McCaw steps into unfamiliar territory in NYC; and Warne names biggest sledgers
#Ironic - In the introduction to Richie McCaw's best-selling biography, author Greg McGee writes that the legendary openside "would as soon eat his own entrails as tweet". So here's a pic of a grinning McCaw at Twitter's New York offices. Where else would you expect to find him in theBig Apple?
Why would they be? - An alleged caller to Radio Sport yesterday: "Is Steven Luatua related to David Tua."
Best twitterers - Sledging has been the hot-button issue of the week, with Michael Clarke's PR consultant Shane Warne backing the skipper's aggressive approach to verbal banter. Warne has always felt the Australians were wrongly tarred as the world's worst sledgers. This from his autobiography: "For some reason Australia have acquired the reputation of being the worst sledgers in the world, but I think New Zealand should hold that mantle. Whether they just reserve it for us because of the geographical rivalry I don't know, but sometimes it feels like being in an aviary full of twittering birds. Adam Parore is the worst."
Crowe's sledge for sledgers - Martin Crowe has a couple of stinging barbs for chief sledgers David Warner and Michael Clarke in Cricinfo. Of Warner: "His recent behaviour of lashing out at people tells the story of a man also confused and frustrated, despite his talent. And he continues to lash out, with bat and mouth. That he wears the macho bravado mask, the loud arrogance that is more ego-driven, there is no doubt ... Hopefully he will see that life isn't about beating up others but about accepting who you are. I'm sure deep down in Warner there is a genuine spirit." And: "Clarke, up until five minutes to go in the Brisbane Test, displayed a real face and spirit to the challenge in front of him. Then, on the stroke of the kill, his face changed and the mask was there for all to see, ugly and not authentic."
Plenty of room at the Tin - Speaking of ugly, how bad does it look when Wellington, sorry, the Birds of Fire, play games at the Cake Tin. The HRV Cup double-header was not a bad weekend of entertainment and no doubt the 63 people who packed into the 35,000-seat stadium thoroughly enjoyed it. One even managed to pull in the catch of the season. Hey here's an idea: there's a terrific cricket ground on the other side of CBD, use it.
Off on a tan-gent - Add AC Milan's Philippe Mexes to the list of strange football injuries. According to Metro's Oddballs, Mexes was a late withdrawal from the Rossoneri's 1-1 draw with Genoa on Saturday after he complained of a pain in his left eye during the warm-up. The Milan player has been diagnosed with a condition called central serous retinopathy. The disease can be caused by too much sun exposure, and Italian publication Tuttosport has suggested the suspiciously bronzed Frenchman has been heading down his local tanning shop too much.
Deep heat - Still, he's got some way to go before reaching the level of infamy Sunderland and Scotland striker Kevin Kyle achieved in 2006. He was withdrawn from a match after scalding his testicles ... it's a long story.
