sport review best of 2007

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I'm stoked 2007 is over, sports-wise. After three World Cups and a big yacht race for no trophies, we're left to pick up the pieces after a year of early starts, late finishes, big build-ups and crushing disappointments. What have we learned? Nothing, if you believe Henry's reappointment was a mistake (which I don't), but 2008 will be very interesting indeed, with Robbie Deans leaving the rabid for success for the slightly shit. So bollocks to 2007, but it's time to get over it.

Luckily, blogging-wise, I've really enjoyed it. Getting a cartoon in the paper was nice (another one soon!). I liked this one. And this one. This wasn't a good idea.I loved making up news stories.

In 2008, I really need to get my shit together with a proper domain (keep your eye on sportreview.net.nz) and Wordpress, particularly before sportreview jr. comes along.

Here's my best for 2007.

Sporting moment
Hard one. A couple of America's Cup races were pretty amazing. I'm too childish to nominate Fiji v South Africa. Oher than a few Berbatov goals, it's looking pretty bleak. I'm going for Luaki handing off Richie McCaw - it's been that kind of year.

Web
Guardian Unlimited (football and sport) remain my go-tos for sport news, writing, and youtube clips. Locally, the Dropkicks podcast is the best in NZ sport on the web. I love the communities springing up at Sportsfreak and The Silver Fern - I wish I had more time to participate. I joined Facebook, and found it great for finding the long lost, but kind of annoying otherwise. I discovered last.fm. I really enjoy Public Address and Jason Kottke, still.

Links on Friday
- Richie Benaud on the underarm
- Zombie vs Shark
- Never poke a big cat with a stick
- Full Metal Wii
- The Mack vs the Nuge

Albums
Person Pitch - Panda Bear (thanks, Fraser), Happy Ending - Phoenix Foundation, Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem

Book
The Yiddish Policeman's Union - Micheal Chabon

Films
Superbad, The Devil Dared Me To, Hot Fuzz

Top three songs on last .fm
Ramble Tamble - Creedence
Fourtunate Son - Creedence
Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny

Links on Friday

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- Fido trailer - a Zombie in every home. WHEN does this come out in NZ?
- Denis Leary gives Mel Gibson a verbal beatdown - nice. Poor old Mad Max, first the Malibu mansion, now this
- The prince of own goals - This is magic. This is still my favourite own goal ever, though, just 'cos it's Arsenal, and a member of George Graham's back four.
- Ryan Giggs, 7 gives his first TV interview - his media minder is Alex Ferguson, 16

Links on Friday

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- The Back Up - Yes, this would be great for a boring old home invasion, but in the event of an infestation of reanimated corpses... THAT's when this little beauty would come into its own
- Here's the video of that guy speeding through Paris in a Ferrari 275 - Wicked. As always, Wikipedia has the full story
- Modern day Cannonball Run - they've got a lot more gadgets and a lot less moustache than ol' Burt and the gang
- Zombo.com - shut down the internet, NO site is going to top this one (needs sound)

Red faces all round as cylinder contains body parts, not turf

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SRNZPA: There were red faces at the All Blacks' farewell at Auckland Airport last night. The team was presented a cylinder supposedly filled with turf cuttings from all 1071 of their predecessors home grounds. But when the container was opened, it was discovered to actually contain cuttings of the 1071 All Blacks themselves.

"Ohhhhhhhhh, that makes a bit more sense" said Adidas Cylinder Ambassador Peter Harvey-Withers. "That fax DID get a bit smudged, but I never double checked. I got some funny looks going into all those cemeteries with a shovel and saw, let me tell you. What a turn-up, eh?".

Links on Friday (On Thursday)

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- A Zombie fighting a Shark - You know team, I hadn't used the ol' Zombie tag for a while, and then I stumbled on this clip. Whoah. I might stop looking at the internets now, nothing's going to top this. NOTHING. NSFW if your work isn't into sub-aquatic re-animated corpses hungry for shark flesh and that
- Classy Tierry Henry goal - Henry plays for Arsenal and is a git. I don't like him but this goal... it's OK. I 'spose
- Another very nice goal - by Totti, he of the amusing name
- Passive aggressive notes blog - I love it, although not as good as a shark fighting the undead, obviously
- Cyclocross gone wild - cyclocross looks like fun, and a cyclocross bike (a kind of road / MTB cross) looks like it'd be ideal for commuting
- Boogie Nights meets Star Wars - genius

Abramovich: Werewolf

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Check out this photo of Chelsea FC's sugar daddy Roman Abramovich at his first wedding - I reckon he's a werewolf, eh.

