(a)Musings & not so (a)Musings

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

More Personalitiy Indicators

Ah, found out a couple of more personality tests. Funny comparisons I say...'What kind of Tic Tac are you'? Seemed a little ok, but 'What kind of drunk are you'? Lol, was hilarious, had to try it out...And here are the results...

spearmint
You are Spearmint.
You are quick-witted and sharp. You pay close
attention to details and you can tell what your
friends are feeling. You are always the first
to understand a joke and you are valued for
your insight and advice. However, you
sometimes isolate yourself from other people,
afraid to share your own feelings.
Most Compatible With: Cinnamon


Which Tic-Tac Flavor Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla<

Professor Drunk.
"It might be benefishhhul if you tried to work
it out with herrr."
Regardless of how bright you are sober, you tend to
spout out advice and knowledge when you are
inhibriated. A rare drunk type, sometimes
others are awed by your presence.

(Now, is that supposed to be good or bad, hmmm??)

What Kind of Drunk are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

What kind of Greek God am I?:-

Now, ladies, beware, if you are expecting me to look like a Greek God, you will surely be disappointed. But if thats not a concern, they please collect the ticket from window number 3, and get in line.

According to this study.....

Me's Ahphrodite, The Greek God of Love..
"You are like the Greek God of Love. You firmly believe in soulmates, in caring for each other - and ultimately staying true to your life partner. You've either found, or are looking for 'The One' for you. Romantic, kind, generous and always loving - you have a beauty that is inexplicable both inside and out. "

Phew, that was somethin', wasn't it? ;)


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Monday, August 30, 2004

A 12th man's summary....

A Sonics Cricket Club Column - Sonics Vs Warriors

It is the practice in our team, for each player to 'sit down' for a match, so as to give everybody else a chance to play. Most of the players in our team, work, and have families, so they 'sit down' for more than a match. I, on the other hand, neither work, nor am I married, have been enjoying a continuous streak of matches right from the time the season started, (despite my woeful form with the bat !!). This match, I wasnt so lucky, and hence, had to stay back.

Since I wasnt playing, I decided to be the team's 12th man . Not that anybody asked, but what the heck, instead of spending a depressing sunday at home, why not go with my guys and watch the match. Considering we have a few 'senior citizens' [ ;) ] playing for us, I was sure I'd get a chance on the field.

Having said that, I should strongly protest the abuse of the 12th man (read, me). A 12th man's role, is strictly to bring water to the players, and take the field in case somebody's hurt, or to provide bats and stumps to a playing 11 player like Inzamam Ul Haq to beat up a spectator who calls him Aloo, Tamatar or whatsoever. But today, man, I was asked to roll out the mat, help carry lunch, and also act as a leg umpire !! Pure sacrilege, a 12th man undergoing such rigors on a day off? Tsk Tsk. What has Sonics come to?

After initial apprehensions over the state of the mat, and also the pitch itself, both teams decided to bat just on one end. The same end, where we at Sonics created a Midwest Cricket Conference record.

We won the toss, and elected to field first.

Atif, who the team missed for quite a few matches, not just as a player, but also as a friend, decided to play the last two matches. And since he was coming late, I took the field on his behalf and stood at my now, customary position - point.

Hasan started the first over, and slipped just after he delivered the first ball. It appeared quite bad, as he was down on the pitch clutching his knee. The overnight rain, had seeped through the unprotected mat, and his foot slipped on the wet mat, as he was delivering the ball.

Watching Hasan writhing in pain, I grew a set of horns on my head, and a tail as well, the incarnation of the Devil. And a small dialogue ensued between the Devil and Me...

Devil - "I hope his knee doesnt recover today, maybe tomorrow. You get a chance to play"
Me - "No way, he bowled a ball, there's absolutely no way the umpire will let me play in the team."
Devil - "You Sure?"
Me - "Positive"
Devil - "Aw Shucks"
Me - "Yea, Shucks alright. But I hope his knee recovers quickly, he's too good a player to be missed"

And poof the Devil disappeared. Good triumphed over Evil.

But anyway, being out there in the middle as a 12th man is far better than sitting outside the boundary, and keeping scores. So no complaints there. I was infact hoping, Atif would come very late, so I can continue to be in the field.

Hasan, with great difficulty completed his first over, on a shortened run up, and limped off the field. Kush shared the new ball with Adnan, who had a great day. On a cloudy and windy day, Adnan generated great swing, and had the opposition openers Asif Rangoonwala (who I must mention, was kind enough to tie a great bandage over a deep gash on my arm last season, when I cut my arm over a piece of glass, on this very ground - Ground 4 at Washington Park) and Zafeer.

