When the news first emerged of Richie McCaw's foot injury, ruling him out of the first third of the Super 15, my reaction was similar to how all non-Crusaders fans were feeling.
Oh, my heart bleeds.
With King Richard on the sidelines for a spell, the Crusaders only have 14 world-class players. Such a shame.
But of course there is that other side of me that also can't help but think what would happen if this injury flares up again. Around, say, late September.
The All Blacks without their captain-best player-talisman? The stuff of nightmares, especially around World Cup time.
It would leave a squadron of players to fill his immense boots, all of whom have question marks as prominent as their credentials.
Daniel Braid is the nominated back-up but is he really international class?
Tanerau Latimer is lurking but, er, is he really international class?
Liam Messam is an exciting player but is he really an openside flanker?
Scott Waldrom has the classic skills of a No 7 but lacks consistency and is prone to injuries.
Matt Todd seems to be the flavour of the month but - no need for a question here - he has barely played any top rugby.
And Highlanders star Adam Thomson is electrifying with the ball in hand but do the selectors believe he has adjusted to the requirements of the modern game?
• ... ain't easy
McCaw made his test debut against Ireland in November 2001, and has since earned a record 94 caps (six off the bench) and been acclaimed the closest challenger to Colin Meads' status as our greatest All Black.
Seven other players have worn the black No 7 jersey in tests during that time, when McCaw has been injured, rested or rotated.
The best was obviously Marty Holah (12 starts), who was a very good player and might have been a great All Black in another era.
Braid, Thomson and Latimer have all had three starts and have all done reasonable jobs.
The less successful No 7s were Chris Masoe (six starts, never understood what they saw in him), Rodney So'oialo (three, a sound No 8 who could handle the side of the scrum in an emergency) and Sam Harding (one, shone brightly at domestic level for a couple of years but faded just as quickly).
• Punishment fits the crime
There has been some talk around the place that the punishments handed to Pakistan cricket bad boys Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were too lenient.
I'm not sure I agree.
Butt (10 years, five suspended) and Asif (seven years, two suspended) received virtual life sentences, while 18-year-old Amir got a five-year ban for his role in the spot-fixing scandal.
Their crime, planning and bowling deliberate no balls to make money from gambling, was significant but is not really on the same plane as match-fixing.
Amir took six wickets in the same test, so it's not like he wasn't trying. And he deserves a chance to resurrect his career once he has served his suspension.
The worst thing I saw in sport was Manchester United striker Eric Cantona jumping into the stands to kung-fu kick a vocal member of the public. He was suspended for four months.
Can bowling two no balls compare with that?
• Superbly entertaining
Good Super Bowl and great result.
And great work again by the advertising gurus who spend all year trying to wow American television watchers with the lucrative 30-second advertisement spots.
We don't get the ads on our ESPN feed but all are easily found on YouTube or any number of news websites, which have been feverishly rating the spots for days.
Check out Volkswagen and Darth Vader for my pick as the best of the bunch. Otherwise try Bridgestone and Carma, Bud Light and dog party and Audi and jail.
Avoid The test baby, which is not nice and has already led to apologies.
• Fiddling the books
A colleague passed on this Reuters story with a suggestion the ODT sports editor needed to get a little more creative with his books.
A former sports editor of English tabloid newspaper The People has been jailed for 15 months for defrauding his paper of more than 370,000 ($NZ822,184).
Lee Horton invented 1690 claims by contributors for sums between 150 and 390, knowing that only payments over 500 had to be referred to management.
The court heard Horton spent the money on his daughter's education, donated to her school, gave to a Down's syndrome charity and paid for morale-boosting outings for his colleagues, even taking them on a golfing holiday.
• A Southland connection
Oamaru man Hamish McMurdo has brought my attention to some links to a tiny Southland club in yesterday's Super 15 pre-season game in Oamaru.
McMurdo, an assistant referee in the game, grew up in Waianiwa - a district northwest of Invercargill on the way to Riverton - and played for the Wrights Bush club.
The two most famous players from the club were also in Oamaru yesterday: Highlanders hooker Jason Rutledge and his father, Highlanders manager and former All Black Leicester Rutledge.
In the middle was another Waianiwa product, international referee Keith Brown, while in the Crusaders squad was the injured David Hall, the former Highlanders hooker who played at schoolboy level for the Wrights Bush club and coached the seniors last year.
Finally, NZRU and former Highlanders board member Graham Cooney is a former Waianiwa resident and Wrights Bush player.
