Match play pits one golfer (or one team) against another. Unlike in stroke play, in which total score counts, the golfers compete for each hole. Whoever shoots the lowest score on a hole wins the hole. If the two golfers (or teams) finish with identical scores, the hole is “halved.” Whoever wins the most holes wins the match. If the players (or teams) finish with the same score, the match is halved. Match play does not usually affect your golf handicap. These are the basics.

This head-to-head confrontation, as golf instruction manuals tell you, radically changes how you play the game. Some golf tips urge you to be more aggressive in match play than in stroke play. Other golf tips urge you to play your normal game. What determines how you play is where you stand on the hole, where your opponent stands on the hole, and where the two of you stand in the match.

Most golf instruction will tell you that match play is a balancing act. You’re always weighing the need to put pressure on your opponent against the need to win the hole. The player who plays the best under pressure, regardless of where his golf handicap is, usually wins the match. Handling the pressure is not something golf lessons prepares you for. It’s something you need to experience yourself.

On the tee it’s more important than ever to hit the fairway with your drive. If you’re first off the tee, hitting a good drive increases the pressure on your opponent to also hit a good drive. And vice versa. If you hit a bad drive, that takes the pressure off your opponent. And vice versa. The object is to apply pressure as much as possible during the match.

On the fairway you need to be aware of where your opponent is and what his or her score is on the hole at all times. Keep in mind those golf lessons that tell you to maintain focus. You can hit a bad shot on the hole and still not lose the hole if your opponent also hits a bad shot. In fact, you can shoot an 8 on a hole and win the hole, if your opponent shoots a 9. The key to winning a hole in match play is knowing where your opponent stands on the hole and not panicking if he or she hits a good shot. The next shot could be out of bounds.

On the green, how aggressive you are on any putt depends on where your opponent is, where you are, and where you stand on the hole. Normally, if you had a difficult down hill putt, you’d play the shot conservatively, so as to not slip ten feet past the hole and cost yourself additional strokes. That’s what most golf tips emphasize. In match play, where your opponent is and what his or her score is dictates putting strategy.

If your opponent is laying 3 and is five inches from the whole, chances are he or she is going to sink the putt for a 4. If you’re laying 3, you need to sink the putt to tie your opponent for the hole, so you might as well be aggressive with it.

On the other hand, if your opponent is laying 3 and is twenty feet from the hole, you might as well play that downhill putt more conservatively, if you are also laying 3. You don’t want to run the ball 10 feet past the hole. It could cost you an additional stroke or two and, quite possibly, the hole. Always know where your opponent is on the green and what he or she is shooting before deciding on your putting strategy.

Conceding putts is an issue in match play. You don’t have to concede a putt, even if your opponent has conceded one to you. But most golfers do if it’s short (within 2 feet) and it’s not going to cost you the hole. Some players will concede short putts right up until crunch time, then make his opponent putt everything out just to put some additional pressure on him.

It’s also good to know if your opponent is a good or bad putter. If he’s a poor putter, you might make him putt everything out. Chances are your opponent may 3 putt or even 4 putt on the hole, giving you the hole if you 2 putt.

And then there are going to be times when you need a “hero shot” to win the hole or the match. If the hole or the match is on the line and you have a difficult shot, which you’d play conservatively in stroke play, you want to be more aggressive. If you play the shot conservatively, as most golf instruction dictates, you’ll probably lose the hole and/or the match anyway, so you might as well go for it in the hopes of saving the hole or match.

The key in match play is knowing when to be aggressive and when to be conservative. Match play is not about lowering your golf handicap. It’s about winning holes. Where you stand on the hole, where your opponent stands on the hole, and where the two of you stand in the match dictates strategy. Try not to let the pressure get to you and try to increase the pressure on your opponent whenever it’s prudent. And don’t panic if you fall behind early. You can still win the match, if you don’t give up.

Barry Bonds is chasing perhaps the greatest mark of them all– the all-time Major League Baseball home run record. Currently Hank Aaron, who has 755, is the one that fans admire. Bonds also trails Babe Ruth, who accumulated 715 dingers.

He will start this season at 708 and will need either one outstanding year or two extremely productive ones to break the record. Many experts believe with the injuries he’s sustained over the past few seasons it will be hard for him to reach the plateau set by Aaron. Another problem with Bonds setting a new lifetime home run mark is that people believe it will not be a true record because the slugger used steroids.

If he does become the most prolific long ball hitter to ever stand at home plate, there will be some contending that he cheated in order to do so. Critics will claim that during some of his most productive seasons he was on steroids and could not have hit that many home runs without “the juice.” It’s not that Bonds didn’t have any ability; he was and still is a gifted athlete. The question is because he whacked at least some of his homers while on steroids will people respect the record the same way they have for Ruth and Aaron. That is the big question.

