"Our Game Apologises"

Charles Barkley was right. And I've agreed with him for years.

Is there any more proof that sports people shouldnt be role models?

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When famous friends are very helpful

This is something that sh*ts me no end.

Mark Waugh, ex-Australian cricketer, caught speeding a few months ago in country NSW. 123km/h in an 80km/h zone. Claims he "didnt even realise it was an 80 zone". Fair enough. Yet, last time I checked, the maximum speed on NSW highways is 100km/h, aside from the 110 on the freeway system. So, be it an 80, 100 or 100km/h zone, you were still speeding you knob.

So, ex-Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor and ex-Australian Rugby Union coach and broadcaster Alan Jones write glowing letters of reference to show the law what a nice guy he is, and how this such an out of character move for Mark. Never mind the 5 speeding infringements over three weeks in 2001. That must have been very out of character.

He'd "understand the gravity of the situation", as Alan Jones puts it, more if he got a nice fat fine or a few months free of the encumbrance of a driving licence like a normal citizen.

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Blame the coach and other fundamental problems in professional sports

Four AFL clubs have sacked their coaches after poor team perfomances so far this season. It happened in the NRL as well, with one coach walking away mid-season.

The teams are not performing. Hey, why not question the coach? Sure. He can be held responsible for the forwards not kicking goals, the defenders under-performing, no go-forward from the big men, sloppy ball handling, etc , etc.

Perhaps the organisation refuse to believe that someone they are paying $100,000 a season, in many cases more, cannot possibly under-perform. Too many articles regarding footballers of late are complaining about salary cap pressures and wages, forcing players to look to other clubs.

Here's an idea: perhaps, by doing this, and the grab for money that professional sports has become, the club administrations and competition controllers are making a rod for their own back. Clubs complain about not being able to afford high numbers of skilled, quality players to lead a team. Understandable, when they're all asking $250,000+ a season. As a result, they let many go, rest it all on one or two guys, then bring in other players from juniors and outside areas. When the team doesnt come up to scratch, blame the coach.

See how it works?

Perhaps we need a return to footballers doing something post-football instead of becoming "commentators". Lots of players in the 1980's and 1990's had day jobs. OK, so the professionalism push has demanded more training, making day jobs impossible for many. 'Save for a rainy day' seems to have been stretched into 'save for a post-football life'. There's time to gamble, drink and lark about. There's also time, therefore, to study, is there not? So you wont make $100,000 a year up-front being an accountant, or real-estate agent, or fireman. But the $100,000 a year you do make for your professional 7-10 years will see you through the first ten of another profession without too much hardship, surely.

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You're looking in the wrong direction

Recent reports of yet another rising sports star being involved in a drink-driving incident, and an unlicensed drink-driving incident at that, highlights what a moral and ethical vacuum elite sports has become.

Consider the case of Kurtly Beale. Promising young rugby footballer, by all reports a great talent. Breath tested and charged with drink-driving and being unlicensed. Great role model too, so far.

Then there's the response from NSW Waratahs Coach Ewen McKenzie. Equally perplexing.

And of course, you cant go past a blab like this without mentioning Australia's cricketers. And on it goes.

But what can we expect when people like Mark O'Meley make it known that an offer of payment for playing rugby league football for the next year is 'unacceptable'?

You want a solid role model? Dont pay someone $150,000 a year to run around and expect them to spend their spare time leisurely, then see what happens.

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Save it for when you've won something, monkey-boy

A disturbing trend of late, amongst the professional tennis playing fraternity. One that needs to stop.

The winner, once retiring to their chair, perhaps taking a drink, or putting their racket away, returns to mid-court and waves to the crowd. This is not the problem in itself. A fine display of thanks popularised by Andre Agassi, who is one of the genuine nice-guy players on the pro circuit.

But when people like Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt, and David Nalbandian do it, it loses some of its belief. These people have shown themselves, off-court, to be nowhere near as personable as Andre.

Let's just take Lleyton Hewitt as an example. Wins a game, walks to mid court and gives the old high handclap around the audience. And I'm supposed to believe that this guy is thanking me for coming to watch him play? When he whines that the Australian Open organisers haven't done enough to assist him in winning? If you're good enough, you'll win. It's not that hard an equation. When he does an exclusive deal with a magazine for pictures of his daughter, and then spends the first year of her life covering her up and not going out in public in case some snapped a 'non-exclusive' picture? When he comes into a Grand Slam tournament with 6 months off and says people write him off?

OK, maybe this is turning into a Lleyton rant, well...back on track.

James Blake was deserving of his mid-court adulation for his Medicare International win last week.

Why should the worlds no.4 player, Andy Roddick, do it when he's struggled to beat some nuffy and barely scraped through?

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