Teams most Likely to Win the World Cup

1. India- This is the favorites, and there is no doubt why. They need the best to step up. Sehwag and Sachin need to form 100 partnerships fast. Their lower order batsmen except for Yuvraj have not been able to step up to play at a high level. Their bowling has been great with Yuvraj and Zaheer. They need a good 5th bowler, and a clutch game bowler other than Zaheer. If they set the right team there will be no stopping them.
2. South Africa- Hashim Amla and AB De Villiers are amazing batsmen who will guide SA to a good cup run. They are not the favorites, but if these two batsmen get going they will be. Their bowling has not been anything great, and I don't see how they are going to be challenging for a cup if they keep bowling like they are. Their fielding though sets them apart.
3. Pakistan- Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Abdul Razzaq - nothing more needs to be said about their bowling. Their batting has not been superb, struggling at time especially with their 184 against Canada. But Misbah, and Younis have been able to hold the middle of the order together when they lose early wickets, and can score runs late in the game. Favorites from group A, almost guaranteeing them a spot in the Semis, and then the finals (depending on if they play IND or SA).
4. West Indies- Unlikely to really have a chance at winning it, but i believe that if Chris Gayle plays the whole game as well as Chanderpaul is back, these guys will be able to pull off a few upsets and force their way to the finals.
5. Sri Lanka- In many peoples eyes, Sri Lanka will be going to the finals because of the home field advantage, but mainly because their bowling with Murralidaran and the other spinners has been magnificent. They have been able to play at a high level, and their batting with Sangakarra and Jayawardene, as well as Angelo Matthews have shown they can build strong, though slow, important partnerships that can guide Sri Lanka to 300+ scores. If they win in the Quarters, they become the favorites, even over India.
6. New Zealand- Require Daniel Vettori back, their bowling and batting have been good especially with Ross Taylor. They do need a more experienced captain who can help set up fields to exploit their opponents.
7. Australia- Sure they have won the last 3 world cups, but have not been able to pull of consistently strong wins. Kenya scored 260+ against them. If they get their act together in the Quarter Finals then they move up the list to the top 3 spots.
8. England- have come through in clutch games, but their rather horrible bowling attack other than Swann and Bhopara have given reason to worry. Their batting has been somewhat strong from a few players, but on a whole they are not performing at the level needed to win.

NHL Headshot Conundrum

The problem the NHL faces in regulating head shots in the sport is that players enjoy hitting others, they realize they are getting overpaid because of it, and that fans love watching it. The other problem is that a few bad incidents make the overall head shots seem to be bad. It is the same idea in Nagel's Moral Luck argument, where the ends justify the original actions. It really isn't fair to generalize hard hits. They have to be taken as separate tasks, not grouped together. if the player gets injured there is something expected to be done, while if the player is not hurt, the punishment should not be severe.

I think the NHL has proven that they know how to handle the issue, by keeping it as part of the game and not going to the extremes, leaving it up to the referees or by removing it from the game. The game in itself does not provide a high level of excitement except for the endings of close games (as in all sports), and taking enjoyable hits from fans paying to see it would be wrong and in essence robbing fans from the chance to see a good ol' slug-fest. Players should not be suspended on a large scale except if the hit is deemed unfair, not if the player is hurt, or dies or whatsoever.









http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-luck/

Ireland and Bangladesh - do they deserve a spot in 2015

With the reduction of four teams in the next WorldCup, it seems only deserving that the two teams that have played so well deserve to be guaranteed a spot each in the next cup, rather than having to compete against other associate teams. Bangladesh has shown their skill over the last two cups, and could be going through this year, while ireland have performed well against England, India as well as against South Africa. Other teams like Canada have shown they can play as well, but not to a level that is consistent.

Pakistan at the World Cup

They have been a confusing team to understand. They played well against Sri Lanka and Kenya but were almost defeated by Canada. Their opening batsmen have not performed at a high level, but their middle order has come to the rescue with Younis and Misbah playing well in almost every game. This along with Afridi's resurgence bowling at this world cup has made Pakistan a challenger for the Cup, though not a favorite because of their inability to be consistent. They have a lot to improve upon, and their match with Australia will determine whether or not they are going to have what it takes to win in this world cup