Bonds will definitely be in the spotlight regardless of what he does this season. As long as he continues to play, the story of him chasing Ruth and then Aaron’s record will be a hot baseball topic this season and possibly next.

The fact that he plays half of his games in San Francisco’s hitter friendly AT&T Park certainly favors Bonds accomplishing this goal. But he also has things working against him. Most pitchers will try to throw around him, not giving Bonds very much at which to swing. As the season wears on, this will affect him both physically and mentally.

Bonds has complained in the past about how many walks he receives and how they take a toll on his legs. Another problem that may prevent Bonds from breaking the home run record is that he’s in the National League and is required to play the field. He has indicated he would like to stay with the San Francisco Giants and will refuse a trade to an American League (AL) team. If he were to go to an AL team, it could prolong his career because he would be able to be a designated hitter and would not be required to play the field.

He has said that San Francisco is his home and he will retire before he’s traded to another team. There is no question that this season he’ll be under scrutiny, and if he doesn’t produce the media will be all over him. Reporters may ask if he is over the hill, unable to go long without steroids, or if he can possibly stay healthy enough to finish his quest for the record.

The fact remains that Barry Bonds is going for the record and baseball fans will certainly be watching to see if he can do it. If he closes in on the mark, there will probably be sellout crowds in stadiums across the United States hoping to catch a home run ball from the remarkable Bonds. He will have many obstacles to overcome if he is going to accomplish this great feat.

One thing is certain it will be interesting to see if he has the stamina to hold on long enough to break the record. If he fails there will be people saying he should have retired at the top of his game and not have come back to try to break the record. Fans of home run fever will be tuning in the watch the saga of Barry Bonds.

This article was written by Susan Alvis sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com If you’re looking for baseball tickets to see Barry Bonds in action, look no further than Stubhub.com where fans buy and sell the hottest sports tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com

As players we NEED to understand that we MUST control the three parts of the golf club in order to strike quality golf shots. These three parts are:

1. The clubface

2. The clubhead

3. The clubshaft

These three parts MUST be controlled through three Stations – from Address, to the Top, and to the Finish. You’ll notice that Impact is NOT included in these locations.

Impact does not have the rank of a station simply because it happens if you have controlled the club through the three Stations.

1. The left hand controls the clubface and its job is to impart “Hinge Action” to the face supplying direction, trajectory, and curvature. These three “Hinge Actions” are known as (1)Vertical – a wall, (2) Horizontal – a floor, and (3)Angled – somewhere in between.

In a Geometrically correct golf stroke (ideal application) the Horizontal Hinge Action is used. This action works just like a door that is opening and closing. While on a Horizontal Plane it is clear to see that there is NO turning or rolling in either direction. But on an Inclined Plane of motion there is a turn to the right and a roll to the left.

2. The right hand – more specifically the first joint of the right index finger – controls the clubhead, its job is to sense where the clubhead is at all times and to direct the action of the clubhead. Using what is known as the “Aiming Point Concept” the direction and point of location in the downstroke varies according to hand speed, and the club being used. The shorter the club the more in front of the golf ball the “Aiming Point” is.

For example, when hitting a greenside bunker shot the player should be looking at a spot behind the golf ball. This is because that’s where we want the club to strike the sand.

The same principle applies here. A wedge for example would be in front of the ball. A 5 iron would be at the ball, and a Driver may be behind the ball.

3. Finally, the clubshaft controls the Plane. The Plane is the angle that the club moves back and down on. It can stay on the same Inclined Plane back and down, shift to another angle, or even have several shifts during the stroke. The simplest is to NOT shift at all. The next easiest is to only shift this plane angle once, then two shifts, then three shifts, etc. Annika Sorenstam, Tiger (when he’s on), Adam Scott, Michelle Wie, and host of others use either a “single” shift in their procedures. Nick Price, Nick Faldo and others use a “double” shift while Jim Furyk uses a “customized” plane and multiple shifts.

You can use any of these and obviously play great golf, but remember – ANY PLANE SHIFT IS DANGEROUS!

Learn to control these three parts of the golf club and you will be on your way to golfing “Nirvana”.

=====================Resource Box=============================

Chuck Evans is one of only 31 Teachers in
the world to hold the designation of
“Doctorate in Golf Stroke Engineering”,
he is one of the most highly sought after
instructors in the world not only by players
but other teachers as well and is known
as the Teacher of Teachers!

Chuck has appeared on numerous golf talk shows,
written and published instructional articles in
local, regional, and national golf publications.
His DVD, “60 Days To Game Improvement” has sold in
excess of 10,000 copies and his new eBook,
“How To Build YOUR Golf Swing” is in the library
of amateurs and Teaching Professional alike.
He has also appeared as the featured instructor
for education classes regarding the golf swing at
various PGA Sections and Chapters around the country
and is recognized by Golf Magazine as one of America’s Top Teachers.
You can reach Chuck through his Golf Academy in Mesa
Arizona by calling 480.862.6544, by email at chuck@chuckevansgolf.com or through the website http://www.chuckevansgolf.com

It’ s a question iIhad asked myself ever since I was a nine year old playing mock Wimbledon finals against my brother, Mark, in the courtyard of our Mt Albert, Auckland home.

