Matt Forte

During a break in the action, a man with no shirt made his way onto the field at Wembley Stadium and proceeded to sprint approximately 80 yards down the field towards the Bears’ end zone, as he high-fived players from both teams on the way before finally being tackled by security.

With LeGarrette Blount and Earnest Graham getting hit by the injury bug, perhaps the Bucs should consider signing this guy as their new feature running back.

Hat Tip – [The Score]

One fan was able to provide us with the latter during a Rugby World Cup match between Argentina and England, and he also appeared to be willing to show of his breasts (not incredible breasts) and the rest of his body, as he ran across the field naked following a converted kick by Argentina.

Thankfully, either the camera didn’t zoom in enough, or his package was simply to small to make the following video ‘not safe for work.’  So here is a look at the SFW video of the Rugby World Cup streaker.

Here in North American, cricket is a mysterious sport. We recognize that it is a little bit like baseball, but when people talk about it they use all kinds of funny words we don’t understand. Then, if we ever see it on TV—and we rarely do—it’s so confusing because it just looks like a whole mess of people running around aimlessly. However, I’m here to tell you if you just take the time to learn a little bit about the sport, it starts to make sense pretty quickly. Now, maybe you say, “yeah, well, why bother? Who even cares about cricket?” Well, at least 1.5 billion people care about cricket, that’s who—probably twice as many as those who care about baseball or American football. So if nothing else, for serious sports fans it’s worth leaning a bit about the sport just to see what all the fuss is. With that in mind, here’s a list of 11 things you need to know in order to understand the sport of cricket. Why not enlighten yourself a little?

11. A cricket field is oval-shaped

Inside the main oval playing field is a smaller oval territory called the infield, which is 30 yards wide. Inside the infield is the pitch, where all the action of cricket begins. The pitch is 22 yards long and 10 feet wide, and at either end is a wicket.

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10. The basic goal of cricket is pretty simple

One guy throws a ball toward another guy who tries to hit it. The act of throwing the ball is called bowling and, as you would expect, the guy bowling is called the bowler. The guy trying to hit the ball is called the batsman. If he hits the ball far enough, he can score points for his team—called runs—by running back and forth between two safe zones called creases. If the batsman misses the ball, however, and it hits the wicket behind him, he is dismissed and doesn’t get to hit anymore. He is also dismissed if (a) he hits the ball but it is caught on the fly by a fielder, or (b) the ball is not caught on the fly but the fielder is able to knock over the wicket while the hitter is outside the crease. Obviously, the team that scores the most runs wins.

This sort of reminds you a little baseball doesn’t it? You hit a ball to somewhere on a playing field; if it is not caught before it touches the ground, then try to get to a designated area before the ball does. Speaking of baseball…

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9. Cricket and baseball share a lot of the same terminology

Baseball is most likely a derivation of an early form of cricket. For evidence of this, all you need to do is look at the terminology the games share today. In cricket, as in baseball, there are “innings,” “bats” and “batting,” an “infield,” an “outfield,” and, of course, “runs.”

Now, the basic action of batting in cricket is pretty much the same as in baseball, although the object of batting is somewhat different, as is the equipment. (Don’t worry, we’ll get to the object of batting shortly.) The terms “infield” and “outfield” are also similar in that they apply to the areas of the field closer to and further away from the person batting, but of course the field itself is a different shape. Ditto for runs: in baseball and cricket, you score runs by hitting the ball and then running to a designated area, but the designated area is different for the two sports. The only shared term that is almost completely different in baseball and cricket is “innings.” In both games, “innings” refers to a discreet unit of gameplay. However, in baseball an inning (singular) is comprised of 6 “outs” (3 per team), while in cricket an innings (always plural for some reason) is an entire team’s turn batting.

Let’s explain cricket’s innings in baseball terms. In baseball, each team gets to bat until they make 27 outs, right? However, instead of taking all their at-bats in a row, the teams take turns batting and fielding. You get 3 outs, we get 3 outs, and we call 6 outs an inning. Well, if instead of taking turns every 3 outs, each team batted until they made all 27 outs, then an “inning” in baseball would be like an “innings” in cricket.

8. There are always two batsman on the field at the same time

There are always 2 batsman on the field for the offensive team—one at each wicket. The one to whom the bowler is bowling is called the striker. The one just standing there watching is called, un-creatively, the non-striker. When the striker hits the ball, he and the non-striker can decide to attempt to score runs by running back and force between the two creases. If they do attempt to score runs and they end up switching places, then the striker become the non-striker, and vice versa.

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7. The smallest unit of play in a cricket (like at at-bat in baseball) is called an “over”

An over is a series of 6 deliveries from a bowler. It’s called an over because, after 6 deliveries, the umpire yells “over!” An over is kind of like an at-bat in baseball, only there is a finite number of pitches. Bowlers are allowed to throw multiple overs in a game, but no bowler may throw 2 overs in a row. Instead, after each over, the defensive team switches ends and different player bowls toward the other wicket at the opposite end of the pitch. Now the non-striker who stood at the other wicket becomes the striker. If he was not dismissed during the previous over, the guy who was the striker becomes the non-striker. If the previous striker was dismissed in the previous over (at-bat), then a new batsman takes his place as the new non-striker.

