1) The FA Cup first round starts on Friday: eighth-tier fan-owned Twitter entertainers Hyde United face Pete Winkelman-owned MK Dons in the 7.55pm BBC2 slot. The first round on Friday night is decent for televised shocks: non-league Warrington Town holding out to beat League Two Exeter 1-0 in 2014; seventh-tier Salford City shocking League Two Notts County 2-0 in 2015; and League One Swindon being held 1-1 by National League Eastleigh last year before capitulating 3-1 in the replay, despite/because of a touchline intervention from Tactics Tim. Among other first-round classics worth another look: Barry Davies commentating as Southport fight back from two goals down in 2002 to giant-kill Notts County, who had Darren Caskey sent off for a slap; a fan-filmed view of the shoot-out as Staines beat Stockport County 4-3 on penalties in 2007 (“Oh when the Staines Go Marching In”); non-league Histon beating Maurice Malpas’s Swindon 1-0 in 2008; and FC United’s Mike Norton slotting home at the death to make it 3-2 against Rochdale in 2010. Here’s the Que Sera, Sera view from the stands.
2) Del Mar, “the place where the surf meets the turf”, hosts the Breeders’ Cup for the first time this weekend. Here’s a fine intro to the venue from 1990, including footage of Bing Crosby working the turnstiles on opening day in 1937 as “the beautiful people flock south from LA to play the ponies”. And here’s last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, as Arrogate takes on California Chrome at Santa Anita Park.
3) The Barbarians face the All Blacks on Saturday at Twickenham, 69 years after the first “Final Challenge” Baa-Baas outing: a 9-6 win over Australia in 1948 at Cardiff Arms Park. Among other essential Barbarians footage: The Greatest Try Ever Scored, of course; 62 points in 1988; 2009’s thrilling 25-18 win over New Zealand; last year’s 31-31 classic against South Africa; and a glimpse of some early footage from a Boxing Day game against Blackheath in 1934: “The game has been described as the finest seen in London for a very long time.”
4) After Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One title win, here’s a look back at the first drivers’ championship winner in action: Nino Farina taking the 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone – plus some fine behind-the-scenes footage from before the race: “One mechanic sends a postcard home, and greatly impressed he is by the mobile post office, which is so handily placed.”
5) Here’s a decent twist on an Olympic event: uneven bars with a motivational paddling pool of ice underneath.
6) Plus from the fun and games dept: Cowdenbeath’s Jordan Garden tries a John Terry fish dive to block a shot from Berwick’s Michael McKenna; and the final minute of action from Padiham versus Widnes in the North West Counties Football League. We join the action with Padiham, in blue, 3-1 down in the 92nd minute.
1) Sneaky Trevor Booker of the New York Jets smuggled his way into the Cavs huddle, but they saw the funny side.
2) It’s a season to remember for high school volleyball player Autumn Finney who has now been the subject of a news report, following her inclusion in last week’s Classic YouTube.
3) The key thing, traditionally, is to keep it tight in the opening stages. Sadly Fernando Tobio of Rosario Central completely ignored this, instead making a mistake and failing to rectify it, resulting in him being sent off within nine seconds.
4) It’s Roy of the Ravens stuff, when the starting quarterback is forced off in the opening play of the season, forcing the coach to turn to the punter … with mixed results.
5) Shawn Kemp was known for his dunking, so why not just sit back and enjoy his top 10.
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