WHO would have thought TFF had so many Queensland readers? Never had a clue until I bagged their beer over the past few weeks. About a hundred of them have sent me the following story and sworn on their honour that it's dinkum.

See, apparently, 10 days ago, the general managers of Cascade Brewery (Tasmania), Tooheys (NSW), XXXX (Queensland), CUB (Victoria) and Coopers (South Australia) got together at a national beer conference in Perth. At lunch, the waitress asks what they want to drink. The GM of Tooheys says without hesitation, "I'll have a Tooheys New." The manager of Cascade smiles and says, "I'll have a Cascade Draught, brewed from pure mountain water." The Coopers boss proudly says, "I'll have a Coopers, the King of Beers," to which the bloke from Carlton smiles condescendingly and says, "I'll have a Carlton Draught, the cleanest draught on the planet." The general manager from XXXX glances at his lunch-mates and says, "I'll have a Diet Coke." The others look at him like he has sprouted a new head. He just shrugs and says, "Well if you guys aren't drinking beer, then neither will I." (Are we even now, you banjo players? So give me a break!)

Clayton's vote

Strange days indeed, most peculiar, mama. A cherished TFF reader and gold member of the SCG for the past 50 years received an email from the SCG Trust on May 12 inviting suggestions for the name of the ground's new stand. Just the following day, however, he reports that another email arrived indicating that a "short-list" had been approved and the name would be revealed by May 28.

He asks the reasonable question: What's the rush? If you genuinely want to canvass the views of the members for a facility that will hopefully stand for the next 200 years or so, surely more time is needed.

Over to you, Jack

Where did Jack Gibson fit into the Australian psyche? All week, TFF received wonderful reminiscences from readers about their favourite Jack moments. Though Gibson made his name as a coach, his legend was burnished by the time he spent in the commentary box. Fitzphile Peter Leonard remembers watching an Australia-New Zealand Test match many years ago, with Darrell Eastlake calling and Jack supplying expert commentary. At one point, the Kiwis scored a spectacular try, starting from deep in their own territory and passing through at least 10 sets of hands. Darrell was in full cry, describing every pass in the passage of play, including a possible forward pass around the halfway mark. He then launched into a highly emotional tirade on the referee and linesman missing the obvious before turning to Jack and saying, "What do you reckon Jack? Shoulda been no try?"

Jack Gibson, deadpan: "It was worth four points. They done something with the football."

And that was it. Beautiful!

NSW called to arms

You might remember that absurd incident in 2006, when the AFL fined the Essendon players $20,000 for having the temerity to wear yellow armbands as a symbol of support for teammate Adam Ramanauskas as he faced a cancer diagnosis. Thankfully, things have changed. Last year, the Cancer Council Victoria and Essendon announced "Call to Arms", an initiative in which the Bombers and many local sporting clubs wear yellow armbands and raise funds for the council. All money goes towards treating, preventing and detecting cancers in men, as well as supporting those facing cancer. This year, Call to Arms will be held in NSW, with Wests Tigers to wear yellow armbands during their match against Gold Coast on May 25. Tigers captain Brett Hodgson and forward Corey Payne are headlining the campaign. Both have been touched by cancer.

Pay up, Sir Charles

Former basketball great Charles Barkley has acknowledged he owes a $428,954 gambling debt to a Las Vegas casino and promised to repay it after a prosecutor said the retired star faced criminal charges, AP reports.

"My mistake," Barkley said at a pro-am golf tournament in Alabama. "I'm not broke, and I'm going to take care of it."

Barkley was responding to comments by Clark County District Attorney David Roger, who said prosecutors would file a criminal complaint if he did not pay the debt cited by the Wynn Las Vegas resort.

"He'll have an opportunity like anybody else to make restitution to the hotel," Roger said.

The casino alleged in a civil complaint filed Wednesday in a Nevada state court and first reported by The Las Vegas Sun that Barkley failed to repay four $107,238 casino markers, or loans, received last October 18 and 19.

"I've been gambling 20 years. I've never had this happen before," the 45-year-old Barkley told Alabama radio station WJOX.

"It's my fault I let the time lapse. I screwed up."

Barkley, now a basketball analyst on NBA games for Turner Network Television, denied any personal financial problems, and said the casino didn't call him before filing the complaint.

"All they had to do is call and say, 'Hey, you owe us this money,"' he said.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

The Waratahs. This is it. Tonight against Queensland. One game. One decision. Heroes or zeroes? The finals or oblivion? Your call. Forwards right …

Chris Latham. Retired from Queensland and Australia after tearing his pectoral muscle last weekend. He'd played 78 Tests for the Wallabies and - bugger - 99 Super games for Queensland.

