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Storylines in the Rugby World Cup 2015

Although not as popular outside Australasia, the British Isles, France, and South Africa, rugby union and the Rugby World Cup has continuously shown growth (in terms of viewership) in the past couple of years. For the uninitiated, the sport might seem barbaric at first glance but it really is a complex mix of physicality, team play, and strategy. The Rugby World Cup, an event that’s held every four years, is a venue where the top international teams stake out their claims of being the best in the sport.

Pool Play and the Knock-out Stages

This year’s iteration of the tournament features 20 teams divided into four pools. The tournament will start off with the teams competing against other teams in their own pool at least once. To determine standings for the pool phase, a match points system is in place to reward teams based on the wins, draws, and loses that they incur. The top two teams from each pool will then proceed to the first of the knock-out stages of the competition: the quarter-finals. Teams who lose during the quarter-finals will be eliminated from the competition while the teams that win are guaranteed at least a runner-up finish.

Storylines that Need to be Followed

New Zealand’s All Blacks have been one of the most dominant teams in the sport for quite sometime now and are currently the defending Champions (as well as the tournament’s inaugural champion). The All Blacks are also trying to become the first team to successfully defend their championship. To achieve this, they’ll have to go through Georgia, Tonga, Argentina, and Namibia. With Argentina already taken cared of, New Zealand figures to come out on top (at least during pool play) due to relatively weak competition in its pool. Host nations England and Wales are currently heading a competitive Pool A which also features another perennial powerhouse in Australia (with Fiji and Uruguay rounding out the field). France and Ireland are off to a great start in Pool D by winning their respective first matches and might be on track to the quarter final considering the competition isn’t as strong as compared to Pool A. 

The Brave Blossoms and Pool B

Other than New Zealand’s bid to defend its championship, perhaps the most compelling Pool to follow this 2015 Rugby World Cup is Pool B which has Japan’s Brave Blossoms. Earlier this week, the Japanese team shocked the world by claiming its first win of the tournament off of a close match against no less than South Africa. The win over South Africa also served to help the Brave Blossoms climb up in the world rankings from 13th to 11th place. On the other hand, the Springboks fell down to 6th with England now replacing them at 3rd place (by virtue of the English team’s win over Fiji in Pool A play). Of course, pool play is far from over and the Springboks can still turn things around and qualify for the knock-out stages. However, it would be interesting to see how far Japan can go this year especially since they’ll be hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

Formula 1 After Jules Bianchi’s Crash

Formula 1 is a dangerous sport and it has never been more evident after the accident that befell Jules Bianchi at the Suzuka Circuit during the Japanese Grand Prix. Bianchi’s car crashed into a recovery vehicle that had taken the track to get to the Sauber driven by Adrian Sutil that lost its rear due to an earlier crash. He has undergone surgery for the head injury that he sustained from the aforementioned incident. The Marussia F1 Team has yet to issue a definitive statement regarding Bianchi’s status and has called for patience with regard to their driver’s medical updates. The accident is not the first (and probably not the last) accident in the history of Formula 1.

The Accident at the Suzuka Circuit

There has been some controversy on whether it was prudent to start the race considering the weather conditions at that time on the Suzuka Circuit. Regardless of the weather, the race did proceed as scheduled with a safety car leading the way. However, after just two laps the race was red flagged and restarted. Much like the first time, a safety car led the way for the drivers on the re-start. Prior to Bianchi’s accident in the 43^rd lap, Adrian Sutil crashed his Sauber which prompted race officials to send a recovery car. It was during the 44^th lap that Bianchi’s Marussia crashed onto the recovery vehicle which then rendered him unconscious.

History of Accidents

Though there has been a drop in fatalities since Ayrton Senna’s demise at the San Marino Grand Prix, accidents still do happen. This is to be expected since Formula is the fastest motorsport in the world after all. Even with technological advances that have made the sport safer, the probability of accidents is still high. With cars frequently reaching speeds of 220 mph, Jules Bianchi is lucky to still be alive right now. Others have been less fortunate. It was just recently that businessman/Formula 1 racing enthusiast Denis Welch got killed in the Silverstone Classic while driving a 1960 Lotus 18.

