Lalit Modi and Brian Waldron. Brian Waldron and Lalit Modi. The names ran around the mind over the weekend. It's unlikely the soon-to-be-ejected Indian Premier League puppetmaster and the disgraced former boss of the Melbourne Storm have ever met.
But should fate throw them together in a cafe somewhere round
the globe, they'd no doubt find some common ground upon which to compare notes over a latte or two.
They share at least one thing: both know where the bodies are buried.
In Modi's case, it's in relation to the corruption swirling round the IPL, which now involves Government officials, tax probes, a forthcoming parliamentary probe and into whose pockets has all the money gone.
For Waldron, it's the Storm's NRL salary cap cheating.
The Indian board's governing council are tipped to at least suspend Modi today. The little big man is being lined up for a mighty fall. The groundwork is under way.
"Either Modi goes on his own, or he will be pushed out," a senior insider said yesterday.
They might want to be careful because Modi's monstrous self-confidence ensures he won't go quietly, and surely won't go alone.
As is the modern way, Modi is a tweeter, but he's no twit. "I will reveal the men who have tried to bring disrepute to the game ... truth will prevail soon ... trial by media and no chance to present the facts is like the wild west,"' Modi twittered yesterday.
But the clock is ticking. Effigies of him were burnt in New Delhi yesterday, usually a decent barometer that it's time to move on.
Just as Modi knows which other Indian fingers have been in the wrong pies, so Waldron will know who else was playing with funny money at the Storm.
Remember, News Ltd own the Storm franchise. It was in their commercial interests that the Storm should prosper in the game's bid to get a foothold in the AFL kingdom that is Victoria.
So do you really think no one from that organisation had the remotest inkling what was up at the Storm? Waldron knows, and there will be those who are dirty, but haven't yet been unveiled, feeling distinctly twitchy.
Player agents are always a good place to start at times like this.
And by the way, if you're scratching around trying to think what possessed Waldron and Co to do what they did, stop right now.
There's no deep and meaningful reason, no need to head for a dark room and the psychologist's couch.
It's all about greed, wanting to be the best, no matter the cost. Thinking you can beat the system, putting one over the dummies. Being too clever by half.
Getting caught comes back to risk and reward.
The Storm storm came out of the NRL's salary cap. No such beast exists in the English Premier League, where the mighty simply eat the less fortunate.
You might not be a fan of Manchester United, but you cannot deny their ability to remain at the top of the game even when, er, not at the top of their game.
Yesterday, they saw off Tottenham Hotspur, 3-1, without ever scaling the heights.
Spurs are fourth and in sprightly form. They're not the flighty lightweights they were when Liverpool's legendary manager Bill Shankly would disparagingly refer to them as the "Drury Lane tap dancers". (Translation: he viewed them as fancy Dans without the requisite steel to mount a serious title challenge.)
The title is a two-team contest - has been for a couple of weeks - and Sir Alex Ferguson's men continue to roar at rivals Chelsea that it ain't over till it's over.
There was a dramatic development in Arsenal's scoreless draw with Manchester City yesterday, when City's superb Irish goalkeeper Shay Given was stretchered off with a shoulder held in place by a fat strap.
His replacement was a bloke called Gunnar Nielsen, making his Premier League debut. He comes from the Faroe Islands (insert your own joke here), and he looked like he would be right at home in a fisherman's sweater in the middle of the North Sea.
"You would imagine playing for the Faroe Islands he'd have had plenty to deal with," the commentator smirked.
Gunnar's day ended happily yesterday. But don't be surprised if a tetchy 68-year-old Scot finishes with the last laugh. Again.
Weekend Winner:
Manchester United. Even if Chelsea regained the English Premier League lead early today, Fergie's mob are dragging this out the full distance.
What to Watch:
New Zealand start their world Twenty20 campaign against Sri Lanka in Guyana at 5am next Saturday.
Former Storm chief executive Brian Waldron. Photo / Getty Images
Lalit Modi and Brian Waldron. Brian Waldron and Lalit Modi. The names ran around the mind over the weekend. It's unlikely the soon-to-be-ejected Indian Premier League puppetmaster and the disgraced former boss of the Melbourne Storm have ever met.
But should fate throw them together in a cafe somewhere round
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