Kush unlucky again in this match, kept the pressure up from one end (actually the same end!), and Adnan, was on the prowl. Zafeer was the first to go, playing a straight drive too early, and giving Adnan a good return catch. Asif followed soon after, clean bowled by Adnan again.
This match, we attacked the ball relentlessly on the field (imagine if Shakeir stopped the ball twice !!), and took some great catches. The running catches of Vinay and Naseer, would have made Kapil Dev proud, and Naseer effected a great run out, with only one stump for a view.
Fortunately for us, Warriors couldnt sustain a good partnership. Sachin looked promising with some nice meaty shots, but he just couldnt get far. The only substantial partnership for them was between Ritesh and Zeeshan.
Atif, coming back from a long break, was bowling as if he was never on one. And Hasan came back into the field (much to my disappointment sometime before the 25th over). He completed his quota on a shortened run up, and picked up two useful wickets. Kush, remained unlucky and got just 1 wicket for his efforts.

We bundled Warriors out for 92 in 33 overs, and though it was a relatively low score, there was no way we could underestimate Warriors, and ofcourse, there was always the fear of our infamous batting collapse. We had to be cautious in our chase.

Our chase of the total started with Mad Max Muni and Vinay opening the bowling, and me, opening the leg umpiring !! Faisal, was bowling a fine opening spell. Muni was the first to go, out to a ball that in his words, kept straight. Vinay was joined by our version of Rahul Dravid for his technique - Naseer. Vinay, though tentative at first, was beginning to look comfortable, when he was out lbw, to Faisal again. In all this while, there was this dude at point, who was on a constant chatter, and sledging non stop. He was beginning to get under my skin, and I was ruing not batting out there. I would have matched him word for word, and made him shut up. (Ofcourse, this is, if I was there long enough, considering my recent form !!)
Finally the umpire did something about that bloke, and warned Sachin, their captain, about his constant chatter. It finally shut him up. But then again, thats how I like to play my game as well, for every sledge you get, give one back. Sadly, everybody else in my team are too nice - they just dont talk back. Spoilsports.

Naseer was then joined by Qadeer at the crease. Qadeer knocked around a few balls, before he thick edged one to Asif, the keeper, off Junaid's bowling. And then came Muzaffar.

This time, Muzaffar, made it a point to stay, and he played a captain's knock. We were on the backfoot, having lost 3 quick wickets, and in his inimitable style, started a counter attack. Anything short was punished to the fence. And anything that was full, was safely negotiated, which more often than not, resulted in a run or two. Sadly for the Warriors, they failed to pick on Muzaffar's tendency to pull the short balls, and their mid wicket wasnt deep enough, resulting in some useful boundaries. The shots he played are seen to be believed. With hardly any effort, a combination of timing and power, the ball was dispatched to the fence.
To cut a long story short, the first half century for our team came from the man, we all knew had the potential to score one. It was just a question of time.

In the midst of Muzaffar's patient and robust innings, was a small fracas. Naseer was stumped by Asif, and he was so quick in knocking the bails off, that I was caught napping as a leg umpire. I wasnt entirely sure if Naseer's foot was in the air, or if he his toe made the ground. And I had to give the benefit of doubt to the batsman. The Warriors guys were pissed, but they didnt make a nasty scene of it. Bunch of nice blokes. Anyway, the umpire, who was also dozing at that moment, asked someone to replace me as the leg umpire, and I gladly left. It was boring to stand in the same position (Remember, we were playing only at one end).

Finally, Naseer was out LBW with a useful 15 runs. By now, we were almost there. Atif, joined Muzzie, and pulled a full toss to the deep mid wicket boundary. And then he came back, holing out next ball to short mid off I think.

By now, we needed 8 runs, and Muzzie needed 2 for his 50. A couple of runs later, he earned his well deserved 50 and the first 50 of Sonics. After another couple of runs, he pulled a short ball to the mid wicket fence for 4, winning the match in style.

It was a great match, lots of fun, good competition from the opposition, good fielding on our part, and some excellent batting from Muzzie, saw us win our second last match of this season.

Man of the Match? - Its a no brainer, the 12th man ofcourse.

Sunday, August 29, 2004

Hero - A Classic?

If there is ever someone who can be compared with the legendary Bruce Lee in terms of sheer speed and finesse in execution of martial art sequences, Jet Li comes the closest. After seeing the previews of Hero, I was looking forward a great deal to watch Jet Li's new movie. I had wanted to see it right on the first day of release, but I couldnt. But got to watch it the next day, August 28th.

