It has always been one of the easiest questions relating to New Zealand sport: Who is our greatest netball coach?
Lois Muir, of course. Fifteen years with the Silver Ferns, 107 tests, 91 wins, six draws, just 10 losses. A shared world title in 1979 and an outright win by a 1987 team widely considered our finest gaggle of netballers.
More than the bare statistics, Muir had a presence - an authority - that demanded the utmost respect.
Her legacy is secure, but it might be time to ask if she finally has a genuine challenger, at least for a close second place.
Ruth Aitken has just passed Muir's record for the number of tests in charge of the national side. Last night's world championships quarterfinal was Aitken's 108th in 10 years in charge.
Aitken gets more opportunities, of course. Like all sports, netball has created extra "product" for the insatiable appetite of its fans.
Mere long service is obviously not enough to judge a coach. You have to get results.
• ...will have to wait
Aitken has 84 wins from her 108 games, a winning mark of 77%.
That would be absolutely outstanding in most sports, but for a New Zealand netball coach, where the only genuine opposition most of the time comes from Australia, it is merely very good.
There was a feeling after the first six or seven years of Aitken's reign that she wasn't quite delivering.
Sure, she delivered the world title in 2003. But it was no great coincidence that was New Zealand's first attempt since procuring the services of Irene van Dyk, the dominant force in world netball for the last decade.
The Silver Ferns also won Commonwealth Games gold in Melbourne in 2006. But that was followed by a nasty run of eight losses to Australia in 10 tests, at a time when the van Dyk-led New Zealanders should have been dominating their fading rivals.
Some decided Aitken was too nice, too soft. And when Australia won the 2007 world title in Auckland, the criticism intensified.
But then came the magical night in Delhi last year, when the Silver Ferns - particularly Maria Tutaia - showed guts and composure to defend their Commonwealth Gold with a 66-64 win in extra time.
Now, the Silver Ferns are two wins away from reclaiming their world title.
If that happens, Aitken's status will certainly rise. But I still don't think Muir can be passed.
• The unloved Ferns
As pointed out by our columnist, Farah Palmer, on Thursday, it has been a great week for three of New Zealand's female sports teams.
The Silver Ferns have been getting plenty of attention, as usual, and will rightly be praised to the skies if they can reclaim the world title tomorrow night.
The Black Sticks performed very well at the Champions Trophy and may finally be starting to deliver after years of under-achievement. But I hope there is plenty of love left for the Football Ferns, who have flown under the radar for years.
Their efforts at the world cup, a pair of narrow losses and a thrilling 2-2 draw with Mexico, represent genuine improvement on the international stage.
• Cricket change
There has been a quiet change to the Champions League twenty/20 tournament that could have huge ramifications for New Zealand teams.
New Zealand has lost its automatic qualifying spot for the lucrative tournament.
Otago (2009) and Central Districts (2010) both got straight into the event - and were quickly bounced out - by winning the domestic twenty/20 title.
That automatic spot has disappeared. Auckland, last summer's HRV Cup winner, now has to play in a qualifying tournament in September, where six teams will chase three Champions League places.
• A steal
I always like to see the National Basketball League - the sport, in general - getting some public attention.
But two things have been bugging me.
Why does Sky Television's one live NBL game of the week always have to feature the Auckland Pirates? It's a franchise with no history, no pedigree, yet they get on TV purely by virtue of being in Auckland.
And why does the NBL promote its finals as the Final Four?
That's a revered tournament in the home of basketball, the United States. The Final Four - the finals of college basketball - has a name matched only for history and public profile by the Super Bowl and the World Series.
I'm told the NBL used the name back in the 1980s. But it just doesn't sit right with me.
• Gloves off
Dunedin Thunder enforcer Damien Watson is well known around the national ice hockey league as an angry man.
When the Thunder played the Red Devils last weekend, Canterbury's Jacques Kemp - who used to play in Dunedin - was needling Watson the entire game.
From what we hear, Watson kept his cool. But when the teams lined up for the traditional post-game handshake, a little shove went in and the scuffle was on.
Interestingly, Kemp is a former South African international. And the Red Devil is in training to be a minister.
• Loopy Levet
Mon dieu, those Frenchmen.
Golfer Thomas Levet will miss next week's British Open after breaking his shin jumping into a lake to celebrate his victory at the French Open, AP reports.
The former Ryder Cup player has a cast on his leg as a result of his exuberant celebrations at the 18th hole at Le Golf National.
Levet leapt into a lake after beating England's Mark Foster and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen by a shot, ending his 25-year wait to win his home championship.
The 42-year-old has revealed he is likely to be sidelined for four weeks, meaning he will also miss the US PGA Championship in August.
Levet's antics were criticised by Colin Montgomerie, who played alongside the Frenchman in Europe's Ryder Cup-winning side in 2004.
"I think it's the silliest thing that players have done over the years, I really do," Montgomerie said.
"I've always been suspect about people diving into lakes that don't know how deep it is and what's in there. There could be a spike in there, whatever. It's not the way to celebrate and let's hope that's the last time that ever happens."
