Don’t let the her super-cute looks fool you, 22-year-old Anastasia Ashley is not just another pretty face, she’s one of the world’s top surfers. Starting from age 5, Ashley has been out on the waves and along the way she has won some of the most prestigious awards out there; she won the Rookie of the Year from the ASP and the Pro Surf Tour of America’s women’s tour championship at the ripe ol’ age of 16! She was also recently a finalist for PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian contest which is almost reason enough for me to pay attention to PETA, almost.

I think I’m going to have to watch a lot more surfing from now on, because, seriously, these women are RIDICULOUS.

Hosting the WWE’s Monday Night Raw, Johnny Damon found himself  the center of some unwanted touches when he was amorously attacked by octogenarian wrestling legend Mae Young. He can deny it all he wants, but he wanted it; why else would he have dressed that way?

So the FA have announced the stadia they are forwarding to FIFA. Instead of choosing a definitive list of grounds that will definitely host matches, they have drawn up a long list with a decision being taken later on. This has allowed them to pick a significant portion of the stadiums nominated. London have for instance been given 3 spots but there is no guarantee they’ll get all 3. Derby, Hull and Leicester have all missed out altogether, whilst Hillsborough has been preferred to Bramall Lane for Sheffield’s spot.

But what of the other countries bidding? The British media has largely ignored the alternatives, seemingly presuming England will win. If you asked 100 people on the streets, I should think only a handful would know any of the other countries bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Including England, there are 10 bids, with 3 of those just bidding for 2022. It’s worth remembering, though, that most will only get one shot, as due to the FIFA’s policy of sharing the tournaments around to different continents, only one tournament will go to a UEFA nation and one will go to an AFC nation or the USA, the only CONCACAF nation applying. It is likely that the 2018 will go to a UEFA nation, as the countries to have only bidded for 2022 are AFC members and it’ll be 12 years since the previous European World Cup, hence the concentration of the English bid on 2018.

Mexico also initially submitted a bid, attempting to become the first country to hold the World Cup for the third time, but they withdrew in September. CAF nations were ineligible for 2018 and none have bidded for 2022, whilst CONMEBOL nations are ineligible for both.

2018 and 2022 Bids:

Australia (AFC)
The Land Down Under has recent pedigree for hosting major international events, having hosted the 2000 Olympics, 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2006 Commonwealth Games, so it has plenty of top quality stadia to host matches. The A-League, Australia’s main national club league, is also growing in popularity. Potential stadia on the FFA’s wishlist includes:

- Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,000) – Melbourne, VIC
- Stadium Australia, aka ANZ Stadium (83,500) – Sydney, VIC
- Docklands Stadium, aka Etihad Stadium (53,359) – Melbourne, VIC
- Lang Park, aka Suncorp Stadium (52,500) – Brisbane, QL
- Sydney Football Stadium (45,500) – Sydney, VIC
- Adelaide Oval (33,597 – expansion to 50,000) – Adelaide, SA
- Newcastle International Sports Centre, aka EnergyAustralia Stadium (26,164 – expansion to 40,000+) – Newcastle, NSW
- Carrara Stadium (25,000 – expansion to 40-50,000) – Gold Coast, QL
- Willows Sports Complex, aka Dairy Farmers Stadium (26,000 – expansion to 40,000+) – Townsville, QL
- Canberra Stadium (25,011 – expansion to 40,000+) – Canberra, ACT
- Parramatta Stadium (21,487 – expansion to 40,000+) – Parramatta, NSW
- WACA Ground (24,500 – expansion to 40,000+) – Perth, WA

Australia’s bid’s main strength is that the bid is focusing around stadiums that are already there and wouldn’t need a huge amount of work to make them adequate venues. This will prevent the construction of enormous white elephant stadiums that will cost millions to build and maintain but not be used after the tournament is finished, as in Japan, South Korea and, potentially, South Africa. The necessary infrastructure is in place already as well as they are used to holding big events. But is the enthusiasm there? Australia is not a traditional football country. Nonetheless, it is my preferred candidate out of the AFC countries bidding. But maybe I’m biased

Belgium/Netherlands (UEFA)
Although FIFA have stated their lack of desire for joint bids after 2002, they are open to the possibility of joint bids like this one, where both nations are geographically adjacent to each other. Belgium and the Netherlands are also quite close politically, and are too small to host the tournament on their own, so this bid makes sense. They’ve also jointly hosted a tournament before as well, namely Euro 2000, which gives them an advantage as their infrastructure is relatively up-to-date. The shortlist of locations that have been nominated by the bid and what I presume the potential stadia in those locations are:

- Antwerp – Bosuilstadion/Olympisch Stadion
- Bruges – Jan Breydel Stadium*
- Brussels – King Baudouin Stadium*/New National Stadium
- Charleroi – Stade du Pays de Charleroi*
- Genk – Fenix Stadion
- Ghent – Arteveldestadion (new built – to be completed in 2010)
- Liege – Stade Maurice Dufrasne*
- Amsterdam – Amsterdam Arena*
- Amsterdam – Olympisch Stadion/New Stadium
- Eindhoven – PSV Stadion, aka Philips Stadion*
- Enschede – Arke Stadion (De Grolsch Veste)
- Heerenveen – Abe Lenstra Stadion
- Rotterdam – De Nieuwe Kuip (new stadium – likely venue of the Final)
- Rotterdam – Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel

* – Euro 2000 venues
NB – no decision has yet been taken on whether or not to build a new stadium in Brussels. The current stadium, formerly the Heysel Stadium, was extensively upgraded in the 1990s but it needs more upgrading to reach the World Cup standard. Options on the table include building a new stadium in Schaerbeek, a completely rebuilt stadium on the KBS or an upgraded KBS

Despite the advantage of having hosted a major recent tournament, that doesn’t mean it’s all plain sailing. The vast majority of stadiums listed above, including nearly all the stadiums from Euro 2000, will need to be expanded or new stadia built (hence why I’ve not listed capacities), which will mean a far greater cost than some of the rival bids. This is because most fall under the 40,000 seater limit. Also, until De Nieuwe Kuip is built, there is no stadium big enough to host the Final. This will cost more than a fair few pennies, although this can be shared between 2 countries. Just goes to show that the World Cup is in a different league to the Euros – someone should let the Spanish team know that…

Indonesia (AFC) – 2022 only
Believe it or not, Indonesia do actually have some football heritage, having been the first Asian team to make it to the World Cup in 1938 as the Dutch East Indies. However, they haven’t qualified since, and are one of Asia’s smaller footballing powers – if you think South Africa have a poor team for a host nation, you should wait and see what Indonesia could do. But there’s a lot of money floating around there and they’ve put forward an impressive list of stadia:

- Bung Karno Stadium (88,083) – Jakarta
- Rumbai Stadium (70,000 – under construction) – Pekanbaru
- Gedebage Stadium (70,000 – under construction) – Bandung
- Palaran Stadium (60,000) – Samarinda
- Tenggarong Stadium (60,000 – under construction) – Tenggarong
- Jakarta BMW Stadium (±60,000 – under construction) – North Jakarta
- Gelora Sriwijaya, aka Jakabaring Stadium (55,000) – Palembang
- Lagaligo Stadium (55,000) – Palopo
- Bogor Stadium (±50,000 – under construction) – Bogor
- Maguwoharjo Stadium (40-50,000 – undergoing expansion) – Sleman
- Jalak Harupat Soreang Stadium (40,000) – Soreang
- Tangerang Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Tangerang
- Medan Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Medan
- Bali Wangi Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Gianyar

This is actually a deceptively strong bid. The list of stadia is very good, with plenty of modern venues that meet all the standards and only 3 on the shortlist that are just proposed and not under construction or already completed – even the Netherlands/Belgium bid can’t match this. Plus there is plenty of new market potential. I wouldn’t begrudge them if they took it but their lack of heritage could hinder them against the other Asian nations

Japan (AFC)
It looks as if Japan are going to go up against their partners from 2002 to bid for the sole rights for the World Cup 20 years after the first in Asia. And why not? Of all the AFC nations, it is probably at the top for football heritage, and its certainly a big enough country to go it alone – one retrospectively wonders why they didn’t bid alone last time. Certainly the likelihood of 2022 being a largely Asian clash will play into their hands a bit, and they’ve also successfully won the right to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup. But there are a few cons – although it will be 20 years by the time 2022 comes around, it will still only be 8 years by the time the decision is made, and with countries like Indonesia bidding for the first time, it may be a drawback. Plus there is also the lukewarm reception the tournament got in 2002 – the South Korean fans were generally perceived to have been much more welcoming and passionate about it than the Japanese. And there is also the self-acknowledged setback of not winning the 2016 Olympics, as the proposed new Olympic stadium would have been the venue for the Final

Japanese venues in 2002 were:

- International Stadium (70,000) – Yokohama
- Saitama Stadium (63,700) – Saitama
- Shizuoka Stadium (50,889) – Fukuroi
- Nagai Stadium (50,000) – Osaka
- Miyagi Stadium (49,000) – Rifu
- Oita Stadium (40,000) – Oita
- Niigata Stadium (42,300) – Niigata
- Kashima Stadium (42,000) – Kashima
- Kobe Wing Stadium (42,000) – Kobe
- Sapporo Dome (42,000) – Sapporo

Other Japanese stadia (not including stadiums outside Japan) included in the 2019 RWC bid are:

- Olympic Stadium (57,000) – Tokyo
- Toyota Stadium (45,000) – Toyota
- Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium (27,188) – Tokyo
- Hakata no mori Stadium (22,563) – Fukuoka
- Sendai Stadium (19.694) – Sendai

A generally strong set of stadia, then – mostly modern and plenty over the 40,000 threshold. But, crucially, none over 80,000 to host the Final. The bid needs a standout centrepiece venue – the tournament has now outgrown the International Stadium in Yokohama, the venue for the Final 7 years ago. Other than that, you’d have to say Japan have a potentially strong bid