I had to wait fifteen years before I could answer it.

Still, no matter how many times you’ve asked yourself what it would be like, no matter how many times you’ve dreamed about it becoming a reality, no matter how many times you’ve mentally rehearsed it, nothing fully prepares you for the overwhelming emotional response you feel upon stepping out in front of the 15,000 people surrounding one of the most famous sporting arenas in the world.

There is no other place on the international tennis circuit that demands as much from the players emotionally as the Wimbledon Center Court.

Having played on the respective center courts at the Australian (when it was at Kooyong), the French, and the US Opens (when it was at Forest Hills), I can say that, although they each have a unique atmosphere, none comes close to matching Wimbledon’s unique ambience. If ever there was a place where you find out about yourself, center court at Wimbledon is that place.

For a tennis player, the first Wimbledon Center Court experience is a defining moment; an occasion that even most tennis professionals do not ever experience.

From the time the playing schedule is released the previous day, to the time that you’re informed in the locker room to be ready to play, to the short time you spend waiting in the special ante-room before walking out to play your match, everything that you do is geared towards what is always a huge occasion — a match on center.

With the obvious importance that is attached to the match, which is not only going to be seen by the 15,000 courtside spectators, but also by the millions of television viewers worldwide, your focus is well and truly sharpened by the time the immaculately dressed Wimbledon official lets you know that “it’s time to play gentlemen.”

With the senses at their most heightened, the moment that you take your first step towards the chair in which you will sit during end changes is one of those all too rare moments when you catch yourself thinking that this is what life should be like all the time.

Which is exactly how I felt as I walked out to play my first match on the Wimbledon Center Court in 1981.

It was a doubles match. My partner was the Australian, Rod Frawley, who went on to reach the Wimbledon singles semi-final the same year.

Our opponents were, ironically, five times Wimbledon winners and one of the all-time great doubles combinations — John Newcombe and Tony Roche.

I say ironically as Newcombe and Roche had been two of the players whose identities Mark and I had assumed in our pretend backyard Wimbledon finals.

Not only were they two of the greatest players in history, they were also two of the Wimbledon crowd’s favorite players.

It was a first round match, and Newcombe and Roche were making their first appearance at Wimbledon for a number of years. They were returning heroes, and there, right alongside them, I was making my first appearance on the Center Court.

With Newcombe and Roche being such sentimental favorites, the crowd acknowledged their return with a thunderous ovation, which, for me, only intensified the incredible adrenalin rush that every player feels on such a big occasion — and there is no bigger occasion in tennis than walking on to Wimbledon’s Center Court, the place where tennis players’ dreams are turned into a reality.

Copyright 2006 — Chris Lewis is a former Number 1 ranked junior tennis player in the world (1975), and Wimbledon finalist (1983). During his playing career, his coaches were Harry Hopman and Tony Roche. You can read more of Chris’s articles and tennis tips at his website, Expert Tennis Tips.

Many modern gamers have found the phrase “offshore sports betting” by now, but some aren’t entirely in the know what that suggests. A foreign gambling site inherently runs out of the authority of a given state or else it can mean a live gaming internet site which has all of its host servers in a state where on-line wagering is not at this time proscribed. In a nutshell therefore, it can be defined as a betting site operative independently of the authority of the area of the purchaser. Machine-accessible gambling world wide web sites are now modulated via three organisations. They are OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association FTGA.

The OSGA is a nonpartisan watch-dog bureau which presently oversees the modern overseas sports betting industry with the aspiration to grant betting afficionados a way to to find respectable businesses to play games of destiny with. The Offshore Gaming Association strives to guard client’s rights, and also they don’t charge any particaption expenses. The Offshore Gaming Association are a proficient not to mention impartial third party company who formulate unprejudiced judgments, advised by customer feedback, impartial analysis, calls, inside prompts and in addition offers inside gossip.

The IGC are a non-profit-making council. The agency has been founded to provide a forum for worried participants to address concerns furthermore to progress collective matters in the multinational online gaming industry, in an effort to establish even handed and dutiful commercial rules and patterns that endeavor to heighten end user faith in web based wagering products and benefits, and to be of assistance as the sports gambling industry’s generic strategy counselor and it also supplies an information base of operations.

The IGC has built a regard for developing reliability, fairness and also sincerity thanks to the tough integrity standards it stands for, and in addition its allure for businesses of principled conduct. The IGC governs overseas sports gambling via employing a specific ten step set of instructions and in addition charges gaming business enterprises a fee to show their logo. Discontented gamblers may, if they desire to, state their conflicts of opinion to the Interactive Gaming Council.

