Bleacher Report - Articles by Ann Gry

Top 5 Last Season's GP's That FIA Should Investigate Now

Ann Gry — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:52:58 -0400

This is a very special season. Everything is exciting and unpredictable. Besides racing. But who cares about overtaking and fighting for Champion’s crown in Formula1, when currently we have much more breath-taking moments? FIA makes sure that we won’t switch to watching snooker. And bringing back GP that happened one year ago does the trick. Isn’t this amazing? So many question come to our minds. What they’re going to do? Take away Alonso’s points? Will that make Nico a winner? A driver wins GP one year after it was held. That must be fun. You know what would be more fun? If FIA investigated all accidents from last season! Who knows, maybe that would make Kazuki Nakajima a Champion?

Top 5 GP’s that should be brought to immediate investigation by FIA:

Brazilian 2008
Dear Timo Glock, we all know that it is very hard to drive in the rain on dry tyres. We also know, that when you change them for intermediates, you immediately gain positions. Unfortunately we don’t know why you don’t know that. It may be your teams fault, but you were the one driving your Toyota. It’s because of you all Massa-natics had emotional meltdown and Luca di Montezemolo broke his flat screen. We should investigate all reasons for Timo to give Lewis this god-damn fifth position. Drive seat in McLaren for 2010? British citizenship? Private performance by Nicole Scherzinger?

Canadian 2008
Lewis Hamilton proved that although you may not know the difference between red light and green light, you can still become a World Champion. Anyway, during this famous incident two cars were in front of Lewis. Why did he choose to crash Kimi’s car, not Robert’s? Same with Nico, why he didn’t hit Robert, who had plenty of a free space behind? Let’s not forget that Nico, Lewis and Robert used to be team-mates. That’s very suspicious. And after that, Robert became the leader of championship. Investigation ASAP!

Hungarian 2008
When Hamilton developed a puncture, Massa took the lead. Nice and smoothly. And suddenly, out of the blue, his car suffered engine failure. With 3 laps remaining. Call me insane, but it may have something to do with Kimi wanting his countryman to become 100th driver to win GP.

Spanish 2008
Heikki Kovalainen is one big team order. In Catalunya he hit the barriers on lap 22. If that was crash for Lewis, it was a stupid move. Especially that Lewis was already third and the Ferraris were fueled enough and no safety car would make them loose their 1-2. And whoever from the silver team invented Heikki’s tyre deflation was very mean.

Singapore 2008 again
Talking about sacrificing for your team-mate. They investigate Nelsinho but clearly forgot that Kimi did exactly the same for Felipe on lap 57. Although he must had broken team radio and didn’t hear that “Kamikaze action” was canceled.

P.S Photo – Belgium 2009. It will be investigated next year.

Fans to Ronaldinho - Go to Bed!

Ann Gry — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:32:09 -0400

What would you do if you met your favorite football player in a club? Ask for an autograph? Find out how the hell he missed that penalty with Aston Villa? Dance with him?

Well, that is so yesterday.

These days, you make sure that the player knows about his responsibilities and you simply send him to bed.

We’re talking about Ronaldinho, who had been out on the town with compatriot Nelson Dida, having fun and dancing with friends. Apparently, two young men started shouting at him to return home and go to bed because it was late and they had to train in a few hours.

Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the pair listened to the advice of the tifosi, and returned to their homes instead of ignoring them and keep on partying.

With Kaka gone, it is understandable that Milan are relying on another Ballon d’Or winner. Personally I think that this guy’s glory is over. He never was a hard-working type; all his achievements are thanks to his natural talent. You can’t learn discipline at the age of thirty, especially when you became the best football player without it.

When he came from Barcelona, he had one of the best welcoming parties. Confetti and dancers, forty thousands of people happy to see him in Milan kit. That was the perfect moment to leave his bad reputation in Barcelona and start a new life, as a grown-up player, who’s fed up with parties.

Never happened. And it won’t happen, no matter how many fans will be controlling him, sending him home, or even grounding him.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Ronaldinho will be the best again? Maybe he’ll start to work hard, come early to trainings in order to come back to previous form, and turn down Lays commercials?

Anyway, what would you do if you met your favorite football player? Personally, I would tell Sergio Ramos to pay more attention to his legs and pubic area instead of just waxing it. He had serious injuries with those parts, and we need him at his best this season. What about you?

Ugly Bobby: The portrait of Robert Kubica

Ann Gry — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:04:24 -0400

Big nose. Late braking in the corners. Passionate poker player. Pure racer. There are a couple of things that can describe Robert Kubica perfectly. With latest rumors about Fernando Alonso joining Ferrari, you naturally start to think who could join him. And they point out Bobby.

