gatting believes he did little wrong, that knowing the ball that pitched outside his leg stump could not get past his ample backside he decided to let it go. And as is supported by the television footage, Gatting said even wicketkeeper Ian Healy moved his body to the leg side, proving that even he expected the ball to go that way instead of spinning sharply and cannoning into the off stump.

Andy Pettitte Returns To The Yankee Fold

It seemed somewhat unlikely at the end of his 3 year journey home to Houston, but he found himself at a contractual loose-end and with half a mind to retire, except, he didn't. At 34, Andy Pettitte is coming back to the Yankees.

The Yankees confirmed the deal with a brief statement from General Manager Brian Cashman, and Pettitte’s agent, Randy Hendricks, confirmed the value in an e-mail message. Pettitte, whom the Yankees did not make available for comment, gave the Yankees his oral assurance that he would not exercise his player option if he was injured.

“We have preliminarily agreed to terms with Andy Pettitte on a contract to pitch for the New York Yankees, pending the passing of a physical examination,” Cashman’s statement said.

The Astros had offered Pettitte a one-year, $12 million deal, but rejected Hendricks’s counteroffer of $14 million with an option. The Yankees privately believed that Pettitte preferred to stay in Houston and knew they needed a difference-maker in their proposal.

This makes next year's Yankee rotation, a very interesting thing:

Wang
Pettitte
Moose
Igawa
Karstens/Rasner

Pavano and Randy are now no longer integral to the rotation. If Pavano looks healthy in spring training, watch for him to be shipped out someplace. Randy probably won't be back on opening day from his herniated disc surgery.
There's even talk of Clemens possibly joining Pettitte. As the folks at BTF say, TINSTAAPP!

Matsuzaka Update

Talks Getting... Dicey
It's one of those bummers that a player one thought would've been great in a Yaankee uniform seems destined to go to the hated Red Sox, but that's life. My mother is a big Matsuzaka fan, ever since his big High School effort when he won the Koshien summer tournament. She actually felt sorry for Matsuzaka that Boston won the bid. "Good players like that should just go to the Yankees, where they represent all of baseball," she lamented.
Anyway, that's just my mother. :)

It does seem that talks are not going so well between Matsuzaka's agent Scott Boras and the Red Sox brass.

With nine days left to deal, reports have Matsuzaka returning to the United States as soon as this weekend, and this trip, unlike last month’s visit, could include a stop in Boston. In the days immediately following the Sox’ winning $51.11 million bid to the Seibu Lions of the Japanese league for the right to negotiate with the pitcher, Matsuzaka took in the sights of Los Angeles near Boras’ Southern California headquarters.

It is believed that Matsuzaka is looking for $12 million per season, while the Red Sox are not expected to exceed $9 million a year over a five- to six-year span.

There is still room and time to negotiate before the deadline arrives, and the Sox are plenty familiar with Boras, who also represents the club’s newest outfielder, J.D. Drew [stats], catcher Jason Varitek and the team’s former center fielder, Johnny Damon.
“We certainly have had discussions and talked about a lot of ideas,” Boras said.

Asked if he believed the sides would reach a deal before the deadline, Boras gave a hearty laugh before replying.

“One thing about this job, I don’t write the checks,” Boras said. “That’s their decision. . . . We’re making every good-faith effort to examine this from all the sides and see if we can accomplish a fair resolution.”

The agent said Major League Baseball’s recent reminder that side deals between ballclubs like the Red Sox and Seibu is not a good thing and that “the integrity of the posting would be flawed” if it were allowed. Boras noted, however, that no rules exist that would prohibit Seibu from paying money to Matsuzaka to help him come to a decision where he would sign with the Red Sox and the Lions collect their $51.11 million.

Hmmm. There are other curious noises like this.

According to sources with direct access to the Sox's view, there is an increasing feeling that Boras is setting the stage, both privately and publicly, that there is not going to be a deal.

"Unless he's being less than honest," one source said, "there isn't going to be a deal."