Bianchi’s Status

Bianchi is currently in intensive care after undergoing surgery for what the FIA termed as a “severe head injury”. Whether Bianchi can still race after this incident is still up in the air but other drivers have already expressed their support for him. The podium celebration to announce the winners was visibly subdued. Lewis Hamilton also noted that the result of the race was insignificant compared to the accident that befell their fellow driver.

What’s Next for Marussia’s Formula 1 Team?

The next leg of the Formula One season will be held at Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. The Russian Grand Prix will be held for the first time in a hundred years after being abandoned due to Russian Civil War and World War I. The loss of Jules Bianchi is a big blow for Russian-owned Marussia who now has to rely on Max Chilton and either Alexander Rossi or Will Stevens. Earlier in the season Bianchi had scored the team’s first points when he finished ninth at the Monaco Grand Prix. We’ve yet to know whether Marussia can recover from the loss of their fastest driver. As for the FIA, there are still numerous questions that need to be answered regarding the incident which hopefully will be the last for this season.

In the meantime everyone is concerned for the young driver and at this time all we can do is pray the young F1 driver will make a speedy recovery.

Daniel Ricciardo the new face of RedBull Racing

Daniel Ricciardo was initial a surprise signing by RedBull then they had a chance to sign Kimi Raikkonen but instead the team went with their young driver in Ricciardo. When he got a chance to test with the team before the season started, Daniel was significantly faster than Vettel and it showed that the kid had promise.

For the 2014 season Ricciardo has already made a name for himself winning a few races during a season where Mercedes are the clear cut fastest drivers, or rather have the fastest cars. Vettel is a 4 time champion and is struggling with the new V6 engines and is showing that maybe his time is behind him. He is showing he is an average driver but people don't pay you to be just average. So Ricciardo has cemented himself as the better driver than Vettel and it is up to him to win back the respect. That said it is safe to say that Ricciardo has earned the respect from everyone and he isn't a driver of the future, rather he is here now and ready to challenge for the most wins and to win a championship. 

Daniel Ricciardo is now the new face of F1 racing for Australians taking the lead from Mark Webber who had an excellent career.

If you believe Daniel Ricciardo is the real deal, find the latest odds and betting tips at F1-bettings where this season players have won good money picking Ricciardo for podium finishes and points finish. 

Germany's advantage over Argentina World Cup Finals 2014

If you are looking to bet on the game check out the Germany Argentina betting tips or keep an eye out for a good free bet to bet on the World Cup. 

Germany are no doubt the favourite going into the World Cup Finals for a few reasons and some of them actually the wrong reasons. The wrong reasons why Germany is the favourite is because they beat the host team, which was the favourite to win it all and they were ruthless with the final score of 7-1 making it the worst defeat by Brazil ever. That images of Germany ripping apart Brazil have suddenly swayed the public opinion of Germany being a greater threat than Argentina. 

One reason that people believe in Argentina is because they have Lionel Messi who is a 4 time world player of the year and everyone knows how good he is. For that reason alone, Argentina were a favourite to win the tournament but when you take him out, Argentina still have a solid team but the power of Messi is hard to ignore. He has too many fans and everyone believes he is the type of player that will win a game on his own. 

Germany: Consistent and intimidating

In the last 4 World Cups, Germany have been in the finals twice which includes 2014 and were semin-finalists 2 other times while they won the 3rd place matches on top of it. This team is the most consistent out of all football nations as they have scored the most goals, made the most semi-finals appearances as well to go with their 3 World Cup victories. Germany have won a lot of games over the past 4 world cups and some of them have been by large scores over top quality teams that includes this year 4-0 over Portugal, 7-1 over Brazil and in previous tournaments 4-0 over Argentina and 4-1 over England in 2010 which features similar players to this year. They don't have the global superstars but I think it is safe to say that many coaches would pick this team over other teams that feature star players like Portugal, Argentina and Brazil which obviously feature Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar.

