A Sonnet to Chanderpaul

[Steve the Bajan]

When I Consider the Batting of Chanderpaul

by

Steve the Bajan

*********

When one looks at the batting style of Shiv,
And judges it less graceful than a crab,
Saying: “Surely he can do more than just dab?
Is this the team that gave the world a Viv?
Has its cabinet nothing more to give
Than pushes, prods, and nudges less than drab?
Then bury it beneath a marble slab!
The gourmet does not merely eat to live!”
But life consists of more than merely cake.
Between run feasts, sustain with crusty bread
For all his runs the team’s scant totals stoke.
Time passes, and each single that they take
Adds up until the Windies pull ahead!
They also serve who only stand and poke.

Fraternally in cricket,
Steve the Bajan

[sdavmor]

On 05/25/2012 11:49 AM, Steve the Bajan wrote:
> When I Consider the Batting of Chanderpaul
>
> by
>
> Steve the Bajan
>
> *********
>
> When one looks at the batting style of Shiv,
> And judges it less graceful than a crab,

> Saying: �Surely he can do more than just dab?

> Is this the team that gave the world a Viv?
> Has its cabinet nothing more to give
> Than pushes, prods, and nudges less than drab?
> Then bury it beneath a marble slab!

> The gourmet does not merely eat to live!�

> But life consists of more than merely cake.
> Between run feasts, sustain with crusty bread

> For all his runs the team�s scant totals stoke.

> Time passes, and each single that they take
> Adds up until the Windies pull ahead!
> They also serve who only stand and poke.
>
> Fraternally in cricket,
> Steve the Bajan

(applause)
--
SDM a 21st century schizoid man in SoCal
Systems Theory website www.systemstheory.net
"overfulnoisecascade" CD coming soon

[Southpaw]

Brilliant. And welcome back! You were missed!

-Samarth.

[John Hall]

In article
<12fe0d19-c541-4a6f...@i19g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,

Steve the Bajan <ap...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
>When I Consider the Batting of Chanderpaul
>
>by
>
>Steve the Bajan

<snip>

Steve, is that really you?! :)

I liked the poem.
--
John Hall
Johnson: "Well, we had a good talk."
Boswell: "Yes, Sir, you tossed and gored several persons."
Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84); James Boswell (1740-95)

[Vijay Sharma]

Nice one!

[Steve the Bajan]

On May 26, 12:13 am, Vijay Sharma <viz.nirvanam.sha...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Hi, John, Samarth, Vijay, sdavmor... Thanks for the kind words.

"Back" is such a strong term! I have always dropped by every few
months just to check out the conversations, and very occasionally I've
posted when I felt I had something to contribute. The last decade has
also been the most successful I've ever had in my field, due in no
small part to my not spending hundreds of hours a month on rsc! I've
always found it easier to completely abstain from something rather
than to limit myself. My wife says I have no control knobs -- either
all the way on or all the way of!

That said, I recently completed my academic semester and wrote the
book chapter I had promised -- so, what with Windies playing fairly
well in England, I might pop in a bit more this summer. What I'm
really hoping for is that WI win this Test and then include Sunil
Narine off his spectacular IPL season for the final Test! (Of course,
I'm far from convinced that WI will even avoid losing this Test -- I'm
expecting Cook, Strauss et. al. to score 500+...)

Hi, Mike Holmans, Bharat Rao, et. al.

[Mike Holmans]

On Sat, 26 May 2012 06:01:26 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan
<ap...@ix.netcom.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:

> What I'm
>really hoping for is that WI win this Test and then include Sunil
>Narine off his spectacular IPL season for the final Test!

As I understand it, since I've not seen him bowl, he's a knuckle-ball
bowler. What gives you the confidence that he will last longer than
Jack Iverson, Jackie Gleeson or Ajantha Mendis as a serious threat?

