The story till thenBy the mid-1990s, Indian badminton had administered itself into irrelevance, causing the mostly non-confrontational but suitably incensed Prakash Padukone to lead a players rebellion in 1997. It was to mark the sports year zero. There was change at the top of officialdom, and a push to have the athletes take centre stage again - in this case, it was national champion Pullela Gopichand who did. A quiet but extremely driven battler through competition and past injury, Gopi moved from Hyderabad to Bangalore to learn under Padukones tutelage and set out to test himself against the worlds best. In 2000 he led the Indians in their first appearance in the Thomas Cup eight-team finals in 12 years, won two events in Europe, and by January 2001 had shot up the world rankings from No. 38 to No. 6.The moment The 2001 All England tenth seed was a 27-year-old who had had three operations in four years on his left knee. What could he possibly do? In the round of 16 at Birminghams National Arena, Gopichand beat Sydney Olympics gold medallist Ji Xinpeng in straight sets. Considered one of the outliers of world badminton, respected, but without heavyweight silverware, Gopichand entered the last eight at the All England for the first time. What more could happen?In the semi-final he played a dominant game, toppling world No. 1 and top seed Peter Gade in straight sets. This was a time when badminton had its old scoring system, where points could only be won on serves. In the final, against Chen Hong of China, Gopichand came back from a deficit in the first game and held on to his lead in the second. When a floating drop from Chen landed wide, Gopichand threw his arms in the air. The final lasted less than an hour but it had taken more two than decades in coming.The reaction I know that my biggest disappointments have come from sport. But I also know that the only happiness I get in my life is also through my sport. This is where I belong. Ive seen my life without badminton and its not very nice. - Pullela GopichandExpert view It is a fantastic achievement, a great day for Indian badminton. Gopichand has proved that Indians can be world beaters. He can only go higher from here. - Prakash Padukone, Indias first All England badminton championThe story since Gopichand went on to become his sports most stubborn revolutionary. At the height of his success, he refused an endorsement contract from a cola giant, since he believed aerated drinks were harmful. He set up his academy in Hyderabad in 2008, which, in less than a decade, has gone on to produce a stream of Indian badminton players who belong on the world stage - starting with Saina Nehwal, the sports biggest and most successful new millennium star, world championship medallist PV Sindhu, and a clutch of top ten male players. It has led to a revolution in the sport in terms of participating numbers, relevance and reach. Gopichand must today be recognised as the man who started the Indian badminton renaissance. He gave Indian badminton its wings again - first as a player, then as coach and mentor.Recommended reading Pullela Gopichand: The World Beneath His Feet by Sanjay Sharma, Shachi S Sharma Cheap MLB Jerseys . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. http://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.com/ . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys Authentic . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Cheap Luis Gonzalez Jersey . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. If youre watching a college football game this weekend, go ahead and get comfortable.It could take a while.Major NCAA football games continue to last much longer than their NFL counterparts. The NCAAs statistics show the average FBS game has lasted 3 hours and 25 minutes through the first two weeks of the season, compared to a few minutes over 3 hours for the NFL, according to statistics supplied by the league.No. 23 Mississippi has already played two games that have topped four hours this season. The Rebels 45-34 loss to Florida State took 4:04 to complete while last weekends 48-43 loss to top-ranked Alabama lasted 4:02.In the sweat-soaked aftermath of the Ole Miss-Alabama game -- which was played on a day when the temperatures approached 90 degrees in Mississippi -- Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said that there were coaches and players who needed IVs.Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze acknowledged the Alabama game felt particularly long.Its definitely something that has to be looked at, Freeze said. Certainly for the fan experience. Both teams -- there were a lot of players cramping. It was a physical game.Ole Miss isnt the only team thats dealt with lengthy games. Troys 37-31 victory over Southern Mississippi last weekend took 4:12, while Californias thrilling 50-43 win over Texas lasted 3:56.The gap between NFL and NCAA game times has existed for years, but is slightly more pronounced so far this season.While fans might gripe about constant TV commercials and lengthy delays while officials review calls on instant replay, both the NFL and NCAA have to deal with those issues.Rogers Redding, the former natioonal coordinator of officials who sits on the NCAAs football rules committee, says there are a few key differences in NCAA and NFL games that could lead to the NCAAs unique issues.dddddddddddd Among them:- Halftime: A normal halftime in the NFL lasts 12 minutes -- though theres usually a delay as teams head to the locker rooms -- while the NCAAs usual break is 20 minutes. Halftime at both levels can be lengthened for certain situations, such as a special ceremony, but a college games halftime is almost always longer thanks to band performances and other pageantry.- Clock rules: The NFL and NCAA have slightly different clock rules, including after a team gains a first down. In the NFL, the clock continues to run after a first down while in the NCAA, there is a stoppage while the referee positions the ball and the chain crew on the sidelines readjusts its position.I do think theres some merit in doing what the NFL does on first downs, Freeze said.But overall, there isnt a huge push to shorten the college game. Redding said he didnt sense it was a pressing issue.So sit back, relax and grab som