Archive
Reuters blog archive
from Photographers Blog:
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…?
Snow. Looks good on those Christmas cards, doesn’t it? Fun for small children. Even nice for penguins in the zoo. But photographers covering soccer? Brrrrrrrrrr. Not really.
Let’s get one thing straight. We Brits go on about the weather like a stuck record, but when it comes to it, we can’t cope with it. That’s why we live in Britain.
We whinge when the mercury drops to -3 (26 degrees Fahrenheit). A colleague of mine in Canada will point out that’s not cold. Cold, proper cold, can’t feel your fingers, just walked into a fridge cold, is -25 (-13 degrees Fahrenheit).
So when the Met Office started predicting heavy snowfalls on the night of the Aston Villa v Liverpool game, I did my best boy scout impression, packed my shovel and set off four hours early, you know, in case of snowdrifts the size of elephants.
from MediaFile:
Fox vs Time Warner Cable: Soccer channels go dark for a bit, coincidence?
We were not completely surprised when Fox Soccer Channel went dark on Sunday afternoon while we were watching West Ham take on Chelsea. (It's not that the cable bills hadn't been paid). Seemed the most likely cause was the really bad snowstorm here in New York and the rest of the U.S. northeast.
But when we noticed that Fox Soccer Espanol, Speed Channel and, for a short while, FX were also down... well, we couldn't help wonder if the ruckus between Time Warner Cable and Fox Networks had come to a head and that the great dark screen battle of 2010 had started early. (Adding to our conspiracy theory: Fox's news channels were unaffected yesterday, and neither Fox News nor Fox Business are part of the current carriage fisticuffs between TWC and Fox. Hmmmm).
from Left field:
Five defining moments from a decade of sport
As the decade draws to a close, we pick five sporting moments which have defined the last 10 years.
1. Cathy Freeman lit the Olympic flame at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, a Games set in a country which embraces the outdoor life and punches well above its weight in most sports.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
I can never play soccer again!
Blog Guy, I know all contact sports have risks. Boxing, football, fencing, they can all take their toll. Is there any threat that is especially common to soccer players?
Absolutely. There is the tragedy of soccer blindness, as seen here in these terrifying photos. It afflicts hundreds of players every year, usually during an actual game.
from Africa News blog:
Soccer match creates Arab diplomatic rift
In scenes more akin to a prelude to war than a soccer match, Algeria won Africa's last place in next year's World Cup finals in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Wednesday.
With 15,000 extra security men manning the stadium and heavily armed riot police on virtually every street corner for Algeria's 1-0 win over Egypt, there was little opportunity for major violence.
from Left field:
Sportswrap: redemption special
Click on the video above for our latest look at the week's sporting highlights, including an interview with Andre Agassi (in full Edith Piaf mode), the thoughts of Michael Phelps on his trial by textile and the almighty scrap for the last nine World Cup places.
As always, Sportswrap is presented by Owen Wyatt, written by Kevin Fylan and produced from our Canary Wharf HQ.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
Oh, my love my darling, I’ve hungered for your touch…
Blog Guy, what do you think of the huge musical news for this season?
It's amazing, huh?
I'll say! Who ever would have thought, a Bob Dylan Christmas CD!
Oh, that. I thought you were talking about those European soccer coaches recording all the great Righteous Brothers hits - "Unchained Melody," "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'," etc... Those coaches can really belt it out.
Soccer coaches? Righteous Brothers? This is just too stupid, even for you!
Fine, but I've already pre-ordered mine. It's a tribute to Phil Spector, the Righteous Brothers' legendary producer who of course is now in prison for murder.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
Teargas tennis, lobbing and sobbing…
Blog Guy, I hate to complain, but you used to do a much better job of covering stupid sports around the world. Many of us come here to see athletic events that are too twisted and ignorant for other media to cover. Anything new?
As a matter of fact, yes. I've really been getting into teargas sports. You know, teargas soccer, teargas baseball and the fastest-growing, teargas tennis.
from Photographers Blog:
South African grannies’ got game
South African grannies catch World Cup feverBy Ndundu SitholeTZANEEN, South Africa (Reuters) - World Cup fever has spread to South African grannies, with hundreds of poor, elderly women in aprons and skirts fighting for the ball in township games.Twice a week they swap domestic chores for football, donning soccer boots instead of their usual rubber sandals to play in local matches.The 35 women on the Vakhegula Vakhegula squad -- meaning 'Grannies' in the local Xitsonga dialect -- range from 40 to more than 80 years old and live in a township near Tzaneen, 600 kms north of Johannesburg.Competition is fierce among the eight teams in the region and the women say soccer is the best exercise, much better than their usual manual work at home and in the fields."I like to play soccer because it helps us. We were sick, but now our temperatures, our blood pressures...have gone down ...even our doctors are amazed when we go for a check-up," said 47-year-old Nari Baloyi, one of the youngest on the team.Nora Makhubela has suffered six strokes yet the 83-year-old great-grandmother said kicking a ball around had given her strength she did not think she still had."My life has really changed...if I were to run with you I would beat you even though I'm much older," she said, smiling.NEW PURPOSEMakhubela dreams of being around long enough to watch the one-month World Cup finals in South Africa starting on June 11 next year."I pray every day to God to keep me alive until 2010. I would really love to watch the games," she told Reuters.The team have proposed playing a curtain raiser before one of the first-round World Cup matches and said national soccer authorities had told them they would consider the idea.Community worker Beka Ntsanwisi said she started the team three years ago to help older women exercise all their limbs and to give them a new purpose in life."Some of them couldn't even walk properly and if they did something in their free time they would be knitting or sewing and sitting all the time...here they run, shout, fight with you...it keeps them young," she said.Coach David Maake said working with the women had given him greater satisfaction than any other coaching job."With young boys you need more money to achieve many things...here, I may come with my stress...but I will laugh so much until I forget everything," he said.NOISY TRUMPETSThe team lacks proper funding, with each woman pitching in around $1 a month for soccer balls, kit and travel to their bi-annual competitions with teams from other regions.Ntsanwisi, who uses her own money to help fund the teams, hopes one day to attract sponsors.Dozens of local fans support the grannies' games, cheering and blowing vuvuzelas -- noisy, plastic trumpets that create a cacophony of noise that is unique to South African soccer."I feel good when the (grannies) play soccer so that they can be fit and strong," said 13-year-old Chamelius Bayani.Winning seems secondary. Some of the grannies look as if they are struggling to keep going during a game after a long day of housework.Most come to practice straight from cleaning their houses and cooking meals or after selling food along the township's streets.Missing a practice is unheard of, however, they say."I was too fat...now I can run and teach my grand-kids how to kick. I feel great," Baloyi said.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
A miracle cure? No chants!
Blog Guy, I need to get some medical advice from you in the strictest confidence. I am a very famous person. You may just call me Ronaldo.
Ah. You're that guy from the big hamburger franchise? You ARE famous!
No. That would be Ronald McDonald. I myself am RONALDO, a huge soccer star, but I have injured my ankle. I need to play again soon. What do you recommend?
