India grades v South Africa

India managed to throw a lot of pre-World Cup predictor bets off by not only beating, but totally bossing South Africa in their second World Cup match. Does this make India a genuine contender? Given how long a way there is still to go, and given the format of this World Cup, it's still too early to say, but it's fair to say that India are going to be a threat, especially if they bat first. Let's look at two key points from the match, followed by India player grades.

Almost perfect bowling and fielding performance by India

If you thought the bowling performance against Pakistan was good, this one was even better. The bowlers bowled to their plans, hardly gave any loose balls away and the fielders threw themselves all over the place to back the bowlers up. What was most pleasing was that while you expect the likes of Kohli, Raina and Rahane to make an impact while fielding, Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav affected run outs with powerful and accurate throws from the boundary. Mohit, in particular, is turning out to be a revelation. Ishant Sharma and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar must be starting to get a bit nervous about their places in the ODI team. 

Batting performance nearly a replica of the Pakistan match

Early wicket - check. One of the top 3 going on to score a century - check. One partnership to restore the innings between Dhawan and Kohli and then another to keep the momentum going with the no. 4 batsman having a real impact - check. Lower middle order not clicking and the innings ending with a whimper - check. India need to keep this formula going but need to figure out a way for the lower order to contribute more. It may be time for Dhoni and maybe even Jadeja to come up the order in one of the remaining group matches to get some time in the middle ahead of the knockouts. 

Player ratings out of 10 (0-10; 10=best)

Rohit Sharma (3) - Cricket can be a cruel game. The in-form batsman coming in to the World Cup and he's now got out cheaply twice. While Rohit may have slipped slightly and AB  de Villiers was absolutely outstanding, it's these kinds of margins that international cricketers have to straddle all the time. Rohit really needs a big innings to get back into rhythm. Given how weak the middle and lower order has been, India would dearly love their top 4 to get into form. 

Shikhar Dhawan (9.5) - Nearly a complete batting performance. He seemed to carry the form from the Pakistan match into this one and really made it count. This was a lesson in ODI innings building. He rotated the strike well, accelerated when he needed to with excellent cricketing shots and did not get overly frustrated when India had a quiet over or two in the middle of the innings. Made South Africa pay for the dropped catch and was a deserved Man of the Match. Two shots off Morkel really stood out - the pull for four after being troubled by a short ball and the casual flick for six over long leg off the same bowler when he walked across his stumps. Also took a couple of important catches and put in a solid fielding effort. 

Virat Kohli (8) - Was key in rebuilding the innings calmly after the loss of an early wicket. Kohli played perfect foil to Dhawan and did not take any undue risks when he realized that Dhawan was middling it. He's been in trouble trying to pull away shortish deliveries from legspinners on the faster pitches in Australia in both matches thus far. He'd do well to make an adjustment and account for the extra zip and overspin. Another mature batsman from India's batting lynchpin. 

Ajinkya Rahane (9) - Rahane dispelled all doubts about his middle order credentials in the Indian ODI team with this performance. He did not take time to get going when he came in, looked fluent from the off, rotated the strike and also found the odd boundary to take the pressure off Dhawan. His straight drive off Morkel was stunning, so was his straight six off Steyn just before he got out. He needs to bat at 4 since he's shown how dangerous he can be without resorting to mindless slogging. He is quietly turning into India's best batsman and fielder in ODIs. 

Suresh Raina (5) - Cricket can be such a great leveler. After a standout performance against Pakistan, Raina played into the hands of the South Africans here. I suspect Morkel had sent him a letter (by snail mail, no less) a year ago telling him exactly how he would be bowling at him during this World Cup match. And instead of trying to control his pull shots and get Rahane on strike, Raina proceeded to not only walk into the trap, but stay for a cup of tea and a chat. However, he was electric on the field and that gives him an extra point. Did miss a run out of Amla after doing all the hard work, however. 

MS Dhoni (6) - Another average batting performance followed up by a flawless captaincy display. He briefly threatened with the bat before falling to Morkel. He desperately needs some time in the middle - something he should be able to arrange against the UAE. However, his attacking captaincy has been a real revelation. Even after the first powerplay, he kept 6 fielders in the circle against AB and Faf and that pressure forced Faf to take some risks for his boundaries. He saved Ashwin for the left handers in South Africa's middle order and used Umesh Yadav in short, sharp bursts. Almost perfect to a T. 

