2010 Feb 23 Talking Balls: Winners, Losers and New Starts
The Winter Olympics is well underway. China’s been racking up the medals – providing that racking up suggests no more than five. Zhou Yang and Wang Meng blitzed the ladies short track speed skating in the 1500 and 500 meter categories respectively. Wang was disqualified in the Semi-final of the 500m. China’s other gold (or is that two) came from figure skating pair Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue. The married skaters subsequently retired after reaching their career goal. This will give hope to the pair they beat into silver, Tong Jian and Pang Qing. Finally, third place on the podium was 500m speed skater Wang Beixing.
Snowboard half-pipe medal prospect Liu Jiayu came in a respectable fourth, while teammate Sun Zhifeng ended seventh. And so to curling, everyone’s new favorite sport. China’s men have been getting brushed aside. Played eight, won two, lost six. The good news? They are ahead of Team USA. China’s women recovered from an opening loss to post five wins and three losses and look on course to reach the Semi-finals. These take place on Feb 25; you may want to practice your sickly voice for ringing work.
HJ Watch: That’s Hao Junmin by the way, Schalke 04’s newest Chinese star. He made his debut away to Wolfsburg on Sunday. The team lost 2-1 with Hao in the unfamiliar role of right back. German football magazine gave him 4/10. Well done to the boy.
The Chinese press are acting surprised because they all thought Schalke coach Felix Magath didn't like Chinese players. Former Beijing Guoan striker Yang Chen was always one of the main scorers for Frankfurt until 1999, when Magath took over. After that Yang Chen was always on the bench.
ZZ Watch: Zheng Zhi’s not having the best of times in Glasgow. He’s made two appearances from the bench in the last four Celtic games. It could be worse for him in Scotland, he could be Rangers’ Allan MacGregor.
Better news for Scotsmen is that Maurice Ross, a former Glasgow Rangers player, is Beijing Guoan’s newest signing. Here is an interview with him. You may be shocked to hear that he is no relation to any of the Griffiths family. He’s taken Ryan Griffiths place on the AFC Champions League squad as Hong Yuanshuo says "We need a defender," and he’s the boss. The laowai in Guoan’s continental squad are Darko Matic (Bosnia), Erivaldo Antonio Saraiva (aka Otto, Brazil), Joel Griffiths (Australia) and Maurice Ross (Scotland). Fans are in for a feast of football.
Guoan start tonight against Melbourne Victory. Good luck getting a ticket. If you did you will be pleased to know that Fubar is open and Chad’s welcoming fans. No taking your drinks away from the bar though.
Finally, here are the new kits for the CSL season. All of them are made by Nike. It’s like Nike signed a deal with the league. Odd. If you want to know the list is: (from top) Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Shenhua, Shandong Luneng, Tianjin Teda, Henan Construction, Changchun Yatai, Changsha Ginde, Chengdu Blades, Dalian Shide, Jiangsu Sainty, Liaoning Hongyun, Qingdao Jonoon, Shaanxi Neo-China Chanba, Shenzhen Hongzuan.
Manchester United failure Dong Fangzhuo has set out to try again in Europe. This time the team is Legia Warsaw. Let's hope he makes more than one appearance. Also, the corruption crackdown at the CFA has had results. Guangzhou GPC and Chengdu Blades were demoted to the second division, while second division team Qingdao Hailifeng have been disqualified altogether. No new Nike kits for them.
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Talking Balls: Li Na Loses, Fights at the Football & Olympic Scandal
China's best tennis player ever, Li Na, crashed out of Wimbledon at just the second round. The number three seed lost to Germany's Sabine Lisnicki - whose victory marked a remarkable comeback from a career-threatening ankle injury - after winning the first set and being 5-3 up in the third set.
That was not all that Li lost at the All England Club. She also managed to misplace her husband who stormed out of Centre Court during the middle of the second set. Li, as always, reacted to the inevitable questions in the post-match press conference with the quotes we have come to expect:
Journalist: "Have you found your husband yet?"
Li Na: "I don't know where he was going, so when I find him I will tell you"Talking Balls: Lucky Bhoys, Dodgy Buys and a Foul-mouthed Tirade
Good news for fans of “ZZ Watch” this week. After giving up all hope (us and not him that is) Zheng Zhi actually played. Better still he scored. Even better than that is that the goal was the winner over Hearts which secured Celtic Champions’ League football next season. Take a look at the goal by clicking here – it’s at 3:10 and it’s a belter. Whether or not this affects ZZ’s Celtic career remains to be seen but goals like that should mean he’ll not struggle for offers.
Talking Balls: Marbury & a New Griffith Brother for China
The biggest news of the week is that Stephon Marbury is signing for the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons, the CBA’s finest team named after a dragon. Marbury has apparently decided to move to China to reignite his flagging career. Marbury deserved the nickname Starbury in his earlier years as he racked up two All Star appearances. Since then he’s become a champion of the poor with his Starbury brand of affordable footwear, sports apparel and lifestyle clothing. Word on the street, as scared kids are calling the internet, is that his move to the East is in a bid to sell more of his shoes. Fake Jordans or real Starburys? That’s for the kids to decide.
Talking Balls: AWOL Aussies, Skipper Kidnaps and Giant Kids
Beijing Guoan are not even playing at the moment, but are still managing to be controversial. This time the controversy stretches all the way to Australia and guess who’s at the center of it? None other than Beijing’s former hardman/nutcase/sensation, Joel Griffiths. As mentioned in a previous Talking Balls it was understood that he was fated to return to the Newcastle Jets after Guoan refused to meet the Australian team’s valuation. But now Griffiths has gone AWOL from the A-League club. He skipped his first training session highlighting that he had an agreement that Beijing only had to offer AUD 350,000 to secure his services for next season. The Chinese champions did that on New Year’s Eve but the Jets said that deal was contingent on Griffiths finishing the A-League season and that deal ended on December 16. Read more here and here. If Griffiths is to play for Guoan in next season’s Asian Champions’ League then he needs to be registered before January 11. Wait and see.
Talking Balls: Blazing Trails in Portland, Costly Foreign Faces and Those Downtrodden Ducks
New Year’s resolution for sports have always been associated with winning another champion or breaking the world record, but for China’s sportswear tycoon Li Ning, his resolution is open his first US store in Portland on January 4.
