Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
Mar 22nd 2007, 10:14 pm
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans
and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
Personally I find it a dull dull game.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/22/opinion/edtharoor.php
Meanwhile: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
Shashi Tharoor
Thursday, March 22, 2007
NEW YORK: Last week, the greatest sporting event of the year in terms of
audience began in Jamaica, when the West Indies beat Pakistan in the
inaugural match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. A six-week extravaganza
follows ? 51 matches that are being monitored with nail-biting excitement
around the world. The final, on Saturday, April 28, will take place in
Barbados, but friends of mine in New York are already planning a World Cup
party at the home of an expatriate with a satellite dish. The party will be
attended by a raucous group of Indians and Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and
Brits, Australians and Zimbabweans. But of course there will be no
Americans.
No, it's not a case of ethnic discrimination. Call it willful ignorance.
Americans have about as much use for cricket as Lapps have for beachwear.
The fact that elsewhere in the civilized world grown men dress up like poor
relations of Gatsby and venture hopefully into the drizzle clutching their
bats invariably mystifies my American friends. And the notion that anyone
would watch a game that, in its highest form, could take five days and still
end in a draw provokes widespread disbelief among results-oriented
Americans.
A billion people might be on tenterhooks around the world for the results of
each match, but august American newspapers barely report the scores.
Does it matter that Americans haven't a clue about what they're missing?
Actually, no. You can ignore America and still enjoy your cricket. Today,
although none of the 103 channels on my Manhattan cable television set offer
a glimpse of the king of sports, suburbanites with satellite dishes can buy
a World Cup package hawked by Indian-American television entrepreneurs.
During earlier World Cups, movie theaters in immigrant neighborhoods that
normally screened Bollywood films had nocturnal telecasts of World Cup
cricket matches instead. This time you don't even have to get up at 3 a.m.
to watch games being broadcast from South Africa or Sri Lanka ? the action's
all taking place within a couple of hours of Eastern Daylight Time. And
thanks to the Internet, you no longer need to mortgage the house to buy a
package that streams all the matches onto your computer. Living in America
is no longer cricketing purgatory.
So why care what Americans think? Every four years when the World Cup comes
around, there are opinion articles in the press extolling the virtues of
cricket, telling Americans why they should be interested in the game. And
every time the Cup barely registers as a blip on America's consciousness. I
had found myself hoping that salvation lay in increased immigration from the
Indian subcontinent. But why bother? Indeed, cricket is no longer what
Americans imagine it is, a decorous sport played by effete Englishmen
uttering polite inanities ("marvelous glance to fine leg, old chap") over
cucumber sandwiches. World cricket now uses Hindi terms (the "doosra" trips
off the tongues of Oxonian commentators) and 80 percent of the global game's
revenues come from India.
In any event, nothing about cricket seems suited to the American national
character: its rich complexity, the infinite possibilities that could occur
with each delivery of the ball, the dozen different ways of getting out, are
all patterned for a society of endless forms and varieties, not of a
homogenized McWorld. They are rather like Indian classical music, in which
the basic laws are laid down but the performer then improvises gloriously,
unshackled by anything so mundane as a written score.
Cricket is better suited to a country like India where a majority of the
population still consults astrologers and believes in the capricious
influence of the planets ? so they can well appreciate a sport in which an
ill-timed cloudburst, a badly prepared pitch, a lost toss of the coin at the
start of a match or the sun in the eyes of a fielder can transform the
outcome of a game.
Even the possibility that five tense, hotly contested, occasionally
meandering days of cricketing could still end in a draw seems derived from
ancient Indian philosophy, which accepts profoundly that in life the journey
is as important as the destination. Not exactly the American Dream.
So here's the message, America: don't pay any attention to us, and we won't
pay any to you. You may as well learn to accept that there are some things
too special for the rest of us to want to waste them on you.
and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
Personally I find it a dull dull game.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/22/opinion/edtharoor.php
Meanwhile: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
Shashi Tharoor
Thursday, March 22, 2007
NEW YORK: Last week, the greatest sporting event of the year in terms of
audience began in Jamaica, when the West Indies beat Pakistan in the
inaugural match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. A six-week extravaganza
follows ? 51 matches that are being monitored with nail-biting excitement
around the world. The final, on Saturday, April 28, will take place in
Barbados, but friends of mine in New York are already planning a World Cup
party at the home of an expatriate with a satellite dish. The party will be
attended by a raucous group of Indians and Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and
Brits, Australians and Zimbabweans. But of course there will be no
Americans.