Ravindra Jadeja (4) - At this point, I doubt that even his grandmother refers to him as allrounder anymore. He may end up keeping his place in the team for this World Cup simply because there are no other options. His bowling was against steady without being threatening, but he did bowl a good over at AB that may have led to the pressure that caused his run out. India need way more from their no. 7 with the bat, however. 

R Ashwin (8.5) - Another fantastic spin bowling performance from Ashwin. He started off with a few short deliveries that Faf took advantage off, but really came into his own when given the chance to bowl at the left handers in South Africa's middle order. Once he settled into a rhythm, he was really hard to milk for singles and ended up getting rid of the dangerous Duminy. He seems to be bowling slower and enjoying the extra bounce on the Aussie pitches. 

Mohammed Shami (9.5) - Easily the best he's bowled in an India shirt in the last two matches. Shami showed that he has what it takes to lead India's attack in this ODI. Delivered an early wicket again and it's hard to think of one poor delivery that Shami bowled throughout his spell. He keeps growing in confidence with every match and that's an excellent sign for India. 

Umesh Yadav (6.5) - 6-0-34-0 may not look special, but this was a much improved bowling performance from the one against Pakistan. Started off being too straight to Amla, but adjusted well and bowled in good channels. He was also pretty unlucky as three top edges that may have gone straight up on another day ended up going for boundaries behind the keeper. He made the batsman take risks to score boundaries against him and if he keeps bowling like this, the wickets are bound to come. Great throw from the deep to run out the dangerous Miller. 

Mohit Sharma (9) - Mohit Sharma may end up being India's surprise package of this World Cup. He is clearly enjoying the little bit of nip that the pitches in Australia afford him. He did not bowl a single bad delivery last night and focused on keeping things really simple. He bowled a really well directed bouncer to get rid of the dangerous Amla and got Faf's wicket with good, sharp, wicket-to-wicket bowling. His throw to get rid of AB de Villiers was one of those key moments on which close matches turn. 

Do you agree with the ratings? Do you have any thoughts on the match in general? Please let me know in the comments. 

India grades v Pakistan

India have started their ODI World Cup defense with a mostly convincing victory over Pakistan. For a large number of Indian fans, it doesn't matter what India end up achieving in the competition after this. For someone who has watched all six World Cup matches against Pakistan, here are a few thoughts on the match followed by points for the Indian team.

Pakistan's weakest bowling attack in a World Cup?

Pakistan have traditionally boasted high quality bowling attacks with names such as Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Mustaq Ahmed ... the list goes on. Although they did really well to come back towards the end of the innings, the bowling attack did not inspire a great amount of fear. Although Yasir Shah bowled relatively well, Pakistan were really affected by Saeed Ajmal's absence as India managed to score at 6 runs an over in the middle overs without taking any undue risks. In general, both teams had a bunch of newcomers. India were without Sachin, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer - all veterans of India-Pakistan clashes over the years and there was a distinct lack of personalities on both sides, which made it a distinctly mellower affair than years gone by.

India do to Pakistan what other teams have been doing to India for years

You wouldn't associate the Indian team with hostile fast bowling, neither would you associate Dhoni with attacking captaincy in seamer-friendly conditions. Both of these stereotypes were shattered as Shami and Umesh Yadav ran in and bowled fast and aggressive spells. While Yadav was wayward and did not inspire confidence despite getting a couple of important wickets in the middle overs, Shami was outstanding. The most pleasing wicket for an Indian fan was that of Younis Khan, who has been a thorn in India's side over the years on unresponsive pitches in Asia. He looked all of his 37 years trying to get out of the way of a sharp Shami bouncer, only managing to glove it awkwardly to Dhoni. There were a few other bouncers that the Indian seamers let fly and Shami and Yadav bowled consistently in the 140's. More of the same, please! 

Player ratings out of 10 (0-10; 10=best)

Rohit Sharma (5) - After starting off relatively well, Rohit played a terrible shot to get out. He's been the man in form for India so far and fans expected him to take responsibility, but he has the tendency to play reckless shots in the first 10 overs. It looks great when it comes off, but Rohit really needs to try and play percentage cricket and give himself the best chance of batting the full 50 overs. 

