Blog Posts by Princy James

I've always been an Azzurri fan, a hard-core calcio aficionado. All through these years, after being subjected to much brainwashing, I still remain loyal to Italian soccer. Though the over emphasis on defense has sapped them of their acrobatic essence, I still feel drawn to them; and nothing prevented me from remaining a faithful fan, until one day I was shown a video of 1982 Brazilian World Cup soccer squad led by Socrates Oliveira.

Yes I did cheat once, I confess. But I would be lying to myself if I fail to admit that the Canarinhos outwitted the Azzurris in that second round group match. Till date, that squad is regarded as one of the greatest teams in World Cup history even if they failed to win the trophy. If you want to know why, watch this video .

I bet any footie fan would be rendered speechless after watching this. As the football fans mourn the death of the great Brazilian skipper Socrates Oliveira, I can't help lamenting over that lost glory too. The Brazilians then had a way Read More »

Roger Federer had this to say after his first match at the Flushing Meadows this year:

"I really have the feeling that conditions are slower this year than last year here at the US Open. It's just unfortunate - I think that maybe all the Slams are too equal. I think they should feel very different to the Australian Open, and now I don't feel it really does. It's great for tennis, but I'm not sure if it's really what the game needs. The game needs different speed at Slams and so forth."

I agree with Federer. Variety is not just the spice of life, but also of the game. There was a time when the four Grand Slams of tennis reminded of Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons —  each having their unique styles. The Rebound Ace surface at Rod Laver Arena and the hard clay courts of Rolland Garros favouring the baseliners, while the fast grass at Wimbledon and acrylic hard courts of Flusing Meadows luring the serve and volleyers. The four Slams then moulded players with distinctive styles thus making Read More »

If it was choice that made Saudi Arabian billionaire Osama Bin Laden a terrorist, his ascension to the status of most wanted fugitive was a result of America's vacillating policies. The US, like a self-proclaimed Messiah, has long been perpetuating the values of democracy propagating its ideals beyond their boundaries. In theory, this way-too generous attitude of Uncle Sam sounded perfect. But in an attempt to create the so-called free societies, many of their missions did derail, failing their calculations, often ending up in catastrophes.

Insurgencies and revolts against the ruling power had been there since centuries. But in the past couple of decades, it has spread across the globe at an alarming rate like cancer. The catalytic evolution of Mujahideens - which started as an upheaval against the communist regime of Afghanistan and the occupant Soviet forces to what we see as today's al-Qaeda has surpassed imagination. It has a new face and new mission now. Today it's not something

Read More »

I overslept as it was my weekly off, and was a little late to hear about the awful quake that hit Japan. The catastrophic images I  saw on TV were worse than what Roland Emmerich depicted in 'Day After Tomorrow'. I wasted no time logging on to Facebook to check whether my friend Shyam Krishna who stays in Tokyo is fine. Minutes later, I saw his status that read: "Earthquake in Tokyo! The building is shaking!

He told me that even while typing those words, the entire building kept shaking. The building where he works is strong enough to withstand quakes up to a magnitude of 9 Richter scale. I told him jokingly to keep updating about what has been happening around him, so that we'll know he is alive. Though he trembled with fear, he managed to keep updating his status and chatting all the while, narrating the incidents each passing second.

His initial reaction soon gave way to fear as they got a clearer picture of the situation. He said:
"Japan is no stranger to earth quakes, and we have

Read More »

My habit of reading  the newspaper backwards hasn't changed, unless there's some sensational news. Blame my love for sports for that.

I started watching Tennis in the so-called 'Doordarshan era' when people weren't lucky enough to get a taste of most of the tennis tournaments other than the 4 Grand Slams. I had to rely on TV news and newspapers or magazines like Sportstar to follow the Championship series (now the Masters Series) , the  Monte Carlo Open or the Lipton International (since renamed as the Sony Ericsson Open). At the time, I obsessively cut out articles and stories on Sampras, Agassi and Jim Courier — and those treasured clippings are still with me now, despite this being the age of the Internet, and a simple search can provide me with more information than I possibly could need.

Sampras once mentioned that Agassi was the one responsible for taking tennis to the masses — very true, in my opinion. Andre's funky hairdo, earrings and those funny antics on court

Read More »

People still talk with awe when they mention Nostradamus — the 16th century French astrologer. Wonder what would people talk about Paul the Octopus a few years from now. Hopefully, if he doesn't end up on somebody's dinner table, we can expect more of him the next Euro Cup when he grows wiser with age. Is there any truth behind the so-called predictions? Looking at the way the Germans played against Spain, I was left to believe that the octopus had taken up their mind eating away their confidence. Psychological effect? I'm not kidding.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, the magnificent midfielder was nowhere near his usual form in their semi-final against Spain. And Klose, who was on the verge of making history, couldn't, unfortunately. Hopefully he can score some goals against Uruguay on Saturday and earn a place in history becoming an all-time top scorer. Coming back to superstitions, now even I'm scared to support my favourite teams. Starting from Italy, all my favourite teams have stumbled on

Read More »

The King should be delighted and take pride in his best soldier. But unfortunately this case doesn't apply for the Argentine squad - where the greatest player in football history and the greatest player of the times come together - Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.

On field, there are many things that unite both - the talent, the agility, instinct, and how they dribble past the defenders; one can draw lots of parallels here. In fact,we can see a carbon copy of Maradona in Messi. Strange it might seem, but there are more things other than their short stature that unites Messi and Maradona. In 2007, with disbelief in its eyes, the world watched Messi replicating Maradona's 'Goal of the Century' against the Spanish club Getafe. Is it mere co-incidence or a miracle that the touches (13), duration (13 seconds), and the number of opponents (6) were identical to that of Maradona's?

It doesn't stop here; weeks later, Messi even did a 'Hand of God' goal by punching in a score against

Read More »

Fame — it's

Read More »