Portugal/Spain (UEFA)
Another joint bid, but this one looks slightly more flawed. Sepp Blatter has stated in the past that joint-bidding nations would have to be too small to host alone. Spain has already hosted the World Cup alone, and Portugal is a pretty big country too, so expect this to count against them. But putting that aside, it’s up there with the best. Portugal hosted Euro 2004 so they are pretty much sorted on the stadia front, whilst Spain have one of the biggest leagues in Europe and some pretty big clubs with their own massive stadiums. The list of 24 candidate cities (they are at the same stage that England were at until this week), with 20 from Spain and 4 from Portugal, is very strong – the 4 from Portugal are highly likely to get in, with 8 Spanish cities joining them. The potential Spanish venues are:

- Riazor (35,000 – expansion) – A Coruna
- Nuevo Rico Perez (40,000 – new stadium) – Alicante
- Nuevo Estadio (45,000 – new stadium) – Badajoz
- Camp Nou (100,000 – renovation) – Barcelona
- Nuevo San Mames (55,000 – new stadium) – Bilbao
- Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero (38,750 – exp/ren)/New Stadium – Elche
- El Molinon (26,000 – expansion) – Gijon
- New Stadium (40,000+) – Girona
- Santiago Bernabeu (80,000) – Madrid
- Le Peineta (20,000 – expansion to 70,000) – Madrid
- La Rosaled (35,000 – expansion) – Malaga
- Nueva Condomina (33,000 – expansion) – Murcia
- Nuevo Carlos Tartiere (30,000 – expansion) – Oviedo
- El Helmantico (17,341 – expansion) – Salamanca
- Estadio Anoeta (32,046 – reconstruction) – San Sebastian
- El Sardinero (22,271 – reconstruction) – Santander
- La Cartuja (60,000) – Sevilla
- Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan (60,000 – renovation) – Sevilla
- Manuel Ruiz de Lopera (50,000 – renovation) – Sevilla
- Nou Mestalla (75,000 – new stadium) – Valencia
- Estadio Jose Zorrilla (26,512 – expansion) – Valladolid
- Estadio Balaidos (31,800 – expansion to 42,381) – Vigo
- Nueva Romareda (40,000 – new stadium) – Zaragoza

Now you’d think that Spain could probably put a decent enough bid in on its own with that selection – many of these are modern build stadiums that only need an expansion of capacity. In that sense, its much like in England where many clubs have built new grounds that aren’t quite up to the 40,000 limit. A number of the proposals are planned to go ahead regardless of whether or not the bid succeeds. Spain also has 2 of the most famous stadiums in Europe, the Camp Nou/Nou Camp and the Bernabeu, home of 2 of the greatest clubs in the world. But we must not forget Portugal:

- Estadio Municipal de Braga (30,000 – expansion) – Braga
- Estadio do Algarve (30,000 – expansion) – Faro
- Estadio Jose Alvalade (50,000) – Lisbon
- Estadio da Luz (65,000) – Lisbon
- Estadio do Dragao (50,000) – Porto

All 5 hosted matches in Euro 2004, although the Algarve and Braga stadiums will need expansion due to their small capacities. Even so, they still have the necessary infrastructure, which cannot be forgotten when taking things into consideration. But the fact that it is a joint bid, when certainly Spain could do it all, is a drawback. It’s a shame, because with all the politicking going on behind the English bid, they would’ve been in a great position to win it

Qatar (AFC) – 2022 only
OK, this is where we grind to a halt. Qatar is not a footballing country. They have never qualified for the World Cup and they have no football history. They just have a lot of money to throw at some massive white elephant arenas. So they could well win it. There aren’t many details available so we can only assume that the rich sheikhs are going to spend billions creating enormous stadiums they’ll never fill. The largest stadium in Qatar right now is the 50,000-capacity Khalifa Stadium in Doha. Sorry for the cynicism and bias but if this bid wins, then the World Cup really is on the downhill…

Russia (UEFA)
The Russians are probably England’s main rival for 2018. They have never held the World Cup before but have a strong football heritage and a quality set of stadia. And you know they’ll probably get it done, no questions asked. I can see it being quite an attractive bid for FIFA, breaking new ground but in a more traditional country, but the cities do cover 9 time zones. The venues nominated are:

- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Kaliningrad
- New Zenit Stadium (62,000 – under construction) – St Petersburg
- Luzhniki Stadium (78,360 – expansion) – Moscow
- CSKA Moscow Stadium (30,000 – under construction, further expansion) – Moscow
- Spartak Stadium (42,000 – under construction) – Moscow
- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Podolsk
- 2013 University Games Stadium (45,000 – under construction) – Kazan
- New Stadium (40,000 – proposed) – Nizhny Novgorod
- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Yaroslavl
- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Samara
- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Volgograd
- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Saransk
- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Krasnodar
- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Rostov-on-Don
- Olympic Stadium (40,000 – under construction) – Sochi
- New Stadium (40,000+ – proposed) – Yekaterinburg