That would explain a lot.



UPDATE: Holy. Shit. The shaved werewolf might have fooled (and possibly devoured) one unfortunate Russian bride, but now he's going out with a Zombie! Check out that brain-hungry mouth, the dead, dead eyes and listing posture. She is FULLY a Zombie. What's going on at Stamford Bridge? And why does Roman look so pleased? What does he know that we don't? Does that smug, far-away look in his eyes mean he's dreaming of a post-zombie-infestation apocalyptic world where he rules the few survivors through a callous blend of terror, fear and ritual humiliation? I think we should be told.

Links on Friday

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- Rod Latham photo on TradeMe - This one's going straight to the pool room
- Cricket World Cup youtube - Dwayne Leverock making the earth shake - he definitely practices wicket celebrations in the mirror. Plus - Herschelle Gibbes' six sixes in an over
- Drunken sportsmen - some famous drunken hi-jinks over the years
- The New Wembley - I was lucky enough to get along to the Old Wembley a handful of times - including Michael Owen's debut and Arsenal getting spanked by Barcelona (I didn't "Stand up if you hate Tottenham", though). This new one looks pretty blimmin impressive though, hey?
- The Beatles. With Zombies - you don't know how happy it makes me to type those words
- The original Bottle Rocket - this is where Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson came from

The Second Coming

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Shaun of the Dead is probably the film I loved most in the last ten years. It's got Zombies, and it's got moronic humor, a winning combo for a simple man such as I. Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost) are slackers and best mates who devise a genius plan to ride out the Zombie infestation in the pub. Their easy humor, combined with Edgar Wrights' knowing direction made this a real winner for me.

And now the team is back, with Hot Fuzz, which does for police patrolling sleepy English villages what SOTD did for Zombies. It looks fantastic, and I'm quivering with anticip...ation to see it. Here's the Youtubed trailer:


If you're after more Pegg / Wright action, track down Spaced (no, you can't borrow my copies), and promisingly, IMDB shows their next project might be La Triviata, a sitcom about Pub Quizzes, a subject close to my heart.

Links on Friday

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Only a coupla quick links this week - It's been a great week in Wellington, but I'm really looking forward to getting back home

- Cricket catches - here, here, here and here
- Let's laugh at Will Carling - it's fun
- Kevin Keegan loses it - I might as well call this bit Youtube on Friday
- Phone Guy - there's one in every airport
- Imagine a world without advertising - it's easy if you try. This would be pretty cool, actually
- Kill Zombies - Haven't had a Zombie link in a while...

Links on Friday

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- Office Supplies Trebuchet - might as well do SOMETHING today before heading to the pub
- Grammar Quiz - 100% for me, beat that!
- Chainsaw wake up - Parenting at its best
- The Wilhlem Scream - film geekery, move along
- Project Manager Leaves Suicide PowerPoint Presentation - Har, scary thing is I can imagine it happening
- www.mypetzombies.com - can't not have a zombie link

Zombie / Xmas gift guide 2006

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I love me some Zombies, and can't wait to finish writing this shit so I can get back to Resident Evil 4. At my house, nothing says Xmas like getting drunk and shooting at some re-animated rotting flesh, so here's my top five Zombie gifts for this special time of year.

5. Sean Of The Dead. Yeah yeah, it's a couple of years old now, but if you don't have it, get it. If you have it, get Spaced for added Simon Pegg / Edgar Wright action.

4. Mob Zombie. This game is played with a specially designed portable PC - you walk around the room to avoid the zombie hoarde on screen getting at your brain. Just the thing if it rains Xmas day.

3. Zombie Survival Guide. Tagline: Organise Before They Rise. Perfect for beach reading while working on your sunburn. Can Zombies swim?

2. Dead Rising. Must. Get. XBox 360. Dead Rising is based on the Dawn Of The Dead premise - a Zombie attack goes down while you're out shopping, and it's up to you to get creative with the consumer goods to control the outbreak. Park benches, beach umbrellas, dumb bells, you name it, you can use it to mow 'em down. I'm heartened they've included a shot gun, though, it's the knife and fork of any Zombie attack.


1. Zombie Portraits. Send this bloke in Canada a photo of yourself, and he draws you as a walking corpse. It's just fantastic, and the kind of thing those loser portrait drawers at Leicester Square and the like should look into. How about getting a Zombie-fied drawing of a your normal living room portrait, and swapping it to freak your xmas guests out?