1) The Belgian grand prix takes place this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most challenging tracks on the circuit, particularly when it rains not that wet conditions ever intimidated the great Ayrton Senna. Then again, even if it's dry the drivers still need to contend with the infamous Eau Rouge corner (why Jonathan Ross is commentating on this we've got no idea). Even the safety car at Spa isn't all that safe.
2) Alex Zanardi was the driver we saw crashing at the Eau Rouge corner. He was later to lose both legs in an accident in 2001 but made a remarkable return to competitive racing. Here he tells his story to David Letterman on the Late Show, the humour and positive attitude he shows is remarkable. To complete the story, here's Zanardi winning at Oschersleben during the 2005 World Touring Car Championship, only four years after the accident, an achievement that more than matches his earlier career highlights.
3) The latest series of Shooting Stars has just finished and was Vic and Bob's finest effort for some years, not least because it gave us the opportunity to hear Chris Kamara's opinion on midgets' night vision.
4) Pole vaulting doesn't really work without a pole to vault with. It can also seriously affect your chances of having children. Really, it can. Come to think of it, javelin doesn't really work without a javelin.
5) Two horses battle for victory at Monmouth Park: one called Mywifenoseeverything, the other Thewifedoesntknow. Pity the poor commentator, who does an excellent job in the circumstances.
6) The Women's Rugby World Cup is taking place at the moment, and while you might expect tanked up rugby lads to take the field in dresses who would have thought their female counterparts would think playing in prom dresses was a good idea.
Our favourites from last week's blog
1) Will a robot team win the World Cup by 2050? These boffins – and Pele, no doubt – are sure one will.
2) A catch! A most palpable catch!
3) Hakeem Olajuwon was one of basketball's greats and known for his Dream Shake, a move influenced by his days playing football in Nigeria. Remarkably he would play while fasting during Ramadan, something which didn't seem to affect his game. Here are his best moments.
4) The oddest streaker ever. The look of distress on the players' faces is a welcome distraction.
5) The sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, often dark, always moving story of Huddersfield Town's mascot.
6) It's not just the bulls that would be safer if bullfighting was banned.
7 (extra special bonus clip!) If you're going to have half-time analysis on the pitch be prepared to pay.
Spotters' badges: Radar, santeff, stubnitz, LancelotHogben, SpartakKapokovic, AngryWilliam, kayakking.
Comments in chronological order (Total 66 comments)
26 August 2010 9:03AM
Plagiarism alert: the BBC pinched your racing commentator clip on Radio 4's sport update this morning. Hope they paid you a royalty...
26 August 2010 9:29AM
Dammit. I'd lined up that German commentator clip yesterday, ready to post this morning, complete with "What's the German for "Fore!"?" caption and "hilarious" call back to this old Harry Redknapp clip.
I will now have to whittle myself my own spotter's badge from things I can steal from the office stationery cupboard.
26 August 2010 9:32AM
Plan B:
Pippo's close control lets him down again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=praaIIVuI-0
26 August 2010 9:55AM
L'Eau Rouge, not just a corner, also a great 1980s song (oxymoron alert) from Swiss band Young Gods.
Warning: music not sport
26 August 2010 10:39AM
Ladies and Gentleman give it up... for Boli Waddle http://youtu.be/CRuMoH0AXmM
26 August 2010 10:43AM
Spa 98 is my favourite race of all time. It wasn't only this crash that made it brilliant, but Scumacher going nuts and almost punching Coulthard in the pits after their crash, Damon winning... Ahh the good old days!
26 August 2010 10:55AM
the word "explain" in the HTFC video is misleading.
26 August 2010 10:56AM
I disagree the safety car is at fault, though, the beemer is steaming into Blanchimont at the time when he shouldn't have
26 August 2010 11:07AM
Zanardi's accident wasn't during testing, it was in a CART race in Germany in September 2001.
Half Man Half Biscuit have been on the roundup before, so this should count - their second (and last to date) live TV appearance, doing three songs on Channel 4's not entirely sober (in either sense) late night Danny Kelly-helmed sporting magazine show Under The Moon in 1998: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRDPrC3GuoE
26 August 2010 11:18AM
@BeazerHome
oh my goodness. that's quite something...
dunno if these have been on here before but they raise a smile...
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/social/1660109
26 August 2010 11:23AM
I saw at least 6 robots on that pitch that Capello should have taken to South Africa instead of the players that he did... : - )
26 August 2010 11:49AM
The girl in the green dress on the rugby clip should have got penalised for crossing. Don't know how the referee didn't see that.
26 August 2010 11:57AM
With that Robot football, was anyone else reminded of the episode of Father Ted with the All-Priests Over-75's Five-a-Side Football Championship?