So this is going to get really curious. With 7 days to go to the deadline, Matsuzaka is going to visit Boston.
It would be hilarious if the Bosox screwed the pooch on this and the negotiating rights to Matsuzaka went to the Mets.

An Amazing Win

Was Watching... Warnie!


I don't know why but I decided to take in the 5th day of the Adelaide Test today on the TV. I seriously thought it was going to be a draw, but lo and behold it turned into quite an exciting day's play. I sure don't regret the decision to waste a day in front of the TV as England were dismissed for only 129, leaving a paltry target of 168 runs for the Australians in the final session.

World cricket's greatest wicket-taker, Warne proved yet again that he was also its greatest dramatist by conjuring up a virtuoso performance just when it seemed the Adelaide Test match was destined to end as the dullest of draws.

His relentless, unchanged spell of 26-11-29-4 today, giving him 4-49 for the innings, was the catalyst for England's inexplicable collapse from 1-59 overnight to 129 all out, with a little bit of help from two men who had previously been unkind to Warne in this match.

First, umpire Bucknor let his guard down long enough to allow Warne to convince him that Andrew Strauss' bat or glove, as well as his pad, had deflected a catch to short leg.

Warne was unable to win a single appeal from Bucknor or Rudi Koertzen in the first innings, but his standing as an expert in the dark art of umpire persuasion was confirmed by television.

Replays showed the ball was nowhere near either, leaving Strauss to shake his head and Warne to reason that his luck was in.

That feeling would have been strengthened by the wicket of Ian Bell, run out in the sort of mix-up that should never happen in Tests but does so nonetheless.

Bell's departure brought Kevin Pietersen to the wicket, a man acknowledged as Warne's master after his first innings 158.

Pietersen had boasted previously that he could never imagine being bowled around his legs by Warne, given that he has made a habit of avoiding the sweep to deliveries pitched into the rough outside his leg stump.

Today, however, Pietersen decided for one moment that he would try it, and then looked around in disbelief to find he had been bowled behind his pads by a ball that turned almost square to strike his off stump.

The run chase was interesting as Langer and Hayden both proved to be haphazard, and Martyn once again proved he was a flake. Ponting, Hussey and Clarke looked to be responsible hitters in the 168 run chase.

Captain Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey batted expertly on a wicket which showed none of the trouble England experienced in its second innings.

An elated Hussey (61 not out) raised both fists and jumped in the air when he hit the winning run. Michael Clarke, who scored a seven courtesy of a run-three and four overthrows, finished on 21 not out.

Ponting's 49 gave him 447 runs this series from four innings for just three times out.

Australia's victory - its 13th in 14 Tests since it lost the Ashes in 2005 - gave it a decisive lead ahead of the third Test in Perth, which starts December 14.

I don't know if Hayden and Martyn should retain their Test spots after this Test match. Hayden looked stodgy and lofted a ball that maybe he need not ought to have played at. A bit like Gilchrist yesterday, but with much less style. Martyn came in and smashed a 4 then danced around a ball to send it straight to a fielder. Thanks for the pathetic contribution Damien! I lost faith in these gusy in last year's ashes, but I don't know why the selectors keep showing this unfound sort of faith in these guys. Hayden hasn't hit like his peak for some time now and Martyn is still the unreliable flake he was in the early '90s.

Michael Clarke on the other hand looks to have matured greatly. Apart from the shot he hit in the air that got him out, he showed great discipline in both innings; the sort of discipline we used to get from Steve Waugh. I dare say he's recovered his Test spot for now.


Every time I watch Australia bat, I get this mixed elation and despair. The gap between the good and the bad is getting larger, not smaller. It's quite excruciating, even when they accomplish the 168 run chase properly - Then I realise it must be much worse for the Poms who are watching this with their hopes riding on their boys. Who knows how they'll come out in the next Test. It's sure looking like Australia are going to regain the Ashes.