No, it's not a case of ethnic discrimination. Call it willful ignorance.
Americans have about as much use for cricket as Lapps have for beachwear.
The fact that elsewhere in the civilized world grown men dress up like poor
relations of Gatsby and venture hopefully into the drizzle clutching their
bats invariably mystifies my American friends. And the notion that anyone
would watch a game that, in its highest form, could take five days and still
end in a draw provokes widespread disbelief among results-oriented
Americans.
A billion people might be on tenterhooks around the world for the results of
each match, but august American newspapers barely report the scores.
Does it matter that Americans haven't a clue about what they're missing?
Actually, no. You can ignore America and still enjoy your cricket. Today,
although none of the 103 channels on my Manhattan cable television set offer
a glimpse of the king of sports, suburbanites with satellite dishes can buy
a World Cup package hawked by Indian-American television entrepreneurs.
During earlier World Cups, movie theaters in immigrant neighborhoods that
normally screened Bollywood films had nocturnal telecasts of World Cup
cricket matches instead. This time you don't even have to get up at 3 a.m.
to watch games being broadcast from South Africa or Sri Lanka ? the action's
all taking place within a couple of hours of Eastern Daylight Time. And
thanks to the Internet, you no longer need to mortgage the house to buy a
package that streams all the matches onto your computer. Living in America
is no longer cricketing purgatory.
So why care what Americans think? Every four years when the World Cup comes
around, there are opinion articles in the press extolling the virtues of
cricket, telling Americans why they should be interested in the game. And
every time the Cup barely registers as a blip on America's consciousness. I
had found myself hoping that salvation lay in increased immigration from the
Indian subcontinent. But why bother? Indeed, cricket is no longer what
Americans imagine it is, a decorous sport played by effete Englishmen
uttering polite inanities ("marvelous glance to fine leg, old chap") over
cucumber sandwiches. World cricket now uses Hindi terms (the "doosra" trips
off the tongues of Oxonian commentators) and 80 percent of the global game's
revenues come from India.
In any event, nothing about cricket seems suited to the American national
character: its rich complexity, the infinite possibilities that could occur
with each delivery of the ball, the dozen different ways of getting out, are
all patterned for a society of endless forms and varieties, not of a
homogenized McWorld. They are rather like Indian classical music, in which
the basic laws are laid down but the performer then improvises gloriously,
unshackled by anything so mundane as a written score.
Cricket is better suited to a country like India where a majority of the
population still consults astrologers and believes in the capricious
influence of the planets ? so they can well appreciate a sport in which an
ill-timed cloudburst, a badly prepared pitch, a lost toss of the coin at the
start of a match or the sun in the eyes of a fielder can transform the
outcome of a game.
Even the possibility that five tense, hotly contested, occasionally
meandering days of cricketing could still end in a draw seems derived from
ancient Indian philosophy, which accepts profoundly that in life the journey
is as important as the destination. Not exactly the American Dream.
So here's the message, America: don't pay any attention to us, and we won't
pay any to you. You may as well learn to accept that there are some things
too special for the rest of us to want to waste them on you.
Mar 22nd 2007, 11:48 pm
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
"Earl Evleth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:C229671F.D6D16%[email protected]...
> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans
> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> Personally I find it a dull dull game.
>
>
> http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/.../edtharoor.php
>
>
>
> Meanwhile: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
> Shashi Tharoor
>
> Thursday, March 22, 2007
>
>
> NEW YORK: Last week, the greatest sporting event of the year in terms of
> audience began in Jamaica, when the West Indies beat Pakistan in the
> inaugural match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
BTW the Cricket World Cup is played in the one day variety of the game. In
this form it consists of one innings for each side of 50 6 ball overs. Some
purists consider that this form is not "cricket" but other people go bananas
over it.
Several days ago Pakistan (which is one of the top 8 teams in the world)
lost a match against Ireland (which struggles to make the grade). This meant
that Pakistan cannot continue in the competition which has upset millions of
people. During the night following the match in question the Pakistan coach
was murdered in his hotel room. It is not known who did it or even why it
was done but as you can imagine many tongues are wagging.
In the meantime the World Cup competition is continuing.
Gerrit - Oz
news:C229671F.D6D16%[email protected]...
> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans
> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> Personally I find it a dull dull game.
