In a nutshell, since the last time I updated Australia regained the Ashes, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts won the Superbowl, Roger Federer won yet another Grand Slam title (as did Serena Williams), Manchester United started on another quest for the 3 big trophies (Premiership, FA Cup, and Champions League title), Michael Phelps broke Ian Thorpe’s 200 metre freestyle World Record at the Swimming World Championships (as well as a current total of 6 gold medals and 3 more World Records), Ian Thorpe has been (wrongly and disgracefully) labelled as a drug cheat, and Australia launched its defence in the Cricket World Cup.

Meanwhile, I got to fulfill a lifelong dream by visiting the home of Cricket, Lords.

Growing up playing cricket, it was my dream to one day play for my country and hit a big hundred on the ground. Unfortunately for me, a lack of talent stood in the way of this dream being fulfilled. However, it did make me feel good knowing that I could easily have hit a 6 on the ground. It was a really special day for me, I got to stand in the pavillion where this photo was taken…

and I got to touch the ground…

It pissed me off though when our friendly old tour guide asked everyone not to walk on the ground and then two Sri Lankan guys proceeded to walk onto the ground. Hopefully they will get payback and be knocked out of the World Cup soon enough!

It was definitely one of the highlights of my European trip and for anyone who has an interest in Cricket or the history of one of the most popular sports in the world and happens to be in London, I would recommend a trip to Lords.

What an embarassing display by England, all bowled out for 157. The highlight was the ‘washed up’ Glenn McGrath taking 6 wickets. To make matters worse for the English team, Ricky Ponting decided not to enforce the follow-on, and at stumps Australia was 1/181 with Justing Langer unbeaten on 88 and Ponting unbeaten on 51. It seemed a questionable decision not to make England bat again straight away, but it looks like a good move now because the English psyche has to be crushed at the ease of which Australia is scoring runs, taking wickets, and totally dominating the English.

Got him, Yes!

Total domination displayed by the Aussies

Beautiful cover drive by Australian Captain Ricky Ponting

With a little over an hour left on the second day’s play, Australia have built a massive first innings total of 588, with Ponting falling just short of yet another double-century. Even though the Poms will be hoping for a draw in this match, Australia’s Shane Warne will be used early and often in the hope that they will be able to bowl the Poms out twice in the remaining 3 days. Warne has had fantastic results at the Gabba in Brisbane and will be looking forward to facing the English yet again. It will definitely be an exciting finish to a match that has been dominated by Australia.

Prior to the Ashes starting last year, I boasted to some English people that the Aussies would embarass them 5-0. I’m not going to go that far this time around, but I am absolutely positive that the Aussies will regain the Ashes and will allow everything to go back to the way it should be! If this happens, we Aussies will have to hope that the Wallabies turn good in time for next year’s Rugby World Cup.

The Aussies just declared at 9/602. Leaving the Poms with one hour of facing McGrath, Warne & co.

Scorecard from Australia’s first innings

Joey Harrington returned to Detroit today for the first time since being traded earlier this year. During his 4 years with Detroit, Joey went from the saviour of the franchise to the scapegoat of the team’s problems. The best example of this was after last year’s Thanksgiving game when Steve Mariucci was fired after an embarassing loss to the Falcons. Dre Bly came out in the media and called out Harrington, accusing him of being the reason that Mariucci lost his job. Well, today Joey earned his retribution against his former team.

Joey’s reaction after throwing his first of three TDs

In what was the most important game of his 5 year career, Joey led the Miami Dolphins to a 27-10 victory, lighting the Lions up for 3 TD passes. In the beginning, it was like Joey had never left Detroit as he came out on to the field to a chorus of boos from the crowd. However, the boos were quickly silenced due to Harrington’s fantastic play. The joy on Joey’s face as it became clear that the Dolphins were going to get the victory was fantastic. What was even better was the the possibility that people in Detroit will actually start to see that it wasn’t Joey that was the problem with the team. He proved today that with an adequate team around him, he could have led the Lions to victories. He was never given that chance.

This may be the only hardware he wins during his pro career, but all things considered I know he’ll take it!

Ladies and Gentleman, this years NFL MVP - LT!

Almost half of Grossman’s passing yards came on his 57 TD pass. The Bears have a great defence, but they are vunerable when their offence isn’t clicking.

They have been holding on to an unbeaten record by the skin of their teeth. The Dallas 3-4 defence troubled Manning all day and the Colts fell to their first defeat of the season.

