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Stephen Gough, one of Australias most respected sports administrators, announced last week he would leave his job as MCC chief executive in early 2017, after 17 years in the job.The ever-popular Gough has seen it all while running the historic sports ground: AFL Grand Finals, NRL state-of-origin matches, Bledisloe Cup Tests, Commonwealth Games, Boxing Day Tests and World Cup cricket finals. Hes also closing in on 500 AFL matches watched.In light of all that, ESPN asked Gough to nominate his highlights, lowlights and most memorable moments from the past 17 years. Here, in spite of an obvious Carlton bias, are his answers to ESPNs questionnaire:Q: Most memorable MCG footy moment?After Carlton premierships, the 1999 Preliminary Final between Carlton and Essendon.Q: Most memorable non-footy moment?- Shane Warnes 700th wicket in 2006, and Australia winning that Ashes Test in three days with over 240,000 in attendance.- Commonwealth Games 2006 - Tsunami Cricket Match in January 2005 when over $15 million was raised.Q: Best AFL match ever seen at the MCG?(a) 1984 2nd Semi Final between Hawthorn and Essendon(b) The West Coast Eagles and Sydney grand finals in 2005, 2006.Q: Best player ever seen?Leaving aside Carltons Bruce Doull - Gary Ablett Snr.Q: Best AFL team seen?Leaving aside Carltons of 1979, 81 and 82 which, except for 1980, could have equalled Collingwood Football Clubs four in a row - Id say Brisbane of 2001/02/03.Q: Recent AFL rule change you most like?Restriction on interchange rotations - good to see star players being kept on the ground with different tactics being used by coaches.Q: Whats your proudest moment as CEO?Many come to mind, but being part of the Club (and Ground) for such a great period of activity, on and off the MCG.Q: Can you tell us a little-known fact about the ground that might surprise people?Approximately 120 metres of fence on the Southern Stand is the oldest remaining piece of infrastructure (1884) followed now by the light towers (1985).Q: Can the ground really hold 100,000?Yes. 100,024 seats plus standing room.Q: Whats the most interesting exhibit in the museum of sport?A peculiar one I like is the model of the revolving grandstand that was able to have it facing the cricket ground, then in winter swinging to face the outside to watch the early football matches from 1877 until its demise through fire in 1884. The Baer Collection (provided by the late Tony Baer) is some of our most delicate, curious and valuable pieces. Not to be missed.Q: How many AFL games have you watched in the past 17 years?I estimate it to be closing in on 500.Q: Most forgettable moment as CEO?Easy. The fiasco at the Members for the 2007 Preliminary Final between Collingwood and Geelong. We got our estimations and visitor tickets allocations wrong and locked out many people. A very traumatic night for all concerned, except the AFL who were delighted with a crowd of 98,000.Q: What else didnt we quite get right?We all (cricket and MCC personnel) didnt expect a crowd of 80,000+ for last seasons Big Bash League match (between Stars and Renegades) - hence massive delays with queues to buy a ticket and then to enter the G.Q: Recent AFL rule change you like least?- Countdown clock on scoreboard- Teams warming up on the ground well before the game starts. Understand the logic of this, however we lose that hugely anticipated moment when the teams enter the ground, especially on Grand Final Day.PATIENCE OF JOBE RUNNING OUTFormer Essendon captain Jobe Watson, currently working in New York as a barista while he serves out his WADA-enforced ban, is still rated only a 50-50 chance of returning to the club next year.We hear that Essendon executives recently returned from a trip to New York where they sounded out Watson about his plans for 2017.But the response they got was not exactly what they wanted to hear: Watson was enjoying life in the Big Apple - where he works at the Hole in the Wall café on West 38th and 5th Avenue - and wasnt sure whether he was ready to commit again to the demands of AFL football.Watson turns 32 next February.He and 33 other Essendon players were suspended until November 2016 when WADA in January successfully appealed against the AFL Tribunals not-guilty finding.This has imperilled Watsons 2012 Brownlow Medal, which was won while the supplements program was in full swing under Stephen Dank.If the clubs last-ditch appeal against the doping suspensions fails, and we wont have a ruling on that until later in the year, the AFL Commission will then have the unenviable task of deciding whether Watson keeps the medal.If they do indeed strip Watson of the award, we imagine the Bomber great might decide that New Yorks coffee scene is a more palatable place to be than Melbourne.MAJAKS SHARK TALESThis weekends AFL Multicultural Round has inadvertently helped reveal one of the leagues great unsolved mysteries.North Melbournes Sudanese excitement machine, Majak Daw, was photographed this week holding one of the special Multicultural Round match balls which have the word WELCOME printed on them in six different languages.But one eagle-eyed fan noticed something funny about the picture. What, he wanted to know, had happened to the top of Daws ring finger - it seemed to have disappeared.And a look at other action photos of the athletic big man revealed the same thing: the ruckman has 9.5 digits.A North Melbourne spokesman went in pursuit of the full story but came back empty-handed. After some digging, I believe the origin remains secret. He tells people a shark bit it off, said our man.BOUND BY PREMIERSHIP GLORYWest Coasts premiership-winning heroes are as a close as ever 10 years on from their one-point triumph over Sydney, contrary to reports of a fractious rift.Every member from the successful 2006 side - except champion Ben Cousins who is battling drug issues - reunited at a formal event in Perth ahead of last weeks clash Essendon at Domain Stadium.The celebrations spilt across three days, with players, coaches and staff reminiscing on the clubs third flag.Decorated ruckman Dean Cox, now an assistant coach at the Eagles, was quick to wrap up the post-match review on Friday night to catch up on the revelry.Some club officials believe it was fitting the match against the Bombers, now led by the Eagles 2006 premiership coach John Worsfold, coincided with the Grand Final celebrations.Some club officials squarely blame Essendon forward Scott Lucas for the Eagles failure to establish a dynasty, akin to Geelong and Hawthorn.In the final round of the 2007 season, the Bombers trailed the Eagles by 44 points at the last change.Lucas, clearly intent on honouring captain James Hird and legendary coach Kevin Sheedy in their last match at the club, piled on seven goals in a final-quarter blitz to get the Bombers within a goal.The Eagles eventually prevailed by eight points, but squandered a chance to gain much-needed percentage points.As a result, the Eagles slipped to third and were forced into a qualifying final against Port Adelaide away from their Subiaco fortress.They lost in a nail-biter by three points.The title defence ended the following week in a semi-final against Collingwood in extra time, without stars Chris Judd and Cousins, both out injured.Its a strongly-held belief that had a rampaging Lucas not got on a roll, the Eagles would have played - and beaten - Port in a home final, which would have granted the ailing team a much-needed week off ahead of a Perth preliminary.PAY DAY A MILE AWAYThe long-running pay stoush between the AFL and the AFLPA is at an impasse.The union representing more than 800 players is fighting to have a greater percentage of the leagues revenue, following its record-breaking $2.5 billion, six-year broadcast deal. (And more money could yet flow into the bulging pockets of the AFL, who are deep in negotiations over the renewal of the radio rights deal.)But ESPN understands the pay talks have come to a halt, with the parties failing to meet in almost two months.The players currently receive about 22 per cent of the industry revenue - four per cent less than the amount Cricket Australia pays its players.But as the indigenous code becomes more Americanised, a push for a much higher figure could be on the cards. Sportsmen from privately-owned US sports teams, for example, earn up to half of the monies generated from their code.For the first time in the AFLs history, the players are threatening to strike if an agreement cant be reached.A ROUGH DRAFT Club recruiters fear the AFL has been unable to find an appropriate venue for this years draft in Sydney.The AFL traditionally informs clubs where the November draft will take place well in advance of the event.But this year they are yet to alert teams as to where in the Harbour City it will take place.This has concerned representatives from a few clubs that the AFL might be scrambling to find a place to announce the names of the next batch of future stars.The AFL has persisted with touring the draft around the nation, despite almost half of the junior talent emerging from Victoria.The draft, first introduced in 1986, has predominantly been held in Melbourne.It ventured outside of Victoria in 1997 when it was hosted in Adelaide.In 2010, it headed north to the Gold Coast, the first year the Suns participated in the draft.Sydney previously hosted the event in 2011, a year ahead of GWS inaugural season.Last year, the Adelaide Convention Centre held the event. Chicago White Sox Gear . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Chicago White Sox Pro Shop . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Cheap White Sox Jerseys . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Stitched White Sox Jerseys .