>
>
> http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/.../edtharoor.php
>
>
>
> Meanwhile: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
> Shashi Tharoor
>
> Thursday, March 22, 2007
>
>
> NEW YORK: Last week, the greatest sporting event of the year in terms of
> audience began in Jamaica, when the West Indies beat Pakistan in the
> inaugural match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
BTW the Cricket World Cup is played in the one day variety of the game. In
this form it consists of one innings for each side of 50 6 ball overs. Some
purists consider that this form is not "cricket" but other people go bananas
over it.
Several days ago Pakistan (which is one of the top 8 teams in the world)
lost a match against Ireland (which struggles to make the grade). This meant
that Pakistan cannot continue in the competition which has upset millions of
people. During the night following the match in question the Pakistan coach
was murdered in his hotel room. It is not known who did it or even why it
was done but as you can imagine many tongues are wagging.
In the meantime the World Cup competition is continuing.
Gerrit - Oz
Mar 22nd 2007, 11:55 pm
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
On Mar 23, 12:48 pm, "gerrit" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Earl Evleth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:C229671F.D6D16%[email protected]...
>
>
>
> > In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans
> > and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> > Personally I find it a dull dull game.
>
> >http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/.../edtharoor.php
>
> > Meanwhile: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
> > Shashi Tharoor
>
> > Thursday, March 22, 2007
>
> > NEW YORK: Last week, the greatest sporting event of the year in terms of
> > audience began in Jamaica, when the West Indies beat Pakistan in the
> > inaugural match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
>
> BTW the Cricket World Cup is played in the one day variety of the game. In
> this form it consists of one innings for each side of 50 6 ball overs. Some
> purists consider that this form is not "cricket" but other people go bananas
> over it.
>
> Several days ago Pakistan (which is one of the top 8 teams in the world)
> lost a match against Ireland (which struggles to make the grade). This meant
> that Pakistan cannot continue in the competition which has upset millions of
> people. During the night following the match in question the Pakistan coach
> was murdered in his hotel room. It is not known who did it or even why it
> was done but as you can imagine many tongues are wagging.
>
> In the meantime the World Cup competition is continuing.
>
> Gerrit - Oz
cricket = baseball (honk) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
> "Earl Evleth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:C229671F.D6D16%[email protected]...
>
>
>
> > In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans
> > and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> > Personally I find it a dull dull game.
>
> >http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/.../edtharoor.php
>
> > Meanwhile: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
> > Shashi Tharoor
>
> > Thursday, March 22, 2007
>
> > NEW YORK: Last week, the greatest sporting event of the year in terms of
> > audience began in Jamaica, when the West Indies beat Pakistan in the
> > inaugural match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
>
> BTW the Cricket World Cup is played in the one day variety of the game. In
> this form it consists of one innings for each side of 50 6 ball overs. Some
> purists consider that this form is not "cricket" but other people go bananas
> over it.
>
> Several days ago Pakistan (which is one of the top 8 teams in the world)
> lost a match against Ireland (which struggles to make the grade). This meant
> that Pakistan cannot continue in the competition which has upset millions of
> people. During the night following the match in question the Pakistan coach
> was murdered in his hotel room. It is not known who did it or even why it
> was done but as you can imagine many tongues are wagging.
>
> In the meantime the World Cup competition is continuing.
>
> Gerrit - Oz
cricket = baseball (honk) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Mar 23rd 2007, 12:00 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
On 23 Mar 2007 04:55:09 -0700, "Rubba Luva"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Mar 23, 12:48 pm, "gerrit" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> "Earl Evleth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> news:C229671F.D6D16%[email protected]...
>>
>>
>>
>> > In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans
>> > and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>>
>> > Personally I find it a dull dull game.
>>
>> >http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/.../edtharoor.php
>>
>> > Meanwhile: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
>> > Shashi Tharoor
>>
>> > Thursday, March 22, 2007
>>
>> > NEW YORK: Last week, the greatest sporting event of the year in terms of
>> > audience began in Jamaica, when the West Indies beat Pakistan in the
>> > inaugural match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
>>
>> BTW the Cricket World Cup is played in the one day variety of the game. In
>> this form it consists of one innings for each side of 50 6 ball overs. Some
>> purists consider that this form is not "cricket" but other people go bananas
>> over it.
>>
>> Several days ago Pakistan (which is one of the top 8 teams in the world)
>> lost a match against Ireland (which struggles to make the grade). This meant
>> that Pakistan cannot continue in the competition which has upset millions of
>> people. During the night following the match in question the Pakistan coach
>> was murdered in his hotel room. It is not known who did it or even why it
>> was done but as you can imagine many tongues are wagging.