Changin' Of The Guard... Again

Kim's Out, Kev's In
Kevin Rudd made a putsch for the job of Leader of the Opposition and managed to displace Kim Beazley.
Beazley, a.k.a. 'Potamus', and Bomber, took it on the chin.

"This is my last press conference as leader of the Labor Party, I suppose.

My commission is terminated, and caucus, as you know, decided to change leadership to Kevin Rudd.

I said to the caucus today that the Labor Party needed to get in behind Kevin Rudd and give him the best chance he possibly can of becoming the next prime minister of this country.

Kevin is a very able man, a very intelligent man, with a very wide base of knowledge and an absolute determination to do the right thing for the Australian people. He will be a very good leader of the Australian Labor Party. He will take us to victory at the next election.

I wanted to stay and finish the job, but that was not to be. We will win the next election.

Echoes of Bill Hayden, methinks. I hate to break it to you, but I won't miss you Kim, you lug. Kim Beazley also lost a family member over-night and seemed quite overwhelemd when he came out to concede defeat to the press.

Now, Kevin Rudd is one of those psycho-Christian types so I don't have any high-hopes for him either; and his partner in crime Julia Gillard looks like the worst kind of careerist politico on the prowl. I never liked Kim Beazley's stance on many issues so maybe I should feel relieved that he is gone.

By winning the poll by the emphatic margin of 49 votes to 39 in a swift and efficient campaign that lasted only four days, Rudd has taken the leadership in about the best manner possible.

The electorate had switched off to Kim Beazley, except to laugh at him.

Rudd and his deputy, Julia Gillard, have the priceless gift of a freshly attentive national audience.

That audience, crucially, includes a small army of former Labor voters, progressives who had drifted off to the Greens and other minor parties. They had no intention of voting for Beazley Labor.

Julia Gillard is issuing crocodile tears statements.

"Politics is obviously a tough business and Mr Beazley today has added a personal tragedy to what would have been a difficult day in politics in any event,'' Ms Gillard told Macquarie Radio.

"My heart does go out to Mr Beazley and his family.''

Err, yeah, right Julia. "Friend Australians, lend me your ears..." She comes not to bury Beazley... *Ugh* What a soap opera. I'm wretching with disgust already.
Walk-Off HBP has already coined suitably light nicknames for the duo, "K-Rudd" and "J-Gill".

Staggering Towards A Draw
Was watching the 4th day of the Adelaide Test and it struck me that this pitch really was unlikely to produce a result. It took me 3 and a half days more than "Darrell" who told me on the first day about an hour in to the match, that he thought it was headed for a draw, just looking at the pitch. Michael Clarke's century was probably the best bit in a day that seemed to just drag on. Gilchrist kind of gave away his wicket, which was really bad.

At stumps, England were 97 runs ahead, finishing day 4 at 1/59.

Back to the Moon

Budget Considerations
Here's an article about the projected budget of the missions back to the moon.

Some government auditors worry that NASA could come up billions of dollars short of the money needed to return U.S. astronauts to the moon.

However, the space agency says it already is closing that long-term funding gap by making money-saving design changes to its proposed Orion spaceships and the Ares rockets that will launch them.

Those and other changes made since NASA first estimated the cost of going back to the moon are making people inside the agency more confident they can complete the project on time and within its budget. Today, NASA plans to reveal details about what astronauts will do on the moon and how they will do it.

However, congressional auditors fear that NASA is repeating mistakes made in development of the space shuttle, International Space Station and several failed shuttle replacement programs and could be on track to run up billions of dollars worth of cost overruns. The Government Accountability Office is asking NASA to slow its investment of taxpayer dollars in the project.

Scott "Doc" Horowitz, NASA's man in charge of the moon-landing project, said the agency is pressing ahead because it has solid engineering and cost information for a project that involves development of spaceships and rockets using designs and components with a long track record of proven success.

NASA is keenly aware that failure to bring the project to fruition safely, on time and within budget could threaten the agency's future, he said.