As you can see, there are a lot of new stadia to be built, a potential drawback in terms of cost but it will mean plenty of modern stadia. A lot of Russian football stadiums, especially those outside the big cities of Moscow and St Petersburg, are now out-of-date so new ones are needed. Most of the cities listed have leading football teams so they aren’t necessarily going to be white elephants. Some, as you can see, are under construction already – 2 of the 4 big Moscow clubs have decided to build new stadiums having spent some time ground-sharing – Spartak with Torpedo in the Luzhniki and CSKA with Dynamo in the Dynamo Stadium. The Luzhniki itself is the main centrepiece venue of this, being an Elite venue already with a planned expansion if the bid wins. It hosted the all-English 2008 Champions League Final with a grass pitch but usually it has a unique artificial surface due to the cold winter climate, so potentially it could be the first World Cup Final venue with an artificial pitch…

South Korea (AFC) – 2022 only
If Japan are to be disadvantaged by bidding again, then so too will the Koreans. But unlike them, they made a big impact in 2002, with the passionate fans (and not to mention Guus Hiddink) helping the team to a remarkable 4th place finish. Bidding alone is a different matter to the joint bid and I wonder if they have the power to pull it off. Like Japan, it doesn’t have an 80,000+ capacity stadium but no doubt one can be expanded, presumably the stadium in Seoul which hosted the opening ceremony in 2002, followed by the extraordinary game between France and Senegal. There is no definitive stadium list so here are the 10 stadiums from 2002 which would surely go some way towards any list of venues for South Korea 2022:

- Daegu Stadium (68,014) – Daegu
- Seoul World Cup Stadium (64,677) – Seoul
- Asiad Main Stadium (53,864) – Busan
- Incheon Munhak Stadium (50,256) – Incheon
- Munsu Cup Stadium (43,550) – Ulsan
- Suwon World Cup Stadium (43,288) – Suwon
- Guus Hiddink Stadium (40,245) – Gwangju
- Jeonju World Cup Stadium (42,477) – Jeonju
- Jeju World Cup Stadium (35,657 – 2002 temp capacity of 42,256) – Seogwipo
- Daejeon World Cup Stadium (40,535) – Daejeon

To round it up to 12, here are the 2 other stadia in the top 12 by capacity that would probably also be included:

- Olympic Stadium (69,950) – Seoul
- Goyang Stadium (41,311) – Goyang

Although the Olympic Stadium was built for the 1988 Games, the Goyang Stadium is a post-World Cup construction, opening in 2003. There are also a number of other reasonably-sized stadiums in South Korea which could conceivably be expanded – 2022 is a long time away and maybe stadium design will have moved on by then. But otherwise, it’s a strong bid, although I wouldn’t bet on them. The competition is strong

USA (CONCACAF)
Yes, that old chestnut again. Was 1994 a failure or was it a success? Who can tell? It had the highest attendance of any World Cup thus far but it had some of the biggest stadiums so that is understandable. What I can tell you is that soccer is gaining in popularity in the States, with David Beckham spearheading the MLS. The cynical Europeans will no doubt question why the USA should get another World Cup given that many were sceptical that they should get one in the first place and it never really had a major impact like FIFA hoped it would. But there we are. It would be something to savour if the last one’s anything to go by – Diana Ross and all that. As for now, many of the 1994 venues are candidates once – they superficially look outdated by European standards but you know that in the US, they have their own high standards which will be more than satisfactory. Not to mention the fact that the capacities are enormous. Plus there are plenty of new stadiums going up all the time – the Giants Stadium, a 1994 venue and home to both New York NFL teams and the New York Red Bulls soccer team, will soon be demolished and replaced by the brand new Meadowlands Stadium nearby. So stadiums and infrastructure aren’t a problem.

There are currently 32 candidate stadiums in 27 cities (although some cities are close to others) – I’ve included potential non-sponsored names as that is what FIFA will use for the tournament itself:

- Cowboys Stadium (111,000) – Arlington, TX
- Michigan Stadium (108,000 – undergoing expansion) – Ann Arbor, MI
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (93,607) – Los Angeles, CA
- Rose Bowl (92,542)* – Pasadena, CA
- Cotton Bowl (92,200)* – Dallas, TX
- Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, aka FedExField (91,704) – Landover, MD
- The Meadowlands (82,000 – under construction) – East Rutherford, NJ
- Arrowhead Stadium (79,451) – Kansas City, MO
- Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (77,000) – Jacksonville, FL
- Mile High Stadium, aka Invesco Field at Mile High (76,125) – Denver, CO
- Dolphin Stadium (74,916) – Miami, FL
- Carolinas Stadium, aka Bank of America Stadium (73,500) – Charlotte, NC
- Cleveland Browns Stadium (73,200) – Cleveland, OH
- Husky Stadium (72,500 – to undergo renovation) – Seattle, WA
- Foxboro Stadium, aka Gillette Stadium (71,693) – Foxborough, MA
- Reliant Stadium (71,500) – Houston, TX
- Georgia Dome (71,250) – Atlanta, GA
- Ravens Stadium, aka M&T Bank Stadium (71,008) – Baltimore, MD
- Cardinals Stadium, aka University of Phoenix Stadium (71,000) – Glendale, AR
- Jack Murphy Stadium, aka Qualcomm Stadium (70,500) – San Diego, CA
- The Coliseum, aka LP Field (69,143) – Nashville, TN
- St Louis Dome, aka Edward Jones Dome (67,268) – St Louis, MO
- South Philadelphia Sports Complex Stadium, aka Lincoln Financial Field (67,594) – Philadelphia, PA
- Lions Field, aka Ford Field (67,188) – Detroit, MI
- Seahawks Stadium, aka Qwest Field (67,000) – Seattle, WA
- Tampa Community Stadium, aka Raymond James Stadium (65,857) – Tampa, FL
- Citrus Bowl (65,616)* – Orlando, FL
- Indiana Stadium, aka Lucas Oil Stadium (64,200) – Indianapolis, IN
- Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (63,026) – Oakland, CA
- Soldier Field (61,000)* – Chicago, IL
- Stanford Stadium (50,500)* – Stanford, CA
- RFK Stadium (45,600)* – Washington, DC

