Oblique Baseball

Posted on March 24, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

Not that I (Evander) am an expert on human anatomy, but until the 1990s had anyone even heard of the oblique muscle(s)? It’s the “in injury,” the fashionable injury this oblique. The Yankees already have a problem when Curtis Granderson injured his right oblique muscle. If Granderson’s out for opening day and well beyond, good luck with an outfield of Brett Gardner, Andruw Jones (Is he still on the team?), and Nick Swisher. This combo doesn’t match well with the Yankees’s billion-dollar infield. The starting rotation is questionable to say the least. I’m picking the Bombers for fifth place in the A.L. East.

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Australia versus India: The Big One

Posted on March 23, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

It was meant to be the final: the Australians, reigning champions and looking to win for a world-record fourth time in succession, versus the Indians, a team packed full of superstars, who have 1.2 billion people rooting for them and are the home team. Yet, because of India’s failure to top their group, it’s the quarter-final instead. Both teams have their weaknesses, both (perhaps) are not at their best—Australia having lost to Pakistan, and India having tied with England earlier in the tournament. But they have two of the greatest batsmen of the last two decades—Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar—while Australia have the menacing speedsters Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, and India possess the juggernaut that is Virender Sehwag, who’s racing against time to get fit for this game. It promises to be a game of epic proportions—a Mahabharata of a conflict featuring cricketing gods and royalty fighting it out on the field of battle. And it’ll all be resolved by Thursday noon EST in the United States. Here’s Sehwag at his most destructive—and against the Aussies as well.

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Go, Go Pakistan

Posted on March 23, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

First of all, thank you to Evander for his sterling work in keeping up with the dizzying merry-go-round that is the 2011 Cricket World Cup. We’re now in the knockout, quarter-final stages. The usual eight suspects went through, and now the West Indies—winners of the first two tournaments in 1975 and 1979—have to go home, having been eviscerated by the Pakistan side.

What can one say about Pakistan? Eight months ago, they were at their lowest ebb. They had lost the Test and one-day series in England, and three of their players had been suspended after being accused of cheating. Their star player, Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi had bowed out of Test cricket, claiming in effect that he simply didn’t have the temperament to concentrate for that long—thus his nickname. They looked as if they’d rather be anywhere else than on a cricket team. Now, they’re bouncing around the ground as though they can’t imagine not playing cricket 24/7. Accident prone wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal is catching the ball, the side beat the Australians—the first time the Aussies had lost a World Cup match in 33 games—and they then thrashed the West Indies to move into the quarter-finals. In the thick of it is Afridi, who’s collected the most wickets in the tournament so far, and seems to be bursting with pleasure every time he gets the ball in his hand.

“Which Pakistan will show up?” is one of the questions that’s always asked at the beginning of a game featuring the side: will it be the who-gives-a-damn side or the world-beaters? Pakistan is set to play the winners of the next mega-match: Australia versus India. Whoever they play, stay tuned: that match may well be, quite literally, explosive.

Posted in Australia, Cricket, One-Day Cricket, Pakistan | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Ruth and Gehrig Photo Sells for 33 Grand

Posted on March 23, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

The discovery of footage of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and the recent sale of a still photograph of the period for a fortune, call to mind the equally valuable photograph we have in Right Off the Bat of Dr. William Van Ornum’s father: from the same period. No one before now has seen our archival photograph!

One-of-a-kind photograph in Right Off the Bat.

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Ally Pally and the Bobby Thomson Word Picture

Posted on March 23, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

Martin’s back! I think I drove him nuts making all those fine-tunings in Right Off the Bat second proof. No extra trees will die as a result of these alterations. But the blood pressure may creep up with the (tree) sap.

Cricket fans: You will now have real coverage from the Main Man. I didn’t even have time for willowtv.

My biggest apology goes out to fans of the Scottish team, when I conflated “England” and “U.K.” in an earlier blog (now corrected). What was I thinking or dreaming? It must have been of my visit to Ally Pally in Tottenham, North London (in my other 1968 dreams), while humming “Penny Lane” and the newer hit at the time, “Those Were the Days My Friend / We Thought They’d Never End” while meditating on Mr (no period!) Pastry and Mister Magoo.