The Fidelity Trust Gaming Association was set up in order to generate a benchmark which will reform the transactions of networked gaming operations. The authority think that by carrying on trade with respected companies, they are able to shape an alliance of the fairest and most efficient offshore gaming businesses multinationally.

So, these are bodies which supervise the practises of networked sports betting and which should serve to relieve a lot of the concerns felt by cynics. Internet based betting web sites are today altogether harmless, now that individual data aren’t necessary also the dividends not to mention the odds should be equivalent to your familiar Vegas-type sports wager. They lower travel, but maintain of a casino, but now you are able to bet in your home.

The first BCS standings were released on October 17 and there were rumors that while USC would be No. 1, consensus No. 2 in the polls Texas, could find itself behind Va Tech in the standings. Those fears were unfounded, as USC and Texas were a solid one-two in the first BCS standings. I pause here for a moment to remind everyone that since the BCS’ inception in 1998, the two teams ranked first and second in the initial standings of the year, have NEVER met in the BCS’ season-ending title game!

Moving on, the second BCS standings were released this past Monday. In somewhat of a surprise, USC fell to No. 2 with Texas moving up to the number one spot. The margin of .0007, was the closest-ever between the first two spots in the standings history. USC owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 29 games (Texas has the second-best streak at just 14!), has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for 26 consecutive polls (an all-time record) and is the two-time defending national champion but now finds itself at No. 2!

For USC fans, it’s not as bad as is sounds. USC is comfortably ahead of No. 3 Va Tech and remember, No. 2 is just as good as No. 1 in this ‘game’, as they both advance to the Rose Bowl. Actually, Texas, which has no more ranked teams on its remaining schedule, is in greater danger of falling out of one the top two spots than USC. The Trojans still have Cal (No. 23 in the BCS), Fresno State (unranked in the BCS but 22nd in the AP and 24 in the coaches’ poll) and UCLA (No. 9 in the BCS) on their schedule.

Currently, Va Tech is in the “dreaded” No. 3 spot (see USC in 2003 and Auburn in 2004). However, the Hokies play Boston College (BCS No. 12) Thursday night plus still have Miami-Fl (No. 8 in the BCS) and a likely ACC title-game showdown on tap with Florida State on December 3 (No. 11 in the BCS), to boost their computer rankings. Currently, there are SIX unbeatens remaining in college football and it’s possible that the year could end with as many as four.

Either USC or UCLA has to lose when those teams meet on December 3 and assuming Georgia and Alabama were to remain unbeaten through the end of the regular season, the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide would meet in the SEC title game, dropping one or the other from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Speaking of unbeatens, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, UCLA, USC and Va Tech are all 7-0. However, only Texas is a perfect 7-0 ATS. The teams combined ATS mark is 26-16, or 61.9 percent. At the other end of the spectrum, FOUR Division I-A schools enter this weekend’s action winless. The list includes Buffalo (0-7), New Mexico State (0-7), Rice (0-6) and Temple (0-8). Of those four, only Rice, at 0-6 ATS, is also winless against the points! The combined ATS mark of the four winless schools is 11-17 or 39.3 percent.

Here’s an interesting fact. You have often heard me and others refer to the pointspread as the “great equalizer.” Here’s why? The six unbeatens naturally have a winning percentage of 1.000 and the four winless teams naturally are at .000. However, you’ll notice that when you compare the two groups’ SU winning percentage versus their ATS percentages, here’s what you get. The unbeatens’ ATS percentage is .619, a difference of .381. As for the winless teams. the difference between their SU and ATS winning percentage is .393. Pretty darn close!

Before leaving this discussion of unbeatens and winless teams, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention both Duke and Purdue (although I’m sure those schools would rather I didn’t!). While Texas is the nation’s ONLY perfect ATS school, Rice is not the nation’s only winless ATS school. Joining the Owls are Duke and Purdue. The Blue Devils are 1-7 SU but 0-7 ATS, beating only VMI in a non-lined game. As for the Boilermakers, they are 2-5 SU but 0-7 ATS, as they won but did not cover against Akron and Arizona to open the year, before losing their last five games both SU and ATS!

How are those new head coaches doing?

In one of may many preseason articles, I mentioned that 23 of the nation’s 119 Division I-A schools (almost 20 percent!) would open the 2005 season with a different head coach than they had finished with in 2004. Are most of the schools better for the change? I won’t waste time listing each school’s individual record but alphabetically from BYU to Western Michigan, the 23 schools that changed head coaches for the 2005 year went a collective 114-149 (.433) in 2004 with an ATS record of 117-138-2 (.459). Heading into this weekend’s action, those 23 schools are a combined 70-91 SU (.435) and 66-88-1 ATS (.429).