In Turkey, thanks to Rubens and Kazuki, Robert left the “elite” No Points Drivers Club, with two points for seventh place. What happened with the guy, which was voted Driver of the 2008 season?

Bringing his past achievements would be boring; however we all know that when you come to F1, your titles don’t matter at all. Am I right, monsieur Bourdais?

Many people think that with his fluent Italian and love for this country he would be natural in Ferrari. I have a few doubts about that.

Robert is not a team spirit, unless not as much as Lewis or Fernando. He does not care in which team he drives, as long as he has a car. When asked about Rosberg joining him in BMW, he simply answered that it doesn’t matter if it’s Nick or Nico.

It is nice that he does not give this annoying polite crap, but he shouldn’t be surprised that Nick didn’t give him his position that would keep his third place in 2008 championship.

One of the main thing that brought successes for Michael, Fernando, Mika, Lewis and now Jenson is their family attitude and involvement in their teams. They were winning as a team, they were loosing as a team.

Robert is not afraid to complain, and there was a time last season, when he went a little bit too far, giving post-race interviews directly blaming BMW team for loosing his title hopes. Remembering Prost, Ferrari would behave in certainly different way than BMW.

Although it is understandable, especially that there was a slim chance of clinching the championship, BMW after Canada moved everything for this season, and we can see the results of this decision. But still, any complains you say directly to your boss’s face, not to the media.

So what makes Kubica special? Well, we can have one Ice-Man that may not care about his image, but unlike with Kimi, you won’t find Robert’s photos, posing with his girlfriend in his mansion, and it’s very hard to get something personal from him. He does not recognize actors on the grid, because he falls asleep in the cinema. He does not read any books or newspapers, and finds snooker interesting.

Leaving Mr. Hyde apart, Robert has one very important virtue. He is in F1 for racing, and racing only. He knows exactly what he wants, and he knew this since he was a little kid. In critical moments, he is able to leave emotions and make a cold analysis.

Many compare his driving style to Lewis, however Robert is less aggressive and barely make any mistakes. He has understeer while entering the corners, full throttle while exiting them. Lewis likes oversteer, and does not cut the corners, he goes more around. They both brake late, using the engine and both are very good in the rain.

But off-track Robert is totally different from Lewis, and from other drivers. Celebrity freak- show does not turn him on. You won’t see him on catwalk in Monaco. You won’t spot his family jumping around him in garage.

His girlfriend Edyta is very modest, she’s not giving “I’m proud of my hunny-bunny the racer” interviews. Or any interviews. He believes in God, but does not wear “I belong to Jesus” shirt.

People can say many things about Robert, but as long it does not refer to his racing, he seriously doesn’t care. In today’s world, when athletes are in the same corner with celebrities, it’s nice to have someone who knows what is important and is able to fully concentrate on it. Robert is that kind of person. So what do you think about him and Fernando in Ferrari?

P.S. In reality he’s not ugly at all. He’s quite cute actually.

Raul Albiol to Real Madrid

Ann Gry — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:25:04 -0400

When you think about Valencia, three players come to your mind. Two Davids, and Raul Albiol. He joined Real Madrid on a 15 million euro fee, and signed a five-year contract.

Third player in this era and the second Spaniard in Perez's career.

For those who don't know, Raul Albiol is a DEFENDER. He has nice a...I mean he usually plays as a central defender, sometimes as a holding midfielder.

Raul is 23, 1.87 m, and doesn't use too much hair products.

The main reason for buying Raul is that Manuel Pellegrini expects Sergio Ramos to be full right-back, which mean that Albiol will be in the centre.

During five seasons in La Liga he received only one red card.

Finally, we have someone "cheap" in Galacticos era. Other news say that Royston Drenthe will probably be playing in Florentina from this Monday.

Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo Bid Accepted

Ann Gry — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:38:11 -0400

According to CNN World Sport News, Manchester United have received a world-record, unconditional offer of £80million for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

"At Cristiano's request—who has again expressed his desire to leave—and after discussion with the player's representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player."

United held off Real's advances last summer, with manager Sir Alex Ferguson traveling to the Portugal camp during the Euro 2008 finals to hold crisis talks with Ronaldo.

Matters are expected to be concluded by 30 June. The club will not comment until further notice.

It is rumored that Cristiano and Kaká will be presented together at the end of the month.