Considering its a Chinese film as well, and also has a good dose of martial arts in it, I couldnt help but draw parallels with Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. In all honesty, it is not fair to compare any work of art with classics, and I consider Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon to be one. Its not fair. But, I just couldnt help it.

Zhang Yimou, who is considered among the finest directors in China (I know who he is now - ignorant me.), has attempted something close to a classic. Fantastic martial arts sequences, great music (Tan Dun, who, along with Yo Yo Ma composed the Oscar winning music for Crouching Tiger..., ), and stunning photography by Christopher Doyle make it a must watch movie.

This movie is based at a time, when today's China, was a land of 7 kingdoms, with Qin being one of them. Nameless(Jet Li) gets an audience with the King of Qin , since he has eliminated 3 of the deadliest assasins - Flying Snow(Maggie Cheung), Broken Sword(Tony Leung), and Sky(Donnie Yen) who have made unsuccessful attempts on the King's life in the past.

From there, the movie takes on a journey of Nameless's portrayal of events, till the point where he is seated 10 paces away from the King himself.

Hero, is the story of love and sacrifice. Love for the other person, and love for the land, and the sacrifices these great characters are willing to make in the name of love.

Beautifully picturized, and great story telling, make it a movie you cannot miss.

But more than Nameless, the character of Broken Sword (Tony Leung has done a fantastic job ), has more depth in it.

Maggie Cheung, (who IMHO looks deliciously cute and hot), has done a great job too.

Zhang Ziyi (more popular for her portrayal of a cute li'l one whom one doesnt mess with, in Crouching Tiger...), is wasted in this movie. Her role, is reduced to some extra fight sequences, one erotic scene (if you can even call it that), and one scene, where her character comes of some use, when she askes Jet Li to consider what her master Broken Sword says.

But all said and done, the movie, and also the characters of the movie, dont have the depth of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Chow Yun Fat's portrayal of Li Mu Bai, and Michelle Yeoh's performance as Shu Lien, are powerful and just fantastic. Sadly, I couldnt find such depth of characters in Hero. The characters are great, but they just dont run as deep.

But nevertheless, Hero, still is a great movie.

Do not make the same mistake that I did - watching the movie with an expectation that it might be as good or better than Crouching Tiger...

Will Hero, rise to the heights of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? Time will tell.

Friday, August 27, 2004

Personality Tests - Geek & Nigerian Spammer Style

Came across this new kind of personality test, that relates you to a kind of an operating system. Fun. Check it out. Turns out, this is me....

You are Debian Linux. People have difficulty getting to know you.  Once you finally open your shell they're apt to love you.
Which OS are You?


This one, just out of sheer curiosity....

You are DAVID ALETE. You are the personal assistant to former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor.  You have money from diamond sales which you wish to move with my assistance.  All your calls are being monitored.
Which Nigerian spammer are You?



Thursday, August 26, 2004

The record breaking stand....

Remember the record breaking stand between a very young Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli in 1988, worth 664 runs? Well, Rahul Bhatia of CricInfo has written a great article on it. It was so much fun reading, that it cracked me up, especially the parts where I read about Sachin's naughty antics.

I almost felt as if, I was right there, watching all this happen. Great article, and great feats. My sympathies for the poor bowlers.

Read the article here.

Cricket Bats

Part 3 - Taking care of your bat

The first thing you need to protect about your bat, is the toe. Since this is the part that constantly comes in touch with the ground, there are great chances for moisture to seep in, and ruin your bat.

There are ready made products available that you can just buy and stick it on the bat's toe. Just look or ask for a toe protector in any sport shop that sells cricketing gear.

Or, you can do the simpler and cheaper way. Buy a good wood sealant. Shoe Goo does the trick, and if you get a product called Goop in your city or country, at a local hardware store, that will work fine as well.

The other thing that you may want to protect is the face of your bat. There, are scuff sheets available, that you can stick onto the face of the bat. This ensures that the ball doesnt damage the surface of your bat, or leave any marks on it.

This is a good thing to protect your bat, and I do recommend it. But be prepared to take it off and put in a new one at the start of a new season.

Did I hear a why? Well, thats because, you need to oil your bat, and spend atleast an hour knocking it. You really thought you could get away with knocking your bat just once ;)

Well, the above step is not mandatory, your bat should still be good, but it doesnt hurt to oil it once a year, and give it a once over with a mallet.

Storage

Store the bat in a cool, dry area, preferably in a horizontal position, during off season. The reasoning is, any residual moisture in the wood, that is around the face of your bat, will flow down, further away from it, towards the rear, rather, than go towards the toe, if you had stored it vertically.