Cheers,

Mike
--

[Steve the Bajan]

On May 26, 10:04 am, Mike Holmans <m...@jackalope.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> On Sat, 26 May 2012 06:01:26 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan

> <a...@ix.netcom.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:

>
> > What I'm
> >really hoping for is that WI win this Test and then include Sunil
> >Narine off his spectacular IPL season for the final Test!
>
> As I understand it, since I've not seen him bowl, he's a knuckle-ball
> bowler. What gives you the confidence that he will last longer than
> Jack Iverson, Jackie Gleeson or Ajantha Mendis as a serious threat?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Mike
> --

You are parachuting to a conclusion here -- I *don't* have any such
confidence! That's why I want him to play for WI as much as possible
as soon as possible in BIG matches! And nothing would be bigger than
a deciding Test for the Wisden Trophy.

But, if I *had* to mention the possible reasons for optimism:

1. Tendulkar hasn't been able to read him. Admittedly, "yet"...
2. No one in India has been able to read him. Same caveat.
3. His stock ball, the offbreak, turns BIG. That alone might be enough
to sustain him, even without the mystery "wrong un".


But as with another famous spinner who was suspect until he played in
England, there have to be doubts for a while (at least until he PLAYS
in a Test!). But... any chance that Sussex's Joe Gatting might be
selected for the Third Test?

[Mike Holmans]

On Sat, 26 May 2012 07:29:45 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan
<ap...@ix.netcom.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:

Unfortunately not. Unless you hire a hitman to wipe out England's top
50 batsmen, that is. (At least. It could be the top 100 for all I
know.)

However, on another tack, what's your view on Sammy? You have been
known to pay a lot of attention to averages, and his aren't exactly
spectacular; one could be forgiven for discerning similarities with
such past England greats as Ronnie Irani and Mark Ealham. (No, I
haven't looked up their numbers to see *how* similar, but I'm sure you
can spot my general drift.)

Now, I'm a great admirer of Sammy as a captain because I always blame
the captain for (lack of) team spirit and this WI team is
unrecognisable as the successor to the disorganised rabbles which
wasted a few weeks of everyone's lives on WI's last couple of visits,
but he doesn't seem like the ideal WI Test player.

Cheers,

Mike

--

[John Hall]

In article
<852a7f66-551b-4a69...@h10g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,

Steve the Bajan <ap...@ix.netcom.com> writes:

<snip>

>The last decade has
>also been the most successful I've ever had in my field, due in no
>small part to my not spending hundreds of hours a month on rsc!

A classic Good News, Bad News scenario.

> I've
>always found it easier to completely abstain from something rather
>than to limit myself. My wife says I have no control knobs -- either
>all the way on or all the way of!
>
>That said, I recently completed my academic semester and wrote the
>book chapter I had promised -- so, what with Windies playing fairly
>well in England, I might pop in a bit more this summer.

I hope that you do.

[John Hall]

In article
<e830d358-f72c-4670...@x10g2000yqg.googlegroups.com>,

Steve the Bajan <ap...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
<snip>

>But, if I *had* to mention the possible reasons for optimism:
>
>1. Tendulkar hasn't been able to read him. Admittedly, "yet"...
>2. No one in India has been able to read him. Same caveat.
>3. His stock ball, the offbreak, turns BIG. That alone might be enough
>to sustain him, even without the mystery "wrong un".

4, England's batsmen have "form" in not being able to read mystery
spinners.

[Mike Holmans]

On Sat, 26 May 2012 19:00:26 +0100, John Hall
<nospam...@jhall.co.uk> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:

>In article
><e830d358-f72c-4670...@x10g2000yqg.googlegroups.com>,
> Steve the Bajan <ap...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
><snip>
>>But, if I *had* to mention the possible reasons for optimism:
>>
>>1. Tendulkar hasn't been able to read him. Admittedly, "yet"...
>>2. No one in India has been able to read him. Same caveat.
>>3. His stock ball, the offbreak, turns BIG. That alone might be enough
>>to sustain him, even without the mystery "wrong un".
>
>4, England's batsmen have "form" in not being able to read mystery
>spinners.

Most sides have "form" in not being able to read knuckle-ball bowlers
in their first year or so of high-profile operation.

None have so far gone beyond that year of mystery and maintained their
success for a serious length of time in Test cricket.

Mendis seems to have some life left in him as a one-day bowler, so I
won't be very surprised if Narine continues to enjoy success in T20s
and odos because it's easy to mistime a knuckle-ball if you're trying
to go hell for leather, but history is against Narine being a
long-term Test asset.

