2012 NBA Playoffs Running Diary: Day 1, Part 1

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I decided to do a running diary of today's NBA Playoff action. My thoughts are below. 


1:00 PM - It's the Playoffs!!! (3 exclamation marks! that's how excited I am). Getting ready to watch the first game of the day with the Philadelphia Sixers visiting the Chicago Bulls. Pretty cool montage being shown right now by TNT. Nothing will beat the one they had at the beginning of the season though which was amazing.

1:06 PM - Before we tip off I might as well make my first round picks. Last year I had the Blazers knocking out the Mavs so that should let you know my success rate with these. Bulls over Sixers in 5. Heat over Knicks in 7. Pacers over Magic in 6. Celtics over Hawks in 6. Spurs over Jazz in 5. Thunder over Mavs in 7. Lakers over Nuggets in 6. Grizzlies over Clippers in 6.

1:09 PM - Still commercials. This game is being broadcast on NBA TV Canada so I'm expecting a couple of awful Raptors commercials each break. This is the worst one of all time (this may be the worst commercial of all time period)

1:11 PM - And we're off! Kevin Harlan (thumbs way up) and Reggie Miller (thumbs down) are the commentators. Holiday hits the opening shot of the playoffs with a 3 followed by a Deng jumpshot. It'll be interesting to see what Sixer team shows up for the playoffs, the one that started off the season on fire or the one who fell off a cliff after the all-star break. For the Bulls, the biggest question is how long it takes Rose to get back to his top form.

1:14 PM - 10-3 Bulls. Timeout from Doug Collins. Not a good start for Philadelphia, Chicago looks way more amped for this game in the early going. Appear quicker to their spots and as a result all of their shots have been wide open.

1:20 PM - Sixers have come back better after the timeout but just as I'm writing this, Rip Hamilton hits a 3, 15-9 Bulls. Hamilton scores again, answered with an Elton Brand Jumper only to have Rip hit one more. Rip with 9 and Brand with 6. These guys think it's 2004. We get a look and listen at the last Sixer huddle. If I was an NBA coach, I would hate "Inside Trax" because they always make coaching seem incredibly easy.

1:24 PM - Oh! Noah just posterized Lavoy Allen off a lovely fake pick and roll handoff with Rose (Think Webber). This was of course followed by his patented celebration of looking up in the air while flexing and screaming simultaneously. I can see why other players hate Noah. 23-16 Bulls.

Liverpool Vs. Everton a Running Diary

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Alright! Having some free time on my hands, I decided to watch the mersyside derby today and do a running diary of it. As you may or may not know, I am a huge fan of Liverpool so this diary will be very biased, so Everton fans (all six of you) you have been warned. Before I begin I do feel that I should mention that this Liverpool season has been the worst. Yes, I am referring to it as simply 'the worst'. Liverpool finally got owners who were willing to spend some serious money to improve the team, only to see players like Andy Carrol, Charlie Adam, and Stewart Downing (combined cost: over 60 million!) get out-performed by the likes of Kuyt, and Craig Bellamy (combined cost: less then 10 mil, and that is only the cost of Kuyt who was bought over 5 years ago, kill me now). To top it off, Liverpool's best players (Suarez, Gerrard, Lucas-not up for debate, he is a phenomenal player) all missed games due to freak injuries, lingering injuries, and suspensions. To make maters even worst than that, as we continue down the well of misery, Liverpool has managed to hit the post or crossbar this season a staggering 28 times. That is not a typo, if even half of those go in I am pretty sure Liverpool is locked into a champions league spot. I have not even talked about penalties yet. It has gotten to the point where every time Liverpool wins a penalty you wonder how they are going to fuck it up. My personal favorite miss so far was when Charlie Adam, the so called 'set piece master' pulled a Beckham. I can not describe how sick to my stomach I am that the only defense I have against other fans (casual or otherwise) is to hold up five fingers and try to ignore their quips. This culminated when people asked me why I am even still a fan and that I should look for a new team. Okay, nothing makes me more mad then hopping onto a band-wagon, I am a fan for a reason, and I know that one day it will be worth it (see: 49ers of San Francisco) so Chelsea fans: your golden boy Mourihno got clowned by Rafa every single time they played in a cup, and Rafa was operating with one third the budget, Arsenal fans: your cup drought is longer then ours, City fans: you might not win shit this year, and United fans: I respect you (the die-hard ones at least) enough to wish you luck in the title race. Whoa that felt good, the next 90 minutes probably will not, but let's get on with it anyways.