With this, my own personal Cricket Bat Trilogy comes to an end. I have just made sure that your bat will help you score runs, and also last a long time. Whether you really do, depends on you. Ask my team mates !

Cricket Bats

Part 2 - Getting your bat, ready for battle.

Congratulations. After dilly-dallying for 45 minutes at the store, playing some great drives and pull shots, you finally chose a bat just right for you, and your budget. Hmm, the wood smells, nice and fresh, doesnt it? And I bet, you must be raring to have a go with your brand new bat.

Well, choosing a bat right for you, and buying it, is only half the work. The other half goes into getting your bat ready to play aka 'knocking'.

Nowadays, a lot of manufacturers, sell bats that are ready to use. But I have done enough research to suggest what has been suggested around - knock it anyway.

Getting your bat ready, is atleast a one week process, so be prepared to spend that much time.

The things that you will need to do that :-
  • Fine sand paper
  • Linseed oil
  • Wooden mallet (you could also use a ball mallet, but I prefer a wooden mallet)
  • Cotton Rag

Its a 3 step process, spread over that period (ofcourse, you can also get it done in a day or two, if you have nothing else to do for two days)

And this will also be a right place for me to clear some of the misconception about linseed oil and the wonders it does to the 'drive' of a bat.

Linseed oil, by itself does not increase the stroke or drive of your bat. The only purpose of linseed oil, is, to soften the fibres of wood, so that when you knock your bat, its easier, and the knocking period is shorter. That's all. Finito. I've heard stories of people soaking the bottom of the bat, in a saucer of linseed oil, over night, and that it had helped the drive of the bat. I dont understand how that would have been possible, but one thing is for sure - it would have permanently damaged the bat, or atleast shortened its life by a great deal.

Step 1 - Oiling

Note: Whatever is being said here, is only for the front face and edges of the bat, not the rear, the bottom (toe), nor shoulders of the bat.

Use the sand paper to roughen the surface of the bat.

Now, using a cotton rag, apply a thin layer of linseed oil on the surface, and on the edges. (Keep this rag, dont throw it away) The oil should not be too little, but it should not be too much either, such that it flows down the sides. Take care, not to apply oil around the sluice - the area where the handle meets the blade. This will damage your bat.

Lay the bat down horizontally and let the oil soak overnight.

Now, using the same rag, that you used the previous night, apply another coat of oil on the bat. Do not add any more oil to the rag, just use whatever is left in it. This will most likely result in just a very thin layer of oil on the bat. Its fine.

Let the oil soak overnight again.

Step 2 - Knocking

Now comes the most laborious part.

You are going to annoy a lot of people with this constant knocking, so do whatever you have to do to not make them unhappy.

Using the bat mallet, knock the bat, somewhere around the middle, a little forcefully. This should result in a well defined dent on the face of your bat. Now knock around this dent, gently, and along the face of the bat. This gentle knocking, should be a good few hours worth. Atleast 2.

Now your bat is ready to be really knocked. Knock your bat, a little more forcefully now, starting around the dent you made initially. The idea behind the dent is, that is how much your bat should actually be knocked, such that you dont see the dent at all.

As the hours progress, maybe 2 hours of slightly forceful knocking, increase the strength on the blows. Knock harder now.

Edges:

Edges require a slightly different technique in knocking. The should not be knocked at 90 degree angle, like the rest of the bat. This will damage your bat. The edges should be knocked at a 45 degree angle.

The edges require special care, and they need to be knocked in as well.
Using the mallet, do the same 'hard first knock' routine, at both the edges, that it produces a dent there too. Now, gently knock the edges, until the dent is not seen or felt anymore.

After another couple of hours, using a finger nail, press it down on the face of your bat. If it leaves a pretty well defined mark, then your bat is not ready yet. The fibres are still soft. It needs more knocking.

But after 6 hours of knocking, a bat should generally be ready. But still, check it out.
Use an old ball at first, and have someone throw it at you. Knock the ball around with your bat. Continue doing this for a maybe around 20 or 30 throws.

Now, get back to knocking, and spend about atleast an hour more. Remember to knock the edges as well. Now do the finger nail check. Then, this time, have someone bowl at you, with an old ball. Play a few overs. By now, you will have a good idea if your bat is ready or not. If it doesnt feel ready yet, then go back to the knocking routine.

If you are an opener, then, you need to repeat the knocking and bowling routines a few more times, before your bat is ready to face a hard new ball.

This is indeed a lot of work, but its a kind of work, that will pay off rich dividends much later. Your bat will not only produce more runs for you (a well knocked bat, can make a difference between a 4 or a 6), but it will also make sure that your bat lasts a longer time.

