Sports + Stuff

Death of the PS3?

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:15:10 -0400

Some of you may have heard the news about the PlayStation Network being down due to ‘external intrusion’ and the following Network blackout that ensued over the Easter Weekend. Some blamed ‘Anonymous’ for the treatment of the hacker GeoHot (Link Here) or that Sony had taken it done for mandatory updates. The truth of the situation was far, far worse.

The face of a billion dollar lawsuit?

It has been announced by Sony this evening that what really happened was that they were the target of a massive hacking attack that has resulted in millions and millions of personal data being stolen from users. They can know your e-mail address, your home address, your passwords, possibly even any credit card information. This is the largest scale attack to rock the gaming industry and Sony now face a massive, uphill battle to rescue themselves - one battle that may play a massive factor in the ‘Console wars’.

Soon to become a two-horse race?

The immediate fall-out is for the PSN users to go about changing their passwords and trying to see if they’ve been the target of any theft so far, while the threat of lawsuits against Sony. Now while there have been no confirmed reports as of yet that a person has experienced some theft - even if one person does this will be massively financially damaging for Sony, who’ve already suffered a large dent in public image, something that’ll will hold them back in trying to go forward.

This news however, couldn’t come at a better time for Nintendo who’ve just announced Project Café - the codename for the successor to the Wii. With a vast amount of reports already been released, user safety/security was one thing yet to be mentioned and now with Nintendo already leading the race for the next generation of consoles, they could kick the remaining life out of Sony while they’re down.

With one interview answer to the question about security, Nintendo will be a force-to-be-reckoned with and even Microsoft will have to bring something big to the table at E3 2012, as the official first hands-on of Project Café will be available at E3 2011.

Should nothing similar happen to the Wii or 360, then it’s not crazy to think there’s a possibility that the PlayStation could be dead within 5 years.

Five Rooney Replacements

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:14:08 -0400

The major sporting news at the moment is the news that Wayne Rooney has announced he’s going to leave Manchester United. Yet another major player to leave Old Trafford in recent years. Many will ask the question - Who could replace Rooney upfront at Manchester United?

Well here’s a list of the five guys I think could do the job:

The Full-Package

Luis Fabiano – 29 - Sevilla – Proposed Cost - £35 million

Luis Fabiano is the Brazilian hit-man whose long been on the list of Europe’s top clubs and it would now seem he could possibly find his way to the top – dependent on Rooney’s fee. He’s a strong strike and fine finisher of the ball as seen by his World Cup exploits and can score from a variety of distances. His price is defiantly indicative of his abilities and the main reason why Harry Redknapp couldn’t finalise a deal for him this summer. He’s defiantly a 30+ goal a season striker and I’d think he’d jump at the chance to join United.

The Hotshot

Karim Benzema – 22 - Real Madrid – Proposed Cost – part of a deal/£20+ million

Benzema’s career is like a flower at the moment – he blossomed at Lyon but has wilted at Real Madrid. He needs to move anywhere out of Spain in order to kick start his career and reach the potential that people expect from him. He’s a well built and very similar to Rooney but he’d prefer using head to his feet sometimes. I’d rate him as a 15-20 goal striker, maybe not as prolific as Rooney but he could be.

The Kick-Start

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 29 - AC Milan (on loan from Barcelona) – Proposed Cost – part of a deal/£25 million

The Swede’s career dipped in the second half of last season with Barcelona. He was dropped from the side and then shipped off altogether to AC Milan on loan for the season after David Villa was signed by Barcelona, finally departing Valencia. He’s surplus to requirements at Barcelona, and if not signed by AC Milan than maybe Man United might jump for him. I’d put him down as a 20-25 goal striker – just under what Man United will be looking and also age is a factor.

The Bosnian

Edin Dzeko – 24 - VFL Wolfsburg – Proposed Cost - £15-30 million

The Bosnian strike of Wolfsburg has been heavily linked with a move to Turin recently but he’s still available and a Fergie is a long time admirer. It’s no secret that this guy is a wanted man across Europe and with Rooney gone - he’d defiantly be in United’s Top Three. A cheap price, a potent goalscorer whose proved his worth before in the Champions League and currently plies his trade in my favourite league of sorts - the Bundesliga. He’d be a good young-ish purchase for the Red Devils and defiantly could bag 15-30 goals a year.

The Youngster

Alexandre Pato – 21 – AC Milan – Proposed Cost - £35 million

Another player in this list whose currently at AC Milan and also another Brazilian who I’ve estimated at £35 million – well that’s only because Chelsea were thinking of paying such a fee for the player and I can’t blame them. If he mines the core of talent he has then he could be the best striker in the world in the next five years. His progress with Brazil in recent games has been nothing but a revelation and with his pace, dribbling ability and his great accuracy he could have at least 40 goal seasons in his career. His young age fits in with the new generation coming through at Old Trafford

As for any English hope - I could see Darren Bent be the next Andy Cole…

What are your thoughts?

The Liverpool Situation

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:38:00 -0400

To be a Liverpool fan at the moment is kind of parallel to being Bambi.

The once brave, strong and loving parent you know has been shot by cruel American hunters and the state of decline is getting ever worse - the only difference is that Liverpool isn’t dead yet unlike Bambi’s mother.

However, if the Royal Bank of Scotland do decide to proceed with their October 15th deadline then Liverpool will be the second Premier League club to enter administration within 8 months joining Portsmouth in those very ranks. The situation is a bit different to Portsmouth in that this entire situation has a chance to be avoided - although just don’t remind Tom Hicks of that.

Most hated man in Liverpool history… I’m pretty sure he’s a closet Everton fan

Yes the fact of the matter is that despite already running the club almost as far into the ground as possible, Hicks is determined to plunge it down the final step just so he can try and salvage some money from the doomed venture that was ‘American Takeover Episode One - The Kop Out’.

I say ‘Episode One’ because there’s hope for the Anfield faithful in the form of New England Sports Ventures (NESV), which could be the Second Episode that drags this franchise back into the mainstream for the right reasons.

