Day 56-59: Let's Pause so I can Talk About Sports
So, I really didn't do anything in Mumbai outside of eat, drink and be merry. The only sightseeing I did was take some requisite pictures of the beautiful VT station (if only there wasn't roughly 200,000 people circling the outside of the building), the Taj Hotel and the Gateway of India. I had two different Thali meals. The first was a fish thali, which was the strangest Thali I've eaten, because it barely had any non-meat dishes, which is a foreign concept to what a Thali normally is. The restaurant was named 'Kurry Klub' which seemed odd, since both 'Kurry' and 'Klub' usually start with the letter 'C', so there didn't seem to be any reason to stylize them to 'K'. The fish thali was very good. The next day we were a little more adventurous, going to Samrat, and all veg restaurant, to have their noted Veg thali. Despite not being to fond of the idea of not having the option to have meat, their thali was very good. My favorite was the semi-sweet dhal with a well-fried puri, but nearly all of their late dishes were good. It was one of the first all-veg places that served alcohol (only beer), so my cousin and I ordered a bottle each. The waiter, probably not expecting anyone to order beer, just stared at us for like 30 seconds, seemingly unaware of what to do with that request. In the end, he realized what we were asking, gave us the beer and we enjoyed a nice Thali lunch.
In lieu of writing more about cavorting with my cousin, I'll take some time to write about sports, which I still do follow to some degree.
I was able to watch some NBA Playoffs, as they're "shown" on Sony Six (the channel most known for having the IPL rights). They advertised their having the playoffs heavily, but come Day one of the playoffs and the opening game of Celtics-Knicks, and come 12:30 AM in Mumbai (matching the 3:00 noon start time for the game), what did we see on Sony Six: cricket highlights.Apparently, them buying the rights doesn't precipitate them actually showing the games. Still, It is hard to really get into these playoffs, as the only real question is we have to answer is "how many games will Miami lose in the playoffs". As someone who still vehemently hates what LeBron James did that night, I laugh at the NBA being reduced to a formality. I laughed when all analysts were giving the Heat a pass for a mediocre (for them) start to the season, full with losses to good teams and close, lazy wins to bad ones. I laughed harder at the NBA when those analysts were proved correct when the Heat decided to play at their collective best and run off a 27-game win streak. And I laugh now when the playoffs has been reduced to wondering if a team will ever have to face a Game 6 on their way to a repeat. The whole 'not one, not two, not three....' thing was fun when they lost to the Mavericks, a team almost impossible to hate, in 2011. It isn't as fun now when it could be true.
Thankfully, the only team that I think can beat the Heat, the Spurs, have their mojo back. I don't know if they can beat the Thunder*, but I didn't think the Thunder could beat the Spurs last year, and it is poetic justice if the Spurs return the favor. The Spurs can do some of the things that work against the Heat. First, they space the floor and shoot and hit threes about as well as any other team in the NBA. Also, they have two big men that are good on both ends, including one that on a per-minute basis has probably been one of the 10 best players in the NBA this year (Tim Duncan). I'm not saying they would beat them, but that they have the best shot of any team to beat the Heat. They also are lucky that they'll face a slightly injured Denver team, and avoid Memphis until the WCF (if they get there). The only thing I care about in these playoffs is seeing the Spurs get to the finals, where they'll most likely lose. But they'll definitely go down swinging. Plus, we'll get to remember that beautiful Popovich vs. Stern thing back from November.