"NASA needs to improve on its credibility," Horowitz said in a wide-ranging interview with FLORIDA TODAY on the challenges facing the moon-landing project. "It's been a while since we've been able to execute a program like this. The best way to improve credibility is to execute. We need to prove it."

Ah, the normal pressures of project management!

The World Is Not Enough

Stephen Hawking Says...


Stephen Hawking has been making this stance in public for some months now. At a time where our public interest in space might be on the wane, he sets us the bar.

Stephen Hawking, one of the world's most venerated scientific minds, has said abandoning terra firma is inevitable since a nuclear war or some sort of asteroid collision could at some point wipe Earth off the chart as a viable place to live.

"The long-term survival of the human race is at risk as long as it is confined to a single planet," the usually publicity-shy Hawking told BBC radio.

Incidentally, if humans have any hope of reaching hospitable planets in other solar systems using the rocket technology that took us to the moon, it'll take, oh, around 50,000 years.

But the wheelchair-bound Cambridge University professor has a way around that: propulsion systems, a la Star Trek. "Science fiction has developed the idea of warp drive, which takes you instantly to your destination," he said.

Though it's scientifically impossible for anything to travel faster than the speed of light, Hawking believes people could eventually go just under that speed using a process known as called matter-antimatter annihilation.

Star Trek aficionados will be well aware that ships such as the Enterprise are propelled using antimatter, a process which is still unworkable in reality though has for years been investigated by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

Were the method indeed possible, travelers could conceivably reach the closest star in around six years.

It might be decades before today's would-be space travelers get to visit such planets, though Hawking, for one, is still keen to visit the final frontier. "My next goal is to go into space," he said. "Maybe Richard Branson will help me."

It's no laughing matter, it's not science fiction, it's Stephen Hawking saying his piece. The future of humanity lies in space.

Shark Attack

First Bite Of Summer

One of the things we keep track of here on this blog are shark attacks.
Here's the latest shark attack news, this time in WA at Esperance at 7am, by a Great White Shark. You sort of wonder about the sanity of somebody who goes into the water at shark feeding time.

The teenage victim of a shark attack at a remote West Australian beach is recovering in hospital, as authorities take to the sea and the sky to find the white pointer that bit off part of his leg.

WA Premier Alan Carpenter said the shark should be killed if it threatened more lives and WA Fisheries stressed it would only do so as a last resort.

Fifteen-year-old Zak Golebiowski, from Mt Gambier in South Australia, had been body boarding with his 18-year-old brother off Wharton Beach, 70km east of Esperance when a five metre shark attacked him.

Part of Zak's right leg was bitten off by the huge shark, which also mauled and punctured his other leg, leaving it severely lacerated.

A New Zealand couple at the beach tied an extension cord around Zak's leg to stem the bleeding and he was flown to Royal Perth Hospital.

A hospital spokesman said Zak was now in a "stable condition" after surgery.

A spokesman for the Golebiowski family said no comment would be made while an exclusive media deal was negotiated with commercial television.

Zac's mother, Anne, has flown from Mt Gambier to Perth to be with her son.

"He knows that people get taken by sharks and that they die, so he's very fortunate to be alive," she said.

Err, yeah, lady. Sorry to be mean but it's one of those attacks that could have been avoided.

News That's Fit To Punt

Shoving The Figure Under The Carpet
Vivain Alvarez who was wrongfully deported to the Phillippines by overzealous DIMIA folks is getting a payout in the millions, except we won't get to know just how much of our tax-payers' money we're talking about.

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone defended the secrecy surrounding the deal, saying it was "not in the public interest" to reveal how much taxpayers would pay for the bungle.

The deal follows eight months of arbitration by former High Court judge Sir Anthony Mason to determine how much compensation Ms Alvarez should receive for being wrongly sent to The Philippines in 2001.

She was not found until last year, after The Australian revealed her identity in May.

She requires ongoing medical care and has partial amnesia, a partly paralysed hand and a spinal injury as a result of being struck by a car in Lismore in March 2001.

