Here i am staring at the TV.. looks like forever.. but only the past 3 hours.. The Yankees are playing game 5 of the first round playoffs.. Win or Go Home.. The Anaheim Angels are ahead in the score by 2 runs. In comes my hero Alex Rodriguez.. whos the best player ever to grace the game.
Derek Jeter, the Yankee captin, is leading off first-base, ARod checks with the umpire, digs in front of home-plate. He pauses, for what felt like an aeon for me, the season was standing in front of us, the yankees. I could not handle this thing, whats that.. yeah the pressure.. just too much for me to take, the whole Yankee team is on the railings of the dugout, cheering the Man, the phenom ARod. I was wearing my Yankee cap the reverse way, a superstition when your team wants to make a come-back.. its called the rally cap.. i cant believe i was this tense.. the pitcher checks in with the catcher.. the nasty Angel stadium crowd.. anything but filled with Angels.. pouring expletives at ARod.. for one they are jealous that Yankees have him but also because they find it too much tension to take.. they need an outlet..
Don worry i thought.. it will be decided one way or another.. oh jeez.. wont the bloody pitcher throw the ball over.. No.. he does not he is scared to let the ball go from his hand.. the catcher goes to the pitcher tries to calm him down .. the umpire seeing this goes to the mound asks both of them to throw the ball and not hold the game in pause..
the pitcher says he is ready.. now ARod digs in again.. the ball is hidden in the pitchers glove.. ARod was showing the calmness that you wont be faulted if u mistook him to be a saint.. the catcher flashes some hand signals like a dance teacher.. the pitcher somehow in that 2.3 seconds understood that sign and is ready.. now ARod needs time.. umpire calls timeout
ARod steps out of the batter's box.. sweat pouring from his forehead.. i was there comfortably in my room at 60 degrees.. but due to the tension of this game.. i was sweating profusely too.. the radio announcers were growing crazy.. i could not bear them anymore.. switched off the radio.. muted the TV and prayed one last time to GOD..
ARod is ready.. digs in.. umpire signals play resumption.. catcher is ready.. pitcher is ready to throw.. he kicks his leg high up in the air.. raises his arm... the hand holding the ball comes out of its hiding place.. shoulder jettisons into a swing like motion.. hand comes down from a level above his shoulder to below his shoulder.. the ball is finally released.. its on his way at 98 miles per hour.. all it has to travel is some 50 feet... it cant get sooner to ARod..
ARod's bat was there ... right there... waiting .... waiting.. the ball half way thru the distance... Yankee manager sweating like he is on a trek in sahara... i am in a kneel down position on the carpet.. Derek Jeter ready to run from first base... catcher raises his glove to catch the ball...
the ball has completed 3/4 of the path.. the whole Yankee season... on a wrap on that ball thrown at ARod.. ARod as calm as a saint.. waiting with patience..
no hurry on his part.. probably thats why he earns $25 million a year.. to show patience n cool in such a situation.. ball at 4/5 of the distance..
ARod .. ever ready.. now releases the motion that will define the 2005 season of my dear Yankees... ball comes .. ARod hits it.. ball leaves the bat.. in the direction pointed by the bat...
it was supposed to go high into the air .. far away .. atleast 400 feet .. for us (Yankees) to tie the game.. but ARod's hit was rolling on the ground..
So what.. if he can get to first base without getting run out.. next guy can win it... was my thought process..
oh damn.... there was a fielder form the enemy team.. and the ball was heading right towards him... my heart was pounding... ok not more than one guy whould be run out i hoped..
but the fielder collected the ball cleanly.. threw a bullet throw to second base.. Jeter run out at second base.. the second base guy threw to first base.. ARod OUT!!
both guys run out.... the Angel stadium erupted with joy..
ARod the saint cursed himself... cudnt blame him.. i did too.. not myself but him..
the game was gone.. the season was gone .. over.. finished..
