Sport Stalk - reader special!
Sport Review #216
Thanks to Sport Review readers who submitted their Sport Stalk-s! Particularly gratifying to get a couple from pre-smartphone times!
Behold:
Max Johns - From O-Week in Dunedin, 2000. Definitely not a corporate stitch-up. The Outback was doing free jugs for anyone who got their head shaved. My girlfriend (not pictured) lost a bet and had to go first. My brother wisely advised me that even though I won the bet, it would be in my long-term interests to join her in skinheadery. Doully wasn't up for it.
He would have been in town to commentate NZ v AUS at the 'Brook. That was the game when Brett Lee bounced Parore and knocked his helmet off onto the stumps. If I recall correctly, cans were thrown.
James Guthrie - Bumped into Conrad Smith at the local New World back in 2014 (he'd been promoting something, but was now wandering aimlessly around the ready-to-heat pizza section).
He was only too happy to get a snap.
I was in full grizzled Sébastien Chabal mode at the time (or maybe an earlier take on what would become known as the 'Whitelock'), but my biceps didn't put quite the same pressure on my t-shirt as Conrad's...
Aiden McLaughlin - Richie sat in front of me on the plane from Napier to Wellington in March 2018. Look how happy he is that I asked him for a photo!
Chelsea meets smart-looking 90’s legend Gavin Larsen.
Richard Darrow meets smart-looking 80’s legend Geoff Howarth.
Andrew gets his credit card out for some All Blacks.
Thanks for reading - Richard
This week's best NZ sport content
Congrats to the Between Two Beers podcast on 100 episodes - Steven and Seamus are week by week creating a laid back museum of NZ sport and media history. I can fully recommend my top ten, the Mikey Havoc, Grant Fox, Mark Richardson, Jack Tame, Dion Nash, Ryan Fox, Jimmy Neesham, Ryan Nelsen, Bruce Holloway and Jimmy Pamment episodes, but they’re all fantastic, dive in.
If you know anyone from Wellington, they’ll no doubt have been in touch to tell you about the rugby - Jamie Wall has the run down on our most optimistic / loyal / frustrated team [RNZ]
Scott MacLean has the full run down on why Ruapehu Alpine Lifts went into administration, and what might happen next [Sportsfreak]
The Netball Australia / mining sponsorship brouhaha is so complex The Detail had to explain it for us [RNZ]
Australian men’s football team first out of the gate with a message about Quatar (venue for the World Cup) and their human rights record.
Video nasty
The legend John McEnroe answers questions from Twitter.
Long read
Zach Hefland on the PGA and LIV tours and the temptation being waved at golfers who already have a fair amount of cash [New Yorker]
Recommendation
Nike’s 50 greatest sneaker collaborations - I’ll take the Air Tech Challenge II’s, the Air Huarache LE’s and the Mars Yards please.
Bring back the gif
When your internet goes down AGAIN.
