Here are the goods and bads of June so far:
Good
John Kear
His sudden passing at the age of 71 was a sad surprise, he was as enthusiastic a co-commentator as possible during the Challenge Cup Finals on Saturday and it's hard to believe that's that, he's gone.
By many of the accounts I've read today he was a thoroughly lovely, supporting human being, and on the sporting side he was one of the most successful British coaches in living memory. It's fitting in a sense that his final public act was to help cover a final at Wembley, the same place where he secured one of the most famous upsets in the history of the game.
He was one of a sadly small number of people who was consistently able to tap into the history of the sport while also bringing home the modern-day game as well.
I'll leave the final words on him to Dave Woods, but ah, what a loss. Rest in Peace, John.
One of the most colourful souls have ever come from the city of Bradford.
Katie McCabe
Leaving Arsenal for Chelsea in the WSL is going to make for some lively games next season, another wind-up masterstroke by the best Dub in the league.
The former equalised against Germany (before losing by a few) and followed it up with a draw against Ecuador, they came in as minnows and played fearlessly, can only commend them. Cabo Verde were plonked in a group that looked impossible, but not only did they qualify for the knockouts, they did it while remaining unbeaten against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia – incredible. The jury is out on Concacaf (and very dubious about the bonus spots that have gone to the AFC), but the CAF nations have shown the standard they uphold, 9 out of the 10 qualified teams from Africa made it to the knockouts, this confederation was only given 6 spots in 2022.
This Abba Cover
Years old, but still brilliant:
Bad
Dublin GAA Footballers
Speaking of Dubs, after defeat to Louth at a sparsely populated Croke Park, their odds of even reaching the quarters are looking rather slim, there's a couple of potential ties even in Round 2B that look beyond them at present.
[30 June] Well, since I wrote this they've dumped out Donegal and Galway to make the semis, some turnaround.
Manchester Super Giants
More specifically, the AI infused launch of their jersey for 2026. I hate every shred of it, the name, logo, jersey, and blatant, shoddy use of AI to produce the video. It just looks cheap, had I not already grabbed tickets I don't think I'd have bothered this year, it's genuinely irritated me.
I knew the infusion of money from new ownership would require changes to align with the various new priorities (particularly for teams being bought by IPL-linked folks), but even accounting for that the MSG look and feel is well below the mark – I'd like to think the ECB and other stakeholders are paying attention.
Interior Design Masters
This isn't a show I watch all that often but I made the mistake of watching the semi and good grief, the judging. It seemed to be scored according to their whims and anything remotely practical was frowned upon (god forbid a family room be tailored towards said family). The head judge is stealing a living, and for some reason their backup for this episode was a luxury hotel guy – for a football hospitality/family room challenge. 
Monaco
Crap Grand Prix, even worse potholes.
Off-field nonsense by the English Cricket team
A really positive win was secured against New Zealand after months of negative chatter, and any goodwill acquired is instantly thrown away by Stokes and Atkinson staying out. It sounds like they weren't the aggressors, but they shouldn't have been there in the first place and bang, the cloud hovers over once more. On that note...
Lord's being guaranteed tests
This isn't the first time daft things have happened at that ground, I've seen bowling balls bounce higher than some of last week's test - it was just a messy test which only reached Sunday because of the lousy weather.
Mid-June weather
I've got wind burn today (13 June) at the Cricket. No, not sun burn (I was shaded under a stand), wind burn. What I had in my head as a nice, summer day watching Ireland in the World Cup turned into a brutally cold day and my skin being a delightful shade of red - class.
The UK Government's policy around social media
In a week where various bad actors were clearly trying to instigate riots and disorder via the usual platforms, the Government have decided to most appropriate step to take is *checks notes* - try to stop 14/15 year olds from being on social media and not taking any action to bump up enforcement against platforms - class.
Intense heat in the UK
We're not built for it, and the climate jumping in such a manner is not ideal.
Most senior figures involved with the England Men's Cricket Team
Ben Stokes shouldn't be the only one walking, RIP Bazball.