大象传媒

The prodigious throw-ins of Stoke City's wing-half Rory Delap have caused fear in the defences of many of the country's top teams during the club's first season in the Premier League.

However, in their analysis of Delap's throw-ins, scientists discovered that there was something more to them than accuracy or distance.
One unexpected discovery was, said one, that "his throws resembled uncannily the arc described by a comet in its journey around Outer Space"...

The International Space Agency, which has many objects in Space that it has to name, heard of the scientists' work; and recently approved a comet in the outer reaches of the Solar System as the 'Delap Comet'.

Needless to say, the man at the centre of the news is both delighted and embarrassed...

The Delap Comet is the only space object to be named after a football player.
Stoke City's Chief Executive Tony Scholes says he too was surprised by the honour, but now has even more astronomical ambitions for the club...

But how did the rest of the scientific establishment respond to this initiative?听
In interview on 大象传媒 Radio Stoke, the respected astronomer Patrick Moore pointed out that the move had caused some controversies...

The Delap Throw-In story has been the football event of 2008/9. To see more, click on the link below: