Cricket at the Crossroads : Part II - Test Bowling

The test bowling scenario looks to be in better health than its more crowd pleasing counterpart – at any rate there are more exciting young fast bowlers around in test cricket than at any time over the past decade. While marquee names like Steyn, Anderson and Zaheer continue to perform at an exalted level (though you wonder at least if the Indian is not running on borrowed time), names like Pattinson, Cummins, Philander, Roach, Starc, Finn, Yadav and co make fast bowling an extremely enjoyable sight to watch for the connoisseur. Even a few names that have been around for some seasons, have found fresh wind over the last year or so – the likes of Hilfenhaus ,Siddle, Morkel, Broad. The problem that the cricket boards and coaches face with this young and exciting crop, is to battle harden them and keep them free of injuries. Young Cummins, after one of the more spectacular debuts in recent memories (man of the match performance with bat and ball in a test in South Africa) has failed to play another test match, while Pattinson (who ideally along with Starc and Cummins should ideally form a long and potent pace attack for the Aussies) has also had his share of injuries. Though maybe not wrapped in cotton wool, the challenge is for these bowlers to be used wisely, especially in limited overs cricket and the lucrative but potentially career threatening professional leagues. It will be a travesty if any of these young guns go the way of a Simon Jones (though his demise can hardly be attributed to limited overs cricket).

Cummins and Pattinson : The great Aussie hopes

The spin bowling scenario is much more grim and the cupboard looks particularly threadbare, with the possible exception of Pakistan who have couple of decent spinners headed by the controversial but effective Ajmal. Elsewhere, the cricketing world still looks hopefully for heirs to the likes of Warne, Kumble and Murali. Swann is a good bowler but his performance has tailed off over the last  year (India will be the acid test for him). The Aussies have tried all sorts of combinations from Beer to Kreja to Lyon but still have that one spot to fill in an attack which is otherwise world class (so much the pity in that their batting look so fragile). Nowhere is the absence of quality spinners being felt than in their real background – India. Pragyan Ojha is probably the only spinner who looks likely to inherit the no 1 tag with his willingness to attack on any surface. Ashwin’s stellar start to his test career is a bit misleading; all his wicket taking performances have come against the likes of West Indies or New Zealand on turning pitches. He was found woefully exposed in Australia. If he is to cement the number one spinner’s tag, especially in overseas conditions, he has to attack more and show production on wickets offering less assistance. India’s lamentable spin bowling situation is expressed nowhere better than in the fact that Piush Chawla is apparently the 3^rd choice spinner – oh, how the mighty have fallen. Harbhajan Singh has done nothing of note during his fully justified exile from test cricket to warrant a return to the side. Though I have a sneaking suspicion that he may get back into the side for the test against Australia with at least one of our wise men citing how he ran through the Aussies in 2001 (let’s hope this fear and cynicism is grossly misplaced). 

Cricket at the Crossroads : Part I - Test Batting

Cricket is at a crossroads like never before – a bigger paradigm shift than bodyline or the World Series Cricket. This shift has been brought about by not merely a change in attitude of the administrators and the sponsors but by a major attitude change of the fans and the players themselves. This is part of a series of articles in an attempt to dissect the position of each and every format of the game and the likely direction in which they are headed. The following are my observations on the standards of test batting.

The powers that be, media personnel and players (current and past) would have you believe that Test cricket is in the pink of health and there is virtually no encroachment by the shorter forms of the game on the traditional one. I would bet an arm and a bit that all such persons have more than a little divested interest in speaking the way they do. Anyone who has followed test cricket for any length of time will admit that the format is getting increasingly hypoxic. There are obvious and the not so obvious pointers to this.

Hashim Amla : The Best Test Batsman to have emerged in the past 5 years

At the very outset – there has been a drastic drop of crowds at test match venues (even at the most traditional venues. Add to it the progressively increasing refusal of the so-called fans at home to sit and watch test cricket. An increased pace of daily life, overburden of social and professional commitments and the new found method of reading online commentary / scores on the move have no little bearing on this. You would be hard pressed to find even a handful of people who can claim to have watched all 90 overs over the entire duration of a test match. The more convenient evening schedule and an instant result (especially in T-20) make it obviously favourable for viewership in hordes. Furthermore, there is an entire generation of cricket fans which has been brought up idolising the limited overs version and in another decade there will be another generation in place who will consider the IPL as the premier form of the game.  Only England and Australia seem to draw relatively packed houses on all 5 days of a test match. The heart-breaking sights are empty stadia in the Caribbean and at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on the opening session of a test match.

It is the proverbial chicken-egg roundabout to attempt to decipher if crowds are responsible for the declining quality of test cricket or the quality has left the arena empty. But there can be no doubt about the fact that the quality on the pitch in the longer format has probably never seen worse days.

In terms of batting – attempt a quick finger count on the world class batsmen who made their debuts in the first 6 years since 2006 and the ones that have emerged since even discounting the pre 2000 stalwarts (Tendulkar, Ponting, Kallis , Dravid, Jayawardene and co).