With a £300 million deal being the quoted sum in a variety of media outlets, the deal was accepted by Liverpool Chairman, Martin Broughton - the guy Hicks and George Gillette brought into sell the club. However, Hicks values the club at £600 million - double the amount of the accepted offer - and because of this he’s now taking legal proceedings in order to block the sale of the club, which in turn puts it on the brink of administration and therefore near worthless… However, this isn’t the case for Hicks and Gillette as at the moment they stand to lose around £144 million and the £600 million price mark is their way of recouping the losses that they’ve made from their Liverpool venture. They’ve tried to sack Broughton and some other board members as a way of getting round it but today RBS managed to secure an injunction prohibiting that. Seeing as they owe the RBS £280 million and that 82% of the RBS is funded by Taxpayer’s money - it seemed the only logical choice.

The RBS hopes to have the sale done so that they don’t have to put Liverpool into administration - a scenario that would cause even greater conversation stirs of relegation.

Now while the overview of the behind the scenes facts are interesting, it’s the opinion (although really it could be called fact) that Liverpool are playing football like a dog’s dinner at the moment.

They’re 18th in the league without a 9-point administration and such a penalty would put them bottom of the league on -5 points. The level of football once known just isn’t there any more and have left Liverpool relying on Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and the out of form Fernando Torres even more than before.

The foolish ideology that’s been to raised to perceive these three players are the only ones needed to keep Liverpool great is ridiculous and the sale of key ensemble members such as Xabi Alonso and Javier Maschareno is what has deeply weakened the red team of Merseyside.

Remember the good times…

Roy Hodgson, the manager, has had less than a storming impact since becoming manager and now he, alongside the two current owners, is facing the chop as Liverpool seem to be heading nuclear ahead of the Merseyside derby game at the weekend.

It’s troubling times for the Kop, when you have a team that isn’t performing on the pitch and the club isn’t performing off the pitch, then it’s always going to be troubling.

And although I’ve tried my hardest to cover up any bias - up to this point - it’s been a miraculous fall from grace that brings a tear of joy to any other football fan’s eye. No longer do I hear the cries of “We’ll top Chelsea and Man United this year” or “There’s no doubt the Champions League is ours again come May” and instead the fans are humbled and face the same ridicule that my beloved Newcastle had to suffer. The shoe has been moved onto their foot now and it’s up to Hicks and Gillette whether they want to force Liverpool into doing either a Leeds or a Newcastle. Regardless - neither is a pretty option.

Why NFL won't go global

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 16:13:00 -0400

My argument is that the NFL won’t successfully be able to go ‘Global’ for a sustained period of time. Why? Well for one - the name. Two - lack of interest in key areas. Three - foreigners just don’t get it.
I hear the ‘it’s stop start nonsense’ and ‘whats happening? Why are they kicking it to them now?’ that places emphasis on point three. The lack of interest is also a jibe at foreigners as well in some cases.

See with the UK it’s very difficult. We’re used to our own leagues with our own teams and we come together for international fixtures. The birth of a team such as London Lions or Manchester Cowboys will find it difficult to be accepted nationally.

The NFL system works because there are so many possibilities for teams in America. It’s more difficult over here because of the two different types of pride - team and national.
Unless the team is called Great Britian and NI, then it’ll lack the entire nation’s attention.

I use the UK example because the UK is probably the most prominent area in which they hope to expand to. Roger Goddall has this one wrong here. The more sustainable markets are Mexico and Canada who are screaming out for teams and not to forget that Germany and Holland were the driving force behind the failed NFL Europe project.

The longest running NFL Europe team - Frankfurt Galaxy were around for 16 years.

They have an ‘International Game’ in the UK and it sells out Wembley. Great. Three years or so is not enough time for siginificant investment plans. I would prefer to see a Superbowl before an NFL team in the UK again. Both unlikely but not impossible.

The most intriguing point of all for me though is the name of the sport:
American Football.
Every time you hear, read or say it, you’re reminded that’s it American. It was created in America. It’s played by Americans.
Now this isn’t to bash on the Americans but it’s probably the most important factor. The reason you see the success of sports such as football and tennis is because the name doesn’t drag you to one convulted stereotype of a nation.

The name of a sport, although it can seem simple can have such a profound effect on the sport as a whole. American Football doesn’t appeal when said so. Gridiron or NFL are acceptable replacement names for the sport it seems. Yuck.

In defense of the final point, I can’t blame Americans for sticking by there much loved American NFL and being against international games. I mean look at the prominent sports leagues in the USA:
-NHL is remembered by Wayne Gretsky, Canadian, and at the moment Sidney Crosby, Canadian.
-NBA is known for it’s Jordan’s, LeBron’s and Kobe’s but ‘Team USA’ can de destroyed by Spain or Greece for starters.
-MLB is known for it’s multiple sports enhancement drug reports and tarnished reputation.

Even one of America’s best MLB players has been caught up in drugs

The NFL stands alone as the one pride and joy of American sports and there is a reason the adverts say NFL: America’s Game because that’s exactly what it is - America’s game.
And what I’m trying to say is that - We’re glad that we get to borrow it every now and again, but we don’t want to have the game for ourselves just yet, when we get it without a major commitment.
This brings more credence to my part about the Superbowl. We’ll want the whole shebang before we even dicuss moving a team or adding a team over here in the UK or anywhere else for that matter.

Have it in London. I dare you.

As for plans about a 18th game. I’m behind that for sure. An 18th game for international fixtures would be brilliant for any city that hosts one. London, Toronto, Alberquerque, Berlin, Amsterdam, Beijing, Sydney, Rio, etc. so many places, so many oppourtunities.
Although I’m sure the owners will be annoyed at that suggestion because they need the money from their stadiums…

2010 NFL Sleeper Pick

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:40:00 -0400

The start of the NFL season is just round the corner and with that you get everybody and their uncle predicting what will happen. Whether it is Superbowl champion to MVP or from sleeper team to NFC East champions, you can guarantee that someone will have an idea as to who will be these very things…

I’m no different and here I’ll be offering who I think is my ‘sleeper pick’. I read a very interesting article by Peter Shrager on Foxsports (article is here: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/official-sleeper-pick-NFL-2010-season-082410) in which he picked the Oakland Raiders based on the criteria:

Must not have qualified for the postseason the year before.
Cannot be a preseason media darling.
Could not have played in a Super Bowl in the previous three years.
Must be at least somewhat surprising (The Subway Test is a method to test the surprise factor – the Subway test is while in conversation with someone on the Subway talk about your sleeper pick. Your sleeper team must make the other person look at you as if you were crazy.)
Must have your unwavering support through thick and thin from August through January.