Since returning to Australia she has been reunited with her two sons, a teenager who lives with his father in Brisbane and a nine-year-old who is in foster care.

Her case, and that of Cornelia Rau, an Australian wrongly detained at Baxter detention centre, sparked sweeping reforms in the Immigration Department.

Ms Alvarez's legal team - which includes former Federal Court judge Marcus Einfeld - welcomed the deal yesterday.

I'm going to start my guess at $51.1million. :)

Stem Cell Debate
The bill is being discussed in Parliament.

After the first four hours of debate, 13 MPs spoke in support of the Bill while six opposed it.

Supporters emphasised the medical benefit that could flow from therapeutic cloning and said Australia would lose its position as a research leader if the ban held.

Opponents said it was ethically indefensible to create an embryo to destroy it, particularly when adult stem cell research _ which did not carry the same moral considerations _ was already showing promising results.

Liberal MP Louise Markus and independent Peter Andren said money marked for embryonic stem cell research would be better directed to stem cell research.

``In rejecting this Bill, I urge us all to follow the only ethical path, that of adult stem cell research,'' Mr Andren said.

Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said it was not yet known whether therapeutic cloning and embryonic stem cell research or adult stem cell research would prove the most useful.

``But in keeping all research paths open we are more likely to identify the best mechanism to reduce human suffering and improve quality of life,'' he said.

I hate it when religion passes itself off as having the only ethical position in this debate. It's a crock. There are just as, if not more compelling ethical reasons to undertak the experiments. The allegedly ethical arguments against are medieval throw-backs. It's pathetic that it causes such a stir in the Twenty-first Century. Really!

Second Test
England are batting first and making it very dreary by crawling to 2/140 runs at tea on the first day.

Collingwood was the most attacking-minded of the batsman, lifting Warne three times and cutting a number of boundaries, bringing up his second consectutive Test half century just before the break.

Ian Bell threw down the anchor, scoring at about 30 runs per hundred balls as he too reached 50.

Both batsmen began to look increasingly comfortable as the session wore on, but it was a fighting rather than dominant display by the two right-handers.

Bell had a close call when he french cut a quick Brett Lee delivery to the fine leg boundary.

Likewise, Collingwood chipped Clark just out of reach of a diving mid-wicket.

Collingwood and Bell's partnership now lies at 99.

Both batsmen had trouble playing Shane Warne, whose variety and big first day spin caused problems.

The naggingly accurate Australian bowling disguised what is a very dry and easy pitch for batting.

Because of the slow nature of the pitch, Ponting stacked his catchers in front of the wicket rather than packing the slip cordon as is the custom when on top of the batsmen on the first day of a Test match.

Despite the slow scoring, Collingwood and Bell's partnership is looking ominous, so much so that Ricky Ponting called on part time spinner Michael Clarke late in the session for a breakthrough.

My hunch is that this is going to be a draw.

Yanks Win Igawa Bid

Not Lilly, Igawa


News is filtering out of the MLB that the Yankees won the bid for the right to negotiate with Kei Igawa. The reported figure is US$25million.

The Yankees won the bidding for Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney is reporting. The winning bid is expected to be about $25 million. An announcement is expected Tuesday night.

After the bidding closed Monday, the Tigers were informed of the amount of the high bid, but not which team made it, The Associated Press reported. The New York Mets bid about $15 million for Igawa, another baseball official told The AP, on condition of anonymity.

The Yankees will have until midnight at the end of Dec. 28 to work out a contract with the 27-year-old left-hander. Igawa is represented by Arn Tellem, also the agent for Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui.

If the reports are true, then it suggests the Yankees are looking to get Igawa as their Lefty in waiting rather than Ted Lilly. Igawa is younger and has a track record of being a strike out pitcher. There's some video footage of him in action in late 2006 here. (You also get to see a single by Akinori Iwamura, who is headed to the Devil Rays. The AL East sure is loading up on Japanese talent this off-season.)

