And so it begins
The world is gathered here. The flags are up. Who wants to be No 1? Who wants to take out the cup?
Who will it be? Who'll be the kings? It's a once-in-a-lifetime chaaa-aance.
Shivers. Down. Spine.
Those of you born before the mid-1980s will recognise those words as the lyrics to the catchy theme song from the 1992 Cricket World Cup, easily one of the five greatest sports events to be hosted in this country. (The others, in chronological order: 1956 Springbok tour, 1974 Commonwealth Games and 1987 and 2011 Rugby World Cups.)
It was such a seismic event in our sporting consciousness. Can the 2015 edition of the tournament, starting in Christchurch today, possibly have the same impact, in an age where everything is the GREATEST of all time?
Let's face it, New Zealanders really need the Black Caps to do well. Of course it is important we embrace the whole tournament, and all the visiting teams. But the biggest buzz will be created if/when Brendon and his merry men charge towards the title.
Buckle in.
Halberg farce
My reaction when the supreme Halberg Award was announced on Wednesday night?
Grhfnsfh fhnsjgr fnnshnfh chfftwg.
No question Hamish Bond and Eric Murray are incredible athletes and deserving of the highest praise.
But this had to be Brendon McCullum's year. What he did was unparalleled in the history of New Zealand cricket, and it is mind-boggling to me that the judging panel ranked another excellent but relatively non-miraculous season by the rowers higher.
You wonder if this will be the tipping point that forces some sort of change to the Halberg judging. It might not be a science, but they got it wrong this year.
(Annual disclaimer: The Otago Daily Times does not have a place on the judging panel.)
Football heaven
Like most football fans in the South, I would have loved to have seen a Germany or an Argentina or a Brazil drawn to play in Dunedin during the Fifa Under-20 World Cup.
But we can't be too miserable. Hands down, Otago Stadium has got the best group in the tournament.
The four teams should be evenly matched, and the group looks to have a tasty blend of skill, pace and power.
It's not my job to sell tickets to this tournament but I do hope the Otago community supports an event that will feature absolutely dazzling football.
Save one, take one
In case you missed it, a bloke called Boubacar Barry (great name) was the unlikely hero for the Ivory Coast in its African Nations Cup final win over Ghana.
Barry, the second-string goalkeeper, saved a penalty from the opposing gloveman, then scored the winning penalty himself.
Anyone else think all penalty shootouts should automatically go to goalie v goalie?
Mummy knows best
The Guardian reports a Brazilian football club employed some special stewards in the hope it would discourage supporters from fighting.
Sport Club do Recife trained a couple of dozen women - all mothers of current players - and put them to work patrolling the ground inhigh-visibility vests.
‘‘The idea was to make the most fanatical supporters aware and help in some way to bring peace to stadiums. At the end of the day, no-one wants to fight in front of a mother, especially his own,'' a spokesman said.
Nasty old man
Imagine hating - as in, absolutely LOATHING - one of the sports teams you have supported for the best part of 20 years.
That's how I feel about the New York Knicks basketball team, and it is really starting to get me down. You can criticise your favourite teams, but deep down, you still love them, right?
But I don't love the Knicks. They're awful. They play terrible basketball (10 wins and 42 losses as I write), they make ridiculous roster moves and they just generally stink.
Oh, and they also have a terrible owner, James Dolan, who recently replied to a frustrated fan's letter suggesting the man was an alcoholic who should start supporting another team.
I'm a firm believer in picking a team and sticking with it, but I am seriously investigating if I can get an amnesty here.
The first quote
‘‘The fact is, some dirty dealing by some adults doesn't take anything away from the accomplishments of those young men.''
- White House spokesman Josh Earnest pitches in to the debate after a Chicago baseball team was stripped of the Little League championship for bringing in players from outside its area. Thank goodness that sort of stuff doesn't happen in New Zealand school sport.
The second quote
‘‘There's nothing wrong with modelling - but with the best will in the world, none of those women athletes were models. The pity is that they felt they had to be, or wanted to be, when they do not do it a thousandth as well as the pros and can do something else to peak international standard.''
- Guardian columnist Marina Hyde on tennis player Caroline Wozniacki and other athletes stripping off for Sports Illustrated.
Triumph
The English Premier League signed a new £5.1 billion ($NZ10.6 billion) TV deal. Which will no doubt be used to reduce ticket prices, not inflate player wages.
Disaster
Rugby is quite the global sport - they even play it in Belgium, apparently.
In a recent game, Royal Kituro smashed Soignies 356-3. Yes, 356 points. No fewer than 56 tries.
Apparently, some Soignies players deserted while waiting for the referee to turn up, and the rest decided to ‘‘play'' to earn a point for losing, rather than get zero points for a forfeit.
