Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Outside Edge

Simon Redfern
Sunday 25 January 2009 01:00 GMT
Comments

It's Super Bowl XLIII next Sunday in Tampa Bay, and half-time will see the return of the all-girl Lingerie Bowl, as a pay-per-view TV event. Perhaps. Because Reby Sky, the Tampa Breeze quarterback scheduled to join the line of scrimmage in her scanties, is objecting to the choice of venue, the Caliente Clothing Optional Resort (or nudist colony, as we say in England). "Negative stigmas and stereotypes," mutters Sky, somewhat mysteriously, because she had no qualms about posing sans lingerie for 'Playboy'. The players' agent, the splendidly named Ricker Yankowski, is also claiming that the organisers are now offering the players just $1,000, 70 per cent less than the original agreement. Which, if true, is just pants.

3,100

Number of Juventus training shirts allegedly stolen by the club's equipment manager to sell to fans for £175 each. No word yet whether he has a good defence up his sleeves.

Record-breaking offer of the week

Your chance to become a recognised record-breaker without all the fuss of having to apply to Guinness World Records has arrived, thanks to the Universal Records Database at urdb.org, "the definitive site for human achievement". Anything goes, apparently – recent records include: "Most consecutive backflips on stilts [22]"; "Most fingers fitted in mouth [30]"; and "Longest time spinning pillow on finger [3min 16sec]". Feel free to write in with details of any achievements you have accepted by urdb, as Outside Edge is bidding to set a record for "Column written with least original research", despite fiercecompetition from other journalists.

Good week for

Martin Pipe, champion National Hunt trainer 15 times, honoured by having a race named after him at the Cheltenham Festival... Everton Tigers, won their first British Basketball Trophy, beating Plymouth Raiders by a record 103-49... Ronnie O'Sullivan, won his fourth snooker Masters... Paul Casey, English world No 21, won the Abu Dhabi Championship, his first title for two years... and Giniel de Villiers, South African driver, won the Dakar Rally for Volkswagen.

Bad week for

Dwayne Peel, Wales, Lions and Sale scrum-half, left out of Six Nations squad... Daniel Albrecht, Swiss downhill skier, in a coma after crashing at Kitzbühel... Michael Rasmussen, Danish cyclist, misses this year's Tour de France after losing his appeal against a two-year drug ban... and the BMW Sauber Formula One team, who lost their main sponsor, Credit Suisse, after eight years.

Failed sky pilot of the week

A failed record attempt provides the winner of the 2008 Darwin Awards, which honour those who improve the human gene pool by accidentally removing themselves from it. Adelir Antonio de Carli, a Brazilian priest, tried to set a record for party-balloon flight to publicise his plans for a spiritual rest stop for truckers. He ascended in a survival suit clutching a GPS, but sadly he had not quite got round to learning how to use it. Helium powered him to the heavens, where he vanished. Some weeks later, his body washed up on a beach. You could argue that his priestly vow of celibacy had already voluntarily removed him from the gene pool, but that's a bit picky for us.

s.redfern@independent.co.uk

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in