I sincerely hope that you will enjoy my musings for the new decade. Not only are we celebrating the normal change of a year, but the formal change of a decade too! So much has happened in the last decade– "The Noughties (00's)– much of it very strange and extremely painful. So, now, all are fully poised for even more momentous developments, be it sport, life, politics, love, finances or any other that you may encounter. Overall, though, most would be hoping that this new decade could be deemed the "Recovery Decade", after one with much trauma, terrorism, death, tsunamis, and great financial loss too, everywhere. "The Noughties" has been a decade of shambles!
"The Noughties" must be remembered, if not always in fondness, at least for so much change, as it was the decade that brought us the now ubiquitous "iPhone" and "Twitter", among many other technological innovations, along with a great, successful company whose name we now use as a verb, instead of a noun–Googling–from Google! Before we go to "The 10's"–2010 etc, and what we expect generally, including from our very own sporting horizons cricket-wise, I will firstly state a few of my own fairly relevant happenings of the explosive, in many interesting ways, last decade. I have been extremely fortunate, with reference to sports, over the last decade. I have been to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships many times, as was the case for all of the various ICC Cricket World Cups around the world, seen several Formula One races from the pit garages, and even gone to the paddocks for a few Epsom Derbies, along with experiencing the other cricketing exploits around the world, such as Brian Lara's majestic 400 not out against England in April, 2004, in Antigua & Barbuda.
That country also hosted the two Stanford Regional Series and Stanford Super Series, named after the man, R Allen Stanford, who was accused, in 2009, of "one of the greatest frauds of all time." I have been to Australia a few times, including that country's Olympics. So, most of my reflections would be of sports, since pure politics does not worry me, even though it does affect me, everyone, and every sport, sometimes very directly. References to natural disasters are noted elsewhere, as no-one can control those either.
I believe that in sport and general life, even including politics, there have been few decades that have produced such newness, and change, as the years from 2000 to 2009. Soon, I will complete a review of the achievements of West Indies cricket in 2009!
2000 (September):
"The Millennium Olympic Games" in Sydney, Australia, still considered to be one of the better run Games so far. Perhaps only the last such Games, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, could have been considered better organised. It was at Sydney that Marion Jones blew everyone away with steroid-induced speed, a flaw that would come back to haunt her in 2007–her medals were removed and she was jailed. Who could forget the overall national euphoria as Cathy Freeman, the Aboriginal Australian, lit the Olympic Torch, and then, later, dressed in a space suit, winning the women's 400 meters race, the first competitor to have done both in the same Games!
2001 (April):
Eldrick Tony Woods, better known as "Tiger", who would also feature, for quite different reasons, at the end of the decade, became the first man to hold all four of world golf's major titles at the same time, when he won the Augusta Masters. Regardless of subsequent happening, Woods would always be considered as the greatest golfer ever.
2001 (September):
September 11, 2001 was similar, in some ways, and very different, in others, to what the then President of the United States of America–Franklyn D Roosevelt–named as "A day that would live in infamy"–December 07, 1941. That day and attack brought the USA into World War II, which ended, in 1945, with the dropping of "Fat Man" and "Little Boy", the first Atomic bombs used in war, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two Japanese cities. The world has never been the same since! Everyone alive can now tell you where they were on that fateful morning–September 11, 2001–when two Boeing 767s, one from American Airlines, the other from United Airlines, were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre, in New York. The war that could have been perceived to have begun fully that day, according to the USA President then, George W Bush, on the terrorist elements around the world, still continues fully apace everywhere, including in Afghanistan, Yemen, and even in the USA, as was seen as recently as the very last days of December, 2009.
2002 (June):
Lennox Lewis, of Jamaican extraction, was already the heavyweight champion of the world when he fought Mike Tyson on June 08. However, only after having beaten Tyson, was Lewis considered the "undisputed" champion of the world. Only Muhammad Ali and Tyson himself had had such recent universal praise previously.
(June):
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, preferably known simply as "Ronaldo", sometimes called "The Phenomenon", one of the best soccer players that Brazil and the world has ever seen, scored two precise goals against Germany to allow his country to win the Fifa World Cup, ironically played in Japan, for a record fifth time.
(August):
Pete Sampras–"Pistol Pete"–retired from professional tennis after 15 years at the top and after having won 14 Grand Slam events, then a record. My own favorite male tennis player of all time is John Mc Enroe, but when it came to determination, guile, decorum and simply guts, no-one did it better than Sampras.
