Triumph and Troubles

Triumph and Troubles, the official biography of the Kilkenny hurler Charlie Carter, includes a heartwarming mother-in-law story. On the night of the 1999 All Ireland final, which the Cats lost to Cork, Carter was "as drunk as a monkey" and gave manager Brian Cody a "tongue-lashing" for taking him off during the game.

His mother-in-law Kathleen, who "felt very bad on my behalf", joined the fray and told Cody that if Carter hadn't been taken off, Kilkenny might have won. "Yes, a wonderful mother-in-law," purrs Carter. "They do exist."

We'll have to wait for Cody's memoirs to find out how he reacted to this double-whammy. And given the number of GAA books being published, we probably won't have to wait too long.

"The biggest challenge that I've faced in covering No Child Left Behind is making it understandable for readers," he said in an interview. "The potential for confusion is pretty great. ... At a recent meeting, it made me think of the federal tax code."