Friday, May 23, 2008

Tempting Fate

When I picked up this week's edition of Sports Illustrated, I was worried.

I was desperately worried and panic as I found the lovely Danica Patrick on the cover, for the preview of the 92nd Indianapolis 500.

Two words came up in my mind at that very instant: Cover jinx.

And the combination of the jinx with the sport that Danica is in can be fatal.

And I am not joking.

In 1958, Pat O'Connor was on SI's cover for that year's Indianapolis 500 preview. On the very first lap of that race, he was killed in a 15-car pile-up.

As many of you may have heard, there is indeed an unexplained phenomenon called the "SI Cover Jinx", where bad and VERY bad things happen to the person(s) shortly after they have appeared on SI's cover. According to a 2002 article written by SI's Alexander Wolff, there had been 913 jinxes out of a total of 2456 covers at that time, at a staggering rate of 37.2%.

Notable and fatal jinxes include (courtesy of Wikpedia):

- In 1955, during the week when she was on SI's cover, skier Jill Kinmont struck a tree in practice and was paralyzed from neck down.

- In 1961, just two days after an issue of SI featuring her hit the stands, Laurence Owen, a promising young figure skater, perished in a plane crash together with the entire United States figure skating team. That year's World Championship would be cancelled as a mark of respect.

- And in 1989, the then Major League Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti had just finished the investigation on the illegal gambling of Pete Rose, the all-time hit king in baseball. Just days after Giamatti's words appeared on SI, he died suddenly from a heart attack.

Of course, no one wants anything bad to happen to Danica. But why put her in such a life-threatening risk? Why do that to her, especially when she does have a good chance of winning the race this year?

I'd better keep my fingers crossed for her for the entire 200 laps.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Draft Larceny

Now it's getting interesting.

For the umpteenth time, the NBA lottery failed to give the top three picks to the three worst teams. Instead, the Chicago Bulls, which finished with the ninth-worst record last season, managed to beat the odds (1.7%) and stole the prized top pick away from the Miami Heat, Seattle Supersonics, Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks.

Now they are in an enviable dilemma: Choose from the homegrown Derrick Rose and the high-flying Michael Beasley.

Last season, it was the Portland Trailblazers and the Supersonics who were the biggest beneficiaries, as by winning the lottery they were able to draft college phenoms Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. And I vividly remember the disappointment and frustration of Jerry West, the President of Basketball Operations of the Grizzlies, when his worst-placed team could only come up with the fourth pick.

You'll have to bet that West will have more complaint this time around.

Ever since the current system began in 1994, only twice (in 2003 and 2004) did the worst team come up with the top selection. More often than not, the better teams were able to find a way to sneak up the draft order.

People have been crying foul for years, and many believe that there is a conspiracy going on in favour of the Knicks, as well as teams from other big cities, by the league.

But if that is the case, the Knicks should have won the lottery every year. And with a roster of players like Yao Ming, LeBron James and Chris Paul, they should have been a force in the league, but not the laughingstock they have been for years.

I see no problem in the current system, which is mainly to deter teams from throwing games late in the season, but also ensure that the worst team will pick no lower than fourth. In fact, after seeing how crazily the ping-pong balls have been going year in year out, teams will finally realize that tanking games will: 1. Annoy your fans; and 2. Not give you the much-coveted top pick.

After all, it's a lottery, where anything can happen.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Hammering Success in Advertising 101

While watching how Catania avoided relegation on the last day of the Serie A season, and witnessing the all-too-familiar scene of fans stomping the pitch to snatch whatever they could from the players who have not escaped in time, my better half found it quite amusing to see players being stripped to their underpants, in an act of comic and barbaric proportion.

And while we were marveling on the colours of underpants the players were wearing, my better half said, "Why don't they sell advertising space on the underpants?"

I never have a sharp sense of business, but now I know for sure my better half does have a better acumen for (potential) commercial success.

If I were to maximize the exposure of my products or service through advertising, I would try something outrageous, something no one has ever tried before, and something inexpensive.

Then there should be no better place to place an advertisement on the players' underpants. It's definitely outrageous, for sure no one has ever tried before, and for Christ's sake inexpensive as it only covers a small amount of space with limited time of exposure, no pun intended.

