cricket for the people of united states - part one

The game of cricket is followed by almost every one in India. But in the US, no body cares about the game. I can not say, I am a fan of cricket. I call myself, a spectator of any sport (of course, a little partial towards of baseball/field hockey). I think the true value of sports, is to inspire the rest of us , the non-athletic beings to... ummm, well, write, debate, argue and fight (of course, peacefully) about it. Any sport is a better religion to fight for.

As I have followed basketball (NBA), baseball (MLB) and American football (NFL) for the last two years, I think, it qualifies me to compare cricket with other American sports. (Yeah! ! Two years is enough, and No, I don't see Ice Hockey!) I will try to compare it in five categories - competitiveness, player/team specialty, duration, scoring, and handling a tie. For all purpose of discussions, we use the one day format of the cricket game - even, that is too long for Americans

By competitiveness, I mean a level of even-ness in the format of the game. Offense and Defense should alternate in multiple plays. Like, in basket ball, when one team scores, the other team gets the ball, and thus, the opportunity to score. Defense should become offense, and vice versa - the sooner, the better.

The biggest problem with the game of cricket, there is no opportunity for lead changes. The game is over, when the lead changes!!! Americans don't buy any game, which doesn't have the chance of alternating plays. Their normal reaction would be -"I have to wait for another three hours to see the other team play ? Let get some sleep"

So, I propose a format of cricket with each team playing 10 overs - each team playing alternatively. There would be five innings, each inning limited by 10 overs. The produces the opportunity of a game with alternating scores, and nerver-racking match-ups.

Now, the problem with cricket is it takes time for the team to take field positions That brings us to the second point - player/team specialty. I propose that, in cricket, there will be two different teams offense team (batting), and the defense team ( bowling, and fielding). Also, the defense team(bowling and fielding) should start the play with in 5 minutes of the play clock. If the defense team fails to start, it would be penalized with one over in their inning.

Of course, this will reduce the chance of a cricket player becoming an all-rounder. Hello! Nobody wants an all-rounder. Just do what you do better!!! We would rather watch your good bowling, than your average batting.

Now, we might have to increase the total team strength to 50, because we can't do the "inning change" with in 5 minutes with just 11 players. A lot of special positions will be created, and of course we will have an offense coach, a defense coach, a captain's coach, a fielding coach, a wicket keeper coach, and, of course, the head coach. Yes, this is completely based on the game of American Football, where you have more coaches than number of players in the field.

More rules can be developed similar to the half-back option (American Football), travel/technical fouls (Basketball), and stealing the base (Baseball) to making Cricket possible to have varied style of plays, special plays, and more physical plays. (This is left for the reader as an assignment...;))

Coming to the duration of game, I have to talk about a person who some one I know, knows. This guy, an American, watched three hours of test cricket match between Australia and England, was so surprised that the game is not over yet!!! Or atleast, it not nearing an end, where people stand up, and get ready to leave the stadium... Also, the game has to be very quick. Americans think that they would rather watch the game with wrong decision than waste time for the interruptions on TV replays. (OK. This is still a debate.)

Though, its very difficult for cricket to reduce its duration to have a complete game, I think, we can look at the time wasters in a cricket game, and restrict them. One of the most important time waster in a cricket game, is the fast bowler. The run-up of the fast bowler should be restricted, and also, the time taken to deliver a ball should be restricted. (This time includes the time required to spit, and shine the ball)

The number of balls in a over should be reduced from 6 to 4. But that doesn't give the bowler enough time to warm up. So, the rule to change the bowler for every over should be relaxed to every three overs. Its the captain's choice (or Let the coach ask for a timed time-out) to change the bowler after one over or three overs. But the time between overs should be penalized, if it exceeds more than the time it takes for two advertisements - one with a cute child, and another one with a movie-star dancing with an animal (preferably a bear). (Huh! Those Superbowl Ads!)