ARod the MVP screwed up the time when we needed him the most..
the Yankee dugout was like a funeral home.. every team member face white as snow..
they showed yankee fans.. they were headed for the exit..
this was embarassing.. 5 years without a trophy..
my superstition busted.. Yanks lost.. i cursed myself.. i cursed ARod.. i cursed every single Angel player and their fans..
no use.. game over.. so is the season.. as we all get to see in 2 week's time.. some other team take our trophy..
wait.. wasnt there a 3rd out?.. but he also grounded out after another tease.. i cursed even more.. felt like an idiot.. felt like someone stole something from me.. felt numb.. felt a body blow..
oh this pain.. oh this pain.. of being a fan...
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
A Simple idea.. A Habit for LIFE !
Am a sports freak, i really am. My love for sports started without my knowing, before i knew what hit me, i was an avid sports fan. I have a vague idea of how it happened, credit goes to my dad. This if i remember right happened when i was 12, seeing me mostly inactive and becoming a TV-guy bothered him, he wanted me to do something useful, that could be physically and mentally useful.
He asked me to start reading newspapers, i was like yeah, those days "The Hindu" newspaper was like a mini-geography book, full of solid content, no wishy-washy or unwanted stuff, NEWS, thats all it had. Naturally, i did not warm up to it, my dad was bent on me getting started with newspapers, so he suggested me to look at pictures, hoping that would help me gain interest.But, seriously, all the newspaper had was pictures form train accidents or politicians waving their hands.
Yeah, fair to say, this picture experiment did not pan out. Then my dad, suggested, browse through the Sports section only, you can read about Kapil Dev, then mega indian cricket star. Wow, that was something that appealed to me. So i started to look at cricket related news and Sports. But, cricket is not round the year game, so during periods where there was no action i did not have much to read in that section.
Thats when i noticed a small section on Soccer, the English Premier League, it somehow was interesting to read about. And fortunately there was an EPL game that evening broadcast on ESPN, i warmed up to it, the game was between Manchester United and Liverpool, and Manchester were playing great football, the commentator was singing praises for their coach and how beautiful their game was, truth be told that game looked splendid, and they scored a few times and it all looked fun.Next day, i read about them in the sports section, this was a break through for me, i read something other than cricket.
My interest for Soccer in general started growing, so much so that i started to watch and read about it a lot. What started as a simple idea by my father, i became addicted to newspaper, slowly i read other sections politics, city life and globescan.Today, the first thing i do in the morning as i sip my coffee is read the newspaper. And when i browse through the sports section, i always get reminded of how this habit started by a simple idea from my dad. Thanks dad, you have given me a great habit that i cherish everyday!!
He asked me to start reading newspapers, i was like yeah, those days "The Hindu" newspaper was like a mini-geography book, full of solid content, no wishy-washy or unwanted stuff, NEWS, thats all it had. Naturally, i did not warm up to it, my dad was bent on me getting started with newspapers, so he suggested me to look at pictures, hoping that would help me gain interest.But, seriously, all the newspaper had was pictures form train accidents or politicians waving their hands.
Yeah, fair to say, this picture experiment did not pan out. Then my dad, suggested, browse through the Sports section only, you can read about Kapil Dev, then mega indian cricket star. Wow, that was something that appealed to me. So i started to look at cricket related news and Sports. But, cricket is not round the year game, so during periods where there was no action i did not have much to read in that section.
Thats when i noticed a small section on Soccer, the English Premier League, it somehow was interesting to read about. And fortunately there was an EPL game that evening broadcast on ESPN, i warmed up to it, the game was between Manchester United and Liverpool, and Manchester were playing great football, the commentator was singing praises for their coach and how beautiful their game was, truth be told that game looked splendid, and they scored a few times and it all looked fun.Next day, i read about them in the sports section, this was a break through for me, i read something other than cricket.