But of course, you can't be cheap and sponsor one team only. You have to target all teams playing the final game at home (i.e., those who are most likely to fall victims to the grand theft of jerseys and shorts), and those home teams with a good chance of achieving something good (e.g., winning the title, securing a Champions League or UEFA Cup spot, or avoiding relegation) should be on top of your wish list.

If you have sponsored, say, Parma only, for the past weekend, the name of your product would never be shown to the crowd, as they could not avoid relegation and the players decided to weep instead of strip on the pitch.

And I heard that locksmiths and pile-driving companies are itching to give it a shot next season.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Enemy Heskey

For those who are looking for the reason for Chelsea's failure to capture this year's Premiership title, look no further than a stocky former English international in Emile Heskey.

Heskey has a well-deserved reputation of squandering chances. But much to the chagrin of Chelsea players and fans, he somehow managed to sneak in a late equalizer for Wigan at Stamford Bridge a couple of weeks ago, which gave the Latics a valuable point which would eventually ensure their survival in the Premiership, but at the same time cost the Blues two vital points in the standings.

And when the Blues needed him the most, he reverted to his old self and failed to deliver again. When Wigan was down by a goal in the final match of the season against Manchester United, Heskey had a number of golden chances to equalize. If the match finished in a draw and the Blues beat Bolton Wanderers, the Blues would be crowned the Champions.

But things didn't go the Blues' way. Heskey squandered a number of chances and the Latics lost, while Bolton forced in a late equalizer when Chelsea players were distracted by the fact that their fate had been sealed by the Red Devils' victory.

The final standings showed that Manchester United beat Chelsea by two clear points. But just imagine what might have happened had Heskey not equalized against Chelsea, or had taken any of the golden chances against Manchester United.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Firing on All Cylinders

I have watched a little snooker lately, and am mightily amused by the way Liang Wenbo, the latest Chinese sensation, plays.

This kid definitely has talent, and is always aggressive when it comes to potting. More than often the potted balls would go straight into the pocket. Yet not infrequently, he would miss his pots and the resulting ricochets would leave behind a mess on the table.

Snooker has always been a conservative sport. Players play in vest and bow-ties, and only recently are they allowed to take off their bow-ties when competing in some of the lesser tournaments.

Players are mostly conservative too. They all take their time before making a shot, and we often see a player taking ages to deliberate what the best possible shot is. It appears that not giving a good thought before making a shot and thus creating a mess on the table is a cardinal sin.

But not for Liang.

Liang always shows signs of impatience, which is fitting for his age. When he sees the faintest of opportunity, he simply pounces on it, regardless of how tight the angle is, or how many balls are involved in the combination shots. Such attack-mindedness, audacity and creativity have never been seen before in the snooker scene. Even the impetuous Ronnie O'Sullivan in his earlier years knew when to play a defensive shot.

And Liang is probably the first snooker ever to display any joy and excitement during a match, when his waved his fist and let out a big yell in the deciding frame against Joe Swail in the last 16 of this year's World Championship. However, his premature celebration almost turned into one of the biggest embarrassments of all-time when he missed his next shot, only for Swail to fail to capitalise.

Of course, luck was definitely on his side when his missed shots somehow avoided presenting opportunities to his opponents during his run in the World Championship. TV coverage more than once showed the frustration of his opponents for the mess, but not any chances, he had left behind on the table.

I just hope that his cavalier approach will give him major victories before his luck finally runs out.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Numbers Game 2008

I know I have done it before, and so I am going to do it again.

I am really crazy for the Dallas Cowboys, and the NFL Draft too.

After spending two full nights listening to the webcast of the draft, and I have once again finished typing the information of all draftees into a neatly-prepared Word file.

Thanks to the Wikipedia and the internet, I no longer have to wait for months to find out what the jersey numbers of the draftees are.

So please indulge me for listing the jersey numbers of their draft class of 2008:

28 RB Felix Jones
31 CB Mike Jenkins
80 TE Martellus Bennett
29 RB Tashard Choice
32 CB Orlando Scandrick
53 DE Erik Walden

Now there is one more happy man in the world.