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 It was January 6^th, 1980, when the young Racing Meridian was introduced to the harsh realities of contemporary sport. In a moment of  infamy, perhaps outranked in American history only by Pearl Harbour, Houston Oiler Mike Renfro, cruising through the end zone open and unmolested,  was ruled to have bobbled a clear catch in the AFC Championship against the hated, arch rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Houston, instead of tying the game, went on to a crushing defeat. They may say the franchise left town due to financial difficulties, but the Meridian knows the Oilers turned to dust in response to that one monstrous, unspeakably cruel bit of refereeing malfeasance.

The moments begin to add up. Referees aggressively interfered in the 1999 NFC Championship game when the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers seemed poised to topple the media darling St Louis Rams. Brett Hull stood in the crease to snatch a Stanley Cup from the Buffalo Sabres and the NHL sullied its reputation with a comical justification. The “Tuck Rule”. The first Lennox Lewis - Evander Holyfield fight. Maradonna.

And now…now Thierry Henry and the preposterous French claim to a win over Ireland. In an assault on all that is reasonable and rational, FIFA has ruled out the possibility of a replay, despite the 2005 Uzbekistan/Bahrain precedent.  It’s an ugly moment, one during which the hated “Dancers” of Hunter S Thompson’s prodigious imagination emerge to proclaim there is nothing to be done (stand in line, do as your told, accede to authority). The fussy librarians of Orwell, or the officious bureaucrats of Styron, have their moment in the sun. They, like the wretched Roy Keane, anxious to again apply the Judas kiss to an agonized nation, can attempt to defuse the moment by setting up red herrings and straw men. But there is only one crucial issue. The hand ball. The outrageous debauchery of officials who would usher France through to the World Cup based on a goal of such lavish unlawfulness disgraces FIFA and all pretence to fairness. There is, and can be, only one solution to the malodorous actions of both Henry and the oily  referee; play the game again…

GRID IRON..you really need to watch the games to appreciate a player’s contribution to a team’s success or lack thereof. Jay Cutler is not the problem in Chicago. Aaron Rodgers is a big problem in Green Bay…Sporting News and Sports Business Daily have combined to assess the top 25 announcers in football. Gary Danielson (exclusively college) topped the list of broadcasters, followed by Chris Collinsworth, Al Michaels (surely, you jest), Phil Simms (again, about the jesting thing) and Kirk Herbstreidt. The only presenter I can tolerate, Troy Aikman, ranked sixth…after compiling the list, the panel celebrated by shooting Joe Theismann…owner Ralph Wilson speaks of rebuilding the Buffalo organization from the ground up. “It’s not about money, it’s about winning…anybody that says I’m cheap is looking down the wrong side of the street”, proclaimed Wilson, before announcing he intends to replace the Bills coaching staff with volunteers…the Cleveland Browns boast the worst ranked offence and defence in the NFL. A thudding 32 on both sides of the ball. Brady Quinn plays pivot like a man suffering from two broken arms…

ICE…there was a disconcerting moment during last night’s Toronto - Carolina scuffle. Okay, as a Leaf fan there were many disconcerting moments. But I’m speaking of the point where Ron Wilson called a timeout, after the Hurricanes made the game 3-2, and the Leaf players simply languished at center ice. The ‘Cane players were huddled around Paul Maurice, receiving instructions, but Wilson either couldn’t think of a thing to say or the Leaf talent refused to rendezvous with their coach…Wilson has tried dodge ball and old fashioned pond hockey in an attempt to keep the team loose. What’s next? Paint ball? Tag through the streets of downtown Toronto? I’d suggest stirring games of Russian Roulette, with Jason Blake first up…adding the “NHL Players jumping H1N1 vaccine lines” story to my “NHLPA” and “Peter Forsberg” couldn’t care less collection…Philadelphia Flyer back stopper Ray Emery is 11-4-1 with a 2.22 goals against average. This doesn’t last, it just doesn’t…

FOOTIE..Spain is the current 4-1 favourite for the World Cup. Brazil ranks next at 9-2, followed by England at a skimpy 6-1, Argentina 9-1 and Germany 11-1. My friends at The Rail can hammer the 100-1 offered on the Greeks, while College will rejoice at the plump 12-1 offered on Italy…

PUG LIFE..a New York Times headline proclaimed, “With Pacquiao - Cotto, Boxing Is Ready For A Rebirth, Again”. The fight proved the majesty and drama of pugilism trumps the rank barbarity of MMA. If the best fighters face each other, the resulting bouts almost always bring the fans and interest back…HBO’s Ross Greenburg asks the simple question; we all know, after months of posturing and threats, Pacquiao and Mayweather will agree to a 50-50 split in revenues for their fight. So why not save us the drama and sign the bout now? September at Yankee Stadium would galvanize the entire sporting world… Sports Illustrated has released their ranking of the top 10 heavyweights of all time and it is an excellent, smart list. With one howler of an exception. The reputable mag places Sonny Liston third on the list. The brain literally sags at the implications of such a ridiculous choice. Liston won the title with a murderous assault of Floyd Patterson in 1962 and then, after doing it again to Floyd in 1963, quit on his stool against a young Muhammad Ali in 1964. A Heavyweight Champion had never surrendered his belt in such an inglorious fashion and Liston should forevermore be held accountable for his lack of perseverance. Against an all time great, Liston was exposed, his true colours revealed. Liston never again won a bout of significance and retired after a decision win over Chuck Wepner in 1970. It is appalling to suggest a man of such limited character and achievement should be ranked above fighters like Jack Dempsey, George Foreman and Rocky Marciano…S I , thankfully, puts Muhammad Ali on the top of the list, just ahead of Joe Louis…they also put a smile on my face by ranking Roberto Duran as the greatest lightweight of all time…the smile didn’t last long after I discovered Marcel Cerdan curiously absent from their middleweight rankings. Boxing fans who are posers, who have never taken the time to study the films of the dazzling Frenchman, often dismiss his claims to greatness. He is the property of the hardcore historian, a dazzling blend of intelligence, speed and power that would have been beaten, in a fair contest, only by a Robinson or a Greb…it’s a shame Saturday nights fight between Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward is not available for wider dissemination. Both fighters would be safely ensconced in my top 20 pound for pound list and certainly can be ranked as the top two super middleweights in the world…