Hits & misses: Feel-good factor pleasant change

It's been a great week for milestones - Michael Schumacher adding to his fabulous list of victories, Lance Armstrong adding to his Tour de France titles, and Sunline adding to her Horse of the Year crowns.

HITS

* The Commonwealth Games. For the feel-good ambience often missing in the red-hot atmosphere of the Olympics. The Games have been special for Beatrice Faumuina. "Big Bea" showed us she does have what it takes to come back. Also for Craig Barrett, who can finally put the agony of Kuala Lumpur behind him.

* Lance Armstrong. Just because he made it look easy in winning his fourth Tour de France, nothing should detract from his effort and that of his US Postal Service team. He makes no secret that "Le Tour" means everything to him. He now has the chance to join the greats with a fifth win next year.

* Sunline and David Peake. Sunline for again upstaging the Aussies to be acknowledged as "their" Horse of the Year, and then being inducted into their Hall of Fame, the only horse to achieve that while still racing. Peake for bowing out a winner after a career which has stretched forever.

* Michael Schumacher. His victory in front of his home crowd at the German Grand Prix, which took him to nine for the year and within sight of a record-breaking 10th in one season. As great as he undoubtedly is, many still struggle to rate him alongside Juan Manuel Fangio as the best ever.

* Frankie Fredericks. The ancient Namibian sprinter who showed good guys can win, with his popular victory in the 200m at Manchester. The oldest track competitor (at 34) to have Commonwealth Games gold hung around his neck, he beat injury to win. A lesson, surely, for the English wanna-be stars Dwain Chambers and Mark Lewis-Francis, who couldn't hack it over 100m and pulled up "lame."

* Bill Buckley. For giving it a go at Western Springs. Speedway, still the most popular summer sport in Auckland in terms of crowd numbers, is crying out for a return to the good old days. Hopefully, the former sidecar competitor can do that.

MISSES

* The wobbly Warriors. Showing signs of cracking under the weight of public expectation in the run to the playoffs. But, as they have done when it was needed this season, they can put a bad performance quickly behind them. Let's hope they do that again at Penrith Stadium tomorrow.

* Martin Devlin. The popular Radio Sport host, who, in an interview with Phil Jensen after the latter had thrown the hammer far enough to win silver, asked Jensen at what level he had competed at in the past. "This is my third Commonwealth Games," Jensen replied. A gobsmacked Devlin moved on.

* Anna Kournikova. Twice broke top seed Venus Williams' serve to take the lead in both sets of their quarter-final clash in California, only to go down in straight sets to hand Williams an eight-from-eight record in their WTA meetings.

* John Davies. The bowler, not New Zealand's national Olympic committee president, who let himself and his team-mates down with the sexual harassment allegation which saw him packed off home and the rest of his lawn bowls triples team in the elite athletes with disabilities out of the Games.

* Blyth Tait. The world and Olympic champion copped one in the face from his horse Lily the Pink while competing in England. Nursing a broken jaw and cheekbone, and with damage to an eye socket, he was sidelined, but will be back with his champion horse, Reddy Teddy, for next month's World Equestrian Games.

* The Commonwealth Games marathon. The shambles at the end of the men's race, which had the winner going on and on and even having to dodge hurdles. Running a marathon is hard enough without having to put up with that sort of nonsense.