Real Madrid: Kaká is First Official Galactico

Ann Gry — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:18:29 -0400

Finally. Ricardo Izecson Dos Santos Leite is a Real Madrid player. We can move to guessing who’s the next Galactico. But we have the first one. All the papers, official sites, Perez and Valdano say “Kaká, es ya jugador del Real Madrid”

After he went to Brazil for international duty, we had hundreds of statements. Galliano went to Madrid, Silvio saying he might sell Kaka, Zidane saying Kaka is already with Los Blancos, Kaka signed Real Madrid’s shirt, Kaka couldn’t resist and texted some journalist that he’s Real Madrid player.

It’s official now. The first Galactico is signed! (the second is still in England)

Anyway, he will probably take the No. 5 shirt, worn previously by Zidane and Cannavaro, both Ballon d'Or winners. The official presentation will be held June 30, after Kaka returns from Brazil. The first match will be on July 26. Kaká admitted that he didn't want to leave Milan, but along with the club's board decided that it would be the best thing to join Los Blancos for €65 million.

Florentino Perez said, that he prepares for signing Cristiano Ronaldo now. And Xabi Alonso. And David Villa. And Franck Ribery. And...

Top 10 GP's When The Result Of The Race Didn't Matter

Ann Gry — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:35:29 -0400

I know. The results ALWAYS matter.

But sometimes there are some other interesting things besides championship points. In my last article I told you about my F1 marriage crisis.

Lately, I’m remembering happy memories from our good times when tyres were grooved and Jenson was at the back of the grid.

In general I’m talking about GPs when the headlines next day were not "XYZ won the race" but rather "XYZ gained illegal advantage over ABC" or "XYZ peed into ABC’s cockpit."

By the way, did someone ever pee in someone’s cockpit?

Singapore GP 2008

First night race, we all imagined this like a big party with racing. Unfortunately someone boring decided to stay on European time, so the drivers were eating lunch at 9 am and walking the track in the middle of the night.

Alonso won thanks to his team-mate who crushed as usual and brought safety car on track. Kimi did the same for Felipe but it was too late and he didn’t hear the communicate “kamikaze action cancelled, I repeat…”.

Brazilian GP 2006

That was the last race of Michael Schumacher and the fact that Alonso secured the title wasn’t celebrated enough. Felipe Massa won the race, wearing ugly green overall.

Schumi received lifetime achievement award from Pele, and there was a huge, red ribbon on his Ferrari. During the usual grid-interviews, Martin Brundle asked Kimi why did he miss the presentation by Pele and the answer was “I was having a sh*t”. That was hilarious.

Hungarian GP 2007

Lewis had 3 point advantage over Fernando, and eleven points more than third placed Felipe. Nobody was even thinking about Kimi taking the crown. Alonso held Hamilton up in the pit lane, denying Hamilton a chance to record a final lap time.

People started talking about Fernando’s childish behavior and that was amazing. McLaren and Alonso gave the stewards different explanations. Due to this they lost the points they won during this race. They were trying to appeal for them but after the Stepney-gate they lost all of their points.

2005 United States Grand Prix

Fourteen cars were out of competition due to safety problems with Michelin tyres. Ferrari, Minardi and Jordan supplied by Bridgestone competed which means that there were six cars on track.

That was one and only victory for Schumi during that season. Thanks to this race Ferrari picked up some crucial points. Otherwise they would be behind Toyota in the constructors standings. Until this season it sounded crazy.

China GP 2008

Chinese circuit looks like a bunny! Wait, there was something else…Kubica was out of championship…Alonso said he’ll help Massa, (and he did by not overtaking him during the race).

He said this during a press conference with Hamilton sitting in front of him. The race was boring and the only exciting thing was waiting for Kimi to let Felipe overtake him in order to increase his championship hopes.

It was so obvious that nobody even commented on that. Wait, there was something more…OH! Here’s what Kimi said on Saturday:

Finally, things seemed to go right for me in qualifying. It's too late for the title, but we definitely learnt a lesson which will be useful for the next year.

He was right. Perfect qualifying this year.

Brazilian GP 2003

I remember that there were only two drivers on the podium, Kimi and Giancarlo. Third placed Alonso was receiving a medical help. Half of the grid didn’t finish the race due to accidents and collisions.

Mark Webber had accident and the race was yellow-flagged. Fernando didn’t slow down and hit one of Webber's tyres at full speed. His tyres were send across the circuit. They blocked the track and the race was red flagged.

