SuperSport's Good Week / Bad Week: Madoff's Mets tickets auctioned

A good week for:

Take 'em out

Poor old Earl Bamber was on track for an A1GP podium finish in Portugal last weekend. But, pushing to overtake for first place, Bamber clipped the race leader and both skidded out of the race. A pity, but, as SuperShorts' dad always says: If you can't win, at least take out the South Africans.

Silver better than gold

Sometimes you win, even when you lose. Researchers in California have found that while hosting the Olympic Games can boost an economy, bidding and failing is even more lucrative. A city that bids appears dynamic to investors and spurs public work projects - and, of course, avoids the inevitable budget blow-outs. "Our model predicts that bidders for the Olympics regret actually hosting the Games," says Andrew Rose.

Madoff's Mets tickets

Nice guy Bernard Madoff is locked up as all his belongings go under the hammer following his $113 billion Ponzi scheme. Now his season tickets to the Mets are to be sold in an online auction. The Mets are in a slump and the judge sees the lighter side. "The market is at the bottom," Judge Burton Lifland told lawyer Amy Vanderwal. "Might it be best to speculatively hold on to see how well the Mets do?" Vanderwal deadpanned: "There is also the possibility they could do worse."

The real Mastermind

Ever wondered, while watching Mastermind on the telly, if the specialist subjects are so arcane that the contestants must surely know more than the people who write the questions? Gareth Kingston, who chose soccer club Northampton Town as his specialist subject, was phoned at home by the programme's question-setter. The caller, unaware Kingston was the contestant, needed help to compile the brain-teasers so phoned the recognised saddo ... sorry, expert.

Don't know who he is?

The reason David Beckham hated LA has been revealed. When he first went out to dinner there, the waiter asked for ID before serving wine.

A bad week for:

Domestic season

Manly welcomed back hat-trick hero Brett Stewart last week, the whiff of sexual assault allegations still in the air. Over in England the stench surrounding Hull is altogether clearer. Great Britain fullback Stuart Reardon has signed for the Super League side while he awaits sentencing for assaulting his wife. In a move that would be hilarious if it weren't so tragic, the club recently launched a campaign against domestic violence.

Hughes and cry

Australia have dropped to third in the world one-day international rankings. It's their lowest spot since the ranking were introduced seven years ago. South Africa are top and India second.

Must be hopping mad

They know how to discourage booze-related bad behaviour over at Aussie league headquarters. Players who make the Kangaroos get a goody bag which includes a $1000 gift voucher for Victoria Bitter. See you at the bar!

An ill wind I

There's nothing quite like the tension in the moments before a soccer penalty is taken. So we can understand how a nervous Charlton Villa player in a Manchester social league came to break wind loudly just as the penalty taker struck the ball. The shot missed. The ref ruled the act "unsporting", sent off the flatulent player and allowed the penalty to be retaken. Two of the farter's teammates were sent off for disputing the referee's decision. Happily, the other side blew it and the windy ones won.

An ill wind II

Speaking of farts, Californian baseball team Lake Elsinore Storm have come up with a way to stop the product of all the greasy slop fans eat at the ballpark. They've been handing out their sponsor's product. Subtle Butt makes a disposable cotton shield that hides backdoor odours. So sensible.

Footballer's mums

The recession bites hard. Both the mum and mother-in-law of England soccer captain John Terry (who struggles along on a weekly pay packet of just $345,000) were caught shoplifting at Tesco and Marks and Spencer.