Of the ones making their international debuts before 2006 , the names who claim a more than decent test record at first thought are the likes of Sehwag, Cook, Pietersen , De Villers, Clarke, Strauss, Bell, Smith, Hussey and maybe a couple of others. On the other hand the only names since then that can probably claim some sort of similar status are Hashim Amla and JonathanTrott ( Even Amla made his debut in 2004 but I'm placing him in the latter as his career really kicked off from 2007) .  The likes of Gambhir , Duminy and Watson have had good seasons followed by prolonged indifferent spells, while promising youngsters like Kohli have a long way to go to prove their test mettle. Not a single opening batsman to have debuted after 2006 can honestly claim to be one of the best in the world. Even that great Aussie assembly line of batsmen appears to have dried up – remember the nineties and early nougthies when the likes of Lehmann, Eliott, Love and Hodge could have walked into any other test side but managed only a handful of tests between them thanks to the sustained brilliance of the likes of the Waughs , Ponting, Hayden, Langer, Martyn, Gilchrist, Clarke and Hussey. India has still to provide a consistent test batsman since Sehwag and Sri Lanka one after the duo of Sangakkara and Jayawardene.

Equally abysmal is the increasingly predominant ‘Tigers at Home- Bunnies away” phenomenon.  True, teams were always strong at home, but you remember great overseas performances like India in Australia, Pakistan in England and South Africa in India. Australia of course won series’ in every country during their world dominance. Over the last couple of years, home dominance has been all the more magnified. England demolish India 4-0 at home and then are promptly whitewashed by Pakistan (with an Indian whitewash in the offing later this year if they don’t sort their act out soon. Non sub-continent bastmen are consistently clueless on turning tracks while those from the sub-continent are whipped decisively by seam and bounce (look at India’s combined 8-0 drubbing last season).

Progressively more batsmen are being inducted into test cricket from the shorter version of the game rather than vice-versa. Stories like David Warner will soon be the norm rather than the exception, not that there’s anything wrong with it, but you hardly expect the likes of Warner and those that follow in his ilk to eke out test careers similar to the likes of a Dravid or a Kallis. Even among the handful of stalwarts of test cricket that exist, there are characters like Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen who have compromised their test careers – a number of reasons behind them , but not least being the lure of more lucrative limited overs leagues.

The saddest outcome from this whole scenario has been the increasing absence of top test players from domestic competitions – be it in Australia’a Shield cricket or India’s Ranji Trophy. Some of the great cricketing stores have emerged from teammates taking each other on in domestic competitions. Duels between Marshall and Richards are still talked about in English pubs by the gaffers – how many Indians can remember similar stories between Tendulkar and Kumble. There is a dual rot caused to the system by this malady is: upcoming batsmen miss out on an early opportunity to play with seasoned and more skilful veterans resulting in an increasing gulf between domestic first class cricket and Test. Bowlers similarly miss the opportunity to hone their skills against the ream masters and as a result enter the test scenario undercooked (especially compared to their counterparts from the previous decades) – more on bowlers in the next article.

In recent years I have watched with great anticipation the debuts of touted young batsmen in test cricket – from Cheteshwar Pujara to Usman Khawaja to Johnny Bairstow. Most youngsters have flattered to deceive in recent years. There are occasional bright spots , none brighter than Pujara, but the careers have to be watched and honed carefully especially in the initial years. I fear that if recent history is any guide , the test batting arena is increasingly likely to be littered with an over-smattering of average players with the odd decent one. My greatest fear is a test match in a few years time minus the likes of Tendulkar, Ponting, Kallis, Smith, Pietersen and Jayawardne. For whom would one, even an avowed test enthusiast like me, tune in to watch bat?

European Football Season Opening- Roundup

The European Football Season is well and truly under way with all major leagues having played at least one weekend of games. The start to the English season is very much along expected lines with Chelsea (who somehow always manage to garner the easiest of opening fixtures) out to a perfect start. 3 wins  out of 3 , with the Eden hazard-Juan Mata partnership behind a rejuvenated Fernando Torres looking (at least at this early stage) like it’ll be the attacking jewel of the season.

Man City have now essentially become the New Man United with their ability to scrape points out of losing scenario. Despite an iffy start to the season in terms of form , they manage to rescue a point from Anfield , after an opening day injury time victory against newly promoted Southampton. Robin van Persie provided an earlier trailor for what might be another goal glut at Old Trafford as United overcame another defensively uninspiring performance to win against Fulham. Surprisingly , among the top teams, Arsenal have shown the most defensive mettle in the first 2 games. I can’t recall a Gunners team in recent years having visited the Brittania and not conceding a single shot on target. Trouble is , they still haven’t scored and didn’t really look like doing so against Stoke (last season they scored their first goal in the 3^rd game : a certain 8-2 defeat).

In Spain , Real Madrid are off to a horror start with 1 point from 3 games. C-Ron needs to get going early. Lio Messi already has 4 goals from 2 La Liga games. Moneybags PSG played out an uninspiring third consecutive draw , while the only talking point from Italy and Germany was AC Milan’s opening day loss. 