4pm: Kickoff, we begin...

1' Form apparently does not matter in Derbies, Good, because Liverpool's form can best be described like the Toronto Maple Leafs: garbage

2' Carrol and Suarez combine nicely, but Everton clears the ball. Andy Carrol has been unbelievable this year, and I use that word in the worst possible way. He took a massive dump on Liverpool when he played for Newcastle, so I was ecstatic when Liverpool got him. The result? ugh... He is incredibly frustrating, has all the tools, but refuses to use them for some reason.

6' After some incredibly dull play, Suarez sets Gerrard up for a one on one with the keeper. Read my introduction to this, then take a wild guess at what happened. Here ill make it even easier: multiple choice.

a) Gerrard scored
b) Gerrard hit the post
c) Everton's goalie made a wonder-save, then an Everton defender made an even better block.

Late-Night/Early-Morning Australian Open Running Diary

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It is 3 37 am in Torontoas I’m writing this. Why am I up you ask? It might be because I wanted to watchRoger Federer take On Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open semifinal whilesharing my thoughts or it might be because university has given me a slight caseof insomnia. I also have Thursdays off so I can afford to sleep in tomorrow. Whatever it may be I am awake and excited for this match between the world’s #2 and 3 playersto begin. I have no real rooting interest in this match as I dislike bothplayers. If I had to pick though, I’d have to pick Nadal as I really dislikeFederer for reasons that aren’t really clear to me. The winner of this matchwill take on the winner of the other semi-final (Djokovic vs Murray) in thefinal so in all honesty I want this to go as long as possible so the winnerwill be tired when they have to (hopefully) face Nole.

