Mega Thread The Random Thoughts Thread Part 1

[bomberclifford]

... or BigFooty.

 

[Powerstufff]

Is it unpatriotic that I'm barracking for Rafa?

It's not so much that, it's just so wrong to barrack for Tomic.

 

[Powerstufff]

Dickheads are looting in the Perth Hills fire zone .....

Problematic when they don't allow legit people back but are unable to stop looters.

 

[Steve Dore]

Problematic when they don't allow legit people back but are unable to stop looters.

Just as tougher laws have little impact on people that operate outside of the law.

 

[Powerade 08]

 

[Powerade 08]

Hey finny and ED, you guys heard of/like Uncle Acid and the Dead Beats?



very Sabbathy. Was listening to their album all day yesterday.

 

[manureid]

So, is it hot outside?

 

[davesnothere]

About 22 should reach 30 don't see it changing much for the rest of the week....if only I could be bothered getting out of bed

 

[manureid]

About 22 should reach 30 don't see it changing much for the rest of the week....if only I could be bothered getting out of bed

Strong username to being in Adelaide content.

 

[PowerKat]

Syd

Edit: I thought that was changed to 'silly'?

Silly became Syd not so long ago, in 'honour' of BF user Syd... who is a Syd... apparently

 

[bomberclifford]

Silly became Syd not so long ago, in 'honour' of BF user Syd... who is a Syd... apparently

Haha! I was wondering if there was a connection.

 

[PatientMental]

Wow the Crows twitter is a whiny little bitch. Doesn't even treat Port members who happen to have a Crows membership right. "Waah, the nasty troll hurt my feelings"

 

[Portmanteau]

Has any AFL player contributed to big eardom as much as Brett Heady?


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[PatientMental]

Has any AFL player contributed to big eardom as much as Brett Heady?


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These guys have a crack.

 

[Noobz0r]

Looters should be shot first and questioned later.

Low, low animals.

Lower than low. ****

That's ******

Dickheads are looting in the Perth Hills fire zone. In one case, a family I know finally got back in this arvo to find a man they had never seen before in their house. He said "I'm just helping a mate out". They had no idea who he was.

**** people.

Apparently most of the looters are children

 

[cmpower]

Has any AFL player contributed to big eardom as much as Brett Heady?


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Brett Ratten

 

[powermacs]

Apparently most of the looters are children

Can't believe how many kids are sent into hospitals by their parents to see what they can lift. ****ing disgusting.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Not while "Australian tennis is in the doldrums"™.

If Paul McNamee had his way it wouldn't be. He has written a new book about his time in the game and what he reckons is wrong with Australian Tennis. The Establishment has cut him out.

He was on ABC Grandstand on the weekend - think Sunday and he said that he gifted the Hoffman Cup to the ITF to look after as he had achieved what he wanted in making it a world wide event. He could have sold it for millions. The ITF have now given the management rights to Tennis Australia and TA pushed harder to get the best players to the Brisbane international than to the Hopman Cup. He is a bit pissed off about this but has had to let it go.

McNamee is against TA's idea of pulling all the best talent away from their private coaches and into the TA system. He reckons you should leave the best juniors with their junior coaches and put support around them.

It interesting because the AIS started off as trying to pick winners and give kids scholarships and then move them to Canberra. In the 1980's not many Olympic champs won full scholarships at the AIS. But the 1980's was rampant with drugs so this could have had an impact as many of our great swimming champs especially women were finishing 4-6th behind GDR and USA female swimmers.

But in the early 1990's the AIS had a sea change. They saw they weren't producing the champions they wanted so they decided to spend money on sports scientists and coaches and make the AIS system a centre of excellence and to work hand in hand with the state institutes that started poping up in the mid 1980's. The AIS awarded scholarships to the individual sports men and women and let them keep their individual coaches but the were invited to Canberra to use the centre excellent facilities ie sports scientists, coaches and facilities. Then when Sydney won the 2000 Olympics more money was put into sports science, getting coaches from around the world and continue the investment in facilities.

But the fundamental sea change - or to use McNamee's word - the game changer was to let the individual sports, athletes keep their private coaches and support the individual and their coaches.

It will be interesting to see if Tennis is smart enough to change.

The interview I heard on Sunday with Karen Tighe was a repeat from late November when he released his book. Its a long interview 36 minutes - talks about his Mum's brother - Dick Reynolds as well losts of stuff about his family's influence, Harry Hopman, the not so well known players from his time playing on the circuit, John McEnroe, partnership with Peter McNamara, owning El Segundo then from 16:00 talked about loved playing the Alan King Classic at Caesar's Palace Casino in Las Vegas - Burswood - in Vegas its a great hotel - full hospitality - champagne in the room, party with the tournament - once Burswood wanted a big party so timed the New Years Eve party to be big - dancers on table etc. Then how he wanted to make the Oz open different to Wimbledon - theme it around Oz icons not just Melbourne. Also talked about how he lobbied for years to get the men's final as a Sunday night final. First one in 2005 with Hewitt v Saffin is still the highest rating program in Oz, peaked at 5mil averaged 4.5mil for 4 hours. Explains how he got Rod Laver arena named - announcing that's what he'd like it to be called without even talking to TA about it.

