SO Nick Faldo has gone for Ian Poulter as his wild card Ryder Cup pick over Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie.
Poulter’s inclusion in the Ryder Cup has been seen as a gamble in many quarters because Montgomerie had played in eight successive matches, never losing a Ryder Cup singles.
And Clarke had experienced a successful partnership with Lee Westwood that had won six points from a possible eight in Ryder Cup matches.
In the last month Clarke has seen a return to form and he picked up his 19th professional title recently.
Many believed Poulter had already been given the nod by Faldo, because Poulter didn’t try and qualify outright for a Ryder Cup place at Gleneagles. However Poulter and Faldo had been quick to deny this accusation.
Poulter is also above Montgomerie and Clarke on the world rankings and had impressed last month at The Open at Birkdale.
It is said he will be paired with Justin Rose and only time will tell if this partnership will gel.
Europe, who have won the last three encounters, will start as favourites for this year’s cup, even thought the competition is being played in America.
But maybe the Americans will come together more as a team without Tiger Woods, who is injured. Woods is one of the greatest golfers of all time, although he never seems to excel in a team.
If Europe are to retain the Cup, they will be looking to Padraig Harrington (The Open and USPGA winner) and Sergio Garcia to play lead roles.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
The X-Factor is back
A TOTAL of 182,000 people put their names forward to be on this year’s X-Factor.
And after watching the show on Saturday it looks like most of them were rubbish.
The audition episodes are usually the most entertaining.
The people who appear on it think they can sing and when they are told by the panel they were awful, they look shell-shocked.
It is always funny to see the look of horror on the faces of the panel, when they have to sit through a bad audition.
Two men even had to be escorted off by the bouncer, because they would not take no for an answer. The Rick Astley impersonator was passable, but his friend was laughable.
Occasionally though, someone appears on the show who has a fantastic voice.
Sharon Osbourne is no longer a panellist on the X-Factor and the new judge is Cheryl Cole of Girls Aloud. She is very similar in personality to Dannii Minogue and I am not sure if she will work as well as Sharon Osbourne. But I bet there will be a few clashes between the two of them in forthcoming weeks.
The most interesting part of the show was when Cheryl was confronted with a fellow contestant from Popstars:The Rivals. The difference in the fortunes between the two was staggering.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
New England cricket captain
THE announcement of Kevin Pietersen as England cricket captain might have been seen as a surprise to some people, but I think his leadership has brought a breath of fresh air to the team.
Michael Vaughan's first spell as captain was very successful and led to England regaining The Ashes in 2005. However his second spell was tired and it was if he had run out of ideas.
Vaughan was at one time one of the leading batters in the world, but in the latest series against South Africa he had failed to make any significant innings of note.
By contrast Pietersen made 100 in his first innings at The Oval and hit 94 at Edgbaston, before being caught trying to hit a six to reach his 100.
Critics of Pietersen have said he is too selfish and showy to be captain, but in this latest test his hands-on approach has helped bowlers, such as Harmison who had been out of favour with selectors.
He is also very vocal in the field and quick to offer a word of encouragement to a member of his team, if he feels that they need it.
Meanwhile, walking into HMV at lunchtime recently I made the observation – although I may be wrong – that they are selling less CDs. It seemed they had more DVDs and less albums. I thought to myself why could this be?
The only answer I could come up with is that more people are now downloading their music instead of buying it in a shop.
I also think that shoppers must be buying more DVDs than CDs.
Will CDs go the way of vinyl and audio cassettes and video cassettes?
Michael Vaughan's first spell as captain was very successful and led to England regaining The Ashes in 2005. However his second spell was tired and it was if he had run out of ideas.
Vaughan was at one time one of the leading batters in the world, but in the latest series against South Africa he had failed to make any significant innings of note.
By contrast Pietersen made 100 in his first innings at The Oval and hit 94 at Edgbaston, before being caught trying to hit a six to reach his 100.
Critics of Pietersen have said he is too selfish and showy to be captain, but in this latest test his hands-on approach has helped bowlers, such as Harmison who had been out of favour with selectors.
He is also very vocal in the field and quick to offer a word of encouragement to a member of his team, if he feels that they need it.
Meanwhile, walking into HMV at lunchtime recently I made the observation – although I may be wrong – that they are selling less CDs. It seemed they had more DVDs and less albums. I thought to myself why could this be?