Now soldier, you are finally ready for battle.

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Cricket Bats

Part 1 - Choosing a bat

I've been receiving quite a few hits on topics relating to cricket bats, and I realized that I can put my so called expertise on cricket bats to some use for the general public.

My first tip to anyone who wants to buy a cricket bat, will be, to decide on your budget. Or have an idea as to what is the maximum you are willing to go upto.

The reason I state the obvious, is because, there is a whole range of bats, different woods, different grades of wood, and different manufacturers, that you will definitely find the bat that you want within your budget.

The Wood:

The two main kinds of wood that cricket bats are made of, are Kashmir Willow, and English Willow.

Kashmir Willows, are definitely much cheaper than English Willows, but then again, as the price is lower, so is the performance. The thwack you hear on a well timed ball, sounds sweeter, on an English Willow, than on a Kashmir Willow and the ball actually travels further on English Willow. So its no surprise, that most professional batsmen, if not all, prefer English Willow.

Now, among English Willows, you have different grades. They go upto 4 different grades, with Grade 1 being the highest. So, it shouldnt surprise you if two English Willow bats, of different models, from the same manufacturer, have an almost 50% difference in price.

My suggestion is - buy an English Willow. They may be slightly expensive, but they perform better. I personally, own a Kashmir Willow myself, but, the store I went to, had only Kashmir Willows, and I was in a hurry to buy a bat.

Bat Selection

First, know your own game. Better yet, Laver and Wood, provide a great service. You can tell them, how your game is, what is your general batting position in the line up, what strokes you normally play, and all other information that you may care to give. They will suggest, what kind of a bat is good for you, the weight of the bat etc. Ofcourse, they will suggest one of their bats, and you may buy them, by all means. They seem to be good, from where I see it, on my computer screen! But its a great service nevetherless, and hats off to Laver & Wood for that. I personally used their suggestion for my bat, when I was thinking of an entirely different kind of bat to play with, and their suggestion was right.


There are a horde of websites, offering to sell you bats online. Though there is a rumor that some of the bats by the top manufactures like MRF are fakes, I personally suggest that you buy one at a store, that you can visit in person, for an entirely different reason.

The reasoning is very simple (even if you discount the fake bats rumor!). Cricket bats, are made of wood, which is a natural element. Cricket bats, are not like watches, or some other product, where a strict set of criteria go into the watch making the final cut and being up for sale. I mean, I'm sure cricket bats sure will have such criteria too, but then again, no two bats, made by the same manufacturer will be the same. One bat may have been made from a different batch of wood than the other one.

Besides the above, you as a batsman, will have to check the bat in person before you buy it.
The websites to make it easier, provide various criteria to help you make a decision - the weight of the bat, the length of the bat, etc. But you still wanna take your bat and check it out !

Take a bat, and play some strokes in the air, all imaginary. Play your favorite strokes, and also play the strokes that you most likely will not play, but play it out nevertheless !!

You need to answer these questions for yourself, while you check the bat out.

  • Does the bat feel right?
  • Does the bat's balance, feel right?
  • Is the weight right? Not too heavy, not too light.
  • Hold the bat up vertically, and hold it somewhere around the middle of the handle and give the bat a good forward and backward shake. Do you feel the top of the bat waving, or does the whole bat move together with your movement? (If you feel the top of the bat waving, and not moving together with your movement, the place where the handle meets the blade is most likely weak.)
  • How many grains does the bat have on its face?(Grains, are the long lines of wood. 6 - 8 is ideal, anything less, the wood is too young, and anything more, the wood is too old, and hence more harder to knock).
  • Does the wood have a streak of dark coloration anywhere? If it does, then, do not buy it. That dark area, is a lot more harder to knock.
These are very important considerations in buying a cricket bat, which is why I suggest, you dont buy it online. I almost made that mistake once, but I cancelled the order for entirely different reasons.

Final Tip

Dont be tempted to buy any of those big name bats, if you have a limited budget. If you dont mind the extra $30 or $50, and it makes you feel good that you are using a bat, endorsed by so and so player, then by all means go ahead. But if you are a budget constrained student, or like me, in transition between school and work, then, you can buy a perfectly good bat, from a little heard or unheard of manufacturer, and still have a great bat. All that it boils down to is the wood, and if the bat feels right in your hand.


Tuesday, August 24, 2004

A woeful trip to Urbana-Champaign

A Sonics Cricket Club Column - Sonics Vs CCI

It was the last 'away' match, and the third last match of the season for us at Sonics. Every soul in the team, was nursing a grudge/pain/guilt/heartache (or, maybe all of it), from the horrendous defeat we suffered last weekend against Raiders, where we managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The match started at 11.30 am, after a 2-1/2 hour journey from Chicago. We won the toss, and elected to field first.

