What’s up with Zaheer? Is he coming back to the side too soon? Rushing it? For three or four times now he has come back to the team (red carpet welcome too) and left a match midway. Twice in tests he has gone back injured after the first innings, and in these days when India plays only 4 true bowlers, that makes it a 25% hit in the second innings.
And a lot of people have started asking the question - is he worth the red carpet? Does he warrant a place as soon as he comes back to the side? Even McGrath had to play some first class games before he could come back to the Australian side. So why does Zaheer get a free pass to come back to the squad?
In fact, I read that he cut short his stint with Surrey because of some injury scare. This is just ridiculous.
I didn’t know about it, but in his column on htcricket.com Ganguly mentioned that according to this rule, a batsman cannot be out on the ball after the no-ball. Of course, except run out, he cannot be out on a no-ball, but for this tournament they have extended it and made it so that the next ball is also a ‘free hit’ ball.
That is reall a big deal…didn’t see much of that commented upon by the commentators. But then again, the ARY commentators are quite pathetic, so I would not expect much from them.
I called ARY Digital today and asked them if they can switch the commentary feed to the ESPN Star team, but I was told no. Hey, I tried. :-)
Saw the Quarterback Challenge yesterday. It was basically a fun-filled activity day for quarterbacks and receivers where they played some games and determined the winner for the Quarterback Challenge.
The quarterbacks participating were Matt Hasselbeck, Carson Palmer (yay!), Trent Green, Mark Brunell, Jake Delhomme, Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich, Marc Bulger and Josh McCown. Matt won the whole thing, but Carson Palmer won the longest throw.
It was cool to see some football again. Feels good and now I can’t wait for training camp and then the pre-season games to start!
Of course, 49ers are my favorite team, but I know they are going to lose. So I need to find a favorite who will win some games. Maybe Philly with McNabb and TO. Maybe Atlanta with Vick. Definitely not Seattle or St Louis. Definitely not Green Bay. Maybe Detroit because of Mariucci. Notice that none of the teams considered are from the AFC ;-)
Sentimental favorites - 49ers and the Bengals (yea, they are in the AFC, but I like them because of Carson Palmer).
Well, we spent most part of Saturday in the city (San Francisco) trying to find a place for tatoos, and then, trying to find a good design.
Two people I know have successfully made it to the ‘other side’. I did not. The wife did. So did a cousin. The cousin got an ‘om’ symbol. The wife got a complicated ‘sun’ symbol with some streaks around it.
But it was not easy. First of all, I was not supporting my wife’s wish to get one. She’s been wanting one at least since the time we went to Venice beach in LA. I kept telling her to get a temporary one not only because of issues with the needles and all that, but also because it is so easy to get sick of the same symbol.
Then, as we started walking on the (in)famous Haight street in San Francisco, we noticed quite a few tatoo stores. We walked into the first one, which seemed to be a consensus choice as the cleanest and the most organized. The wife was still looking at me to tell her that it is ok to get a tatoo. I was trying to push it back to her. After a lot of such discussions, she decided to go for it. After spending quite some time there browsing the designs, a decision was made. Both of them knew what they wanted.
As they went to the guy to start the paperwork, he said that he had an appointment at 4.30pm and that it would be a 2-hour job after which he would gladly take us in. Since we knew there were other stores, we quietly walked out from there.
The next store was so-so, and there were some designs that they showed which looked better than the first one, but ultimately, they were also booked till much later in the evening. So we passed and went on to the next store.
These tatoo businesses look quite shady at first glance, but in the end, they are not so bad. So we entered one such shady-looking store and were brave enough to actually start looking at the designs and stuff to see which tatoo to get. The choices were made. The ‘om’ symbol was pretty simplistic, so there was no time to be wasted. My cousin signed the disclaimer and pre-paid and waited in line.
My wife was still not certain if she wanted to get a tatoo. I think she was certain that she wanted one, but she was not sure if I was ok with it. But in the end she said that she was going to go for it. She asked for some design suggestions from the lady at the counter, who gladly drew out a nice pattern for her after about 20 minutes. It was pretty good, and it was approved. Then, after some more waiting time, she filled out her disclaimer and prepaid.
Meanwhile, the ‘om’ was completed. The experience was not too painful, and it seems getting a tatoo is like getting a good high. As a result, after getting the ‘om’ done, my cousin has already planned out which other tatoos she wants to get (three, as of now). The ‘om’ took about 20 minutes to complete.
After some more wait, my wife took her turn and hers took about 35 minutes to get done. It came out well, and like my cousin, there is already a plan to get some more stuff done!
Both of them are quite proud of what they have done. Good for them. We got out of the store at about 8pm, after starting the tatoo-getting experience at about 3pm.
After all that apparent trouble, they want more. Is it worth it? Ask them. I did not think so before it started, and I still don’t think so :-)
I have noticed that as soon as a couple plans to have a baby they start thinking of buying an SUV. Out of the three couples I know who are expecting a baby soon, two already have SUV’s (Honda Pilot and Toyota 4Runner) and the third is looking at Subaru Wagons.
I don’t understand though, what the reasoning is to buy an SUV, if you have a decent-sized sedan. I understand that once the baby grows older, and has friends who will need to be picked up and dropped off, having an SUV is fine.
If I have to use one word to describe ARY Digital’s coverage of the Asia Cup, I would use the word ‘sucks’.
It seems like they are re-telecasting someone else’s coverage. So the commentators seem to be in a studio (or maybe an apartment in New York ;-) ), and there is hardly any stadium noise. It feels quite dead.