I don’t know what it is, but even though the Ravens are having a great regular season I just don’t think they will be a major force come playoff time.

4 TDs, 244 passing yards and 27 fantasy points. Thank you Tom Brady.

Tough loss for the Broncos. Unfortunate for Jake Plummer too. Critics are already calling for his despite his team being 7-3.

Won against the previously undefeated Colts. However, the INT return for a TD should have been called back. Cowboys were lucky in this one, but a win is a win.

Steve Smith literally left everything at the stadium. Don’t look now, but the Panthers are now in first place in their division.

2 games and 450 receiving yards for Chad Johnson and all of a sudden an average year has gone to an incredible year as he is now the leading receiver in the league. If it continues, the Bengals will be a threat.

I don’t know how I would cope with being a fan of the Jags. Without two unexplainable losses to the Texans, this team would be 8-2. They are just so unpredicta ble it’s hard to know which team will show up each week.

Ugly ugly loss against the 49ers. The Seahawks just couldn’t get it going all day. Hopefully with Matt Hasselbeck back, they will recapture their form of last year.

What exactly has Eli Manning done this year? 2200 yards with 16 TDs and 13 INTs. If you could have Eli or Philip Rivers right now, who would you pick?

Will Reggie Bush please run towards the endzone and not the sideline? Drew Brees, despite over 500 yards, cannot do this by himself.

Trent Green 9/16 for 102 yards with no TDs. Hardly inspiring.

Nice performance against the tough Bears. As it stands now, the Jets are only a game out of a wildcard spot.

If Seattle continues to struggle, the 49ers may find themselves winning a playoff spot and being embarrassed.

In all honesty, the Steelers should not have won this game. But everyone should look on the bright side, that couple on the eHarmony commercial can now be happy that this is a real rivalry again. It helps that both teams suck.

Nice game for Lee Evans. Two 83 yards TD receptions in one game and the Bills get the victory!

I’m a big fan of Joey Harrington and I’ll be watching tomorrow hoping that Joey throws for 500 yards and 5 TDs and leads the Dolphins to victory against the Lions. Then the Detroit fans will really have a reason to boo and Dre Bly can shut his fat mouth.

If the Falcons lose against the Saints this weekend, their playoff hopes are all but over.

No points against the Panthers, but they should get on the board against the 49ers.

McNabb is done for the season, so are the Eagles chances for the playoffs. Jeff Garcia will not get it done for the Eagles.

Shutout at Lambeau. Favre taken off the field. Not a good day for the Pack.

Titans win another game. It’s going to be a while before Vince Young is a legitimate threat - he still doesn’t look comfortable.

If one thing was confirmed in this match it was this: the Bucs are better than the Redskins.

After a really strong start, the Vikings just haven’t been able to keep the momentum going forward.

This is another team that has the ability to be good, but they just can’t seem to get it together. I don’t know what the missing piece is, but they will be dangerous once they have it.

This should have been a game that the Browns won and they almost did. Pity Braylon Edwards couldn’t control that ball at the end of the match.

Will Joe Gibbs be back next year? No matter how much money this team pours into personnel, they can’t convert on the field. Who’ll cash in this offseason?

Three years ago Randy Moss was a must have for any fantasy owner. The two-time defending champion of our league just dropped him. THAT says a lot.

Dennis Green adds a win to his total before he is fired at the end of the year.

The Lions are awful. It will be fantastic to see Joey Harrington light them up tomorrow!

Thorpe’s reaction after winning the 200 metre freestyle at the 2004 Athens Olympics

The pressure he received at home to succeed coupled with his recent battles with illness left Thorpey unmotivated to succeed, which is why he decided to leave the sport. In Australia, there is no higher status than being a sporting celebrity and Thorpey is right up there with Don Bradman, Dawn Fraser, Pat Rafter, and Steve Waugh as legends in Australia. He’ll never have to buy himself a beer in any pub!

Thorpe finishes his career after breaking 13 World Records and winning 11 World Championships and 5 Olympic gold medals. He still holds the World Record in the 200 & 400 metre freestyle.

Another ugly win, but they’re the only team in history to have back-to-back 9-0 starts to the year.

After a few ordinary weeks, Rex Grossman was back to his early season form and the Bears looked a lot better.

Another team that had an ugly victory. Javon Walker should win comeback player of the year.

LT is the BEST player in the NFL. He’s also the best player in fantasy football and thankkfully he is on my team!

