Reflections...

Remembering Fall of Berlin Wall

2009-11-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Today, November 9, 2009 marks the 20th Anniversary of Fall of Berlin Wall. Here is a video of TIME photographer Anthony Suau and the pictures he took while covering the opening of the border between East and West Berlin. In short, his account of the Fall of Berlin wall.

P.S. I didn't know that on embedding this TIME magazine video on my blog, they introduce an advertisement of 15 seconds before the video begins. So bare with the ad please. Cheers to TIME for sharing this video.

What can we learn from Forrest Gump

2009-07-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I watched a great film named Forrest Gump. It's wonderful story, full of emotions and humor. It's about a guy named Forrest Gump, played by Tom Hanks. He is average person but does a lot of great things. Here is what we can learn from Forrest Gump. I am not going to write details since it might give away the fun while watching this film.

1) Always listen to your family and loved ones.

2) Be true to yourself. If you are not smart, accept that you are not. Move on and concentrate on your strengths.

3) When you know something, master it.

4) Give back to society and people who played some role in your success.

5) Make sure your motives are true and you will achieve whatever you are after.

IBM Visual Match : A tool to analyze a tennis match visually

2009-06-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

At this year's french open, IBM and Roland Garros have come up with a fresh and innovative way to analyze match visually. This tool, called as Visual Match, can track how the momentum switched back and forth between the players. It's basically a two series line graph of the momentum of two players.

If you are looking over the course of entire match, It can tell you the key points with striking clarity. More importantly, you will know what was 'The turning point' of the match. See the following picture. It's a screenshot of Federer's semi final. You can make out very easily that turning point of the match came at Set 4-Game 4, when Del Potro lost the service game with 2 forced forehand errors. Federer gained the control of the match afterwords which is evident from the graph.

Courtesy: IBM and Roland Garros-Visual Match

Cheers to guys at IBM and Roland Garros for this impressive tool. As they say, a picture says thousand words and this is a striking example. Read this link on the french open website for the description. See this tool in action here for the matches.

Bike tricks

2009-05-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is one of the coolest videos I have ever seen. It will just make you 'Wow !'.

It's said that practice makes man perfect. Lots of practice makes a man wizard.

Watch to get yourself dazzled. Make sure you have earplugs, music is awesome too.

Hat Tip: Gary

Credit Crisis Demystified

2009-03-02T09:48:00.001-08:00

This is first post on this blog which doesn't fall in Sports category. I hope to post frequently into this new category, ~sport. ~ means Not, hence category is Not Sport.

This post is about the presentation created by Jonathan Jarvis, a designer based in Los Angeles, which explains credit crisis in very clearly.

Even after reading lots of news and articles, I was still confused about how did it actually happen. This explains it all.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Champions for ages: Federer and Nadal

2009-02-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the final of Australian Open 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2. This was the fifth time Federer was defeated by Nadal since start of 2008. Their head to head record now stands at 13-6. In Grand Slam finals it's 6-2.

Statistics courtesy: ATP WORLD Tour

Lets analyze their matches on each player's favorite surface. Nadal being a spanish player favours clay court (French Open) while Federer likes the grass court (Wimbledon). Out of 8 finals they have played, 4 were at French Open. Out of these 4 finals, none of them was a 5 setter. Nadal won 3 of them in 4 sets and 1 in straight sets. 3 were at Wimbledon. Federer won 1 final in 5 sets and another in 4 sets. Nadal won their memorable 2008 duel in 5 sets. Nadal won this year's Australian Open in 5 sets.

Somehow, Federer is getting frustrated by Rafa's tenacity. Federer's tendency to hit winners is playing to Rafa's strength which is, keeping the ball in play. Rafa, with age on his side, returns almost from anywhere on court. I think Federer is still not comfortable with that fact. Since his game is based on winners not on rallies, he is having tough time against Rafa.

If we consider the style of play, both have their own strengths and weaknesses. However, none of them possess a sure weapon like serve. Pete Sampras and Boris Becker both used to hit ace after ace on grass and hard courts which would give them confidence that they can hold their own serve. Federer has really good serve but his game is not based on that alone. Direct consequence of this is the fact that Rafa has more chances to break Fedrer's serve. In all of their matches, you will find that Break points saved % is in favour of Rafa. If Federer can hold on to his own serve, he definitely has a chance against Rafa.

On top of that Rafa is a left hander. Federer's forehand is returned with a double handed powerful backhand. Although one would argue that Federer has devastating single handed backhand against Rafa's forehand. More importantly, Federer's serve is taken on Forehand by Rafa.

Finally, out of 19 matches they have played against each other, winner of first set has went on to win the match fourteen times. Rafa 10 times and Fed 4 times.(5-2 For Grand Slam Finals) After losing the first set, Rafa has won thrice and Fed has won twice. Maybe, Fed needs to win first set to at least have a chance against Rafa.

Many people think that Federer has a mental block against Rafa. I am pretty confident that that's not the case. Federer has been World No.1 for consecutive 237 weeks. It's very difficult to get to No.1, staying there is even tougher. Fed definitely has got the mental strength.

I think It's more based on their style of play. I think he can beat Rafa by adding new dimension to his game like serve. Once he has a confidence on his own serve and Rafa can't break him, he will surely be more comfortable against him. At least, he can win their battles on grass and hard courts. Pete Sampras has mentioned in his autobiography, A Champion's Mind, that rivalry with Andre Agassi made him work on his game and it improved his game. I feel Fed, being a champion himself, will do the same thing. He will come out even stronger than before.

This debate about them can go on and on. To be honest, I am just a guy in front of a computer pulling up the stats from Internet, watching YouTube videos and staying up late to watch their matches live. I don't have slightest idea what goes on through a Pro's mind in a tennis match. Just being a tennis and Fed fan, made me write this post.

Lets just hope that this rivalry continues so that we can see them competing in grand slam finals for years to come.

Impenetrable defense of Man Utd

2009-01-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

Manchester United kept their 11th successive clean sheet against West Brom on Tuesday, the 27th. In process, they broke Chelsea's long standing record of 10 consecutive clean sheets set 4 years ago in their championship season. It's a truly outstanding achievement.

They had to this with Rio Ferdinand and Wes brown injured, 2 of their regular back four. John OShea, Johny Evans, Gary Neville and Rafael all contributed in this run. However, the star of the show is Nemanja Vidic. The big Serbian defender was faultless in his reading of the game and dangerous in set play situations.

As they say offense wins you games, defence wins championships. Having a good defense, makes the other team frustrated since they can't break you down. This in turn, helps attacking players. Man Utd's defence has helped their attacking players like Ronaldo, Berbatov, Tevez and Rooney to score goals.

It's important to note that 6 of these matches had 1-0 score and one had 0-0. When the other team is playing their best game on a day, it's very easy to concede a goal and that puts pressure on your team and players can make a mistake in pressure situation. That's why, having a solid defence is important. Your team can be safe in knowledge that we don't concede and hence we can't loose.

Jose Mourinho applied the same philosophy to Chelsea team in 2004-05 and they were experts in 1-0 wins. It may not be the most effective and popular brand of football, but it's the safest way in a league tournament.

Call a spade a spade

2008-04-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today Chelsea beat Manchester United at Stamford Bridge by 2-1. Chelsea were awarded a penalty kick since Carrick handled the ball inside box. Sir Alex Ferguson, United Coach, was furious about it later in the press.

He said later: "It was absolutely diabolical, " he told MUTV. "It is a major decision.
"Granted, it hit his hand. But he has not lifted his hand above his shoulders, above his head, anything like that."

Just two weeks ago, United won against Arsenal by 2-1. In that match, United were awarded a penalty when Gallas handled the ball. Gallas did no more than Carrick. Even he was trying to block the ball at his waist level. But Ferguson was more than happy to take it.

Thing to consider is: Its so easy to take unsporting (fair, in this case) decisions given in favour of your team and so hard to take them when they go against.

I don't want to criticize Sir Alex but all I want to say is Call a penalty a penalty.