Of course, another key difference between an over and an at-bat is that the person batting can change in the middle of an over. This occurs when the striker and non-striker attempted a run that caused them to switch places (as in the above photo).

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6. Every cricket player has two goals

Unlike a batter in baseball, a batsman in cricket has to be somewhat defensive minded. That’s because, in cricket, unlike baseball, if you swing and miss and the ball hits the wicket behind you, you’re out (i.e., dismissed). You don’t get three chances. And when 10 of your 11 players make outs (are dismissed) in cricket, your innings is over. Thus, while the 27 outs you get in baseball are precious, the 10 dismissals you get in cricket are even more precious. So every player has two equal goals. If you’re the batsman, you want to (1) avoid being dismissed and (2) score runs. If you’re the bowler, you want to (1) dismiss the batsman and (2) prevent runs from being scored. And if f you’re a fielder, you want to (1) dismiss the batsman and (2) prevent runs.

5. Test cricket is ridiculously long and drawn out

The three kinds of cricket are Twenty20, Limited Overs Cricket, and Test Cricket. Test cricket is considered the purest form of the game, and the greatest test of skill and endurance. In this format, there is no limit to the number of overs (at-bats) each team gets on offense. Instead, each team gets 2 innings (turns batting) for a total of 4, and they must be played in no longer than 5 days. In this format, an innings is over only when 10 of the 11 batters have been dismissed. There is never any limit to the amount of overs one batsman can take, so in Test cricket it is theoretically possible for one batsman to bat for the entire match. In reality, of course, even the best batsman would wear out and eventually be dismissed. There is no specific limit to the number of overs a bowler can bowl; however, since he can never bowl (pitch) two consecutive overs (at-bats), he can never bowl (pitch) more than 50% of the overs (at-bats). Since there are 2 innings (turns batting) for each team and no limit to the amount of overs (at-bats) in each innings, a Test match is only over when (a) 40 dismissals (outs) have been made or (b) the 5-day time period has run out.

(FYI, you can always tell if it’s a Test match if the players wear all white.)

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4. Limited overs cricket can be long, but it’s better than Test cricket

For the sake of time, there is also limited overs cricket. There are several varieties of limited overs cricket, but the most esteemed is the one-day international (ODI) format. In ODI cricket, each team gets only 1 innings (turn) on offense, which is limited to 50 overs (at-bats). Thus, unlike test cricket, an innings in ODI cricket can end in two ways. Either 10 of the 11 batsmen have been dismissed, or they have reached their allotment of 50 overs. In addition, ODI cricket places stricter limits on who can bowl, thus limiting the effect a top-notch bowler can have on a match. In ODI cricket, a bowler can bowl a maximum of 10 overs (at bats), meaning each team will have to use at least 5 different bowlers.

(In the video here, note the score display in the top left corner. It starts out at Over 49, meaning they have completed an even 49 of 50 overs. Then is goes to Over 49.1, Over 49.2, and so one, meaning 49 overs and X deliveries. When the counter reaches 49.5, that means Australia is only 1 delivery away from giving the opposing team their 50 overs.)

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3. Twenty20 cricket is the newest kind of cricket match, and the shortest

In Twenty20 cricket, each innings is only 20 overs, and those 20 must be taken within 75 minutes. Like all other forms of cricket, there is no limit to the amount of overs a batsman take take, but no bowler may bowl more than 4 overs. This means one stellar offensive player can dominate, making for a shorter, more explosive match. Cricket purists abhor this version of the sport; however, because it is easier for fans to take in a match under these rules, it is more profitable and has therefore become extremely popular.

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2. There are 2 basic types of bowlers

The two basic kinds of bowlers in cricket are the fast bowler and the spin bowler. You get the idea of what they do from their names: the fast bowlers specializes in throwing the ball really fast, while the spin bowler specializes in making the ball take crazy bounces (the ball can bounce twice before it either hits the wicket or is hit by the batsman). One way to measure the greatness of a bowler is to look at how many wickets he earned—that is, how many batsmen he dismissed by throwing the ball by him and knocking over the wickets. This stat is very much like the strikeout in baseball.

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1. Batting a “century” is a big deal for a cricket batsman

In cricket, you score runs by hitting the ball far. If you hit into the gap of the outfield but the ball stays in the field of play, you can easily score 2 or 3 runs by running between two wickets on the pitch 2 or 3 times. However, if you hit the ball such that is land in the playing field but eventually goes out of the playing field, that’s an automatic 4 runs. And if you hit the ball and it leaves the field all together, that’s an automatic 6 runs. This is called “hitting a six,” and it is obviously the equivalent of hitting a home run in baseball. The best offensive players in cricket can hit for many overs (at-bats) without being dismissed (making an out). If they hit for power, then they can achieve what is called a century—scoring 100 runs in a single match. Only once in the history of ODI cricket has a player hit a double century. This player was India’s Sachin Tendelkar. He is a cricket stud, and a superstar in India.

