Bat Story (contd.)

Since there never is a cricket match at the Midwest Cricket Conference over long weekends (and i'm quite sure that'll be the case with every other cricket league in the US), I have two weeks to go before i get to play another match.

And two weeks to get my bat ready (Which is a hell lot of time)!!

Contrary to my earlier attempts at knocking my bat in my apartment, with some loud music to drown out the Tok Tok, I thought i'll be nice to the neighbours. Not that anybody would be home during the day, but some poor soul might be recovering from some illness, or someone might have worked in the nights, and trying to catch up with some sleep.

So I decided to knock my bat in my terrace. And does my terrace have a spectacular view.
I live right off Lake Shore Drive, in Chicago. This terrace, overlooks, Lake Shore Drive, and an unhindered view of Lake Michigan. In between, Lake Shore Drive, and the lake, is a lush green golf course, studded with beautiful trees.

Sitting at this place, i've been knocking my bat, one hour sessions, and i've finished about 6 hours in total. One way to tell whether the bat has been knocked in well or not, is to press on the wood, with your finger nail. If it leaves a tell tale mark, then your blade is not ready yet. The mark my nail leaves now ,is a small tiny one. Almost ready. If i had a match, i could use my bat confidently without any worry, but since I have more than a week to go, then I can knock it in a li'l more. The more knocked a new bat is, the better. So yippee!!

I've already identified the sweet spot in my Baby Blade, and its pretty decent in size. Only thing is, i hate the dull Tok, that comes from below the sweet spot, and above it. Guess, thats the deal with Kashmir Willow bats. Hopefully next year, if I get to make a trip to India, i'll have an English Willow, maybe Grade II or Grade I.

So, bat's getting ready, now what needs to be done, is to score some runs !!!

Talking about the bat, (which is BDM, as i've mentioned in an earlier post). There was a flyer that came with the bat, extolling the virtues of the bat manufacturer, and some instructions on the care of the bat. The language, I must add here, is supposedly English, but borders on humor. An example, quoted verbatim....

"In case of an AWKWARDLY TAPPED, YORKER on hard ground, when ball strikes the BOTTOM EDGE or TOE of the bat with SUBSTENTIAL FORCE, OR A MISTIME SHOT CROSS HITTED, when ball is knocking hardly with the INNER SIDE ENDGE OF THE BAT, CAN CAUSE BREAK DOWN or even IRREPARABLE DAMAGE at any time in the life of a CRICKET BAT."

Now, talking about the flyer, and humor, I cant possibly leave out the picture of the male model in it, can I? There is a picture of poor soul, who in my opinion, must be an employee at B.D.Mahajan & Sons, (most likely the accountant sort). I think he must have been threatened with losing his job, as i doubt anybody in their right frame of mind, would pose for such a picture.

The picture, apparently is an attempt to showcase, the full range of gear that BDM produces. There's this dude, wearing a batsman's attire, helmet, armguard, pads, thigh pads, chest guard, etc etc. The thing about this picture is, said dude in question is wearing a sleeveless vest, and an underwear !! I'm surprised, how they didnt have the guy turn around a little, so that the picture can also show that they also manufacture, the abdomen guards. (Oh, actually, its brilliant. The shot shows a tinge of white between this guy's thighs, and a tinge of blue at this backside. So, its a white ab guard, over a blue underwear. Brilliant photography !!)

And wearing all this, poor dude, is actually smiling. I guess its a smile of relief, that he saved his ass, and his job !!

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Disappointment

Mr. Perkins, the biology teacher at a posh girl's school, said during class, "Miss Smythe, would you please name the organ of the human body, which under the appropriate conditions, expands to six times its normal size, and define the conditions."

Miss Smythe gasped, then said freezingly, "Mr. Perkins, I don't think that is a proper question to ask me. I assure you my parents will hear of this."

With that she sat down red-faced. Unperturbed, Mr. Perkins called on Miss Johnson and asked the same question.

Miss Johnson, with composure, replied, "The pupil of the eye, in dim light."

"Correct," said Mr. Perkins. "And now, Miss Smythe, I have three things to say to you. One, you have not studied your homework.

Two, you have a dirty mind.

And three, you will some day be faced with a dreadful disappointment."