This week on 15 Minutes of Fame, we give a passing grade to the NHL’s All-Star Weekend, touch on Tim Thomas’ decision to skip his team’s White House visit and discuss the biggest surprises in the league at the All-Star break. As well: we give out our Super Bowl predictions and comment on a couple of massive MLB contracts!
In the GABBYs: The Canadian women’s soccer team, US Senator John Kerry, Jay Cutler, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Kyle Williams and Scott Gomez. The Punchline this week is Minnesota Vikings kicker Chris Kluwe!
It could be considered one of the greatest tennis matches of all-time.
On Sunday in Melbourne, Australia, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the world number one, defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain, the world number two 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5.
It was the longest match in terms of time for a final in Grand Slam tennis history since the ATP decided to bring in the tie-breaker in 1968.
In all the match lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes, including a ten minute rain delay as organizers had to close the roof at Rod Laver Arena. I woke up at 1:30am this morning and went back to bed at 7:30am.
There were times when Djokovic could have beaten Nadal earlier. In the fourth set, Djokovic had a triple break opportunity, but Nadal was able to hold his serve in a very gritty performance. Nadal would go on to win the set and force a fifth and deciding set.
Once again the unforced error category could have been the difference. Nadal had 71 compared to Djokovic’s 69.
With the win, Djokovic defended his Australian Open title, and won his third consecutive Grand Slam as he also won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.
This is an odd weekend in sports for me. For the first time in a long time I’m not watching sports on television during the day.
This is not to say I’m not watching sports. As a matter of fact I’ll be up all night watching sports, catch a few hours of sleep, before attending the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships at the Olympic Oval in Calgary.
So, I’ll be missing the NHL All-Star Game Sunday in Ottawa and have decided to boycott the Pro Bowl Sunday night in Honolulu because in my opinion, you cannot have a legitimate all-star game with the two top teams in the league not represented.
We now know who Rafael Nadal’s opponent will be in the men’s final at the Australian Open.
On Friday, top seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated the fourth seeded Andy Murray of Great Britain 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5 in a five set thriller semi-final that went four hours and fifty minutes to complete.
Yes, folks I watched the entire match, even though it started at 1:30am Mountain Time.
The second and third sets in particular were very high quality tennis, where it took over an hour to complete each set. I think a major turning point in the match came in the first game of the fourth set. After Murray won the third set tiebreak to take a 2-1 lead in sets, Djokovic broke Murray’s serve immediately and coasted over the next twenty minutes to tie the match at two sets each.
In the fifth set, it looked like Djokovic was cramping more than Murray, but the Scot was committing more unforced errors. Overall, Murray had 86 unforced errors to Djokovic’s 69.
Say what you will about the internet, but it really is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to viral videos!
Don’t believe me? Fine. Be that way.
For those of you who are picking up what I’m throwing down though, I’ve got another batch of delicious internet awesomeness for you to check out. This week in “When Sports Go Viral,” we’ve got a couple of pro athletes goofing off, an interesting dangle from the KHL’s All-Star weekend and a highlight from the support staff!
Let’s start with the latest viral video from Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash – not content with playing in the NBA, Nash is apparently trying to convince ESPN to let him enter the Real Snow snowboard competition.
Check out Nash debuting The Corn Chopper:
(AFTER THE JUMP: More sporty viral videos!) (more…)
In one of the greatest tennis matches of all time, Rafael Nadal has qualified for the Australian Open Men’s Final.
On Wednesday, he defeated Roger Federer 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4 in a classic semi-final. Nadal is now looking for his second Australian Open crown, having defeated Federer in five sets in 2009, while Federer is a four-time champion.
A major turning point in the match came in the second set, when Nadal seemed out of a particular point, but ran from one end of the court to the other and hit the cross court winner. When he made contact with the ball, the fans in the stands could have reached out and touched him.
We now know who will be the two female finalists of the 2012 Australian Open.
Last night, Maria Sharapova of Russia, the fourth seed, defeated Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the second seed 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the semi-final– a rematch of the 2011 Wimbledon Final, where Kvitova won her first Grand Slam final.
In the other semi-final, we learned that there will be a new Australian Open champion this year. Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, the 11th seed, lost in three sets to Belarussian Victoria Azarenka, the second seed, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
If Sharapova hopes to beat Azarenka in the final, she will have to work on her serve. It was erratic throughout the match, as she had ten double faults, compared to Kvitova’s four. But a key reason why Sharapova was able to win the match was because she was able to limit her unforced errors, where she had 30, compared to Kvitova’s 41.
For Clijsters, she lost a devastating match because it looks like this will be her final season in tennis. There are reports she wants to have another child with her husband, American Brian Lynch, who played at the University of Villanova, and is currently coaching professionally in Belgium.
This week on the show we talk about the latest on Sidney Crosby’s concussion issues and some other injury notes from around the NHL, including another bad break for Washington’s Mike Green and a close call for Edmonton’s Taylor Hall. As well, we discuss a couple of high profile deaths from around the world of sports.