• 3:42
• This was supposed to start 12 minutes ago, I am already annoyed and feeling slightly tired. My writing might end after the first set if this pace keeps up.
• 3:44
• First rally of the match ends in a Federer forehand winner. That woke me up a little. Also, Rafa picks his shorts out of his ass for the first out of what is sure to be many, many times tonight.
• 3:45
• Federer holds at love and is already up 1-0. That took about 30 seconds. Btw, are we sure Roger isn’t some sort of robot. The guy hasn’t aged at all in 10 years.
• 3:49
• Fantastic rally as Nadal somehow returns two overhead smashes by Federer. 30-30. How Federer gets power on his shots always confused me, he doesn’t seem built at all and seems to exert so little of himself when hitting the ball. Another point of proof for the robot theory.
• 3:52
• Federer with an unreal back hand as he breaks Nadal. 2-0 Roger. Not looking too good for Rafa at the moment. Nadal looks annoyed but that might have to do with the fact that he apparently has a perma-wedgie.
• 3:55
• Serve and volley, a fantastic drop shot, and two unforced errors by Nadal give Federer the 3-0 lead. Roger really looks on top of his game tonight while Rafa seems a step slow.
• 3:56
• Confused as to what the ball boys/girls are wearing on their heads. Some sort of turquoise hat with a curtain extending from the back to cover their necks. Is there a practical reason for this or did the event organizer just think they looked cool?
• 4:01
• Nadal holds for his first game of the match. 3-1 Federer. Also, I am now aware it is 4 am. Increased my tiredness by at least 25%.
• 4:03
• Federer looking like the Federer of a couple of years ago when he couldn’t lose. Standing in the middle of the court and making Nadal run back and forth. Easily holds and is now up 4-1.
• 4:10
• One thing that I never understood about tennis is how a young up and coming player hasn’t gone the Kevin Garnett route of yelling and shit-talking while he plays. I see no downside to this other than that your opponents would call you unsportsmanlike but seeing as you’re trying to beat them, who cares if they don’t like you? The Upside is as follows: you would immediately get media and fan attention at each one of your games. You would even be known among casual sports fans as “the shit-talking tennis player” and finally you would end up getting in your opponent's head while you play him/her. Tennis players get all frustrated and annoyed when someone yells out during a point. How would they react to a player telling them their mom receives balls better than they do? I’m guessing not well.
• So to all the young tennis players, do this. No downside, just pure potential for fame and success. All I ask is that when you win your first grand slam I get credited. Also, Nadal held serve. 4-2.
• 4:12
• Nadal breaks! 4-3. Great shot-making by Rafa in that game closing with a powerful crosscourt forehand. Nadal reacts by doing the Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan/Tiger Woods fist pump.
• 4:15
• Federer with 3 awful mishits in this game as Nadal easily holds. 4-4 now as the momentum has completely switched. We also get our first shot at Rafa’s box which consists of 8 angry-looking Spanish guys.
• 4:16
• I love when the crowd competes for who will be the last one to yell before the players serve. You know that the guy who eventually ends up winning starts looking at the people around him with an overly-satisfied smile on his face.
• 4:18
• So much for the momentum shifting. Roger holds at love and is now up 5-4. We also get a shot of Roger’s wife. Looks like she must have a great personality.
• 4:25
• Nadal and Federer exchange holds. 6-5 Roger.
• 4:40
• My laptop just turned off because it’s an HP which means it sucks.
• In the meantime Nadal forced it to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak Federer was the aggressor and it paid off with him winning 7-5. Roger takes the first set 7-6
• Funny moment during the tiebreak when a girl yelled out “I love you Rafa!!!”, Rafa’s response – ‘pick shorts out of ass’.
• 4:42
• Just saw the creepy and disturbing ‘make death wait’ commercial. I am now aware I am watching the game alone in my dark basement
• 4:44
• The second set starts with Fed pushing Nadal up and down the court with his strokes to lead 0-40. Three break points for Federer.
• 4:45
• Federer breaks at love. Leads 1-0. How am I doing? I just cracked open a Coke can in the hope that it’ll keep me a bit more awake.
• 4:48
• Nadal just broke back at love as well. I’m beginning to think there’s no such thing as momentum in tennis.
• 4:53
• I am already beginning to regret the Coke as my stomach is not feeling it. Oh and Nadal manages to hold his serve and now leads 2-1.
• 4:56
• Federer holds at love and ties the match up at 2.
• 5:03
• Nadal saves a break point and takes the game to lead 3-2. Most impressive thing so far other than the great tennis on display is that I am still awake.
• 5:05
• Most exciting rally of the match thus far. First Nadal returns an incredible wide serve from Federer, then scrambles back to return a Roger forehand before lobbing it up and finally sprinting the length of the court to return a Federer backhand slam with a thunderous crosscourt forehand. Nadal with three break points.
• 5:07
• Federer saves two break points but on the third Rafa hits a crazy backhand passing shot up the line with Roger running up to the net. Nadal up 4-2. Federer has to be pissed off right now as he played great in that game and still got broken. Although I can’t tell because I think the last time Roger showed emotion was sometime in 2003.
• 5:11
• Nadal just held and made it 5-2. The rallies are becoming much more physical now with both players hitting the balls with a little more force (just realized how gay tennis sounds when simply reading the match description).
• 5:12
• Just saw the commercial for the movie, Safe House. What I learned from that was that Denzel Washington is a boss (This I already sort of knew) and that each movie commercial should have a Watch The Throne song playing in the background
• 5:15
• We come back to the game to learn that there will be a 10 minute break for fireworks because today is Australia Day. I am somehow not joking about this.
• 5:21
• The fireworks are over and the match is about to begin again. Federer set to serve down 5-2 in the second set.
• 5:23
• Nadal breaks Federer at love to win the game and the set 6-2. It seemed like Roger gave that game away in order to move on to the third set. Pretty smart move in conserving his energy now since he probably wasn’t going to win this set anyways.