Preview: Semi Final, Champions League

2008-04-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

These 2 teams have contested 2 semifinals and Liverpool has come out winner both the times. However, there is one major difference this time. Chelsea will play second leg at home. Its crucial considering the fact that in previous 2 matches Liverpool have failed to score at Stamford Bridge(Chelsea's stadium).

Liverpool are always good defensively and are clever in grinding out victories over 2 legged matches. This time they have got Fernando Torres as their striker. He has got lightning pace and calm finishing, 2 rare qualities for a striker. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will be involved in heavily as always.

Jose Mourinho, who was coach of Chelsea in previous 2 matches is out of equation since quitting job last fall. Currect coach Avaram Grant is not as good as tactician as Mourinho but has done a decent job in keeping chelsea in hunt for both, Champions League and Premiership. Chelsea are anxious about Drogba and Ballack to start. Its interesting to see who will start as Forward, Anelka or Shevchenko. Joe Cole and Frank Lampard will have to battle with Mascherano and Alonso in midfield and this battle holds the key to Chelsea's success. Chelsea will have Terry, Carvalho, Ashly Cole in defence. The last of defenders will be Alex/Balleti/Bridge/Ferreira. This might prove to be a week link in chain and Liverpool might take advantage here.

Critics have predicted tight encounter similar to previous 2 matches; goalless draw or 1-0 to Liverpool . I strongly feel that this won't be the case this time. Liverpool will try to score as many goals as possible. This will create spaces and Chelsea will try to get away goals.

Review: Champions League- Round of 16

2008-03-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

Consider the draws: AC Milan Vs Arsenal & Real Madrid Vs AS Roma fighting for place in the Quarter-Finals of UEFA Champions League. At any point of time in last century, these draws will produce memorable contests.

In both the matches underdogs went and won in Lions Den in return leg matches. History was made in one match when Arsenal became the first English team to register a win at Mythical San Siro (AC Milan's stadium). In another hisory repeated when Real Madrid failed to go to quarter finals for 4th consecutive year.

Spaniard Cech Fegregas fought inch for inch with Gattuso, Pirlo and Kaka and came out winner. Arsenal were patient and determined not to loose ground initially in first half. Once they had done that, they grew in confidence. Fabregas's clearance of Maldini's header at the goal line was a moment bringing together two giants of European Football. One hanging up the boots and another anouncing proudly that he is ready to take on champions. Later in dying stages of the game, Fabregas went past Gattuso and fired a shot out of nothing to score the vital away goal. This man has got the potential to be one of the game's greats. This season he has taken first step by beating Milan.

Elsewhere Real lost to Roma. Roma have a very competitive and hard working team lead by classy Italian Francisco Totti. Their manager's astute substitutions to bring fresh legs in match had huge impact in this victory. Once again, we see why its important to have good bench strength.

Historic Win for India

2008-03-04T22:12:00.000-08:00

Today India beat Australia in second consecutive final (match for that matter) and took the trophy in final version of CB series. Sachin scored 117 Not Out chasing in first encounter and played valuable 91 in setting up the target in second match.

In second final Pravin Kumar took 4 wickets, all at crucial points. Later Irfan Pathan held his nerve (even when he was beaten badly earlier)to bowl last over. Its one thing to bowl dot balls , altogether different thing to pick up 2 wickets to wrap up the match. Cheers for Piyush Chawla for holding on 2 catches in such pressure cooker atmosphere.

It was a monumental win by few young men, lead by cool, smart and intelligent captain who seems to have taken captaincy like fish taking to water.

India vs Sri lanka ODI

2008-02-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today India bowled out Sri Lanka for a modest 179, chased it quite comfortably and won by 7 wickets. Once again Dhoni's strategy to play 5 bowlers paid off.

Sachin batted brilliantly and played attacking cricket. Its remarkable that he has been suggested to bat down the order. People forget that he is still a giant of player when fielders are inside the circle. He has got the ability to find gaps at ease and take quick singles when bowlers are on top. The way he played Murali was awesome. Although Murali got better of him later, he was trying to correct the shot on way back to pavilion.

If he is back in his groove, then India have got a real chance in the finals.

