DaREDevilry

Winning the title at home among chants of "Champions" can be a heady feeling. Though this red devils team has been at the receiving end of some adulation, the latest premier league title should come as a balm after losing out last year on goal difference. With Sir Alex at the helm, they have been a redoubtable force in one of the most competitive leagues in the world and the treble in 2008-09 should still be the crown in his formidable repertoire of wins. They have thirteen premier league titles under the Scot now and when the time comes to hang his managerial boots, Ferguson shall count as the most decorated coach ever. RVP has been the torch bearer this season for them. The former Gunner clinched the title with an incredible hat trick and has taken over the mantle of the chief striker from Rooney. That city cousins Manchester City had to relinquish their title with a few games to play says a lot about the strength that ManU possess. They are a well knit unit with very few egos and one of the few units to win as a team and not because of a couple of talismans. That they have maintained to be on the top and have had long lasting love and support from fans for so long says a lot about they way their manager and owners have handled success. Their focus on the league and the competition they face has meant relatively less success at European level and that is something they would look to correct in the foreseeable future.

Old Trafford was not the only place to witness a red wave last week. Chris Gayle set the IPL alight with his stunts at Bangalore. A century in thirty balls and a 175 not out don't convey the carnage that he dealt to the Pune franchise. He is a towering man who can push most into submission just by his presence but his big hitting made the physical attributes look pale. The only person you would believe capable of getting past these feats is the owner himself. That he takes his cricket the Caribbean way (a gangnam is never too far away) is a dose of freshness in times where profanities at the slightest set back rule roost. He took apart the bowlers in the same carefree manner as he would do a jig with. Extraordinary has never been so cool. He had been an outcast from the WI team because of his outspoken ways but his absence only served to deepen the trough that the WI cricket had got into. Now that he is back and a world title in their bag, lets hope the Caribbeans recapture their glory day.

Of bites, goals and handballs

You would notice a player for getting any one of them in a football match. How do you miss someone who manages all three. Luis Suarez has a litany of controversies lined against his name. He is a special talent in front of the goal but its the other antics that he demonstrates that outshine his deft footwork. His hand ball at the goal line to deny Ghana in the world cup quarters , his racial abuse of Evra and last night the nibble at Ivanovich's arm are some of the stunts that he has managed to pull in full public glare. That he scored an equalizer for the Reds in the dying minutes of stoppage time only highlights the big trench between his footballing and temperamental abilities. He literally handed the second goal to Chelsea only to get that back off his head in the 97th minute. There is something about extra ordinary talents that makes them snap easily. Luis has been named for the PFA award and there would not be many who would grudge him that for his football but there may be an army who would not find him deserving for acting like a cannibal.

The Bahrain grand prix got a repeat winner in Seb Vettel in a relatively uneventful race. With Alonso needing two pit stops to correct a faulty DRS, there were not  many who could challenge the German once he started from the front row. The Red Bull car with its pace was never threatened once it pulled out in front. He has now a comfortable ten point lead from the Finn Kimi who again finished on the podium. With the Spanish grand prix next in the offing, the Scuderia would be hoping that Fernando's luck turns for the better in his home race. FI's Paul Di Resta missed out on the podium by the barest of margins after a great run. Though he would not mind the twelve points, a top three finish would have been sweeter. The strategy to last his tires without an extra pit stop probably costing him a dream finish.

The Monte Carlo masters final served up the delicious pairing of Nadal and Nole fighting for the spoils. The Spaniard was an eight time champion as also defending his title. Rafa is a perennial favorite on his beloved clay and even Novak in his prime can only be considered a second bet against the indefatigable Rafa. The rain delay though helped the world number one come out firing all cylinders and he bagged the first set without much ado. The second however was more closely fought  and with a couple of breaks getting exchanged, it was only the tie breaker that could decide the set. Novak's mental strength helped him break the eleven time grand slam champion's hegemony losing just one point in the breaker. With Roland Garros being a month away, these two look comfortable to have another show down and anything else would sure be a big upset.

