And you thought Dunphy, Giles and Brady could put on a show...

Italians eh?

George Hook reacts to Ireland vs Italy

"I don't have a bandana on my head and a crystal ball in front of me. I can't foretell the future."

Ah go on George.

Newstalk 106-108 (Youtube)

Make your bed and lie in it

For their first 100 seasons Inter Milan had 13 managers, meaning each manager had an average of 7 seasons at the club.

Since 2010 Inter have had 4 managers, the last one lasting only 5 games.

Who's the latest you ask?

Claudio Ranieri, who was sacked by a Russian oligarch after bringing Chelsea to second in the Premiership (then their best-ever finish) and also to the semi finals of the Champion's League, has taken the job.

Must be a glutton for punishment.

Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri named Inter Milan head coach

Dublin win the All Ireland

A certain phrase by Mick Fitzgerald just about sums it up.

The Dubs are still (still!) writing songs: "True Blue" performed by Damien Dempsey, The Dubliners, Frances Black, and more

True Blue

Here's to the Dubs the boys in blue
With hearts so brave and hearts so true
From both sides of the river it's stand and deliver
True Dubs just like me and you

True blue, true blue
We're all Dublin through and through
True blue, true blue
Win lose or draw we'll follow you...

Can you hear Pat Good playing the Gazuki there in the background? Yes Gazuki. Apparently it's an 8 string guitar tuned like a bouzouki.

All proceeds go to the Rise Foundation charity which Frances Black founded in 2008. It helps families affected by addictions.

Sniff.

Written by John Healy, Toddy Griffin and Pat Good.

The Rise Foundation

Bernard Brogan and Conal Keaney: poise panache and a penchant for polished delivery

But only when they've a ball in their hands...

Eventually they finished the ad, watch it here.

Vodafone Rising Stars Programme on Hill 16

The Dubs are still writing songs

Sam is coming home

Sam is coming home,
back to Molly Malone
He’s tired of cutting cabbages
in Kerry and Tyrone
He misses Anna Liffey,
the coddle and the crack
Sam is coming home again,
he wants a welcome back...

3 days to go.

Check it dog, Sam is Coming Home

The Dubs are writing songs: "An Bua Ag B’lÁth Chliath"

An Bua ag B’láth Chliath © 2011 Enda Reilly agus Enda Cullen

Chur ort do bhróga Gorma
Déan damhsa liom
Chuig Croker
Mar a ndearnamar
an oíche Shamhraidh sin
le grá úrnua

‘s ag an gcluiche mhór ar an lá
le mo grā geal liom
Nach orm an tádh
Mar tás againn go mbeidh an bua ag Bláth Chliath...

Listen to the track

All Ireland Sunday is four days away.

So. Excited.

An Bua Ag B'lÁth Chliath from An Bua Ag B'lÁth Chliath by Enda Reilly

Irish rugby players and their babies

Paul O'Connell with his son Paddy



Mike Ross with his son Kevin



Leo Cullen with a pre-emtive kid's jersey following his marriage last June



Jamie Kneeslip Heslip with his bulldog Jay-Z

Irish rugby boys posed for photos this week before heading off to New Zealand for the World Cup.

And yes that is Jamie Healsip's bulldog and yes... he is named Jay-Z.

Ireland 2011 Rugby World Cup Squad Portraits (Irish Times, Photographs INPHO/Billy Stickland)

"Who may or may not be an Ireland fan"

More as we get it.

ESPN Cricinfo Commentary of England tour of Ireland

New Yorker Cricket

Neil Francis: What you didn't know

 

Normally I'm not really interested in the whole let's-abuse-wikipedia's-open-editing-policy-and-change-the-personal-biographies-of-celebrities-with-hilarious-false-events.

But the latest changes to Neil Francis's wikipedia page made me spit milk through my nose.

Here are some of the highlights.

Example 1 (philanthropy):

"Francis' tireless efforts in the name of world preservation are well known. In 1978, he secretly restored a 15,000 sq ft Aztec temple, buried under 500 feet of mud since 1675, using only an old Colgate toothbrush and a small thimble of white spirits, in two days."