Although Kimi was classified as a winner, the stewards later decided that the winner was Giancarlo. Two weeks later during San Marino GP, Ron Dennis and Kimi gave the winner trophies to Fisico and Eddie Jordan.

Japan GP 2008

During start, Lewis was passed by Kimi and got nervous, so along with Heikki, he pushed Kimi off track. Felipe had problems with braking and hit Lewis’s car. Hamilton was spun round by the contact and was dropped to 18th place.

Both Felipe and Lewis received drive-trough penalties. When asked about stewards decision of Hamilton’s penalty, Fernando answered “I don't know what he did, but it's good he's punished anyway”. Of course, Hamilton didn’t respond to that.

European GP 2007

Fernando and Felipe had a nice fight in front of the cameras. These days we can’t see much tension between the drivers. I was hoping for Alonso-Hamilton soap opera, but besides Fernando’s few mean allusions towards Lewis, nothing interesting ever happened.

After the race, Fernando accused Felipe over their collision. Felipe got nervous and started screaming in Italian but all I got was "vai a cagare" which is an insult. Unfortunately there was no physical contact. And was probably the last time when Ron Dennis hugged Alonso.

European GP 2008

I don’t even know why I’ve chosen this race. Maybe because every time I have to check who actually won because it was so boring that I keep forgetting. I was watching and wondering who said that Valencia circuit will be the new Monaco.

I remember Felipe and Rob Smedley making out on the podium, that’s why I wasn’t surprised with this whole “Felipe, baby” in Malaysia.

Belgian GP 2008

Felipe, the eventual winner qualified in second position. During the race he did not overtake anyone and lost one position, but received ten points in drivers standings. How?

After insults of loosing motivation for racing, Kimi finally had a chance to win. His fight with Hamilton was amazing. Then Lewis cut the chicane, but later gave Kimi ‘ position back. And here were different opinions.

Although Lewis gave the position back, he overtook Kimi again few seconds after. Kimi crashed, Lewis won, but was handed 25 second penalty. Personally, I agree with those who say that if he wouldn’t cut the chicane, he would never catch Kimi.

Jenson Button Is a World Champion; Can We Move On To Another Season?

Ann Gry — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:20:09 -0400

Jenson got out of the car and still in his helmet started to run, waving hands to the spectators.

"So he needs to run the track now?" my father asked me.

Yes—I replied with Kimi’s poker face. Otherwise they won’t classify him as a winner. It’s a Monaco tradition.

Seeing my father believing me was the most exciting thing about this race. This season my enthusiasm is stolen along with grooved tyres. And the symptoms are not good.

For the first time in my life I answered a phone call and even went to the kitchen during the race. I remember running for food supplies during ITV commercial breaks.

I also forgot about Thursday’s training sessions. I didn’t read press conferences since Malaysian GP. Not to mention photos from the race, pre-race and post-race.

My F1 marriage is in crisis but I always had a very toxic relationship with Monaco GP. I hate it but I couldn’t live without it.

The track reminds me of the tuna can. I know, it’s a street circuit but still it is a tuna can. I don’t find it amusing and the names of the turns make me sick.

What annoys me the most is that all those celebrities who actually don’t care about F1 have the best places to watch it. I mean George Lucas? What was his last film? Star Wars?

Or Geri Halliwell? Only because she was famous like billion years ago (or ten) gives her permission to be on the grid next to the drivers?

As for championship, I don’t know what it must happen for Button to loose the title. One pointless race and maybe Rubens could join the game. Still it would be the fight between Brawns. It is starting to look like 2004 season with better looking dominant driver.

During last Brazilian GP I almost fainted from all these emotions, this year I probably fell asleep watching Abu Dhabi.

I never liked Jenson. Although he seems to be a very nice guy, very hard-working with his triathlons and loyal to his team there is something about him that annoys me. Until March I really liked the idea of him, handsome man with great racing career that never happened.

Youngster being crowned the future world champion when he came to F1 and then winning only one race during eight seasons. He always looked good in race car and even better next to it.

Jenson was the ideal man on the cover but his car was constantly doubled during last races. His Honda even set itself on fire in Brazil, when he came to congratulate Lewis.

That was nice finish of the season. So when Honda withdrew from the championship that only proved my theory. Good looking racer with career that never happened.

And this season ruined everything. Or double diffuser ruined everything. Or whatever that makes those Brawns so fast ruined my theory. By the way the yellow on the car annoys me too. And don’t even make me start on their overalls…

I know, I’m cranky. It’s just this sport does not give me pleasure anymore. I’m not waiting for the next GP. Maybe it will change if something red will be first in Istanbul. It’s my personal F1 crisis. But I guess that happens in every marriage.