My interest for Soccer in general started growing, so much so that i started to watch and read about it a lot. What started as a simple idea by my father, i became addicted to newspaper, slowly i read other sections politics, city life and globescan.Today, the first thing i do in the morning as i sip my coffee is read the newspaper. And when i browse through the sports section, i always get reminded of how this habit started by a simple idea from my dad. Thanks dad, you have given me a great habit that i cherish everyday!!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Let GAYS also be Gay!!
World is a maze, people try to meander through the turns and potholes, wade through troubles. As we embark on our journey called life, we accrue some priceless ideas, we learn some enlightening thoughts, we meet refreshing people, we realise.. we change and update ourselves as the world churns and as we expose ourselves more to this maze.
The journey and the accruement of knowledge never ceases, the ones who realise this are forever humble and enlightened. For some though, the learning does cease, seemingly having gained enough information and ideas about life, they are set for their journey.
Among the plethora of information we gain in this journey lies the dynamic called human relation. The love, the hate, the friendshp, the kindness, the cunning, the revenge -- sum it up .. the emotion, these are all bundled and gift-wrapped in a wonder called relationship among humans.
The beauty of these relations is the love that we are able to show and long for from our close friends and family. Family, a fascinating idea, that bonds small groups of people into a unit, a unit that fights for each other and a unit that fears for and feels for one another. The man, the woman, the family. The institution called family was defined, units were formed and they were there for one another. The "family" always operated under the premise that "unlike" poles attract, so it defined captains of the ship, the man and the woman. They steered the family through thick and thin and took care of the passengers, the children.
The premise, is and never was as rigid as the magnetism that it is based on. Only that the realization took long. The institution "family" was always assumed to have a man and a woman, the fact that both are needed for their passengers(children) made it a passable premise. The fact that something was never questioned may not always mean that it is always right. No one questioned the premise, everyone merely followed the template and life went on.
Only that, the one constant in this world -- change -- sprung up. The premise was questioned, life changed, life was magnetism .. no more. The premise was moderated, the family was changed to reflect the revolutionary thinking -- a pair is a family, and that pair can be like ilks.
Men and women, young and old, were seething.. the institution afterall is the foundation.. is the fabric.. of civilization. Questioning, the building block on which years of faith were invested was not just insulting, it was atrocious.
Ofcourse, any new idea will have to go through the test of time, the test of resistance, the test of anger and the effort of thwart. Couples, gays as they were termed, were made to wade through all these waters.
To those resisting it was a matter of angst that drove from their conscience, the feeling of breach.. a feeling of disobedience. Disobedience.. to God claim some. It is the obedience to this holy God, they claim, is the reason for resisting.... the resisting of altering the "premise" of family.
This process of redefining can be prevented no more, too much water after all have gone under the bridge. The prudent ones know, the redefining is done.. and whether the "old premise" people like it or not, the "new premise" is there to stay. Some, still resist.. argue that, a unit can only be "a man and a woman", to them "new premise" is an affront. Whether we want to acknowledge it as a new premise or not, atleast we have to relaize there co-exists a premise, where a unit, can infact be a man and a man or a woman and a woman.
The sooner we appreciate it, the better off we all are. In this effort, the resistance to thwart will go by the wayside, sooner if not later. For, we the "old premisers" have to realize, they are fellow humans with a different take in and about life.
That if we allow ourselves to realize, is fascinating. What makes the world go on and on, without boring us is the one constant -- change. The lack of it, would spell doom.. everyday we wake up to not only repeat what we know, but if possible learn and appreciate something we do not know.
Resistance will come and go, the women were never supposed to vote or never supposed to leave the house or never supposed to be leaders. Then that fascinating thing... change .. happened. We now see, those points and those "premises" as weird.
Like that, the new premise for family, will have to be accepted, for the good of so many souls that believe in it.
A good stepping stone, in this inevitable and welcome change is the effort by California Assemblyman Mark Leno to legalize the validity of "same sex" marriage, is commendable. Like any other path breaking effort, ones that require an altering of our fabric, this faces all sorts of criticisms and oppositions.