Now using that criteria for myself and seeing the teams on show for my to pick from, I’ve decided that my 2010 NFL season Sleeper team are… the Tennessee Titans.

Possible 2010 AFC South Champions, play-offs definitely.
Let it be said that I’m a big fan of Vince Young as the underdog quarterback who otherwise helped salvage a terrible looking 2009 season into a fairly respectable .500 finish. OK so it wasn’t all Young but he had an impact for sure. They’re a difficult team to get past the ‘Subway Test’ due to the stellar defence and the best RB in the NFL at the moment, Chris Johnson.

You think you can stop this?

Other than that they face a very, very tough schedule. Raiders Week 1, Redskins Week 12 and Chiefs Week 16 look to be, on paper at least, the only sure wins that they have this year. Even Jacksonville pose a threat in what is a transition year for the Jaguars. This is another area which would help discredit the Titans as a serious play-off chance.

Peyton Manning’s Colts are still the favourite for the division due to their stellar roster which includes the high class receiver corps, the brilliant and reliable offensive line and the partnership of Sanders and Bethea make the Colts a team to be feared as they try to undo last year’s anguish.
Then it the same division you’ve got the Houston Texans who for the last few years have been the media’s baby as they finally tip the Texans to take those first baby steps and enter the play-offs. However, it’s a case of the Texans being taught how to run before they walk and they’ll fall.

Biggest season of his career for sure

It’ll be a roller coaster season for the Titans but they can look forward to a brilliant season of match ups none the less and also they can look forward to reaching the play-offs with their incredible coaching staff, evidently the best run game in the NFL, a veteran Offensive line that’ll protect both QB and RB and a backfield drooling in talent.

They make a brilliant choice for a sleeper pick regardless of their schedule or their Subway Test status, in a couple months, teams will be heading to DL Field worried of whether it’ll be a 50+ yard rush from Johnson, a 35 yard pass to Kenny Britt or an interception return that is responsible for the points against them on the scoreboard.

One more reason to support Tennessee and the NFL in general

Best & Worst Premiership Team Transfers v2.0

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:26:00 -0400

Just before the start of the season I wrote a piece about the transfers that had been made and how they’ll affect their teams (http://tinyurl.com/33j7rbg). Now this was written nearly two weeks before the close of the transfer window, and since then things have changed. My criteria is still the same:

Based on where the teams finished last year, how these signings will help, who they’ve brought, how much for, whose left/stayed and how much they got for sales and overall price difference.

Now to show the teams that, in my opinion, have performed the best/worst in this years transfer market. We’ll start with the best three teams – Arsenal, Liverpool and Wolves.

Arsenal – 8.5 (previous rating: 8.5) – Arsenal are one of the teams that have maintained their rating from my previous rankings and with the addition of Squillaci adding to the signings of Koscieny and Chamakh for a total of just under £20 million is pretty darn good for an experienced defender, a future rock at the centre back and a potential 20 goal a season striker. Letting go of five other defenders prevents them from 9 or higher.

Liverpool – 8.5 (previous rating: 6.5) – Liverpool have made three key signings since last time. Christian Poulsen, Paul Koncheskey and Raul Meireles all are decent additions to the squad… however, can they fill the gaps left by Benayoun and Mascherano and then exceed them to lead Liverpool to the Champions League again? I don’t think so. The shrewdness of Roy means he made about £6 million back, which makes them one of the few teams to get back this transfer window and it helps them jump two points.

Wolves – 8.5 (previous rating: 8.5) – Another team to regain their rating from last time and, like Arsenal, they jump into the top three. They’ve spent out (£13.5 million) but perhaps their key signing is Michael Mancienne on loan again from Chelsea. The future England centre back has rejoined Wolves after a brilliant season last year and immediately went back into the squad against Newcastle. Other signings include Stephen Hunt, Steven Fletcher and Jelle Van Damme who all help boost the squad and most importantly, boost their chances of relegation survival.

Now we move onto the worst transfers made by teams this summer:

Wigan – 6 (previous rating: 7.5) – they garnered a 7.5 last time out but that drops as they’ve let defensive rock Titus Bramble (any other Newcastle fan would burst in tears at that) and Paul Scharner leave for next to nothing and they’ve signed either unknown or unproven South American replacements. Without a revamp in January this season could be the end of Premier League football for Wigan Athletic.

Everton – 6 (previous rating: 7) – another team that drops to a 6 rating but this time due to a relatively inactive transfer period. Jermaine Beckford is supposedly the biggest signing this summer. A guy that performed well in League One… it’s a huge jump but let’s see if he can perform. Letting go squad player Dan Gosling wasn’t a huge loss and even though they lost only £400k, it’ll be difficult for outperform some of their European competitors.

Finally, in my opinion, the worst team the 2010-2011 Premier League Summer Transfer Window:

Blackpool – 5 (previous rating: 5) - Enjoy the season it won’t last… although to be honest from what we’ve the seen that’s exactly what the fans, the players and Ian Holloway seem to be doing. Buying players in order to boost a Championship squad seems to have been their motive. For that, they’ve done extremely well. However, in the Premier League, ‘get relegated with pride’ isn’t a minimal goal, ‘survive relegation’ is though and despite a drubbing of Wigan on the opening day it won’t happen this season and that’s why they earn a rating of 5.

That concludes this blog, you can see the updated rankings chart here: http://yfrog.com/f/59premierleaguetransfers2j/ and the previous chart here: http://yfrog.com/nb7875p. So, what do you think of these rankings? Do you agree with them? Which team do you think has done good/bad this summer? Who was the best signing made by a Premier League club, or any club for that matter?

Unfair Treatment

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:36:00 -0400

Everyone knows that Fabio Capello has a slight problem behind him, one that affects his ability to do his job properly - the British media is against him.

Ever since the World Cup I’ve had a hard time reading any article to do with English football that doesn’t mention Capello and the overall tone of the article be negative. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing”, “His tactics are ridiculous” and “He gets paid too much” are all the screams from the media which are then echoed by the armchair fans of England.