Shikhar Dhawan (8) - One of the most pleasing aspects of India's win was that Dhawan looked fluent from the off and hit some pleasing drives and pulls en route to a fluent half century that was also part of a very important partnership with Kohli. He got run out after a mix up with Kohli and while it was Kohli's hesitation that led to the run out, a slight nit pick would be that had Dhawan switched the bat over to his right hand before turning around and putting in the dive, it may have just saved him. World Cups get decided on little things like these. 

Virat Kohli (9) - Something about the big stage brings out the best in Kohli. Started the 2011 World Cup with a century against Bangladesh and kicked off this version with another. The best feature of his batting was the risk free way in which he was able to bat in the middle overs. Also took a fantastic catch to get rid of Shahid Afridi during a time when a few blows may have started to cause some flutters in the Indian camp. Got out at a tired shot and triggered a collapse that saw India lose 5 wickets for 20-something runs in the last 5 overs. 

Suresh Raina (9.5) - Almost a perfect performance from a player who was under some pressure before the match began. Accelerated beautifully during the later half of India's innings and was electric in the field. Picked up a couple of crucial catches at first slip. Raina needs to do well if India are to go far in this World Cup. Man of the Match for me. 

MS Dhoni (6) - Appeared scratchy while batting and could not give the innings the boost it needed. Apart from one sweetly struck six off Sohail, he seemed to struggle for timing and looked to hit the ball too hard. He may need to come up the order against one of the minnows to give himself some time in the middle. On the field, his wicketkeeping was sound and his captaincy was aggressive and un-Dhoni like. 

Ravindra Jadeja (5) - Looks extremely unconvincing as a lower order hitter. He was all at sea against Wahab's pace and nearly got himself run out a couple of times before getting cleaned up. He was steady with the ball without looking particularly threatening and managed to hold on to an important catch at point. 

Ajinkya Rahane (4) - He came in to bat in a thankless situation and the grade is a bit harsh, but such is life. Opened his WC campaign with a golden duck but was part of a good all-round ground fielding display. 

R Ashwin (8) - Dhoni threw the ball to him when the partnership between Shahzad and Haris was starting to look dangerous and he looked the most likely to take a wicket. Bowled three maidens in his 8 overs and took out Haris at just the right time for India. Tried a bit too much against Misbah and ended up getting pinged around. 

Mohammed Shami (9) - Started off with fantastic control and came back well in his later spells. His wicket of Younis was crucial and he ended up getting the wickets of Misbah and Afridi as well. India need him to bowl with this kind of intensity throughout the tournament. 

Umesh Yadav (5.5) - A highly inconsistent bowling performance. Although he bowled with good pace and bounce, a leg side gift was never too far away. He may be better off used in short, sharp spells the like of which got him the wickets of Shahzad and Shoaib Maqsood. Because he is naturally capable of generating good pace, he should focus on bowling in the middle overs and not try anything too clever. 

Mohit Sharma (8) - He came on as first change and managed to keep things tight after Yadav sprayed it around. He was able to hold his own against the big hitters in the Pakistani line up and bowled good lengths and excellent slower deliveries. He needs to put in more honest spells like these through the course of India's campaign. 

Do you agree with the ratings? Do you have any thoughts on the match in general? Please let me know in the comments. 

What ails the IPL

“Now that the IPL is over, I have no idea what I’m going to do after getting back from work every day. It was the one thing that used to keep the entire family interested - I love it, my wife preferred it to saans-bahu melodramas, even my six year old son would rather watch the IPL than his cartoons. I suppose it’s back to the soaps for my wife and back to cartoons for my son; what am I supposed to do with myself?” One of my friends who still lives in Mumbai told me this just after the last IPL. I may have paraphrased this slightly, and it’s not verbatim, but this captures the sentiments that I’ve heard from a few others who live in India.

Regardless of whether you think IPL should be the only form of cricket that’s acceptable in this day and age, or whether you are firmly in the camp that believes in wearing yellow and orange ties to cricket games and consider T20 to be a form of hit-and-giggle cricket that’s only enjoyed by imbeciles, the fact remains that the IPL is here to stay. Personally, I’m somewhere in between. Although the quality of fielding and umpiring can be atrocious at times, there is some high quality cricket in between the circus and the condensed format makes drama almost impossible to avoid. However, as I semi-passively followed the seventh version of the IPL unfold, I couldn’t help get the feeling that despite its widespread appeal, there are a few flies in the ointment, as it were, that the league needs to work on. There is one really important element that the league needs to get right in order to ensure the worldwide appeal and longevity of the league that it took it’s name from - the English Premier League.

