This was the turning point of Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. And it was one of the most controversial moments in recent postseason baseball history. The situation: Dodgers on first and third, one out, trailing 2-1. Here is video of the event, which […]

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This has been something of a flashback for me. The first Abu Dhabi Tour … the first Redlands Bicycle Classic. What do they have in common? Two-wheel bikes, whippet lean men, strange terminology and the same sports editor covering each debut, albeit 30 years apart. Abu Dhabi being Abu Dhabi, it started its bike race […]

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The UAE national team, the country’s best in 25 years, lost 2-1 at Saudi Arabia last night, and suddenly their chances of qualifying for the Russia 2018 World Cup are slim. A team ranked 70th in the world by Fifa, fifth-best in Asia, may not get out of the second round of Asian Football Confederation […]

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Fast-food outlets are as common as gas stations in the UAE, in part because a Burger King or a Hardees or a Pizza Hut typically is part of the 7-Eleven style retail area a few feet from the pumps. We try to avoid fast food here for the same reasons we would back home — […]

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Jennifer Aniston, still a celebrity after all these years, has been paid $5 million to be part of an advertising campaign for the Dubai-owned carrier Emirates, the New York Post has reported. The first ad came out this week, a piece of video that shows Aniston caught in the nightmare that is flying without a […]

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The UAE has played in the World Cup once, in Italy, in 1990. A quarter-century ago. And a country of soccer fans would like to see their team go back. Specifically, to Russia 2018, the next World Cup. Six months ago, it looked like it could happen. Now? Not so much. What is the problem? […]

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I am now a Jurgen Klinsmann fan — through the weekend anyway. His name has come up, albeit peripherally, as a candidate for the manager’s job at Liverpool, but we can’t have the coach of the U.S. national team losing to Mexico at the Rose Bowl this weekend in the playoff for a berth at […]

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The UAE is taking a shine to the concept of bicycles. Riding them. Buying them. Watching others ride them, especially professionals. The issue here is that this country is remarkably flat, most of it. Conditions which generally make for boring races, among cyclists. The pros? They will get in a huge pack and this or […]

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Jose Mourinho. Probably hasn’t forced his way into the American consciousness yet, but he is probably the most famous/infamous coach in world soccer. He may well be brilliant. On arrival at Chelsea in 2004, he told English media that as a coach he was a “special one” — and the nickname has followed him around […]

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Nancy Bea Hefley announced today she will retire as Dodgers organist at the end of the season, whenever that is — it’s up to the players how long they last in the postseason. “Though the World Series,” she said, definitely showing an optimistic bent. Nancy Bea, 79, has been the Dodgers’ organist since 1988, which […]

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