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A good week for ...
You can take the boy out of the black jersey but you can't take the black jersey out of the boy. All power to Doug Howlett, whose less-than-committed tackle attempt on Joe Rokocoko spared us from another three decades of plays, songs and Guinness-fuelled rants about "The Day Munster Blah ... Blah ... Blah".
Celtic ball boy Adam Brown became a hero in Argentina on Monday when he found Diego Maradona's lost crucifix. Argentina's new coach was seen scouring the turf at Hampden Park after training in preparation for Wednesday's match, having lost his holy trinket. Eventually, other coaching staff and a squad of ball boys formed a police-style cordon and walked the length of the pitch in a scene reminiscent of a Cracker episode. If they win in South Africa in 2010, young Adam can expect to be the toast of Buenos Aires.
Is it any wonder the Scots love him so much? Before Wednesday's friendly Maradona said: "England won a World Cup and it was plain to see for everyone that they did that with a goal that did not cross the line. I don't think it's fair to judge me [for 1986] when stuff like that went on in 1966."
Boffins have cracked the mystery of the Tottenham revival and it's got nought to do with Harry Redknapp. The secret of Spurs' success? Don't select Gareth Bale. He's been there for 18 months and played 17 league games without a single victory. The curse of Bale ended Harry's great run when he was restored at left back for Saturday's match at lowly Fulham. Result: a 2-1 defeat.
A bad week for ...
A Brazilian soccer player who grabbed the yellow card and showed it to the referee has been suspended for six games by the South American football confederation.
After realising that Chilean referee Carlos Chandia was going to show him his second yellow card in the November 5 match against Argentine club Estudiantes in the Copa Sudamericana, Botafogo defender Andre Luis sprinted toward the referee and grabbed the card from his hand, hoisting it into the air before quickly giving it back.
Botafogo drew 2-2 at the Engenhao stadium in Rio de Janeiro, a result that eliminated the Brazilian club from the quarter-finals of the tournament.
A terrible week for the elegance of Formula One cars. BMW rolled out the machine which will meet the sport's new regulations for 2009. Kids cried while ladies shrieked. It hurts the eyes.
Graham Henry has been awarded the Pierre de Coubertin trophy by the International Committee for Fair Play. Ted's moral test? Not grizzling publicly about Wayne Barnes' refereeing in the Cardiff quarter-final. What next? Plaudits and backslaps for television autocue readers who don't beat up their missus?
Great news for fans of meaningless Bledisloe Cup matches played in distant lands where the locals know nothing of our great game. The NZRU is on the verge of confirming three more "revenue generating" games for next season. SuperShorts recalls a time when the All Blacks played "test matches".
