Thirty straight losses. Thirty. As the Otago Nuggets prepare for another opportunity to break the streak tonight, sports editor Hayden Meikle considers some other famous sporting 30s.
• 30 for 30
The title of an outstanding documentary series to mark American sports media giant ESPN's 30th anniversary last year.
Real film-makers made real films about some of the strangest, sweetest and most interesting (mainly American) sports stories of the last two or three decades.
The best: The Band That Wouldn't Die (about a marching band that stayed together after football's Baltimore Colts fled the city); Run Ricky Run (the bizarre descent into marijuana-inspired mysticism of football star Ricky Williams); Little Big Men (what happened to the children in a famous Little League baseball team); and, the winner, Once Brothers (the relationship between basketballers and friends Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic, on different sides when Yugoslavia split).
• Pitcher of contentment
American baseballer Nolan Ryan played in the major leagues for a record 27 years.
The hard-throwing pitcher had his No 30 retired by the Angels. "The Ryan Express" also had No 34 retired by the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers.
• Love, 15, 30
The unique scoring system of tennis comes (apparently) from the French, who kept score using a clock. So one point was 15 and two points were 30.
• King Lewis XXX
Young British driver Lewis Hamilton became the 30th and youngest Formula One champion in 2008.
• High flier
American basketballer Michael Beasley wore No 30 in college and No 3 when he played for the Miami Heat, before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Unfortunately, his number is less famous than his apparent penchant for illegal substances.
Beasley has spent time in rehab for drug issues. And shortly after he arrived at his new team, Timberwolves general manager David Kahn told reporters Beasley had "smoked too much marijuana" in Miami.
• Minus 30
No, not the temperature at Carisbrook for night games in the middle of winter.
Lower division English football club Luton Town started the 2008-09 season on -30 in League Two because of "financial irregularities".
Understandably, the "Hatters" were relegated for a third consecutive season.
• Coupe du monde
The final of the first World Cup was held on July 30, 1930.
Host Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in the final. Just 13 nations took part, with most of the Europeans saying, 'Nah, can't be bothered'.
• Centre of attention
Always a good quiz question: Name the Niuean rugby player who played at the 1991 World Cup for Samoa and then made his All Black debut aged 30 the following year.
Frank Bunce was the quintessential late bloomer. He was the regular All Black centre for five years, earning 55 caps. He is the oldest back to play for the national team.
• Push play
Only 30 minutes a day . . .