Kush and Adnan opened the attack, and Kush bowled a great opening spell. His opening spell, resulted in the opener playing an audacious pull shot and holing out to short midwicket. If he always did, I didnt notice, but today, I did notice, that Kush bowled to the field, with catches being induced hardly a few feet away from where the fielders stood. Therein, started our problems, when Muni dropped two catches.

We never gave up, still attacking and being aggressive on the field. This aggressiveness, resulted in the other opener in being run out, who was going in for a second run, that was never there, and he was taking his chances, against Kush's arm, who had in an earlier throw from the deep, exhibited that he can throw straight and flat, right over the stumps. Anyway, he hopefully learned his lesson, to keep his eyes on the fielders who have good arms, and Kush effected his run out.

With two wickets down, within the first 4 overs, we attacked more. Kush, continued his spell, and so did Adnan, who was bowling fine and supporting Kush well.

Shakir, much to our team's loss, had a bad day today, and was hardly effective. He unfortunately ended up with only one wicket, and Raja seemed to have sorted him out, slogging him over deep midwicket for a six or two.

Kush finally picked up a couple of more wickets, and by the end of drinks break, the score read 85/6.

And then it started.

In a fine display of innings building, and controlled agression, Raja of CCI, played a great knock. Nudging singles, converting ones into twos, and punishing the bowlers for anything that was a fraction short, or pitched too full. He was supported very, very well by Atul. At the end of 30 overs, we could feel the match slipping away from us, and these two were frustrating the hell out of us. Somewhere along towards the end of the CCI innings, we dropped two more catches. Naseer, dropped a sitter, and Shakti, who was positioned at short mid wicket, dropped a tough catch. The ball was hit very hard, and it would have been a great catch if he held onto it.

At the end of the innings, having the last batsman runout at the last ball, the score read 195.

Our response to CCI's total, started with a slight change at the top. Rehan opened with Muni, and Rehan seemed to be on a song from the word go. But this being his first time as an opener, and that too on a pitch that was becoming increasingly difficult to bat on, he left early. Captain Muzzie came in first down, and played some brutal shots that are typical of him. My favourite amongst them, is a casual flick in front of the wicket, that sends the ball soaring over midwicket, for a 4. During Muzzie's blitzkrieg, Muni was out to a beauty of a delivery. A ball that pitched just outside off stump, and Muni deciding that he didnt want anything to do with it, attempted to leave it - the ball kissed his offstump on the way to the keeper. The 'kiss' was hot enough to dislodge the bail.

And then the slide started. Samarth, the left arm spinner of CCI, whom we were already warned about, bowled a great spell. Flummoxing out batsmen, completely, and one by one, we fell like nine pins. Or to be politically correct, 7 pins. Thats the number of wickets he claimed by the end.

Yours truly, went down last, the 2nd time this season, and my only claim to fame in this match, was helping avoid Samarth a 3 wicket haul in one single over. When I went in, I had like six fielders in close in positions, hoping to get me out. Funnily enough, it reminded me of Sachin Tendulkar's Boost ad, a long time ago - "I was on 99 and there were 6 fielders around me, trying to break my concentration, yada yada yada..". Only difference was, that was Tendulkar, and he was trying to score a century, and here, it was me, trying to save my ass !!

All in all, (and this one comes specifically upon the Captain's request!!) - catches win matches, and dropped catches, cost us a win. We've been having a horrid time on the field, since the previous match, and unless we pull up our socks in the catching department, the results of the remaining two matches, will not be any different.

Having said that, lets not take the game away from Raja, Atul and Samarth, of CCI. The first two, played an innings that will make any first class cricketer proud - working on the singles, and punishing the balls that were loose, and Samarth, for a fine display of left arm spin bowling.

But at the time of writing this blog, Atif, has made himself available for the next two matches. So, the incisive bowler that we often find ourselves short of during the 25th - 35th overs, is here. He will make a big difference in us restricting the opposition to a smaller score. Not to mention, we still have to take catches :)

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

FCUK !!!!!

Well, that pretty much caught your eye, and you thought the worst, didnt you?

That's the beauty or as some would say, the lack of it, of French Connection, UK.

I'm a big fan of t-shirts that say something, especially funny stuff. (Though I dont own a single such one, but its on my 'buy' list, whenever I get that elusive job !)

And, I've had opportunities to check out only two of the phrases that are printed on FCUK's t-shirts.

