1. #RIP ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier lost his short battle with liver cancer at the age of 67 overnight.
“I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration,” his great rival Muhammad Ali said in a statement. “My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.”
Read the full story here.
2. #BLUES Pat Gilroy last night shook hands on a new one-year agreement with Dublin County Board.
The All-Ireland-winning manager will stay on for one more season, after a decision that will come as a relief to those on Hill 16.
3. #EURO2012 We were out in Malahide yesterday for the first day of Ireland squad training ahead of Friday’s game in Tallinn.
Giovanni Trapattoni is still holding out hope that Sunderland skipper John O’Shea will make the second leg while it has emerged that Leon Best will link up with the panel on Saturday.
His partner is expecting their first child in Newcastle in the coming days.
4. #INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS Tomasz Kuszczak has claimed he is treated like a “slave” by Manchester United after a proposed loan move to old rivals Leeds was blocked by Old Trafford chiefs.
5. #BLUE MONDAY Brian O’Driscoll remained optimisitic about his rugby future yesterday as he dropped the bombshell that he’ll be on the sidelines for the next six months.
The Leinster and Ireland centre will go under the knife to cure a trapped nerve problem and is facing an extended lay-off.
Is the national skipper’s enforced sabbatical a blessing in disguise for Declan Kidney however?
6. #HOWZAT? Australian cricket legend Shane Warne is bringing his short retirement to an end.
The leg spinner will return in Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash competition next month, he said overnight.