But, my dear fellow "old premisers", we are well past the time where a provision needs to be added to our premise. Let us appreciate the basic truth, that they are human beings. Let us hope that the California Governor Mr Schwarzenegger appreciates that fact and approves the bill.
Let us treat our fellow humans as just that, give them their recognition and their rights.
The journey and the accruement of knowledge never ceases, the ones who realise this are forever humble and enlightened. For some though, the learning does cease, seemingly having gained enough information and ideas about life, they are set for their journey.
Among the plethora of information we gain in this journey lies the dynamic called human relation. The love, the hate, the friendshp, the kindness, the cunning, the revenge -- sum it up .. the emotion, these are all bundled and gift-wrapped in a wonder called relationship among humans.
The beauty of these relations is the love that we are able to show and long for from our close friends and family. Family, a fascinating idea, that bonds small groups of people into a unit, a unit that fights for each other and a unit that fears for and feels for one another. The man, the woman, the family. The institution called family was defined, units were formed and they were there for one another. The "family" always operated under the premise that "unlike" poles attract, so it defined captains of the ship, the man and the woman. They steered the family through thick and thin and took care of the passengers, the children.
The premise, is and never was as rigid as the magnetism that it is based on. Only that the realization took long. The institution "family" was always assumed to have a man and a woman, the fact that both are needed for their passengers(children) made it a passable premise. The fact that something was never questioned may not always mean that it is always right. No one questioned the premise, everyone merely followed the template and life went on.
Only that, the one constant in this world -- change -- sprung up. The premise was questioned, life changed, life was magnetism .. no more. The premise was moderated, the family was changed to reflect the revolutionary thinking -- a pair is a family, and that pair can be like ilks.
Men and women, young and old, were seething.. the institution afterall is the foundation.. is the fabric.. of civilization. Questioning, the building block on which years of faith were invested was not just insulting, it was atrocious.
Ofcourse, any new idea will have to go through the test of time, the test of resistance, the test of anger and the effort of thwart. Couples, gays as they were termed, were made to wade through all these waters.
To those resisting it was a matter of angst that drove from their conscience, the feeling of breach.. a feeling of disobedience. Disobedience.. to God claim some. It is the obedience to this holy God, they claim, is the reason for resisting.... the resisting of altering the "premise" of family.
This process of redefining can be prevented no more, too much water after all have gone under the bridge. The prudent ones know, the redefining is done.. and whether the "old premise" people like it or not, the "new premise" is there to stay. Some, still resist.. argue that, a unit can only be "a man and a woman", to them "new premise" is an affront. Whether we want to acknowledge it as a new premise or not, atleast we have to relaize there co-exists a premise, where a unit, can infact be a man and a man or a woman and a woman.
The sooner we appreciate it, the better off we all are. In this effort, the resistance to thwart will go by the wayside, sooner if not later. For, we the "old premisers" have to realize, they are fellow humans with a different take in and about life.
That if we allow ourselves to realize, is fascinating. What makes the world go on and on, without boring us is the one constant -- change. The lack of it, would spell doom.. everyday we wake up to not only repeat what we know, but if possible learn and appreciate something we do not know.
Resistance will come and go, the women were never supposed to vote or never supposed to leave the house or never supposed to be leaders. Then that fascinating thing... change .. happened. We now see, those points and those "premises" as weird.
Like that, the new premise for family, will have to be accepted, for the good of so many souls that believe in it.
A good stepping stone, in this inevitable and welcome change is the effort by California Assemblyman Mark Leno to legalize the validity of "same sex" marriage, is commendable. Like any other path breaking effort, ones that require an altering of our fabric, this faces all sorts of criticisms and oppositions.
But, my dear fellow "old premisers", we are well past the time where a provision needs to be added to our premise. Let us appreciate the basic truth, that they are human beings. Let us hope that the California Governor Mr Schwarzenegger appreciates that fact and approves the bill.