Tendlya

2008-01-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar played one of the best innings (unbeaten 124) in recent memory to post a competitive 309/5 at stumps on Day 1 of fourth and final test. Even by his standards, this inning had everything. He got off the mark by driving Brett Lee for 4. He and Laxman set up a wonderful partnership of 126 at run rate of 4.

After tea in the final sesison, he changed his gears. The batsmanship that followed was exhibition of masterful strokemaking. He scored 69 runs in single session hitting spin duo of Clarke and Hogg at run a ball.

For those who care about stats, Sachin's average against Australia in Australia of batting in first innings is, hold your breath, 102.40.

But numbers dont always tell the story. His footwork, the way he came down the track to hit spinners, his placement and accuracy in it to put the shot where he wanted was amazing. As Sunil Gavaskar told him he looked like 'Tendlya' as Mumbai knows him.

There is little history to this beautiful Adelaide ground. This is homeground of Sir Don Bradman. Here itself Brian Lara scored 226 on his last appearance in Australia.And now our own Little master has made his first century at the Adelaide Oval.

Kimi is F1 champion

2007-10-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

A dramatic season in F1 racing finally had improbable finale. Kimi Raikkonen needed a ferrari 1-2 with he finishing on top. Title favourite Lewis Hamilton needed just a finish in top 6 to be a rookie champion. Amongst all the hysteria Hamilton said he was relaxed and calm. His team mate Fernando Alonso, also among the possible champion, needed second position.

This second position made all the difference. Felippe Massa finished second holding off Alonso. He said later that he was happy for Kimi. As formula1.com site said, Some days it’s tough being a hero, but Massa carried it off with dignity in front of his adoring countrymen

Ferraris have always been more durable, reliable and faster in race than any other team out there(including McLaren) and Prancing Horse proved its pedigree when it mattered the most.

Even though he lost championship battle, one remarkable fact about Alonso is , he is always on the podium whenever his competitor is the race winner. That is consistency even when you are having a difficult race. He's as competitive as Michael Schumacher on a race track.

Hamilton had a dream season as a rookie. He should not loose his heart for not winning the championship. He's exceptionally skilled for his age and given he maintains the desire, he will surely be world champion one day.

Finally a few words on Kimi. He always says he does what he can. Even in press conference he said he doesn't believe in luck too much. He never gets excited and treats success and failure with same calm composure. But above all he and Ferrari team worked hard and they never give up. Congratulations Kimi !!!

Euro 2008 qualifiers

2007-10-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today England lost to Russia 2-1. How many times we have seen England National Team taking 1-0 lead only to squander it in second half. What surprises me is the fact that no matter whoever is the manager, result turns out to be the same.

Thierry Henry became leading goal scorer for French National team surpassing Michael Platini's record of 41 goals. Its good to see Henry returning to scoring form for national side given that he is always been prolific for club sides.

Steps that matter.

2007-10-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Its enlightning to listen to little master. Here is a text from a speech by Sachin Tendulkar, Cricket's living legend.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times

I would never have become a serious cricketer had I not been a problem child. I was extremely difficult to manage and had seriously high energy levels that would invariably get me into trouble. At that stage, my brother thought that summer camp could be the making of me - it would give me no time for pranks or mischief. Somehow, the idea worked and those eight hours I spent on the field everyday changed my attitude towards life. I became very serious about the game -it was a single-minded focus where nothing else mattered. The other thing that really helped me was having my coach insist that I play practice matches constantly. This is something I feel was crucial as it gave me an edge later in my career - it made me intensely competitive. You can practice for hours but it can never be the same as being in the middle, protecting your wicket or trying to get one. Consequently, it was never just "nets" for me. In fact, when I would head to practice straight from school, my coach would often tell the opposition that Sachin will come in and bat at No. 4. On my part, if I got out first ball, my practice was over. It meant I had to focus every ball and later, this made dealing with match situations much easier.

LITTLE DROPS OF WATER...