A Mere Quarter of a Billion Dollar Trade

Analyzing the Red Sox-Dodgers  deal - the Biggest in the History of Professional Sport

It is easily the biggest trade in sporting history. The recently concluded Boston Red Sox- LA Dodgers deal which ended in Boston sending marquee names like Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto along with ace pitcher Josh Beckett to the Dodgers in exchange for James Loney and a number of prospects. More importantly Boston ended up freeing about 250 million dollars worth from their payroll. The deal has set tongues wagging on the east and west coast with pundits discussing the merits and the demerits for both teams.

Gonzalez and Beckett : East-West Swing

From the Boston point of view, the trade smacks of a top heavy, lurching franchise admitting to its mistakes over the past 2 years, conceding defeat in the playoff race and aiming to rebuild with a view to next season.  In 2011 when Boston acquired the marquee free-agents Gonzalez and CC, they were touted as pre-season favourites to win the World Series. Things did not pan out quite so well. Although A –Gone had a creditable first season (putting up MVP numbers) his production since then has dipped considerably. Crawford, to put it bluntly, has been an abject failure in Boston with injuries, form and confidence making him one of the worst free agent transfers in recent years. Beckett, an undoubted pitching ace responsible for the 2 world series triumphs in 2004 and 2007, has been inconsistent over the past 2 years. Add to it last year’s abject September surrender , the managerial fiasco (the Francona sacking and the Valentine chaos), the beer –fried chicken saga and this season’s poor form – this was a team crying out to be revamped. What this trade ensures is that come November, the Red Sox will be in pole position to attract the big name free agents (Josh Hamilton being the most obvious one). Their starting pitching, even minus Beckett, on paper does not look very bad (Lester ,  Buchholz and a fit Lackey) : and they could obviously add to that with all the free salary space.

The trade for the Dodgers on the other hand signifies only one thing – mounting a serious playoff challenge. They are 2 games behind the Giants in the NL-West and given the riches at their disposal, are likely to at the very least secure a wild-card playoff spot. Their line-up (especially if A-Gone gets hot) with Ethier and Kemp matches the firepower of the rangers Texas and the Yankees. Beckett , of course is a different matter. The unquestioned ace in LA is the reigning Cy Young winner, Clayton Kershaw. Beckett might be the spark to fire the pitching staff to greater heights, or he could possibly be a divisive influence. One thing he definitely brings to the table is playoff and championship winning pedigree.

The quarter of a billion dollar deal has been locked in – the fun now begins to see how the cast plays out. Will the Dodgers reach the playoffs – likely. Will they win the World Series – unlikely (there are at least 3-4 better teams in the Majors) and as Boston themselves have proved: Marquee names do not necessarily mean a prolonged post-season.

 P.S. : Adrian Gonzalez launched a 3 run homer in his first at-bat as a dodger earlier today. 

The Tainted Yellow

Bemoaning the death of the greatest sporting story in history 

Lance Armstrong was the greatest sporting story ever....greater than Mohammad Ali or Jesse Owens. His achievements were at least on par if not better than the likes of Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher and Michael Phelps. Us ordinary mortals create sporting heroes by being enchanted by one of 3 things – an individual fighting seemingly insurmountable odds to compete at the top level or an athlete displaying a rare brand of sporting mastery to dominate either statistically , artistically or both in his individual discipline. Only rarely does an individual come who combines each of these – hence the names of Owens and Ali residing permanently in the hallowed portals of sport. Till yesterday, Lance Armstrong was destined to sit at least as an equal in this table if not as the head.

Then he decided not to contest the reams of charges levelled at him by the US Anti Doping Agency about systematic use and masking of performance enhancing agents, pretty much throughout his entire cycling career.  I do not understand the charges levelled at Lance and till all the alleged evidence against him is made public, the whole affair is likely to stay murky and dubious, casting a seemingly irremovable stain on an already tainted sport. Scanning the media pages over the last 24 hours has been a heartbreaking experience for this avowed Armstrong fan – a guy who’s annual July calendar is writ largely by the Tour de France principally because of the delights provided by the American.

The media has been  come out in a variety of poses – dominating of course , are those condescending smirks of “we knew it all the time” ; and there are those who bemoan the death of the Armstrong legacy and everything he stood for and the hope he provided to millions worldwide.  All media reports however are united over one issue – Armstrong’s white flag and refusal to contest the USADA charges, everyone feels, is a nailed on confession of guilt and a weak if not unexpected gesture to salvage whatever tarnished legacy he might manage for the future.

For those ignorant of the Lance Armstrong story – the Texan is a stage IV testicular cancer survivor – recovering from surgery and chemotherapy, he returned to professional cycling and proceeded to dominate the blue riband event in the sport, the Tour de France, winning the gruelling 3 week race for an unprecedented 7 consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 – a kind of dominance comparable with any athlete in any era in any sport. Masterminded by Johan Bruyneel , the US Postal Services and Discovery, perpetrated  a rare team dominance with lance as the lead act. Over the years, several of its more prominent members, notably Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and were banned. Gradually the accusations against Armstrong surfaced, his former team-mates accusing him of using and peddling both the agents and ways and means of masking them. Lance categorically denied the charges claiming himself the most tested athlete in the world. The USADA spent all the intervening years gathering evidence against him and finally launched proceedings against him, which after 2 weak attempts to block , Armstrong said he would not contest.

