There were bats, balls and plenty of swear words flying about the MCG as Shane Warne and West Indies star Marlon Samuels took a particular dislike to one another.

Despite what has been written and analysed in the time since, it’s hard to tell exactly when it all first kicked off, but it seemed as though Samuels was the instigator when he used his arms to prevent David Hussey going for a second run during the Stars’ innings. 

Later in the evening when it was Warne’s turn to bowl at Samuels, the Aussie spin king ripped a fierce delivery down the pitch and then directed the magic F-word at the West Indies all-rounder. 

A few overs later, Warne fielded the ball and rather childishly threw it at Samuels before the latter launched his bat in the direction of Liz Hurley’s fiancé.

Warne then took his frustrations out at one of the umpires as things got a little out of hand and the leg-spinner was later fined $4500 and banned for one game.

Personally I think he got off a little light, however cricket bosses have since come out and said they could see the publicity value of the incident.

Now, they probably shouldn’t have said that publicly but in all honesty, it has finally given the Melbourne derby some real soul.

RACISM REARS ITS UGLY HEAD IN ITALY

I was appalled to read of a disgusting incident in Italian football last week but I applaud the actions of the players involved.

European giants AC Milan made the short trip north to face lower division club Pro Patria for a mid-season friendly.

Midway through the first half, Milan star Kevin Prince Boateng (who is of Ghanaian descent) picked up the ball, booted it at a section of Pro Patria fans and walked off the pitch after he was the victim of racist chanting.

His teammates, who should get a lot of credit for the way they handled the situation, followed him off the pitch and the match was abandoned. 

Boateng, 25, has since received the full support of his club, yet surprisingly his actions have also been questioned by none other than FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, who said walking off was not the answer. Well, I would love to hear exactly what his solution would be.

It beggars belief how people can still maintain such attitudes in this day and age. And going by Blatter’s response it would seem that Pro Patria fans are not the only ones still locked in the Dark Ages.

MONSTAR WILLIAMS A STAR IN THE MAKING

Most Aussie sports fans probably wouldn’t have taken much notice of the BCS national championship college football game, which was fought out between fierce rivals Alabama and Notre Dame in front of 80,000 spectators yesterday afternoon (Aussie time). 

But remarkably, there was a big Australian undertone to the match (which was still being played when this page went to print) as Queenslander Jesse “The Monstar” Williams, who plays in Alabama’s defensive line, represented the Crimson Tide. 

That is a massive achievement regardless of the outcome and if reports are to be believed, Williams looks set for a long stint in the NFL from next season!