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Baseball and snooker are two of the most soothing sports to watch on TV. No, not boring. Soothing. There's something about the rhythm of them, and, in the case of, snooker, the peace. The World Snooker Championships is currently taking place at the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. You can watch a fair amount of it for free in the UK via the BBC. Every shot is live via TNT Sports/HBO Max, and they do a good job. The BBC feels like the traditional, right place to watch it, though. Praise be for Hazel Irvine.

Do Sky Sports hate Spurs? That's probably a bit paranoid. Having former Arsenal player Alan Smith on co-commentary duty has been painful for Tottenham fans for years, though, but usually only if their side is playing. Things went a bit further yesterday. Per Football 365, On Monday Night Football, Smith spent much of the crucial Crystal Palace vs West Ham game criticising Spurs's Europa League winning hero Brennan Johnson. Smith could then be heard urging West Ham's Mohamadou Kante to “go on, all the way," as he tried to score what would have been a crucial goal in the relegation battle between Tottenham and the Hammers. We all know your affiliations, Alan, but, please, a bit of decorum.

Sir Olly Robbins and Dame Emily Thornberry Make Classic Parliamentary TV

Sir Olly Robbins appeared before the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday. The former top mandarin in the Foreign Office was explaining his role in Lord Peter Mandelson scandal. And he put on quite a show. Throughout the session, Sir Olly seemed calm and confident. The very best of the civil service. But he came to play to the cameras too.

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Free Women’s T20 World Cup Games a "Significant Step"

Sky Sports announced on Tuesday that a number of games in the forthcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be available for free. England vs Sri Lanka, the opening match of the tournament, will be on Sky Mix. The channel is available via Freeview. That game will also be shown on YouTube and Sky One.

Furthermore, the Scotland vs Ireland group stage clash is going to be on Sky Mix, too. That means the opening contest for each of the competing homes nations will be accessible for free. Beyond that, the home nations' 12 group matches are going to be available without a subscription via the Sky Sports app.

But what of the crunch games - the semi-finals and final? All three will be on the the app. In addition, the final will be shown for free on Sky Mix.

As other women's sports grow in popularity, there seems to be a real desire to help develop cricket, too. Sky’s chief sports officer UK & Ireland, Jonathan Licht, said:

Licht said his company "is a partner in its growth, working with the ICC and ECB to make these moments as impactful as possible.”

Sanjog Gupta, CEO, International Cricket Council, described the decisions as "a significant step by Sky Sports, our partner in the UK, and aligns with our strategy to widen access for fans across screens and stadia." Gupta added:

Beth Barrett-Wild, tournament director, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, said the competition "couldn’t be happier that even more people will be able to experience the spectacle live via this extensive Sky Sports coverage plan."

Honestly, I wish that women's sport did not always need the boost of broadcasters making it free. It would be great if it it was seen as prestige TV. However, we know that more growth is required. Women's cricket is seeing what has happened with rugby and football after major tournaments and trying to do the same. Ultimately, that means getting it in front of as many eyeballs as possible by making it as easy to watch as possible.

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What I'm Watching

As suggested above - the snooker! The World Championship is here, and available via both the BBC and TNT Sports.

What I'm Reading

My latest read is "All The Sinners Bleed" by S.A. Cosby. The thriller centres on Titus Crown, the first black sheriff in his Virginia country and what happens after a teacher is murdered and a pupil shot by deputies.

Get it on Amazon, Booskshop.org or Waterstones.

What I'm Listening to

I've been discovering a couple of new metal bands recently. There is the very heavy Cryptopsy, and the slightly less heavy Nevermore. Both are worth checking out.