Cheers,

Mike


--

[Steve the Bajan]

On May 26, 12:49 pm, Mike Holmans <m...@jackalope.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> However, on another tack, what's your view on Sammy? You have been
> known to pay a lot of attention to averages, and his aren't exactly
> spectacular; one could be forgiven for discerning similarities with
> such past England greats as Ronnie Irani and Mark Ealham. (No, I
> haven't looked up their numbers to see *how* similar, but I'm sure you
> can spot my general drift.)

I think our feelings are similar -- Ealham and Irani are pretty good
comps. Sammy is the third best allrounder in the Windies, after Andre
Russell and Dwayne Bravo. But Windies were stuck, with no one else fit
to captain -- sort of like back in the '50s, when they were stuck with
a team of players like Worrell, Walcott and Weekes, all (for some
unknown reason!) clearly unfit for captaincy, and so they had to bring
in another bits 'n pieces player named Denis Atkinson. Atkinson's
batting actually improved as captain, as has Sammy's.

But Sammy has clearly done a great job of motivating this team. He's
still only 28, and may continue to improve. Perhaps his best
description would be a younger version of Mike Brearley (34 when he
debuted) who scores runs much faster and can also bowl about like Ted
Dexter (or Mike Ealham!). Unfortunately, in this team Windies are
relying on him to bowl like Joel Garner...

[Steve the Bajan]

On May 26, 2:27 pm, Mike Holmans <m...@jackalope.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> Mendis seems to have some life left in him as a one-day bowler, so I
> won't be very surprised if Narine continues to enjoy success in T20s
> and odos because it's easy to mistime a knuckle-ball if you're trying
> to go hell for leather, but history is against Narine being a
> long-term Test asset.

You're right, of course. But I'd be willing to bet that Narine winds
up with at least 100 Test wickets. (Of course, I felt that way about
Mendis, too!)

Again, though, I think Narine has the advantage of a stock ball that
turns much bigger than any of the others you've mentioned.

One thing seems clear -- when the ODIous series starts, England will
see some very different, and exciting, WI players -- Pollard, Russell,
and Narine should all be in the side, along with Gayle and Dwayne
Bravo. All of them could arguably have been in the Test side but for
IPL and the need to have a captain.

[Steve the Bajan]

On May 26, 1:58 pm, John Hall <nospam_no...@jhall.co.uk> wrote:

> I hope that you do.

I must confess that it's great to be communicating with all you great
folks again.

[Mike Holmans]

On Sat, 26 May 2012 11:45:21 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan
<ap...@ix.netcom.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:

>On May 26, 2:27 pm, Mike Holmans <m...@jackalope.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Mendis seems to have some life left in him as a one-day bowler, so I
>> won't be very surprised if Narine continues to enjoy success in T20s
>> and odos because it's easy to mistime a knuckle-ball if you're trying
>> to go hell for leather, but history is against Narine being a
>> long-term Test asset.
>
>You're right, of course. But I'd be willing to bet that Narine winds
>up with at least 100 Test wickets. (Of course, I felt that way about
>Mendis, too!)
>
>Again, though, I think Narine has the advantage of a stock ball that
>turns much bigger than any of the others you've mentioned.

Time will tell, of course.

>One thing seems clear -- when the ODIous series starts, England will
>see some very different, and exciting, WI players -- Pollard, Russell,
>and Narine should all be in the side, along with Gayle and Dwayne
>Bravo. All of them could arguably have been in the Test side but for
>IPL and the need to have a captain.

I doubt Pollard would be. He has difficulty comprehending the concept
of an innings lasting for the 50 overs required in an odo, so the idea
of a Test match would simply blow his tiny mind.

Cheers,

Mike
--

[Steve the Bajan]

On May 26, 4:50 pm, Mike Holmans <m...@jackalope.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> On Sat, 26 May 2012 11:45:21 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan

> I doubt Pollard would be. He has difficulty comprehending the concept
> of an innings lasting for the 50 overs required in an odo, so the idea
> of a Test match would simply blow his tiny mind.

