Supershorts: 'So insecure'

Amalia Granata. Photo / Supplied

Argentine model Amalia Granata has had enough of relationships with soccer players and the former Playboy bunny says she's glad to be rid of her ex-boyfriend River Plate's Cristian Fabbiani. "At times it was annoying. His wife was so insecure."

Selective labelling?
Downunder to ride the Tour of Southland, American cyclist Floyd Landis might rightly wonder about selective labelling by New Zealand media. Mentions of the man who was stripped of a Tour de France victory for doping generally begin "disgraced cyclist Floyd ...", while the leader of the Southland race, our own Jeremy Yates, escapes such negative description. Yet both failed tests for the same steroid - testosterone - and both were banned for two years.

Fien point
A points victory so far to Nathan Fien in his media relations battle with Lance Hohaia. Fien scored a bullseye by congratulating his teammate on his recent engagement on Sky's 40/20 show. A nice gesture, certainly. But it would have been nicer had Hohaia actually been engaged. Hohaia attempted to hit back during the week, telling the Herald Fien had decided to retire from international football and the Kiwis were out to send him off in style. Cue an apologetic 9.30pm phonecall to the Herald from the Kiwis' media manager explaining that Hohaia had just admitted he had made up the Fien retirement story and was worried it might appear in the paper the following morning.

A mighty totara rises
The calamari corpse of Paul the Octopus is still twitching as his successor is wheeled out. A five-month-old octopus, also named Paul, was unveiled at the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, yesterday. Aquarium manager Stefan Porwoll said Paul the Second was "actually supposed to meet his fellow octopus and media star personally and learn from him".

Soft and tender
Sport breaks down gender boundaries in Turkey. Soccer club Buca FC closed their successful women's team because "the players look like men". One Buca supporter told the press: "A woman's place is at home. Women must be soft and tender, not full of muscles."

Hounded
NRL officials were just settling into their sun chairs for the summer, pina coladas in hand, congratulating themselves about a relatively scandal-free 2010 season. Suddenly, the phone rang from Canberra. The Raiders are investigating an alleged incident involving a player photographed in a compromising position with a dog during the club's Mad Monday celebrations. Raiders chief executive Don Furner told the press: "We don't know whether it's authentic but I am as appalled as everyone else. If he did do it, I don't know why he would do it."

Not Vettori's day
As New Zealand arrived in Ahmedabad yesterday, the scent of sacrificial lamb korma hung heavy in the air, Dan Vettori knew there was one thing he had a good chance of winning. India's captain M.S. Dhoni had gone nine tests without winning a toss. Dhoni 1, Vettori 0.

Good week for... Mathews and Malinga
The Sri Lankans took their team from 107-8 chasing Australia's 239-8, to a remarkable victory with 34 balls left. Their 132-run partnership set a world record for the ninth wicket in ODIs.

Bad week for... Wayne Rooney
The Edenbridge Bonfire Society has built a 15-metre tall replica of the Manchester United striker, to be set alight for Bonfire Night. The giant Shrek-like figure holds his new five-year contract.

The number... 13
The number of minutes Daniel Carter was off the field in last Saturday's final Bledisloe Cup match. Unlucky indeed.