In the GABBYs: Alex Ovechkin, Terrell Owens, Shaueel van Persie, Manny Ramirez, Trinity College and the Baltimore Ravens. The Punchline this week is Rob Lowe!
It was a solid Monday for three Canadians at the Australian Open.
Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ontario, Stephanie Dubois of Laval, Quebec and Aleksandra Wozniak of Montreal, Quebec have all advanced to round two.
Yesterday, Raonic, seeded 23rd, defeated Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in 91 minutes. Raonic had 13 aces and 13 winners to Violandri’s none.
In women’s action, Dubois defeated Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 and Wozniak defeated Shuai Zhang of China 6-3, 6-3. Toronto’s Rebecca Marino lost to Greta Arn of Hungary 6-4, 6-2.
Raonic will now play Philipp Petzschner of Germany in the second round. Petzschner beat Raonic in the quarterfinals of Halle, Germany last year 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
Wozniak will now play the 27th seed, Maria Kirilenko of Russia and Dubois will play the 30th seed, Angelique Kerber of Germany.
The upset of the tournament so far came from Simona Cirstea of Romania, who beat U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-6, 6-3. Stosur, a fan favourite, was the sixth seed.
The best match of the tournament I have seen so far came on Sunday night. Australian Bernard Tomic, who is only 19, beat Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.
This week on the show we break down the Mike Cammalleri trade, we discuss the Jordan Eberle All-Star “snub” and we try to figure out what is wrong with the Edmonton Oilers. Also: Will we ever see a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao?
In the GABBYs: Leo Messi, Tim Tebow, Thierry Henry, Rick DiPietro, Josh Blanchard and the Jacksonville Jaguars. This week’s Punchline is Dustin Penner!
We are down to eight teams left now in the National Football League.
In the AFC, the New England Patriots (13-3) will host the Denver Broncos (8-8) this evening (CBS, 6pm) in the most anticipated game of the weekend.
Tebownmania is larger now than it ever has, and possibly ever will be. But the bottom line is how many championships in the NFL has Tim Tebow won? The answer is zero and he will be up against a quarterback that has won three Super Bowls, is a two-time MVP and is a seven-time Pro Bowler in Tom Brady. And oh yes, the Patriots hammered the Broncos 41-23 in Denver on December 18, as Brady threw for 320 yards, including 129 yards to underrated tight end Aaron Hernandez. I’m picking New England in a rout.
When it comes to sports and the internet, sometimes the only thing better than an amazing [insert sport here] highlight is a goofy video!
It’s not always pro athletes trying to be funny either – sometimes it’s a terrible blooper or an ugly fall, occasionally a team mascot might be involved and other times, a popular “trend” may pop up where you least expect it.
Take the act of “Tebowing,” for example.
Ever since quarterback Tim Tebow took over in Denver, “Tebowing” has become an incredibly popular thing to do. The Broncos pivot is deeply religious, you see, and he routinely takes a knee to throw up a prayer, unmoved by anything that is happening around him.
When I say it’s become a popular thing to do, I’m not kidding! The internet is now full of “Tebowers,” and that trend has even made it to semi-pro and pro hockey. My pal Adam Chorneyko threw down a “Tebow” after potting a goal for the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles back in November, and it happened again this week in the NHL:
I mentioned earlier that sometimes mascots get in on the action – check out this video featuring Rocky the Mountain Lion of the Denver Nuggets. (VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP!) (more…)
This week on 15 Minutes of Fame, we’re looking back on the World Juniors, discussing the NHLPA’s rejection of the league realignment plan, and we’re playing a little game of “Are Guys Getting the Hint” as in pertains to headshots in the NHL.
In the GABBYs: Everton goalie Tim Howard, Habs forward Lars Eller, Randy Cunneyworth and the language debate, Samardo Samuels and West Virginia’s Darwin Cook. The Punchline this week is Rick DiPietro!
Milos Raonic has won his second tennis tournament of his career.
Sunday morning in Chennai, India, Raonic defeated Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in a three set match where there was not one break of serve.
Raonic recorded 35 aces in the victory and had ample of opportunities to break Tipsarevic’s serve, but Tipsarevic, nicknamed the Serbian Philosopher because of his thoughtful postmatch interviews, was able to save off nine break point opportunities.
The match was significant because it is one of three Australian Open tuneups this weekend. In Brisbane, Andy Murray of Great Britain defeated Alexander Dolgopolov 6-1, 6-3, and in Qatar, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France defeated Gael Monfils of France 7-5, 6-3.
Raonic, who will now definitely be seeded at the Australian Open, which starts next weekend, will probably see his ranking increase by five or six spots. Previously ranked 31st, he has a chance of matching his career best 25th ranking he had in May, before he injured his hip at Wimbledon. At the 2011 Australian Open, Raonic advanced to the fourth round.
Say what you will about the internet, but it really is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to viral videos!
When it comes to sports and the internet, sometimes the only thing better than an amazing [insert sport here] highlight is a goofy video!
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