* I wrote this before the Westbrook injury. I think that injury just kills the Thunder's chances at getting back to the finals. And as an Heat-hating NBA nation, let's hope that is the case, because without Westbrook, the Thunder lost one of the few real advantages they had on the Heat (the PG position). The Spurs should beat them, if not the winner of the Clippers-Grizzlies in the previous round*
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These things happened during my next Diary entry period, but let's talk about what just happened in the UCL. Both games happened when I was in the air, but because of the modern magic known as bittorrent, I was able to see most of both games. I'm not surprised that Bayern won, and I'm not surprised Dortmund won. Obviously, the scores are surprising, but even then, both Dortmund and Bayern were talented enough. I'm not ready to say that Germany is know the center of world football, that they're a shoo-in to go farther than Spain in the World Cup next summer. No, but I am ready to say that their brief rennaissance with back-to-back wins over Barca was as good as the 2012-2013 season was going to get for Real, and that Barca's many issues were finally exposed, all at the same time.
Barca even coming into that match had been decidedly average (by their standards) in UCL play. They had won just one of their four matches in the knockout rounds. It was a stirring match, a 4-0 win ober AC Milan in the Camp Nou after a sullen 0-2 loss in the San Siro, which allowed them to do something historic. In retrospect, that was nothing more than one last day in the sun, one last memorable moment. They were the better team against PSG, but they needed some good fortune to win on away goals. And now, they were, for maybe just the 2nd time in the Messi era at Barca, undressed. The only other game that comes close in my memory was their 1-3 loss in the 1st Leg of the 2010 UCL Semifinal to Inter Milan. That Mourinho led team easily could have won 5-1, as they gave Barca nothing (other than the one goal) and countered with ease. This was worse. Here, Bayern actually gave Barca nothing, and countered even better, as they easily could have won 6-0.
Barca still had their massive edge in possession (although 67-33 isn't as one-sided as it normally is), but for once there was no way for the commentators to say Barca had been the better team. No, they were the worst team. For years, Barca had started to care less and less about defense, and now, with Puyol and Mascherano (who was already out of place as a full-back) out, and Pique lost most of the night, they looked terrible. For years, they've gotten rid of players who don't fit their system besides their different but appreciable skill (Eto'o, Zlatan, Keita), instead going with a more of the same approach, but all that does is make Barca totally susceptible to injury concerns, which finally happened. For years, they've become increasingly more dependent on the play of Lionel Messi, and while Leo has been up to the challenge, he finally got hurt, and he was still clearly not 100% (and let's hope that is true, because if not, there isn't much explanation for his, in all honesty, bad play in the game) and the team just fizzled. Their passing game didn't work, with Bayern picking them out constantly. Their one-on-ones didn't work as Alaba and Dante and Boaten handled those with ease. Nothing worked for Barca. There is no way that they can turn this around.
Real has a shot, because a 3-0 win is doable. Very unlikely, but doable. Their loss was different, but no less important, as a final coronation for what Dortmund has done the past three years. One day after the news that Mario Goetze, their uber-talented young star, was sold to Bayern, he and the team went out and just dominated Madrid. This isn't surprising, because last year a better Madrid team was outplayed over 210 minutes by Bayern in the semifinal, but this was getting outplayed but also outplanned. Jose Mourinho once had this type of team, with Porto in 2004, that outplayed the big boys. The thing is, though, that Dortmund is not really a Porto, but more of a Chelsea (from the Mourinho era) without the money. These guys won the Bundesliga the last two seasons (lost it this year). They have many players that play for Germany. Robert Lewandowski isn't German, but he's a well-experienced International. This isn't a normal 'random UCL semifinalist', but a team that absolutely could win the title.
Although, to me, this is still Bayern's year. This is a dominant team, as well constructed as any I've seen since the first Barca team that won six trophies (the 2008-09 unit that featured Eto'o and Henry along with Messi up front). They have talent and toughness and tactical brilliant at all three levels. They still have nearly all of their players in their prime. I'm not sure who Mario Goetze is supposed to step in for, but with Pep Guardialo coming on board next year, we could be starting something special here in Bayern. This team already has been to the UCL Final in 2010 and 2012, losing one to just a better team (Inter), and choking away one to a worse team (Chelsea), but they rose to the occasion. The best way to do this whole thing would be to beat Barca at home as well. Barca's down on the mat. Bayern can finish them.