Also, here are some comparisons of Igawa and other NPB pitchers.

Again, an indication of the love of the strikeout to the detriment of other evaluation criteria. Nomo and Irabu impress with their Nolan Ryan impressions, but fall well short in every other category. Let's look again at the leaderboard in these categories:

The next chart is a comparison of these players in the seasons when they pitched the majority of their games at age 25, as Matsuzaka is doing now. You'll note that Matsuzaka's stats are in progress, but the ratios will be representative. Also, Nomo's stats are from the previous season, as he was injured in his 25 year old campaign, and opted to retire to "defect" to the US. Again, click to enlarge:

K/9 - Irabu, Igawa, Nomo
K/BB - Uehara, Matsuzaka, Igawa
WHIP - Matsuzaka, Uehara, M. Saito
ERA - Matsuzaka, M. Saito, K. Saito

The recurring names of Matsuzaka and Uehara are joined on this list by the ace of the Hanshin Tigers, Kei Igawa. He is an excellent pitcher who has also requested a posting to the Major Leagues. Like the Giants, Hanshin has declined that request more than once. I suppose I can't blame them. Where are you going to find a guy to replace your ace pitcher? Tough luck for Igawa, who is 27 and watching his best years fade away.

Just looking at that chart, it seems Matsuzaka is outlandishly good, but also Igawa is not a pitcher to be scoffed at. If I were forced to choose between the two pitchers to pitch for my life, I'd pick Matsuzaka on most days but it's hard to argue Matsuzaka is twice as good as Igawa, Igawa is certainly better than Irabu or Nomo ...and Igawa is a lefty, which is a bonus for him going to Yankee stadium. The Igawa vs. Dice-K showdowns will be good to watch.

Key Psycho

It's Done
Yep, it's finally finished.
After all this time, I managed to finish the damn thing.
I didn't think it would take this long, but it did. I would have liked it if people who volunteered their help actually followed through on their promises; as it was, each of those stages fell to me to fix. So this is the first time I have not only written and directed a piece, I've also edited it, done the special effects, the credits, as well as sound postproduction and music. It's daft, but true. What's even more extraordinary is that I did all of the post-production on what is ostensibly my home computer.
Thank you Mr Jobs.

From The Mailbox

A Bad Plan Is Better Than None At All?
This article came in from Walk-Off HBP.
You sort of wonder about commitments to Iraq when Americans, even if they're only journalists, start saying that maybe Saddam Hussein should be brought back to control Iraq?

At the outset of the war, I had no high hopes for Iraqi democracy, but I paid no attention to the possibility that the Iraqis would end up with a worse government than the one they had. It turns out, however, that there is something more awful than totalitarianism, and that is endless chaos and civil war.

Nobody seems to foresee the possibility of restoring order to Iraq. Here is the basic dilemma: The government is run by Shiites, and the security agencies have been overrun by militias and death squads. The government is strong enough to terrorize the Sunnis into rebellion but not strong enough to crush this rebellion.

Meanwhile, we have admirably directed our efforts into training a professional and nonsectarian Iraqi police force and encouraging reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites. But we haven't succeeded. We may be strong enough to stop large-scale warfare or genocide, but we're not strong enough to stop pervasive chaos.

Hussein, however, has a proven record in that department. It may well be possible to reconstitute the Iraqi army and state bureaucracy we disbanded, and if so, that may be the only force capable of imposing order in Iraq.

Chaos and order each have a powerful self-sustaining logic. When people perceive a lack of order, they act in ways that further the disorder. If a Sunni believes that he is in danger of being killed by Shiites, he will throw his support to Sunni insurgents who he sees as the only force that can protect him. The Sunni insurgents, in turn, will scare Shiites into supporting their own anti-Sunni militias.