Postman Pat really needs to deliver to please some

Why are we never happy with anything other than winning? When he disposed John Terry of his captaincy - that was the right move. Yet, he gets absolutely ridiculed and persecuted for it… why?
He selects the players he sees fit to be part of the team. Nope. That’s not what ‘we’ apparently want. Heskey - he was selected because he’s better and more proven on the international scene compared to Darren Bent.

He didn’t do great in the World Cup but he did more than Rooney

The man is paid a lot of money to try and do his job. Have you ever tried to work when people having been talking and saying things about you. It’s very difficult and your attention is split. Capello has shown the first signs of letting it get to him but you would when people don’t let you work and there’s a big exam (World Cup) coming up.

The guy can’t seem to do anything right by the eyes of media and despite the man having years of experience and having actually spoke to his team - ‘we’ are apparently more knowledgeable than him and we know what’s best for England. No. We can have our ideas yes, but we shouldn’t like one idea so much that we band together and force it down the throat of others. And if they try to spit it back out then we get angry and an idea and a group becomes a mob. A mob wanting people to lose their jobs.

Hello. We’re a mob. Rawr.

It’s ridiculous to blame the manager for the sub par performances of the players. He can only control so much off the pitch, on it they need to utilise their talent.

Capello has been unfairly treated by the media and this is a call for it to stop. Let the man do his job. Stop thinking you’re better than him. Stop thinking you know more than a man whose actually spent decades in the sport industry. Despite being the most important gear in the cogs of Sports Industry - you’re the bottom rung.
It’s like working in an office - you work in a different department. Different qualifications. Different work mates. Different goals. Different abilities. Although more on that office theory soon.

The Reality of the Situation

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:53:00 -0400

It’s no hidden fact that despite football’s massive effect on the country - there’s a problem. A problem that ends up effecting the fans of every team. Debt.

Out of the 92 teams that play in professional leagues - it’s very difficult to say that any of those teams are well off. People buy into the money marks. People like Ambramovich, Middle Eastern funding of Man City and even lower league clubs like Southampton.
Now Southampton are actually well off now (mostly in part to the recently passed Markus Liebherr) but only a few years ago they went under and entered administration.

RIP 1948-2010

It happened with Leeds before them and Portsmouth after them and now it’s becoming a major problem in the Championship too.
Teams are forced to spend money just to get to the Premiership and when there they have to spend more money and they’ll never break into the upper echilons unless you find a massive investor or force yourself to spend in hopes you’ll get into Europe and it pays off for the next season or two.

A prime example of overspending for Europe

The way teams are affected by this is because success IS everything in football. You need it to thrive and survive. The problems with teams like Leeds, Southampton and Portsmouth was that they spent money to get success and even though they may have got it for a season or two, they didn’t capture it for long enough.

In hindsight: was it really worth it?

Only in a few of these clubs will you find a good business model. Arsenal and Tottenham are the teams with successful examples - the funding comes from more than one set owner. Everton and Blackburn are your mid card performers in the Premiership. West Brom are the perenial yo-yo’ers but they’re financially sound because they never overspend their ‘parachute payments’.
Teams like Hull and Cardiff are the notable examples of where they’ve spent out but not achieved enough and now it’s coming back to get them. The Premiership offers so much money but only if you can remain there. A two season stay isn’t enough.

This startling situation is the reason why we’ve seen Newcastle and Blackpool keep their purses tightly sealed this summer. Keeping the money and sorting out the club’s finances with it helps in the long term financial side and long term success of things. So if you’re promoted, staying in 17th is great but 18th can be just as good.

Oh and a note to all you Man City fans out there. If the Middle Eastern billionaires leave, whose gonna pay your wages? Oh and Chelsea fans read this article - http://tinyurl.com/2cxfdwu - you’re not debt proof either. Owners don’t stick around forever. This is the Premier League. Not Tuck Everlasting.

Best & Worst Premiership Team Transfers

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:03:00 -0400

This summer has seen the sporting press been dominated by the World Cup and ever since then it’s been whoever moneybags, Man City are linked with buying next. While they have made some good, but high expensive signings, they’ve not been the best compared to others.

NOTE: My opinions are based on where the teams finished last year, how these signings will help, who they’ve brought, how much for, whose left/stayed and how much they got for sales and overall price difference.

Let’s start by covering my Top Three teams this transfer period.

They’re Bolton, Fulham and West Ham. Now while only Bolton have a manager returning for this season, the cost effective deals, the keeping of key players and the squad improvement/replacement, is what puts them here.

Bolton - so far they’ve signed Martin Petrov, Robbie Blake and Marco Alonso for a sum of £1.6 million?! That’s a bargain for a three piece that will love the style Bolton play. Also, they’ve not lost anyone major and have kept, Gary Cahill for now. Some brilliant summer buys if you ask me.

Fulham - they’ve only signed Phillipe Senderos and Jonathan Greening but neither cost them a penny. Who went? Erik Nevland and Chris Smalling. While the latter is a great player, they got £10 million from Man Utd for the future England star. They’re up £10 million and have kept their Europa League stars. Look for them to improve on 12th.

West Ham - 17th last year and they’ve not got much money… so they manage sign Frederic Piquionne, Tal Ben Haim and Thomas Hitzlsperger for £1 million. Experienced buys and team leaders, just what they need. They’ll improve but at best I would say 15th… but that’s better than relegation.

Now for the Worst teams so far this summer:

Aston Villa & Stoke - Neither side has signed any squad enhancement and while they’ve hardly released superstars (Marlon Harewood, Wilfred Bouma and Amdy Faye), they’ve done nothing to improve their squads so far. Villa will drop into the bottom half of the league. Stoke will fight relegation.

Blackpool - Now they’ve actually made a signing… that’s right one signing. They’re preparing to go back down, nothing anyone could have done for them. Not even Holloway. At least they’re facing the realism unlike Hull and keeping their money tight to their chest.

Anyway, that concludes my report on the signings made so far before the season starts Saturday… although I’m more excited for Monday night, where the Toon Army shall beat Manchester United! Well one can dream…

If you wish to see how the other 14 teams ranked then you can view the graph here - http://yfrog.com/nb7875p and all transfers can be seen here - http://tinyurl.com/29acqgh.

