A big, shiny, black book arrived in the office a few days ago.
Titled Mana, it is a very sleek, very artsy, very syrupy, very expensive ($100) coffee-table book featuring large black and white photographs of the All Blacks.
Granted rare access behind the scenes earlier this year, veteran British photographer Nick Danziger has captured some beautiful images of players preparing and relaxing, as well as playing.
The price sounds excessive but proceeds go to the Kids Can Stand Tall charity, so that's nice.
It is a pity the editors saw the need to add a few words to some of the photos. The images speak for themselves - they did not need the sort of cloying, fawning rubbish about spirit and prestige and "the God within" that is better suited to the PR world.
And, at the end of a week in which the All Blacks desperately tried to excuse one of their players for head-butting an opponent, I wondered if we might leave words like "mana" to people who don't just play rugby.
Keven Mealamu might be a lovely, quiet bloke with a previously impeccable disciplinary record.
But he launched himself head-first at Lewis Moody, lying in a helpless position on the ground.
He was guilty, he deserved a suspension and the All Blacks should not have appealed.
• Speling iss emportint
The New Zealand Rugby Union employs an awful lot of people but obviously no sub-editors.
When the Highlanders squad was revealed on Wednesday, the official press release had these strangers (correct spellings in parentheses): Mahonri Schwagler (Schwalger), Adam Thompson (Thomson), Lima Sopoanga (Sopoaga), Sean (Shaun) Treeby, Talusa (Telusa) Veainu, Jarrod (Jarrad) Hoeata and Jamie MacIntosh (Mackintosh).
• Better than a weather forecast
I am still scratching my head over a press release that landed eight days ago, a few hours before the ITM Cup final between Canterbury and Waikato.
CANTERBURY WIN NPC ITM CUP USING MENTAL TOUGHNESS, the release blared.
It apparently came from an outfit called the Foresight Institute that specialises in mental toughness training. There was a big spiel and contact details and a link to a website and everything.
A hoax? Or typical Canterbury arrogance?
• My special Wednesday
It was an honour and a delight to be asked to be one of the presenters at the Special Olympics secondary schools athletics ribbon day at the Caledonian on Wednesday.
What a great bunch of kids, parents, teachers, officials and volunteers.
The motto of Special Olympics is: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
I saw a lot of bravery - and a lot of winning - on Wednesday.
• One after the other
Has anyone else realised how many national sporting events are being held in Dunedin/Otago this summer?
Two of the biggest are the national bowls (men and women) championships from December 28 to January 9, and the national athletics championships on March 25.
We are also hosting the national fencing championships (this weekend), national surfing championships (January 13-16) and the national mountain bike championships (February 24-27). Not to mention the national secondary schools bowls championships (December 12-14) and the Colgate Games athletics (January 14-16).
Have I missed anything?
• Sheer, brutal dominance
You see all sorts of unusual scores in lower-grade cricket, but this one is of Virender Sehwag proportions.
Kaikorai's second grade side was dismissed for 124 on its home ground of Bishopscourt last Saturday.
In response, Carisbrook-Dunedin plundered 127 without loss off just 11 overs, at a run rate of nearly 12.
Ten-wicket wins are rare but what made the chase really interesting were the respective scores of the Carisbrook opening batsmen:Michael Higgins was 6 not out, and James McAuslan was 109 not out.
McAuslan flogged the Kaikorai bowling for 10 6s, and had faced "about" 35 balls when the total was passed.
• The name game
While we're on the subject of lower-grade cricket, a few unusual junior team names have come to my attention.
A flick through the draw reveals there are teams called the Phantoms, the Masterblasters, the Hotshots, the Stumpers, the Orca, the Seals, the Barbarians, the Wanderers, the Incredibles, the Aces, the Tropics, the Thunder, the Lightning, the Elements, the Breakers and the Phoenix.
But, hands down, the most interesting name in Dunedin junior cricket is: The Albion Arms of Death.
Can anyone from that side enlighten me on the origins of the name?
• Name of the week
Billy Twelvetrees, who played for Leicester against the Wallabies in a midweek tour match.
• No horsing around
Someone pointed out the other day it was just as well Melbourne Cup jockey Jim Cassidy was suspended for testing positive to cannabis.
You can't have a bloke walking around a stable going: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
