BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014

Go Harvey Go

So who'll be watching this along with, or instead of, the X Factor final?

Rory McIlroy is the odds-on favourite, with Lewis Hamilton second, and the rest all rank outsiders. (I'd like Jo Pavey or Lizzy Yarnold to come third, though.)

HeidiHeidi

Meeeee!

Can we vote, or is it all over by now?

dublinman1990

I'm watching Simple Minds at home doing a cracking performance of Waterfront in Glasgow tonight.

Go Harvey Go

You'd almost forget this used to be held at BBC Television Centre - the SSE Hydro is absolutely enormous. :eek:

The Bould Rabbit

Interesting choice of an opening clip with the helicopter flying over Glasgow. At least it didn't land inside a pub.

I thought for a sec the Queen was going to jump out of it with James Bond.

Go Harvey Go

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Meeeee!

Can we vote, or is it all over by now?

Why, there's plenty of time to vote.

HeidiHeidi

Go Harvey Go wrote: »

You'd almost forget this used to be held at BBC Television Centre - the SSE Hydro is absolutely enormous. :eek:

I was going to say..... thought this used to be held in a telly studio!

(Saw a bit of the 60 year retrospective earlier, they brought Red Rum up in the lift one year)

Think Gary may have been partying a bit in advance of the ceremony, by the sounds of it......

The Bould Rabbit

Lineker looks (and sounds) like he was in Bairds till all hours last night.

Paul Tergat

Ronnie O'Sullivan not being nominated is ridiculous

Skid X

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Meeeee!

Can we vote, or is it all over by now?

Hiya,

You have to register at the link here http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/sports-personality/30172271 and then you can vote later (using your BBC registration)

Go Harvey Go

Paul Tergat wrote: »

Ronnie O'Sullivan not being nominated is ridiculous

Perhaps if he hadn't blown it in the World Championship final - and perhaps if the UK Championship had been held earlier than this month...

Skid X

The Winter Olympics seems like years ago.

Go Harvey Go

Loving Lizzy's dress...

HeidiHeidi

It's mad to think that Lizzy Yarnold has kids whose mother fires herself head-first down an ice-slope at 90mph for a job......

.... on a tea tray......

The Bould Rabbit

Hamilton will win it I think.

His achievement is still fresh in the memory and being the first Brit to win the driver's championship twice in 40 years is another feather in his cap.

The only thing that may go against him is his age as voters might overlook him in the assumption that he'll be around for a long time yet and has plenty more titles in him.

HeidiHeidi

Go Harvey Go wrote: »

Loving Lizzy's dress...

Noooo!

Go Harvey Go

The Bould Rabbit wrote: »

Hamilton will win it I think.

His achievement is still fresh in the memory and being the first Brit to win the driver's championship twice in 40 years is another feather in his cap.

The only thing that may go against him is his age as voters might overlook him in the assumption that he'll be around for a long time yet and has plenty more titles in him.

McIlroy is odds on, though.

Worth pointing out that Lewis was runner-up in 2007 and 2008.

Skid X

Hon Stephanie Roche!

Hope she wins the FIFA Goal of the Year.

HeidiHeidi

Nice one - Stephanie Roche's goal made it into the programme!

HAVE YOU ALL VOTED FOR HER???

http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/puskas-award/index.html

The Bould Rabbit

He had a good game against Swansea today.

Skid X

The Bould Rabbit wrote: »

Hamilton will win it I think.

His achievement is still fresh in the memory and being the first Brit to win the driver's championship twice in 40 years is another feather in his cap.

The only thing that may go against him is his age as voters might overlook him in the assumption that he'll be around for a long time yet and has plenty more titles in him.

He's not very popular, though.

Our Rory is favourite at the moment (although there have been surprises in the past)

http://www.oddschecker.com/awards/sports-personality-of-the-year/winner

Skid X

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Nice one - Stephanie Roche's goal made it into the programme!

HAVE YOU ALL VOTED FOR HER???

Dozens of times, Heidi :pac: Voting is closed now.

dublinman1990

Skid X wrote: »

Hiya,

You have to register at the link here http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/sports-personality/30172271 and then you can vote later (using your BBC registration)

Unfortunately, Irish viewers are not allowed to vote in this show as it's only open to UK viewers.

HeidiHeidi

Skid X wrote: »

Dozens of times, Heidi :pac: Voting is closed now.

