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What are riches untold in a life without compassion? For theres no winter as cold As a life without compassion. Theres no prescription thats sold That can heal you like compassion. As any regular readers of this columns unabashedly indulgent ramblings may have detected, music is my first love and it will be my last (although plugging John Miles philosophy is not something I do with much enthusiasm). Graeme Wright, the estimable erstwhile editor of Wisden, even went so far as to dub me the first rock n roll cricket writer, a badge I wear with unseemly pride. Even so, my hero Todd Rundgrens plea for compassion has been falling on ever stonier ground of late - most troublingly, I readily confess, in the case of Mohammad Amir.As some of you might conceivably have noticed, my tolerance of match-/spot-fixing is approximately nine degrees below zero. Indeed, to attempt to predetermine even the merest millisecond of a sporting contest is, quite frankly, almost as despicable as racism. Dick Pound, the admirable Canadian lawyer who until recently spearheaded the drive to eliminate performance-enhancing drugs with impressively extreme prejudice, told a conference in Denmark last year that corruption was now the most dastardly enemy of fair and credible competition.To plot a result, or even a no-ball, deprives the competitive arts of their very essence: uncertainty, suspense and drama. Thats why it holds us in such a vice-like grip; and thats why my compassion for Amir has waxed and waned with such shameful frequency. As for those who have no compunction in persuading others to defraud spectators and subscribers, such as H***** C***** and S***** B***, I cannot even bring myself to type their names, much less - in the case of the former - mourn their passing.There is no need to remind you of the events of 2010, Amirs tender age, or the vast gulf in privilege between him and B***, the scruple-free captain who took such deplorable advantage of his insecurity. That both served the same time in jail and the same five-year ICC suspension only reinforces the rank, perverse injustice of it all.So how do I feel about Amirs return to NW8? Roughly as equivocal as I do about the prospect of a female prime minister whose home contains a shrine to that accursed Thatcher woman: delighted that someone without an Adams apple is going to take up residence at 10 Downing Street, utterly and profoundly depressed that Theresa May should offer our troubled nation so little by way of goodness, direction or relief.On the one hand, as Amirs precocious performances here half a dozen summers ago so sumptuously demonstrated, he has it in him to match - or perhaps even exceed - the fabulous feats of his countryman Wasim Akram, the greatest of all brisk left-arm ball-benders. On the other, his return to centre stage accentuates my despair at the alacrity with which sport is descending into fraudulent farce. For centuries boxing and horse racing were the prime culprits. Nor should it ever be forgotten that the laws of our trivial pursuit were drawn up expressly to combat corruption, nor that the earliest MCC tours of Australia were bedevilled by premeditated outcomes. Nor that baseballs formative years were consistently polluted by such dastardly deeds. Now even tennis has been poisoned by those to whom money means more than merit. As for that hardy perennial wrestling, home to such tough-as-nails troubadours as Mick McManus and Big Daddy, lets just remind ourselves what WWE stands for: not World Wrestling Endeavour or World Wrestling Effort but World Wrestling Entertainment.The best bit of blindingly obvious advice I could give myself, therefore, would be to steer clear of St Johns Wood for the next few days. The problem with that, however, is that it is also home to Harry Ms, which, according to Matthew Engel and myself, is indubitably the planets finest purveyor of chopped liver, salt beef, cold fried haddock, potato latkes, blintzes and lockshen pudding.That Amir deserves every ounce of compassion we can muster is beyond dispute, but can a case not be made with equal conviction that cricket would make an infinitely more important statement by withholding it, by being mercilessly ruthless?After all, the eight members of the Chicago White Sox team who conspired to throw the 1919 World Series were all banned sine die; even Buck Weaver, whose only crime was to be aware of the original negotiations with Abe Rothsteins henchmen, and Shoeless Joe Jackson, the illiterate farmboy whose displays against the Cincinnati Reds - bar some fumbles in the field - were never less than inspirational (hence his rebirth in Field of Dreams). Can it be entirely coincidental that match-fixing has never subsequently darkened the doors of Major League Baseball? Do bees sting?Having endured problems with trust in recent years I recently decided to purge myself of anger by forgiving those responsible. And thats why I will be urging Amir on rather than banging on about why not everyone deserves a second chance. And if cricket stands for anything, it is second chances. Kyle Connor Jets Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Jack Roslovic Jersey . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-josh-morrissey-jets-jersey/ . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Mark Scheifele Jets Jersey . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Josh Morrissey Jets Jersey . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson know what its like to play next to each other on a big stage when its all about flag and the gold prize.That was two years ago at the Ryder Cup, and they were undefeated as partners.They will be rivals Sunday, playing under their own flag, each pursuing golfs first Olympic gold medal since 1904.Rose made two eagles in the opening five holes Saturday and did a little shimmy after making a 10-foot par putt at the end for a 6-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead over Stenson going into the final round -- the medal round -- at Olympic Golf Course.After 112 years away, and three days of what amounted to preliminary heats, golf finally gets the feel of being in the Olympics when medals are awarded.Its like all the other sports, Rose said. You work really hard to get into the final, and tomorrow is about a great performance and bringing your best golf when you need it. I have the opportunity, and tomorrow is going to be fun.Rose was at 12-under 201, a slim margin over Stenson in any circumstances, even more considering the Swede is a month away from his some of the best golf ever played when he won the British Open at Royal Troon with the lowest 72-hole score in major championship history.Stenson had another 68, his best moment with a wedge in his hand -- but not for a shot he hit.Walking along the edge of the water on the par-5 10th hole, Stenson spotted a caiman -- a small crocodile in these parts -- and reached over to poke it with the end of his golf club.A little tickle with a lob wedge, Stenson said. I thought it could handle that, and if it would have been twice the size, then you probably need to go into the longer irons. He wasnt too big. He was facing the right way for me.He wound up making birdie on that hole, and two birdies later on the back nine kept him within range of Rose.Its not a two-man race, even if it felt like one.Marcus Fraser, the leader after the first two rounds, hit into a bunker on four straight holes early on and wound up with only one birdie in his round of 72. He was still alone in third place, though he was four shots behind and his lack of length could be factor in trying to keep pace with Rose and Stenson.Fraser was never expecting to be in the Rio Games until four other Australians withdrew.Not in my wildest dreams did I ever thiink I would come to the Olympics and compete, and now all of a sudden I have a chance of winning a medal, Fraser said.dddddddddddd It feels like Im going to wake up from this dream at some point. Hopefully, tomorrow I can go out there and play a bit better than I did today.Bubba Watson kept American hopes alive with a 5-under 67 that featured his own surreal moment. Watson had a 30-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole, but when he took his putter back, a clump of mud dropped to the ground. Watson tried to stop his stroke and failed, so the ball traveled only about 6 feet.It was the funniest thing ever, Watson said. I thought it could have been a bee or a bug. I looked down and I was like, `Thats mud. Where it come from? Mud putter. ... We laughed about it because I was like, `Man, Im going to be famous now. Im going to be a legend in Olympic golf history.It would help to make up six shots on Rose, or even two shots on Fraser, to go home with something.Watson shot 67 and was at 6-under 207 with Emiliano Grillo of Argentina and David Lingmerth of Sweden, both shooting 68. Another shot behind were Matt Kuchar and Padraig Harrington, the Irishman who was part of the panel that presented golfs case when it was voted back into the Olympics.Rickie Fowler had the low round of the blustery day with a 64, though he remained nine shots behind.Rose was four shots off the lead to start the second round, but not for long. He holed a 75-foot pitch for eagle from just short of the third green, where the tees were moved up to make it a 285-yard hole into the wind. Then, he hit 7-iron to 15 feet on the downwind, par-5 fifth hole and made that for another eagle. He took the lead for the first time with a 35-foot putt from off the 12th green.For all the talk about the stars who stayed home, this is just what golf needed in its return to the Olympics. Stenson is highest-ranked player in the field at No. 5, while Rose is at No. 12 and another player hopeful of adding an Olympic gold medal to the U.S. Open trophy he won in 2013.It would mean an awful lot, Rose said. You see what it means to the other Olympic athletes. Once a guy slips a gold medal around his neck, well all understand how important it is. ' ' '