Sports Speak (Part 3)

September

"I feel a bit like a starving man in Harrods food hall, and it's great."

- Murray Walker making less than perfect sense at the USA Grand Prix.

"Hurling should thank God for him."

- Kilkenny manager Brian Cody after DJ Carey played a not insignificant part in the county's 5-15 to 1-14 All Ireland victory over Offaly.

"With days like this you'd stay going for ever".

- DJ Carey banishes thoughts of retirement.

"Well, we've seen Ferrari sell a magnificent, enormous dummy - big enough to put in an elephant's mouth, never mind a baby's."

- Murray (USA Grand Prix). Again.

"We nearly lost it twice, came back twice, then nearly won it, and ended up with a draw."

- Galway manager John O'Mahony on the drawn, topsy-turvy All-Ireland football final against Kerry.

"Paul Clancy said to me that if I get a penalty in the last minute and we're three points down, still kick it over the bar because he couldn't face another two weeks of hard training. But we'll just have to try and rise it mentally again and get up again for the next day."

- Galway footballer Derek Savage on the horrendous prospects of a drawn All-Ireland final. Result? Draw.

"This has exorcised the ghosts of Atlanta - that was like a nightmare, this is like a dream. I feel now as if Atlanta never existed."

- Sonia O'Sullivan after winning silver at the Sydney Olympics.

"To come so close . . . I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm kind of caught in the middle, it was nearly a dream come true."

- Sonia, reflecting on Gabriela Szabo pipping her to gold.

"The athlete is either clean or he is fighting for gold. Both are not compatible."

- Michael Lohberg, Brazil's swimming coach, tells it like it is - even if we don't want to hear it.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you guys wanted to photograph me more than my wife."

- Shot-puttin' CJ Hunter, aka Mr Marion Jones, surprised by the media attention after it was revealed he had failed four drug tests

"I'm just a simple thing, a simple human being who gets annoyed when there's no toilet paper on that toilet roll in the bathroom, I'm just out here doing what I love doing, that's all."

- Cathy Freeman trying, but failing, to convince Australians that she's a regular human being.

"We're weren't outclassed, just outthought."

- BBC co-commentator Karen Brown after the British men's hockey team lost 8-1 to Pakistan.

"It's such a fine line between being the 'greatest ever' and wonderful to being nobody."

- Australian walker Jane Saville after being disqualified in the 20km walk when she was 200 metres from gold.

"I consider tonight's race to be the best I have ever taken part in. Tonight was something the swimming world had never seen before. I doff my swim cap to the great Ian Thorpe."

- American Gary Hall Jnr after Thorpe led Australia to gold in the superlative 4x100 final.

"It's the first time I've swum 50 metres . . . it was further than I thought."

- Equatorial Guinea swimmer Paula `The Trawler' Barila Bolopa after completing her 50m freestyle sprint 40 seconds slower than Inge de Bruijn at Sydney.

"For all of you who are seeing me for the first time, get a good look. I told you I was pretty."

- Muhammad Ali greeting the crowd at the Sydney's racetrack during the Olympics.

"That is a fantastic building . . . did they build it for the Olympics?"

- American tourist overheard talking to her friend about the Sydney Opera House.

"Every day is history, isn't it? It's just another day that's passed."

- Rower Steve Redgrave taking his fifth gold medal in his 'what's-the-fuss' stride.

"The Germans only have one player under 22 and he's 23."

- Soon-to-depart England manager Kevin Keegan. Uh oh.

October

"All my life I have been watching them, Ogie Moran, Pat Spillane, all the greats, lifting the Sam Maguire so this was something extra special."

- Seamus Moynihan stakes his own claim for a place in the Kingdom's Book of Legends after leading Kerry to victory in the All-Ireland final replay.

"I wouldn't have believed you if you had told me before the match that Ireland would come to Portugal and gain a draw."

- Portuguese coach Antonio Oliveira after Matt Holland's wonder-strike earned Mick McCarthy's lads a draw in the World Cup qualifying game in Lisbon. Happy days.

"It's real end-to-end stuff, but unfortunately it's all up at Forest's end."

- Sky Sports' reporter Chris Kamara.

"The first half was end-to-end stuff. In contrast, in this second half it's been one end to the other."

- Chris Kamara disciple Lou Macari during a radio commentary on TalkSport.

"He hasn't been the normal Paul Scholes today, and he's not the only one."

- Chris Kamara disciple Lou Macari's TalkSport colleague Alvin Martin.

"Yeah, I was a bit anxious when I got to the stadium, but in all fairness if I hadn't been anxious I'd have been worried."

- Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson on his European debut against Besiktas.

November

"What I said to them at half-time would be unprintable on the radio."

- QPR manager Gerry Francis.

"Idols and myths grow old and die but their works of art are eternal."

- Tostao's tribute to his former Brazilian team-mate Pele on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

"Achilles tendon injuries are the worst you can probably have - they are a pain in the butt."

- David O'Leary . . . give that man an anatomy lesson.

"We've sold our birthright down the fjord to a nation of seven million skiers and hammer throwers who spend half their lives in darkness."

- The Daily Mail's Jeff Powell welcomes Sven-Goran Eriksson to English football.

"I don't believe you need the hardship. I believe you can get fit without killing yourself."

- Clare hurler David Forde, reflecting fondly (not) on the infamous training regime of Ger Loughnane.

"There will have to be a bubonic plague for me to pick Di Canio."

- Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni not completely ruling out an international recall for Paolo . . . but coming fierce close.

December

"I'm sure he would be a brilliant hurler . . . provided he could adapt to the physical contact."

- Kilkenny hurling legend Eddie Keher on Tiger Woods' prospects of making it in THE game . . . but is he man enough?

"The only thing I wish is that we lived in Star Trek days, which means we could be beamed anywhere."

- And there was you thinking Tiger Woods had it all. Beam me up Scottie.

"You're fighting for your job so, of course there's pressure to it, but you're not fighting for your life."

- Todd Barranger putting his battle to win his card at the PGA Tour final qualifying tournament in context - testicular cancer forced Barranger to take a four-year break from the game.