Happy Australia Day

Today marks the annual celebration of Australia Day, the national holiday for that country that somehow also gets to be a continent. It's the first I've heard about this holiday, but if what they tell me about Australians is true, it sounds like a pretty good time. Today, then, we honor the most famous Australians in sports. So grab a Fosters, put some shrimp on the barbie, and maybe make some Australian friends so you can learn more about the land down under than these two stereotypes.

Lleyton Hewitt

Know him?: Probably.
Sport: Tennis.
Accolades: 2001 U.S. Open Champion, 2002 Wimbledon Champion, World #1.
Pros: Being ranked #1 in the world for anything, for any length of time, is a pretty cool accomplishment.
Cons: It was tennis.

Ian Thorpe

Know him?: It's possible.
Sport: Competitive buoyancy.
Accolades: A plethora of Olympic medals, including 5 golds.
Pros: The "Thorpedo" is an awesome nickname.
Cons: Only five?


Tim Cahill

Know him?: Do you call soccer "soccer" or "football?"
Sport: Soccer
Accolades: 55 English Premier League goals, all-time leading World Cup scorer for Australia
Pros: A cracking strike!
Cons: What the fuck Evan, we're down 2 points!


Steve Irwin

Know him?: I should hope so.
Sport: Hunting crocodiles.
Accolades: Multitudes of crocodiles hunted.
Pros: Turned what should have been a pointless and mundane activity into sensational television.
Cons: May he rest in peace.


Ben Graham

Know him?: How deep does your fantasy draft go?

Sport: (American) Football.
Accolades: Tied NFL record for most punts inside 20.
Pros: 3+ seasons with the Arizona Cardinals means lots of punting opportunities.
Cons: Australian Rules Football makes no sense. None. (The AC-DC doesn't help.)


Hugh Jackman

Know him?: *Sigh.* Yes.
Sport: Some type of surrogate robot boxing.
Accolades: This film somehow made it to theaters.
Pros: I guess, the whole Wolverine thing...?
Cons: According to Wikipedia, at the end, the bad guy wins ON POINTS. That's not how robot boxing should work.

NBA Diaries: David West

Working in association with the NBA, Sports Casual has secured exclusive access to blog posts from two time All-Star power forward David West and Duke legend Shane Battier.  Throughout the season, these players will write about their experiences transitioning to a new team.  After spending the first 8 seasons of his professional career with the New Orleans Hornets, West recently signed a 2-year deal with the Indiana Pacers.  This week, David West weighs in on his first day and night as a member of the Pacers.  

David West, PF, Indiana Pacers

Hey guys,

      So right after I signed my new deal with the Pacers, I hopped right on a private jet and made my way to Indiana so I could get started on getting back into game shape.  The lockout felt like forever, I just can’t wait to play!!  The private jet was a nice touch, although I later found out it was a necessary one too – there are no commercial flights into Indiana, you have to fly into Ohio and catch a horse and buggy from there.  

When I got off the plane, Mr. Bird was there to greet me.  What an honor to meet such a legend of the game.  During the car ride back to team headquarters we talked about a few different things; mostly Mr. Bird just called me a “ninny boy” and “girly man” and told stories about beating Dennis Johnson in H.O.R.S.E.  The arena is awesome!  They took me on a tour of the training rooms and practice courts, the court and press box area, and ended in the locker room.  A few of the guys were already in there after seeing the trainer, so I got to meet Darren Collison, Brandon Rush and Danny Granger, all great guys.  Roy Hibbert was there, but he just sat at his locker reading a dictionary like he always does. 

 Anyway, Brandon Rush invited me out to a bar that night to celebrate with some of the guys, and it was a great time.  We had some drinks and some laughs, a bunch of my new teammates came through to say hello and talk about the season.  The one who hung around the longest was Jeff Foster – what a guy.  We talked about our lives and careers; all he kept saying was “Foster – it’s Australian for basketball”.  It was funny at first, but once he started crying as he said it things got awkward.  I talked to the Indiana girls at the bar – definitely an experience.  Both of them were nice and very interested in the outside world, but unfortunately their brother-husbands pulled them away pretty quick.  Oh well.  Well that’s it for now, I’m looking forward to a great year in Indy, championship or bust!  And by bust, I mean use my newly acquired millions to vacation outside of Indiana.

                                                                                                Love and Lay-ups,

                                                                                                                D-West

Joe Silvestro is a regular contributor to Sports Casual, check back every Funday Friday for his witticisms concerning the Wide World of Sports.  Email him at jsilvestro21@gmail.com