The only answer I could come up with is that more people are now downloading their music instead of buying it in a shop.
I also think that shoppers must be buying more DVDs than CDs.
Will CDs go the way of vinyl and audio cassettes and video cassettes?
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
The Dark Knight
THE new Batman film – The Dark Knight – kept me on the edge of the seat when I watched it last week.
I remember going to watch the original Batman film almost 20 years ago at the cinema and being mesmerised by that film too.
It never seemed as good when I watched it again when it was shown on TV a few years later.
I think Blockbusters have to be seen at the cinema and it is only here that you pick up all the sounds and images.
I was surprised to see that the film was a 12A though.
A 12A certificate means that children of 12 can watch it unaccompanied, and younger children can go to watch it if they are with their parents.
Apparently the British Board of Film classification has already received 70 complaints about the film.
In certain parts of the film parents have had to put their hands over their children’s eyes.
Scenes that parents have complained about include one where a man’s eye is jabbed with a pencil.
Another scene to cause concern is where The Joker graphically tells how he has knifed people.
In the original Batman film Jack Nicholson played the Joker for laughs in some scenes, Heath Ledger’s portrayal is equally brilliant, but much darker.Critics have also said there are scenes of “gratuitous violence” in the Dark Knight.
I remember going to watch the original Batman film almost 20 years ago at the cinema and being mesmerised by that film too.
It never seemed as good when I watched it again when it was shown on TV a few years later.
I think Blockbusters have to be seen at the cinema and it is only here that you pick up all the sounds and images.
I was surprised to see that the film was a 12A though.
A 12A certificate means that children of 12 can watch it unaccompanied, and younger children can go to watch it if they are with their parents.
Apparently the British Board of Film classification has already received 70 complaints about the film.
In certain parts of the film parents have had to put their hands over their children’s eyes.
Scenes that parents have complained about include one where a man’s eye is jabbed with a pencil.
Another scene to cause concern is where The Joker graphically tells how he has knifed people.
In the original Batman film Jack Nicholson played the Joker for laughs in some scenes, Heath Ledger’s portrayal is equally brilliant, but much darker.Critics have also said there are scenes of “gratuitous violence” in the Dark Knight.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Summer is here!
Finally the British Summer has arrived and we have been blessed with some good weather.
June and July came last year and with hardly a sunny day to remember. It seemed to rain non-stop for months.
People connect a number of sounds with being in the sun, such as: waves lapping on the shore; pigeons making cooing noises; the sound of seagulls; and the roar of the engine of a speedboat.
For me the Summer is about enjoying the outside, be it playing sport or sunbathing.
It is my favourite time of the year as there is long hours of daylight and warmer weather.
Before we know it though, it is the end of August. That was the time of the year my stomach used to drop, as I knew that school was just around the corner.
The one bad thing about the Summer is the Summer TV schedule. We have to wait to the autumn for the big shows to start.
Big Brother used to be a novel programme to follow during the Summer. Here was a new idea that allowed the viewer to have a bird’s eye view of people’s lives.
The highlight for me was Big Brother 5 and fight night.
You could feel the tension building in the house before the confrontations began.
In recent years I have not followed the show and I have yet to catch up with what’s going on in Big Brother 2008.
June and July came last year and with hardly a sunny day to remember. It seemed to rain non-stop for months.
People connect a number of sounds with being in the sun, such as: waves lapping on the shore; pigeons making cooing noises; the sound of seagulls; and the roar of the engine of a speedboat.
For me the Summer is about enjoying the outside, be it playing sport or sunbathing.
It is my favourite time of the year as there is long hours of daylight and warmer weather.
Before we know it though, it is the end of August. That was the time of the year my stomach used to drop, as I knew that school was just around the corner.
The one bad thing about the Summer is the Summer TV schedule. We have to wait to the autumn for the big shows to start.
Big Brother used to be a novel programme to follow during the Summer. Here was a new idea that allowed the viewer to have a bird’s eye view of people’s lives.
The highlight for me was Big Brother 5 and fight night.
You could feel the tension building in the house before the confrontations began.
In recent years I have not followed the show and I have yet to catch up with what’s going on in Big Brother 2008.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Ex-smokers earn money
DOCTORS in the poorest areas of Dundee have come up with a novel way of helping smokers give up.