And of course, the camera work, which I don’t suppose is ARY’s, is pathetic. It took me back to those old Doordarshan days where the camera and the ball would hardly ever be in the same place!
India won its game, as predicted. Sehwag scored a 0 instead of a double hundred, as I expected.
Sachin was comfortable and confident and got out to a soft dismissal. As usual.
Ganguly was clueless and he should have gone on 0 (easy slip catch dropped) and 4 (a tough catch in the gully dropped). But in the end, what he puts up on the board is more important. And in the end, time spent in the middle has not substitute. Good for him.
I slept off after the first 45 minutes or so. Later found out that Dravid scored a century.
This guy, I am telling you. Don’t know what he eats and what he does, but he is redefining consistency. No wonder he is The Wall or Mr. Dependable.
Hats off to you, sir.
I saw some of the initial bowling and man, Irfan Pathan is awesome. The way he is able to swing the ball is amazing to watch. He is a good prospect for India in the long term and hopefully he keeps fit and keeps bowling for India for a long time.
Of course, the rest of the innings was nothing much to shout about, except the fact that Sachin pocketed 3 wickets. Did not see how he took them (but I have the innings taped, so I will watch it later today ;-) ), but 3 wickets is quite a handful.
India has started the season 1-0. Let’s hope for more in the win column.
I went to the ATM today when I realized that there was a new Indian restaurant called Tiffins right next to it. I noted it and after doing my bank work, I decided to try it out.
After all, they served Naans, Paneer, etc. and they mentioned Tandoor too.
It is a small place that can seat maybe 15 people. There is a mini buffet where you can order 2 or 3 items and you get 2 tandoori rotis or rice or 1 Naan. I chose Naan, along with Malai Kofta and Matar Paneer.
The Naan was awesome - with butter shimerring on its top surface. I have not had butter naan in a while, so this was quite a good deal. As I was eating, I noticed a gentleman who looked like the owner, talking to the person who was taking the orders. They were talking business, I suppose.
Then he started walking towards me and asked me how the food tasted. I replied that it tasted good. Then, immediately, even without waiting to hear what I had to say, he turned away and started talking to a white boy who was waiting for his to-go order.
He talked and talked and talked. He in fact, gave him the menu for him to take and give it to friends. He also told him what other stuff they have to offer to him. A lot of things were discussed.
My problem is that why did he not choose to talk like that to me, or another Indian fellow who was sitting there? Why did he choose to talk so much in detail with the white boy?
And trust me, this is not the first time I have seen something like this happening. I have seen it all over the place, and a lot of times. Amber India in Mountain View is one place that jumps out for such behavior.
It is sad, but true. Why do Indians not like other Indians? Is there some bad precedent that Indian consumers in general have set? Do business people not want to bond too much with Indians? What is the reason?
Yahoo News reports that the BCS has changed its formula and is going to give AP writers and the coaches polls more weightage.
Does this solve our problems? No.
Will this solve our problems? Who knows.
One way or the other, we need a playoff structure so that all the fans see for themselves what could’ve been. Like USC/LSU meeting for a true national championship last year.
If Mike Williams comes back to USC, I would say that they will be ranked #1 in pre-season. How they play their games will determine if BCS formula is going to be important or not.
First game is against Virginia Tech, which is no puppy. So let’s get the momentum going!
Not that it was not a forgone conclusion after Phil Jackson went and Shaq was traded, but now it is official - Kobe Bryant is going to stay with the Lakers.
I know a lot of people fall under the ‘anti Kobe’ and ‘pro Shaq’ category, but hey, as a Lakers fan, it is nice that at least one of the two superstars is going to stay.
Now, Kobe will feel what he had and what he took for granted - those easy passes to Shaq for dunks are not going to exist anymore. Do the Lakers have a center?
Days are flying by. It is already Thursday. Day 11. I sometimes wonder if there will be a day when I look back and say, why the hell did I do the things I did. Wasn’t there a better way to spend the life?
Maybe it is just a philosophical thought, as very powerfully said in Pink Floyd’s song Time:
I did not want to have to subscribe to this channel - ARY Digitial. Apparently, based in Dubai and having predominantly Middle Eastern content. But they are the only ones televising it in North America, as far as I know.
So I did what I was resisting for so long. Signed up for that channel, just to see the boys play some cricket for the first time this season.
Let’s hope the rain Gods don’t dance around the time India plays :-)
Wow. What and eventful Wednesday evening it was. We were all talking about a friend whose wife (also a friend) is pregnant in her 6th month.
Then, as we were getting ready to go eat, another friend stopped us and said that they have an announcement to make. And boom, they said they were expecting their child in Jan! And we had not even let that thought sink when another friend casually said that they were also expecting their kid in Jan!
Wow!
Wow! Wow!
Suddenly, we are in a minority here, in the ‘non expecting’ couple category.
Wow! Still shaken up a bit from the news.
First it was my roommate from LA, though it’s been a long long time (2 years?).
Then it was my roommate from DC. Their kid is about 2-3 months old.
Then it was my cousin. Their kid is about 2 weeks old.
The other day I met a friend who was visiting from India. His kid is 22 months old!
We met this friend at a common friend’s place. Their kid is 4 months old!
Then the other friend in the 6th month.
And now, add these two to the list.
Suddenly, the talk was about morning sickness, exercises, OB-GYN, common doctors, hospitals, stroller valet, etc.
Things are changing so fast around me. Need to come to grips with reality. :-)