Now inning time is reduced, and game is just 400 balls. So, that comes around 5 hours of playtime - that doesn't hurt...much.

Scoring, and tie-handling will be discussed in the next part of this series.

IIT guys' political party

Really interesting news today, about how 5 IITians have formed a political party

IIT geeks form political party: "Five IITians in their 20s have taken up mainstream politics and formed a party called Paritrana."

I have always wondered, how the Goverenment of India's most expensive educational institutions produce citizens who eventually become the non-citizens of the country.

And Wow! This is a very serious involvement in affairs of India. I hope they find some success in their mission.

sons

I read Franz Kafka's story "The Judgment" today. Its a very intriguing tragedy about the relationship between father and son. The story questioned me about certain emotional effects of parenthood on children.

The main focus of the story is on inability of the son to grow up, as he always had to fulfill the expectations of the father, rather than the expectation of his own. And when the time finally comes up for the son to stand up on his own, it causes such a conflict with the parent, that it leads to the tragic end of the son.

The way the author lays out the story is beautiful. The way the author has delivered, the idea, that the thoughts of son had been developed so much by the way he was brought up. Its one of a kind.

Its simple - "Once a son, always a son".

katrina

I was really shocked to see the images of divesting caused by Hurricane Katrina. And the images from New Orleans are terrible!!! I really didn't know that the lake near New Orleans had broken its levees (concrete structures used to protect the lake/river from getting into the city), until after two days, when I discussed with my room mate. Very tragic!!!

In the light of this hurricane, Gas(or Petrol) prices here, in the US started to increase. The gas station (petrol bunk) around the corner of my street listed $3.30 this Friday (September 2, 2005). And some parts in the US, gas prices have increased to around $5-$6.

For the first time, in all duration of my being here in the US, I felt a sense of conservation among the people living in the US. And the president had to say this...

We ought to conserve more. And I would hope Americans conserve if given a choice. Secondly, we have done some things to help on the gas prices...

In India, in every corner of the street I would see signs "Save fuel". "Conserve electricity". The thoughts of conversation are so imbibed into my mind that I would find every normal usage of the American, a waste. And now in the moment of crisis, America, even you have to say this !!!

If you don't need it, don't buy it

vanity

I like John Grisham's writings. He has this very distinct style of writing, its quite powerful. But I never wanted to read his book "The Devil's Advocate" - may be because of the subject, which seem so super-natural and religious, uh actually, Christian.

But I did watch that movie yesterday. Al Pacino is perfect in doing the devil in the movie!!! My favorite quote from the movie is, when the devil says...

Vanity is one of my favorite sins.

By the way, I really didn't know the meaning of Vanity, until I looked it up in dictionary. 'Vanity' means excessive pride in oneself and/or one's accomplishments.

The movie has a really interesting theme - the devil, trying to establish his foothold in the society, using the law. The Law as the back door for the devil!!! Its an interesting attempt, and I think, it worked OK for the movie.

idiot and maniac

This is a quote from George Carlin.

While driving in a car, Ever notice that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but anyone going faster is a maniac ?

Hmmm, How true is that ? How our thoughts are so centered on ourselves ? It always, something with respect to "me"...

endurance

I think, la tour de france, is THE competition of endurance. Its 3600 km, 21 days of continuous cycling. And the guy who won, Lance Armstrong, had to ride for around 86 hours... Man, if I had to ride for 86 hours on a bicycle, I would have my ass split into two, and hanging down like little puppies. (ok... thats a gross imagination)

Lance Armstrong, rode the bicycle, for 20 days every year, in tour de france, and won it for seven times. And they debate, if he is an athlete or not. They say, "He just rides a bicycle!!!"

The meaning of the word athlete, as per Dictionary.com

A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.

Every trait of strength, agility, and endurance is being tested, in a competitive context in the tour de france.... And if that man who survived cancer, and won it all, is not an athlete with a single testicle, I don't know who is!!!