Spain: Any Difference for BMW?

Ann Gry — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:21:02 -0400

When you look at the covers and headlines of the magazines from the season-break time, almost all of them included BMW as 2009 championship contender.

With everyone’s attention on previous F1 leaders on the back of the grid, is everyone thinking about the Swiss team right now?

Last year, Robert Kubica was surrounded by journalists from all over the world, right now they just passing him to catch Sebastian Vettel.

Nobody cares much about BMW right now. And nobody will, unless they do something to close the gap to the leaders.

After buying Sauber and becoming independent constructor the team made plans for the future.

In 2006, they wanted to have points. They had.

In 2007, they wanted podiums. They had.

In 2008, the wanted their first win. Mission accomplished.

In 2009, they wanted the championships. After four races, they have four points. Neither of the drivers made it into the Q3 in China and Bahrain.

What now? After Kubica’s win in Canada, the team stopped developing the current car and focused on the 2009 contender. It was a little bit controversial, but from the team’s previous experience, everyone knew it was the right move.

The team wanted to be faster than McLaren and Ferrari. Until China GP, they were. Considering that both of the main rivals barely scored points, it doesn’t sound impressive.

BMW's lack of form is probably caused by its lack of upgrades in the opening fly-away races as the team failed to introduce any new parts while their rivals continued to improve their cars.

Everything is going to change this weekend in Spain, as BMW are set to unveil major aerodynamic upgrades for the F1.09.

But what if it won’t change? The thing is that in Spain everybody is going to have updates. Brawns already have a huge advantage in standings. Red Bull is still there and Toyota is hungry for a first win.

The beautiful and awful thing at the same time about Barcelona is that we will know the results on Saturday.

The best way to find Spanish GP interesting is simply to go there. Sunbathing, opening eye every time Ferrari passes you by and then celebrating Kimi’s win with a group of Finnish fans (and alcohol).

Like I did last year.

And although I don’t care for BMW as much as for the other teams, it would be nice for them to pick up some points. After all, Kubica is my countryman.

Pressure On Barcelona: Raul's Hat-Trick

Ann Gry — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:36:15 -0400

I know that with tomorrow’s CL clash it’s not that exciting, but still it is worth mentioning that Los Blancos closed the gap on league leaders, Barcelona, down to just four points.

Raul scored his third career hat-trick putting the pressure on Blaugrana, and proving that he is still incredible in front of goal and not that old, as many people think.

Especially that during the first half it didn’t look good. Renato scored the first goal for Sevilla and Kanoute almost doubled their lead few minutes after.

Real Madrid seemed to struggle without suspended Pepe and injured Robben. In the last seconds Metzelder got the ball from Sergio Ramos and pulled it in the middle for Raul who scored the first goal for his team.

In the second half, Higuain had chance to score but blew it but few minutes after Miguel Torres helped Raul to score his second goal. His third goal was when Higuain’s shot from the right flank was spilled by Palop, and Raul easily put the ball into the empty net.

When all of Real Madrid fans were preparing to relax, adding three points in their minds, Diego Capel took the ball from Sergio Ramos and blasted past Casillas.

The Sanchez Pizjuan crown had hope again, as well as Sevilla players, but Marcelo scored the fourth goal, just to make it clear.

Los Blancos will meet Barcelona for a title-deciding showdown on 2 May at Santiago Bernabeu.

Sevilla 2-4 Real Madrid

Teams

Sevilla: Palop - Adriano, David Prieto, Escude, Navarro - Duscher (60', Fabiano), Romaric (79', Maresca) - Navas, Renato, Perotti (66', Capel) – Kanoute

Real Madrid: Casillas - Ramos, Cannavaro, Metzelder, Torres - Lass, Guti (78', Javi García), Gago, Marcelo - Higuaín (85', Van der Vaart), Raúl (68', Huntelaar)

Goals

1-0: Sevilla (Renato, 15’)

1-1: Real Madrid (Raul, 45’)

1-2: Real Madrid (Raul, 62’)

1-3: Real Madrid (Raul, 65’)

2-3: Sevilla (Capel, 80’)

2-4: Real Madrid (Marcelo, 90+2’)

YC: Duscher, Prieto, Romaric & Fabiano (Sevilla)

Marcelo, Lass (Real)

Is It McLiar Mercedes Now?

Ann Gry — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:53:17 -0400

Last two years of McLaren are messing with my opinion about this team. I always was a fan of a particular driver rather than a team but for me McLaren is Formula One. Several teams come and go; Macs and Ferraris are always here.