The most common one i've seen - I'm too busy to FCUK

But my most favorite of all t-shirt texts is this one, which a friend of mine, bought at an FCUK outlet somewhere in Europe -

Chalk my cue, and I'll pot your pink

The best double entendre you can ever come up with, and also that has a touch of class to it. Awesome shit !!




Tuesday, August 17, 2004

The Da Vinci Code

I have read a zillion books in my lifetime so far, (a few of them non fiction). And thanks to my short attention and memory span, I can hardly remember the stories of half of 'em. But until a few weeks ago, right among the top of my list of fav books was Sidney Sheldon's Tell Me Your Dreams .

And the reason why this book is my all time favorite is clear by the fact that I remember what the story is about. Other books that I have found extremely enjoyable, and my favorite genre of books - of the spook variety, I hardly remember !!

I have been hearing a lot about Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, for almost a year, and this is by far, the most popular book I have actually seen - I see either someone holding it, or reading it, in a train, or on a bus, in a park, or just at a bus stop !

And it took me about a year (being the bookphile I am!!), to haul my posterior, to read this book. Actually, I still didnt haul my posterior, it was my sister, who took the pains to reserve this book from the library.

And, this book, by far, is the only one, that I just did not want to put down, after i read the Prologue.

I wont give the story of the book away, but what really catches my eye about this book are three things - Dan Brown's research of historical facts, the explanation of art and symbols to such an extent that it piques the interest of readers who are completely ignorant of art(me!!) and the way women are viewed in today's society versus, what it was eons ago.

I'm sure, this book, is hugely popular with the ladies, for the latter reason, and maybe a little unpopular with certain sections of the male society.

In a gist, what is said about this topic is that - women, were not just equal to men (unlike in today's society, where, this equality in my opinion is just emerging, after centuries of male domination), but were held a notch higher than men.

And I guess, this book resonates a lot with me on this topic, because, I share similar views.
But heck, I will still eye that pretty young thing that passes by me. (Actually, I marvel at God's creation, but people just dont buy it, when I say that)

The other part of the book that really made me think, (though, this thought process in my mind, was set forth by a renegade Canadian author - Irshad Manji, a Canadian Muslim - what if the holy scriptures as we know today, and which we follow as the last authority on our respective religions, was actually rewritten, by vested interests?) Robert Langdon, the protagonist, in The Da Vinci Code makes a similar claim. That, The Bible, as we know today, was actually rewritten, by The Church.

But, as a blow to all of our knowledge about world history, Robert Langdon makes one simple statement.

And it pretty much knocked the living daylights out of me : -

History, is nothing more than the winner's side of the story.

Now, then, what really went on, around the world, years ago? I guess, we can only speculate, and ofcourse, it'll be party time for consipiracy theorists.

As for the book - A, definite and must read. And my sister, and I have, become die hard fans of Dan Brown, with more books reserved in the library queue!!

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

A worthwhile trip to Springfield.

A Sonics Cricket Column - Springfield CC Vs Sonics CC

The match started on a good note for us - a good toss to lose. Springfield CC decided to bat. Either they didnt do their homework, or maybe, they were just playing to their strengths, dont know which.

The new ball was shared by Hasan Khan and Adnan. Both the bowlers bowled very good opening spells, and Hasan was again unlucky, going wicketless. Adnan provided the breakthrough, by removing Hasmukh Patel, and a couple of overs later, bowled a beauty, that lifted off a length, landing very close to the off stump line. The only way Riaz Shaikh could have safely played it, was to leave it alone, which he didnt. And Muzaffar, behind the wickets, did the rest.

After the initial breakthroughs, there was a lull in the wicket taking department. So Captain Muzzie, brought Spin Master Gogo Shakir (if he's bowling spin the first place. Nobody has a clue as to what he's bowling, including the poor batsmen ! ).

The first to go was Samir Patel. Again, the special ball, that pitches off good length, and hurries into the batsman, before he can even blink his eye.

The second to go was Manish Patel, getting his pads plumb in front to one of Shakir's mystery deliveries.

And third was Imran Syed, again, had no clue as to where the ball went until he heard the noise of ball and wood meeting behind him. Wicket number 3 for Spin Master Gogo.

By now, the Springfield captain, Siva, was playing a patient knock, with some good support from his other team mates.

Arun and Nikhil, were bowling and we couldnt quite get a breakthrough, until Arun struck, with a very good delivery, that took the edge and Muzzie took a well judged catch.

Muzaffar came onto the attack, and I filled in the wicket keeper's slot.

I've got to admit, keeping wickets is indeed a lot of fun. The last time I kept wickets was a good 15 years ago !