* – 1994 venues

If it was all about stadiums, the US could host 4 different World Cups for each corner of the country. But it’s not all about stadiums. The USA has still not become established as a soccer nation and it hasn’t garnered the respect of the people of the football powerhouses of Europe. If the US was to get the World Cup over England, there would probably be uproar here, especially if we have beaten them in next year’s tournament by then. However, I’d say it was more likely that a European nation would get 2018, leaving the US scrap it out with the Asian nations for 2022. And they’ve got a strong case for that year over the likes of Qatar and Indonesia. If it comes down to the US vs Australia, I wouldn’t like to pick a winner

And so to sum up:

Australia
Pros: unique modern stadiums; new market; has hosted plenty of big sporting events already
Cons: not a football nation; another southern hemisphere country; extreme time zone

Belgium/Netherlands
Pros: football heritage; held Euro 2000; central location in Europe
Cons: joint bid; not many adequate stadiums right now; white elephant potential

England
Pros: football heritage; plenty of stadiums; has held/will hold plenty of big events
Cons: bid hit by political wranglings; behind-the-scenes problems; perceived arrogance (as in 2006 bidding)

Indonesia
Pros: new market potential; stadiums; has held/will hold some big events
Cons: poor infrastructure; little football heritage; white elephant potential

Japan
Pros: co-hosted 2002 World Cup; modern country; quality stadia
Cons: co-hosted 2002 World Cup; lukewarm reaction in ‘02; missed out on 2016 Olympics so no centrepiece stadium as yet

Portugal/Spain
Pros: football heritage; landmark stadia; Portugal held Euro 2004 and Spain has held big events as well
Cons: joint bid; joint bid; joint bid

Qatar
Pros: loads ofmoney to throw at stadia;  would be first Arab nation to host the FWC
Cons: no heritage; major white elephant potential; extreme heat;…well, just look at the Bahrain GP, you’ll see

Russia
Pros: heritage; loads of new stadiums; never hosted before despite status so could be seen to be “deserving” of a FWC
Cons: vast size; loads of time zones; loads of new stadiums

South Korea
Pros: co-hosted 2002 World Cup; passionate fans; quality stadia
Cons: co-hosted 2002 World Cup; lack of heritage; small country

USA
Pros: loads of enormous adequate stadiums; FIFA still want to break in to American market; it’s CONCACAF’s “turn”
Cons: lack of heritage; high temperatures; who in the US really cares?

My choices
2018: England – because we’re the logical choice, despite the behind-the-scenes arguments
2022: Australia – because it’s a new football market and they know what to do

Who FIFA will choose, I do not know. I can’t see the Bene (without ‘lux’) bid succeeding because it just seems to be too much in what will probably be a short space of time, and it’s a joint bid. The latter goes also for the Iberian bid – Spain could host it themselves and that will count against them, going by Blatter’s comments, although a U-turn wouldn’t be surprising. So that just leaves England and Russia out of the UEFA countries and probably for 2018, and I can see them going for Russia if England get too complacent. As for 2022, it could be any of them. If Warner gets his way, it’ll be the US again. If FIFA are dazzled by the cash, they could go to Qatar. If the Japanese and South Koreans do good presentations and get decent centrepiece stadiums together, they could sneak it. If they fancy somewhere new, they could go for Indonesia. If they have any common sense, they’ll go to Australia. Who knows?

The Moelltal glacier in Carinthia, Austria is a very popular spot for skiers and snowboarders across Europe. Featuring more than 35 miles of slopes and a special snowboard Fun Park, it’s easy to see why. One recent visitor, Austrian snowboarder Kurt Welden, 31, nearly found his funtimes turning into DEATHTIMES when he went over a cliff.

Hanging on desperately, he was able to dig some snow away and help get a better grip on his precarious position. Rescue workers came to Welden’s aid, but it took them over an hour to reach him and get him free using a helicopter.

One of the rescuers said afterwards: “The fear was that the snow that was at the edge of the cliff could have been dislodged, taking the man down with it.

“But in the end we managed to pull him to safety. He was shocked but otherwise unhurt.”

[Daily Mail]

Back during the Beijing Olympics, I fell for Australian swimming sensation Stephanie Rice, and I know that if she were to meet me she’d feel the same way. She must have sensed that because, since the Olympics and her breakup with a fellow swimmer she has been linked to several men but according to her, none of the rumors are true.

