It's a great time to be alive

If you're an Australian sports fan with a love for American sports this time of year is always awesome. It's probably my favourite.

Here at home we have the NRL & AFL finals starting up, the Tri-Nations rugby is still on, the Spring Racing Carnival is not far off and the A-League is gathering some momentum.

Across the Pacific it's even more packed with the US Open Tennis, the start of the College Football season (ouch Oklahoma!!!), NFL, MLB pennant races happening and playoffs approaching, and NBA and NHL on the horizon. How good!!

The only pain in the ass is the time difference, but then again, if the time zones were all the same there wouldn't be enough time to take it all in.

So who is going to win??

That is something I am asked often by my sports loving brethren so I thought I'd have a crack - as much to get your thoughts and as much to see how stupid I might look down the track when everything is decided for another year. Although, I probably don't need to stick my neck out there too look stupid!

So here goes (with personal bias firmly in place):

Tri-Nations - The Springboks (pretty much already lifted the trophy)

NRL - Manly

AFL - Geelong

Cox Plate - Maldivian

Melbourne Cup - Profound Beauty

A-League - Sydney FC

MLB - Yankees

NCAA Football - Florida

NFL - New Orleans

NBA - Cleveland

NHL - Flyers

All this is without bringing into play the end of the various motor racing seasons, the Premier League in the UK and the myriad of exciting European football competitions. Damn work, can't someone just pay me to watch all of this stuff!

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Deans has reinvigorated club rugby

Robbie Deans has done plenty already for Australian Rugby Union and its followers in the short time he has been on this side of the ditch.

He has refreshed the style of play and the shape of the Wallabies backline, he has helped our guys to a couple of great Test victories and given us all hope that Australia can again contend for the Webb Ellis Trophy.

One other thing he has done that might not quite get the same public recognition as a win over the Springboks or AB's is his decision to allow members of his Wallaby squad to play club rugby on weekends off.

For rugby fans and the game's youngest followers, the next generations of Wallabies, it is a treat and a half to be able to pay the nominal entry fee that is charged at Sydney or Brisbane club gates and stand on the fence within a Stephen Moore throw in of your favourite player.

The players love it too. You can see them relax and enjoy the opportunity to run around with old mates, while giving back to the grass roots level of the game they love. Those team mates lucky enough to play with these guys benefit too, learning more in one game than they might in a month of Saturdays.

I don't have any figures by I am sure the gate would be up at least 30% every time this happens and a team gets the injection of a Wallaby or two into their first grade team.

So next time the Wallabies have a break, whether it's later this year or next, get on down to your local ground and cheer on your team, or any team. It'll cost you about a quarter of the ticket to a Test and you can almost touch the action. All courtesy of R Deans.