Another Big Sports Day

Yes, Australians are mad for sports. A big week here Down Under. First, Tuesday is the biggest horse race of the year, the Melbourne Cup. You think the Kentucky Derby is a big deal? Well, the state of Victoria makes the Tuesday of the Melbourne Cup a state holiday. Contractors who are going to do a job at my house said they couldn't start until Wednesday because of the Cup -- and I don't live in Victoria!

The other big sports news is the arrival of England's cricket team, on page 1 of the Canberra Times, right below the Saddam Hussein verdict. England is here to contest the Ashes against Australia. It's the biggest event in the cricket calendar. The name? Way back in 1882, Australia beat England in a test match and an English sports newspaper said English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.

England won the Ashes in 2005 for the first time in 16 years, so the Aussies are particularly keen to win it back.