World sport one

After the euphoria of a Test series victory in England, South Africa's tour is in danger of losing its gloss after a tame surrender yesterday to give England a 3-0 lead, and ODI series victory.

The last time South Africa lost three games in a row to the same team was against Sri Lanka in 2004. That series loss cost Eric Simons his job. Aurther wont lose his over this series loss, with the Test series win giving him enough credit, and a tour of Australia coming up in December, his job is secure for this season. The same can not be said for some of South Africa's senior players.

The absence of Shaun Pollock is being well and truly felt in the ODI format. South Africa could count on Pollock putting in 10 overs of strangling economic bowling in 9/10 ODI matches played. That luxury is now missing, and the bowling unit is hurting as a result. Ntini has gone for over 60 runs in all but one of his last 6 matches. Steyn is not as effective in ODI's as he is in Tests, yet. His raw pace and swing, which have picked up wickets aplenty over the last Test year, have not been as successful in ODI's, and he has gone for runs. Steyn and Morne Morkel need to be perceived with, and allowed to gain the experience that goes with their talent. They will come good and must be given the games to do so. The same must be said of Albie Morkel. He said to be fulling the all rounders role vacated by Pollock. In truth his game is more suited to the void left by Lance Klusner. Their is obvious comparisons with their big hitting batting, but it is the bowling that the comparisonis more apt at describing. While Polly ensured the batting side would be tide down from one end, Morkel is more of a Klusner type bowler, he'll give you 10 overs a match, and will be a match winner from time to time, and may go for runs at others. The bowling unit is missing a Pollock.

As for the batting, Gibbs and Kallis are struggling. The two most experienced batsman not scoring is putting to much pressure on the young middle order of Duminy and de Villiers. Perhaps next year these two young stars will be able to cope with that pressure, but right now they are not. Gibbs is playing for his future in the next two games. He has already lost his Test place to Neil Mckenzie, and, at 34, could be about to lose his ODI place if he fails in the next two games. Some people think that the same applies to Kallis. That shouldn't be the case. Kallis has had a terrible batting tour. He has been well bellow his best and has looked a shadow of himself at the crease. He has been slower in his timing, his shot selection has been poor, and the pressure he has put on those around him has been immense. But this is a bat patch he is going through and not the end of his career. Kallis will be back, and if this bad tour means he has an exceptional one against the Aussies, all of South Africa will take it. What Kallis also offers is balance to the team thanks to his bowling. While his batting has been terrible, his bowling has been as good as ever. His place is not up for grabs.

Hashim Amla was the only batsman to look good yesterday, and the only one who seemed to have any fight in him at all. He should have two more innings to show the selectors that he is more than just a Test batsman, and has something to offer in the ODI team as well. He may be batting with Gibbs in these last two matches, but it may be that the two of them are batting for Smith's opening partners birth.

Vernon Philander didn't do himself any favours in his one outing, and given another chance he will be out to prove that he can offer the team something positive. Justin Ontong will also be hoping to get a chance to show that he can make up for the tame failings of others.

Andre Nel showed be given a chance to play at Ntini's expense. However with the racial politics that exist in South African sport that swap may not happen. Zondeki is not part of the ODI set up, but had he been he should have been given these two games to show his worth.

Gibbs and Ntini have been South Africa's stars in ODI cricket for a number of years. But time catches up with everyone and they could be playing for their future in the dead rubbers of the final two games of this tour. The games may not mean anything in terms of the series being lost already, but individually there is a lot to play for.

The San Diego Chargers are hosting tonight's Monday Night Football game versus the Seattle Seahawks.  The Chargers and Seahawks are meeting for the ninth time in preseason play.  Seattle leads the series 5-3.  We anticipate the Chargers will play their second and third string again this week.  The Chargers played an excellent defensive game last week versus the St Louis Rams using their second and third string defenders.  While San Diego lost 7-6 I expect to see an offensive uprising this week.  

Injury Report:

Amid conjecture that Shawne Merriman may be out for the season with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, we will know more once he returns from Miami. 