Let’s start off trying to define a seemingly straightforward concept: What's loyalty in a sporting context? For the average English or Spanish soccer fan, that used to be an easy one to answer. It usually meant that your father or grandfather grew up supporting the Local Club and you ended up following weekend matches at their knee and the choice of which team to support was not so much a choice as it was a responsibility that was handed down to you, like a worn jersey. It used to mean buying season tickets, clocking up countless miles through rain and sleet to hostile away games and sticking by your team through thick and thin. The widespread reach of sport via television and the internet has meant a wider fan base and these days, a Manchester United cafe is just as likely to sprout in Kuala Lumpur as in Manchester (or London, as the old joke about plastic Manchester United "fans" goes).

Cricket has no history of club based competition, for the most part. T20 started this trend and the IPL has been the torch bearer in truly internationalizing the appeal of the franchise model to a point where every cricket playing nation hopes to emulate its successes. However, due to the fact that there is no precedent, it is doubly important that the league thinks long and hard about building that elusive, hard-to-define element among its fan base - loyalty. You would imagine loyalty to be developed by three major factors - where you grew up, where your team plays and where your favorite cricketer plays. The trouble is that the IPL makes it hard to support a team based on any of these counts.

I personally have been confused by this since the advent of the IPL. I grew up in Mumbai (Bombay, as I still like to call it), have supported the Indian cricket team since I can remember. I’ve grown up worshipping Sachin Tendulkar, I’ve been a huge fan of Anil Kumble and I think Sourav Ganguly has been the best captain India ever had. Which team do I support then? Mumbai Ranji cricketers have been spread out across the teams, I can’t physically go to games because I literally live on the other side of the globe and I admire cricketers in every team and can’t see myself wishing for Rahane or Raina to fail when Malinga is bowling at them. Could someone help me out here?

I understand that I’m not really the target demographic. The folks who the clever IPL marketers want to turn into season-ticket buying, face painting, jersey wearing loyalists are the kids who grow up in this T20 world and feel the kind of emotion about their IPL team that Priety Zinta feels towards Kings XI Punjab. And currently, there are two real problems that need to be addressed to make this a possibility.

Firstly, the IPL organizers need to sit down and figure out a sustainable model for player transfers. The auction-based approach worked fine for the first season of the tournament, since the league needed to bootstrap, but the fact that almost entire teams are thrown away and new ones built in place every three years makes my head spin sometimes. Consider Robin Uthappa’s journey. He started off playing for the Mumbai Indians, got traded to Bangalore where he played for two seasons before moving to the newly formed Pune Warriors. After the Warriors were liquidated, he ended up moving to KKR where he recently won his first IPL title. Four teams in the span of seven years. Of course, his transfer from Mumbai to Bangalore was the result of an old-fashioned trade and the fact that his employers ceased to exist was beyond his control, but I wouldn’t be surprised if poor Robbie gets slightly confused upon bumping into someone on a cricket field about whether to give him a high five or a stinky eye. Why not allow teams to trade in order to re-balance the team without having to go through a complete overhaul every three years is totally beyond me.

Chennai, in particular, have showed the benefits that could be reaped from sticking to a core to help build a team dynamic (of course, winning a lot tends to help too). It’s natural that a string of losses brings out everyone’s inner Roman Abramovich but a total reset is nothing more than an escape valve and you still need good players and team management to get great results. Don’t believe me? Ask the Delhi Daredevils about their 2014 season.

The other big issue is that the Indian Premier League tends to move quite often to play in places such as South Africa and the Emirates. Somehow, the fact that Chennai did not play a single “home” game at the Chinnaswamy stadium is an utter travesty. I find it hard to imagine the Milan clubs not playing at the San Siro, or the Boston Red Sox playing anywhere other than the legendary Fenway Park. Like the municipal officials who get surprised every year when the monsoons arrive at roughly the same time, the IPL officials were probably too busy counting the moolah to factor in the Indian elections. Here’s a news flash: They happen every five years.