Why I'm detailing this really, is because I want to point out that every little step towards success, towards the attainment of a dream, in my case, towards playing a higher level of cricket, counts. I think, often, people dream big but gloss over the process involved in realising that dream. I honestly believe that we need to focus on smaller targets that stack up towards that final goal. I would badger my brother every time I played a game, scored a hundred, did something special: "What next?" I wanted to compete, needed to compete, to push myself even then. It's really funny when I look back now, but then, as a 12-year-old, even though I knew I wanted to play for India, I didn't know how one got there. I was clueless about the Ranji, and Duleep or anything. In my little world, I had some vague idea of things - you played well at Mumbai's club games and were magically transported to playing for India. And then, it happened. I started doing well at those games and found myself suddenly in state contention, rubbing shoulders with men I'd only seen on television. Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Lalchand Rajput. many more. My being there with them first gave me the confidence to believe in my own ability and then, that season, when I became the highest run-getter for Mumbai despite the presence of several stars, it became more special. It gave me the confidence to know I wasn't out of place. I belonged here.

THE POWER OF THE MIND

And then, suddenly, it was all happening. The centuries in my Ranji, Duleep and Irani debuts took me to Pakistan and a whole different world. Pakistan was a unique experience, one in retrospect, I was too young to fully fathom at 16. I was just so excited to be part of the Indian team. But even then, cricket-wise, I was very focussed on being there, knowing that once I was there, I had to stay there. This is where my years of preparation and early training in visualisation, a concept introduced to me by my brother, helped infinitely. It wasn't something that I was formally trained or told about specifically but even during school games, I used to prepare by letting my imagination take over. I would imagine situations, plan out things, try and get into the opposition's head. Somewhere, in those early years, I had begun training my subconscious mind. I've always believed in the power of the mind, it goes way beyond imagination, in its ability to push itself beyond what you might think is its limit, in its ability to readjust, realign and refocus. It is something incredible, the mind, and if you focus, there is no limit to one's imagination and what the mind can accomplish. I've tried to bring that power of the mind to my game. For instance, when I walk into the middle, it is my fourth or fifth walk, as I have already done so several times in my head. It gives one an edge.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING GROUNDED

Coming back to what happened, playing for India was obviously my dream. And once I was in, that was one dream realised. The next one was staying put there. Thereafter, once I had a reputation, it was all about living up to that. I lined up targets, one at a time. I competed with myself to achieve and better them. For instance, if I made 300 in one series, I would tell myself I had to better that in the next. I had to push those boundaries, stay competitive, all the time. The hunger and the desire to get there, do that, was always there. At no stage did I let myself relax, say I'd already done so much, think I could afford to let things be. I could not, that was not me. What really helped immensely was the support I received from my family, my coach. no one got carried away by my success, so neither did I. There were no big celebrations in my house if I did something, it was accepted as normal. Like when I got back after making my first hundred in England, all I did was have some friends over for a meal and chat about it. Our little ritual centred around seeking blessings from God, so 100 times out of 100, that's all I would do, seek blessings. And focus. Even later, whenever I did something, my brother, who has really been the driving force behind my cricket, would never tell me it was exceptional or brilliant. He would more likely point out that say, 'in the 29th over, fourth ball, you didn't quite play that shot correctly'.

MY FATHER'S SON

I think I was blessed in my family, because they allowed me to choose and follow my dream, they supported me, yet, did not overwhelm me. My father for instance, played a huge role in ensuring I stayed focussed on cricket. I was never forced to do the more conventional things, to try and concentrate on being a doctor or engineer. He sat me down a long time ago and we talked, he told me that if I was serious about wanting to play for India, I should go for it, said that if you dream, then dream properly, go after that dream, believe in it and yourself and concentrate on realising it. That freedom to choose allowed me to focus my energy in one direction. I think for a lot of kids, that energy is divided, either because of a lack of choices or a lack of support when you make those choices. If that happens, then your focus obviously cannot be single-minded and it takes away from your effort. To succeed, you need no detractions, no distractions. As a student of sport, I always tell people, you also have to figure out what works best for you. Often, it is sheer instinct; a basic feeling in your gut that tells you this is what you have to do. I can't explain this logically, there's no rational explanation or technique involved here but ever so often, a movement, a glance, an angle, something just triggers a feeling and sends out a subconscious signal - it happens often between bowlers and batsmen and it comes with and, is developed by, dogged, determined concentration. Nothing else.