>>
>> In the meantime the World Cup competition is continuing.
>>
>> Gerrit - Oz
>
>cricket = baseball (honk) >zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
That's a bit unfair. Baseball's not quite as bad as
that...sometimes I stay awake for the whole nine innings.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
latest: Epidaurus
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Mar 23, 12:48 pm, "gerrit" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> "Earl Evleth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> news:C229671F.D6D16%[email protected]...
>>
>>
>>
>> > In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans
>> > and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>>
>> > Personally I find it a dull dull game.
>>
>> >http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/.../edtharoor.php
>>
>> > Meanwhile: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
>> > Shashi Tharoor
>>
>> > Thursday, March 22, 2007
>>
>> > NEW YORK: Last week, the greatest sporting event of the year in terms of
>> > audience began in Jamaica, when the West Indies beat Pakistan in the
>> > inaugural match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
>>
>> BTW the Cricket World Cup is played in the one day variety of the game. In
>> this form it consists of one innings for each side of 50 6 ball overs. Some
>> purists consider that this form is not "cricket" but other people go bananas
>> over it.
>>
>> Several days ago Pakistan (which is one of the top 8 teams in the world)
>> lost a match against Ireland (which struggles to make the grade). This meant
>> that Pakistan cannot continue in the competition which has upset millions of
>> people. During the night following the match in question the Pakistan coach
>> was murdered in his hotel room. It is not known who did it or even why it
>> was done but as you can imagine many tongues are wagging.
>>
>> In the meantime the World Cup competition is continuing.
>>
>> Gerrit - Oz
>
>cricket = baseball (honk) >zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
That's a bit unfair. Baseball's not quite as bad as
that...sometimes I stay awake for the whole nine innings.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
latest: Epidaurus
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
Mar 23rd 2007, 12:19 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
Alan S <[email protected]> wrote:
>That's a bit unfair. Baseball's not quite as bad as
>that...sometimes I stay awake for the whole nine innings.
>
Why?
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
>That's a bit unfair. Baseball's not quite as bad as
>that...sometimes I stay awake for the whole nine innings.
>
Why?
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
Mar 23rd 2007, 2:27 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
On 23/03/07 13:00, in article [email protected],
"Alan S" <[email protected]> wrote:
> That's a bit unfair. Baseball's not quite as bad as
> that...sometimes I stay awake for the whole nine innings.
Staying awake is harder as one gets older.
"Alan S" <[email protected]> wrote:
> That's a bit unfair. Baseball's not quite as bad as
> that...sometimes I stay awake for the whole nine innings.
Staying awake is harder as one gets older.
Mar 23rd 2007, 2:27 am
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
On Mar 23, 4:07 pm, "Pat" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Earl Evleth" <> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
> strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
When there is lots of money at stake, anything is possible; even with
boring Cricket.
> "Earl Evleth" <> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
> strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
When there is lots of money at stake, anything is possible; even with
boring Cricket.
Mar 23rd 2007, 2:31 am
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
On 23/03/07 16:07, in article [email protected], "Pat"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
> strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
Americans are always yelling "kill the umpire".
The Americans have something called "sports rage"
For instance
"In a senseless case of "Sports Rage," a father who attacked and threatened
to kill a Little League manager was sentenced to 45 days in jail in San
Fernando, California.
The father, Mitchell Gluckman, received 3 years probation and ?
appropriately ? was sentenced to 6 months of counseling and anger management
in January."
Anger management! Sounds like Pentagonese.
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
> strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
Americans are always yelling "kill the umpire".
The Americans have something called "sports rage"
For instance
"In a senseless case of "Sports Rage," a father who attacked and threatened
to kill a Little League manager was sentenced to 45 days in jail in San
Fernando, California.
The father, Mitchell Gluckman, received 3 years probation and ?
appropriately ? was sentenced to 6 months of counseling and anger management
in January."
Anger management! Sounds like Pentagonese.
Mar 23rd 2007, 2:35 am
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
"Earl Evleth" <> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans
> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
>
Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
>
Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
Mar 23rd 2007, 2:37 am
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
On Mar 23, 10:07 am, "Pat" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Earl Evleth" <> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
> strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
It's really ironic that completely non-violent sports like soccer and
cricket are the ones with the fan violence. I've never heard of any
fan violence in hockey or Ultimate Fighting.