• Remember how Nadal wore capris pants when he first burst out on the scene a few years back? Did we ever get an explanation from Rafa as to why he did this? Did he lose a bet to a friend or something?
• 5:29
• Nadal just easily won the first game of the set to lead 1-0. Roger looks extremely out of it for whatever reason. I don’t remember the last time he’s won a point. Nadal has to capitalize here as all the momentum is on his side. Of course every time I’ve said that so far the opposite has happened.
• 5:33
• Nadal begins the game with 3 straight points to lead 0-40 and then Roger who looks completely out of it hits 3 straight fantastic shots to even it up at deuce. This game has made no sense so far.
• 5:36
• Federer wins the game after 3 deuces. 1-1 in the third set. It’ll be interesting to see how Rafa responds to not capitalizing on three break points in that game.
• During this game Federer hit a shot that clipped the tape on top of the net and trickled over to give him a point. After this he did the customary tennis gesture and apologized for the shot by raising his hand to Nadal. This is so strange to me. It’d be like if an NBA player apologized to the other team after hitting a halfcourt shot.
• 5:39
• Extremely good composure from Nadal as he holds Roger at love to win the game. 2-1 for Rafa.
• Another thing I always wondered is how tennis players play while having a tennis ball in their pocket. Trying to run with anything in your pocket is pretty annoying and yet most if not all tennis players do this.
• 5:40
• Why does Harvey’s think a good way of selling burgers is to have a close-up shot of people’s faces talking about the burgers?
• 5:45
• They exchange games as Rafa now leads 3-2 in the third set. Roger set to serve. I am now realizing that it is no longer really late but really early. When does this shift happen? 5 am?
• 5:46
• Old people everywhere are beginning to wake up.
• 5:50
• Rafa wins an incredible rally to tighten up the game and then gives it away with a terrible mis-hit that lands about 8 feet behind the service line. Roger holds. 3-3.
• 5:59
• 4-3 Federer. Rafa saves 3 break points but cannot hold off Roger on the fourth as Federer gets a key game in this third set. Nadal has shown great mental composure thus far but it will be interesting to see how he reacts to losing the longest game of the match on his serve.
• Also due to my growing tiredness I now look like Harry from ‘3rd Rock From The Sun’ (If you don’t recognize that picture then I feel bad for your childhood)
• 6:03
• Nadal breaks back. 4-4. These two guys are extremely evenly matched. Every time one of them looks to have the upper hand the other immediately raises his game to get back in the match. Great stuff.
• 6:07
• 5-4 for Rafa as he holds fairly easily putting pressure on Roger to serve well in order to keep the third set going. They just showed Rafa’s box again. They look as angry and Spanish as before.
• Anyone else notice how female tennis players only look either very young and vibrant or like middle aged moms? There is no in between. I’m not sure if this offensive or not because at this point I’m as sleep deprived as the kids who try and stay awake in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
• 6:11
• The game ends with both players at the net resulting in a clever Federer volley. 5-5 in the third set.
• 6:22
• Nadal holds easily to make it 6-5 and then Federer manages to stave off one set point from Rafa to make it 6-6. We’re going to a tiebreak in the third set. This should be great.
• 6:23
• Federer misses an easy volley followed by an easy Nadal volley winner. Nadal with the mini-break in the tie-break. Up 2-0.
• 6:31
• Nadal goes up 6-1 in the tiebreak only to have Federer save 4 straight set points before finally forcing Roger to send a backhand into the net giving Rafa the third set with a tiebreak of 7-5.
• That set felt as if Rafa was laying back and waiting for Roger to self-destruct and make errors. An interesting strategy that ended up working out in the end.
• 6:36
• Roger easily wins the first game of the fourth set. So much for a letdown. These two guys are not going to let me sleep and now I’d feel like I especially wasted my time if I don’t watch till the end.
• 6:43
• Nadal easily holds then fails to capitalize on a break point as Roger wins the third game to lead 2-1. The relentless back and forth just keeps on going as does this running diary. I am beginning to doze off during some of the points so the descriptions may become less and less detailed/frequent.
• They just showed a commercial for the Pro Bowl. Other than every CFL and WNBA game, is there anything less worth watching?
• 6:53
• More of the same. Nadal easily holds on his serve to tie the game up, then has another chance (2 break points) to break Federer and take control of the match and yet fails to do so as Roger comes back to take the game. 3-2 Federer. Nadal is playing a dangerous game letting Roger stay in this match. Has to take advantage of break points in the future.
• 7:00
• I am currently regretting staying up. Not because the tennis is lacking in any way but because I’m feeling that if this goes to a fifth set (and it certainly could) then I won’t be awake for it. Both guys just traded games to make the score 4-3 in favor of Roger Federer. Nadal set to serve.
• I’m doing everything I can to stay awake like listening to music like this song by Joe Budden. Anytime you can mention Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Joe Budden in the same sentence it has to be done.
• 7:15
• Key stretch here as Federer has a break point but fails to convert as Rafa holds on to tie the match up at 4. Federer then saves 2 break points from Rafa but can’t do anything with the third as he sends a backhand wide. Nadal breaks to take the 5-4 lead. He will serve for a spot in the finals now.
• 7:20
• First match point for Rafael Nadal.
• Nadal hits a passing backhand shot just wide. Federer saves one match point. Deuce.
• Federer just will not lie down. Nadal hits a backhand long. Advantage Federer.
• Wow, Nadal somehow keeps a falling down, pray for the best lob in as it nicks the service line before Federer mis-hits a return long. Deuce.
• Federer with a very good return forcing Nadal into an error. Advantage Federer.
• Roger unable to return a powerful Rafa serve. Deuce #3.
• Nadal with his second match point of the game as Roger completely misses on a backhand sending it wide right.
• 7:26
• Federer sends a forehand long as Nadal lets out a cry of joy.
• 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
• Great game between two of tennis’ all-time greats.

