In 1977, the movie Slap Shot starring Paul Newman was released about the crazy exploits of a fictional minor league ice hockey team.

The plot was so unbelievable the movie flopped but later became a sports classic, partly because all the crazy stories in it were based on a real team, the Johnstown Jets.

All the characters in the movie were based on real people, like the three Hanson Brothers, (not the musicians) and their arch-nemesis Bill “Goldie” Goldthorpe.

They fought each other, the referees and the fans.

This is the story of the Johnstown Jets, one of the strangest teams of all time.

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In 2002, none other than Michael Jackson came to Exeter City's stadium to deliver a speech to the 7,000 fans in attendance. 

What followed was a rambling speech about curing AIDS, stopping poverty, and for good measure, ending racism.

What made this even stranger was that Exeter City were at the bottom of Division Three at the time. Within weeks of his visit, Jackson would be appointed to their board.

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With Taylor Swift in Australia, we look at her impact on the NFL and examine other sport/entertainment relationships, like Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe, Posh and Becks, and Denis Rodman and Madonna.

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After a few legal checks, we can now bring you part two of Fine Cotton, and we didn't even have to change it!

When we left you, the horse was bright red, the race was imminent and it all looked like this slow-moving disaster was going ahead.  

Find out what happens next in this extraordinary tale.

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There is a heap of newspaper reports from the time, and ever since then there’s been interviews galore with many of the main players. That said, there are still a few who have remained very quiet on this topic.

The most recent book and the one worth grabbing if you want to dive deeper is The Fine Cotton Fiasco by Peter Hoysted and Pat Sheil.

Chance by Andrew Rule also has a chapter on it which is great as all his work is.

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Unfortunately, we can't bring you Fine Cotton Part Two today, we explain why in this pod, but it will be arriving soon. 

Instead, we present Frank Worthington, one of the wild men of English Football in the 1970s.

A friend of George Best, he once famously failed a medical at Liverpool because he went on a bender the week before. 

What follows is a wild ride of women, booze, gambling and some amazing football.

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We are back, and with the most requested topic we've ever had.

In Australia, the two most famous racehorses are Fine Cotton and Phar Lap but for opposite reasons. 

When a handful of colourful racing types attempted to swap the poor horse Fine Cotton, for the much faster Dashing Solitaire, it all seemed so easy.

What followed was an inept, sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious slow-moving disaster, with a mystery still at the heart of it.

We are doing two live Sports Bizarre shows on in Melbourne in February at the Corner Hotel. The first show is sold out and there’s only a few left for the second night. You can buy tickets here:

Tuesday 27th February

We are kicking off at the Corner Hotel because it’s a two minute walk from Mick’s house, but don’t worry if you’re not in Victoria, we will be announcing more dates in the near future.

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Resources

There is a heap of newspaper reports from the time, and ever since then there’s been interviews galore with many of the main players. That said, there are still a few who have remained very quiet on this topic.

The most recent book and the one worth grabbing if you want to dive deeper is The Fine Cotton Fiasco by Peter Hoysted and Pat Sheil.

Chance by Andrew Rule also has a chapter on it which is great as all his work is.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Titus sits down with The Ringer’s Editor-at-Large Bryan Curtis to discuss the wonderful world of Texas football.

They look at high school football, the rituals and rivalries of college football and the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.

Bryan discusses his beloved Texas Longhorns and how millions of dollars are poured into high school teams.

They also look at the Houston Oilers, the USFL’s San Antonio Gunslingers and why in Texas, the three Fs, Faith, Family and Football are so big.

We are doing two live Sports Bizarre shows on in Melbourne in February at the Corner Hotel. The first show is sold out and there’s only a few left for the second night. You can buy tickets here:

Tuesday 27th February

We are kicking off at the Corner Hotel because it’s a two minute walk from Mick’s house, but don’t worry if you’re not in Victoria, we will be announcing more dates in the near future.

If you’d like more Sports Bizarre, become a member of Bizarre Plus.

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Titus sits down with comedians and authors Paul Nardizzi & David Barend who literally wrote the books on how to annoy Jets and Yankees fans.

They discuss the Jets disastrous season and why non-Yankees fans hate Yankees fans.

We are doing two live Sports Bizarre shows in Melbourne in February at the Corner Hotel. You can buy tickets here:

Tuesday 20th February

Tuesday 27th February

We are kicking off at the Corner Hotel because it’s a two-minute walk from Mick’s house, but don’t worry if you’re not in Victoria, we will be announcing more dates in the near future.

If you’d like more Sports Bizarre, become a member of Bizarre Plus.

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Titus sits down with Devin Gordon, author of So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin' True Story of the New York Mets.

They chat about how Mets fans experience more pain than almost any other fans, and how whenever things look good, they go bad in the funniest way possible.

We are doing two live Sports Bizarre shows on in Melbourne in February at the Corner Hotel. You can buy tickets here:

Tuesday 20th February

Tuesday 27th February

We are kicking off at the Corner Hotel because it’s a two minute walk from Mick’s house, but don’t worry if you’re not in Victoria, we will be announcing more dates in the near future.

If you’d like more Sports Bizarre, become a member of Bizarre Plus.

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This week we look at people creating mayhem just for the joy of creating mayhem.

First, we look at snooker legend Jimmy White, particularly when he teams up with fellow madman Alex Higgins.

Next, we look at the total mayhem of mob football at the Atherstone Ball game.

Lastly, we look at the player who never played, Carlos Kaiser and his brush with organised crime.

We are doing two live Sports Bizarre shows in Melbourne in February at the Corner Hotel. You can buy tickets here:

Tuesday 20th February

Tuesday 27th February

We are kicking off at the Corner Hotel because it’s a two minute walk from Mick’s house, but don’t worry if you’re not in Victoria, we will be announcing more dates in the near future.

If you’d like more Sports Bizarre, become a member of Bizarre Plus.

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