> "Earl Evleth" <> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
> strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
It's really ironic that completely non-violent sports like soccer and
cricket are the ones with the fan violence. I've never heard of any
fan violence in hockey or Ultimate Fighting.
Mar 23rd 2007, 2:44 am
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
On Mar 23, 3:37 pm, "Iceman" <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mar 23, 10:07 am, "Pat" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > "Earl Evleth" <> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> > Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
> > strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
>
> It's really ironic that completely non-violent sports like soccer and
> cricket are the ones with the fan violence. I've never heard of any
> fan violence in hockey or Ultimate Fighting.
or Rugby
> On Mar 23, 10:07 am, "Pat" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > "Earl Evleth" <> In the IHT this morning. Making fun of the Americans> and their disregard for cricket. Well written.
>
> > Some Americans may not like cricket, but I don't ever remember any Americans
> > strangling a coach to death for losing any type of ball game.
>
> It's really ironic that completely non-violent sports like soccer and
> cricket are the ones with the fan violence. I've never heard of any
> fan violence in hockey or Ultimate Fighting.
or Rugby
Mar 23rd 2007, 6:17 am
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
> In any event, nothing about cricket seems suited to the American national
> character: its rich complexity, the infinite possibilities that could occur
> with each delivery of the ball, the dozen different ways of getting out, are
> all patterned for a society of endless forms and varieties, not of a
> homogenized McWorld.
Not entirely true is it? I remember a team of American inner-city young
black cricket players visiting the UK a couple of years ago. Played a
match at The Oval I seem to remember.
> character: its rich complexity, the infinite possibilities that could occur
> with each delivery of the ball, the dozen different ways of getting out, are
> all patterned for a society of endless forms and varieties, not of a
> homogenized McWorld.
Not entirely true is it? I remember a team of American inner-city young
black cricket players visiting the UK a couple of years ago. Played a
match at The Oval I seem to remember.
Mar 23rd 2007, 6:46 am
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
Earl Evleth <[email protected]> wrote:
>http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/.../edtharoor.php
>
>... the dozen different ways of getting out...
bowled, caught, stumped, lbw, run out, hit wicket, handled ball,
walked -- are there more?
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
>http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/.../edtharoor.php
>
>... the dozen different ways of getting out...
bowled, caught, stumped, lbw, run out, hit wicket, handled ball,
walked -- are there more?
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
Mar 23rd 2007, 7:41 am
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
On Mar 23, 1:17 pm, Mike O'Sullivan <[email protected]> wrote:
> > In any event, nothing about cricket seems suited to the American national
> > character: its rich complexity, the infinite possibilities that could occur
> > with each delivery of the ball, the dozen different ways of getting out, are
> > all patterned for a society of endless forms and varieties, not of a
> > homogenized McWorld.
You could say the same for soccer. Most Americans think it's boring
because they rarely score.
> Not entirely true is it? I remember a team of American inner-city young
> black cricket players visiting the UK a couple of years ago. Played a
> match at The Oval I seem to remember.
Some Americans play cricket, but very, very few. Virtually no one
outside of immigrant and expat communities plays it or knows anything
about it. You see it sometimes in the parks in New York, which has
large Caribbean and South Asian communities. Overall though, cricket
is about as marginal in the US as baseball and American football are
in Europe.
> > In any event, nothing about cricket seems suited to the American national
> > character: its rich complexity, the infinite possibilities that could occur
> > with each delivery of the ball, the dozen different ways of getting out, are
> > all patterned for a society of endless forms and varieties, not of a
> > homogenized McWorld.
You could say the same for soccer. Most Americans think it's boring
because they rarely score.
> Not entirely true is it? I remember a team of American inner-city young
> black cricket players visiting the UK a couple of years ago. Played a
> match at The Oval I seem to remember.
Some Americans play cricket, but very, very few. Virtually no one
outside of immigrant and expat communities plays it or knows anything
about it. You see it sometimes in the parks in New York, which has
large Caribbean and South Asian communities. Overall though, cricket
is about as marginal in the US as baseball and American football are
in Europe.
Mar 23rd 2007, 8:18 am
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Don't worry, we'll still enjoy our cricket
> Americans are always yelling "kill the umpire".
>
> The Americans have something called "sports rage"
Um, Earl, yelling "kill the umpire" is not the same as doing it! Get a grip!
>
> The Americans have something called "sports rage"
Um, Earl, yelling "kill the umpire" is not the same as doing it! Get a grip!
