Cold hard facts - So in Dunedin, one of New Zealand's "major" centres, we had balmy weather for four days and barely a soul turned out to watch New Zealand fall just short of beating the West Indies. Yet here, in the middle of a Michigan snowstorm, these Detroit folk show just what it means to be a fan.
Jingle hells - Reports leaking out of Parnell suggest that New Zealand Olympic Committee staff are singing Christmas carols at work to lift spirits. Shocked passers-by have been subjected to the strains of Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful and the oxymoronic Silent Night lilting out the windows. This is, we've heard, a shameless attempt to impress new IOC boss Thomas Bach, brother of Johann Sebastian, composer of such juke-box standards as St Matthew Passion and The Well-Tempered Clavier. It's a non-stop party under the five-ringed circus.
Formula One points a farce - Just about everybody believes Formula One's move to implement double points for 2014's season-ending race in Abu Dhabi is a cynical piece of rule-changing aimed at trying to curb Sebastian Vettel's title-winning ways. Lotus took to Facebook to suggest other ways in which the F1 Championship could be jazzed up. Here are two of the best:
• Any driver celebrating his birthday on the day of qualifying will be granted pole position, 10 points, and a Ferrari garage tour.