“Everyone’s always ‘Steph, you need a boyfriend’ and I’m like ‘I know, but apparently I have four’. Believe me, one would be just perfect,” she said.

Stephanie also added that while she’s busy with training and being in the public eye, that isn’t stopping her from looking for a gentleman friend. “I can definitely fit it in, that’s not my problem and I’m not making that an excuse,” but it’s not always easy knowing people’s motivation. “It’s hard to tell if people like the idea of (a relationship with Stephanie Rice) or if they really like you,” she said.

Well, Stephanie, despite having never met you, I can say that I’m in it for YOU and not your fame. Sure, you have worldwide fame, gold medals, sponsorship deals and seemingly you have it all, but without the proper life-companion, it’s all useless. Let’s take this journey through life together, let’s meet up, say halfway, how about we meet in LA?

Call me!

Also, can someone buy me a plane ticket to LA?

And the rest of you, stay away!

[Courier Mail]

I’m really into surfing recently; well, one particular aspect of surfing, the incredibly hot women who do it. We saw young hottie Alana Blanchard in all her glory, but 9-time Panamanian champion Sonio “Pucha (Sugar)” Garcia can give her quite the battle; which is something I’d pay good money to see.

I mean, how can you NOT love a vocation where the women are athletic and hang out in skimpy bikinis all the time, it sounds like heaven to me. The 34-year-old Garcia has captured plenty of titles, and hearts, along her career, although none can be as important as capturing my attention. Let’s go out paddling Sonia!

I’m not incredibly well-versed in the world of MMA, but I have a feeling that when you try and bodyslam your opponent and in the process knock yourself unconscious that you are doing it wrong.

I never played lacrosse in high school because that was at the same time as the tennis season and also the musicals; y’know, because I’m like THE most masculine dude ever. Since I never played, I have no compunction with poking fun at those who do, and who better to aid in the process then the folks over at Inside Lacrosse who cover the college game have released their 2nd annual Face-Off Yearbook All-Name Team. The criteria to be included are strict:

The main qualification is to have a first name that no one has ever heard of. Now, the tricky distinction comes down to differentiating between names that might have some ethnic heritage or lean more toward hippie than preppy.

The name has to be unique, and most importantly, it has to have a certain air about it. Basically, it has to sound like it fits in Judge Elihu Smails’ family, and belongs in a Tuesday afternoon foursome with Spaulding and his chums at Bushwood Country Club.

Without further delay, here are the 1st team winners:

Ridge Flick — Sr., A, Air Force

Ashton Hotchkiss — Sr., A, Roanoke

Gibbs Preston — Sr., A, McDaniel

Forest Sonnenfeldt — Fr., M, Princeton

Keaton O’Hara — So., M, Bellarmine

Caldwell Rohrbach — So., A, St. Lawrence

Zeppy O’Geen — So., F/O, Herkimer

Briggs Davis — So., LSM, Middlebury

Baxter Lanius — Fr., D, Lehigh

Dayton Gilbreath —So., D, Air Force

Brogin VanSkoik — Sr., Potsdam

Brewster Knowlton — So., G, WNEC

All excellent choices, and they have a second and third team as well that you can check out by going to their page HERE. Me, I’d have made sure Austin Milton Winter and Blaze Yeager were on the first squad, but then again, I’m the dude who played tennis and then did high school musicals so…

[Inside Lacrosse]

We have thus far steered clear of the Tiger Woods hullaballoo, but this open letter from Ron Artest is too good to pass up:

There are a lot of sports announcers and regular reporters who are not perfect in their own homes, yet they want to bring you down.

You have done so much for people, the sport of golf, and your family and you gave your wife a life that people can’t even dream of.

I thought you were 36 or 37 until I read the news today. A 33-year-old man who has been a model citizen with so much at stake. This is your first publicly known issue since you started your career, compared to my 50 or more publicly known issues and mistakes.

Thanks, Ron.

Chilean Olympic weightlifter Elizabeth Poblete had quite the surprise during her training the other day. While practicing lifts, she unexpectedly gave birth to a baby boy!

Earlier in the week, Poblete had said she felt unwell but she was “shocked” to find out in fact that she was pregnant. The boy, born 3 months premature is in intensive care. Poblete was also in the hospital but has since left, she told Brazilian television that she doesn’t have the money to pay for medical care for her son and herself but the hospital denies that they discharged her because she couldn’t pay her bill.

At the 2008 Olympics Poblete finished 12th in the 69-75kg category.

[The Guardian]

Padraig Parkinson won the first ever UKIPT Galway poker tournament last night, winning nearly $182,000, making this the 7th World Series of Poker event that he has cashed in on. With the win, Parkinson wins the unofficial “Irish” title and a free seat at the English Poker Tournament — London next year.

Never one to live up to a stereotype, Parkinson was feeling awfully good after his win: “I was born just down the road so I can’t believe that I won it.

“If anyone wants a drink, I’m buying!”

