The car park at the superbly-appointed International Centre in Telford is packed every day this week and schoolchildren pour in by the coachload. "The fans won't like it," said a spokesman, "but they're all available."Baseball has not yet gone completely mad. Within three hours Johnson had been sacked, the third manager to suffer that fate at the hands of the Os owner, Peter Angelos, in four years.Ostensibly, the reason was a row over a charity donation. In truth it was Angelos' refusal to countenance anyone with a mind of their own.

This time the reason is salary costs, even though Marlins' owner, Wayne Huizenga, of Blockbuster Video fame, is one of the richest men in America. The team's best hitter, Moises Alou, has already been traded. So he jettisoned Johnson, owner of the best career record of any active major league manager.But the 1997 world champions, the Florida Marlins, are behaving equally weirdly They have put the whole team up for sale. Sport can be strange and unpredictable It can be eccentric and bizarre. Rarely though does it descend to the levels of certifiable insanity being plumbed by Major League Baseball. That is what happening as America's national pastime goes into the winter break. Last week Davey Johnson of the Baltimore Orioles was named the American League manager of the year, after a 98-64 regular season in which the Orioles led their division throughout. Imagine Arsenal giving Arsene Wenger his marching orders, or Manchester United announcing that Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Dennis Irwin, Andy Cole et al had to be sold.

``In my breaststroke events, times have improved by four seconds over 20 years and some events still more."We have shaved our heads and we have shaved body hair and you wonder how much more can be done.''. The mask, an idea of former Olympic gold medallist David Wilkie, combines the traditional swimming cap and goggles and has a bold Union Jack across the top of the head. The mask (right), modelled by Karen Pickering and Graham Smith, will be marketed by Speedo. "It is mainly for the competitive swimmer but there is no reason why it shouldn't be worn by the recreational swimmer as well," Wilkie said.Wilkie, who won silver in Munich in 1972 and gold at Montreal four years later, was the first male swimmer to wear separate swim cap and goggles in international competition.But results show that the mask reduces drag around the eyes by up to 53 per cent "Swimmers are getting faster all the time,'' Wilkie said. Britain's swimmers are trying out a revolutionary silicone mask in their pursuit of world and Olympic medals. Phillips, 22, son of the Bridgend coach, John Phillips, was released by his father as Bridgend had exceeded their quota of overseas players.. They were very physical but also flexible and quite agile.''The hosts need to win to ensure they go through to a play-off against France to qualify for the European Championships.. Liam Botham, son of former England cricketer Ian, has joined the Welsh Cup holders Cardiff after being freed by West Hartlepool.