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? While the overall numbers are pretty similar from last year to this year, here are seven schools that have surely noticed a change, either good or bad.

Skip Holtz has East Carolina at 3-3 SU and 5-1 ATS, after the Pirates went 2-9 SU and 5-6 ATS in 2004 (ECU was a combined 3-20 in ‘04 and ‘03). Hal Mumme brought his supposed “Air Raid” offense to Las Cruces but the Aggies of New Mexico State are averaging just 14.3 PPG and are 0-7 SU and 2-5 ATS after going 5-6 (6-5) in 2004. Mike Gundy took over at Oklahoma State and the Cowboys are 3-4 SU (wins have come over I-AA Montana State, Fla Atlantic and Ark St) and 1-5 ATS, following a 7-5 (7-5) 2004.

Greg Robinson got his first head coaching job, after 30 years in the business, at Syracuse this year. However, his mid-season report card is not good, as the Orange are 1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS after going 6-6 (8-4) in Paul Pasqualoni’s final year (had 11 winning seasons in 14 years at Syracuse!).Utah set the college football world on its ear in 2004, becoming the first non-BCS conference school to get a BCS bowl bid and finished 12-0 (10-2 ATS). However, Urban Meyer left for Florida (where he’s a disappointing 5-2 SU and 3-4 ATS) with former DC Kyle Whittingham taking over for the Utes and going just 4-4 and a pathetic 1-7 ATS so far in 2005. Things are looking up in Kalamazoo these days (try writing that with a straight face!), as Bill Cubit in his first year as a Division I-A head coach, has the Broncos 4-3 SU and 2-4 ATS after the school finished 2004 at 1-10 (3-7).

I haven’t forgotten about Charlie Weis and Notre Dame, I just left them until last. Weis, with none of his own recruits, took over an offense that had finished 108th in the nation in total offense in 2002, 90th in 2003 and 81st in 2004. After seven games of the 2005 season, Notre Dame is 8th in total offense (492.7 YPG), 12th in scoring (37.9 PPG) and 5-2 SU (6-1 ATS). After going 6-6 SU and ATS in 2004 plus 5-7 SU (4-8) in 2003, Weis has the Irish ranked 9th in the latest AP poll, 10th in the latest coaches’ poll and 15th (?) in the latest BCS standings. He’s got a QB (Brady Quinn) that’s breaking Notre Dame passing records on a weekly basis and would be the Heisman front-runner if not for two guys from USC and a QB from Texas named Young. Most importantly, he’s got the Irish in line for a BCS bowl bid, if he can win-out.

Out of respect to the Willingham family, I won’t mention how Notre Dame’s former head coach is doing in Washington. On second thought, I don’t know him or any one in his family, so what the heck. Willingham has the Huskies 1-6 SU and 2-4 ATS through seven games, with his lone win coming over an Idaho team which is 1-6. In fairness to Ty, he inherited a team that was 1-10 (3-7) in 2004.

Larry Ness is a documented member of The Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Larry_Ness.htm

“I think I have found you a genius,” he eagerly explained.

He had indeed. But neither Bishop, Busby nor anybody else could have imagined the impact his skin and bone, fifteen year old discovery would make on Manchester United, football throughout the world and society as a whole.

On the recommendation of Bishop this “genius”, George Best, was packed off to Manchester along with another prospect, Eric McMordie, for a two week trial. Fazed by their journey into the unknown and immediately homesick the youngsters scarpered back to Belfast before the first week was through.

Busby had already seen enough to know that one of these youngsters was worth pursuing and the United boss wrote to George Best’s father urging him to send his boy back to Manchester, assuring him that George had what it took to enjoy a bright future in the game.

This was a very strong early indication of Best’s outstanding ability. Manchester United Football Club would not usually go running after a fifteen year old kid who bunked out on them. George Best did return and, you could easily say, the rest is history.

The young Irishman was naturally shy and somewhat ill at ease, as his earlier bolt for home had demonstrated, but it did not take him long to settle down more happily in Manchester on his return.

Once he had a ball at his feet George Best was a different person. Not just confident, he was arrogant. Supremely sure of his own ability he demanded centre stage and revelled in having it.

This attitude did not cause resentment among his colleagues as they instantly recognised his incredible gifts and naturally deferred to them. Besides this, off the field he was quiet and popular with everyone. At once he was accepted and respected.
As word quickly filtered through to the first teamers at Old Trafford about this unbelievable kid in the youth team they would sneak in to watch him train and left shaking their heads at his ability.

Matt Busby was anxious not to blood his latest wonder boy too soon but it was impossible to keep him out of the side for long. Having just turned seventeen George Best made his first team debut early on in the 1963-64 season and played a blinder against West Bromwich Albion.