As the sun rises I am off to bed to sleep until sometime inthe afternoon. I had a great time watching and an even better time writing downmy thoughts on the match. Hope you enjoy reading them.

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@Luka_M91

The Lions' Return to the Playoffs: A Running Diary of Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints

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This was the first year I've watching football actively (I used to only watch the Superbowl) so naturally I had to choose a team to follow. I asked my friends which team is young and has a lot of potential, kind of like the "OKC Thunder" of football. One of the teams they mentioned was the Detroit Lions. After watching their first game I instantly fell in love with Calvin Johnson’s game. He’s probably one of the most complete athletes in all of sports and it shows through his dominance at the wide receiver position. With their dominant offense (when Stafford plays well) and tough defense this team is great on paper. The problem with them, and this made me lose a few years of my life, is their astounding ability at making the most bone-headed penalties. Hopefully today they will be disciplined and focused on trying to stop Brees and his receivers while minimizing penalties, as well as executing on offense. If they manage to bother Brees and Stafford pulls off a great performance I could see the Lions winning, otherwise the Saints could destroy them.

Quarter 1

15:00 Kickoff!!!!

13:05 A typical Detroit penalty, c’mon Schwartz control your team.

12:26 Nice find by Stafford. Titus Young has been great this year as a rookie. Watch for him to be one of the better receivers in the future.

10:58 Touchdown by Hanson! (who is this guy?). What a great way to start the game.

10:54 Alright defense, it’s time to do your end of the job

10:47 Brees is one of the most precise passers I’ve watched. What a great throw.

8:16 Fumble!!!!!! Huge defensive stop by the Lions, great job by Durant forcing that fumble.

7:27 Burleson spins to the 1^st down line. Keep it going Lions!

5:35 Stafford and Pettigrew with a nice 22 yard connection. The Lion’s O-line is doing a great job so far.

4:20 Good defense the Saints, that would have been a huge play if Johnson managed to catch it. The defense has to keep applying pressure to Brees since I can’t see them winning any other way.

0:00 That was an entertaining 1^st quarter. I’m expecting more of the same high powered offense in the next 3 quarters.

Quarter 2

14:01 Good effort by the Lions but it wasn’t enough this time. Good running play by the Saints.

13:54 I was about to say how great of a run that was by Logan…but of course the Lions get a penalty call. No more, I just ask for no more stupid penalties.

10:47 Stafford is on point today. Good pass to Scheffler to keep the drive alive. I always get nervous with Stafford on 3^rd downs.

9:11 TOUCHDOWNNN!!! Johnson completes the catch from Stafford using his leaping ability. I love how the offense is playing today.

6:45 A nice floating pass by Brees. The Lions defense is letting the Saints get anything they want on this drive. And on cue, they force a fumble by sacking Brees.

5:11 Stafford gifts the ball back to the Saints with some poor decision making. I hate how he takes random drives off and decides to just throw the ball away.

1:43 Big blitz by the Lions. This is the pressure I wanted Suh to put on Brees. Unfortunately, the Saints easily run to a 1^st down on the next play.

0:48 Lovely, an offside penalty. They cannot allow the Saints to score a TD right now, the advantage after half is very important for their confidence.

0:16 And there’s the touchdown by the Saints. I don’t think the Lions can respond positively to this in the 2^nd half. The play is under review and the TD overturned. Lions need to play great defense for 16 seconds now.

0:00 Great defense to finish the half by the Lions, forcing the Saints to go for a field goal. It’s great that the Lions are up heading into half time since this will give them extra confidence to finish the game off strong. On a side note, Brees is amazing at avoiding getting sacked.

Quarter 3

13:09 Excellent throw by Brees for a touchdown, really not too much the Lions could have done there. It’s time to focus back on offense.

