Number 16 for Federer

The Australian Open concluded this morning with the men's final, the end of which I was able to watch online. I didn't wake up until 5am, so when I turned on the match it was already in the second set. Federer was up a break on Murray and went on to win the set. The third one was very close and came down to a tiebreaker. Murray actually had a few set points, but he could never close the deal. He needed to break Roger's serve at least once, and he couldn't do it. So Federer has his 16th major, and his 4th Australian Open title. It will be interesting to see how he does when Indian Wells and Miami roll around. In recent years he hasn't fared well at the non-majors. With Nadal battling injuries, there could be an opportunity for someone like Djokovic or Murray (maybe even Roddick?) to pick up a title.

Djokovic out

In a rematch of the 2008 Australian Open final, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga got his revenge on Novak Djokovic by knocking him out of this year's tournament. I watched a little bit of the beginning of this match as it was on when I got up this morning. I listened to the end of it on Australian Open radio while I was at work. Tsonga won the first set in a tiebreak and then lost the second set in a tiebreak. Djokovic won set three and looked to me like he was all set to win the match, but inexplicably he fell apart. Tsonga took the final two sets and advanced to the semis where he'll face Federer. The other semi will be played tomorrow morning between Andy Murray and Marin Cilic. Cilic is coming off of two big upsets, over del Potro and Roddick, but they were both 5-setters and may have drained him. Murray, on the other hand, did not seem to have any trouble dispatching an injured Nadal and will enter the match with a lot of confidence.

Federer tops Hewitt

This morning I got the chance to watch the tail end of the match between Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt. It was not really close, and Federer won in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals. So far almost all of the top seeds are still alive. One exception is Juan Martin del Potro, who lost a close 5-setter to Marin Cilic over the weekend. Cilic is a solid player, and he gets to take on Roddick in the next round. That should be a good match, but it'll take place in the middle of the night, so I won't get to watch it. I did see most of Roddick's match against Fernando Gonzalez on Sunday morning. Andy struggled a bit in the 2nd and 3rd sets, but he came back and won the fourth 7-5, breaking Gonzalez in the final game and then cruising in the fifth set. I also saw Andy Murray defeat John Isner in straight sets. Isner did a good job of frustrating Murray, but after dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker, he couldn't do much else. Still, it's encouraging to see another American play well in a major. So now the quarterfinals are set. Federer will face Davydenko, Djokovic takes on Tsonga, and Murray is up against Nadal. The aforementioned Cilic-Roddick match rounds things out. Can't wait to see the results.

Roddick, del Potro post wins

The Australian Open kicked off this week, and I've been following all the action. Fortunately for me, ESPN is providing excellent coverage via their ESPN 360 site, which streams live broadcasts of all the matches I want to watch. The only problem is that the time difference causes most matches to be played while I'm asleep. Andy Roddick defeated Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil last night, and I missed that match but saw a few of the highlights. It was a straight set victory for Roddick, and he looked good. This morning as soon as I woke up I caught the end of the Del Potro-Blake match, which was much closer than I thought it would be. Del Potro won 10-8 in the fifth set. I'm not sure if Blake played really well or if Del Potro was hurt. Blake is certainly a good player, but I do not think he's on the same level as the defending U.S. Open champ. So far there haven't been any big upsets on the men's side. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, del Potro, Davydenko, and Roddick are all alive.

Jets over Chargers

After 3 blowouts, we finally got a close, competitive playoff game yesterday evening. The Jets were visiting San Diego to take on the Chargers, who were arguably the hottest team in the league and had a 13-3 regular season record. But they also had a history of losing early in the playoffs, and that's exactly what happened yesterday. It was a defensive battle, and at the end of 3 quarters San Diego led 7-3. But they had some costly turnovers, and the Jets were able to score a couple of touchdowns in the final quarter to seal the deal. The Chargers got a late touchdown, but it was too little. Final score: NYJ 17, SD 14. One of the big stories to come out of this game was that pro-bowl kicker (and former Hawkeye) Nate Kaeding missed three field goal attempts. Needless to say, that was the game right there. How baffling is it that one of the NFL's best kickers can't even make a routine field goal in the playoffs? It must be a mental problem. It was painful to watch, and I hope Kaeding can get over this so we don't see a repeat performance if the Chargers make the playoffs again in the future.