So, I really didn't do anything in Mumbai outside of eat, drink and be merry. The only sightseeing I did was take some requisite pictures of the beautiful VT station (if only there wasn't roughly 200,000 people circling the outside of the building), the Taj Hotel and the Gateway of India. I had two different Thali meals. The first was a fish thali, which was the strangest Thali I've eaten, because it barely had any non-meat dishes, which is a foreign concept to what a Thali normally is. The restaurant was named 'Kurry Klub' which seemed odd, since both 'Kurry' and 'Klub' usually start with the letter 'C', so there didn't seem to be any reason to stylize them to 'K'. The fish thali was very good. The next day we were a little more adventurous, going to Samrat, and all veg restaurant, to have their noted Veg thali. Despite not being to fond of the idea of not having the option to have meat, their thali was very good. My favorite was the semi-sweet dhal with a well-fried puri, but nearly all of their late dishes were good. It was one of the first all-veg places that served alcohol (only beer), so my cousin and I ordered a bottle each. The waiter, probably not expecting anyone to order beer, just stared at us for like 30 seconds, seemingly unaware of what to do with that request. In the end, he realized what we were asking, gave us the beer and we enjoyed a nice Thali lunch.
In lieu of writing more about cavorting with my cousin, I'll take some time to write about sports, which I still do follow to some degree.
I was able to watch some NBA Playoffs, as they're "shown" on Sony Six (the channel most known for having the IPL rights). They advertised their having the playoffs heavily, but come Day one of the playoffs and the opening game of Celtics-Knicks, and come 12:30 AM in Mumbai (matching the 3:00 noon start time for the game), what did we see on Sony Six: cricket highlights.Apparently, them buying the rights doesn't precipitate them actually showing the games. Still, It is hard to really get into these playoffs, as the only real question is we have to answer is "how many games will Miami lose in the playoffs". As someone who still vehemently hates what LeBron James did that night, I laugh at the NBA being reduced to a formality. I laughed when all analysts were giving the Heat a pass for a mediocre (for them) start to the season, full with losses to good teams and close, lazy wins to bad ones. I laughed harder at the NBA when those analysts were proved correct when the Heat decided to play at their collective best and run off a 27-game win streak. And I laugh now when the playoffs has been reduced to wondering if a team will ever have to face a Game 6 on their way to a repeat. The whole 'not one, not two, not three....' thing was fun when they lost to the Mavericks, a team almost impossible to hate, in 2011. It isn't as fun now when it could be true.
Thankfully, the only team that I think can beat the Heat, the Spurs, have their mojo back. I don't know if they can beat the Thunder*, but I didn't think the Thunder could beat the Spurs last year, and it is poetic justice if the Spurs return the favor. The Spurs can do some of the things that work against the Heat. First, they space the floor and shoot and hit threes about as well as any other team in the NBA. Also, they have two big men that are good on both ends, including one that on a per-minute basis has probably been one of the 10 best players in the NBA this year (Tim Duncan). I'm not saying they would beat them, but that they have the best shot of any team to beat the Heat. They also are lucky that they'll face a slightly injured Denver team, and avoid Memphis until the WCF (if they get there). The only thing I care about in these playoffs is seeing the Spurs get to the finals, where they'll most likely lose. But they'll definitely go down swinging. Plus, we'll get to remember that beautiful Popovich vs. Stern thing back from November.
* I wrote this before the Westbrook injury. I think that injury just kills the Thunder's chances at getting back to the finals. And as an Heat-hating NBA nation, let's hope that is the case, because without Westbrook, the Thunder lost one of the few real advantages they had on the Heat (the PG position). The Spurs should beat them, if not the winner of the Clippers-Grizzlies in the previous round*
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These things happened during my next Diary entry period, but let's talk about what just happened in the UCL. Both games happened when I was in the air, but because of the modern magic known as bittorrent, I was able to see most of both games. I'm not surprised that Bayern won, and I'm not surprised Dortmund won. Obviously, the scores are surprising, but even then, both Dortmund and Bayern were talented enough. I'm not ready to say that Germany is know the center of world football, that they're a shoo-in to go farther than Spain in the World Cup next summer. No, but I am ready to say that their brief rennaissance with back-to-back wins over Barca was as good as the 2012-2013 season was going to get for Real, and that Barca's many issues were finally exposed, all at the same time.