"Francis' charity work in Latin America has earned him the nickname of "The Irish Kriss Akabusi"."

Example 2 (involvement in South America):

"His work in the Amazon rain forests has caused controversy however. Francis regularly shoots pumas and rare birds. From 1983 to 1987, Francis is believed to have killed over 950 big cats, 3 tortoises and 78 million flamingos. He also campaigned for the Galapagos Islands to be "wiped off the map" using an H bomb and on Christmas Eve 1989 he shot at Santa Claus, slightly injuring Prancer, the shock of the event forcing Blitzen into early retirement, something he said he'd never do."

Example 3 (technological achievments):

Francis claims to have invented XML in 1987 on the back of the 75 bus while having a cigarette. Amazingly he didn't even have a computer and the XML’s predecessor, HTML, hadnt even been invented. Later he denied even knowing what the internet was and rubbished claims he invented XML. He admitted in 2005 however, that he did indeed invent it along with the basic rules of nanotechnology on the duration of this 75 bus journey. 'I got on at Bakers Corner by the time I reached Stillorgan I had XML in the bag and on getting off at Marley park I had invented nanotechnology, boom'. Bill Gates recently described Francis as 'the father of nanotechnology' and 'a demon in the scratcher'."

Example 4 (funeral of Pope John Paul II)

"After kissing the text of the Book of the Gospels, Francis stood before the congregants to offer the homily in what was a 200 minute tribute to Pope John Paul II. Francis spoke to the single largest gathering of heads of state in history, surpassing the funerals of Winston Churchill (1965) and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1948). According to magician Paul Daniels “he spoke like he was chatting to a small gathering of family members at Christmas dinner. It was a bloody enigma and yet entirely appropriate”. Four Kings, five Queens, at least seventy presidents and prime ministers and more than fourteen leaders of other religions attended. It is likely to have been the largest single gathering of Christianity in history, with numbers estimated in excess of four million. Francis spoke mainly in Latin, Italian and English but also recited a fourteen century poem from Poland in perfect Polish. He was interrupted approximately ten times with outbursts of applause by the congregants, the last one ending after seventeen minutes. Most heads of state were visibly shook with many in tears. The Dow Jones ended up closing 1000 points higher on the day and a 500ft bronze statue was erected the following year in Warsaw in honour of Francis."

Immature? Yes.

True? No.

Funny? You better believe it.

It's only a leap year away

So long as John Cusack and the Mayans are wrong.

London 2012 Olympics

Image of the day

Today...

The boyos before the start of the Irish Open

Previously...

With last years US Open winner Graeme McDowell in Portrush
Photo: Belfast Telegraph

And previously still...

Guinness
Clarke's two sons in background

And you thought Nascar was for hicks

Businessmen are also welcome.

Pastor Joe Nelms' opening prayer at Nascar Nationwide in Nashville Tennessee included the following heart felt lines...

"Thank you [Lord] for the Dodges and the Toyotas. Thank you for the Fords and most of all thank you for Roush and Yates partnering to give us the power we see before us tonight. Thank you for GM performance technology and RO7 engines. Thank you for Sunoco Racing Fuel and Goodyear tyres that bring power and performance to the track."

Smoking hot wife?

So BBC Sport are fans of Spinal Tap then?

Audio clips:

Video clips:

Confused?

Everyone's new favourite cyclist: Johnny Hoogerland

So he was in a group of 5 riders leading the race by 5 minutes and in with a chance of a stage victory.

Then there was the crash...



Which led to this...

and this...

and this.

But Hoogerland was back on his bike and somehow he finished the stage...

... and tearfully picked up the King of the Mountains jersey (and the combativity award) which he won over the stage. (He won four mountain climbs on the stage.)



Finally, everyone's new favourite cyclist gave an interview which oozed class, poise and maturity.



JH. What a hero.

Wouter Weylandt?

Pictures coutsey of the Australian, the Age and Daylife.