There was, believe it or not, one really good thing to come out of the Nuggets' humiliation in Invercargill last weekend.
It might be described as another layer in the spicy onion that is the rivalry between Otago and Southland sporting teams.
The Sharks' massive win, followed by the minor controversy (well, not that minor if you believed the local paper) of the Nuggets snubbing the trophy ceremony, was a shot in the arm for derby fever.
Other codes have seen the intensity of their rivalry dissipate in recent years.
At the top level, both netball (Steel) and rugby (Highlanders) field teams that officially represent the entire South. Both sports have stand-alone Otago and Southland teams but they compete in lower-tier competitions.
Hockey, cricket, football - all technically force even the most rabid Otago or Southland fan to accept our enemies are our friends.
... the rivalry
But I, for one, am delighted to see a bit of the old Otago v Southland heat created by the lads on the hardwood.
It's all part of the drama. The Sharks can play the chip-on-the-shoulder, don't-disrespect-us card; the Nuggets can embrace the big brother role, pointing to their deeper history and the fact a few of their players actually hail from Otago.
The fans can get into it and the media can toss in the odd barb to keep the pot bubbling. Great stuff.
One serious point, though. The rise of the Sharks (who won the first four derby games and now have five wins to the Nuggets' three) and the Stags (two Ranfurly Shields in the past four years, compared with Otago's tally of zero in 56 and one near-catastrophic financial collapse), and the rebuild of a Stadium Southland facility that will attract netball and basketball tests ahead of Dunedin, does not come down to luck.
The Invercargill Licensing Trust, which pours profits from booze and gambling into sport, is clearly a major factor. The ILT poured $9.4 million into the community last year - and 45% ($4.23 million) of that went into sport.
In the six months to September 30, 2012 alone, the ILT granted $405,000 to Rugby Southland and $185,000 to Southland basketball.
Throw in a lot of passionate, well-organised people and you can understand why the Swede-eaters have, in some sporting areas, out-shone their more cultured Otago cousins.
Fallen dynasties I
Those Black Caps, eh.
Swept 4-0 in India, slumping in one-day cricket, players sent home for not doing homework, a stoush in a pub, and now the coach gets the flick just weeks before a massive series.
Oh, hang on.
Fallen dynasties II
The last time I dared to express a touch of schadenfreude in the downfall of an Australian team, an expatriate Ocker in Queenstown emailed me frothing about ''typical small-minded, petty NZ journalism''.
Guilty! Well, what's not to like about seeing the Australian cricket team, which ruthlessly out-batted, out-bowled and out-sledged all opponents for two decades, on its knees?As a New Zealander, it is my right - nay, my JOB - to revel in the failures of my sporting brothers in the lucky country.
Australian cricket has set the standard for a large chunk of my life. That's why its collapse has felt so seismic.
Other examples of great fallen sporting dynasties.-
West Indies cricket: From dominating the world in the 1970s and 1980s to also-ran status.
New York Yankees: Have only won one World Series since 2001, which for them is a drought.
Brazil football: Dropped to an all-time low, 22nd, in the world rankings.
US men's tennis: From McEnroe, Connors, Agassi and Sampras to Sam Querrey (19th in the world), John Isner (21st) and Mardy Fish (43rd).
Liverpool: Can't write for the tears.
Bringing back Boof
There is a touch or irony about the appointment of Darren Lehmann, noted for his earthy approach and fondness of a pint, to a team criticised for dropping its standards in recent times.
The BBC had this story about ''Boof'' that raises a smile but hardly suggests he is going to be a stern disciplinarian.-
''In 2001, two days after helping Yorkshire win their first County Championship title since 1968, Darren Lehmann was getting ready to face Nottinghamshire in a Sunday League game when he noticed there was still a pool of champagne in his helmet from the previous two nights' celebrations.
''When his turn came to bat, Lehmann picked up his helmet, swigged the remainder of the bubbly and informed his team-mates that they were about to witness something special.
''True to his word, Lehmann walked out and blasted 191 off 103 balls.''
Thinking ahead
The Lions have played a second-string Western Force side and the Melbourne Rebels, with a tradition stretching back all of three years, on their tour of Australia.
What a great shame if, the next time the Lions tour New Zealand (2017), they have to play the franchises, and not Otago, Southland, Waikato and other great provinces.
Any Kiwi ancestry?
Spanish football fans were gobsmacked by the performance of Barcelona youth goalkeeper Inaki Pena earlier this week.
The 14-year-old saved SIX penalties in a shootout with Atletico Madrid and then converted the winning penalty himself.
Birthday of the week
American baseballers Harmon Killebrew, Rick Honeycutt and John Boccabella, German shot putter Margitta Gummel, American NFL player Dan Dierdorf, and German footballer Ralf Rangnick all have/had birthdays today.
No real link. They just have cool names.