My first favorite driver was Mika Hakkinen. One time I read an interview with him when he spoke about his accident in Adelaide. He said Ron Dennis gave him support and had the biggest impact on his recovery and future championships. From that time, I always had good opinion about Ron.

But people who started to watch F1 lately remember him mostly from Spy-gate, Spa-gate and Lewis Hamilton sucks–gate. And “lie-gate” of course, although he’s not in charge anymore. And opinion of Fernando Alonso makes everything worse.

I’m not gonna say what I think. Because I think that it is because of the little man in yellow helmet. And his daddy.

Right now this show-business gossip freak-show came to Formula One. Couple of days ago I checked the news on popular motor sport site. First news was about Sir Richard B. hitting on Jenson’s girlfriend.

Beside that every headline contained the word “lie.” The sad thing is that even if we want to forget about this whole thing—we can’t. Not until the end of a month.

But seriously, were you really surprised when you found out that Lewis was lying? And furthermore was it really that big deal?

Yes, Jarno was briefly without points, but he has them back. What’s the point of keep this case alive?

Everybody knew that Lewis’s “McLaren 'til I die” is going to change when the team will be struggling.

What annoys me the most is that the mistakes of a few people make the whole team look bad. Thousands of people work hard to make these two silver cars good. Mechanics, engineers and strategists – what they did wrong to deserve this mess?

If the team will be banned from championship—which is ridiculous option—Heikki Kovalainen going to be punished as well. For being (generous) team-mate for Hamilton.

The thing is that everybody makes mistakes. Everybody lied at least once in his life and probably learned useful lesson. Dealing with things like that makes you stronger. Lewis has a change now to show his commitment for a team that made him what he is now—World champion.

The people responsible for “lie-gate” are punished enough. They lost their reputation.

These are my last words about this case. Because of this I can’t focus on Chinese GP. Don’t you guys feel weird when they say “last year in China?” I mean, it was five months ago...

Grand Slam Winners: Goran Ivanišević

Ann Gry — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:14:01 -0400

What names spring to your mind when you think about Wimbledon Champions? Let’s say from last 15 years?

When I think about it, the first name is not the 2008 Champion. It doesn’t even start with the letter R.

Looking at Wimbledon statistics, between the domination of Sampras and Federer, there is a name that reminds me of never giving up on your dreams.

In 2001 Goran Ivanišević won the title, defeating Australian Patrick Rafter in five sets.

You probably say "big deal." I know someone who did it five times. So what is so special about it?

Stepping on to the Wimbledon grass, Goran was ranked the World No. 125. He was 30-years-old (in tennis it means mid-life), had endured a long battle with a shoulder injury, and was nearing the end of his career.

His ranking position was not sufficient to earn him a wildcard, however his three runner-ups did the trick.

He didn’t win a singles title for three years, and with players like Federer, Sampras, and Agassi in the hunt for the Wimbledon trophy, nobody was giving Goran a chance.

After beating Moya, Roddick, Safin, and Henman on his way to the final, he stood on Centre Court opposite Pat in front of 14,000 people.

Coming to his fourth Wimbledon final, he “didn’t want to have this plate again,” meaning the runner-up trophy.

Rafter, younger and with two Grand Slam titles already under his belt, seemed to have easy access to the Wimbledon trophy.

The players delivered a wonderful five set battle. After almost exactly three hours, Rafter netted a forehand return to end one of the best Grand Slam finals of all time.

Poor Patrick was probably sick of making history, having been responsible for Sampras winning his 13th title.

Ivanišević fell on to the grass, becoming the first wildcard entry and the lowest ranked player to win Wimbledon.

The audience went crazy, crying and screaming his name. The knew that they had just witnessed a real story with a happy ending.

He was known for his attacking style of play, an extremely powerful serve, and his on-court outbursts. He holds the record for most aces served in a year with 1477 in 1996.

Asked about breaking the rackets, he said: “Today's players, they do not know how. If you are going to throw it, you break it. You have to show commitment”.

The quote was remembered, at least by Marat Safin.

Goran was left-handed, and in 2007 he practiced with Federer before his final with you know who.

Holding the Wimbledon winner's trophy (instead of the runner-up's plate), he said: "This was my dream all my life. I came here and nobody thought about me, but here I am holding the trophy."

After that, he said that he doesn’t care if ever plays again, and unfortunately God listened to him. This was his last career title. He retired later, after surgery on his left shoulder.

