Ben Spies grateful for Casey Stoner advice

Ben Spies could very well show up the rest of the small pack of Motogp riders after the obvious 2 or 3 riders. I wonder what the chances of him finishing in the top 3 by the end of the season? Could possibly be done, given his talents. Ive got my few quid on it. I would say Stoner for champ, rossi 2nd and spies 3rd. What does anybody else think? The rest of the pack are barely making up numbers, when was the last time Edwards won a race? Loris, Melandri, etc etc. Dont get me wrong, I like most of them as racers, I just dont think they have got that instinct to go that bit further needed.

My respect for you grows by the week, Nostrodamus. Yes, it was Dazzlin Dazza Eastlake indeed. He eventually slipped off the air after suffering a heart attack right in the middle of a National Surf Champs CH 9 broadcast. I very unkindly proclaimed that it couldn't happen to a more deserving TV ( star? ) sports personality and thank Christ we didn't have to put up with him a second longer. My wife, had just come into the room and not hearing exactly what I said and who I was talking about said, " Oh, don't be so horrible - that's just awful." So I said," Didn't you hear me - it was Eastlake!" There was a moment's pensive silence and then, " Well I hope he's OK for his family's sake - but you're right, he's a bloody moron." This from my spouse who sees the good in everyone. Says it all really, eh? As you say, sadly, we are now seeing the rise of the overpaid and  intellectually under-endowed professional? football player. The list of offences and scale of the repeat offending is disturbing - drug use and dealing, rape and sexual assault, " glassing" young women, B & E, assault , urinating in public ( one genius giving a female card dealer at Jupiter's Casino on the Gold Coast a golden shower ), DUI, HGH and seroids - it just goes on and on. Until fairly recently David Kirk was the CEO of Fairfax Media here and the quality he and many others display is a stark contrast to the preening, perfumed princes that prance and pose about. Interestingly, these same cretins who think they are the bees knees on, say, A$600 K to A$1+ Mill PA - are blssfully unaware that they are in reality the poor boys of Australian professional sport. There are quite a number of Aussie soccer players with UK and Euro clubs on way, way North of A$300,000 per week! You never hear a peep of a problem with these quiet achievers. Shows who are the " amateurs ", doesn't it? Cheers