By Ronny Lerner
Interesting offer, but Lakers will probably blow it
After making their worst start to an NBA season in 57 years, the 0-5 Los Angeles Lakers were given eyebrow-raising incentive in early November to get their act together. Porn star Sadie Santana tweeted that she would perform oral sex on the entire playing roster if they could reach 47 wins this season. But given how woeful the once-proud Lakers are, it appears Santana's stunt is designed to generate publicity because there is almost no chance of the 16-time champs completing her challenge. Since she threw down the gauntlet, Byron Scott's men have won only nine of 23 games, to languish in 13th spot in the Western Conference.
Ian Botham caught and bowled in the covers
Oh Beefy, what have you done? The English cricket legend sent shockwaves, and nausea, around the world when he tweeted a naked picture of himself with his middle stump exposed for all to see. The 59-year-old claimed that the lewd image was tweeted because his Twitter account was hacked. Whether that version of events was true or not, this writer at least will certainly be choosing to believe it because if it wasn't an accident, this regrettable incident is even more disturbing than first imagined.
Suarez bites off more than he can chew
It was the incident that almost single-handedly overshadowed the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Serial biter Luis Suarez, representing Uruguay, was at it again in Brazil tucking into Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder during a group game. Suarez was subsequently suspended for nine matches - ruling him out of the rest of the tournament. He was also banned from any football activity for four months and fined $US119,000. This prompted English Premier League club Liverpool to sell Suarez to Barcelona.
Dempsey's delightful backheel
Essendon defender Courtenay Dempsey executed one of the best tricks seen on a footy field for a very long time during the Bombers' round 22 encounter with Gold Coast at Etihad Stadium. As Dempsey streamed out of defence, he decided to take a bounce that didn't come back, and the ball ended up behind him. However, without breaking stride, Dempsey somehow managed to backheel the ball back over his head to seamlessly collectit before taking another bounce that sat up perfectly! We're pretty sure the seemingly amazing exhibition of skill was purely an accident!
Te'o gives reporter cold shoulder
Ben Te'o was in no mood to engage with Nine News sports reporter Danny Weidler at a media conference in June, and the Rabbitohs back-rower made that very clear when Weidler tried to ask him a question about his playing future. Te'o refused to answer,and after the media conference ended, continued to express his displeasure with Weidler, saying: "Surely you know not to come asking me any questions, don't ask me anything ... you're a germ." It turns out Weidler's probing was justified: later in the year Te'o announced he would be leaving the Rabbitohs to join Irish rugby side Leinster.
Wawrinka heckled out of it
Swiss ace Roger Federer's wife Mirka reportedly heckled the world No.2's opponent and countryman Stanislas Wawrinka in their ATP World Tour Finals semi-final in London in November. And it seemed to do the trick as Wawrinka squandered four match points before losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-6. Adding insult to injury for Wawrinka was Federer's withdrawal from the final against Novak Djokovic with a back complaint.
Baseball brat chucks tantrum
A young boy almost blew his top at the SCG in March during a baseball match between Australia and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Australia's Luke Hughes tried to make the youngster's evening by throwing the ball his way, but it fell short and rolled back onto the field. A security guard took it upon himself to go about handing the ball to its intended recipient but handed it to the wrong boy. This led to the original boy throwing one of the great tantrums ever seen at Sydney's famous ground. Luckily, the boy who was handed the ball by the security guard had a heart and decided to give the ball to its rightful owner - ending the world-class tantrum almost instantaneously.
Disgruntled Dutchman takes to YouTube
Netherlands cricketer Tim Gruijters caused a huge stir at this year's ICC World Twenty20 when he posted a three-minute YouTube video of himself, outlining how his national team had "cheated" to ensure South Australian batsman Tom Cooper could represent them at the tournament. Gruijters claimed he was forced to undergo a scan on his troublesome back that would allow Dutch management to withdraw him from the squad and include Cooper. Gruitjers claimed his back was feeling just fine. After an investigation, the ICC cleared the Netherlands of any wrongdoing. Cooper ended up scoring the second-most runs at the competition with 231 at 57.75.
