There have been some rather uncharitable comments in recent weeks about one of the major issues at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
No, I do not refer to the Russians' attitude towards the gay community, nor the dodgy hotels, nor the obscene amount of money being spent on this sporting spectacle.
The rumblings in question have been about the inaugural presence of the ''non-traditional'' disciplines - freeski halfpipe, freeski slopestyle and snowboard slopestyle - and the suggestion the influx of shaggy-haired, baggy-trousered hipsters has somehow cheapened the Olympic brand.
What tosh.
For starters, you might argue the Olympic brand was dealt significantly more damage by, oh, I don't know, the odd brush with Nazism and vote-buying scandals.
Secondly, the introduction of the new codes simply reflects the reality of our times. Sport is changing. There is more variety, more expression, more colour.
But, perhaps most importantly, no fewer than 10 members of the 15-strong New Zealand team are involved in these new codes. Hence, it is a FACT that it is great to have them in the Olympics.
I know about as much as the next average sports fan about ''amplitude'', ''frontside double cork 1080'' and ''switch 540 tap over the bonk feature'' .
But watch me celebrate when a Kiwi - preferably a Wells from Wanaka - wins an Olympic medal
... the winter
The most colourful Olympian in Sochi is, without doubt, Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe.
Deadspin and other sites have been profiling the Austrian-based Mexican - and the slalom skier has some story to tell.
At 55, the prince will be the second-oldest competitor in the history of the Winter Olympics. He competes in a mariachi costume, but has barely been to Mexico. He is descended from ''the royal family of a German principality that hasn't existed for 208 years''. He is a photographer, and a pop star who has released eight albums.
Double the fun
This may have been discussed at some level but I can't, for the life of me, understand why it has not come to pass.
Wasn't it a no-brainer to cook up some sort of two-for-one deal for the Highlanders and Warriors games at our stadium on February 22-23?We desperately need as many bums on seats as possible for every game held at the Glasshouse.
Surely, there was an opportunity to get together and come up with a package deal. Highlanders fans could have got a Warriors ticket for an extra $5, or vice versa. As it is, I fear the games may cannibalise each other, to an extent.
The best...
Another great golf story to get us warmed up for what should be a cracking New Zealand Open in Arrowtown at the end of this month.
Kevin Stadler won his first PGA Tour event, the Phoenix Open, at his 239th attempt on Monday. Yes, his 239th attempt.
Stadler is the son of former Masters champion Craig ''Walrus'' Stadler, and has the same, er, generous girth.
... and the worst of times
But the smile on Kevin Stadler's face faded quickly on Monday.
He wore orange in his final round to celebrate his beloved Denver Broncos, widely expected to win the Super Bowl.
Whoops.
Cavvy, don't cave
Worrying times for Caversham AFC, one of the proudest football clubs in the South.
Their battle to clear a $10,000 debt (ODT, 1.2.14) will not be easy, but it was interesting to hear this week of supporters coming out of the woodwork to make contributions.
(On that note, anyone keen to donate to the cause can email sandsfleming@ihug.co.nz for details.)
While I am very keen to see Cavvy continue, I hope the club focuses firstly on regaining a stable financial footing before it resumes its very ambitious quest to win the Chatham Cup.
Bowling action update
The Last Word has had a few responses to last week's promotion of Hamish Bennett for the Awful Bowling Action Hall of Fame.
More than one reader has pointed out another New Zealander, Kyle Mills, is up there (down there?) with the very worst hurly-jerkers. (Yes, I made that word up.)
Damian George listed some of his contenders as Ravi Ashwin (''from the race-walking-gone-wrong approach to the gangly delivery, that is quite awful''), Sohail Tanvir (''a man who bowls like a left-armed Chris Harris but with 30kmh more pace''), Colin Croft (''that awkward delivery of the ball while the front foot is in the air'') and Kerry Walmsley (''the man who takes the cake'').
Going once, going twice
Some interesting items with a sporting flavour will feature in the auction at the Otago Medical Research Foundation's annual fundraising dinner in the Dunedin Town Hall on Saturday, March 1.
One should fetch a ripping price. The great Richie McCaw has donated a rare commemorative rugby jersey featuring the only four countries to have won the Rugby World Cup and signed by the seven successful captains: David Kirk, Nick Farr-Jones, Francois Pienaar, John Eales, Martin Johnson, John Smit and McCaw.
Another item is an Oracle America's Cup racing jacket as worn by the successful crew in San Francisco last year.
Super (tweet) Bowl
There were some amazing numbers to come out of Monday's Super Bowl - not least the margin of victory.
But one of the most staggering was the number of Super Bowl-related tweets to be sent during the game.
Just the 24.9 million, according to Twitter.
North Otago magnificence
For a tiny province, North Otago punches above its weight in rugby, cricket and regular mentions in a weekly column.
What forward-thinking by the North Otago Rugby Football Union to get one of its bright young prospects to the United States on a rugby scholarship. I never imagined such a thing possible.
As for North Otago cricket, it does a marvellous job in one of that sport's most crucial areas, statistics.
Its historians were immediately firing out the information after Ben Cant's magnificent 197 as part of North Otago's 351 against Otago Country.
Among the points of interest were that Cant's match total eclipsed a record set by Ivan Geddes against a touring Riverina side in 1956, and the team effort was the sixth-highest in the province's history, the best effort being 412 against Southland in, wait for it, 1928.
Birthday of the week
Reginald ''Snowy'' Baker would have been 130 today.
Now here was an interesting bloke. He played two tests for the Wallabies and represented Australasia (hence, technically, we can claim him) in swimming, diving AND boxing at the 1908 Olympics.
Baker later became a boxing promoter and actor.