Is it??? Thought it re-opened for the final three, until whenever the ceremony is in January

Skid X

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Is it??? Thought it re-opened for the final three, until whenever the ceremony is in January

Oh, you're right. I'll have to start twiddling the knobs to get different IP addresses again!

http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/puskas-award/

Go Harvey Go

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Is it??? Thought it re-opened for the final three, until whenever the ceremony is in January

Well, it looked like you were asking when we could vote in the SPOTY in post #2...

HeidiHeidi

Go Harvey Go wrote: »

Well, it looked like you were asking when we could vote in the SPOTY...

Sorry, sorry, sorry, I was talking about both (separately)!

Apologies for any confusion caused, normal service is now resumed

dublinman1990

Paul McGinley must be in the audience in Glasgow tonight as he is the captain for this years winning Ryder Cup team.

There may be a segment highlighting this year's Ryder Cup win later on in the show.

Skid X

There is a lot of tokenism in the Shortlist. Most people have never heard of most of the finalists.

Going through them one by one is making it very dull.

HeidiHeidi

This youngfella sounds like he might put his foot in his mouth any minute now...... Wrap it up, Claire!

Go Harvey Go

Paul Tergat wrote: »

Ronnie O'Sullivan not being nominated is ridiculous

Incidentally, a snooker player has won the SPOTY before - Steve Davis in 1988.

The Nugget was also runner-up in 1981 and 1987, and third in 1984 and 1989, while Alex Higgins and Stephen Hendry were runners-up in 1982 and 1990 respectively.

Remarkably, Dennis Taylor didn't finish in the top 3 in 1985, despite the manner of his World Championship win.

dublinman1990

Aggie and Tilly are beautiful dogs. I seen that character on CBBC before.

Go Harvey Go

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Sorry, sorry, sorry, I was talking about both (separately)!

Apologies for any confusion caused, normal service is now resumed

To be fair, it's not so easy to keep track when you're following the X Factor thread as well...

The Bould Rabbit

dublinman1990 wrote: »

I seen that character on CBBC before.

I saw the Turkey version on The Den on RTÉ 25 years earlier !

Go Harvey Go

Will it be third time lucky for Lewis?

Incidentally, he's one of nine people to have been runner-up twice without winning. Among the other eight are Darren Clarke, Bobby Charlton and Frank Bruno.

dublinman1990

Our thoughts and prayers go to Michael Schumacher on continuing his fight from his severe skiing accident in the French Alps.

That was also a nice intro for Lewis Hamilton going out on the stage.

HeidiHeidi

Stop chattering about your day today and your holiday plans, Lewis.

The Bould Rabbit

How the hell can horses doing ballet be considered a sport?

This is just waffle to fill time.

Skid X

The dressage woman has as much chance of winning this as I do of being crowned Miss Ireland next year.

Go Harvey Go

Skid X wrote: »

The dressage woman has as much chance of winning this as I do of being crowned Miss Ireland next year.

We have had two female eventers win before, though - although, of course, they're both Windsors. :rolleyes:

The Bould Rabbit

Right - That's the subscribers to 'Horse & Hound' sorted for the next five years.

Back to sport.

Skid X

https://twitter.com/HylandIan/status/544235306497875968

HeidiHeidi

The title of this award is a bit of a misnomer IMO....

These are all fantastic, successful, and dare I say inspirational, sportspeople - (outstanding) in their fields - but great personalities they ain't!

The Bould Rabbit

Hard to believe its been 15 years since Helen died.

Go Harvey Go

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

The title of this award is a bit of a misnomer IMO....

These are all fantastic, successful, and dare I say inspirational, sportspeople - (outstanding) in their fields - but great personalities they ain't!

Also Darren Clarke is a better personality than Zara Phillips.

(I'll never forget that one... :rolleyes: )

The Bould Rabbit

Prince Hewitt isn't the worst of them but that background music must be doing his head in.

Still, it was ant livelier he might start taking his clothes off.

HeidiHeidi

Go Harvey Go wrote: »

Also Darren Clarke is a better personality than Zara Phillips.

(I'll never forget that one... :rolleyes: )

Well he'd certainly beat her in a pint-sinking championships!

The Bould Rabbit

Prince Hewitt isn't the worst of them but that background music must be doing his head in.

Still, it was any livelier he might start taking his clothes off.

Go Harvey Go

Not too hard to believe that Prince Harry is 30, actually.

Go Harvey Go

Gabby is capable of wearing better things.

HeidiHeidi

What was all that rugby waffle about

What kind of bizarre handicam is that boxer fella wearing while jogging?