The implications of the Armstrong story are more than deciding 7 new TDF champions – there is now a question of establishing any kind of authenticity in an era of cycling where pretty much over every athlete hangs a doping cloud. This is a kick to the guts of sport in general, of belief in any kind of human achievement and perseverance. It is worse than finding out that Michael Phelps’ 22 Olympic medals were achieved illegally, or that Roger Federer’s 17 grand slam titles were won by systematic match fixing. Armstrong wasn’t merely a sporting icon , he was a champion of humanity. His Livestrong foundation has done more for cancer awareness and patients than anything of a similar vein achieved by any sportsperson. What does the future hold for Livestrong and the myriad of Lance supporters in the light of recent events. What exactly does Lance’s white flag refusal to contest the charges signify ?

Is it as his (and apparently his own alone) initial reaction suggests,  merely the sign of a man tired of fighting – against cancer , the against the tortuous passes of the Alps and the Pyrenees and finally against the prolonged (and apparently alleged) ‘witch-hunt’ against him.

What next for the Lance legacy ?

Or is it merely the best possible escape for a guilty man trying not only to salvage whatever bit of his personal reputation that he can, but also to keep the flag flying for his foundation and the hopes in the lives of the people it has touched? It is conceivable that Armstrong fears the dirt likely to be raked up in the course of the legal proceedings would be so heinous that his name would go from being from one of the most iconic in sports to one of the most vilified. In this manner at least, there would be a not altogether insignificant group of faithful supporters who would stand by him claiming that “after all he was never proved guilty”. The pragmatic would like the truth – there will never be any absolution though, with or without it. The greatest sporting story in history has been tainted. It will take long (if ever) before a similar story surfaces again...all we who romanticise the sports can hope is that our modern day heroes – the Bolts and the Federers , the Phelpses and the Messis can stay unsullied. Sport has never before been in such dire need of these men before.

VVS : A Throwback to the Game's Golden Age

Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman hangs up his boots after a magical career – easily one of the cornerstones of the golden age of Indian batting : A quintet of the likes of Laxman , Sachin, Dravid , Sehwag and Ganguly will never again be seen in Indian cricket.

Over the past decade and a half – if there was one Indian batsman who  I could choose to watch in full flow, would be VVS. Not that dual master of technique and consistency – Sachin, neither that Kamikaze bladerunner Viru , but Laxman, who’s batting seemed to belong to the golden ages of cricket , along with the likes of Victor Trumper and Ranji. Art for art’s sake – never hurrying , never flustered , elegant even in his dismissals. The only other batsman in the modern era whom I could similarly equate would be the ineffable Mark Waugh. Neither holds records for centuries or boasts over the top batting averages but therein is where their genius hides. Those wrists, the visible lack of footwork, the flick through mid-wicket , the threading-the-needle drive between point and cover. Oh for an opportunity to see the 2 bat together –sure there might be a run out before either got off the mark , but at their best , I’d rather have watched a partnership between Laxman and Waugh Junior than that between any combination of Sachin-Lara-Ponting-Dravid-Kallis.

Another characteristic which connected Laxman and Waugh was their prowess in the slips – while the Aussie was definitely more mobile and athletic , when it came to the sheer feel  and safety of the hands, Laxman was 2^nd best to none.  

VVS was the Stan Mc’Cabe of Indian batting. Like the yesteryear Aussie great who spent his entire career in Bradman’s mighty shadow, so too in later years will Laxman’s career be referred to as the Tendulkar years of Indian cricket. Yet some of Laxman’s best test innings would easily outstrip any that Sachin  has managed in a playing career almost twice as long. The epochal 281 at the Eden Gardens , the 4^th inning 167 in Sydney and the 80 odd in a match-winning 10^th wicket partnership against Australia spring first to mind.

Of Mc’Cabe’s greatest innings , 2 memorable quotes of the Don are often bandied :

“I’d be a proud man if I could play an innings like that Stan.”

(to his teammates , while Mc’Cabe was in full flow) “Come out and see this, you’ll never see anything like that in your life again”

No quotes like that have been attributed to Sachin Tendulkar , but I’m sure his sentiments would not be far off during those Very Very Special set of innings’ that Laxman seemingly monopolised.

Yet this was a guy who had a stop start international career- really only firmly establishing himself after the 2001 Australia series. Yet something that strikes me at once during those early years was his utter dominance of the domestic circuit. Those games were not widely telecast, and only reading the scores in the newspapers it seemed that he would not score anything less that 150 anytime he set foot on the pitch – a kind of domestic dominance that neither Sachin nor Dravid have managed (probably because they were so firmly entrenched in the national team). Looking back at those early domestic performances of his, it seems all the more pitiable that youngsters making the test team these days haven’t produced even a pittance of the brilliance and consistency of the Hyderabad man.  