Darren Sproles suffered a swollen knee after colliding with a Rams defender last Sunday.  He hasn't missed a practice since all week and we anticipate him playing tonight.

[caption id="attachment_423" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Party from the Mall"][/caption]I could have gone to the Notting Hill Carnival this afternoon. I could even have gone to my parents for a Sunday roast this bank holiday weekend. Instead, the need to get my haircut and a desire to get my head around how to use my digital SLR ahead of our holiday to Turkey this year made staying at home a far more attractive notion.

Thus, the TV brought us images from Beijing's closing ceremony, complete with seemingly thousands of performers, stunning fireworks (there were some which I am sure were superimposed over images of the Birds' Nest) and various athletes waving goodbye to the most expensive 16 days I can think of.

Everything was going well until London got their corner of the stadium to tempt the global audience with what we might offer in 2012. A red bus drove around the stadium. Leona Lewis rose majestically above the assembled British dance troups. And then, David Beckham came on and kicked a football which unintentionally landed on the head of a spectator.

I cringed. I know I shouldn't have. I know I should have been proud. But I did cringe.

Right now, people are packed up and down the Mall, bopping up and down in the afternoon sun waving flags with "Visa London 2012" plastered all over them.

God help us.

"I'm just trying to do everything I can to get as close to him as possible. But in general, I think you can maintain a rivalry while admiring your rival. When I play him, it's a special motivation to play better."

--Tennis star Rafael Nadal answering reader questions in Time Magazine. The "him" Nadal refers to is Roger Federer, whose four-and-a-half year reign at the top will end on Monday when Nadal officially assumes the title of the No. 1 men's tennis player in the world.

It's the grand reinstatement of Feminist Thursday!

First of all, let me just say I finally found a beer I can drink in good conscience. I'm less thrilled to say that it's Fosters, as Fosters isn't that good or widely available, and generally comes in giant oilcans that I'd rather not admit I can drink by carrying around with me. But regardless, I'm tickled pink with them for this, and happy that at long last, here's a beer company that doesn't feel it can afford to alienate half the population.  (Although, none of the above is really true, as Fosters advertising is just as offensive to women as all the other beer ads.)

Also, the Olympics have been going on; they've provided all manner of things for everybody to get pissed off about, and feminists are not left out:

First of all, are the uniforms too sexy? I don't know, actually. While I do understand the point here, and while it's certainly not okay for female athletes to be treated like objects. . . on the other hand, the skimpiness of women's Olympic uniforms doesn't really make me angry. Athletes are walking representations of what bodies can look like and what bodies can do, and you know, of course people are going to ogle them. What really upsets me is when men like (or are encouraged to like) ogling undernourished, undeveloped, weak, hairless, diminished women - listless, helpless waifs who closely resemble (or are) prepubescent girls, and whose "sexiness" lies entirely in their powerlessness. Frankly, I think the ogling of Olympian bodies is a huge step in the right direction. If only all young girls could think the best way to be sexy is to look like you can fling your date across a parking lot.

Finally, All Them are upset about this, which, yes, it's bad, but it's not like it's an outrage particular to China. In the U.S., ability completely takes a backseat to attractiveness across the entertainment industry. Okay, so China was more blatant about it, choosing a pretty girl to lip-sync to a less-attractive girl's singing. But in the U.S., we would have just had the pretty girl sing with her own crappy voice - the less-attractive good singer wouldn't have gotten the job in any event.  What isn't a beauty pageant, really?  America has absolutely no tolerance for the uglies - even off-camera civilians here are expected to look like movie stars.

In other (non-Olympics related) news, the UK courts decided that women who were raped while drunk deserve less compensation than those who were raped in all sobriety. Of course, there was a huge public outcry and the decision was reversed. I can't comment on this any better than these two posts do (one and two), so everyone should just read them.

On a lighter note, how did I not know Hedy Lamarr was so cool? Apparently, she co-invented a torpedo-guiding device. She also said this:

"Any girl can be glamorous," she said. "All she has to do is stand still and look stupid."

Holla!