Perhaps wooried about the fuss his introduction had made, Busby then left him out of the team before recalling him for a christmas fixture at home to Burnley. Burnley were a top side at the time and had hammered United at Turf Moor only two days earlier on Boxing Day. With Best scoring his first United goal the drubbing was returned and the youngster was here to stay.

The remainder of that season saw George Best confirm his incredible talent and by the end of it United finished runners up in the league. Best’s impact was amazing.

Crowds everywhere marvelled at this skinny winger who fabled hard men could not knock off a ball, tackle or even foul on most occasions. A boy who could appear in the middle and outjump international centre halves to head goals past international goalkeepers and who could rip shots into the back of the net in a blur that almost defeated the eye.

His appeal was not confined to the football pitch. Best was an exceptionally good looking young man as well and all at once girls all over the country began taking an interest in football, at least to the extent of having pictures of Georgie Best plastered across their bedroom walls.

Within a couple of years this interest would turn to something approaching hysteria and George Best, the footballer and the man, would start to crack under the pressure.

Best’s first full season in the United first team was a thrilling one as the club captured the first division championship and reached the semi finals of both the FA and Fairs Cups, losing to Leeds United and Ferencvaros of Hungary, both after replays.

He had not yet turned nineteen but Best was already perhaps the most talked about and recognisable figure in British football but it was the following season that his fame really exploded and became international.

On a balmy night in Lisbon, George Best turned in one of his greatest ever performances as United slaughtered Benfica 5-1 on their own ground, the first time they had ever suffered defeat at home in European competition. Best provided two of the early goals which set United on their way, leaping in front of the keeper to head the first before slicing through the defence to slide home his second.

Captured strolling through the streets of Lisbon the following morning in a massive sombrero a newspaper caption dubbed Best “El Beatle” and the legend moved on apace.

United missed out on further glory that year, losing in the semi finals of both the FA and European Cups after Best was injured in the first leg of their European tie with Partizan Belgrade and missed the remainder of the season.

The following season United once again won the league championship which earned the club another crack at the European Cup, the trophy which Matt Busby coveted above all others.

George Best was undoubtedly at his best during this season and although United were pipped to another title by neighbours City, George topped the first division scoring charts with 28, alongside Southampton’s Ron Davies, an incredible tally for a winger.

European glory did come United’s way, however, in suitably dramatic fashion. Paired with the Spanish giants Real Madrid in the semi finals it was a Best goal that gave United a precarious 1-0 lead to take to Spain for the second leg and proved ultimately decisive after a typically extravagant 3-3 draw in the Bernebeu.

In the final, again against Benfica, Best scored perhaps his most famous goal, skipping round the last defender and rounding the keeper before tapping into an empty net. This goal put United 2-1 in front early in extra time and Busby’s dream came true as his side marched on to a famous 4-1 triumph.

This was in 1968 and George Best, approaching his 22nd birthday, was crowned Footballer of the Year and European Footballer of the Year. The footballing world was well and truly at Best’s feet and yet this would prove to be the pinacle of his career.

United never finished higher than 8th during Best’s remaining years at Old Trafford and although they reached the European Cup semi finals again in 1969 and the FA Cup semis a year later the clubs’ glory days were coming to a bitter end. Matt Busby had allowed his squad to grow old and left at a time when his fabled youth system was producing non entities.

Wilf McGuinness and Frank O’Farrell both found Busby’s shoes too big to step into and United continued to deteriorate before Tommy Docherty arrived at Old Trafford determined to stamp his own personality and authority on the club.

All this time George Best had been deteriorating likewise. It was scarcely noticable in his performances on the field, especially as his genius was now largely surrounded by mediocroty, and he remained United’s leading scorer for six successive seasons between 1967 and 1972.

His social life had started to spiral out of control, however, and by the time of Docherty’s arrival at Old Trafford Best was already drinking heavily, would occasionally miss training and was, basically, a sitting target as the new manager looked to wield his axe, all at a time when he should have been untouchable. Therefore one of the greatest players ever to grace Old Trafford left in shambolic circumstances at the age of 27.

Docherty has taken a lot of criticism over the years for his treatment of George Best, particularly from the fans, but it would seem to be one of the wisest things he ever did.

Although United were relegated at the end of the season in which Best made his final appearance for the club, a 0-3 defeat at QPR on New Years Day 1974, Docherty quickly put together a hungry young team which returned instantly to the first division and came back much stronger.

Best, on the other hand, descended into a series of unsatisfactory, and mainly shortlived, dalliances at a string of unlikely clubs while becoming a confirmed alcoholic.

It is often suggested that George Best became disillusioned with life at Old Trafford as the great players he had grown up with left and were replaced by men not fit to lace their, or his, boots.

There is no doubt that this did happen but Best did not stop playing football on leaving Manchester United and surely the players at United were better than those at the places he ended up going to.