Laxman was not cut out for the limited overs format – a very visible lack of mobility and athleticism would usually negate his best batting efforts, but who cares. Limited overs exploits are hardly the ink with which the pages of cricketing folklore are written. Of the stuff which matters, Laxman has penned enough to create a little chapter of his own. Add to it, the full set of virtues that cricket prides itself of embodying , a life free of controversy , happily aware from the media frenzy : aye VVS Laxman ,  a straight shoo in to any all time-India test eleven. 

Deconstucting the Gunners

Trying to make sense of yet another wild pre-season transfer saga

This little piece is being written by a long time (and one might say long suffering) Arsenal fan , during a long and tedious flight, even as Arsenal begin yet another season trying to cope with the loss of another talismanic player.

The loss of former skipper Robin van Persie has been bivalently received across all sections of the media. The majority (a significant number of them likely Mancunians) view RVP’s switch from London to Manchester as the potential death knell for Arsene Wenger; a blow that would probably finally ensure the Professor’s unblemished record of qualifying for the Champions League is ended. Of course, these writers do not even consider the Gunner’s chances at the EPL title even worthy of mention. Not a negligible few writers  however , have claimed that though Wenger was undoubtedly held to ransom by his captain , the ultimate result might turn out to be fortuitous for his team , especially considering how he’d already pre-empted the move and struck early in the transfer market to acquire 3 very differently capable players to replace the Dutchman.

Wenger : Furrows Galore

Let us consider the merits of both arguments:

At first sight, the Arsenal-bashing appears to need little debate to vindicate. RVP scored thrice as many goals as any other Gunner last season, and was single handedly responsible for his team either winning or drawing a number of games which could easily have gone the other way (fixtures against Everton and Liverpool readily spring to mind). His passing was first rate , set piece routines , above average at most times , and finishing in front of goal was exemplary. Add to this the fact that he has managed to remain fit for almost a year and half now, easily in longest span in his Arsenal carer.

The latter fact is what would be both United’s great hope and greatest fear. If the dreaded injury strikes , van Persie has shown that he is notoriously slow to recover from it. Add to this the undeniable dip in his performance over the last 2 months of the season, something which culminated in him headlining the dutch horror show at the European Championships. At the Euro’s he scored a sublime goal against Germany, but contrived to miss a hatful, some from positions which made you wonder if it was indeed him or his Arsenal teammate Marouanne Chamakh on the pitch. It is quite possible that rest and recoup since then, his batteries would be fully recharged and playing alongside Wayne Rooney and shepherded by Sir Alex Fergusson, he might proceed to put all doubts to rest. Time will bring out whether this is another historic coup by Sir Alex akin to Ruud van Nistelrooy and Eric Cantona or whether RVP is likely to end up as another failed transfer similar to the likes of Fernando Torres and Andy Carrol.

So all in all- 24 million for a transfer which at the face of it could not be prevented is not a bad deal , but the deal is likely to really rankle if RVP strikes gold at Old Trafford.

In my view , there is a more important transfer saga than RVP which the Gunners have to prevent at all costs – the switch of Alex Song to old nemesis Barcelona (the snatcher in chief of so many of Wenger’s boys before moneybags Man City came along..... Henry, Overmars, Gio , Hleb and of course Cesc). Van Persie may have got all the plaudits last year, but Song contribution was at least equal to the striker’s if not more. Although he still retains the propensity of picking up undesirable yellow card , there is no one better in the premier league in tracking attacking midfielders, and I’ve lost count of the number of last ditch tackles he made last season. Add to it a new found propensity to provide regular assists (especially via raking through balls and long balls) and popping up with the odd goal, and you have an indispensible asset to the arsenal system. Wnger excuse for letting Song go (with 3 years remaining on his contract) is that he has a fit Diaby and a Wilshire nearing fitness. I have not heard worse excuses: Diaby has hardly set the place alight in all of his years at the Emirates, and frankly is a defensive liability. Own goals, red cards , slack defence, letting strikers free on set pieces : he’s done the lot. Wilshere, for all his precocious talent , hasn’t played a minute in anger for more than a year. To expect him to settle down into the frenetic pace of the premier league with both a creative and defensive presence is too much to ask.

Song : More crucial to the Arsenal Setup than RVP

So to summarize my expectations for Arsenal’s season :

(1) EPL title : it’ll snow in hell if they win it.

(2) UCL qualification : probable , but chances likely to be dented if Song departs.

(3) Will they miss RVP : Unquestionably , the combination of Podolksi and Giroud will not even get them close to the 37 that the Dutchman scored last season. Goalscoring is going to be the major problem. Big scoring contributions needed from Walcott (assuming he stays put) , Carzola , Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Ramsey and Arteta because the forward line is going to misfire big time.

P.S.: Arsenal managed a goalless draw in their first game against Sunderland after having 70% possession and 23 shots on target. Giroud contrived to miss an open goal. Wenger has sold Song to Barcelona citing Diaby as his number one choice in central midfield. The season is only a day old and I’m wincing already. 

Perfection for the King

Felix Hernandez pitches Major League Baseball's 23rd Perfect Game

27 Up- 27 Down for King Felix

All Americans, Indians in America may shift attention elsewhere immediately. This is only for the Indian audiences who at most times are sceptical of American sports (with the possible exception of basketball).