Let us treat our fellow humans as just that, give them their recognition and their rights.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The Blame Game
Unbelievable -- does that sum up what is unfolding in New Orleans? We have children crying, women exhausted with no strength left for expressing their thoughts, so many good young men -- now carrying the tag of looters. Hunger, can drive men insane-- any surprise that they became scavangers preying for water and food.
No single body is solely responsible for this catastrophe, it is a cumulative colossal failure of historical proportions, that has left a scar that is undelible. How this beautiful city unfolded into an anarchy state is totally depressing, shocking and choking.
The most distressing thing is, this was not out of the blue. The good folks at the "Weather center" had predicted a disaster of never before heard scale well in advance. Even as the nation was captivated by the "camp Casey" circa in Crawford, websites and News agencies cranked up their dual-dopler radars and showed harrowing clouds and howling winds waiting to grace New Orleans (and that they did).
As word got out that this was more than a mid-summer shower, the Mayor Ray Nagin cranked up his men and pleaded the folks of New Orleans to move out of harms way. Detention center and the Superdome were made available for the poor, needy and incapable. All prudent and enough moves, so it seemed 2 days before Katrina showed up for her date with Lousiana.
Will it be any shock if Webster adds a synonym for "bureaucracy" as "hurricane katrina". Starting from FEMA, which acted like this was anything but that. FEMA's current leaders have dubious credentials as more politicians than disaster managers. The people who have to own up to this are many in number, starting from top to bottom.
The questions, easy to come, have started coming. Why was FEMA ever under the Homeland security? Why was natural disaster management undermined in the budget? Why did it take FEMA 2 days to start the process of sending resources? Why was forced evacuation not ordered prior that would have saved more lives? Why was the US Coast guard asked to wait for orders, before flying into New Orleans? Why did no one see the reports (well before Katrina) that some levees are weakening? The answers are going to be hard to swallow.
No matter whether more questions are asked or even if they are answered, the notion that the Federal government let the poor and sick suffer on their own is depressing and distressing.
Let there now be some consensus to atleast, remove an important body like FEMA from Homeland Department, and give them sweeping powers to act when the hour calls. Not after all the bodies rot.
No single body is solely responsible for this catastrophe, it is a cumulative colossal failure of historical proportions, that has left a scar that is undelible. How this beautiful city unfolded into an anarchy state is totally depressing, shocking and choking.
The most distressing thing is, this was not out of the blue. The good folks at the "Weather center" had predicted a disaster of never before heard scale well in advance. Even as the nation was captivated by the "camp Casey" circa in Crawford, websites and News agencies cranked up their dual-dopler radars and showed harrowing clouds and howling winds waiting to grace New Orleans (and that they did).
As word got out that this was more than a mid-summer shower, the Mayor Ray Nagin cranked up his men and pleaded the folks of New Orleans to move out of harms way. Detention center and the Superdome were made available for the poor, needy and incapable. All prudent and enough moves, so it seemed 2 days before Katrina showed up for her date with Lousiana.
Will it be any shock if Webster adds a synonym for "bureaucracy" as "hurricane katrina". Starting from FEMA, which acted like this was anything but that. FEMA's current leaders have dubious credentials as more politicians than disaster managers. The people who have to own up to this are many in number, starting from top to bottom.
The questions, easy to come, have started coming. Why was FEMA ever under the Homeland security? Why was natural disaster management undermined in the budget? Why did it take FEMA 2 days to start the process of sending resources? Why was forced evacuation not ordered prior that would have saved more lives? Why was the US Coast guard asked to wait for orders, before flying into New Orleans? Why did no one see the reports (well before Katrina) that some levees are weakening? The answers are going to be hard to swallow.
No matter whether more questions are asked or even if they are answered, the notion that the Federal government let the poor and sick suffer on their own is depressing and distressing.
Let there now be some consensus to atleast, remove an important body like FEMA from Homeland Department, and give them sweeping powers to act when the hour calls. Not after all the bodies rot.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