Want to Win in 2009? Either Push the BUTTON or Get Drunk in a BARrichello

Ann Gry — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:56:54 -0400

I never liked the first race of the season. There was always something new and it felt weird. And this season everything is new and I feel...I don’t even know what I feel!

What is going on?! Was that Button winning the race? Was that Barrichello behind him? WAS THAT KIMI ON THE WALL?!!!

What’s next? Pole position for Nakajima? First place for Piquet? Fastest lap for Sutil?

During winter, everybody was talking about the Big Revolution. New tyres, new engine rules, new pit-stop rules. Equal chances for all of the drivers, more overtaking. I was listening to that and saying: yeah, yeah, wait for Ferrari 1-2.

I was sick from the words: preview, prediction, KERS. I just wanted to watch the race.

But as the Friday training session started I realized…that these cars are really ugly. Although I’ve seen the pictures of them before, seeing them altogether on the grid was shocking.

The rear wings look like mini fridges. And these lawnmowers in front of the car? Lower front wings suppose to work better in turbulent air flow from the car up front, right? I hope they do, it’s not worth it to be ugly for nothing.

But I love the slick tyres. They are more sensitive to weight than the grooved ones. Couple of rain drops and someone is going to have problems (of course not you, Felipe!)

The big Sunday arrived, I woke up at 8 in the morning to watch the race. As I turned on TV the sound of engines exploded in my house. I closed my eyes and listened. God, I missed that.

The best part was that my family couldn’t tell me anything because we made an agreement. I was excited. All this previous talks, previews, predictions made it sound promising. The drivers were hungry for wins and all of them said that this year’s car is best ever.

But then I opened my eyes and realized that something was wrong. Button was still up front. By this time, someone in a red or silver car should be there. Were they really serious with this revolution? And why Ron was standing next to the pit wall? I thought that “Martin is in charge now” was a joke. It felt...new.

But then Kazuki hit the wall. Nelson went off track. Red Bull car was out on the first corner. Welcome back season 2008.

So the red car should overtake Button in a minute. I know it is quite hard to overtake on Melbourne track, but I they say there is a chance to do it at turns 1, 3 and 9. And this season supposed to be all about overtaking.

But hold up, Button is still up front. What was behind him was much more interesting. Until I realized that neither of the Ferraris finished with points.

But the Kubica-Vettel fight was very enjoyable. Robert’s two tyres end up in the middle of the track and Sebastian was screaming “I’m an idiot, I’m sorry!”

Personally, I don’t think he is. He put up a fight, and that what pure racers do.

Anyway, congratulations to you, Jenson. I’ll never be your fan, but that was brilliant drive. And don’t listen to this “diffuser-help blah blah blah”. They’re jealous because you’re handsome and just won the race. You have it all.

Congratulations to Sebastien Buemi. First GP, smart drive, finished with points. You see that, Nelson?

The race at Sepang is ahead of us. Thank God, we don’t have to wait for another week.

Currently, Toro Rosso has more points than Ferrari. I hope that will change soon, especially that someone won his first race here in 2003. And last year.

Kimi, wherever you are, please come back. The guy who drives for you sucks.

Wanna Piece of Magic? Pay €100 million for Ibracadabra

Ann Gry — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:32:29 -0400

No less than €100 million for Ibrahimović, said Inter Supremo Massimo Moratti. They say that it would be the highest transfer fee. Currently, it is €76 million for Zidane back in 2001.

Recent reports from Spain linked the Swedish striker with a move to Barcelona.

And here comes my “favorite” part. The non-stoppable discussion about his brilliant goals in Italy, and average play in Europe. About how much he is overrated, cocky, and a Big Game flop. Blah blah blah.

My friend, who is a specialist in these kind of talks, started to compare Zlatan to Zinedine, then Zlatan to Cristiano, then Zlatan to Pele, and then to Zlatan to Michael Jackson.

I know. Don’t ask me where I met him.

About Zlatan. You people are overreacting. My friend, a big Ibra fan, said he would be perfect in Barcelona. My uncle, a big Ibra enemy, agreed with him. Why? Taking his critical point of view:

Barcelona, unlike some other Spanish teams, is still in Champions League. Messi, Henry, Eto’o can be exhausted. And there are still domestic performances.

And here comes Zlatan. While Barcelona stars would keep their strengths for Champions League, Ibrahimović would show his amazing capabilities with Real Mallorca and Athletic Bilbao.

- How dare you!?, screamed Ibra fan, What about the match against Italy in Euro 04? What about the last match with Reggina?