26 August 2010 12:04PM
Watched the ESPN 30 for 30 film last night on the LA Raiders and finally found something worth posting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eEF8zplJY8
Possibly the worst thing I'd ever seen - until I noticed these...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix081prSiNc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJNC3dgreaU
Hope the links work - first attempt etc, etc
26 August 2010 12:06PM
OhMonsieur, you beat me too it, I saw the same last night and its awful, still not as bad as the Anfield Rap though
26 August 2010 12:08PM
highlight of my thursday these videos,and this dog isnt bad either
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N00T72OqEcA
26 August 2010 12:24PM
@ Ohmonsieur
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utsHE5xWges
26 August 2010 12:52PM
If you get a chance watch The Two Escobars. Brilliant documentary looking at the rise of Pablo Escobar in Colombia and the control the drug lords had over the football teams culminating in the shooting of Colombian player Andres Escobar after he scored an own goal in the world cup. Not so much a documentry on just drugs or football but more an insight into Colombia as a whole in the 80's and 90's.
http://30for30.espn.com/film/the-two-escobars.html
26 August 2010 12:59PM
This is where it all starts with SKYNET, first football, then the world bwahahahahaha!
26 August 2010 1:06PM
aidy66 - If that dog race video doesn't get you a spotters bage then I don't know what will!
They way that it's a dog race, and er? dogs race until the end and er? One wins is really out of the ordinary!
26 August 2010 1:14PM
thanks pork chop, i only posted it cos it is my sisters second cousins son in laws friends dog and its quite fast,and to think i wasnt even in the market for a new badge
26 August 2010 1:49PM
Thanks dontgetmeimasnowman - good to see one of the UK's greatest exports (music) holding its own against the USA.
Also must second Stereogwai on The Two Escobars documentary - spot on description by the way and the best so far of the 30 For 30 films I've seen.
26 August 2010 1:57PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFzL-_YiXp8&feature=channel
Cruyff turns don't always work.
26 August 2010 1:59PM
Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici drops a proverbial clanger, leading to calls to bring the 2nd choice keeper in
Reading reserve goalkeeper Ben Hamer then demonstrates why he's the second choice (25 secs in)
26 August 2010 2:18PM
anytime Spa is mentioned anywhere ever, this should always be mentioned as well
26 August 2010 2:19PM
Here's the BBC's "pole vault snapping" video for those living outside of the UK. Rights restrictions...
26 August 2010 2:41PM
come, come if we're going to have dog racing at least let's make it interesting.
Here's one that finally worked out how to win the easy way
(Maybe this will earn me the spotters badge I was cruelly denied despite posting that pole vaulting clip 3 weeks ago!!!!)
26 August 2010 2:56PM
This week, Howard Webb has admitted to a fewer minor mistakes in refereeing this year's World Cup final.
At least, his team did not commit a blunder asJack Taylor's did in 1974 by this hilarious off-side call (with a courtesy commentary by WC final refereeing controversy specialist Gottfried Dienst).
26 August 2010 4:31PM
At 2:59 in the robot clip - with diving skills like that, it's only a matter of time before the robots win.
26 August 2010 4:51PM
@OhMonsieur
Really, you should be reported for abuse with those! :)
Brilliant!
26 August 2010 6:49PM
If you are going to roll around on the floor to get someone sent off.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM6LLv6hIow
26 August 2010 7:02PM
Prom Dress Rugby
Another reason why I sometimes just love Man
26 August 2010 7:15PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWpRcRCUKsY
Good horse riding commentary but for sheer unadulterated perfection I give you "Racing from Newmarket" .....Advisory, not suitable for work, in fact not sure if it will even get posted.
26 August 2010 7:48PM
I don't think haybaling is technically a sport, but I feel compelled to share this. Possibly NSFW
26 August 2010 9:07PM
@mattiogo,
wow, that was awesome.
26 August 2010 9:28PM
a perfectly weighted cross by Khalid Boulahrouz
and what a header!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfGCSYZr_yA&feature=player_embedded
... ouch!!
26 August 2010 10:31PM
redrag, that haybaling is fantastic. I don't care whether it belongs on here or not.
26 August 2010 11:10PM
Here's a clip of an 80's footballing genius, known as the Maradona of Central America, Jorge Alberto González Barillas to give him his full name, "Mágico" Gonzáles in short...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMemVOhSLRw
27 August 2010 12:12AM
The Jonathan Ross commentary on the F1 clip comes from one of the official F1 end of season videos. He did the voice over for at least one of them (not entirely sure why), while well-known motor racing fan Clive James also did a few in the 80s.
Clive's were often quite chucklesome. Here's his take on the bizarre final laps at Monaco in 1982 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRZ6P1hs7Cg&feature=related
27 August 2010 2:49AM
Thankyou JPA210688! that Magico is some player!
27 August 2010 7:31AM
Great aim!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzO4u9aenz4
27 August 2010 9:29AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QphcM1ap9U
this is the most amazing crash i have ever seen
27 August 2010 10:24AM
Could this be a debut on the YouTube blog for billiards?
Pretty cool
27 August 2010 10:27AM
This is quite impressive too...
28 August 2010 12:49AM
Fifty years ago this week Peter Snell burst onto the world stage
28 August 2010 9:44AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1G6de7MXs0
too much time on their hands
28 August 2010 2:22PM
the pass of the season award might already be wrapped up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FRSXVzv7aY&
28 August 2010 2:23PM
Leeds fan teaches English to small children in South Korea. Temptation too much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW-5GFy9Hik&feature=player_embedded
28 August 2010 2:24PM
well, it might be if i could post the link correctly...
french league cup match this week
28 August 2010 5:50PM
I really did have a disproportionate amount of excitement on getting that first spotters badge.
Here is the worlds best named racing driver, Dick Trickle, relaxing during a safety car period.
escartin, that was a brilliant pass!