As we end the sporting month of September, I could make another reference to the Sydney Olympics, given it’s 20 years since the Rechelle Hawkes-Hockeyroos won their 3rd field hockey gold medal in 4 Olympics, or today being 2 years since the Dom Sheed goal, but instead, I’ll go back to a different major milestone:

The 28th of September marked 40 years since Alan Jones won the 1980 World Championship of Drivers by winning the Canadian Grand Prix in a frigid Montreal, the first for the Williams team, after Nelson Piquet’s engine gave up during the race, having previously been sent into the wall by Jones in a racing incident at the start.

1980 was also the last year of the old World Championship of Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors – 1981 was the first official year the sport was contested as the FIA Formula One World Championship.

Still, how Jones wrapped up the title is more confusing.

In a 14-race season, drivers could only count their best five results from the first seven races, and the best five results from the remaining seven races.

After Canada, Jones led Piquet by 8 points (With 9 points for a win), but Piquet’s best 5 results in the back half were all points finishes, whereas Jones could drop his non-points 11th in Holland.

Thus, if Piquet had won the last Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, his 6th-best result would be a 5th from Austria, and after dropping those 2 points, he would have been left at least 1 point behind Jones, regardless of a Jones DNF.

And that’s how Jones won the last World Championship of Drivers there and then, in Montreal – For the record, AJ won again in America, and Piquet DNF’ed again.

Remember to change your clocks on Saturday evening you East Coasters

Wait a minute, this means with the 3 hour difference back in play, I have to post everything AN HOUR EARLIER.

I believe the WA Health Department is the first Australian government organisation to officially deem Collingwood a “Dirty club”

Congratulations Woodsmen and Woodswomen, you’ve finally done it.

This stems from a comment Adam Simpson made on 3AW:

 “We’re in two weeks quarantine now, I think Collingwood are in a seven-day quarantine so I think they’re considered a dirty club when we play them.”

A WA Health Department spokesperson later said:

“Wait a minute, who said the dirty part had anything to do with COVID?”

I believe there’s a way that the NRL can send a message to players about Hip Drop tackles

And no, this way does not involve executing Max King by firing squad at Rugby League Central tonight, which would be a “Death Star blowing up Alderaan” way to send a message.

Instead of giving King a suspension, just give the judiciary members cricket bats so they can have a crack at his legs, just to see how it feels.

He’ll never think about going low as the third man in again.

The NRLW starts on Saturday

Obviously that doesn’t mean much, considering I’ve seen more ads for State Of Origin, which doesn’t start for another 5 weeks, than I have for the NRLW.

Technically speaking, whoever wins Sunday’s Elimination Final between Souths and Newcastle is the moral 2020 NRL Premier

Well, it will be played on the first Sunday in October.

A brief look at the state of the French Open

French Tennis Federation: “Let’s smuggle in the tournament right as the Parisian Autumn is kicking in, what could go wrong!”

It’s 16 degrees celsius and raining every day, with players wearing tights and complaining about how cold it is, despite the roof on Philippe Chatrier

FTF:

A visual representation of Alex Johnston claiming the Ken Irvine Medal for leading tryscorer from Kyle Feldt on Friday night

The Autumn Sun racing in the red & green works perfectly in this context.

A character-building story of one of the sickest beats of 2020

So yesterday morning, I placed a ‘Financial wager’ (My standard $30) on the Philadelphia Eagles vs Cincinnati Bengals game.

It was for the total score to go Over 46.5 points.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the Bengals led 23-16, before the Eagles drove downfield in the last minute and scored a touchdown in the last minute to tie the game at 23.

Simple math – 46 points so far, and any score in the 10 minutes of overtime, and you win.

Eventually, after neither team did a thing for 7 minutes, the Eagles got the ball into field goal range thanks to a 30-yard catch by Zach Ertz to the Bengals 43.

Then, the Eagles offensive line gives away a false start, followed by a holding penalty, and Aussie Cam Johnston, officially the greatest punter in NFL history, has to punt.

Still, the Eagles forced another 3 and out on the Bengals and got the ball back just shy of midfield with 1:41 to go.

Eventually, the Eagles set up for a 59-yard field goal for Jake Elliott to win the game with 20 seconds to go……

Aaaaaaand then they gave away a false start penalty and get backed up 5 yards.

But, instead of going balls out on a 64-yarder, Doug Pederson sents out Johnston to punt with 19 seconds remaining, conceding a tie to the winless Bengals, and causing one of the most gruesome defeats in recent memory.

As many of our friends from the US and A have pointed out, Doug Pederson won a Super Bowl and published a book called “FEARLESS” about how he won that Super Bowl by taking huge risks.

It’s become apparent that book was ghostwritten by Frank Reich and Nick Foles.

Rehashing the story about Dean Jones from the Tied Test in 1986, because it’s still a good laugh

Obviously more people will remember Deano’s brush with death after scoring an epic 210 in Madras, following Allan Border’s threat to send a tough Queenslander out in his place, but a forgotten story that I didn’t see mentioned after Deano’s sudden passing was one Deano himself told Cricinfo in 2004, about what happened with Bob Simpson when they realised the historic result.

“There were two scoreboards in the stadium, so when Greg Matthews got Maninder Singh lbw, I was at mid-on or midwicket, and looked up at the first of them, which had us in front by one.”

“So we’d won! I started running away in elation, but then someone told me to look at the other one, and I said: “Oh, is that a draw then?”

“Simmo replied: “No, you idiot, it’s a tie!”

No International cricket in Perth until 2021

Speaking as a WACA member still yet to pay up, we’ll be lucky to even see Big Bash cricket in Perth before 2021, given what I’ve seen with the Adelaide bubble fixture for the Sheffield Shield.

Not unless our beloved Iron Curtain, probably sponsored by Fortescue Metals, comes down before Christmas.

Last point – Low key, the 2020 Indian Premier League is mint

That Kings XI vs Rajasthan Royals game on Sunday evening would have to rank right up there as one of the craziest T20 games ever seen.

The Royals needed 84 off 30 balls chasing 224.

They got it with 3 balls to spare.