Reporter has no time for NBA champs
It's not every day that two NBA champions stroll down one of Melbourne's busiest streets in the middle of the day with the Larry O'Brien trophy. And for Fox Sports reporter Julian de Stoop, that scenario just seemed too unreal to be true. So that's why when his live cross from outside Collingwood's home base at the Westpac Centre on Swan Street was crashed by the San Antonio Spurs' Australian duo Patty Mills and Aron Baynes, a very agitated de Stoop didn't hesitate to push them aside. De Stoop didn't recognise the famous offenders and even labelled them "idiots" when they departed!
Plane portends end for Moyes
The handing over of the Manchester United reins from Sir Alex Ferguson to David Moyes was a failure almost from the get-go. Moyes registered a number of unwanted records with the Red Devils in his brief time in charge - including the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1995 and its lowest ever tally of Premier League points. During a game against Aston Villa in March, disgruntled fans took the extraordinary step of hiring a plane to fly over Old Trafford with a sign trailing it that read "Wrong One-Moyes Out". The fans responsible for that memorable stunt didn't have to wait long for their dreams to be realised as Moyes was sacked just 24 days later.
All he wanted for Christmas ...
West Coast youngster Elliot Yeo taught budding footy players around the country a very valuable lesson during the Eagles' round 10 encounter with Collingwood - always wear a mouth guard. The only problem for Yeo was that getting that message across cost him his front teeth. Making matters worse was that if he hadn't dropped a simple overhead mark, he would still have his teeth. He dropped the mark, turned around to collect the ball, and was collected by Magpies big man Jarrod Witts coming the other way.
Reynolds goes forward, Bulldogs go the other way
One of the most bizarre pieces of play from the NRL season came in the final round between Gold Coast and Canterbury. It involved Josh Reynolds who, on the stroke of half-time, appeared to run towards the touchline to kill the clock. After thinking he crossed the chalk he inexplicably threw a forward pass to opponent Anthony Don. The problem for Reynolds was that he was deemed to still be in play and was penalised for an intentional forward pass, which gave the Titans a chance to score before the main break! The Bulldogs ultimately squandered an 18-0 lead to lose 19-18 courtesy of golden point.
Mighty Mitch smashes window
Star Australian all-rounder Mitch Johnson sent commentators scurrying for their lives in August during a one-day international against Zimbabwe in Harare. The hard-hitting Johnson treated a Tinashe Panyangara delivery with contempt late in the innings and not only dispatched it down the ground for a massive six, but also sent the ball crashing through the commentary box window! Commentators Neil Manthorp and Pommie Mbangwa were left covered in shattered glass, but luckily neither of them were injured, although they were left a little shaken by the incident.
Cheeky Chileans break into Maracana
In one of the more extraordinary incidents of the FIFA World Cup, diehard Chile fans who were denied tickets to see their country take on Spain in a Group B clash, stormed the media centre at the famed Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in a desperate bid to watch their heroes. Police arrested 85 people over the gatecrash.
Goddard whacks teammate
Essendon veteran Brendon Goddard believed he took a strong mark against Geelong in round 15, so when the umpire didn't share his view and called for a ball-up, the former Saint was particularly aggrieved, to say the least. So much so that he forcefully pushed team-mate Ben Howlettin the face after emerging from the pack. Whether he knew he was doing that to a fellow Bomber remains a mystery!
NRL fans injured at half-time
During the half-time break of the Round 18 NRL clash between the Panthers and Broncos, two fans who participated in the on-field entertainment got a lot more than they bargained for. Taking part in "The Big Ball Bash", the two fans sprinted towards an oversized ball in the middle of the ground from opposite directions. Unfortunately the ball popped up and they collided. One of the men sustained a broken, leg while the other copped a dislocated shoulder.
What's in a name for Melbourne Tigers?
Melbourne Tigers owners caused outrage in May when they announced that one of the most iconic team names in Australian sport, let alone Australian basketball, was being done away with and replaced by the very soccer-sounding moniker "Melbourne United". Former club greats such as Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland expressed their disgust at the move, with the latter imploring the rebranded club to take his jersey down from the rafters. Things got even more farcical for the new-look team when coach Chris Anstey left after just one game.
Jarrad Waite: King hit or miss?
If ever there was an example for why the AFL tribunal decided to introduce "simulation" as an offence, this was it. After tackling now-retired Richmond forward Jake King to the ground, former Carlton veteran Jarrad Waite copped a kick to the chest from the pint-sized Tiger. However, for some reason Waite decided to grab his mouth in a seeming fit of agony to try to play up the damage that King caused. Nice try, Jarrad.