Just naming the Germany players speaks quality: Muller, Ozil, Khedira, Schurrle, Klose, Podolski, Gotze, Kroos, Mertesacker, Lahm, Boateng, Neuer. This is an all-star lineup.

Argentina's Disadvantage

Argentina are at a serious disadvantage in this tournament and in this finals game.

The Messi effect: Yes we all know Lionel Messi can win a game but when a team has a star player like this that can severly influence a game, it becomes part of their game plan to suffocate that player. The same can be said about players like Neymar and Ronaldo who had some numbers to go with their tournaments but not all games they were able to shine and were shut out effectively. Messi is going to be the #1 target in this game. If he can't score then it could mean lights out for Argentina.

Where's the coaching? Alejandro Sabella is the coach of Argentina but that has been a problem for the team over the last few world cups. High quality teams and players but poor results. At least getting to this finals says more than previous teams but the road to the finals hasn't been a steady one. Favourites to win their group, they did but it wasn't very convincing. Messi does have 4 goal sand 1 assist in the tournament but the team just hasn't looked great and they don't seem to have much of a strategy other than to not lose. At least they don't concede too many goals but they really need to consider themselves lucky to be this far. 

If that wasn't enough, the Netherlands team seriously knocked around their players with players getting hit in the head or enduring tough tackles or hits especially Mascherano. 

Is Math a requisite for every aspiring poker player?

As a gambling fan, you may have a few games that never fail to excite you whenever you play them. Unsurprisingly, poker remains as one of the most popular gambling games in the world thanks to its depth, skill required and fun factor. Whether it is online in sites like www.freepoker.org or with your closest friends, a game of poker never fails to deliver heaps of exciting moments and fun.

One of controversial and most discussed themes among poker players is the use of mathematics in the game. Some experts firmly believe that mathematics is the foundation of every game altering strategy involved in a game of poker. Probability and odds will heavily tip the balance in your favor and help you win lots of money when the game concludes.  

Poker is a game that’s heavily based on information availability. We are never aware of how much of an advantage the other players have; once you’ve made your guess it’s probably too late. But since poker is a game that uses copious amounts of human interaction (and this is one of the elements that makes the game so popular), we sometimes receive minuscule clues from the other players at the table, based on changes in their betting behavior or their physical demeanor, which can often point towards whom has the strongest or weakest hand.

Nevertheless, there is just so much you can do by observing other players. That’s where math comes in; you don’t make an important move because you have a suspicion, you do it because you have solid odds. You don’t bluff because you somehow “know” that your opponent has a weak hand. A solid bluff involves the skillful use of math that suggests the best move that will allow you to win more money from the times they fold than lose from the times they call.

If you’re one of those players that believe that intuition and deception are the only skills needed to play poker, you are leaving an enormous gap your game by ignoring the mathematical side. There’s no other way of putting it. Experienced players are aware that without math they would only have gone so far. Sure, poker is a game that’s heavily based on tells, reads and sometimes intuition, but if you don’t know about pot odds you are severely hampering your chances of becoming a well-rounded player.

Sebastian Vettel triumphs once again in F1

Sebastian Vettel triumphs once again in F1 Sebastian Vettel is well on his way to become a legend of his own thanks to his recent fourth consecutive win at Sunday's 2013 Formula 1 Airtel Indian Grand Prix in New Delhi. The German’s victory also means that the constructors' crown for Red Bull is secure. Vettel needed to finish at least in fifth place or higher to secure another drivers’ crown, but with an amazing display of precision and skill he managed to arrive at first, half a minute clear of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg who was second, with Lotus's Romain Grosjean in third place (an impressive feat, considering the fact that he started ). For gambling fans around the world , the race was full of unexpected events 17th which left millions spectators gasping for breath.

