That Friday Feeling Pt. 5 - Lance, Lambert and the French



Treading Water: Armstrong is banned. Again.

FINA, the governing body of all sports inside the swimming pool, has taken the admirable step of preventing Lance Armstrong competing in a Masters Swimming tournament this weekend. The 41 year old, famously stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after admitting using performance enhancing drugs – in what is one of the biggest ever world sports stories – was due to compete in his hometown of Austin, Texas.  Bored of being out of the limelight for more than a few days, Armstrong’s intentions are crystal clear; unfortunately no one is sure if his body ever will be.



Made a Rick? Lambert's international chances may be over
The first week of April tends to be littered with April Fool’s jokes posted on the internet from around the world. Sports people are often quick to get involved also, so when Southampton forward Rickie Lambert was at the centre of a gag regarding his declaration of intent to switch allegiances from England to New Zealand, he probably thought it was a good idea. Lambert’s ‘dead-pan’ expression is second only to his execution of a dead-ball, but the joke might be on him. He’s in a tricky situation where it’s unlikely he’ll ever be picked for England but would be good enough for the ‘All Whites’. Would they take him after this slightly patronising act of humour?

Watch Lambert's interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnQWdeSO-Xw




Worth a punt: Oiseau in full flight.
A special mention must go to a horse that is rapidly becoming a favourite here at The Sporting Hack. Though the bookies rarely ever fancy him, Oiseau de Nuit, has earned us a few bob over the last few weeks with a couple of solid performances. Always worth a flutter each way, the French horse trained by Colin Tizzard and owned by Terry Warner has bagged a place at Cheltenham (33/1) and first place at Aintree (20/1) with Brendan Powell providing a steady hand on the reins. Sign up to the handy www.nagme.com service for updates on when and where he, and a plethora of other ‘tips’ you may have received, is running next.







And another thing...
"Twitter? For average footballers only."
Why should Olympique Marseille have to take responsibility and apologise on behalf of midfielder Joey Barton to Paris St Germain and their player Thiago Silva for disparaging comments made on the social media site Twitter? The controversial Scouser, on loan from Queens Park Rangers, called the Brazilian defender an “overweight ladyboy” and continues to give the English a bad name in France, despite the efforts of the charming cyclist Bradley Wiggins and, of course, David Beckham. Unfortunately for Barton, Silva is not only twice the man but crucially, twice the player.

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