One of the stands at Barcelona’s famous Camp Nou display their famous slogan: ‘Mes Que Un Club’, or ‘More Than A Club’. Although a fairly large part of this logo is politically motivated, this slogan represents what the club seeks to be - more than just the beautiful football that’s played on a weekly basis but an institution, a tradition and a sporting dynasty of sorts. That’s the kind of commitment that’s required for from the IPL clubs and the overall league. It’s not the cheerleaders and the strategic timeouts or the Bollywood groupies, but an aspiration to be more than a league that’ll ensure its long term health. And my friend won’t have to worry about what to watch on television when he gets back home from work for a six-week period every year for a long time to come.

The Sachin Years

Writing about Sachin is a thankless task at most times. It’s a bit like writing about the Beatles. It’s really hard to come up with things that haven’t been chewed, ruminated and digested by legions of cricket fans all over the globe. The awkward teen doing a TV interview with Tom Alter with insanely high waist-ed trousers, the practise sessions that were motivated by a 1 rupee coin placed on top of a stump by “Achrekar sir”, the vada pavs and the friendship with Vinod Kambli, the rise of Sachin the marketing commodity which coincided perfectly with Manmohan Singh (the Financial Minister avatar) opening up the Indian markets in 1991 and many, many more stories. Because we all have our own private Sachin, I’m going to walk down memory lane and pick my favorite Sachin moments over the years.

The Wonder Years (1989-1992): This was the period when he arrived into our collective consciousness, as a shy 16-year old prodigy. I mean here was a sporting equivalent of Doogie Howser, except that he wasn't fictional. This period was characterized by curiosity, awe and avuncular affection in equal parts. Hordes of middle-aged Indian aunties were seen gushing over this precocious teenager as he walked out to an intense media glare to face the most intimidating fast bowlers from all over: Wasim, Waqar, McDermott, Merv Hughes (“This little prick is going to score more runs than you, AB”), Hadlee … the list goes on. I clearly remember my late grandmother (who could generally not be too bothered what what 22 men dressed in whites did) once come out and watch Sachin, just for the sake of seeing him. “Ha Sachin ka?” Is that Sachin?

After his trial by fire on the Pakistan tour, his near miss at a first test hundred in Napier, he smacked a century at the SCG the same time that a blonde leg-spinner was starting out in international cricket. He even one-upped himself in Perth, cracking a 114 when the rest of the Indian batsmen didn’t know whether they were coming or going, a century Ian Chappell still rates as one of Sachin’s best.

However, it was the ODI World Cup in 1992 (where India were also-rans) that he took on the mantle of being the team’s fulcrum for the first time. Where teams looked at him as a young international freak before, they started to build plans that involved getting him out early. My favorite moment was his stroke filled batting in scoring a half century against Pakistan. This World Cup was what really started my love affair with cricket and Sachin was an integral part of it. It was around this time that the Wonder Years were coming to an end, and his career entered the next phase.

The Lone Ranger (1992-1996): This was a period of great tragedy, or great romance depending on which way you look at it. India had some handy batsmen and bowlers on subcontinent pitches. And there were a couple of good performances here and there (the 1993 Hero Cup win, 3-0 sweeps of England and Sri Lanka at home), India were always a team relying on brilliant individual performances from him to carry them through. This was the period where all the Sachin stereotypes have been built on. There was a commercial on TV at the time that had someone say, “Sachin hai na?” Is Sachin still batting? It captured the mood perfectly. India only had a chance if Sachin was around. Kids who grew up watching cricket in the 2000’s when Sachin had an able support cast will never quite get the desperation of this period.

The lowest low of this time came during the 1996 World Cup semi final against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens. It was probably one of the most painful moments as an Indian cricket fan but it captures what supporting India was like at the time more than anything else. After Sachin had been sublime to get India to the brink of a World Cup final, Azhar made the absolutely horrendous call of giving Sri Lanka first use of a newly laid pitch. Chasing just over 250, Sachin made the pitch look like it had no demons in it while he was around. Once he got out for 65, 98/2 became 120/8 and a literal riot ensued. I locked myself up in the bathroom and cried. There were pictures of Vinod Kambli, his childhood friend and teammate, walking off the field of play, crying inconsolably. That pretty much sums up this period for me.