Blue Shell of Doom

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:10:00 -0400

If you’re confused by the title then you’ve clearly never played any of Mario Kart series games. Alongside Princess Peach, no other item/character has caused players to rage over at it’s annoyance. Although Peach has been toned down in the recent games (and she’s been outdone by her comparison - Daisy) the Blue Shell’s annoyance is persistent but this is just a signifier of the entire series.

I say this after playing Mario Kart 64 on my Wii. I downloaded the game due to the nostalgia and I had points left over. I haven’t played Mario Kart in a long time due to Mario Kart Wii lacking any sort of challenge and finishing in the Top 3 on every online race (except from those few times where you get a Blue Shell’d at inappropriate time - see this graph for proof: http://tinyurl.com/ylyb56l) and when I looked at Mario Kart 64 I thought nothing of it other than - a game I would just destroy. However, I was proven so very wrong.

50cc wasn’t the greatest challenge but there’s still a threat, 100cc as you’d expect the challenge ups but I avoid any problems, 150cc and the above mentioned Princess has pushed me off the edge 3 times. Compare that to Mario Kart Wii where the only time I felt challenged was getting a Star rating on the 150cc Mirror Star Cup.

The difference in difficulty actually made me quite disappointed in Mario Kart Wii. I mean Double Dash offered multi-team play and the challenge didn’t come so much from the computer but from the tag team of mates that opposed my team - so really I’m discounting this from discussion.

Both of the games (in my case) are causes for swearing but for different reasons. In Mario Kart 64 you may swear because you’re trying to will yourself on and because Peach just overtook you and you had to listen to her annoying high-pitched ‘Here we go’ taunt.

In Mario Kart Wii you’re swearing because for the 3rd lap in a row you’ve been hit by a Blue Shell despite getting back to the front each time and then you’ve seen some noob who has fallen off at every point win because of the Bullet Bill item.

Mario Kart 64 requires you to fight for victory and you get rewarded for doing well 2nd and 3rd you can get Golden Mushrooms and Lightning and Blue Shells may happen once a Grand Prix and they take out everyone - not just the leaders.

In Mario Kart Wii you get bananas to defend the onslaught of Blue Shells that happen every single race, have a massive, unblockable radius and only affect the leading driver. Nobody else has to share your pain if you’ve got a brilliant lead. Also, considering the options Mario Kart Wii becomes a strategy race like the Tour De France.

You stay far enough ahead of the main pack to avoid being dragged down (2nd-4th) but don’t take the lead because you know eventually you’ll get the Blue Shell warning. Even if you don’t win you’re lavished with online points that congratulate you on surviving the fustercluck of the race before you even if you finish 6th. WTF?! In Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart you were forced to redo the race if you couldn’t do better than 4th and even then you only had 3 chances or the GP starts again.

What happened to a difficulty curve in video games? What happened to an actual challenge? Why are games nowadays more about having fun and embracing the experience - rather than actually making you try. I get asked why I’m so competitive when it comes to the multi-player games - it’s because I’ve been taught to win by games like Mario Kart 64. I’ve been taught that I shouldn’t except losing and should improve myself and practise to at least get 4th - not to settle for 8th out of 12th because I get 4 points or so.

Toy Story 3

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:52:33 -0400

I previously had a blog about my expectations for Toy Story 3 (link - http://newc868.tumblr.com/post/794547525/pixar-perfection) and I wasn’t wrong. From start to finish it was perfect. It’s no overstatement to say that this is the greatest CGI and Pixar film ever.
It’s rare you find a sequel that is better than the original… it’s even rarer to find a 3rd film that is even better than the previous two. Toy Story 3 puts the finishing touches on one the greatest trilogies ever.
It starts with a brilliant sequence and typical ‘Toy Story plan’ and remembrance of was once happening. The events that have been mentioned in the previous two film are unravelled and from there the story never loses any pace and is a perfect mixture of action, drama and emotion.
We see that Andy has grown up and times are different for the toys as they try to get one last chance to play with Andy before he heads off to college. A story not just about action and adventure but the relationships shared between Andy the toys and the toys themselves.
Everything about the film is great. The story, the music, the characters (old and new), the emotion, the build-up to the inevitable but, perfect ending.
The relevance towards most of the people who grew up with the series and who now face the leap into adulthood that is seen in the character Andy, it strikes the audience on a personal level but like most Pixar films it is able to reach to all ages.
Adults can think back to their memories and remember the times they had with their toys and the younger audience get a sense of adventure and it allows them to treasure the toys they have right now.
To conclude, the film is absolutely perfect and there are no flaws anywhere (other than you may get a little upset) and it’s pure brilliance means that this is the best Toy Story, best Pixar film, best CGI film and is the end of the era.
Toy Story IS Pixar Perfection and is movie perfection - 10/10.

In short - Strikes you on every level and is both heart-warming and endearing at the same time. A highly recommended film to see at the cinema and you’ll want to get the DVD trilogy come Christmas.

...

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:04:49 -0400

Basically, I can’t think of nothing to write about atm so this whole thing goes on hiatus until some sporting news becomes relevant. I’m not one to particularly engage in ridiculous transfer talk and speculation so that leaves football an empty shell… plus, the NBA and NFL are in off season and the only sport I’m watching is the Tour de France…

So yeah. Toy Story 3 review by like end of week and probably won’t write much after that until late August…

A dream in a dream... in a dream movie.

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:03:00 -0400

That’s the concept behind Inception. It seems cliché and like every other ‘psychological’ film… but it isn’t and could be described as an 150 minute head turner that leaves you pondering about that nights sleep.

A thrilling tale of one man’s struggle to return to normality and to find out the mysteries behind the man. It starts with an untold story. A rugged Leanardo DiCaprio washes up on a beach, gun tucked behind his back before being dragged into a room with an old Asian man and it then flashes to Leo, in suit, in the same room, having a conversation with the man… but younger.

You think that’s confusing then it’s just the beginning. The opening 30 minutes are the keys ones. They will teach you the basics of the film, the concept, the rules… you miss these and you’re going to play catch up for the rest of the film.

However, a film’s concept doesn’t reveal the true nature of it’s beauty and this one with so much you find yourself falling in love with it.

The ‘first act’ is entirely build up but it’s so worth it as you try to understand just what the characters are trying to do - especially Di Caprio’s Cobb. The ‘second act’ drives together 4 timelines. Each one intersecting with each other and each pointing to the conclusion - which may feel like a slight cop out.

