IF YOU’RE READY FOR THE PANDEMOLYMPICS 2020/21 TO LIFT YOU SPIRITS, GIMME A HELL YEAH!

TOKYO 2020: CATCHING THE OLYMPIC FEVER NEVER FELT SO DIFFERENT.

On that note, it’s important to have a theme song for any major sporting event, and the good part for the Japanese organisers is that they don’t have to write one…

BECAUSE THE VAPORS DID IT IN 1980!

Funnily enough, yesterday was 25 years since the Atlanta Olympics began

Nice to see that last year the IOC put up the entire replay of the Opening ceremony, complete with Muhammad Ali holding the torch:

My WILD prediction for Australian athletes in Tokyo

The Australian men’s basketball team, better known as THE BOOMERS, will finally score an Olympic medal.

Dunno what odds I can get on that down at the bookies, but to quote Big Kev McQuay…

I’M EXCITED!

Other than that, if we can crack 10 gold medals over the fortnight in this age of uncertainty, I think the government should throw open the borders in celebration, and end reality as we know it.

In the time you’ve read this, Adelaide and Port Adelaide will be told they’re flying to Melbourne, then told they’re staying in Adelaide, then they might be playing a Showdown behind closed doors, only to be told for a second time that they’re flying to Melbourne.

Yes, that has all happened in the space of a Tuesday.

First it was this:

Then it came to this:

Then the murmurs of a Showdown began:

Then we got to here:

And now we’re here:

For crap’s sake, why not just let them play in Horsham, that way neither Adelaide or Melbourne has to deal with them.

Watching the replay of the opening stanza of Wild West: Tales from Tiger Town on Fox League last night

For me, the best moment of that whole of Episode 1 was Moses Mbye bringing his young daughter into the room to watch Michael Maguire’s speech to the player, and while Moses drifted off with the fairies, his daughter was hooked on Madge’s every word, or should I say, every swear word, because Madge dropped more F bombs than an RAF pilot over Germany, a consistent theme through the entire showing.

Having been exposed to the real word of footy, I imagine her first day at school will resemble this famous Australian folk song:

On that note, I thought it was odd that they were happy enough to let dozen of mentions of “Farking” go through to the keeper several times, but Madge mentioning “Pick him up and farking grab him and drive him back” was censored 7:50 into the thing, no more than 10 seconds after he’d dropped a previous F bomb, and for an NRL documentary, there was no mention of drugs or sex.

Maybe that’s the difference between an M rating and an MA rating.

Max Verstappen did make history on Sunday

Thanks to the 3 points he got for winning the Sprint Qualifying race, Max became the first driver in the history of the Formula One World Championship (1,054 races) to score points during a race weekend without completing a single lap of a Grand Prix.

And, finishing 2nd in the Sprint Qualifying and winning the race, Lewis Hamilton also became the first driver to score exactly 27 points during a weekend.

Sebastian Vettel helping pick up the trash in the grandstands after the race on Sunday evening

It’s rare enough to even hear about a driver doing this, but a 4-time World Champion makes it something else.

He didn’t finish the race, but he did lead the entire field in bits of rubbish picked up.

Winning the Test series against France marks the first time the Wallabies have won a series of any kind since the shortened 2015 Rugby Championship

It was also the first time the Wallabies have even won a home Test series since France last visited in 2014, and their record in series since the World Cup-affected 2015 Rugby Championship isn’t awful, but at the same time, it’s pretty bleak:

Finished Runner-Up at the 2015 World Cup to the All Blacks.

Lost the 2016 mid-year Cook Cup 3-0 against England in Australia

Finished 2nd in the 2016 Rugby Championship

Finished 2nd in the 2017 Rugby Championship

Lost the 2018 mid-year series 2-1 against Ireland in Australia.

Finished 3rd in the 2018 Rugby Championship

Finished 2nd in the shortened 2019 Rugby Championship

Made the Quarter Finals at the 2019 World Cup

Finished 3rd in the 2020 Tri Nations

And the obvious one is that they haven’t won a Bledisloe Cup against the All-Blacks since 2002.

Historical sporting anniversary for July 20

Today is 35 years since Greg Norman won the first of his two Open Championships at Turnberry, finishing on an even par, 5 shots ahead of Englishman Gordon Brand, with The Shark the only player to even come close to finishing the tournament under par.

Norman won $105,000 USD for winning the championship, while this past weekend, Colin Morikawa took home $2,070,000 USD for winning the championship at Royal St Georges’, and completely doing a 180 and going back to The Shark, he happened to win his second Open title at Royal St Georges’ in 1993, and much like Morikawa, the final round was played on July 18!

Staying on the subject of Australians winning The Open…

Tomorrow is 30 years to the day that the one and only Ian Baker-Finch won his only major ahead of compatriot Mike Harwood at Royal Birkdale, after sitting in a share of 28th on 2 over through the opening 2 rounds.

Finchy then shot a monster 64 on Saturday to rocket into the lead alongside Mark O’Meara on 4 under, and followed it up with a 66 (4 under par) over the final 18 holes, including 5 birdies in the first 7 holes of the day, to win the Claret Jug by 2 shots.

Ben O’Connor finishing 4th in the General Classification for the Tour de France on his first attempt

I’ve said it before in a drunken stupor and I’ll say it again, but I think BOC’s achievement is the greatest achievement by a member of the 2012 Aquinas PSA Premiership winning Cross Country team since yours truly won the 2019 Manning Jack Attack competition.

Just quietly, I think Matthew Cassir should’ve had the nickname ‘Mama’ Cassir.

Haven’t Everton had a fantastic summer

They lose Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid, and in his place appoint Rafa Benitez, who just happened to manage eternal rivals Liverpool to one of the most memorable Champions League wins in human history back in 2005.

Then they sign nobody of note, nd now, their married 31 year old player who plays for his national team and may have been the club’s record signing, has been arrested on child sex offences by North Manchester police after sexting a couple of teenagers.

Besides listening to Of Monsters And Men, apparently there’s not much else to do in Iceland.

And, is it just me or is there not enough mentions of women’s sport leading up to the Olympics?

It seems more like a suggestion than a requirement right now.