Well, making the current WI team as a batsman is not exactly like
trying to make the 1948 Australian team. Someone has to win a beauty
contest with all ugly contestants,,,

[Mike Holmans]

On Sat, 26 May 2012 11:28:28 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan

<ap...@ix.netcom.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:

>Windies were stuck, with no one else fit
>to captain -- sort of like back in the '50s, when they were stuck with
>a team of players like Worrell, Walcott and Weekes, all (for some
>unknown reason!) clearly unfit for captaincy, and so they had to bring
>in another bits 'n pieces player named Denis Atkinson. Atkinson's
>batting actually improved as captain, as has Sammy's.
>
>But Sammy has clearly done a great job of motivating this team. He's
>still only 28, and may continue to improve. Perhaps his best
>description would be a younger version of Mike Brearley (34 when he
>debuted) who scores runs much faster and can also bowl about like Ted
>Dexter (or Mike Ealham!). Unfortunately, in this team Windies are
>relying on him to bowl like Joel Garner...

As a bowler, I'd rate him about the same as Jacques Kallis - a great
fifth bowler who would be decidedly weak as the fourth bowler in a
four-man attack.

But I wouldn't compare him to Brearley as a captain. Brearley was an
intensely tactical captain with a gift for reading the psychological
currents within a game at both team and individual levels: *now* is
the moment to bring on *this* bowler to *this* batsman with *this*
field. His teams used to regard him rather like Merlin: they had no
idea what was coming next, but they trusted his instincts. He was less
a motivator than brilliant at recognising when a player was most
motivated.

I'd reckon Sammy's nearest comparator is another of those drafted in
to captain because none of the rest had been to Oxford or Cambridge:
Freddie Brown.

Cheers,

Mike
--

[Mike Holmans]

On Sat, 26 May 2012 14:08:07 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan

<ap...@ix.netcom.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:

Yes, but once you've included Gayle and Dwayne Bravo and quite
possibly Russell as well, where's he going to fit?

He's not an opener, and anyway I like the look of Barath and would
want him kept.

Cheers,

Mike
--

[sdavmor]

Me too. The kid is oozing potential. I'd really like to see him paired
with Gayle.

[Mike Holmans]

On Sat, 26 May 2012 17:28:55 -0700, sdavmor
<sda...@fakeemailaddy.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:

>On 05/26/2012 04:21 PM, Mike Holmans wrote:
>> On Sat, 26 May 2012 14:08:07 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan
>> <ap...@ix.netcom.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:
>>
>>> On May 26, 4:50 pm, Mike Holmans<m...@jackalope.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 26 May 2012 11:45:21 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan
>>>
>>>> I doubt Pollard would be. He has difficulty comprehending the concept
>>>> of an innings lasting for the 50 overs required in an odo, so the idea
>>>> of a Test match would simply blow his tiny mind.
>>>
>>> Well, making the current WI team as a batsman is not exactly like
>>> trying to make the 1948 Australian team. Someone has to win a beauty
>>> contest with all ugly contestants,,,
>>
>> Yes, but once you've included Gayle and Dwayne Bravo and quite
>> possibly Russell as well, where's he going to fit?
>>
>> He's not an opener, and anyway I like the look of Barath and would
>> want him kept.
>

>Me too. The kid is oozing potential. I'd really like to see him paired
>with Gayle.

I should point out that Steve the B isn't alone in wanting Pollard in
the side: for the first couple of overs at Lord's, the scoreboard
informed us that he was opening - until someone presumably told them
it was a different Kieran P.

Cheers,

Mike
--

[Take it Easy]

In article <ff4471d2-6a35-4413-8c05-
4e81e8...@h10g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>, ap...@ix.netcom.com says...

>
> On May 26, 12:49 pm, Mike Holmans <m...@jackalope.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > However, on another tack, what's your view on Sammy? You have been
> > known to pay a lot of attention to averages, and his aren't exactly
> > spectacular; one could be forgiven for discerning similarities with
> > such past England greats as Ronnie Irani and Mark Ealham. (No, I
> > haven't looked up their numbers to see *how* similar, but I'm sure you
> > can spot my general drift.)
>
> I think our feelings are similar -- Ealham and Irani are pretty good
> comps. Sammy is the third best allrounder in the Windies, after Andre
> Russell and Dwayne Bravo.

