Yes, I agree. With Liverpool doing reasonably well, and the Red Sox in the World Series, and North Otago in the Meads Cup final, it is a GREAT time to be a sports fan.
The Last Word was a little sceptical of North Otago's chances at the beginning of the Heartland Championship.
Player turnover was high, there was no obvious backline general, it was unclear which Dunedin imports would join the party, and a ''new'' coach was only appointed relatively late.
When the Old Golds lost their first two games, it seemed the only way was down. Even the Lochore Cup seemed an unlikely target.
What a turnaround. They have won seven straight games - three by extremely narrow margins - and have marched into the Meads Cup final, only missing out on a home final due to a late Mid Canterbury try. All this despite cruelly losing inspirational captain Josh Clark to injury.
Mike Mullins, in his second stint as coach, has done a fine job assembling a team packed with power, athleticism and real ticker.
And in wee Robbie Smith, North Otago has arguably the form rugby player in the Highlanders franchise. Exciting times.
. . . meet Growler
Can the Old Golds upset Mid Canterbury in Ashburton today? Possibly.
It is certainly shaping as a fascinating clash on the sidelines between the two coaches - battling for the Redemption Cup.
Mullins had early success in his first reign but then it all went rather pear-shaped, and he copped some criticism (not all of it fair) for selecting himself in midfield more often than some felt he should.
His reappointment was something of a surprise but he has guided a team that has already overachieved.
And, on the other side, there is Glenn Moore.
''Growler'' is revered in North Otago for what he did for the province, winning the old third division and reaching the semifinals of the old second division.
Three difficult seasons with the Highlanders followed, but it would have been a shame had his coaching career ended there.
Moore is a proud man and a proven coach. I hope his side performs well today, but I hope his former side performs better.
Smiths on fire
One of the many Smiths in the Allied Press building posed an interesting question the other day.
What is the record for the most combined test tries scored by rugby players with the same surname in a calendar year?
He was referring, of course, to the many Smiths in the All Blacks, especially given Ben Smith has had such a fantastic season, in which he has scored 10 tries in 10 tests.
Aaron Smith has three tries and Conrad Smith one, so the Smith tally stands at 14, with both Ben and Aaron going on the northern tour.
This sounds like a research project for somebody. Maybe start with ''Evans'' and ''Wales''.
Footnote: All Black Joe Rokocoko scored 17 tries all by himself in 2003.
The 25
By now, you should be well aware of the new Otago Daily Times series aimed at identifying the 25 greatest All Blacks.
Entry details are in today's edition of the newspaper and will appear in others.
Get your thinking caps on and have a go at naming THE 25. It's good fun and you could win yourself a great prize.
Great Scott
I need motorsport fans to really put Scott Dixon's achievements in perspective for me.
Like you, I'm a fan. He is a class act and a genuine talent, and winning three Indy Car titles has nothing to do with luck.
Is he our greatest driver?
Where do the Indy Cars rate compared with Formula 1 or the V8s? And how do his achievements stack up next to something like a rowing world championship or an Olympic yachting gold medal?
League links
One of the great things about the Rugby League World Cup is finding out which nations have been invited.
This first became a party game in 2000, when - to our astonishment - we learned Lebanon had a league team. Well, a league team based almost entirely on Australians with Lebanese heritage.
Newcomers this time are the Italians, with Roosters fullback Anthony Minichiello and 11 other NRL players in the fold, who upset England in a warm-up game.
The United States is also involved. Rugby league: the global game.
No handicap
There was a nice story out of American college basketball this week.
The University of Florida has accepted a player as a ''walk-on'' - meaning without a scholarship but with full playing rights if he is good enough - to a young bloke missing an arm.
Zach Hodskins, who stands nearly 2m tall, was born with no left arm below the elbow.
Iron Mike
One doesn't normally like to point readers in the direction of other media - you can get everything you need in this fine newspaper.
But do check out the essay former heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson has written for the New York magazine entitled ''My Life As A Young Thug''. It's at www.nymag.com and is compelling reading.
Ghost goal
My thanks to football writer Rab Smith for pointing me in the direction of the weirdest sports video clip you will watch this month.
It shows a German game between Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim, and a remarkable goal that goes THROUGH the side netting, therefore should not have been given. YouTube it.
Birthday of the week
American football great Sid Gillman would have been 102 today.
Gillman, the only coach to be inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Hall of Fame, was one of the great innovators of the sport.
He worked as an usher at a movie theatre and would apparently clip off football segments from newsreels to take home to be analysed.
A devotee of the long pass in an era where short passing and the running game were preferred, Gillman coached the Rams, Chargers and Oilers in the NFL/AFL.
