The team we love to beat - Black and Magenta

I don't mind losing to Carlton. I don't mind losing to the Dockers. I couldn't stand losing to the Black and Magenta boys.

The latest episodes of one of world sport's great rivalries (everyone else versus Black and Magenta) was played out yesterday near Churchill Avenue. A 5-1 victory was a fitting reward for all those hours over summer on the sandhills and all those early morning recovery sessions at Hinsby.

Bring on the South Hobart machine.

Stuart MacGill

Stuart MacGill - not a popular person apparently. I have always liked Stuart. Whenever he lost his temper on the field I got the impression he cared about something - or perhaps about nothing. Either way I sympathised - although I was never sure what I was sympathising with. Passion didn't quite fit the sanitized mould.

Great to see him heading up the Ashes coverage - apparently he also has a wine show on cappo pay per view television. What I like about his approach is that it appears this is the first time he has done this.

Rodney Hogg's great call that no one will get a century in this test is worthy of note too. Does Damien Martyn always look startled? I presume Mo Mathews is still available for test selection - would be good to play him in an inconsequential test some time. Perhaps next time England tour it should be during our winter - we could play them in Cairns and Darwin!

The ACB would do well to give the free to the people rights to SBS for home tests too.

Ich bin Egyptian!!

As I drove to work yesterday morning, cutting through the woodsmoke like anti-Ahmadinejad slogans at dusk in Tehran, I heard numerous cries of "Ich bin Egyptian!".  What a pleasure it was to see Egypt resolve some of our overhanging angst from that game against Italy in the 2006 World Cup .  

In the last few minutes of the game I am sure I saw one player whisper to another "Let's do it for Lucas!" Internationalism is a feature of players of the world game - but I was somewhat surprised that the players took the game involving Australia as their inspiration.  We should ask Egypt here for a friendly - I'm sure we'd get a decent crowd at League Headquarters. (My skills at lip-reading Egyptian improved out of sight as I came to understand the broader sub-plot of the game).

I liked the linguistic reference to the 2006 match too.  (When road testing this post with my tri-lingual work colleague he got it at once!).

Go Egypt - we thank you!

Worth repeating

I read this in the Examiner this morning.

What do you call an Aussie at the T20 World Cup?

A spectator!

Cricket highlights

I had been waiting for this - I remember, yes I am older now, when the cricket highlights included complete overs, even a whole run up, delivery, stroke and running between wickets, even a return to the keeper.  Today I saw a highlight from the Ireland -Bangladesh game - which consisted of a shot of a ball in mid air followed by the said ball landing over a fence. That was it. No bowler, no batsman and the slightest glimpse of a fieldsman - boy we have come a long way.  No wonder I cant concentrate for longer than a few seconds now!

More shocks - when will it end?

Bob Brown will be bailed out by a wealthy benefactor - well I never! It has been said before but what a clever pollie our Bobby is!  Create a sense of urgency - a public holiday Monday media release should get some attention - over an issue that has been alive for some time - then get some more publicity when the urgent problem - which wasn't - is resolved!  Boy - money for jam from our Mercury.

And on the Mercury - well the Sunday Tasmanian at least - the headline "Fears resurface" on Sunday reminded me of the old SEM gem - "Plane kills snake".  I saw a boat near the bridge yesterday - certainly has resurfaced a few of my fears. I now have a nice textured and patterned concrete slab right over the top of them - that will stop the Lake Illawarra getting through!

Symo gone in shock development

Well - what can one say? Who could see the sacking of Andrew Symonds coming?  What next - Haydos coming out in his support? No, surely not...

Nice to see the Dutchmen start the summit of cricket tournaments in style.  Would love to read the British press reaction.