So this post is about baseball – the sport that has had me hooked irrevocably for the past 5 years. Last night, “King” Felix Hernandez produced a perfect game of pitching for the Seattle Mariners against the Tampa Bay Rays. A perfect game in baseball comprises a pitcher pitching all 9 innings and retiring all 27 batters (3 in each inning) without a single base-runner: i.e. 27 out, no hits, no walks and no men on base. It is hardly correct to try and equate cricket to baseball but the only probable comparison I can come up with is a bowler in a one–day international producing figures of 10 -10 – 0 – 10.

I can already hear those with an understanding of baseball and cricket groaning at this comparison – and I humbly admit – the crude cricketing equivalent which I administered will likely never be seen. On the other hand Felix’s perfect game was the 23^rd in the history of Major League baseball, the first ever having been thrown by Lee Richmond in 1880. What is astonishing is, that in the 133 years since then only 22 other perfect games have been thrown. Even more mind-boggling is the fact that 3 of those perfect games have been pitched this year, by Phil Humber (Chicago White Sox), Matt Cain (San Francisco Giants) and now by Hernandez, prompting the 2012-13 season to be christened as “Baseball’s Perfect Season”.

King Felix, already considered one of the premier pitchers of his generation, now has another bit of history to add to his 2010 Cy Young Award. It’s a pity however that his team, the Mariners, are consistently out of play-off contention. What a sight it would be to see him take the mound for game one of the World Series. May baseball fans not be denied that pleasure too long! 

Non-Olympic Sporting Review

While were all rightly ensconced with the Olympics, not totally insignificant events have occurred in the sporting world outside of the London Games. Here’s a brief overview of the more important ones :

Rory McIlroy convinced a lot of doubters (including your truly) that he is truly destined for greatness with a dominant triumph at the US PGA Championship to claim his 2^nd career major title. Rory’s CV now reads 2 major victories at the age of 22, with one victory each in the last 2 years. More important was the style of each of his wins. Akin to Tiger of old, the Northern Irishman won his latest major with a 6 stroke lead.   As for Tiger, it was a deep sense of déjà vu, where he placed himself firmly in contention over the first 2 rounds before horribly losing the plot over the weekend – a malady which has plagued him in each of the last 3 majors.

McIlroy : A New Face to Fear in Sunday Red

The other pantomime which served no one well (with the possible exception of the South African squad) was the Kevin Pietersen fiasco. Just days after playing one of the more memorable test innings in recent times , KP was yet  again embroiled in the whole brooding ‘no one loves me’ saga with some alleged texts about his teammates sent to the opposition players. The ECB considering the scenario had pretty much no choice but to drop him in spite of an all too late public video pledging his career to England. Watch this space , but it will be one of the travesties of cricket if this supremely gifted batsman does not play test cricket again.  

The other big news headlines were of course made in the transfer market. The big headline of course being in the NBA where star center Dwight “Superman” Howard was finally traded to the LA Lakers , to give Kobe Bryant the suitable arsenal to launch one final title assault while he can still be ‘Kobe’ , especially given that the Miami fortress is now firmly entrenched.  While all and sundry were crying foul about the in justice of the whole affair and the case of making the rich-richer, unlike last year’s Chris Paul scenario , the NBA powers that be could not hijack this deal.

Superman moves to Hollywood

The other major travel has of course been in football where the European season is days away from kick-off. In England , Arsenal protected their legacy of selling a major player every year with Captain Robin van Persie joining Manchester United , the first time since 1981 that the Gunners have sold a player to Man U. The Luca Modric transfer sage to seems to have concluded , though no official deal with Real Madrid has yet been announced. More detailed analysis on the entire transfer season to follow shortly. 

Memories of London : Part II

DISAPPOINTMENTS

(Was tempted to title this section losers , but something called Olympic Spirit and words uttered by Baron Coubertin more than 100 years back drove better sense into me)

1. Ryan Lochte : Ok ,  what right in  the world does a guy who won 2 Olympic gold medals (and a total haul of 5 medals) have to be disappointed. The answer is every right. If Beijing was his team-mate and great rival Phelps’ showcase, London was supposed to be Lochte’s. While not attempting that audacious 8 gold medal haul , he would have been disappointed to come home with anything less than 5 especially after famously claiming that this was ‘his time’. Under the circumstances, 2 golds seems like a pittance, especially considering the way he blew the field r(including Phelps) away in his opening event , the 400 m IM.  Thereafter he was repeatedly relegated to being second best, by Phelps in the 200 m IM, by Yannick Agnel in the 200 m freestyle, and by team-mate Tyler Clary in the 200 m backstroke. Lochte also somehow contrived to being overtaken on the finishing leg of the 4x 100 m freestyle relay by an inspired Agnel, after having being handed a significant lead over the first 3 legs. Poor Ryan was not even fielded by the Americans in the final 4x100 m medley relay win.