His course of action was simply the easier one, always favoured by people with a drink problem.

Therefore when Best should have been playing for Manchester United he was representing the likes of Dunstable Town, Stockport County, Cork Celtic, Los Angeles Aztecs, Fulham, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Detroit Express, Hibernians, San Jose Earthquakes, Bournemouth, Brisbane Lions and Tobermore United.

This is the rightful CV of someone like Sammy Morgan, not the man who many regard as the greatest player to ever live.

Best was an unqualified success during his time in America but this hardly represents a claim to fame. In a league peopled by a handful of ageing superstars and a host of journeymen Best was at the age when he should have been at his peak.

The early eighties became a circus of rumoured comebacks, testimonial appearances and lurid stories about Best’s drinking.

George Best played his last Football League game for Bournemouth in May 1983 in a 2-2 draw with Wigan Athletic and his last recorded competitive appearance was for Tobermore United in the Irish Cup the following February.
Typically the tiny ground was bursting at the seams for Best’s appearance but his team lost 7-0 to Ballymena.

Given this personally induced destruction of his own career and his God given talent it is easy to judge George Best harshly and yet it has to be remembered that during his time at the top he managed to influence a generation of football supporters perhaps more profoundly than any other player in the games’ history.

It is not just those who followed Manchester United during George Best’s time there who name him as the greatest player of the period. Throughout Britain, Europe and all across the world his performances captivated millions and his legend lives on today as subsequent generations look back and see him flicking the ball over Gordon Banks’ head for the greatest disallowed goal ever scored, riding Ron Harris’ crude assault on a muddy Old Trafford pitch before casually rounding Peter Bonetti with consumate ease, lobbing Pat Jennings from the corner of the six yard box with his international colleague standing on his line and leaving Bobby Moore on his backside before scoring against West Ham.

You cannot create such a deep and lasting impression unless you are seriously good and there is no question that George Best was up there with footballs’ all time greats.

He had been born with all the attributes a player could wish for. His ball control was immaculate and his dribbling skills perhaps unsurpassed. Best could also pass, shoot, head and tackle superbly and was naturally two footed.

Above and beyond this Best was blessed with natural gifts which could not be taught or coached. He was lightning quick, especially off the mark, had unlimited stamina and possessed an incredible flexibility which allowed him to ride tackles and avoid injury despite the punishment, unimaginable these days, that defenders were permitted to inflict on him week in and week out.

It should also be remembered that although George Best cut off his Manchester United career in its prime he made over 460 appearances for the club in all competitions, a healthy career for most mortals.

Where Best stands in the list of all time greats is, as always, a matter of opinion.

It was not easy for Best to make a mark in international football coming from Northern Ireland and he never had the chance to perform in a major finals.

His performances in Europe for Manchester United were invariably scintilating, however, and there is no doubt that he was the single biggest attraction in British football during the 1960’s and early 70’s.

Interestingly though, although his contemporaries speak now about him being possibly the greatest ever, comments concerning Best while he was playing tended to mention the room for improvement possible in his teamwork, something Best chose never to fully address.

Indeed it can only be assumed that had Best deigned to channel his talents more towards the team then he would have ended his career with more than three winners medals and might well have led Northern Ireland towards international recognition.

Of course when people such as Bobby Charlton were passing such opinions they were talking about a young man in his mid twenties who they assumed had another ten years at the top in him. In the normal course of events Best would surely have added these facets to his game and made an even stronger claim to being considered the greatest player of them all.

One of my favourite assessments of George Best came from Jimmy Greaves who said that he did not know if George was the best but added that “there was no-one better.”

It seems a touch sentimental to put Best forward as the greatest footballer ever, surely that accolade can never go to someone who was playing for Stockport at the age of 29, but it does not seem too extravagant to claim that he might well have been the most naturally gifted man ever to kick a football.

Percy Piranhafish writes for:Football England

The back of the kneecap is shaped like a triangle with the point fitting in a grove in the lower part of the bone behind it. During running, the knee cap is supposed to move up and down and not side to side. If it moves from side to side, the back of the kneecap will rub against the front bottom of the femur, the long bone of the upper leg, causing pain.

Treatment is to stop the kneecap from touching the bone behind it, which is usually caused by the knee cap being pulled toward the outside laterally while the lower leg twists the bone behind it inward medially. When you run, you land on the lateral bottom of your foot and roll inward, causing the lower leg to twist inward. At the same time, three of the four quad muscles attached to the kneecap pull the kneecap outward and cause the knee cap to rub against the bone behind it. You can keep the knee cap from rubbing by wearing orthotics, special insets in your shoes, doing exercises to strengthen the muscle that pulls your knee cap inward. Surgery is rarely necessary.