[Poker Jolt]

Tom Smallwood beat the competition and the assumptions that his name arises in upsetting the reigning Professional Bowlers Association player of the Year, Wes Malott, 244-228 in the PBA World Championships on Sunday. The former assembly-line worker for General Motors who was laid off nearly a year ago took home his first PBA Tour title, his first “major” title, a $50,000 first prize, a two-year exemption to continue his PBA Tour career and his first chance to bowl in January’s PBA Tournament of Champions.

“It’s surreal,” Smallwood, 32, said. “It has been a wild ride.”

“I was already so nervous in the 10th frame, I told myself I couldn’t possibly get any more nervous,” he added. “The right lane was my good lane anyway, so I figured if I threw a decent shot, I’d be OK.”

Always sure of his skill, Smallwood never attempted to get on the tour until after he lost his job, so he competed in the PBA Tour Trial in suburban Detroit, finishing 3rd and starting his bowling career.

“I wouldn’t be here otherwise,” he said. “Getting an exemption is so hard to do.”

Ironically, Smallwood recently got a call from the General Motors jobs bank, offering him a chance to go back to work.

“The lady who called asked me if I wanted to come back to work, but I told her no,” he said. “She asked what I was doing. I told her I’m now a professional bowler and that I’d be on ESPN this weekend. At first she didn’t believe me, but the lady sitting next to her was a bowler, so I wound up talking to her for a while. Now I think the people at GM are fans.”

[Professional Bowlers Association]

Sad news for those of you who were planning on crashing the curling events at the Vancouver Olympics on the hunt for a hottie, Canada’s Jennifer Jones, one of the better looking curlers out there performed poorly and failed to qualify for the team. Despite having won the last 2 Canadian Championships, Jones’ team just couldn’t put it all together when it counted and so they’ll be watching the Olympics from home.

“We’re hugely disappointed,” Jones said. “We worked three years for this but we just came out and things just didn’t go our way. Sometimes I think it’s just not meant to be. I mean, we didn’t play as well as we liked and I don’t know why. It was really just one bad end, a couple of bad shots every game and we just couldn’t recover.

“Only one team gets to win and unfortunately it’s not going to be us.”

Well, there’s always NEXT Olympics right! In the meantime we can admire Jennifer from a distance.

[CTV]

I dare you to show me a person with bigger set of stones than British photographer Andy Willsheer who was on hand at the Pomona Raceway for the Auto Club drag racing finals. As Steve Gasparrelli started off the line his car hit an oil slick and immediately swerved out of control, heading towards the barrier and exactly where Willsheer was standing. In an instant a hulking tower of metal was flying out-of-control right for him. Without panicking, Willsheer stood his ground, snapping photograph after photograph despite the inherent danger. The car ultimately came to a rest a mere 3 feet from him, and while everyone else rushed away, Willsheer stayed put and got the shot. Awesome!

[Daily Mail]

Winner of a Congressional Water Safety Award in 1978, Bill Dance is a legend in the bass fishing world who has had a fishing show since the 1960s, his most recent version (Bill Dance Outdoors) airs on the Versus network in between hockey and the constant showings of Bloodsport. The long-time fisherman has had a number of bloopers during his day, and this 3 minute clip captures some truly hilarious ones.

Say what you want about the inanity of fishing — I agree — but these bloopers are absolutely amazing, I’m almost tempted to buy one of his DVDs to see more. I won’t but I’m tempted.

The camera guy falling off the clip completely slays me, that shit is PRICELESS.

With waves as high as 50 feet, the Quicksilver in memory of Eddie Aikau was held on Tuesday on the North Shore of Oahu. Greg Long of California ended up the winner of the day, taking home a $55,000 prize while riding 40-50 foot high waves in each of his runs.

“I’m so happy just to be here, invited into the biggest event of big waves in the world with all my heroes, I’m so excited,” said Long.

In second place was surfing legend and one-time Baywatch cast member Kelly Slater.

[Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau]

The New York Post printed this list of text messages between Tiger Woods and one of his mistresses today.

If you read these messages not knowing who was behind them, you’d assume it was a high school couple. Alas, it is one of the greatest athletes in the world, and until two weeks ago, one of the most private men in America.

Among the greatest lines in this running commentary is this gem:

‘Jaimee: well I appreciate you not wanting to wake me up but if y couldn’t sleep I would have rather sat up and talked to u more … find out why I keep falling more and more for u

Tiger: Because I’m blasian ‘

Ah, fantastic. Good times.

How many of you remember this cartoon ad?

The New York Yankees made a very surprising choice with the first pick of the Rule 5 Draft.

They chose Jamie Hoffmann of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hoffmann, a former 8th round pick of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, could make the club as a fourth outfielder. Hoffmann seemed to hit about 9-11 homeruns a year, with a solid batting average of .275+ and is known to have pretty good speed. He could steal up to 20 bases a year. Hoffmann is also known as a solid hitter against lefties and a great fielder.

Personally, I would have taken Kroenke now that Coke is gone, but I am not too upset with the selection.

YANKEES CHOSEN:

Zach Kroenke was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Kanekoa Texeira was taken by the Seattle Mariners.

Analysis: I find it very impressive that Yankees keep getting chosen in the draft. It says something about their minor-league system.