The origin of the word athlete, is from the Greek word athletes, meaning contestant... For me, any competitor who inspires the rest of us, in his moment of greatness, with his ability to extend the human limits - is an athlete.

out of touch

Had been out of touch of this blog, as I had too many things one my head for past three weeks.

Some days, you see, the engine doesnt start at all. You slide in the key, turn it around. No, It doesnt start. Check the battery. Its alright. Starting motor is cranking.(Yes, you still have that chh-chh-chh sound) Enough fuel is there to consume. But the day just doesnt get started.

And this had been around for the past three weeks - day and night. I get to work, and I want to get out of there as soon as possible. I get home, and I want to get out of home soon. There seems no place to go to!!!

But all of these happen just to emphasize that I am getting out of touch of myself. I just had to get down the with myself, list down the questions I need to answer. Finally I realized that my needs have been increasing lately... (Needs, as in emotional and spiritual needs) that my self-worth was hitting bottom.

So, it all comes down to what do i need to respect myself ? Well, When I think about it, nothing actually. I dont need anything to love myself or anybody!!! Yes, I realized that. And now, the days are starting well.

thinnest slice.

I realize the best part of love is the thinnest slice

These words are from Air Supply's hit song "lost in love". I just get reminded from these words thousand small things matter most than another "big" thing.

80/20 principle.

From Tom DeMarco's book "Peopleware",

A Person with a work life of, say, forty years will spend five years working and thirty-five managing. That implies an exceedingly tall, narrow hierarchy. Fifteen percent of the staff is doing work, with 85% managing. As little as ten percent of the cost could be spent on workers, with ninety percent going to reward the managers. Even Marx didn't foresee such top-heaviness of capitalistic structures.

Some time ago, I was in a discussion on 80/20 principle. I was told that the 80/20 principle was assumed to be universal truth, like the "Sun rises in the east." And so, I was told that the things happening around me are to be interpreted under this "rule".

I think, the 80/20 principle is an offshoot of the capitalistic structures. Or for that matter, any other structure devised by the human thought - schools, libraries, infrastructure systems, military, literature. After all, Capitalism is Communism of the rich. Human beings are so limited in their capacity of thinking that, they can not devise a system, in which every one can participate and contribute effectively.

Whoever chooses to participate in a system, there is always some focus - the same focus, that every one should aim for and achieve. Also, if you don't fit into any of these systems, you just don't exist. And hence you are either the 80% percent, or the 20% - nothing else.

In a way, its what comedian George Carlin says

There are always some winners, and a whole bunch of losers.

After thousands of years of evolution, and more than two thousand years of thinking, if this is what we, human beings can accomplish, it sure makes sense to say - "We are not Gods!!!"

apple's stand.

Its a well-known fact that, Apple's products obsolete their OS and hardware, faster than Windows. That is very difficult for me - really difficult to keep up in pace with them... esp. their softwares.

For example, iTunes - it requires atleast Mac OS X 10.2.8, which makes anything less than 10.2.8 obsolete. But the same application can support Windows 2000, which, i guess, is older than OS X 10.2.8. So, Apple's applications, obsolete its OS faster than, it would do it for Windows.

This makes having an apple computer, an exclusive bunch of people, who should shell out more money on hardware... and do that very frequently. Oh! Please, I want a computer to organize my life, not to organize(or upgrade) the computer every month.

In short, you really have to be filthy rich to keep up in pace with apple's development... So, I give up. I am back to Windows.

thinklet...

well, after thinking for almost half an hour, and then, tyring to reach a title for another 45 minutes, finally, i found a title for my blog - thinklet. I could even define what it means!!!

The word 'thinklet' is not available in any dictionary, as i know of, right now. May be, it was inspired from 'piglet' of Winne, the Pooh. Ummm, I don't know. You see, thoughts happen, and then there is a thinklet !!!

And so, my first thinklet is the idea of thinklet... :)

More, later.