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. Rohit Sharmas last Test for India, before Tuesday, came at the Feroz Shah Kotla in December 2015, against South Africa. In the first innings, batting at No. 6, he was dropped at slip on 1, off Kyle Abbott, and was out to the next ball he faced, trying to hit Dane Piedt over the top when he had a fielder back at long-on. In the second innings, he was promoted to No. 3, and was bowled first ball by a Morne Morkel jaffa.In those two innings, Rohit had gone from one end of the batting-dismissal spectrum to the other.On Tuesday at the Darren Sammy Stadium, in his first Test innings in eight months, Rohit did not get out playing an aggressive, aerial shot with the odds stacked against him. He did not get out to an unplayable delivery either. Instead, he got out like a lot of Test batsmen do, nicking a good-length ball in the corridor outside off stump. It was a middle-of-the-spectrum kind of dismissal, with the bowler deserving a certain amount of credit and the batsman a certain amount of blame.It happens to everyone.But watching it happen, it was hard not to tell yourself, M Vijay would have left that ball. Or, Cheteshwar Pujara would have left that ball.Neither Vijay nor Pujara was playing this Test match. One of the two was expected to miss out, but not both. Rohits selection was entirely unexpected.At the end of the days play, batting coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed that Vijay was not suffering any residual effects of the sore thumb that had kept him out of the second Test at Sabina Park.Murali Vijay was available for selection, but it was the managements decision to stick with Shikhar Dhawan, he said. KL [Rahul] had a phenomenal last game and the team management felt Shikhar had done enough to keep his place in the team, having scored a very, very good 87 [84] and given us the start in the first innings [in Antigua], negotiating the new ball and giving us a partnership of 90 runs [105 runs, with Kohli]. That was the reason behind Vijay not making it to the playing XI.Pujara had not been in bad form, as such, but had failed to convert a string of starts. At Sabina Park, he had been run out after scoring 46 off 159 balls. At the toss on Tuesday, Kohli indicated that Pujaras scoring rate may have been the reason for his non-selection.Rohit Sharma can change sessions in a Test match. Taking nothing away from Pujara; he has been solid. Everybody needs to get chances.Kohli has often spoken of the need for giving his bowling attack as much time as possible to get 20 wickets. Scoring runs quicker is clearly one way to achieve this aim. India didnt quite have enough time to bowl West Indies out a second time at Sabina Park, but that had less to do with Pujaras scoring rate, or that of the team as a whole, than with rain washing out close to four sessions of the match.Perhaps India factored the weather into their calculations here. St Lucia has experienced intermittent showers in the days leading up to the Test, including on the eve of the match, and it rained briefly an hour after stumps on day one as well.But by including Dhhawan, who, apart from that 84 in Antigua, hasnt been in a great run of form; a still-inexperienced Rahul; and Rohit, still unproven in Test cricket, India were taking the risk of compromising the solidity of their top order.dddddddddddd Coming into the St Lucia Test, Pujara (97.15) and Vijay (86.52) sat on top of the balls-per-dismissal table containing the seven specialist batsmen in Indias squad. Rohit (64.15) and Dhawan (69.06) occupied the bottom two spots. On the quickest, bounciest surface of the series so far, and against the best bowling attack West Indies have fielded, Indias batting line-up, with Kohli and Rahane batting out of position, seemed at its most brittle. India slumped to 126 for 5 and may not have recovered to the extent they did, had R Ashwin not been dropped once and caught once off a no-ball.It must be said, of course, that on another day, even on the same pitch and against the same bowlers, the same selections may have worked for India. But there is one other potential repercussion that India will need to deal with - the effect on the two batsmen left out.Vijay has done no wrong apart from getting injured. Indias team management must already have spoken to him at length explaining why he did not immediately slot back into the side when he was fit. When he returns to the side, he will know he simply has to get on with his game, and has nothing to prove to anyone.Pujaras case is different. The team management, based on Kohlis words at the toss, seems to have left him out on the basis of how he bats. It is a method that has served him well, for the most part, all his life. His strike rate has fallen over the last couple of years, but that is a function of the unconverted starts; earlier, he would begin just as patiently, and then suddenly, imperceptibly, flick a switch that changed him into a free-scoring batsman with shots all around the ground.In Hyderabad against Australia in 2013, Pujara was on 18 off 65 balls at one stage, and went on to score 204 off 341. In the second innings of the Johannesburg Test in December 2013, he was on 9 off 64 balls before accelerating to finish on 153 off 270. At the SSC last year, he went from 32 off 116 to 145* off 289.He hasnt been making big scores as often as he used to, and there has to be a reason for it, but his approach at the start of his innings is probably not it. Indias team management will need to help him figure out what is wrong, and what needs to change, and it is perfectly possible that leaving him out and getting him to work in the nets is the best way to do it. Rohit Sharma may well be in better form at the moment, and have the greater possibility of contributing to Indias success.But by suggesting that Pujaras method may not quite suit the teams philosophy, they leave him wondering if he should continue to trust his game or try to change it. They risk shattering the confidence of a batsman of serious ability. ' ' '