The Golden Years (1996-2005): This Golden Age of Indian cricket actually had more to do with the support cast rather than Sachin himself. As Indian fans, we should thank the likes of Ganguly, Dravid, Sehwag and to a lesser extent Laxman and Yuvraj for taking the pressure off Sachin and allowing himself to express himself without having to be an Atlas every single game. I really do think that without the emergence of these batsmen, Sachin would’ve been broken and would not have lasted in international cricket as long as he did.

There were some disappointments during this time, make no mistake about that. The second innings 136 he made against Pakistan on a difficult pitch against a great bowling attack in Chennai is still, in my mind, his best innings that almost was a throwback to the pre-Ganguly/Dravid era, and the 2003 World Cup final against Australia will continue to rankle. However, this time had some astonishing good displays of batsmanship that were not about Sachin alone - like Dravid and Ganguly’s plundering of Sri Lanka in England in the 1999 World Cup. Inasmuch as Sachin would’ve loved to be part of the fun, I’m sure he enjoyed watching that match and felt some sort of release. There was also the legendary 2001 series against Australia that will be remembered for the Laxman/Dravid partnership, or the Pakistan series for the Sehwag triple.

Sachin provided some masterclasses of his own during this time too, including the 241* against Australia at Sydney which almost spoilt Steve Waugh’s farewell series and his belligerent 98 against Pakistan at the Centurion in the 2003 World Cup. However, the highlight of this period will always be his duels with Shane Warne. Warne dismissed Sachin for 4 in Chennai to elicit a ruthless response from the Master. His 155* in the second innings of the same match in Chennai was probably one of his most complete innings. It only got better in Sharjah when his twin centuries to hand India the trophy were innings of a genius at the top of his craft. One particular moment that lingers on was Warne going around the wicket to pitch it into the rough against him. Warne is animated in his field placings, has an intense look in his eye. Sachin steps out and hammers the first ball over long on’s head. Camera back on Warne who is seen swatting a fly away with a sinking feeling in his gut.

The Second Wind (2005-2013): After going through a lull in the 2005-2007 phase where there were mutterings about whether this would force him to draw the curtain on his long and storied career, his second wind officially started when he scored a couple of sublime 150’s against Australia in the series that will always be remembered for monkey-gate. He ended a hundred drought (by his standards anyway) by smashing a century and followed it up with a 91 to help India seal what would be the last triangular series to feature on the Australian summer calendar. As was his wont, he saved his best for Australia and the 214 he scored against them at Bangalore in an oddly arranged 2-test series in 2010 was as close as he came to perfection during his later years. It’s fitting that his 146 against Dale Steyn’s South Africa at Cape Town will remain his final test century. By then, he was probably not the great player he used to be (still a very, very good one) but used all his cricketing wisdom and experience to hang around and fight his way to what could’ve been a series winning hundred against South Africa.

He also had a couple of fantastic ODI performances during this time. Special mention must go to his 160 against NZ in Hamilton where he showed utter and complete mastery of the format and his 175 against Australia in a losing cause. This period also featured his ODI double century and the 2011 World Cup win. You got the sense that not winning a World Cup always hounded him and that night in Mumbai went a long way to exorcising the ghosts from Eden Gardens ‘96 and Wanderers ‘03.

The lasting memory of Sachin from this phase will always be the heartfelt words of Virat Kohli (“He has carried the nation on his shoulders for 20+ years”) and Yuvraj Singh (“We did it for Sachin”) and the grace Dhoni displayed in letting Sachin-mania take center stage in Mumbai after India had won him the trophy he had craved more than any other in the course of his career.

So how will Sachin be remembered? As the most complete cricketer of his generation. As one of the best role models a young kid could ask for. He has transcended an invisible line to become what I would call a super-sportsman where it’s impossible to mention a sport without thinking of him. It’s like what Pele and Maradona are to football, Federer is to tennis and Schumaker is to F1. He is an ambassador for the sport and cricket is lucky to have an ambassador like him. During his farewell test series characterized by fawning aristocrats tripping over each other, his calm and grace brought sanity to what could have otherwise been an unbearable, over-the-top affair.

So, thank you Sachin. We have taken you for granted for the last 24 years and we now wish you the best of luck to enjoy the next chapter of your life with your family, out of what has been a continuous reality show of an existence. Thanks for the entertainment, thanks for the memories. You were a large part of our childhood growing up and have brought us a lot of happiness over the years, so thank you for that.

So this is what the end of an era feels like. I feel all grown up ...