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It was quite the scene, but we don’t expect the teams from Mali, Panama and Saudi Arabia to receive a similar welcoming.

With her team trailing England 1-0 in the first half of their opening match of the tournament, Ocampo was able to salvage the draw with this incredible strike from distance.

Between this goal and the one scored by Canada’s Christine Sinclair against Germany on Sunday, I’m beginning to think that maybe I should be paying a little more attention to what’s going on at the Women’s World Cup.

Hat Tip – [Dirty Tackle]

After dropping the opening set 7-5 to her opponent, Flavia Pennetta, the 26-year-old Frenchwoman gestured to her parents to leave the viewing area in Court 14.  Her mother and father – who is also her coach – would respect the request of their daughter and it appeared to work in her favor, as she came back to win the following two sets, 6-4 and 9-7.

Following the victory, Bartoli explained her actions, saying she was exhausted and “needed to get that frustration out.”  She also told reporters that she met with her parents following her match and they understood her decision.

Bartoli has continued her strong run at Wimbledon, winning her fourth round match against Serena Williams earlier today.  She will now take on Sabine Lisicki in the quarter-finals tomorrow.  Whether or not her parents will be allowed to attend the match remains to be seen.

Here is a look at Bartoli banishing her parents from the stands.

Hat Tip – [NBC Sports]

That is what we are led to believe after watching England’s U-17 goalkeeper Jordan Pickford allow a shot from center by Canadian keeper Quillan Roberts to bounce over his head and into the net during a group stage match at the U-17 World Cup in Mexico.  The goal by Roberts came in the 87th minute and helped Canada earn their first point of the tournament, via their improbable 2-2 draw against England.

England can still qualify for the next round with a win or a draw, while Canada stays alive with the tie.  However, the Canadians will need to beat Rwanda by a convincing margin in their final game and hope that Uruguay helps them out by defeating England in the other final Group C match.

It certainly wont be easy for Canada, but I guess if your goalie can score from beyond midfield in the final minutes to tie a game, then just about anything is possible.

Most athletes are forced to undergo some form of off-season surgery, whether it is to repair damage to their knee, or to help improve the strength of their rotator cuff.  As for Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, he had a little off-season procedure of his own last week – a hair transplant.

The balding 25-year-old English footballer visited a Harley Street clinic to add a little more fur to the top of his head, and he has since shown off the results on Twitter.  The transplant is said to have cost Rooney approximately £30,000, and although his head is “still a bit bloody,” the technologically advanced procedure is believed to be far better than previous hair-transplant procedures.  That means Rooney’s fake hair will not only be less detectable, but there is also a decreased chance of complications occurring.

Here is a detailed outline of the procedure, via Daily Mail:

In this procedure, hairs are transplanted from an area of healthy growth to the bald patch in groups of one to four hairs.

The first step is FUE (Follicullar Unit Extraction). A local anaesthetic is injected into the donor area of the scalp to numb it.

Hair follicles are then plucked out from the donor area by a surgeon using a small punch (a type of needle).

As the grafts are extracted, an assistant is preparing them for their placement using a stereo microscope.

The second step is Follicular Implantation. The surgeon uses a needle to puncture the sites for implanting the grafts, creating micro-holes with a pre-determined pattern.

The density and angle of the hairs are designed to give a realistic hair pattern. The grafts are then inserted into these incisions.

The patient is awake through the procedure. Afterwards they are given a mild steroid to reduce swelling, a painkiller and an antibiotic and told to avoid touching the area for a while. Redness is supposed to fade after a couple of days.

A spokesman from The Harley Street Hair Clinic said: ‘This technique offers a minimally invasive surgical procedure that benefits from a shortened recovery time and reduced risk of complications’

The treatment only works on candidates who have healthy hair growth at the back and sides of the head to serve as donor areas.

With the help of a rejuvenated hairline, I’m guessing Rooney adds another 5-7 headers to his goal total next season.

Hat Tip – [Daily Mail]

Giggs is a married man and has come under plenty of fire after obtaining a court injunction to have his name omitted from the tabloids in England in relation to the affair, but that hasn’t stopped the rest of the world from unveiling his identity.  Even Taiwan has gotten in on the act.

And for those of you who are wondering how Giggs could do such a thing and cheat on his wife, these images of Imogen Thomas should provide you with somewhat of an explanation to that question.  Not that we condone cheating of any sort here at TotalProSports.com, but sometimes a sexy face and giant rack is hard to overlook.

A majority of the public could care less about the fact that Giggs had the affair in the first place, but his ability to get a court injunction that prohibits his name from being used in British tabloids has somehow made this story newsworthy all over the world.  It has even reached Taiwan, where they have a habit of giving every news story an animated twist.

Despite the injunction, Giggs’ name was plastered all over the front page of papers across England on Monday after Member of Parliament John Hemming revealed Giggs’ name in conjunction with the injunction during a meeting in the Commons.

For those not quite familiar with the entire incident, here is a look at Taiwan’s animated version of the story.