As expected, it was Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey who joined Vettel on the podium when he was handed the constructors’ trophy on behalf of the magnificent RB9 car he had designed. The only bad news for Red Bull was Mark Webber’s retirement from second place, clearing the path for Vettel, which was a surprising event in itself. Later in the race, the German racer was told on the 52nd lap to stop using his drinks bottle and not to engage KERS, as the team was quick to tell him not to take any more energy out of the car than necessary.

Ferrari’s own Fernando Alonso was out of luck this time around. Since he was the only racer around with firm odds of preventing Vettel from securing the title in India, once he was out, Vettel was unstoppable. Right from the beginning of the race, as Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen and Webber collided at the first corner, Alonso had trouble going forward. Once he collected the Red Bull, he ended up damaging his front wing, forcing him to pit for a replacement on the second lap. After this unfortunate event, the Ferrari could never recover properly and ended up with an 11th place finish.

However, some experts assure that even without Webber's many misfortunes in the race, Vettel would surely have won. He did not in fact, lead every lap, which he had previously done in two races here, but, he dominated once the time was right.

Montreal Canadiens 2013/2014 Season

The Montreal Canadiens won their division last season but by the slimmest of margins. Unfortunately for the Habs, their stellar season was in a tailspin going into the playoffs and they got a 1st round team in the Ottawa Senators which were fairly hot going into the playoffs. Not much was expected from the Habs last year after tanking the season before. Now the team seems to have a culture of winning with general manager Marc Bergevin putting together a winning team and adding Michel Therien as the coach. 

2012-2013 Recap

Well the team previously had a horrible general manager that was arrogant and was replaced with Bergevin who has earned a reputation of being a hard worker and winning. They got rid of cry baby Erik Cole who complained the whole time during the lockout and seemed to lose the respect of his teammates. He was traded for former Habs player Michael Ryder who had a decent season. The Habs enjoyed a healthy Andrei Markov which was a rare site. 

Habs signed PK Subban to a 2 year deal and he proved he was worth the money he was asking for and after winning the Norris trophy, he will probably get it and now the ball is back in his court.

Rookies Gallagher and Galchenyuk

Last season they had 2 impressive rookies Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk. Both were young and cracked the linedup and produced throughout the season. Both were Calder candidates and with confidence under their belt, more is expected from both of them. 

Brendan Prust was a key acquisition last season as well and proved to be well worth his salary. Prust left a strong New York Rangers team and without him, they seemed to plummet down the conference standings while the Habs rocketed to the top. 

This season more is expected from the Habs. With the Olympics on the horizon, some players might have extra focus this season especially Carey Price who wants to suit up for team Canada and show that the pressure of playing in Montreal has hardened him to be the go to guy for Canada. 

It seems the team has what it takes to go to the next level and the benchmark for this new season will be to get past the first round of playoffs. 

Scoring diamonds at flea markets & garage sales

Normally when going to flea markets and garage sales I've got a fairly one tracked mind and I'm hunging for good but cheap sports gear like golf clubs, hockey equipment and you name it and more importantly collector's items and sports memorabilia.  You never know what you find when people are trying to sell off their junk and when you know things like Honus Wagner baseball cards could be sitting in a box, your mouth starts to water a bit at the possibility of scoring something ridiculous and outrageous.

Normally I don't pay much attention to things like jewelery boxes as I thought they were typically filled with junk but to my surprised I found some used diamond rings in one box and I s*** my pants once I had them diamonds appraised.  I only started to do this after one of my friends told me he scored some nice money himself doing the same thing.  Now I have more things to look at when I hit any flea markets but I find the biggest value lies in garage sales.  People at flea markets usually have a better idea of what they are selling so it's tougher to find high value items for cheap. Typically they price out all of their items and some of them know how to sell a product and are tougher to bargain with.

