Parachute payments threat

Just when the Premier League thought that it could sign off the cheque to its expensive lawyers, along comes another prospective date in court. This time the revolting natives are in the Coca-Cola Championship, with Barry Kilby, the Burnley chairman, trying to round up the boys for a challenge to the controversial parachute payments that will go to the three relegated clubs from the top flight.

While Watford, Sheffield United and Charlton Athletic arrive in the lower league with £11.2 million in their coffers to soothe their relegation hurt, the rest of the Championship clubs pick up about £2 million — bolstered by an average £912,000 handout from the Premier League. Little wonder then that the big clubs remain big, can spend big and usually bounce back up again.

Kilby voiced yesterday what many Championship chairmen have been thinking for a long time when he said: “I honestly feel that it’s an illegal subsidy [the parachute payments] from the Premier League that distorts our competition [the Championship] so badly. I will be campaigning this autumn for us to bring this to court.”

Richard Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive, will groan at this new threat, but, my, how cheerful they will be at Messrs Sue, Grabbit and Run.

Franchitti pays high cost for shipping

Alas, Dario Franchitti finds himself paying for the most expensive trophy for his cabinet. The Scot had asked Michael Andretti, his team boss, if he could keep the No 27 car that he used to win the fabled Indianapolis 500 race this year. Andretti resisted until Sunday night, when the wreck of the car was brought back to the pits.

Franchitti had been airborne in a spectacular accident during Sunday’s Firestone 400 and was lucky to escape alive. The car was not so lucky and the repair bill could be north of £100,000 before Franchitti ships it to lie in state at Rednock Castle, his country seat in Perthshire.

Much luckier, New Yorker Matt Murphy, who had time during a stopover to Australia to catch a San Francisco Giants baseball game. He paid $13 (about £7.50) for a seat in the bleachers and caught the ball that gave Barry Bonds the record for home runs. Auctioneers were drooling yesterday, with estimates that the record-breaking ball could fetch at least £250,000 if Murphy chooses to sell. And the only price he had to pay was a bloody nose in the ruck caused by envious fans trying to prise the ball from his grip.

E-mail: theinsider@thetimes.co.uk