Not being able to get a breakthrough, Spin Master Gogo was brought onto the attack, and immediate results followed.

Special 'Hifzur' deliveries were being suggested to Shakir, and they always produce the desired result. Since this is a public medium, I shall refrain from explaining what is a 'Hifzur' delivery, but I shall say this much - it doesnt give me much pleasure at all, when this ball is suggested ! But then again, I guess I should be glad that i'm contributing to my team's success in an entirely different way, thanx to Shakir !!!

And keeping wickets when Shakir is bowling, is not an easy task at all !!! I think I have a feeling about what went on Nayan Mongia's mind when he kept wickets for Anil Kumble.

The 'Hifzur' deliveries produced two wickets, and a variation of it, uprooted the offstump of Ravi Mallady.

Shakir's spell came to an end, much to the relief of the Springfield team, but the damage had already been done. Shakir ended up with career best figures of 6/19, and his second 5 wicket haul in this season. It needs to be noted that, in this cricket league, we play 40 over matches, and each bowler's quota is 8 overs. So in 8 overs, 6/19 is no ordinary feat.

Vinay, who is nursing a hair line fracture on one of his toes, tried his arm at off spin, and in my opinion, he's much better bowling off spin than medium pace. Vinay finished off the last batsman, getting the ball to turn in from outside off stump. The batsman beaten by pace and turn, found the offstump gone.

A nice sumptious meal of Puri and Channa, thanks to Mrs Hasmukh Patel followed after the match. And the Sonics innings started.

Mad Max Muni and Spin Master Gogo opened our attack. Shakir was back in the pavilion at the end of the second over, being bowled. And I was asked to go in 1 down (I wanted to go at 4, but I can never say no to a team requirement, and went 1 down when Muzzie asked me to go 1 down). Kunj Patel, a left armer, bowled fantastically, getting the ball to swing both ways.

An over later, I was out, gone lbw, to one that pitched (in my opinion !), on the leg stump and going down the legside, and I, having stretched completely forward, couldnt believe, Senthil (the umpire) gave me out. Anyway, in cricket, as in life, shit happens, and I had to go back. Moreover, I hold Senthil in high regard, as one of the best umpires in the league. I guess I was indeed plumb in front.

Shakti, who's proving to be a great bat, and fielder, played very well, and gave ample strike to Mad Max Muni.

Muni, who started cautiously, started freeing his shoulders, and pulled some glorious shots. One such murderous shot, fetched a four, and another one, that was pulled off his pads, fetched 6.

In the end, both Shakti and Muni, threw their wickets away, and were back, within a few overs between them.

Hasan and Vinay, played well, out in the middle, with Vinay, again being very cautious. I've noticed that every time Vinay plays cautiously, he gets uncomfortable and gets out soon, and this time was no exception. He played a Kunj delivery onto his stumps, and was back, after scoring 9 useful runs. Hasan, who I think is the only player in our team to play a cover drive to perfection, at the other end was looking good. But a lapse of concentration, brought him back. We looked close to the total, but not very close.

By now, Arun and Nikhil were playing, and they were playing well. Scampering for singles. Arun especially made some very good calls, stealing valuable singles. But a smart move by the Springfield captain in bringing Riaz, an off spinner to counter Arun, a left hander, provided them the breakthrough. Arun skiered a catch to short midwicket and was back.

We were down to 7 wickets, and needed 30 something runs, with only Rehan, as the established batsman besides Muzzie.

And the Springfield team (which we heard them lament later !), were sniffing victory.

But that was before Muzzaffar started his counter attack.

An array of thundering pull shots later (one of which, should have seen Muzzie back in the pavilion, and luckily for us, was dropped, and unluckily for their fielder, was dropped right on his face. The ball cut his upper lip, and the bleeding stopped after a little while).

A win always is good, and makes one feel good, but when the win is in an away match, where we had to drive 3 1/2 hrs, it felt even better.

Rehan did not get to bat at all. But then again, he didnt mind either, we won.

The happy note of the evening, was sealed by a funny comment from Hasmukh Patel of Springfield CC - " It's not fair, the way you guys are playing. With 7 wickets down, we were thinking we could win, and you send your commandos after the 7th wicket to finish the game"

The drive back was very pleasantful, with a stopover at the McDonald's at Lincoln, IL, for a quick, well deserved treat/meal for everybody. I need to mention here, that this is by far, the best McDonald's in Illinois. Great smooth textured buns, mouth watering golden crispy French Fries (or should I call them Freedom Fries??), and tasty, fresh Apple Pies (hmm, yummy !!)

Man of the Match - Is there any doubt?