I also send condolences to the family of Elizabeth Taylor, one of the grandest ever to come out of that great island-nation. She had once dated Ralph Kiner.

Enough rambling. Now that I’m back on my regular beat, I want to call everyone’s attention to Painting the Word Picture. It’s a site (and a sight) that has something to do with Howie Rose and Bobby Thomson as well as my good friend, the extraordinary Oliver Trager, who has resurrected Lord Buckley. (I’m not sure if Mr Pastry’s been rediscovered yet, by anyone.)

R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor, joining Rock and Jimmy in Eternity.

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Erin Go Bragh

Posted on March 22, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

It’s the second full day of spring and it snowed in the Bronx yesterday, huge flakes. The good news is it didn’t snow down here at World Cricket Central in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, which is obviously south of the snow line. Except for that second day following the vernal equinox, it is supposed to snow even in Brooklyn tomorrow. And it might pile up!

Martin and I are about finished putting our heads between covers, having gone over second proof of Right Off the Bat. Lookin’ good, my friends….

I’m experiencing less agita since the Mets released Messrs Castillo and Perez; plus, Jeter and A-Rod, respectively, are having monster spring trainings.

Aside from weird weather (Marzo e Pazzo as the Italians say), the arrival of spring, and NYC spring-training headlines, the biggest news is taking place in India. For all those feverishly awaiting our news report from World Cup 2011, check out Ireland. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. But who knew the Irish were a cricket juggernaut?

Martello Tower, where James Joyce and Oliver St. John Gogarty Lived.

Posted in Baseball, Cricket, India, Right Off the Bat Book, Right Off the Bat Website, Yankees | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

India Defeats West Indies

Posted on March 21, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

India beat West Indies decisively. Next up is Australia.

Home-team India rules!

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Ready for Our Closeup, the World Cup, Spring, and Right Off the Bat Proof Has Arrived!

Posted on March 20, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

While co-writer Martin is basking in the sun at the vernal equinox, in Parts Unknown, I have finished my work on proof copy of Right Off the Bat. Mostly in spite of my efforts (such as they have been) the book looks good! There are a couple of inevitable glitches, but surprisingly few. Unlike James Joyce, who added wordage amounting to one-third to his epic Ulysses in galleys, I refrain from killing more trees and inflating the very low, low retail price of $16.95, all thanks to the good folks at Paul Dry Books. After poring over the proof, for which I took time out from coverage of World Cup 2011 (our Lads are in the Quarter Finals!), I can say without question I am ready for my cricket closeup, Mr. DeMille (or Mr. Charlie Rose).

We're ready for our closeup, Mr. Rose!

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Pinch Hitting at the World Cup

Posted on March 17, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

In baseball parlance, pinch hitting is when a fresh batter (also known as the hitter) replaces another, always from the reserves on the bench, for the purpose of increasing offense.

I have been pinch hitting with one huge difference: I decrease “cricket offense” by doing so. But pinch hit I must; and perhaps I have brought the UK “a little bit of luck”.

England surprised everyone (but yours truly) by defeating the West Indies.

Destiny is not altogether in the England’s (I formerly had written “U.K.”: Apologies to my Scottish relatives!) hands. A few bricks need to fall into place to reach the Quarter Finals. But if I keep pinch hitting, this seems a shoe-in. (Readers of my earlier piece on New York City street games, and the relative complexities of cricket to baseball, will recognize the shoe pun. [What pun?])

Goin' all the way!

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Maintaining Calm at World Cup 2011

Posted on March 17, 2011 by rightoffthebatbook

It’s not looking too great for “the home team”. (In baseball, the home team is the one you root for no matter which home they are visiting.) England has been playing nonstop since October, and the fatigue is showing. The real home team, India, may have few worries. Don’t kid yourselves, I’ll be reporting from Cricket-and-Baseball Central in Brooklyn, USA.

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