Saints, Colts win

Round 2 of the NFL playoffs got underway this weekend, and I was able to catch most of the action. Yesterday afternoon the Saints took on the Cardinals in New Orleans. I didn't expect Arizona to do much based on how awful their defense looked against Green Bay last weekend. Turns out I was right. The Saints scored 45 points en route to a 45-14 victory. Yes, I realize that New Orleans has a great offense, but I am nevertheless amazed that a team like the Cardinals could make the playoffs with such a horrible defense. This was the second consecutive game where they've given up 45 points. Anyway, now they're out. Last night's game was between the Ravens and Colts, and I only watched the first half before going to bed. I was actually a very close affair, tied 3-3 until late in the second quarter when Baltimore suddenly gave up a couple of quick touchdowns. Apparently I did not miss much in the second half, because the final score was 20-3. Then today the Vikings crushed the Cowboys 34-3 to set up a meeting with the Saints next weekend. The Jets-Chargers game starts in just a few minutes, and I'll be watching that one as well.

Back on the street again

No, the subject of this post does not refer to a song by the Sunshine Company, but rather to the fact that I have started running again. That's right, as of yesterday I've been lacing up the old running shoes and heading out the door first thing in the morning. I am starting very slowly, which is to say less than a mile at a time. Both yesterday and today I've gone 6 minutes. I'll pick it up gradually, but I'm in no rush. The important thing in my mind is to ensure I'm injury free. Once I get to the point where I can run every day without any knee pain, achilles pain, etc, then I'll start to increase the mileage.

Hawkeyes win Orange Bowl!

Iowa capped off a great season with a victory over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl Tuesday night. I typically do not stay up to watch the BCS bowl games, but I made an exception for this one and was not disappointed. Ricky Stanzi returned to the field after an injury he suffered during the Northwest game. He was in fine form, throwing a couple of touchdown passes in the first quarter. He also threw an interception that was taken back for a Ga. Tech TD, but that was not a big deal since the Hawkeye defense was stifling. The second half was a little less lopsided, but Iowa still came out on top, kicking a field goal in the 3rd quarter and scoring the clinching TD in the fourth. Ga. Tech never got that big play that would have turned the momentum in their favor. This was a fun game to watch, and I'm incredibly happy that the Hawkeyes were able to win. I still remember the disappointment of watching them lose the Orange Bowl in 2003, so to be able to see them return and win it in 2010 is very nice.

Cowboys shut out Eagles

Big matchup yesterday between the Eagles and Cowboys down in Dallas. Unfortunately, the game was not as exciting as all the hype surrounding it. The Eagles did not have any offense at all, and the Cowboys smoked them 24-0. It was a painful game to watch, but I'm trying not to be pessimistic. The Eagles now have the #6 seed in the NFC, so on Saturday night they'll be right back in Dallas for another shot at the Cowboys. But this time the loser goes home for good. As frustrating as it was to watch the game yesterday, I have to think that Saturday will be a much more competitive affair. The other NFC contest will be between the Packers and the Cardinals, and I'm not sure who to expect to win that one. If I had to pick, I'd say the Packers. They have a better overall record, and they just beat Arizona yesterday. I think it's ridiculous that Arizona has home-field advantage in spite of all that, just because they won their division and Green Bay did not, but those are the rules.

Bowl victory for Penn State

New Year's Day is always a big day for college football, and yesterday was no exception. Penn State took on LSU in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, and I got to see most of the action on TV. The weather was miserable with lots of rain, and the field was in awful shape. It definitely affected the game, as it was difficult to get any traction and thus many of players fell down while trying to change direction quickly. The game itself was very close and very competitive. Penn State ended up winning by a score of 19-17, on a 4th-quarter field goal. Their defense then prevented LSU from marching back down the field. The other bowl game I watched was Ohio State vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl. I typically do not root for Ohio State, but I always like seeing the Big Ten do well in bowl games, so I was happy to see them win 26-17. All season long I read sportswriters claim that the Big Ten is inferior to conferences like the SEC and Pac-10, so this feels like vindication to me. Now all I need is for Iowa to win their game on Tuesday.