 Lochte : Lurching in Phelps' mighty shadow

2. US Men’s Sprint Team : Spearheaded by Gay and Gatlin ,they were supposed to overwhelm Jamaica , with allegedly, the best US sprint team in years. There were boasts, shadow-boxing and various allegations, by US sprinters, past and present. Yet on the track all pre-match talk proved a whole lot of hot air as Messers Bolt, Blake and co demolished all and sundry winning 5 out of the 6 available medals in the 100 and 200 m followed by a clinical 4x100m relay victory. The US misery was compounded by the fact that for the first time in Olympic history they did not have a finalist in the Men’s 400 m relay, not to mention that they were agonisingly pipped to the finishing line by the Bahamas in the 4x 400 m relay.

3. Team Australia: After a decade of dominant performances, the Aussie challenge whimpered to a close with only 7 gold medals ; this after garnering a  total of 57 gold medals in the previous 3 editions(16,17 and 14 in Sydney, Athens and Beijing respectively). Hockey and swimmers were the chief disappointments with some late consolation salvaged by the sailing teams.

4. Brazilian Football team: Yet another Samba stumble – this was the Brazilian equivalent of the dream team: Neymar, Hulk, Oscar , Pato, Thiago Silva and company are supposed to be the ‘Spain’ of the next decade . On the basis of their final performance, that boast needs a lot of work to be validated.  Put early on the back foot by an inspired Mexico, coupled with some shambolic defending, the Brazilian gold medal jinx was agonizingly prolonged. 2014 (world cup) and 2016 (Olympics) are both hosted by brazil, and the absence of a top prize in at least one of these might force these players to seek asylum in Europe – in Brazilian football , being 2^nd best is simply not an option.

5. Indian Men’s Hockey team: Some might argue that India doesn’t deserve its place in this list as it has long ceased to be a top world hockey team. While that may be true, a total of 6 matches with 6 losses (including those against Belgium and South Africa) is a shocking return from one of the big names of hockey. India was more to hockey than the erstwhile West Indies was to cricket; it was probably equivalent to what Brazil and Argentina combined is to football. What the games displayed was a through ineptitude with terrible standards of fitness, motivation and commitment. Even more shocking was the fact that the Indians were actually technically inferior to most of the teams they were pitted against. It is high time the age old excuse of astro-turf and the western conspiracy is buried and people accept that India is a 3^rd rate hockey nation.

Indian Men's Hockey Team : Had no business being in London

Notable Mentions :

-Roger Federer, who’s trophy cabinet now seems destined to lack that Olympic singles gold medal.

-Mark Cavendish , who’s team GB (Wiggins , Froome and co)  just did not have tactical wherewithal and ultimately the legs to pull back the breakaway group in the men’s road race.

-Asafa Powell, the only unhappy Jamaican after the Olympics , having pulled up in the 100 m final with a hamstring injury which subsequently precluded him from taking any further part.

-Yelena Isinbayeva , the queen of the pole vault could only manage an uncertain looking bronze, failing to clear a height way below her personal best. 

Memories of London : Part I

There was something about the London games which will not ever be replicated in the future , not least the number of stirring venues and backdrops – whether it be the football at Wembley , the Archery at Lords , the Tennis at Wimbledon or the road events finishing on the Mall with the backdrop of the Buckingham Palace. Tears were shed in joy and sorrow , dreams were fulfilled and dashed cruelly , pre-emptive boasts came up both justified and exceedingly hollow, stars and legends both,  engraved their names deeper in history and were extinguished without a final blaze, youthful pretenders , both made history and came up woefully short of the mark. To list out all the heroes and heroines at the games would probably entail another fortnight’s work – so right out of the hat , are the names (individuals and teams) of both the superstars in these games and those who left for home with disappointment and disquiet.

WINNERS

1. Michael Phelps & Usain Bolt :

As in Beijing, so in London, when the dust settles and the hullabaloo is long over , these are the 2 names that will linger on as the icons of these games. People wrote Phelps off and surprise, surprise , at the end of the Games , guess who stood atop the individual medal tally , both in gold medals (4 -  shared with Missy Franklin) and total medals (6). The legacy of Phelps is probably destined to go down as the closest thing to the statistically unmatchable in sport since Bradman’s 99.94.

As for Bolt – 6 Olympic events contested: 6 gold medals, 4 world records, 1 Olympic record. Wonder what the future holds in store if he decides to come back for the 400m and the Long Jump at Rio.

2. Team Great Britain : You got to be kidding me – 29 gold medals , 4 in track and field, 6 gold in a single day. Ahead of traditional powerhouse Russia and way ahead of Australia in the medal tally, GB will be hard pressed to reproduce even half of its tally in 4 years time. It diffucult to single out British athletes individually - From Chris Hoy to Mo Farah ,  from Jessica Ennis to Andy Murray , from Bradley Wiggins to Ben AInslie: this was a veritable dream team for the Brits : (Poor Mark Cavendish would be banging his brains out.).

3. David Rudisha : Not just because he set the first Track and field gold medal in the games – but the manner in which he won the 800m. There was no shadowboxing, no tail-gating , the Kenyan seized the lead early and simply demolished the field – the perfect example an athlete at the top of his game and

4. Russian Men’s volleyball Team : Winning the gold in a final which was easily the game of the entire Olympics (any event) . Firm favourites Brazil , leading by 2 sets to love and  22-19 in the third , offered themselves the luxury of  sending on injured captain Giba for the medal winning play. Whether the Russians took it as an insult and raised their game or whether it made the South Americans lose momentum is a matter of debate, but what followed was one of the greatest comebacks in the history of any team event in any sport. Seizing the 3^rd set 29-27 , the Russians proceeded to demolish a shell-shocked Brazil and claim their first volleyball gold since the days of the Soviet Union.