(August):
Even with the advent of Usain Bolt's speed in 2008 and 2009, Hicham el Guerrouj, the Moroccan middle distance runner is noteworthy, winning both the 1500m and 5000m races at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, becoming the first man to complete such in over 80 years. That was a true test of both speed and stamina.
LEFT: Ronaldo...guided Brazil to World Cup title.
CENTRE: Lance Armstrong...unprecedented performance
RIGHT: Pete Sampras...retired at top of his game
2004 (December):
Another date in infamy, for much different situations, where hundreds of thousands of people died, was December 26, 2004, when the great Indian Ocean Earthquake happened. This caused the greatest loss of life from any sea disaster in history. Many more than the reported half a million people died in places like Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand. Some of these countries have not yet begun to recover from this.
(July):
Like most Russian Sports-women, Yalena Isinbayeva, the former gymnast, now world record beating pole-vaulter, is gorgeous. She is also very serious about her sport. So serious, indeed, that she has became the first woman to clear the almost impossible height of five meters, more than 16 feet; in July 2005. She is still only 27, and, having won Gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, among many awards, she is considered by everyone to be the best female pole-vaulter of all time.
2005 (July):
Lance Edward Gunderson, known to us as Lance Armstrong, became the best professional cyclist ever, with his historic seventh consecutive win of the prestigious Tour de France, the Blue Ribbon event of that sport; 1999 - 2005. I ride for exercise, but I doubt that I could appreciate how difficult it would be to win one such race, much less seven in a row, all done while he was experiencing the pangs of testicular cancer. The term "Superman" should almost always be associated with this guy. In my mind, this is the greatest individual sporting achievement of the decade!
(July):
Most will remember the head-butt that Zinadine Zidane � "Zizou" � gave to Marco Matterazzi as France played Italy in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2006. He was subsequently sent off; France eventually losing 3-5 on penalties. However, "Zizou" is one of only two world soccer players who have won almost everything in the game, the other being the previously mentioned Ronaldo. What tremendous players the two have been. With South Africa 2010 just around the corner, we can only hope for such excellent football, perhaps even a few such stars too!
(June/July):
I had been on large sailing ships, such as "The Condor of Bermuda", while playing cricket for the West Indies in Australia, and had seen the majesty of the "Around the World" yachts while on a West Indies cricket tour of New Zealand in 2000. Because of these opportunities, I was particularly interested, and impressed, in the outcome of the 2007 America's Cup event, as the defending champion, Alinghi, was actually based in Switzerland, which is a land-locked country, one with no beaches whatsoever. That is why the 2007 races were held off the coast of Valencia, in Spain. It was a first that the defending champion's country did not host the event. It was also a first that the defending champion, Alinghi, also won, quite easily in the end, after losing the third race. In previous America's Cup competitions, the boat that won the third race normally went on to win the entire series of races. Alinghi eventually won the tournament 5-2; winning the final race by just 1 second!
(August):
The 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the XXIX Olympiad, was a marvel in many ways, and, in my opinion, the premier sporting event of the decade. The intricate and picturesque "Bird's Nest" athletic stadium remains something of an iconic scene. These games produced the fastest running man ever, Usain Bolt, from Jamaica, another product of the proud Caribbean. He won the 100 and 200 metres, and was a part of the 4 x 100 metres relay, all in record time. Most agree that he could go faster still, even faster that he did in the 100 and 200 metres races in 2009, too, when he broke his own records! In those same Olympics, the superlatives also extended to the pool, with the USA's Michael Phelps winning a record eight gold medal. hat athletes these two have been.
(March):
There was great sadness everywhere in the cricket world, and the world at large, when the touring Sri Lankan cricketers and their escorts were attacked on their way to the Lahore Stadium, in Pakistan. Terrorism had come home to cricket directly. Five policemen and a bus driver were killed in the attack, while six members of the Sri Lankan touring team were injured, the worst being Tilan Samaraweera; shot through his leg. The jolt and the repercussions will continue to be felt around the sports world.
2009 (June):
There was great sadness everywhere when it was published that "The Gloved One"–that magnificent performer, Michael Joseph Jackson, had died, aged just 50. His 1984 "Victory" Tour–the last performed as one of "The Jacksons", is still considered as probably the best "live" tour ever seen anywhere. I was there too! It grossed nearly US$100 Million, which was a record for such tours at that time.
2009 (November):
"Tiger", who celebrated his 34th birthday on December 30, 2009, was again in the news, and the headlines kept coming through too!
"Playing with ten under"; "In so many holes"; "Spreading eagles" etc. What a strange life we live! It was the end of a very different decade indeed. It was survival of the toughest! Enjoy!
Colin EH Croft
c.e.h.croft@gmail.com