The film is driven by great performances with Cillian Murphy playing the primary plot point to carry things on, Ellen Page is great as her character is equal to audience as they’re learning as they’re going along and Joesph Gordon-Levitt is perfect as Arthur.

However, this film is about DiCaprio. Alongside Marion Cotillard they play the perfect couple in love with the gritty undertones of their relationship and why she keeps appearing to DiCaprio.
This plot point is strewn out over the film and is done to perfection by Nolan as we see bit by bit just what is behind them.
I could only note 1-2 problems about the film. With the concept of the film and the assignment they’re given being ‘as tough as it gets’ you’re facing the biggest fear that they have and this should be saved towards the end of a trilogy and the ending which hints a sequel would only disappoint as this feels like an entire series thrust into one film and that makes it so worth the money (event though it was free for me).
Overall I’d say this is the best film of the summer so far earning an easy 9.5 with only small complaints to make and the fact that storyline, action, drama, comedy and sci-fi are all intertwined at points to create quite an epic film. The acting is brilliant and every character gets equal screen time to further their characters. The action scenes are incredible and slow motion use is an amazing back drop and let’s you embrace the moments.

In short - another Christopher Nolan epic and more brilliant acting from the two leads - DiCaprio and Coutillard - pieces together a wonderful movie about our wishes, our dishes and our perception of reality itself.

FIFA World Cup Final

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:55:00 -0400

Football chess. BBC have often referred to this match as just that - football chess. You’d be hard pressed to disagree with such a sentiment.
Spain and Holland have played great football. Nothing substantial but a masterclass in patient build play with hints of counter attacking via the Dutch.
Chances have been few and far between but Arjen Robben should’ve displaced Johan Cryuff and Marco van Basten at the pedestal of Dutch footballing history.
Spain have looked great with Xavi as always being the anchor of midfield and attack as his passes are always precise, on target and completed. His free kicks offer up a lot of options as well - shoot or cross, Stelkenburg had to be on his toes at all points.
However much I rave about how well the teams have played, it’s far from a classic final. The alure of penalties is always good but when you have a player on either side with 5 goals apiece you can’t help but be disappointed at the lack of goals.
Both sides could’ve done a lot more. Holland should’ve double teamed Capdevilla and tore him up for some goals. The Spanish should’ve started Torres and allowed Villa that free, open role he loves and looks more comfortable in.
115 minutes of footballing chess. Spending the entire time building up. Moving the pieces. Getting in to position. All for a Texas style cowboy shootout to determine the winner… except for Andres Iniesta. Didn’t expect that did ya?
It’s hardly Bobby Fischer vs Boris Spassky though.

Oh and thanks for no goals Holland and Hetinga getting sent off means I’ve lost my Fantasy football league. Cheers ¬_¬

Pixar Perfection?

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:35:47 -0400

On my stroll to ASDA earlier - I realised something. I realised just how awesome Pixar are as film makers.
This is probably obvious to many who’ve seen their films but I ran through my head the previous 11 films that have been made by them, I couldn’t dislike a single one of them and then I realised what this meant for my future self in 2 weeks.
That realisation was - Toy Story 3 is going to be the best Pixar film and probably the best film that I will ever see.
I say this because thinking back to the original Toy Story as well as Finding Nemo, Up and The Incredibles is that what makes Pixar so good is that they appeal to all ages.
The stories are for kids, the lines are simple enough to understand but they deliver great lines for the older audiences. I mean a kid could watch Toy Story over and over and an adult could do the exact same both laughing but at completely different times.
It’s when you have films like this that you realise that they’re going to be epic. Now as a teenager I find myself in between both of the extremes. I’m still that kid at heart and absorb myself in story (Andy in Toy Story is a parallel to college 2nd years) but I know more adult stuff and will pick up on some of the jokes that I wouldn’t get as a child.
I learned this through watching The Lion King for the first time the other day. Now while it is a kid’s film and is a Disney film it showed me that as a kid if I’d seen this - I would’ve missed out a lot of jokes and also some of the characters. I mean Scar made me laugh a lot even though he’s evil, which is something brilliant.
I’ve seen a lot of the Pixar films as I’ve grown up and Up is so far probably my favourite in the series. If I’m to believe the hype surrounding Toy Story 3 then it may just displace Shawshank Redemption at the top of my all time list.

Viva la Bundesliga!

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:57:51 -0400

Germany. One of the European superpowers of football. A history so rich with glory and magnificent players. A national league that is still finds itself not suffering the effects from the over-influx of foreign players or mega-money. Germany - the best footballing nation in the world…

Ok so the start of this may sound absolutely ridiculous to most people as they will believe entirely that the amazing teams that we see in the Premiership and La Liga and the brilliant players we see here dwarf those of the Bundesliga. However, in my opinion the Bundesliga takes the best parts of the Premiership/La Liga with the players they have but retains the national sense of pride that we see with Serie A.

Looking at the past decade of these 3 leagues we see that:

Bundesliga - 5 different winners, La Liga and Premiership - 3 different winners.

Looking over time: Bundesliga has had 12 winners since 1962. Premiership has had 4 winners since 1992. La Liga has had 9 winners since 1928.

The Bundesliga is a very, very wide open league and even though Bayern Munich are the one team that are perceived to dominate the league (they won it 6 times last decade) they’ve only achieved a ‘repeat’ success of winning the league once during that time. Manchester United won the Premiership 5 times and managed a three-peat. Chelsea, were also able to manage back-to-back seasons of success. As for La Liga, Barcelona managed a repeat twice and Real Madrid also obtained back to back La Liga trophies.

The fact that one team in the Premiership and La Liga is almost set to win it again the season after, makes for very boring entertainment. The Premiership is famed for the ‘Big Four’ in which it has only ever been broken into twice in recent years - Everton in 2004-2005 and Tottenham Hotspurs in 2009-2010. The La Liga can claim to be no different either. While it’s 3rd and 4th places are rotating quite often, there seems to be a lack of solidity amongst the clubs who finish here. Valencia finished 3rd last season, yet have massive debts and they’ve had to sell their two best players - David Silva and David Villa.

