No Games on TV

Loose cannon with former Asian Games gold medallist and multiple SEA Games gold medallist, Anat Ratanapol. The two often met at SEA Games and other major athletics and multi-sports festivals

Harian Metro's Azahar Md Taib, loose cannon and Arul Rajoo from Bernama posing outside the media centre in Hanoi, 2003

Meeting deadlines pre-Internet and mobile phone era. On loose cannon's right is Dan Guen Chin, Mokhtar Dahari's ghostwriter and former New Straits Times sportswriter. Pic taken in Chiangmai, Thailand, 1995.

Say what you want but Malay Mail used to boast the best sports desk in the country because we knew our stuff. Sports official would tremble with fear upon hearing a Malay Mail rep would be attending the PC or meeting. From left Tony Yee, Mustapha "El Loco" Kamaruddin, loose cannon. Wearing Bayern Munich's colours is the unmistakeable figure of Satwant Singh Dhaliwal.

Truth be told, loose cannon does not miss the frenzied atmosphere of covering the biennial SEA Games. He would rather be at home and watch the action from the comfort of his home. Unfortunately for the 2009 edition in Laos, Malaysians are missing out on live action since no TV stations had the money to burn to purchase the broadcasting rights.

Loose cannon is not too sure whether our neighbours in Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are getting live feed. When the Lao organising committee put the broadcasting and distribution rights on sale with the price set according to the economic standing of each nation, neither Media Prima, Astro nor RTM felt the fees were justifiable. So the Malaysian football team's 11-goal feast over Timor Leste was not shown live. Neither was the 3-1 defeat to Vietnam earlier today.