Clan-Members » thingsIs there anything more sure than Crosby

Players around the country are shaking their heads at the appointment of Greg Chappell as an interim selector, five years after the Argus review removed him from the same position. They have a right to do so.While it is understandable that Cricket Australias board of directors found an internal candidate for this interim role, Chappells decidedly mixed history with domestic cricket in particular makes it at best a curious call, at worst a further indication all is not well among the decision-makers at the top of the game down under.Chappell was the prime architect of the Futures League, a development brainstorm devised to end the clogging up of the system perceived to have been created when the Sheffield Shield became more or less fully professional with the improvement of player wages in 1998.The Futures League replaced the second XI competition, restricting teams to playing no more than three players over the age of 23 in any team, while also adding experimental playing regulations like first innings limited to 96 overs, scrapping the availability of the second new ball, and offering extra points for wickets taken by spin bowlers. Matches were played over three days instead of four.It was a Rubicon moment, where the players started to feel that the Sheffield Shield was being devalued because the next tier down from what was thought to be the worlds premier domestic competition had been stripped back to being an under-age tournament.In particular, the over restrictions and reduction in game time from four days to three were devised to encourage attacking cricket but they effectively reduced opportunities for batsmen to spend time in the middle. That change in particular now looks to have been ruinous, given the current paucity of players cut out to bat all day.The whole concept was skewered in the pages of the Argus review:The panel understands that the Futures League was designed to fill a perceived gap in the pathway for players aged 19-23 (i.e. between U19s and State/State 2nd XI cricket). Last season Futures League was therefore a 6 round competition with 3-day games, and permitted teams only 3 players of 23 years of age or over. Second XI matches occurred on an ad hoc basis. However feedback about the Futures League age restrictions was very strongly negative, both in relation to the standard of the competition and its effect on Grade cricket. The panels preference, therefore, is that the Futures League revert to a 2nd XI competition.The same document effectively led to Chappells dismissal as a member of the national selection panel, as it was considered his other role of national talent manager should not permit enough time to also choose senior Australian sides. Chappell has recently downscaled his time in the national talent manager role to three days a week, after the appointment of the former Test wicketkeeper Graham Manou to oversee the junior talent pathway.Interestingly, there were two attendees of the extraordinary board meeting (a telephone hook-up) who had a direct role in the Argus review itself: the former captain and board director Mark Taylor, and the chief executive James Sutherland, who vigorously defended the reviews conclusions and recommendations on Wednesday. Curious, then, that the board settled on its current selection course.So it is understandable then that players are questioning Chappells return to the selection panel, albeit on a temporary basis. Cricketers are known to have long memories, and as one noted this morning: Im just trying to work out what the cut off age for the baggy green will be now...Wholesale Jordan 1 Low . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Cheap Jordan 1 High . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. http://www.bestfakejordan1.com/ .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Air Jordan 1 Mid Yellow Toe Black Mens . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Jordan 1 Clearance . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.So, that was pretty much a standard season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.Sidney Crosby had five points in October, they fired their coach and won 18 of 23 down the stretch under new head coach Mike Sullivan. Then, with a rookie goalie who had spent most of the season in the American Hockey League, they never looked back, beating the San Jose Sharks in six games to win their first Stanley Cup since 2009. As for Crosby? All he did was finish third in NHL scoring with 85 points and then dominate the playoffs at both ends of the ice en route to a Conn Smythe Trophy win as playoff MVP. He enters this season fresh from an MVP turn at the World Cup of Hockey, where Canada went undefeated and Crosby led all players in points.So, whats the problem? History. And history tells us that it really doesnt matter how good you are after winning it all, the rest of the field always catches the defending champion. No NHL team has won back-to-back championships since the Detroit Red Wings did so in 1997 and 1998. And history tells us its virtually impossible, even if youre as good as the Penguins. Are they any more poised to defy history? Well, thats part of the adventure of the coming season.Best new facesDoes goalie Matt Murray count as a new face? Murray, 22, will start the season on the injured reserve list but will push Marc-Andre Fleury for starts after Murray gets over his broken hand suffered playing for Team North America at the World Cup. Other than the departure of top-six defenseman Ben Lovejoy, who signed with the New Jersey Devils, the lineup will essentially be the same one that celebrated at the Shark Tank in San Jose after Game 6. While many Cup champions do turn over a big portion of their lineup, its worth noting the Penguins relied heavily on rookie forwards Tom Kuhnhackl, Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust throughout the playoffs, even though they had spent considerable time in the AHL last season. So in some ways, they too can be considered new faces. Defenseman Justin Schultz, obtained from the Edmonton Oilers before the deadline, and Trevor Daley, who came over from the Chicago Blackhawks midseason and then missed the latter part of the playoffs with a broken leg, count as new-but-not-new faces.ddddddddddddBiggest unknownsHow does Phil Kessel rebound from a hand injury that bothered him in the playoffs? (Though he still finished with 22 points in 24 games). Can the rookies carry on their evolution after answering the call so ably in the playoffs? Can Brian Dumoulin continue his impressive ascendancy as a top-four defender? But no unknown will be more persistent than how GM Jim Rutherford handles his goaltending. The pressure is off to start the season with Murray on the shelf. But at some point, Rutherford is going to have to determine whether he rides out the season with Murray and the much-loved Fleury sharing time in the hopes the tandem can bring home a second straight Cup, even if it means potentially losing Fleury in the expansion draft in June. Or does Rutherford try to maximize the asset by moving Fleury midseason?Sure thingsIs there anything more sure than Crosby? Seems funny to think that people were prepared to write off Crosby after his tepid start to the season. Yet by the end of the playoffs, its fair to say he was playing as well as he ever had, his attention to detail unparalleled. He then followed up with a dominating performance at the World Cup. If there is one leader who might be able to coax a second straight championship out of this group, its Crosby. As for the way this team will play, thats a given too: fast. Dont expect Sullivan or the Pens to take their foot off the gas.PredictionThe Penguins are as close to a lock to go to the playoffs for the 11th straight season as any team, but that still might not be good enough to get them the Metropolitan Division title. Second in the Metropolitan. ' ' '