This is where the Bundesliga shines for me. The somewhat lack of financial trouble, the supporters are always amazing, the randomness of the league positions, the exciting attacking, flowing football and the general way they don’t let foreign players rule the league and just integrate them into the squad. Look at each league and think “Who are the top players of the best teams?” Answers:

La Liga - Lionel Messi - Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid and David Villa - Valencia (soon to be Barcelona)

Premiership - Wayne Rooney - Manchester United, Didier Drogba - Chelsea and Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal

Bundesliga - Bastian Schweinsteiger - Bayern Munich, Mezut Ozil - Werder Bremen and Manuel Neuer - Schalke 04.

The Bundesliga promotes their homegrown talent and most of the squads are at least 50% German. La Liga does do the same with their homegrown talent but the stand out players are still foreign. Where as the Premiership? Well the fact that teams have produced sides who don’t have a single English player in their starting line up says it all really.

I believe that in all fairness, the Bundesliga is the best footballing league in the world. If you want to base how good a league is by how many Champions League finalists they have, then that’s ok but I’ll be watching a league where 1st and 6th are separated by 15 points not by 23 points (Premiership) or 41 points (La Liga).

It's better... but not that great... Twilight review

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 17:44:05 -0400

Time to review Twilight Saga: Eclipse… yes this isn’t based around sports but instead it is solely based on the “movie phenomenon of Summer…” … … I’m not believing it either - that’s going to be Toy Story 3 without a doubt anyways moving on the review.

Key - Sparkle = Edward Cullen/Robert Pattinson, Moody = Bella Swan/Kristen Stewart and Shirtless = Jacob Black/Taylor Lautner

The film starts well and is completely devoid of any mention of Sparkle, Moody or Shirtless and instead focuses on building the core of the plot. In what is actually a quite good scene we see an adolescent walking home in rain. He is attacked by an unseen assailant and after some panic he is bitten and begins the painful transformation into a vampire - something that is well handled and restores some of the stereotype of vampires.

Then we are faced with just under 2 hours of dialogue between Sparkle, Moody and Shirtless. Get ready to hear every cliche line you could ever think or wanted to use and Sparkle will say it. The acting is once again nothing but laughable but an increase in performance from Shirtless actually makes his scenes bearable as he not carries the plot but is forced to drag it kicking and screaming to an area of semi-decency.

It’s Shirtless’s performance that is one of the key factors in making sure you don’t fall asleep while watching (trust me I tried) and it’s this coupled with some brilliant performances from Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Nikki Reed (Rosalie) and Jackson Rathbourne (Jasper) that actually make this is a solid film and defiantly the best so far in the series.

I think most of the credit for that should go to David Slade, the director. He does a brilliant job being able to intertwine the dialogue with some good action scenes and some brilliant one-liners in the script. He yanks on the shackles that have been placed on the film by previous directors Catherine Hardwicke and Chris Weitz and makes it into his own. This is the sort of thing that both Twihards and passive fans will enjoy. Even if he doesn’t completely follow the book perfectly he keeps all the key things together as well as most of the little details which actually helps move the story along in what is otherwise a slow burn film. However, for the all the excellence that Slade is able to put into the direction of the film, it’s still held back by several things.

The acting of Sparkle and Moody is still very bad. Sparkle is able to deliver his lines perfectly but still the lack of changing emotions and the hard to believe character is still evermore present - looks can only get you so far. As for Moody, she completely maintains the wooden and feeble attempt at acting which is what brings down, not only the film but, the whole Twilight Saga. She does nothing to entice the audience to care for her character and her completely emotionless performance is so bad it would be a disgrace to even the Razzies to nominate her for Worst Actress.

It’s not just the acting that is persistantly annoying. In Slade’s efforts to make the film more like the books, we often find ourselves with repetitve scene after scene in which Moody is declaring her love for Sparkle, only to then change her mind about Shirtless. You will see this many times over in the film and it will drive you mad.

A few other con’s about the film which let it down are the laughable CGI effects and also the length of the film. When you see the wolves they don’t look realistic at all and the battle scenes involving the vampires are ridiculous. They’re shown to be made of an ice like substance which leaves you struggling to believe they would be immune to bullets at all or any other weapon for that matter. Also, when Riley tries to kick Seth in his wolf form you can see that the kick is nowhere near the CGI placed wolf and you can’t help but feel disheartened.

The length of the film is another factor because Slade appears to struggle with the tempo and you can find yourself going from contrast to contrast - struggling to keep up with the action but then struggling to keep yourself awake. It’s fair to say the length lets it down and will leave your wanting an intermission for a period of light stretching so that your muscles still work.

Other than these persistent flaws in the series, Eclipse is the best film yet. Slade does a wonderful job as director and the next two installments will struggle to beat it. For all the good points about the film, the negatives still weigh it down and when the audience is caring more for the secondary characters, who in this film excel, you have a serious problem. The back stories of Rosalie and Jasper are what makes the film and that coupled with scene stealers in the form of Billy Burke and Dakota Fanning are the reason this film is able to manage a 6.5 by my rating as a stand alone film. In relation to the rest of the series I would easily give it an 8.0 as it simply outclasses the previous efforts but it still maintains those problems that keep it from obtaining a 9 or so.

In short - better than the last efforts but still dominated by bad acting and too much repetitive dialogue from the main 3 characters.

Surprise! Controversy! Domination! David Villa! Part 2

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:56:00 -0400

Germany vs Argentina. Both teams favourites to qualify from their group stage and eventually meet in the quarters. Disappointed we were not. After their destruction of England in the 2nd round, Germany were looking like serious contenders - a term that hadn’t been used much to describe them so far during the tournament. Argentina had beat Mexico in the 2nd round but with the lack of goals from Lionel Messi being a key talking point for Diego Maradona’s side.

Many expected goals in this game… but I’m sure most of those people would have told you that it would be a one goal win or penalties… nobody could have predicted the scoreline (you’d struggle to find one person who predicted it spot on). 4-0 to Germany.

The semi-finals await a team who are so evenly balanced with experience and youth. Sensations have arisen through the ranks and have taken their opportunity to shine. Tomas Muller has been the stand out performer of the German side, while players like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lucas Podolski show why they’re some of the best players in the world. However, most of the praise should be pointed towards that of the efforts of Joachim Low.

