• World Cup Preview: Group G

    Football
    World Cup Preview: Group G

    2010 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner with the opening ceremony scheduled in a several days. It is one spectacular sporting event indeed, with millions of people from all around the world tuning in to the event. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will start with a playoff of 8 groups and 32 teams. In this part, we are going to talk about Group G.

    Many football fans and critiques are considering Group G as one of the hottest groups in this year’s FIFA World Cup. Brazil is in this group, with Portugal, Korea DPR, and Côte d’Ivoire as the team’s competitors. Brazil has been a solid team throughout the World Cup Qualifier events, but other teams in Group G are also showing superb performances.

    Portugal will be Brazil’s main contender for sure. This team is filled with top players with excellent skills. Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, and other top players performed superbly throughout the World Cup Qualifiers, and it will be interesting to see a big match between Brazil and Portugal early in the competition.

    Keep in mind that this is the World Cup, and anything can happen. Korea DPR and Côte d’Ivoire are not weak teams at all, and they have a lot of surprises to present in the competition. Portugal’s first match would be against Côte d’Ivoire while Brazil will fight Korea DPR just one day after. Once all four teams show their top performances, we will be able to see which one is the strongest team.

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  • St. Jude Classic in Memphis

    Golf

    The PGA Tour is progressing nicely this year, with a bit of twists here and there keeping the competition superbly interesting to follow. This week we have the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, played in one of the most challenging courses in the PGA Tour nonetheless. It is the TPC Southwind that will host the event next week, with 7,239 yards waiting to be conquered and a par of 70.

    What’s interesting about this week’s event, just like many other PGA events, is the staggering cash prizes. The winner of this week’s event will take home no less than $1 million of cash prize, while the total amount of cash prizes to be won is $5.6 million.

    As always, some of the best golfers will be competing in this event, including eight of the world’s top 20 golfers. Defending champion Brian Gay is also competing in this tournament, making St. Jude Classic even more interesting to watch. This is a good event for sure, because we will also be able to predict what would happen next week at the US Open scheduled to be held at Pebble Beach.

    Grant Leaver, a raising start in the world of professional golf, will be making his tour debut this week. It is always interesting to see how he can compete against a tough field of professional golfers – all strong opponents – and prove his worth. He has been showing great performances so far and it is not impossible at all for him to own this week’s event outright.

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  • Valentino Rossi Underwent a Successful Surgery

    MotoGP

    After breaking his right leg in practice for the Italian MotoGP last Saturday, MotoGP fans – as well as journalists – are trying to stay updated to the recent developments. The accident caused severe injuries and there are chances that Rossi will not be able to race for several months. He is among the best MotoGP racers currently competing for the championship, and losing him is a great loss for sure.

    Good news came from Dr. Roberto Buzzi, head of trauma at the Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico in Florence, just hours ago. He clearly stated that Rossi had a successful surgery and he is now recovering just as planned. The positive news put a lot of MotoGP fans at ease instantly knowing that their favorite racer will be back.

    Yamaha, Rossi’s current team, is also very concerned about the injuries and recovery process as well. Rossi is a part of Yamaha, and the team clearly stated that they will not enlist another racer to replace Rossi permanently while the 31-year-old rider is recovering. Lorenzo will be the only rider racing for Yamaha at the UK race in Silverstone and at Assen in Netherland.

    We all hope that Rossi can recover soon enough and return to MotoGP right away. Rossi gave a short statement regarding his injuries this Saturday, saying – and I quote — “Do not worry, I’ll come back soon. I was afraid, now it’s a lot better,” and calming everyone down.

    One thing for sure, we haven’t seen the last of Valentino Rossi just yet. Even famous Formula 1 team Ferrari is providing assistances to make sure the rider recovers perfectly in no time.

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  • Spain: Will They Win the World Cup?

    Football

    Spain national football team, one of the strongest teams in the 2010 FIFA World Cup nonetheless, is considered to be a World Cup favorite. Avid football fans, sports bookmakers, and the media are all stating that Spain has the greatest chance of winning this World Cup. Will they be able to pull it off?

    Spain is one strong team indeed, and they showed spectacular performances during the World Cup Qualifiers. Top players including Andrés Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, and of course Cesc Fàbregas are creating a solid midfield line for Spain. This will then be a solid foundation for the entire team, allowing different strategies to be executed effectively.

    Fernando Torres is leading a group of top attackers, while Carles Puyol will definitely make Spain’s defensive line as impenetrable as possible. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas, also the team’s captain, acts as final defense.

    With a team this solid, Spain will be competing against Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile in Group H. Anything can happen in football, but based on calculations Spain will certainly have no trouble at all topping the group and moving on to the Round of 16. This is where the challenge begins, since Spain will most likely face Brazil or Portugal.

    Will this year be Spain’s year? We will have to wait and see to get the answer. Spain never won a World Cup before; this means they will be highly motivated to win their first this year. With a squad this strong, it is very possible indeed.

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  • Brawn: We Will Catch Up

    Formula 1

    Red Bull Racing and the team’s two drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, are dominating the last 6 grand prix. It is obvious that Red Bull Racing is the best team so far when it comes to adopting the new regulations and creating a superb car that matches these regulations perfectly. Some Formula 1 critiques even said that it will be difficult to keep up with Red Bull Racing. Ross Brawn, team principal of Mercedes GP, doesn’t think so at all.

    “Soon other teams will improve their cars and catch up with RBR,” said Brawn commenting on Red Bull’s intimidating package. McLaren is probably the fastest team to catch up with Red Bull Racing, followed by Mercedes GP and Ferrari closely behind. Renault and of course Force India – who showed superb performances so far – are following closely behind.

    Brawn then confirmed that Mercedes GP will catch up after a series of intense improvements and developments were completed. Michael Schumacher is showing great improvements in general compared to the first four races, while Nico Rosberg is adapting to the new settings just fine. Ferrari is not doing so well with their cars, although some drastic improvements are to be expected soon.

    The upcoming Canadian Grand Prix will be a very interesting race weekend for sure now that top teams are competing closely. It will be interesting to see which team will take home the victory in Canada with McLaren and Mercedes GP also adding some great improvements to their cars. Stay tuned for more updates!

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  • Massa to Stay with Ferrari Until 2012

    Formula 1

    As one of the best drivers in Formula 1 today, Felipe Massa’s performance this year may not be impressive at all. He is not as shiny as his partner, former champion Fernando Alonso, this season although it is still too early to tell. Still, Ferrari is offering the driver a two-year contract extension to keep Massa with the team until 2012.

    Massa is definitely thrilled to work with the team for the next two years. He couldn’t hide his joy when the official announcement was made. As one of the best drivers in Formula 1, working with a magnificent team such as Ferrari will definitely increase Massa’s chances of winning the driver’s World Champion title.

    “It’s a matter of pride to continue working with a team that I regard as my second family,” said the 29-year old driver. The statement is backed by official Ferrari statement saying that the team is also ecstatic to have Massa driving for the team.

    Massa’s career is quite impressive indeed. Since joining Ferrari back in 2006, Massa has completed no less than 69 grand prix. He also won 11 of them, scored 15 pole positions for Ferrari, and booked 12 fastest race laps in the process.

    This season, Massa is keeping up with the rest of the pack just fine. He is now 7th in the championship standing with 67 points, just 12 points behind his teammate Alonso and 36 points behind championship leader Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing. Will he push forward in the next grand prix?

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