Barca even coming into that match had been decidedly average (by their standards) in UCL play. They had won just one of their four matches in the knockout rounds. It was a stirring match, a 4-0 win ober AC Milan in the Camp Nou after a sullen 0-2 loss in the San Siro, which allowed them to do something historic. In retrospect, that was nothing more than one last day in the sun, one last memorable moment. They were the better team against PSG, but they needed some good fortune to win on away goals. And now, they were, for maybe just the 2nd time in the Messi era at Barca, undressed. The only other game that comes close in my memory was their 1-3 loss in the 1st Leg of the 2010 UCL Semifinal to Inter Milan. That Mourinho led team easily could have won 5-1, as they gave Barca nothing (other than the one goal) and countered with ease. This was worse. Here, Bayern actually gave Barca nothing, and countered even better, as they easily could have won 6-0.
Barca still had their massive edge in possession (although 67-33 isn't as one-sided as it normally is), but for once there was no way for the commentators to say Barca had been the better team. No, they were the worst team. For years, Barca had started to care less and less about defense, and now, with Puyol and Mascherano (who was already out of place as a full-back) out, and Pique lost most of the night, they looked terrible. For years, they've gotten rid of players who don't fit their system besides their different but appreciable skill (Eto'o, Zlatan, Keita), instead going with a more of the same approach, but all that does is make Barca totally susceptible to injury concerns, which finally happened. For years, they've become increasingly more dependent on the play of Lionel Messi, and while Leo has been up to the challenge, he finally got hurt, and he was still clearly not 100% (and let's hope that is true, because if not, there isn't much explanation for his, in all honesty, bad play in the game) and the team just fizzled. Their passing game didn't work, with Bayern picking them out constantly. Their one-on-ones didn't work as Alaba and Dante and Boaten handled those with ease. Nothing worked for Barca. There is no way that they can turn this around.
Real has a shot, because a 3-0 win is doable. Very unlikely, but doable. Their loss was different, but no less important, as a final coronation for what Dortmund has done the past three years. One day after the news that Mario Goetze, their uber-talented young star, was sold to Bayern, he and the team went out and just dominated Madrid. This isn't surprising, because last year a better Madrid team was outplayed over 210 minutes by Bayern in the semifinal, but this was getting outplayed but also outplanned. Jose Mourinho once had this type of team, with Porto in 2004, that outplayed the big boys. The thing is, though, that Dortmund is not really a Porto, but more of a Chelsea (from the Mourinho era) without the money. These guys won the Bundesliga the last two seasons (lost it this year). They have many players that play for Germany. Robert Lewandowski isn't German, but he's a well-experienced International. This isn't a normal 'random UCL semifinalist', but a team that absolutely could win the title.
Although, to me, this is still Bayern's year. This is a dominant team, as well constructed as any I've seen since the first Barca team that won six trophies (the 2008-09 unit that featured Eto'o and Henry along with Messi up front). They have talent and toughness and tactical brilliant at all three levels. They still have nearly all of their players in their prime. I'm not sure who Mario Goetze is supposed to step in for, but with Pep Guardialo coming on board next year, we could be starting something special here in Bayern. This team already has been to the UCL Final in 2010 and 2012, losing one to just a better team (Inter), and choking away one to a worse team (Chelsea), but they rose to the occasion. The best way to do this whole thing would be to beat Barca at home as well. Barca's down on the mat. Bayern can finish them.