If you hit garage sales you can find all sorts of good things and of course junk too. 

So if it looks like gold or diamonds and you can pick it up for cheap then it might be worth the small investment if you are fast and good at getting jewelery appraised. 

Formula 1 in 2013: Fastest cars

The 2013 season is underway for Formula 1 racing and there have been some changes from last year.

In the 2012 season RedBull won everything again but only by the smallest margins. Kimi Raikkonen had a strong season in his welcome back and Lewis Hamilton was really close to winning another title, closer than people have thought and if you take into consideration some accidents he had plus team f*ups then he might have been the 2012 World Drivers Champion.

Fernando Alonso almost won and he did this on a bad car that the team struggled with all season. That just shows how great of a driver he is. 

In 2013 one of the biggest changes is Lewis Hamilton drivers for team Mercedes, which is a team that has struggled in the past few years. With the move we now see McLaren struggling to score points and this also comes as the team launched a new car and are struggling to get the most out of it, similar to Ferrari last season. Lewis Hamilton is no doubt one of the best drivers in the sport so he is already helping Mercedes and McLaren are struggling with Button as the #1 guy with a young Sergio Perez struggling to show he is worthy of being their driver.

RedBulls are fast as expected and this isn't a surprise. Team Lotus are doing not bad and they seem to have a consistent yet fast car.

So the teams and drivers that will do the most in 2013?

Ferrari: Alonso & Massa
RedBull Racing: Vettel & Webber
Mercedes: Hamilton & Rosberg
Lotus: Raikkonen & Grosjean

The popular McLaren team most likely won't do better than these 4. That means your champion for the 2013 season is going to be either one of the big 4: Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel or Raikkonen.  

Matt Cooke cuts Erik Karlsson was it intentional?

Matt Cooke is considered one of the dirtiest players currently playing in the NHL. He recently cut Norris trophy winner Erik Karlsson and ended his season in 2013. Was this hit intention?

Matt Cooke denies it but he has to if he wants to avoid any suspensions which of course would cost him a lot of money. If you watch the reply of the video his leg comes up high on Karlsson's leg and drivers forward. There is no reason for this forward thursting motion unless you wanted to drive your skate blade in that direction. If this was just an accidental play it would happen more often but it doesn't. Just look at the balance of Matt Cooke and you can clearly see that he has to exert a lot of energy to get his leg in that position and also to thrust it forward. You can see at the end he kicks downward which isn't used to balance himself at all, he has his weight on his right skate and his center of gravity is near his right leg. At any point his body doesn't move forward.

So how could Brendan Shanahan not catch this? If this was any player other than Matt Cooke then it is probably a hockey play and an accident. Matt Cooke has played his entire NHL career going after players. All you have to do is watch all of his videos and it is a surprise that this player is still in the league. 

Matt Cooke deserves to be suspended for his play on Karlsson. Just see what all the hockey news networks have to say about this and if this wasn't Matt Cooke then the story is about the accident. Since it does feature Matt Cooke, hockey analysts are going to ask, did Matt Cooke intentionally do this?

 

The video speaks for itself. Cooke gets his skate up yet he is fully balance on his right skate, he quickly slams his skate into Karlsson's leg. This is a careless play and he probably wanted to hurt Karlsson but didn't mean to hurt him so bad as to end his season. Watch Cooke speak about the play and his body language looks to be a mixture of guilty with a hint of embarrassment. Dear NHL if you want fans to come back to the game, get rid of losers like Matt Cooke. He isn't a good hockey player and he has spent his career injuring others and talented players that fans actually want to do. Good luck finding any good videos of Cooke doing any hits or scoring nice goals. Search for Matt Cooke into google or youtube and look at the suggestions that come up: dirty player, 10 dirty NHL players, Matt Cooke elbow and now we can add skate laceration. Heck look at his history of cheap shot videos, there is one of him kicking his skate towards a goalie's head.