Showing posts with label games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label games. Show all posts

Monday, 11 February 2013

Balls II


Primera Categoría Serie A

I did not watch a game in Ecuador but witnessed the celebrations of fans of Barcelona Sporting Club. This was pure, contagious joy when one's team had won:
Video: Joy



Primera División del Fútball Profesional Chileno

I managed to catch quarter finals between defending champion, Club Universidad de Chile played and Unión Española. The stadium was small but there was a sizeable crowd. The tickets for the second best seats were CLP8,000 (US$16) each, which was really cheap as compared to the European football matches. It was so hot that I almost died from heat stroke. After scoring the first goal in the first half, Universidad fizzled and lost 1-4.
Estadiao Nacional



National Basketball Association

We had a very strong basketball culture in high school. Unless there was a volleyball tournament taking place, all 7 basketball courts would be filled with boys and girls playing basketball. We were not very imaginative and in junior high, my team was called the Devils (we were from class 1D) and in my senior years, the Fakers (class 3F, after the LA Lakers). We grew up with the Lakers vs Bulls rivalry and although I like the Lakers, I now use an Air Jordan lanyard at work. 

Anyway, there was no way I was going to miss a live NBA game while in Los Angeles. I would have preferred watching the Lakers play the Rockets but that would mean flying back to Houston (boo...) so I had to "make do" with watching LA Clippers vs LA Lakers. The Clippers were doing very well in the Western Conference, ranking second while the Lakers were hovering somewhere in the second half of the table. 

I landed in Los Angeles, waited for my luggage in vain and went to watch the game without a change of clothes. The lady sitting a few seats away would have been horrified if she found out the truth:
She actually wore this to a game??? (冇眼睇)
Warm up
With air balls and less than impressive rebound rates, the sluggish Lakers struggled to keep up with the Clippers for the first 3 quarters.
Dunk
Free throw

This is how we should do it
Sigh...
There was a little drama when Clippers' Griffin flew into 2 kids as he tried to keep a ball in play. 

Lakers finally woke up in the fourth quarter and got their players and Lakers fans jumping up and down at their seats but it was too little too late. Considering how ineffective the passing and shootings were, the Lakers really did not lose by too big a margin. 








Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Balls

It is all about timing. I missed the football actions in Spain, Italy and England and basketball in Spain because the timing were not right and Euro Cup 2012 because I was in the mountains in Africa. 


I finally got to catch some sports actions in the USofA. The Giants were playing in Philadelphia and I watched New York Jets play against San Francisco 49ers. I do not follow the National Football League ("NFL") but used to watch it when it was shown on on free-to-air television back home. NFL sure is an expensive affair. Tickets, expensive. Food, expensive. Drinks, expensive.
It is all about the hair
The Jets' defence was a let-down and Sanchez did not deliver. The Jets' fans did not see the turnovers they wanted. With the third touch down by Carlos Rogers, most of the Jets' fans started to leave the stadium.

Baseball was another matter altogether. The last time I watched baseball live was in the old Yankees stadium, when they played one of their last games at The Cathedral. The atmosphere was still as electrifying in the new stadium, on a night when the New York Yankees were on its way to thrash Boston Red Sox 14-2 and named the American League East champions.

It was home-run galore, thanks to the 5 or more pitchers from Red Sox. As much as I enjoyed the home runs, I always find it more exciting to have the bases fully loaded and the outfielders in a mess and everyone running for their lives. Too critical of me? Haha! Sorry!
Jeter in action
Cano, poised for another home run
A-Rod walked
The boys doing the traditional YMCA moves

I have yet to watch US Open (tennis), NBA and ice hockey. Next time, perhaps. When the timing is right.