Everybody's (well, mine anyway) favorite political scientist Niccolo Machiavelli said that all forms of government have their failings, whether it be Principailities or Republics or Oligarchies. There are good and bad things about each of them. The most important attirbute of good government however is not what form it takes but what fruits it provides. That is to say a stable government that provides stability for its citizens is a superior government to one which cannot secure such stability.
To put it bluntly, a stable Principality is preferable to a weak, chaotic Republic/Democracy, any day of the week.

It seems counter to the present day ideological position of the First World to say so when most of us go around mouthing the benefits of Democracy (and there are many of those). However it seems in this instance of Iraq, we are seeing a scenario whereby a stable dictatorship is looking far more attractive than a chaotic fledgeling democracy. This is no accident, as the works of Machiavelli tell us. While he didn't have all the answers to all the problems, Old Nic-Mac certainly provides with valuable tools to understand the nature of our crisis. The question is, would we be willing to back another strong man dictator in Iraq in order to let ourselves out of this mess?

Before we throw 'The Prince' back at his face, we should keep in mind that Machiavelli himself favored the Republic the most, for he felt that a stable Republic was one which was capable of providing more utility to more of its citizens than any other type of government - but I digress.

The issue comes down to whether we support a strong man in Iraq to put a lid on all this sectarian violence, as Saddam Hussein once managed, or do we commit to our ideological position and wait until the Iraqis learn how to run a democratc state without killing each other? Can we begin to analyse this problem from purely a point of utility? Or do we cite ethics, in which case who's ethical system is actually equipped to deal with this mess?

What will/can our consciences stomach? My guess is not much, and so we'll be committing to the fledgeling Democracy because it makes us feel better about the mess we have made in Iraq, rather than the ugly but effective solution of backing a strong man dictator.

In case you haven't noticed, the carriage of state power is an ugly business.

Weekend News

The Brisbane Test
As the days unfolded, I sat and watched Australia pound England for all the sessions except the last on Sunday. That's 3 and 2/3rds of a day's beatings before England sort of woke up. They sure won't play for anything but a draw this Test match, but it just might be that the English bats have woken up. Other than that, it was a replay of the sort of Test matches from the 1990s.

As England got bowled out for 370 this morning, it felt oddly familiar and made me wonder why I was watching it at all. :)

State Power In Decline
Here's an interesting article.

At the rate the Howard Government is centralising power and over-riding state rights, our state and territory governments are already hopelessly neutered.
Remember when the Northern Territory introduced dying with dignity legislation?

The Prime Minister killed it in cold blood.

The recent High Court decision on the Federal Government's workplace reform legislation was the nail in the coffin for state governments.

Now, the Commonwealth has the power to meddle in virtually any area of policy or regulation it chooses.

Big Ted or Bracksy, what does it ultimately matter?

If John Howard wants state schools to have the same curriculum in Queensland and Victoria, he can have his way.

And, as we've seen, he's very keen to involve himself in our schools, right down to their flagpoles and religious teachings.

One might well ask what sort of preacher would choose to be paid by a government rather than his church, but we already know what sort of politician is willing to play boss to preachers and premiers.

The big issue now, of course, is nuclear energy. John Howard states that his taskforce's evidence provides compelling economic evidence that Australia must pursue a nuclear future. This simply isn't right.

It actually provides compelling evidence that any nuclear power industry would need to be given huge financial advantages by government and would come on stream too slowly to bring the urgently needed reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions.

The allegedly unprejudiced taskforce made no serious examination of sustainable, renewable forms of energy, such as solar and wind.

Instead, it was asked to examine our uranium industry and possibilities for nuclear power. The Federal Government instructed it to do this with our massive uranium deposits kept in mind.

Now, this is not terribly good science. It is akin to asking for a report on capital punishment in light of us having plentiful supplies of good rope.

A wee bit hysterical, but you get the gist.
We had a double brown-out in our area last week and it has screwed with one of our computers. There are signs this summer already that power shortages are looming. So you sort of wonder how this is going to get addressed. After so many years of resisting nuclear power stations, we might suddenly find ourselves inundated with them.