They are offering reformed smokers taking part in a three month scheme £12.50, a week, if a carbon monoxide test proves they have not smoked.
The money will not be given in cash, but will be placed on a card, and won’t be able to be used for cigarettes and alcohol.
It is hoped that handing over credit to smokers will give them an incentive to give up.
This sounds like a good idea, and I think it will save the NHS money in the long run, because it would probably mean the hospitals would have to treat less smoking related illnesses.
Some people, who gave up last year, have criticised the idea and have said they should be entitled to money too.
I think it would be impossible to backdate the money though, and where do you start.
If the scheme is successful, it could be started across the country. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Meanwhile, I had a go at Dragon boat racing recently at the Marine Lake.
We were the first race on, and despite the strong winds, which caused a big wash on the Lake, our race took place.
It was good fun, although I ended up getting soaked.
Unfortunately the event had to be cancelled soon after our trial and will now take place again in August.
They are offering reformed smokers taking part in a three month scheme £12.50, a week, if a carbon monoxide test proves they have not smoked.
The money will not be given in cash, but will be placed on a card, and won’t be able to be used for cigarettes and alcohol.
It is hoped that handing over credit to smokers will give them an incentive to give up.
This sounds like a good idea, and I think it will save the NHS money in the long run, because it would probably mean the hospitals would have to treat less smoking related illnesses.
Some people, who gave up last year, have criticised the idea and have said they should be entitled to money too.
I think it would be impossible to backdate the money though, and where do you start.
If the scheme is successful, it could be started across the country. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Meanwhile, I had a go at Dragon boat racing recently at the Marine Lake.
We were the first race on, and despite the strong winds, which caused a big wash on the Lake, our race took place.
It was good fun, although I ended up getting soaked.
Unfortunately the event had to be cancelled soon after our trial and will now take place again in August.
Thursday, 19 June 2008
That's what I am talking about
I WAS surprised when Sir Alan Sugar voted Lee McQueen as his Apprentice.
Throughout the series Lee was probably one of the best salesman, along with Alex, although you would have to question if he merited a £100,000 salary.
It seemed, from the way Wednesday’s programme was being slanted, that Claire was going to win. But as usual Sir Alan kept the audience guessing until the very last minute.
The fact Lee had lied on his CV to get on the programme seemed to be conveniently brushed under the carpet, a fact that was spotted in the penultimate programme. Not only that he had also submitted an application littered with spelling mistakes.
Perhaps viewers should have guessed Lee was to be picked when, at the start of the show, he told Sir Alan he was a Tottenham Hotspur fan.
The result may have been a shock, however the programme was again compulsive viewing.
It was interesting to see how the contestants reacted under pressure. There was some noticeable friction between Helene and Alex, while Lee and Claire seemed to gel.
I didn’t get the concept put forward by Helene and Alex, but thought Claire and Lee’s idea good, although it did glamorise gambling.
Both groups were helped by contestants, who had been voted off. I’m not sure I would be too willing to help if Sir Alan had got rid of me.
Anyway The Apprentice is over for another year, I will have to think of something else to watch on a Wednesday night now.
Throughout the series Lee was probably one of the best salesman, along with Alex, although you would have to question if he merited a £100,000 salary.
It seemed, from the way Wednesday’s programme was being slanted, that Claire was going to win. But as usual Sir Alan kept the audience guessing until the very last minute.
The fact Lee had lied on his CV to get on the programme seemed to be conveniently brushed under the carpet, a fact that was spotted in the penultimate programme. Not only that he had also submitted an application littered with spelling mistakes.
Perhaps viewers should have guessed Lee was to be picked when, at the start of the show, he told Sir Alan he was a Tottenham Hotspur fan.
The result may have been a shock, however the programme was again compulsive viewing.
It was interesting to see how the contestants reacted under pressure. There was some noticeable friction between Helene and Alex, while Lee and Claire seemed to gel.
I didn’t get the concept put forward by Helene and Alex, but thought Claire and Lee’s idea good, although it did glamorise gambling.
Both groups were helped by contestants, who had been voted off. I’m not sure I would be too willing to help if Sir Alan had got rid of me.
Anyway The Apprentice is over for another year, I will have to think of something else to watch on a Wednesday night now.
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