Ellyse Perry. The talented 17-year-old Pymble Ladies College student is in a tug of war between the Matildas and the Australian women's cricket side. I hope she picks cricket.

Merrylands Rugby Union Club and Brothers Rugby Club in Townsville. The former are having a 50th anniversary reunion on June 21. Phone Mitch on 0409 047 178 for tickets. The latter are also having a reunion in Townsville on the weekend of July 11-13.

Lewis Roberts-Thomson. TFF hears the Swan has been the personification of their "no dickheads" policy, and was particularly good with the St Ives under-8s team last weekend.

Phyllis O'Donnell. When TFF reported last week that Pam Burridge was Australia's first female surfing champion, he was, of course just checking as to who was paying attention. And two of you were! It was, in fact, Phyllis O'Donnell who won the inaugural world title in the mid 1960s, followed by Wendy Botha in 1989 and then Burridge in 1990.

NSW Senior Women Metro Lawn Bowlers. Tomorrow and Monday at Cabramatta, this city's best and brightest women bowlers over 60 take on their Country cousins. No mercy. No prisoners.

Justine Henin. Is hanging up the racquet. The 25-year-old finishes with 41 titles, including seven majors - but not Wimbledon - and Olympic gold.

RIP. Graham Firth, 1906-2008. The Drummoyne Rugby Club, NSWRU and Killara Bowling Club stalwart died this week aged 102.

RIP Jack Gibson. 1930-2008. Died last Friday, aged 79. Having guided five grand final-winning teams - two with Easts and three with Parramatta - he will be remembered as a great coach, a good man and one of rugby league's greatest characters.

The Balmoral Burn team. It's gearing up again for corporate teams to charge up Balmoral's mighty Awaba Street, with Phil Kearns shouting at them. No, really, it's fun. The run is on Sunday, June 1, and they're trying to raise $2 million for kids medical facilities in 40 hospitals around NSW. If your corporate team has the requisite gumption, try www.humpty.com.au.

WHAT THEY SAID

Anthony Mundine on Wendell Sailor: "They used him as a scapegoat, like they used all the coloured boys. Wendell Sailor, Andrew Walker, Jeff Farmer, the list goes on. Certain sportspeople are protected species, you know what I mean?" Not really, no, Anthony.

Wendell Sailor on returning to football after a two-year suspension for failing a drug test: "I want to get back in a team environment and play footy. Because of my stupid mistake, I had football, my life, taken away from me. But I'm coming to the end of the road. Finally, I can see light at the end of the tunnel."

Australia's greatest sports commentator, Dennis Cometti, has unleashed the following three pearlers in recent weeks: "He's equally bad with each foot - totally ambidisastrous!" "Didak's showing them what to do - I think it's didactic …" "Carlton has been stuck in the '80s longer than The Osmonds."

The retiring Chris Latham explains his early motivation to take up serious rugby, which led to a 78-Test career: "I honestly went to play with Randwick [as a teenager] to get out of a country town to meet people to get out on the piss with and have a good time."

Peter Sterling on Jack Gibson: "Jack, he loved his players, he cared about his players. And I think the great thing about being coached by Jack Gibson … is he was more concerned about you off the field than he ever was on the field. He made wonderful footballers, but he also made wonderful people, and I thank Jack Gibson eternally for being a part of my life."

Ian Chappell on how Test cricket and the shorter forms should coexist: "For 30 years, the two have been treated as slightly different versions of the same game. However, the successful arrival of Twenty20 has shown that limited-over cricket has become the rock concert while Test matches remain the chess contest."

Coach Ewen McKenzie on the Waratahs' flight up to Brisbane a couple of days after an 18-hour marathon from South Africa: "It's a bit of a shit of a draw."

Lote Tuqiri on the Reds boasting they will ruin NSW's season by winning tonight: "They call themselves the spoilers, and it's a bit of a cop-out to call yourselves the spoilers. Why not try a bit harder at the start of the year?" It has to be a roughly fair point, no?

Origin prop Brett White, on Maroons passion: "I don't see why, just because of where you're born, you've got more passion about a jumper. Every young kid that's a rugby league player wants to play State of Origin, so I don't see what the difference is." The reason, Brett, is because for us NSW is no more than the part of Australia in which we live, whereas Queensland is a culture - no, really - of its own.

Alex Ferguson, having won his 10th premiership title, on the possibility of retiring: "Retire? That wife of mine just bullies me, so she'd throw me out of the door at seven o'clock in the morning! So that's a definite no. I am proud to have survived for so long, but it is easier for me than the rest because I am at such a great club. How would I be without this? Please tell me."

Sergio Garcia after winning the Players Tournament at Sawgrass: "I want to thank Tiger for not being here." Where has Sergio been these last couple of years, anyway? Is this the first tournament he has won since going out briefly with Greg Norman's daughter?