- What about that goal with Manchester? – asked Ibra enemy.

- Which goal?, I woke up and then remembered that there was no goal.

- Exactly, said Ibra enemy.

- He wasn’t that terrible at Old Trafford! the fan continued. Without “like with Bologna” goal, without any goal in general, but Man U are the best team right now!

Ibra fan starts laughing and said that Premier League teams are the best right now. Ibra fan starts crying that it is not Zlatan’s fault that he is in Serie A.

That was enough. I’m sick of this discussion. Can we point the facts and move on?

Problem with Zlatan is that people expect from him to be a genius all the time. We see a free kick from 30 yards and think: You’re outrageous. You’re a magician.

And we put him among Ronaldo, Messi and others.

Especially when The Special One claimed he’s the best player in the world. By the way, that was stupid move, especially before the match with Man U. That put only unnecessary pressure and started this whole “big deal or flop” debate all over again.

They say that Zlatan doesn’t have a memorable moment of glory that has stamped his name on the world scene. I would say that he doesn’t have such moment in Champions League. That what statistics show.

In 12 matches with Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester, he has only one goal (back in Juventus). In matches played with Premier League teams, he hasn’t scored a goal (correct me if I’m wrong).

That’s not a statistic of the best player. But someone with his skills, who has such technical abilities and insanely sublime goals under his belt, cannot be called a “flop.”

So can we just get used to that Zlatan plays amazing in Serie A and stop expecting him to be great on European pitches? We might be surprised some day. Or not.

Personally I like him very much, especially after I learned that his wife is 10 years older. That gives me hope that when I’m gonna be 37, my husband can be a young football player.

So can we say this officially?

Zlatan Ibrahimović is not the best player in the world.

Zlatan Ibrahimović is not a flop.

Zlatan Ibrahimović is a very good player who plays magically on Italian pitches.

P.S. Do you think that Barcelona would pay €100 million for him? Ibrahimović's agent said Zlatan would find it very difficult to turn down Barcelona's offer.

Massimo Moratti said that he can’t imagine Inter without Zlatan. I can’t imagine watching Inter matches without Zlatan and not falling asleep.

F1 Fan Preparation: The Drivers Are Ready...What About You?

Ann Gry — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:32:31 -0400

The VIP seats on my couch are reserved. The TV for this weekend is banned for anyone but me.

Just so you know, it wasn’t easy, I had to skip all Ugly Betty episodes from this year to make this deal with my family. The days on my calendar are crossed every day, getting closer and closer to March 27 (Friday practice).

BBC Sport works properly but I found five live streaming sites on the Internet. You know, in case of a war or magic absence of plasma.

So don’t mess with me. I have brand new Ferrari T-Shirt and I’m not afraid of using it. As a gag for those who will be stupid enough to jam the sound of engines.

No, I don’t have anger issues. Like all F1 fanatics, I’m waiting for the start of Australian GP.

And it’s driving me crazy, even more than last seven times before the first race of the season. Is it because of the new rules?

They say that this is the biggest revolution in new regulations. It’s not anymore about Ferrari or McLaren on top question or what other team will have a couple of podiums. Drivers like Glock, Button and Barrichello are hungry for wins and their times from testing say that impossible is nothing.

Or maybe is it because of McLaren MP4-24 is having problems, and even Mr. Sunshine, aka Lewis Hamilton, said it is “not in the best position.”

Or maybe because we all tired of this “blah blah blah” and want to see the real pace of Brawn GP, the come back of good old Kimi and proof of Nelson P Jr. talent? Well, and Spanish grid boys, of course.

I just can’t wait to see F1 cars parked in the garages, dozens of mechanics with head-phones around them and drivers checking the times on flat screens. We all have so many questions.

Who’s going to loose the title because of his own mistakes, and who’s because of his team’s? Are we’re going to have a race like last Brazilian GP? Is my countryman going to make inappropriate comments about his team again and will my favorite driver repeat the success of 2007 season?

I’m not going to write my predictions. I did it last year and almost had emotional breakdown after Valencia, Spa, Monza and Singapore races.

So the teams are ready, the drivers are ready and the big question is...Are you ready? Especially those fans who live in Europe. To see the first practice we need to get up at 2.30 a.m. Or in my case stay up until then. Those who have tickets for Oz are lucky. I have to wait for the summer.

OK, I’m quiet now. We’ll all meet this weekend on our couches. Spiritually.

See you there.

P.S.: Is there anyone else who watched every 2008 race again during the winter break, or should I talk to someone about that?