1) Where else to start but the great Muhammad Ali? His mesmerising speed, wit and sheer, undoubted talent inside the ring all went some way to constructing, as he said himself, the “perfect specimen of a man”. Ali, who died at the age of 74 last Friday, was superb value outside the ring too. Here he talks with Howard Cosell, and in 1971, he memorably sat down with Michael Parkinson, asking: “Why is Jesus white?” Here he is on Candid Camera in 1974, pranking some kids. Across the world, people – from Barack Obama to David Beckham – have been paying their respects and tributes to ‘the Greatest’. Documentary-wise, here is his life story, rare footage from ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and the Thrilla in Manila from HBO. Perhaps the most apt place to finish, though, is with Ali’s recipe for life, including two cups of love, one tablespoon of patience and one pint of kindness.
2) It’s the start of Euro 2016. Who will be this summer’s wild card, this tournament’s Greece? Grey-haired Antonios Nikopolidis is now 45 and in charge of his country’s under-21 side. Albania, Iceland and Northern Ireland have doubtless spent the past few months queuing up to source Euro 2004 footage. And Belgium, who reached the final in 1980, are classified as dark horses for yet another major tournament. More recently in 2008, Fernando Torres helped Spain on their way to a marvellous few years at the top, with victory over Germany in the final. World champions Germany are favourites, despite the fact they don’t have an ‘out-and-out striker’ like Miroslav Klose anymore. And now, back to Poland four years ago, with an alarmingly young looking Wayne Rooney, the England captain, still hoping to make the difference.
3) Facing the nauseating grunt of Gonzalo Lama, Dutch tennis player Robin Haase decided to take matters into his own hands. The Dutchman replied with a long and exaggerated grunt of his own, but the umpire in their Prostejov Challenger match did not see the funny side and Haase was penalised for hindrance.
4) Drag racer Jack Beckman walked away unhurt from a dramatic explosion in New England. The 49-year-old not only survived the massive engine blowout, but was happy to talk an interviewer through the drama in detail a few moments later.
5) Another big tournament is already underway in South America. The Euro 2016 organisers will be hoping to steer well clear of this humdinger of an error at the Copa América. Edinson Cavani does a grand job of keeping a straight face as the wrong national anthem is played out.
6) Hockey commentator gone mad. In the name of Joonas Donskoi.
Highlights from last week’s blog
1) As pointed out below the line, last week’s link to one of the NFL’s greatest fake punts didn’t work. Apologies – here it is in all its glory.
2) A fine example from a game of college basketball of exactly why the shot clock was introduced.
3) Here’s a glance back at some classic American racing with the profile of Northern Dancer, and British television at its finest: quaint footage of the 1974 Epsom Derby.
4) Amir Kahn’s speed unpackaged, plus some boxing low blows and contentious officiating complete with a ‘cheat count’ for good measure.
5) And while we are on about speed, here’s a 1992 Jordan F1 car attempting to whip a tablecloth from beneath some crockery. Oh the tension.
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