A study from Long Beach VA Hospital in California shows why runners are far more likely to suffer knee pain than cyclists. When you run, you land on the outside bottom of your foot and roll inward toward the big toe side of your foot, called pronation. This study shows that the amount of inner twisting of the lower leg during running is related to how straight your knee is. Bending your knee decreases inner twisting and rubbing of the knee cap against the bone behind it. So people with runner’s knee can pedal a bicycle with their seats set lower than normal to prevent their knees from straightening, they can wear special inserts in their shoes that restrict pronation, and they can do special exercises that strengthen the vastus medialis muscle above the kneecap that pulls the knee cap inward when you run or pedal.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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There have been some golfers however, that feel that this is not exactly fair. While Wie is indeed under sponsorship from Omega, the very same company that is sponsoring this year’s event at Cran-sur-Sierre in Switzerland this is not a free qualification. The thought among many of the men is that with her competing, she in turn is taking a spot away from a carded member that has earned a spot on the tour.

Many speculate that this is more a PR moves on the part of Omega, rather than the fact that she is a qualified golfer capable of making the cut. Fact remains; Wie has only made the cut once on the men’s tour, earlier in the month while in South Korea. It is also speculated that the field that she was competing against in that tournament was less than strong.

This young female golfer has yet to bring home a major in the LPGA, and Wie has only appeared in a mere eight men’s events. Wie is very capable of driving with the big boys, and does not have a problem with her short game, yet for some reason she is struggling against the men.

The very best of luck is wished upon her for this up coming event, for what ever the reason she is there, be it PR moves for funding or the fact that she does have a raw talent for the game.

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1. Visual Learning

We’re all different and we all like to learn in our own way. Research has found that two major categories of preferred learning styles existvisual and auditory. (Those who use both are referred to as “balanced” listeners.) In other words, when it comes to learning new information we prefer to use either our eyes or our ears, depending on how our brain works. About 65 percent of us are visual learners. The rest are auditory or balanced learners. I see this theory at work in my golf lessons all the time. People prefer to see a technique or a specific shot executed, enhancing the learning process.

Instructional videos provide an excellent learning experience, given our preference for learning visually. Many of us tend to learn new information faster and retain it longer when the information is taken in through our eyes, making videos highly effective teaching tools. In addition, videos can provide two or three times the amount of information in a visual setting than other methods. One golf video I viewed covered the basics of golf in a little less than an hour. Thus, golfers not only receive information in their preferred learning style but also in greater quantities, reinforced by the latest visual techniques.

2. Money Savings

In comparison to a typical hourly lesson rate of anywhere from $50-$150 for a PGA Pro, a golf instruction DVD can provide that same information at a fraction of the cost. Better yet, you can watch it over and over again…without getting charged hourly.

3. Stop and Rewind

This technological capability must be singled out for its unique communication capabilities. Unlike a personal presentation, the instructional video allows the viewer to stop and rewind the tape, either from the beginning or from a certain point in the script. In other words, it lets us replay the tape again and again, helping us learn through repetition.

The capability also helps with complicated golf techniques. We can rewind the tape over and over again and watch how a shot was made, imprinting it in our minds. It’s especially helpful with difficult shots. Once we have this visual representation in our minds, making the shot when we face it becomes much easier.

4. Unique Technological Capabilities

Instructional videos employ the medium’s unique technological capabilities to drive home key points effectivelycapabilities that support information presentation. Golf instructional videos use split screens, inserts, close-ups, and computer generated 3-D graphics to teach the game’s fundamentals such as how to grip, aim, and swing the club as well as how to create the proper angles at address and how to take the club back correctly.

These techniques also help maintain our interest, especially when combined with other visual aides. There’s nothing more boring in person, on television or during movies than watching a talking head. Human beings crave action, movement, and so on. If we don’t get it, we get bored quickly and turn our attention to other things, lowering the effectiveness of the presentation. Keeping us interested helps us focus on the material being presented.

In addition, the capability lets us hone in on details we might have missed the first time around, as well as things that we couldn’t see in print, like rhythm, balance, and timing. Much of our golf game depends on these details and key intangibles, and much depends on our getting a “feel” for what the moderator is talking about and demonstrating.

These are just four of the unique benefits provided by instructional videos. If you sat down and studied the question, you probably could come up with several more. These benefits explain golf instructional videos’ popularity over the last decade or so, and why they are so efficient in communicating information to a golfer. In short, they are cost-effective teaching tools for the average golfer.

Of course, we’re not saying that you should abandon all other instructional methods, like golf lessons and golf tips. Each makes a contribution to the learning process and each has its place among the different techniques. Golf lessons, for example, are great at providing feedback and correcting faults.

By combining teaching methods, however, you’ll learn the game faster than using just one method. You’ll also learn to lower your golf handicap faster using several teaching approaches than one. And isn’t that what golf instruction is all about?

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.