Angel 13 for Scott

After he blew a four shot lead last year at the open, victory this year would have been double sweet for the affable Australian. At a rain soaked Augusta, Adam sunk a birdie on the second hole of the play off with 2009 champion Cabrera to land the masters. The roar could have been heard loud and clear in the southern hemisphere where the kangaroos dwell. With compatriot Jason Day falling prey to the pressure of leading the way on Sunday, Scott rode his luck on the par five 13 to force a three way tie. With Woods being penalized a couple of strokes for an incorrect drop, the chances of his ending the major drought were always slim. Adam's win means that all the four majors have now been won by men using anchored putters which are proposed to be banned from 2016. Greg Norman would share a pint with the latest major winner and has piped him for many more. The golfing scene is seeing the major spoils getting shared among the top players and the era of one putter dominating seems past. The Aussies can rejoice though till the next one comes along to confirm or repudiate the great Greg's views.

The Chinese grand prix bowed to red with Alonso driving a flawless race to pip the pole sitting Hamilton. Three ex champions adorned the podium with Lewis and Kimi accompanying the Ferrari based Spaniard to spray the champagne. The first few races point to another open season on the F1 circuit and the Lotus team seems to be the biggest gainer with Raikkonen getting a win and another podium already. The Malaysian outing opened up a new chapter in the Sebastain Vettel story of aggressive driving when he passed Webber against team orders to claim the chequered flag. While its debatable whether the move was warranted, it certainly leaves no love between the two red bulls on the track. Mark's days with the team and with the pinnacle of motorsport seem numbered unless he can pull a rabbit out of the hat this season. The European leg of the season is nigh and that is where the Christian Horner led team tends to break away from other challengers. Waiting to see if the script changes this time around.

The clay season is around on the tennis circuit and with Rafa back to his best, the build up to Roland Garros should be intriguing. With Murray having taken the second spot in the ATP rankings, the semis line up in most of these tourneys will be riveting. Djokovic has made it clear that his aim lies with the only remaining slam he has not won, Nadal would do everything to maintain his hegemony on the red dirt. The duel in last year's final promised a lot but did not live up to the hype. Any bets against a Rafa Nole encore this time around as well?

All country for tennis aces

Davis cup is probably the only event in the tennis calendar where the professional gladiators with rackets play to nationalistic fervor. The best of five format makes for a riveting game and watch with ebbs and flows being a constant feature of matches. While upsets on the ATP tours are a rarity these days, conditions suited to the hosts and partisan support make them much more likelier in the cup. You wouldn't see these competitors hugging and singing like small boys at any other competition. While some stars like Federer are wary of playing for their country, others like Djokovich have carried the flag above their professional dreams. The whole here is bigger than the sum of the parts and a well balanced team like the Czech republic is always a stronger bet than teams with one big star. With four singles and one doubles match to decide the winner, it takes a lot of camaraderie and strategy to land the coveted trophy.

The world group quarters this year featured Canada, Italy, USA, Serbia, Argentina., France, Kazakhstan and the Czech republic. Some of those are the usual suspects at this stage of the competitions while there are others like Spain who are conspicuous by their absence. Canada on the back of some sterling displays from rising star Milos Raonic upset the Spanish giants in the first round and followed it up with another win over the Italians at the quarters stage. They would be up against Serbia in the semis and getting past that obstacle would pose much larger questions for the North Americans than their previous two outings. Serbia has a few world class caps in Novak, Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic. They have been champions in 2010 and are always front runners to reach the latter stages of competition. They got better of traditional power houses USA with the Bryan brothers also losing out on the doubles rubber. France has a strong contingent with Tsonga and Gilles Simone spearheading their campaign. However, with Argentina hosting the tie, the slug fest went the distance. Carlos Berloq pulled off an unlikely upset against Simone to take the South Americans to the last four stage. The defending champions Czech Republic were always the favorites against underdogs Kazakhstan but with the withdrawal of Tomas Berdych, they may have had a hitch or two. They still had a smooth sailing other than losing the doubles match. We are here with the semis line up and my projection would be a Czech versus Serbia finale with Serbia coming out tops.