A tale of two ballgames

Now I haven’t watched a cricket game live for a very, very long time. I did, however, watch as many cricket matches live growing up as I could whenever the BCCI deigned to give Bombay a game or two by taking cricket away from the big centers like Guwahati. And let me tell you this - the atmosphere at an India A vs. India B game was as sensational as it could be when the marquee players at this tournament consisted of such elite names as Gagan Khoda and Ajit Agarkar. I'm not going to complain about why the IPL was not around when I was in college and had all the time in the world and actually was in-situ, so to speak. Instead, I'll just reflect on the kind of excitement that games like those generated and even Khoda would agree that watching Sachin take on Kumble or Warne is slightly better than watching him pummel Kanitkar to all parts. So I can only imagine the kind of noise levels at the ground when this spectacle is in progress.

Contrast that to baseball. I was led into believing that baseball was a distant cousin of cricket and now that I live in the US or A, I might as well give it a chance. Which I did. And guess what - it is a distant cousin. But it's the kind of distant cousin that everyone tends to have (unless you are that distant cousin). You know, the type that grew up in a remote village where a toaster is still considered the greatest technological achievement of our times. Yes, that person. While most American sports are alive due to the marketing aspect associated with sports, baseball thrives on it more than any other. Watching a live game of baseball is about as exciting as watching the grass grow and the average American viewer relies on overpriced beer to get them through. I went to that Mecca of baseball watching - the Fenway Park to watch the Boston Red Sox take on the NY Yankees! Now that has to be a great game, correct? Unfortunately not. It's just not cricket. My memory of the game is alternating trips to the hotdog/beer stand and the restroom (the perfect cause-effect relationship). And watching other pink American males do the same without anyone really caring about what was going on in the game. The odd dog barked. And this wasn't some kind of Khoda-Agarkar contest. Jeter was leading the Yankees lineup, A-Rod was present, and Josh Beckett was pitching for the Sox. However, the average interest in the game was probably as high as it would be during the 4th day of a high scoring draw between a Vidarbha v. Tripura plate league playoff. And the end result? 1-0. I don't remember who won. And I did not remember the run being scored. I might have been watching - or maybe I was taking one of my aforementioned trips.

Moral of the story? All of those 7 people reading this post (if it's my lucky day), if you live in India - and you are geographically located anywhere close to a cricket venue, the next time a match comes along, please do watch it. Take you mother with you. Call you neighbor and ask them to bring their dog along. Maybe even your distant cousin. Because before you know it, you might be stuck watching a Yankess-Sox game at the Fenway with alternating trips to the beer stand and the rest room. So make the most of it while you can.