(Obligatory 'Random thoughts on the IPL' post of the year)
1. If there is a single piece of imagery that succinctly captures the essence of this whole sordid IPL season -- no, make that the entire IPL -- it's the super slow motion footage (accompanied by faux operatic music, natch) of the scantily clad oxy blonde East Europeanhooker cheerleader dancing with gay abandon, her face frozen in the rictus of feigned joy while holding an open Pepsi bottle that spews out its carbonated sugary poison all over the place, also in super slow motion. Lust, gluttony, greed, pride -- all there. Throw in some footage of Sreesanth glaring balefully at a batsman while having a towel stuck in his waistband, and you've got wrath and sloth covered as well (brownie points if you figure out how sloth is involved).
2. In related news, the Oxford English Dictionary has decided to replace the present definitions of the words/phrases 'chutzpah', 'cojones', and 'conflict of interest' with just a single picture of Srinivasan. They claim that this change will save them about 0.13% in space, while adding 78% in clarity and simplicity to the definitions.
3. On a more serious note, the reaction of the BCCI president reminds me of Bill Clinton's impeachment troubles. The spin then was that it was a witch hunt that had to be resisted at any cost. What transpired subsequently, in terms of prosperity and economic growth ("It's the economy, stupid"), is purported to have vindicated this stand (ignoring the dotcom bust, and other downsides to bubble economics). Whether this is true in this case as well remains to be seen.
4. If the BCCI president has been able to stand up so far to the powerful forces arrayed against him, this either means that a) he has powerful backers in his corner supporting him behind the scenes or b) he has a few aces up his sleeve that serve as leverage. If you believe that the match/spot fixing scandal emerged as the result of genuine sleuthing and has nothing to do with the moves on the grand chessboard to control the riches offered by Indian cricket, I have lifetime season tickets for two for the hospitality box in all IPL matches to sell to you at a 90% discount.
5. The electronic media's coverage of the spot fixing scandal has been over the top as usual. While this is expected, Deccan Chronicle have also joined the party with their front-page attacks on Srinivasan. No doubt they're getting their revenge for some slight they suffered at his hands when they had a horse in the IPL race.
1. If there is a single piece of imagery that succinctly captures the essence of this whole sordid IPL season -- no, make that the entire IPL -- it's the super slow motion footage (accompanied by faux operatic music, natch) of the scantily clad oxy blonde East European
2. In related news, the Oxford English Dictionary has decided to replace the present definitions of the words/phrases 'chutzpah', 'cojones', and 'conflict of interest' with just a single picture of Srinivasan. They claim that this change will save them about 0.13% in space, while adding 78% in clarity and simplicity to the definitions.
3. On a more serious note, the reaction of the BCCI president reminds me of Bill Clinton's impeachment troubles. The spin then was that it was a witch hunt that had to be resisted at any cost. What transpired subsequently, in terms of prosperity and economic growth ("It's the economy, stupid"), is purported to have vindicated this stand (ignoring the dotcom bust, and other downsides to bubble economics). Whether this is true in this case as well remains to be seen.
4. If the BCCI president has been able to stand up so far to the powerful forces arrayed against him, this either means that a) he has powerful backers in his corner supporting him behind the scenes or b) he has a few aces up his sleeve that serve as leverage. If you believe that the match/spot fixing scandal emerged as the result of genuine sleuthing and has nothing to do with the moves on the grand chessboard to control the riches offered by Indian cricket, I have lifetime season tickets for two for the hospitality box in all IPL matches to sell to you at a 90% discount.
5. The electronic media's coverage of the spot fixing scandal has been over the top as usual. While this is expected, Deccan Chronicle have also joined the party with their front-page attacks on Srinivasan. No doubt they're getting their revenge for some slight they suffered at his hands when they had a horse in the IPL race.