10:45 Another great example of how the Lions’ penalties have killed them. Instead of being 3^rd and 1, they were 2^nd and 19 and obviously didn’t manage to get the 1^st down. The Lions’ defense needs to stop the Saints from scoring on this play since a TD would be very hard to overcome right now.

6:32 4^th and inches can will they get it? They do, great play by Brees. The Lions defense is doing great during this Saints drive but Brees manages to come up with a huge play when they need it.

4:22 Huge throw and catch by Holston, leading to a TD by Graham. Lions need to get a TD on this next drive otherwise this game is as good as done.

2:32 What a huge catch by Johnson. He pulled off 3 great catches on this drive, saving the Lions.

1:44 Stafford needs to make smarter decisions than throwing it into traffic. Now they are at 3^rd and goal and need to get a TD.

1:08 Stafford fakes and runs in for a TD but it might end up being overruled since it looks like he was down before he hit the pylon. Ruling is confirmed, Stafford gets the TD!!

Quarter 4

11:46 Lions coming up with some big stops but the Saints get the 1^st down on 4^th and 2.

9:53 Sproles waltzes through the Lions D and scores a TD. He’s been having an great game so far.

9:43 Stafford makes a poor decision by throwing a hail mary…resulting in a turnover. I don’t understand why this was necessary since there is still plenty of time left to come back in the game.

7:40 Brees just raped the entire Lions defense and threw to Meachem for another TD.

6:14 Johnson with a nice catch and stiff arm gaining the first down. He has been the Lions’ best player by far tonight.

4:45 Johnson with his 2^nd touchdown of the night from a great play call that led to him being isolated.

4:39 Onside kick is unsuccessful. This play is always really risky and it puts Brees in a good position to throw a TD.

3:45 Brees throws another beautiful pass to the Detroit 1.

3:36 Touchdown by Thomas. This game is finished, unless they could make a trade for Tebow.

Summary: Good first half by the Lions where they were attacking offensively and were good on defense. The second half was the complete opposite. Offensively, Stafford made some poor plays and their defense was picked apart by Brees. Congrats to the Saints for a good win and a great job by their coach with crucial half time adjustments. I’m happy that the Lions made the playoffs and am excited to watch them as a more mature team next year. The rest of the playoffs should be fun to watch, especially tomorrow’s playoff debut for Tim Tebow.

Water-polo World Championships Semi-finals Running Diary

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To the 5 remaining people who are still reading after seeing the title of this post welcome!   It is the 2011 World Aquatics championships from China and we have an amazing match-up in water polo today.  Juggernaut Hungary meets Juggernaut Serbia, the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object (feel free to add your own ‘two great teams going head to head’ cliché here).  To put this Serbia-Hungary game into perspective for the North American audience that may or may not be reading; this matchup is like Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago, Red-Sox Yankees, and Celtics Lakers.  There is little doubt that these 2 teams are the best in the sport (a quick glance at their respective Wikipedia pages gives us the following count:  In the last 10 years Serbia and Hungary have won 25 and 17 medals!)  Those statistics are not from bush-league competitions either; they include the World championships, European championships, the water-polo world league and the Olympics.  Although Serbia has the edge in overall gold medals and total medals, Hungary boasts an amazing Olympic record (3 straight gold medals).  In addition to the medals, Serbia has named the men’s water polo team ‘Serbian team of the year’ for 9 years running.  Now that you know the background of this matchup we will get right into the running diary.  As I write this I will explain things as best I can to the people out there who have no idea how water polo is played.  Why am I writing this?  Several reasons:  Firstly, I am currently on vacation in Serbia, so this game will be easily available to watch.  Second, I really like water polo and this is a great opportunity to practice writing running diaries.  Lastly, I wanted to write this for fun and see how it goes (I’m also a huge nationalist).

The basics: 2 teams compete in an Olympic sized swimming pool.  Each side fields (pools?) 6 players plus 1 goalie.  There are 4 8-minute quarters, and the object of the game is to score goals by putting a ball into the opposing teams net.  For the complete set of rules please go here.

10:45am (Serbian time):  We begin!  Obligatory shots of both teams warming up, and the shots of the coaches.  These are a staple of any sports broadcast.  The announcer is saying some background stuff about how the teams got here, what a big rivalry this is etc.

10:48  There’s something odd about watching teams huddle up in water.