Punch-drunk with nominees for Hall of Shame
They're queuing up to enter the sports Hall of Infamy. A Macau referee, who put a new spin on 'Dog Bites Man', an assistant NBA coach, a shiny new race ace and a golfing great crossed the invisible line which marks out acceptable behaviour.
What they did were definite 'no nos' and, for one at least, the deserved punishment has been 'go, go'. Few people in the sporting world knew that Macau had a football team until last weekend when Choi Kuok-kun starred on global television in a rare 'Ref Hits Player' video clip.
Given the over-the-top outcry when an English referee was seen to acclaim a spectacular goal by Liverpool's Patrik Berger, Choi's attack on Hong Kong's long-haired winger Lee Kin-wo was bound to bring calls for his whistle on a silver platter.
And, with astonishing speed, the executive council of the Macau FA delivered. They banned Choi for life to prevent Macau becoming 'the laughing stock of the [football] world'.
Fair enough but, if justice is really to be done, former Hong Kong Footballer of the Year Lee must also be dealt with severely. He kicked the ball at the referee after being sent off and responded with a punch of his own after being hit by Choi. He cannot be allowed to fall back on the lame defence that he was 'emotional'.
If Choi follows basketball he may have cause to feel aggrieved at the severity of his punishment considering the leniency shown to Indiana Pacers assistant coach Rick Carlisle after a similar transgression. Carlisle was fined a paltry US$10,000 for deliberately tripping Latrell Sprewell of the New York Knicks during Game Three of the Eastern Conference finals. While the only damage Choi did was to Lee's hairstyle, Carlisle could have caused severe injury to Sprewell by sticking out a foot as he ran past. At the very least, he should be prevented from going anywhere near the action for the the remainder of the series, in similar fashion to mouthy managers like George Graham of Tottenham Hotspur being forced to sit in the stands during matches.
Formula One driver Jenson Button did not just cross the line of permissible conduct, he raced through it at an astonishing 230km/h. Button, 20, put the foot down in his BMW ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix and was rightly stitched by a couple of gendarmes.
Button, the new kid in the pits, must grow up quickly and realise he is a role model to millions of youngsters. Screaming through the French countryside at more than double the speed limit sends the wrong sort of message to youths dreaming of emulating his rise to fame. Button, who was fined US$750 on the spot but ended up sipping coffee with the cops after they recognised him, has a team of advisers, including dad John, and it is their responsibility to put the brakes on his lust for speed when he is on public roads.
Golfer Greg Norman is, at 45, old enough and experienced enough to know when he jumps across the line but he carries on regardless. Norman, whose achievements have never quite matched his image, skipped the final round of the Memorial Tournament in Ohio on Monday to keep an appointment with Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
The finish of the event, which is hosted by Jack Nicklaus, was delayed by a day because of rain and while the rest of the field managed to re-arrange their schedules the Great White Shark chose to swim against the tide.
His actions were disrespectful to Nicklaus and unbecoming of a high-profile professional. Norman did not reveal the nature of his assignment with Bush but as the Governor's diary had him on 'personal time', a golf game or fishing trip cannot be ruled out.
It's the second time in recent years that Norman has withdrawn from the final day of an event in the US and he arrived, barely awake, for a competitive round in Australia this year after an overnight trip to view one of his many projects. If he cannot fulfil his playing commitments properly Norman should do the honest thing and retire. There is not much gas left in the tank anyway.
