Compliments to the Kilkenny People Weekender on their splendid frontpage headline ("All Star disgrace") last weekend. The subject of the story? The omission of Eoin Larkin from the Vodafone All Stars hurling team. The people who reckoned it was a disgrace? A number of "knowledgeable hurling supporters" enjoying "a well-earned drink" in Seamus Delaney's of Patrick Street.

The Kilkenny city parish in which Seamus's fine hostelry is located? St Patrick's. The GAA club in the parish?

James Stephens. The team Eoin Larkin does his hurling with? Take a wild guess.

Heaven only knows what the lads in Delaney's made of the GPA team.

CORK TAKING NO BITE FROM THE BIG APPLE

Talking of the All Stars, the Cork hurlers, with the exception of first-time nominee Kieran Murphy, were conspicuous by their absence. No Sean Og, no Donal Og, no Ben, no Jerry. One infers from this that they're fully on the GPA bandwagon. This in turn begs an obvious question. If one or more of the four lads is invited to New York next month with the All Stars, will he/they travel? Surely not. Anything else would be hypocrisy, wouldn't it?

SAFE ESCAPE, AND NOT FROM CAVAN FOOTBALL

The superlative performances of Cavan's Paul Brady and Cork's Tony Healy at the Simple Green US Open of Handball in California last week have been deservedly applauded.

Brady's victory and Healy's thirdplace finish in the tournament with a first prize of $25,000 have lifted the profile of the sport in Ireland. The presence of a former American footballer in the doubles portion of the competition, however, spawned the most headlines Stateside.

Jake Plummer was an NFL quarterback for 10 years. At the end of last season, he walked away from the Denver Broncos and the sport, leaving behind an annual salary in excess of $8m. His reasons were simple. He wanted to get out before he had incurred so many heavy hits from linebackers that he'd be in pain for the rest of his life. With the financial freedom of a rich 32-yearold, Plummer returned to his native Idaho and threw himself back into his "rst love: handball. That was the game his father . . . a state champion . . . had passed onto him and his brothers as kids. "After going to his tournaments as kids, hanging around and watching him play, we all eventually started playing. I'm the worst of the bunch. My brother Eric has won numerous state titles and my other brother Brett, won the Idaho singles title last year. But I've been playing a lot more lately."

Club football in Cavan may be hairy at times. But at least Paul Brady doesn't have to worry about onrushing linebackers.