Joachim Low. A man whose previous managerial record includes teams like Stuttgart and Fenerbache in late 90’s and then teams like Austria Wien, Karlsruhe and Tirol Innsbruck. Nothing spectactular, right? However, like my pick for the next England manager (Stuart Pearce), he found himself assistant in 2004 and after the home World Cup in 2006, he was made the manager. Since then he’s taken Germany to the European Championship finals (were they ultimately lost to their World Cup Semi-final opponents, Spain) and now to the World Cup semi-finals hoping to make the final and win it all.

He’s been working with this team for six years now and it may finally pay dividends. With so many close shaves and chances at European/International glory in the past decade - now is the time for a new German dominance of the international scene. Especially if they can maintain the counter-attack that they’ve perfected.

Moving onto the other game between Spain and Paraguay, neither team could claim to have played outstandingly in the first half of the game. However, the 2nd half saw a much more exciting affair with 3 penalties all within 5 minutes of each other. Pique gifting Paraguay a penalty but Cardozo saw his effort saved by Casillas. Then up the other end David Villa was fouled, and although Xabi Alonso slotted home the ball, he was ordered to retake the penalty and ultimately he missed it. From there Spain knew they needed the goal because they could be taken in extra time by the South American and, the now ex-Valencia talisman, David Villa stepped forward to grab his 5th goal of the tournament and remain the most prominent Spanish goalscorer (Iniesta being the only other Spanish scorer so far).

Paraguay did push against Spain nearing the end of the match and Roque Santa Cruz should’ve scored - only to be denied by a brilliant reaction save from Iker Casillas - whose once again is re-establishing himself as the best goalkeeper in the world.

And with that I draw the quarter-finals blog to a close. Nederlands, Uruguay, Espana and Deutschland progress. Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ghana head home as the South American dominance is flipped on it’s head and now Europe once again stands tall. There aren’t matches until Tuesday and Wednesday but do be sure to look forward to blogs on:

The Bundesliga
NBA Free Agency
Wimbledon

Surprise! Controversy! Domination! David Villa! Part 1

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:06:00 -0400

5 words. Only 5 words. That could sum up the 2010 FIFA World Cup Quarter-Finals. However, I’ve got more to add on this. It’s difficult where to start… but I think I’ll start with Luis Suarez and Uruguay vs Ghana.

What was promising to be an interesting game has probably become the biggest talking point of the World Cup. Muntari had scored for Ghana. Forlan with a great equaliser. It finished 1-1 and had been a good game so far - extra time begins. Then with 120 minutes on the clock. Both teams fighting not to see the dreaded penalty shootout. Ghana on the attack. The ball comes in. Headed towards goal. Keeper beat. Africa stands on their feet. Early cheers are being churned through the vocal chords of Africans everywhere. Ghana are going to score in the last minute of extra time to make the Semi-Finals. Cooooooooooooome onnnnnnnnn….nnnnnn….nn.n……………..

*cue despair*

Luis Suarez with what I considering to be instinctual. For the good of the team and nation. Sure everyone else may hate you but you have to do or else your out. Not just a nation but a continent stops. Luis Suarez punches the ball off the line, gets sent off and forces a penalty. Gyan Asamoah steps up. Refs blows the whistle - re-read the aforementioned part about the header. It hits the bar. It goes to penalties and Uruguay win.

Now Suarez is hated but I’d like to think, and so does everyone else, that it was the right thing to do for Uruguay and for his nation. Now FIFA are apparently considering increasing his ban to 2 matches. If they do that then they’re opening the can of worms they created to begin with - Why not disqualify France or ban Henry after the Ireland incident? Why not take away Kaka’s ban? Why not ban Keita? If they do increase the ban I hope this is the last thing Blatter does at FIFA because I’ll send in my re-written CV and will make Michel Platini look irrelevant.

Moving on from this, Brazil were knocked out by the heavily unfavoured Dutch and it came as a surprise to many. Brazil took the lead after Felipe Melo played a great through ball to Robinho who slotted home the ball neatly. 1-0 at the half things look good. Then Wesley Sneijder came along. With a wicked curling ball into the box, Juan accidentally put the ball into his own net from there Brazil looked on the ropes and it wasn’t long before Sneijder got his own goal and laid the knockout blow - like I hope Lesnar lands on Carwin tonight at UFC 116. 2-1 to the Dutch and the Brazilians saw no rebuttal. Sent crashing out of the World Cup and cue *scenes of disappointment and hysteria in Brazil* (unlike any similar to English see). Straight after the game Dunga quit and now Brazil is looking forward to returning to ‘Joga Bonito’ ahead of the 2014 World Cup… in Brazil.

Part 2 - featuring Argentina vs Germany, Spain vs Paraguay and how Joachim Low has gone from international unknown to international manager of success.

Wimbledon to fill the void... plus 2 eras ending?

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:35:00 -0400

Ok so the World Cup hasn’t been occurring the past two days (expect that to change tomorrow) and it’s allowed for a break in international football and attention has been drawn to SW19. It’s Wimbledon. Strawberries and Cream all-round.

We’ve seen the longest match in history. We’ve seen champions fall. We’ve seen stars emerge. We’re at the Semi-finals stage already in the Men’s draw. Andy Murray - holding British hopes vs Rafael ‘my knees are gonna give out’ Nadal and Tomas ‘I beat Federer’ Berdych vs Novak Djokovic. These games are going to be brilliant and now that England are gone, you know where the attentions lie with the British media.

I mention them quite a bit actually, the media, and well that’s cause it’s my future yet I’m only ever so negative about them… I only hope I enjoy it. Anyways, post tangent.

Ok so Federer’s out but Nadal is still there and he’s the favourite, even with his injuries which are slowly mounting up. We may see him retire next season if this continues which would be devastating for tennis as Roger Federer would be the most unrivaled player in a few years… or would he? Federer has looked out of sorts all tournament. Can’t say I’ve payed a great deal of attention but he had to claw back from 2 set down in the First Round. Not Champion style of play at all. He was beaten at the US Open last year by Del Potro. French Open and Australian Open seem ok but still there are better players for this type of court (Soderling - French, Djokovic - Australian)

So maybe we will see Nadal and Federer fall? Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Robin Soderling, Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, Juan Martin Del Potro… collectively they could create some of the most wide open Opens in a long, long time. Could you picture anyone winning multiple Opens in a season? Murray could take Wimbldeon and the US Open if he really wanted it.