Were lucky to escape with a victory against Tennessee. Imagine if Steve McNair had lost on his return to Nashville - at the hands of his replacement.

Ouch. I bet Belichick isn’t a happy man, losing to his former understudy. Oh and I realised why I’m hesistant to play Tom Brady on my fantasy team. The weeks he sits on my bench he’s a superstar and the weeks I play him, he stinks.

The Seahawks are looking very good, especially now that their two guns are returning to the line-up.

I really thought the Giants were going to get the better of the Bears on Sunday night. However, they’re not ready to contend - especially without all their big names.

Would have won, if not for Willie Parker. Good to see Reggie get his first TD from scrimmage. The sooner he learns to run forward instead of side to side, the better he will be.

Nice defensive performance, including 2 TDs, keeps the Eagles playoffs hopes alive.

As long as Steve Smith stays healthy, this team will be a headache for any opponent.

Romo has looked better than Bledsoe did, but even if they were to make the playoffs they wouldn’t go very far.

Very nice win for Mangini and his team of overachievers. I bet Mangini is a bundle of excitement for showing the former boss what he is made of.

Not the best week for Damon Huard to have a poor game. Losing to the Dolphins will make it a lot easier for Herm Edwards to place Trent Green back in the lineup.

It just isn’t going to be the Bengals year. Take a 21 point lead only to lose 49-41 against the Chargers.

Another heartbreaking loss to the Seahawks at the foot of Josh Brown.

A week ago they won 37-7, but this week they lose 10-13 against Houston. They have a better record than the two teams above them, but their inconsistency costs them.

Back to back losses to Detroit and Cleveland - not exactly the cream of the NFL crop.

The way he’s been playing, everyone will be wanting Brett Favre to return for another year.

Frank Gore was an absolute stud in this game, leading the 49ers to a victory against the Lions who I really thought would win.

When they play well, they are still dangerous. It’s just a matter of if they play well or not.

Really pressured the Colts all day. A good effort for a team that has struggled for the majority of the season.

Playing some good football despite the shaky hand of Joey Harrington under centre.

Started the season extremely well, but every week that goes by the Vikings looks less impressive.

Nice performance against a disappointing Jags team.

Braylon Edwards has recently been showing why he was a top draft pick.

The rebuilding begins. Byebye Mark Brunell

Almost pulled off what would have been an incredible victory against their former star quarterback.

The Bucs looked good until Gradkowski started losing control of the ball.

Great performance against the Falcons, but then they lose at home to the 49ers. Their big 3 all had lost fumbles too - no surprise they lost.

I think Andrew Walter forgot his place on the totem pole and now he’ll be riding the bench again - where he belongs.

Another lost season. I wonder who they’ll get with the #1 pick next year?

Survived the Patriots due to bad play calling by the Patriots. Why did they air it out when they could have ran the ball all over the Colts defence?

Brady evened things out. 4 TDs one week - 4 INTs the next. Thankfully it didn’t cost my fantasy team a victory!

Honestly, the Bears should be in the #2 spot, but they lost to the Dolphins and therefore I cannot put them higher than #3.

What a performance by Javon Walker. Over 200 total yards and 3 TDs.

Won a close one against the Texans in the horrible New York conditions.

LT has 15 total TDs for the year. I’m so glad I got LT on my fantasy team.

The Ravens are greatly improved from last year, but I just don’t think they are going to make waves come playoff time.

Halfway through the season and the Saints are a real shot to make the playoffs. Who would have predicted that at the start of the season?

QB controversy brewing. It’s now Damon Huard’s job to lose in my opinion. Trent Green must be experiencing some deja vu.

The Seahawks move up in the power rankings, but that is more in part to the poor performances of others teams during Week 8. They’ll be in good shape once their big guns are back in the line-up.

This team is so hit and miss. Hit on the weeks they play at home and miss when they play away games.

Ouch. Lose to the Lions and you will fall in the power rankings. So much for Vick’s good form.

The Bengals may be in serious trouble of missing the playoffs this year. I didn’t think they would be .500 at the midway point of the season.

Stay put after the bye week. Interesting matchup against the Redskins this week.

Move in to the top 15 due to other teams falling. Will appear against the Bucs in what should be a snoozer of a MNF game.

What an incredible finish. Vanderjagt should not be blamed for the kick at the end of the game, but T.O. should be ridiculed for that dropped pass.

The Rams were a solid team, but they are gradually dropping as each week passes.

Another team that benefitted from other teams performing poorly.

