I suspect none of you Yanks are aware, but the Cricket World Cup has just started in South Africa and we’re all eagerly following it. Tonight before Australia’s first game we had the shock announcement that Shane Warne, probably the world’s premiere spin bowler, will not be playing due to a positive drug test result. (Further explanation: if bowlers are basically the same as pitchers, this guy is the king of the curve ball. He’s been called one of the five best players this century. He also strikes me as a bit of an ass, but that’s beside the point.) Luckily Australia seem to have taken it in stride and have just posted a great total for their innings. I must be assimilating down here, because I can’t even stomach the thought of the Kiwis or the Poms winning. Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi!
martin
February 11, 2003 — 11:17 pm
Yeah right. The English winning a cricket match? Nice one. They can’t even decide if they want to play!
Kris
February 11, 2003 — 11:24 pm
Heh. 🙂
Martin is referring to the big brouhaha over games scheduled in Zimbabwe. The UK and Aussie governments both don’t want to play there because they don’t like Mugabe, but the International Cricket Board wouldn’t let them cancel the matches without forfeiting the points. (Which I totally agree with. I mean, do your political boycott if you must, but suck it up and take the points loss. Don’t ask them to change the rules over your issues.) So now the Aussies have said they’ll play, while the English are still whingeing about it. And then last week we had the totally random announcement by the Kiwis that they weren’t going to play in Kenya, because their spies heard there was going to be terrorism there. The rest of the world went, “Huh? Whatever.”
That said, Martin… If the Poms get their asses kicked, I think Nassar’s going to be out of a job.
Tricia
February 12, 2003 — 4:38 am
Glad that cricket officials ensure that their players come by their talents naturally, something we can’t say for our American major league baseball players.
Kris
February 12, 2003 — 7:27 am
Well, I feel kinda conflicted about it because he tested positive for a diuretic. I mean, isn’t CAFFEINE technically a diuretic? I’m just saying it seems like such a harmless thing to get in a tizzy about. Yeah, it can be used as a masking agent, but it seems a bit harsh to end the guy’s career over something that makes you wee.