Writing par’ner Martin hit me with a new concept: maiden. I had foolishly asked him what “m” stood for in what us baseball fans call “the box score.” “I don’t remember this in our book….” “Evander, we just could not fit everything.” I looked up the term in my Webster’s Collegiate at home. Aside from the obvious, I only find something about Scottish guillotines. Yikes!

Later, in watching a video on the batsman, Martin hit me with terms for the various strokes and “pushes” and “taps” the batsmen can summon, depending on the situation and what the bowler is delivering. “I don’t remember this in our book!” “Evander, calm down. As I said, we just could not fit everything.” Hence, this website.

Having composed myself, I’m now perusing the MCC (never standing for Montreal Cricket Club!) Cricket Annual 2010; and on page 15, I find “Tour to USA.” “The touring party for America met at Lord’s in mid-March, very excited, but a little uncertain about what to expect from a tour to the USA.” What the MCC reps found on the West Coast (after their driver confused Santa Barbara with Santa Clara: Sheesh!) was a fairly high level of cricket (they seem to have lost most of their matches), one infectious American (Canadians don’t especially appreciate the synonymous use of “United States” and “America,” whether of the Montreal Cricket Club, living near Whistler, or in ravine-endowed Toronto) youngster, a lot of enthusiasm, but still too few home-grown “Americans” with any idea of what a wicket is besides the one that may be sticky.

Russell Crowe, cricketer extraordinary, who the MCC had been told to expect and were eager to see, ultimately came in as a no-show (“When both sides have been in and out including the not outs, that’s the end of the game. Howzat, Mate!”), to the considerable disappointment of the touring party, not to mention their USA opponents. We recommend Right Off the Bat from Paul Dry Books (in May) for everyone involved, including Mr. Crowe, the show-biz-no-show.