not baseball

Bloody good show, eh? England win back the Ashes from the Ozzies who have been hoarding them since 1987. The Ashes, lore has it, symbolized the cremation of the English cricket after their first defeat by Australia on home ground in 1882 [at the Oval]. The urn doesn’t really exchange hands – it just sits [...]

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As I mentioned, yesterday we went to hang out at Washington Park for some sporty fun. The park is an amazing urban space. Someone recently was grouching that Chicago parks have no character and I wish they had come with us to see how much character and life they do have – from people, natch. [...]

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A few days ago, I hit a perfect drive over mid-on. It was a gorgeous shot, really. The bat moving as an extension of myself. I saw the very moment that the ball hit the pitch and, seemingly, slowed down for me. I have hit that shot hundreds of time, in real matches even. During [...]

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Played a few games of cricket yesterday. The venue was the entrance to the Reg. Ostensibly, we were all there for this. But, the sun was shining blue and I had a bat in my hand after a long, long time. The teams and the audience were a mixed bag of subalternists, cambridge wallas, and [...]

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We were seniors or juniors, I cannot remember. The sun had baked the earth of Lahore into clay even in early March. I was a new convert to cricket. Having been raised on the mean streets of Doha, the game was as foreign to me as Gulli-Danda [also a source of shame]. However, in any [...]

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No fun being a fan of Pakistani cricket lately. Of course, I have risen above such petty nationalisms a long time ago. I am now an objective connoisseur of the tao of cricket. But for those that care, Pakistan has taken a beating far surpassing their usual flameouts. Consider this: First Test – Australia wins [...]

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Over at tsk, is an ad hominem attack on Cricket. And I am asked to defend it. Just as tsk has to defend white man’s brutal colonialism that has led to the unfortunate situation where a poor sepoy has to defend the landed gentleman’s leisurely pursuit of sipping tea and knocking around a leather ball [...]

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Amazing. I don’t really have any passion for the Red Sox – although they appeal to my inner demons. I do have a real passion against the Yankess. They appeal to everything I hate about organized sports in the US. Last night, I went over to tsk‘s crib and we enjoyed a multi-screen bonanza of [...]

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Cricket is that beloved game that cements the colony to the empire. It has a murky origin in English pastures but, at least, since 1709, we have documented games of cricket being played. In the beginning, the rules were quite flexible. Some people showed up with huge bats, some bowled all day long. To put [...]

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On Sunday, India and Pakistan will meet in Colombo, Sri Lanka for their first round match in the Asia Cup. Pakistan is defending the title it won in 2000. India is defending the can of whup-ass it opened on Pakistan in 2004. Yes, Pakistan has the new coach but if their performance against Sri Lanka [...]

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ICC announced a couple of days ago the venues for the 2007 World Cup. Missing prominently was any US venue even though Fort Lauderdale, Florida made a serious bid for the games. It is no secret that ICC clearly wants in on the US market and, as the Telegraph piece points out, “in South Florida [...]

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The Goans, in India, are going crazy for Portugal in Euro 2004. First, I learn that Morocco was wildly cheering for France and now the Goans. Granted that the Portugese were the most insipid of imperialists – they got to India before anyone else and they stayed longer than anyone else – with very little [...]

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If I had one superhero, one legend, in my youth it was the amazing Imran Khan- Captain of Pakistan Cricket Team through late 80s. I remember that poster in Aamir’s room of Imran’s bowling action and how I tried oh-so-sadly to emulate that. Got my ass kicked. Imran Khan cemented his legend by leading Pakistan [...]

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Pakistan sacked Javed Miandad yesterday. I have to say that not only was this needed but way overdue. Miandad was a great cricketer but he sucked as a coach. Just in the last four years, the man has been fired, he resigned, he got left behind in New Zealand with the luggage. And of course, [...]

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News today that Diego Maradona is under intensive care after suffering from respitory failure – maybe the result of an overdose. To a generation, such as mine, which never saw Pele play live, Maradona was the greatest ever. World Cup 1986: We dragged the teevee out into the back garden. Amma would go to sleep [...]

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Pakistan allowed India to come to their house, eat everything in the fridge, watch their dvds, make long distance phone calls, misplace the mail and then borrow a couple of hundred for just a day or two until the payroll check clears. Then India packed up the open can of whup-ass and boarded the Samjhota [...]

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I cannot believe that. 400 runs scored by one man. This is incredible. This is bigger than 61* or 72 (or whatever Bonds is on now). Brian Lara faced 582 deliveries; hit 43 fours and 4 sixes. He was on the crease for 773 minutes – 12 hours of batting concentration. It was a flawless [...]

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