The last 5 minutes is about Hoffman Cup management going to TA after gifting it to the ITF, so that it would sit closely with their running of Davis Cup and Fed Cup, player development issues with TA and his current coaching with a Taiwan female player.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-29/grandstand-reflections-paul-mcnamee/5124692

This interview on 8th January on ABC Radio Perth with Jamie Burnett he tees off at TA and of his concern surrounding the current state and the future of the tournament.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-08/interview-paul-mcnamee/5191014?section=sport

and in November

http://www.foxsports.com.au/tennis/...ustralia-to-task/story-e6frf4mu-1226762497394

OVER the period since I left, the Australian Open continued to grow in economic clout. The tennis Australia PR machine was in full swing, boasting of 'unlocking the value offering'.
The rise in gross revenues and profitability was inevitable for one fact alone. The TV product had been transformed globally - after the 2005 blockbuster there would be a massive increase in rights revenues. In the next round of TV negotiations, conducted shortly after I departed the Open, over $10 million more was reportedly flowing directly to the bottom line each year. I have no reason to doubt this is true.
Add to that the more than 25 per cent increase in public and corporate ticket prices in successive years (straining the egalitarianism of the event) and Tennis Australia was seeing profits it had never dreamt of.
Much of it was invested in player development, and you'd have thought that as a result more top players would be pushing through. However, Australian tennis has been, and still is, in dire straits.
We've only just rejoined the World Group of the Davis Cup after six years in the wilderness yet, in late 2013, had only three men and one woman ranked in the top 100.
<snip>
Then, urged on by many stakeholders frustrated like me by Australia's fall from grace in world tennis, I decided to run for the Tennis Australia presidency, initially against the incumbent, Geoff Pollard.
When Geoff retired the following year, I ran against a Sydney lawyer with a tennis background, Stephen Healy. These were difficult campaigns.
<snip>
Last year I penned an open letter to Australian coaches. I'd like to share some of it here:
One of the common questions I get asked is, 'What happened to Australian tennis?', along with the follow-up, 'How can it be revived?'… The answer to the second question, and the key
to our renaissance as a great tennis nation, is surprisingly simple …
Most successful players can name the one person who made the difference - like Charlie Hollis for Rod Laver, or Ian Barclay for Pat Cash. Or Pete Smith for Lleyton Hewitt, the late 'Nails' Carmichael for Pat Rafter and Darren Cahill, or Barry Phillips Moore for Mark Woodforde, just to name a few.
It's fair to say that a coach may come from anywhere, and may pop up at any moment, but it's equally true that the most likely person to play that role is your coach in your formative teenage years, just like Ian Barclay was to Pat Cash. Well, at least that's how it used to be until the Tennis Australia (TA) juggernaut decided to engage in and endeavour to monopolise the coaching industry, including directly employing coaches itself and designating which talented players they work with.
At Wimbledon this year, I saw an Aussie player, part of the TA system, with the fourth coach in twelve months. I don't need to tell you that a mix of inputs like that, however knowledgeable and well meaning, is a recipe for disaster.
Systems do not produce champions, people do. As a consequence, and I'm not alone in saying this, we've pretty much lost a generation of players who have not transitioned to the tour.
Early last year, I was in discussions in relation to working with a talented Australian female player. During an unrelated discussion I was having with a senior TA official, he said to me, 'I've heard that you might be working with such player. I've spoken to our guys and we're not approving that.' Simple as that. In other words, the player's financial support package would be pulled.
<snip>
I say to any player (and parent), 'You ditch your personal coach at your peril. It may not be perfect but if your coach believes in you and unselfishly goes the extra yard, you're already well on your way.' So I say to you, the coaches, 'Do not give up the dream of sitting in the player box at Wimbledon.' A trusting bond between coach and player is the fundamental building block of a player making it to tour level. Our governing body sees it differently, but hopefully one
day they'll be held to account …
The revival of Australian tennis has as its cornerstone the liberation of the army of coaches …
I urge you to hang in and believe in yourself, and start dreaming again. I believe it would be more productive if Tennis Australia focused solely on providing support services for our talented players, and let go of directly coaching them. This goes to the heart of our National Sporting
Organisations, their raison d'etre. Do they exist to rule or to serve? It's a debate worth having
http://www.foxsports.com.au/tennis/game-changer-paul-mcnamee-takes-tennis-australia-to-task/story-e6frf4mu-1226762497394

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Just caught the weather on the news.

Getting warm down there?

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Just caught the weather on the news.

Getting warm down there?

We are in Burgo's furnace.

yesterday was supposed to be 43 but at lunchtime yesterday they upped it to 45 and upped today to 45 and tomorrow 46. It got to 45 yesterday, "only 43" today and tomorrow they have kept it at 46.

 

[Eddie Dingle]

We are in Burgo's furnace.

yesterday was supposed to be 43 but at lunchtime yesterday they upped it to 45 and upped today to 45 and tomorrow 46. It got to 45 yesterday, "only 43" today and tomorrow they have kept it at 46.

Bit different up here as you know.

Two days over 32 constitutes a heat wave according to local media.

The 10 years in Darwin has made me almost immune to heat especially dry heat.

 

[davesnothere]

You still get a change later in the week? I would be more then a little concerned about the elderly trying to scrimp on their power bills with the aircon?

 

[Eddie Dingle]

You still get a change later in the week? I would be more then a little concerned about the elderly trying to scrimp on their power bills with the aircon?

It gets hot out west, really hot but we are near the water in Balmain Cove so we get a breeze and it just doesn't ever get "that" hot.

The masses out west will battle.

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Just checked on Foxtel for my 10 day local forecast and the hottest day is tomorrow at......

30.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Bit different up here as you know.

Two days over 32 constitutes a heat wave according to local media.

The 10 years in Darwin has made me almost immune to heat especially dry heat.

Did you ever get used to the humidity up north? 18 years in Sydney and SE Qld and I never got used to that 75-80% humidity in January and February.

I can handle 40 degrees and no humidity for a few days. 45 degrees for a few days in a row is tough. But I struggled with 3 or 4 days of 30-35 degrees with 80% humidity.