5. A multi-cultural trio of Women Swimmers : A teenage American named Missy Franklin who equalled Phelps’ haul of 4 gold medals) ; Ranomi Kromowidjojo , a Dutchwoman of Javanese Surinami origin who blitzed the pool in the blue riband sprints (the 50 and 100 m freestyle) and a 15 year old Chinese girl , Ye Shiven , whose performances in the medley swims were so astonishing that they promptly brought out accusations of doping. The best part is that all 3 ladies have age on their side and mere contemplation of what they might end up achieving by the end of their careers sets the pulse racing.

Kromowidjojo , Franklin and Shiwen : New Kids on the Block 

Honourable Mentions: US women’s relay teams (track and pool) , Chinese badminton and table tennis teams and the US basketball teams (for maintaining their fearsome monopoly) , all women boxers (medallists or otherwise) for winning a battle stretching over decades to have their event included in the games

Olympic Diary : day 15

Penultimate Day fireworks , Russians storm the Arena , a British Legend , Samba-stumble and (Yawn) another Jamaican Victory.

Records....crazy celebrations....tears.....shock......double extra-time....and gallons of adrenaline.... the penultimate day of the games could n0t have seen  better action.

The jury is now out on the sportsman who will be knighted earlier...Bradley Wiggins or Mo Farah....Farah added the 5000m gold to his 10000 m title in a searing home-stretch finish. Not content to simply cross the line in first place, he promptly did a Usain Bolt and added a few crunches for good measure.

That celebration probably woke Bolt up for good as he anchored a spectacular Jamaican 4x100 m relay effort home becoming the first team ever to break the 37 s barrier. Halfway through , the race the Americans seemed ahead , before Tyson Gay was slowly reeled in by Yohan Blake , who handed the baton to Bolt, right on the shoulder of the American anchor and the conclusion from that moment on was foregone.

Bolt does the Farah Salute

The country of the day however was Russia , who made a late gold medal surge winning the men’s and women’s race walks , the women’s high jump and 800m as well as a creditable if distant silver (from an awesome US team) in the 4x 400m women’s relay. The Russians won a total of 6 gold medals with Evegena Kanaeva imperious in her defence of the all-round rhythmic gymnastics title. 

If track and field event went as per predictions, all hell was let loose in Wembley where an inspired Mexico toppled a cocky and ultimately a defensively inept Brazilian team 2-1 thanks to Oribe Peralta’s brace (the first goal coming in the 1^st minute of play). Chelsea recruit Oscar had the chance to tie the game with virtually the last piece of notable action but headed above the cross-bar from point blank range. The Brazilian women’s volleyball team fared considerably better winning 3 sets to 1 against the USA with a comprehensive performance after being whipped in the first set.

In a another upset, though not of such epic proportion, Germany yet again pulled the rug from under the feet of perennial rivals Holland to win the gold in the men’s hockey.

Honourable mentions for India’s Yogeshwar Dutt who came through 3 rapid repechage rounds to take bronze in the 60 kg freestyle wrestling and Brit Tom Daley who finally repaid some wild home expectations by winning the bronze in the men’s 10 m platform diving event.

Performer of the Day : Elena Lashmanova of Russia , who won the women’s 20 km race walk in world record time in an astonishing race, pipping her compatriot and defending gold medallist Olga Kaniskina. Kanishkina had led the entire race bar the final 100 odd meters where Lashmanova took over, astonishingly after at one point having been more than a minute behind her.

Lashmanova : Leading a Late Russian Charge

Quote of the Day : Brazil are turning ‘living dangeously’ into an art form in this final. 

Olympic Diary : Day 14

An Ancient Record Smashed , Bracing for a Storming finale

The American quartet of  Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter set the track ablaze knocking out the stuffing of a 27 year old world record in the women’s 4x100 m relay , held previously by the erstwhile East Germans. There was immediate talk in the air about how this relay might inspire the US men in their event 24 hrs later. However, the US men’s 4x 400 m relay team suffered a shock defeat over the home stretch of the final leg against an inspired Bahamas. With both Jamaica and USA setting scorching times in the men’s 4 x 100 m  semi-finals without one main man each (Bolt and Gay respectively), the track is set for a rip-roaring finish tonight.

Other team events set themselves up for fascinating gold medal matches with Brazil set to encounter Mexico in the men’s football final , while the Gasol brothers’ Spain come up against the US dream team in the basketball final. The Netherlands men’s hockey team will be hoping for a double delight to follow up last night gold medal winning triumph of the women’s team.

Gaff of The day: Great Britain’s relay team finished comfortably 2^nd behind Jamaica in the relay semi-final but bungled up the final baton exchange to be disqualified. The British media have already dubbed the baton exchange a bane equivalent to the football team’s penalty shoot-out.