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Axeman2000

Listed below are comments made by Axeman2000 between Thursday, 6th November 2008 and Wednesday, 4th November 2009.

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Toyota exit shifts F1 balance of power 1:07pm on 04 Nov 2009 Just echoing others' comments about Kobayashi. In two races he has shown himself to be a real battler, just the sort of driver you know will give great entertainment value. I really hope he gets a seat somewhere else next year. His "crazy" manoeuvres and Jenson's gripes about them in Brazil put me in mind of Eddie Irving unlapping himself from Ayrton Senna way back when and getting a punch in the face for his troubles.
Why 'Team GB'? 8:09pm on 03 Sep 2009 As others have commented, the team (GBNIUK or ROI) for which they compete depends at least as much on their sport as their personal preference. Nigel Ringland commented that Belfast man Paddy Barnes won a bronze for ROI in boxing - all amateur boxing in NI is run under the auspices of the IABA, and all-Ireland body. This is why a few years back Wayne McCullough, from Belfast's staunchly Loyalist Shankill Road, won a silver medal for ROI. Nigel also gave the example of Wendy Houvenhagel from Co Derry who won a silver in cycling for GBNIUK - although originally from NI, Wendy lives in England and actually competed for England in the Commonwealth Games (boo!).

As for the whole Team GB name business, really who cares? I am from Northern Ireland, I am totally ambivalent about the border which is irrelevant to my everyday life, and I am quite happy not to have the name of our wee country linked with GB. People win Olympic medals for themselves first and foremost, the team only exists so that the rest of us can indulge in some mildly jingoistic cheering. In NI we get to cheer for both teams.
Modern Warfare 2 : Are they too damn teef? 12:55pm on 28 Jul 2009 Hmmm. So if I buy it on PC I would save £25. Great.

All I have to do then is spend about a grand upgrading my PC to be able to run it. What a fantastic idea.
Bruno and Bono's box office blues 1:57pm on 22 Jul 2009 Since when have album sales been a guide to quality? U2's last 2 albums (Atomic Bomb and All That You Can't Leave Behind) were fairly cynical attempts to recreate the sound that made them the biggest band in the world in the late 80's and they succeeded in terms of sales - I suppose proof that no-one ever went broke by appealing to the lowest common denominator. Horizon marks a return to their lower-selling but much more musically interesting albums of the 1990s (Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop) but without the lame attempts at irony, and is vastly superior to their other noughties output. But when a previously successful band goes a bit "experimental" they always risk alienating the mass market, and it has happened with Horizon just as it did with Zooropa and Pop. This is the real reason for lower sales - it just doesn't sound like the previous 2 albums.
As for twitter - if as many people used it as wrote about it, then it might actually have some effect. As it is, this article is just barmy.
Final reflections on a memorable weekend 1:37pm on 31 Mar 2009 Thanks for the insight Jake, I hadn't realised just how seat-of-the-pants this whole TV lark is!

I really enjoyed the coverage last weekend and I can't wait until Malaysia. I had actually forgotten all about "The Chain" returning until the opening credits began, and what a joy it was to hear it again - it felt like I was 15 again and about to watch Senna, Prost and Mansell line up.

The commentary was fine, I actually think Jonathan Legard could end up as cherished as Murray Walker once he realises that he's not on radio any more and we can actually see things for ourselves. Martin Brundle was as insightful as we have come to expect.

Jake is doing a great job fronting the coverage and DC is a real revelation, I would say quite a bit better than Mark Blundell doing largely the same job on ITV. The only problem with the coverage is EJ - he is truly awful whether it's fawning over Richard Branson, talking over Jake's links or looking the other direction and appearing completely disinterested in what anyone else has to say.

One other thing - change the order in which Jake, DC and EJ stand. At the minute they look like John Cleese and the two Ronnies in the old Frost Report upper/middle/lower class sketch.
Pavin's captaincy credentials spot on 1:10pm on 12 Dec 2008 I have to pick up on Le Tiss Is God (he may have been once, but he's now just a rather plump minor deity).

Firstly, you claim that nobody watches the Ryder Cup since it moved to Sky and that the majors are more interesting - well 2 of the 4 majors are on Sky as well so by your own logic nobody must watch them either.

And as for Tiger's assertion that nobody knows Jack Nicklaus's Ryder Cup record, that is almost certainly because Big Jack played Ryder Cup in an era when it was not competitive and therefore not interesting. In the one year when it was competitive, everyone knows what he did - he conceded that putt to Tony Jacklin. By contrast, because Tiger is playing in competitive Ryder Cups, every golf fan on the planet knows his Ryder Cup record - and it's not brilliant. Believe you me, if Tiger's Ryder Cup record was as good as his record in majors, he wouldn't pooh-pooh the Ryder Cup anything like as much.

The Ryder Cup is clearly the biggest thing in golf, to say otherwise is like saying the FA Cup is bigger than the World Cup.
Sports Personality shortlist announced 8:34pm on 01 Dec 2008 Is the running order for the SPOTY available yet? When it is, look to see which out of Hamilton, Hoy and Adlington is featured first. They will win because they will have more time to get votes in.

Even the X-Factor has cottoned on to the fact that if you have the voting lines open while performances (or for SPOTY, features) are still being broadcast, you give a massive advantage to those up first, so the lines don't open until after performances have finished. Would it be too much to hope that the BBC might follow suit and ensure a fair award?
Your choice has never been so difficult 12:54pm on 13 Nov 2008 Jordan D is quite right in the very first comment - everything depends on the running order on the night. There is no way that Joe Calzaghe would have won last year if he had been featured later in the show (and Hamilton had been earlier). I'm not saying Joe didn't deserve to win, just that fewer people would have considered voting for him.

As for this year, the SPOTY roll of honour should be (although barring miracles won't actually be)

1. Hoy (3 golds in 1 Olympics for 1st time in 100 years, 4 golds in all)
2. Adlington (2 golds and a world record)
3. Wiggins (another double gold medalist plus WR, 3 golds in all)

Overseas personality: Usain Bolt (a great athlete and a real character too)

Young Personality: Jason Kenny

Team: GB Cycling (not only dominating the Olympics, doing it all over again at the World Cup cycling last month)

Coach: Dave Brailsford
Who benefits from rate cut? 4:41pm on 06 Nov 2008 As far as I can make out, the Bank of England reducing base rate in this manner is broadly equivalent to Alistair Darling walking into the Stock Exchange, shouting "Go up, Footsie, damn you" and expecting it to happen.

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