What a kick under pressure. I thought for sure that kick was going wide, but it magically curled back at the end to sneak between the uprights.

They really should have beaten the 49ers. Disappointing loss in a game where no TDs were scored.

Bills got a win over the Packers, but so far this year Willis McGahee has only 1 TD on 154 attempts - not very productive.

Ahman Green continues to be productive. If everything falls in place for the Pack, maybe Favre’s year won’t be all that bad.

Ugly game against the Vikings, but a win is a win.

The Bucs lost, but the highlight of this game for me was the fantasy preview that Jaws gave on ESPN prior to the game. Sit Joey Galloway because he will not be productive. 2 TDs later and Jaws looks like a fool again.

What a spanking!

Upset of the year without a doubt. How the Dolphins pulled this off I will never know!

If Kevin Jones and Roy Williams can have games like this every week, the Lions will be competitive every week.

Battled tough against the Giants, but they get no love in the power rankings.

Good performance against the Chargers, but once again no love to be shown here.

Shutout in Seattle. I’m just glad Randy Moss didn’t get a TD. That would have made my fantasy matchup too close for comfort.

Hard to believe that earlier this year they were hoisting up the Lombardi trophy.

Dolphins win and the Cardinals now have the honor as worst in the league.

Stay in the top spot and should be able to beat the 49ers this weekend.

Peyton Manning has finally woken up this year, throwing 4 TDs against the Redskins including two to Marvin Harrison – one of my fantasy WRs!

Demolished the Bills, even without a running game.

Did enough to beat the Browns, but it wasn’t convincing.

Move up 2 spots thanks to some losses from teams that were ranked higher.

I said it before, but this team is incredibly unpredictable. Great victory against the Cowboys on Monday night.

Gutsy performance against the smoking hot Panthers. Carson Palmer was very efficient and Chad Johnson has been very professional considering he has not been getting many TD grabs this year.

The Chargers fell behind 20-3 and didn’t score a TD until the 3 rd quarter and almost forced overtime. Nice comeback.

Michael Vick didn’t rush for 100 yards, but threw 4 TDs instead and led the Falcons to victory.

With Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck, this team is one of the top 5 in the league. Without them, they are going to really struggle.

Eagles thought they had their game against the Bucs wrapped after they scored a TD with 33 seconds remaining in the match. They would have too, if not for a miracle 62 yard field goal.

Will be hoping that the bye week will stop their losing skid.

This team cannot escape controversy. If it isn’t T.O., it’s the QBs. Bledsoe is bad, but Romo isn’t much better.

Will be a very interesting match-up against the Chargers. Having the extra week of rest may work against them.

Steve Smith caught for over 100 yards, but it wasn’t enough to lead to the Panthers to victory.

Minnesota isn’t getting much love from me. Sure they beat the Seahawks in Seattle, but that isn’t so impressive when you consider that the Seahawks were missing their two biggest offensive threats.

When Larry Johnson plays like he played against the Chargers, the Chiefs are going to be a threat to any team.

Already exceed their win total from last year. I really thought that by this time in the season that Chad Pennington would not be starting – he’s proved me wrong.

Things are going to have to turn around real fast for the defending champs. This week should be a gimme against Oakland.

Two straight wins for the Bucs. I don’t think they’ll be able to top the finish to their game against the Eagles though.

Impressive victory against the Jaguars. Andre Johnson is leading the league in receiving yards. Glad he is on my fantasy team!

What has happened to Jacksonville? 4 weeks ago everyone, including me, was talking about how impressive they had been playing. Now they look ordinary.

Hope they enjoyed the bye week. They won’t enjoy playing the Bears tomorrow.

Outlasted Miami and avoided being called the worst team in the league.

Where to begin with the Redskins? Playoff team last year and awful this year.

Another team that had a solid start to the season. Haven’t been able to maintain the intensity and are starting to look bad.

Play against the Texans, in what should be a very interesting match.

A great opportunity for the Cardinals to get back on track wasted. A team that should have beaten the best team in the league, follows it up with a loss to the worst team in the league.

Does anyone think the Lions will make the playoffs in the next 10-15 years? Every year seems to be a rebuilding one.

Working their way to another top 3 pick in next years draft.

Their victory left a lot of people upset. The Raiders were a real shot of being the first team to go 0-16.

Joey Harrington throws for over 400 yards, but until he can eliminate silly mistakes from his game he will continue to be a laughing stock in the league. A lot of his INTs have been unlucky, but too many have been avoidable.