Pollard, where does he stand?

Takeiteasy.

[Take it Easy]

In article <852a7f66-551b-4a69-955b-ccb027a9dad5
@h10g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>, ap...@ix.netcom.com says...

>
> On May 26, 12:13 am, Vijay Sharma <viz.nirvanam.sha...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > On Saturday, May 26, 2012 12:19:16 AM UTC+5:30, Steve the Bajan wrote:
> > > When I Consider the Batting of Chanderpaul
> >
> > > by
> >
> > > Steve the Bajan
> >
> > > *********
> >
> > > When one looks at the batting style of Shiv,
> > >    And judges it less graceful than a crab,

> > >    Saying: ?Surely he can do more than just dab?

> > > Is this the team that gave the world a Viv?
> > >         Has its cabinet nothing more to give
> > >         Than pushes, prods, and nudges less than drab?
> > > Then bury it beneath a marble slab!

> > > The gourmet does not merely eat to live!?

> > > But life consists of more than merely cake.
> > >    Between run feasts, sustain with crusty bread

> > >    For all his runs the team?s scant totals stoke.

> > > Time passes, and each single that they take
> > >         Adds up until the Windies pull ahead!
> > >         They also serve who only stand and poke.
> >
> > > Fraternally in cricket,
> > > Steve the Bajan
> >
> > Nice one!
>
> Hi, John, Samarth, Vijay, sdavmor... Thanks for the kind words.
>
> "Back" is such a strong term! I have always dropped by every few
> months just to check out the conversations, and very occasionally I've
> posted when I felt I had something to contribute. The last decade has
> also been the most successful I've ever had in my field, due in no
> small part to my not spending hundreds of hours a month on rsc! I've
> always found it easier to completely abstain from something rather
> than to limit myself. My wife says I have no control knobs -- either
> all the way on or all the way of!

Agree with you, but these days rsc is much quieter (or atleast I think,
may be the noisy posters are in my killfile :)).

Yes it was wasting a lot of time for me too when there was intense
discussion. I had to switch on and off. Good for you on your success in
your field.

Takeiteasy.

[alvey]

On Saturday, May 26, 2012 4:49:16 AM UTC+10, Steve the Bajan wrote:

Hey Steve! Good to read that you're not dead.




alvey

[alvey]

On Sunday, May 27, 2012 12:04:52 AM UTC+10, Mike Holmans wrote:
> On Sat, 26 May 2012 06:01:26 -0700 (PDT), Steve the Bajan
> <ap...@ix.netcom.com> tapped the keyboard and brought forth:
>
> > What I'm
> >really hoping for is that WI win this Test and then include Sunil
> >Narine off his spectacular IPL season for the final Test!
>
> As I understand it, since I've not seen him bowl, he's a knuckle-ball
> bowler. What gives you the confidence that he will last longer than
> Jack Iverson, Jackie Gleeson

"Jackie"?

Apart from that possible mistake there's a definite one in yer post. A "knuckle-ball" is entirely different to what Jack & John bowled.

A "knuckle-ball" in cricket (and possibly baseball) is delivered with a folded, and unmoving finger(s). In cricket it used to be a stock method for fast bowlers to bowl a slower ball wherein the ball was only held by the thumb & forefinger. The theory being that you could bowl with the same arm speed and action but the pill came out slower due to the absence of the major digit's force. What Jack & John bowled was more frequently, and very accurately, described as "flick-finger" bowling, wherein side spin was applied to the ball by the folded down middle finger "unspringing" from the palm at delivery.

Also, your heavy inference that J & J were both "picked" by batsmen is, to say the least, uninformed.

Iverson: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/5980.html

I didn't see Iverson, but I did have the luck of watching Gleeson. The poor bushie missed out on two things which would have made his career figures far better. Pitches that took spin and a captain not called Lawry. On those occasions when all the planets aligned he made fools of batsmen by an order of magnitude of a couple of Warnes. On these good days it was common to see the pampered princelings missing by feet.




alvey