Predictions:

Jamie Hoffmann sticks with the Yankees and makes their regular season roster. He is returned in June when the Yankees trade for a veteran version of him.

Zach Kroenke does not make the Arizona Diamondbacks and is returned. He does have a clause where he can become a free agent, but he chooses to go back to the Yankees, as they promise him a spot on the 40-man roster.

Kanekoa Texeira makes the Seattle Mariners and sticks with them for the entire 2009 season.

What the hell is going on with Randy Moss and his facial hair?

Moss is starting to resemble the shady-looking guy that sits outside your favorite 7-11 with a change cup, only scarier. The kind of scary that makes you 99% sure he committed a serious felony, yet somehow managed to escape the law.

I fully expect to see Moss scrapping for a pizza on the next Bum Fights release. You know, with the ‘holla, holla, holla’ dude from Chappelle’s Show.

Two British women are attempting to make history as they set out on a 3,000 mile journey rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. Annie Januszewski (left), 40, and Mel King (right), 37, are looking to break the record for transatlantic travel by an all-female crew. The record right now is 75 days, but the pair are looking to do it 70.

To aid them along in their journey, the women have a unique hook, they’re going to do the whole journey naked. Originally they were going to just do the trip in their bras and underwear (to prevent chafing from their clothes) but changed their minds and are going to do the whole trip sans clothes now.

Among the challenges ahead for the women are 35 foot waves, days rowing for over 15 hours and of course, sunstroke and burns. But at least they won’t have to worry about tan lines!

Annie said: “I’ve just turned 40 but I’d like to get it straight that I’m not going through a mid life crisis. Hopefully being nude will allow us to shave days off our time. I know it’s going be the hardest thing I’ve ever done and boy, is my bum going to suffer.”

The team is leaving the Canary Islands today, as part of the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 and hope to reach Antigua in February. If they make it, they’d be only the 7th all-female crew to make the crossing, and presumably the only ones to do the whole thing naked.

The trip isn’t just for the two women though, when they reach Antigua they’ll have raised over $50,000 for the MacMillan Cancer Support charity.

“I have always, always wanted to do something of this magnitude and what could possibly be bigger than rowing the Atlantic and setting a world record?” Annie said.

[The Sun]

Thought about going with “NCAA Probing Tennessee’s Hostesses,” but ESPN already alluded to that in their article.

Yeah so anyways, the University of Tennessee is employing female students to attract high school recruits to the football program. I think they call that ‘robbing the cradle.’

It’s not like this is anything unprecedented. We saw it go down in uncensored fashion in He Got Game. This kind of thing happens everywhere.

I’d imagine, however, that it puts things into perspective for the females in question when they’re labeled ‘hostesses.’ They likely see themselves as jersey-chasing fans of the football program, out to catch an athlete and secure a future with an accidental pregnancy. The NCAA doesn’t see it that way, though. They view them as escorts, ladies of the evening, harlots, sex objects.

And in reality, that’s probably what they are. They show up at the prep games of these recruits, bring signs, make noise, and after the game likely put their mouth where the money is. That’s what being a true fan is all about.

In ESPN’s report, one recruit describes these superfans as ‘real pretty, real nice and just real cool.’ I’d imagine it’s his first depiction of their character that might get these ladies in trouble. Had Tennessee been sending uglies out to these games, there likely wouldn’t be any problems. They’re not recruiting Steve Phillips, after all.

I’m not as up-to-date as I should be with the latest happenings in the surfing world. For instance, I have been INCREDIBLY remiss in not highlighting the talented Alana Blanchard. The 19-year-old from Hawaii has been surfing since she was a child and winning professional competitions since she was 15. In 2003, while surfing with her best friend Bethany Hamilton, a tiger shark swam by and bit off Hamilton’s arm. Along with her father and brother, Alana helped get Bethany to shore and then to the hospital where she was operated on and three weeks later was back to surfing. So, not only is she incredibly hot, but also a good person too! And handy with a tourniquet which is always useful.

Even more useful, how hot surfer girls wear incredibly small bikinis all the time and love to show off their bodies. Thank you surf gods.

Kain Saul is an Australian freestyle motocross rider and a few weeks back he attempted something that had never been done before, a backflip using a Harley Davidson. Of course, an actual Harley bike is far too heavy to be flipped in the air and so with some help from a local Harley dealership they installed a giant Harley engine onto a motocross bike frame. Checking in at nearly 570 pounds the bike still retained plenty of that Harley heavy bike allure. All set, Saul gets the bike in place, engages the 100 HP engine and let’s her rip.

Surfers from around the world have been making their way to the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii in the hopes of competing in the Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau event, which hasn’t been held since 2004. The event is only held in perfect conditions, and requires waves to be at a minimum of 40 feet high. With record surfs, this might be the year to resurrect the competition and so hundreds of top surfers from around the globe have been flying in to Hawaii. While the contest hasn’t officially started that hasn’t stopped everyone from getting out on the waves and letting loose.

And I have another very aesthetically pleasing surfing post coming later today that will knock your socks off.

*(UPDATE)* The Quicksilver will start today at 10:00 PST

[Daily Mail]