Believe It or Not! Desis in College Football!

I did not know of a football player of Indian origin, current or former. Until now, that is. Folks! Gurminder Thind is the starting Left Tackle (O Line) for Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks for the 2006 season. Wow, I always imagined this day was 10 years away. It is refreshing to see an Indian in an American sport other than the Spelling Bee! Wouldn’t you say so?

He is playing for Spurrier, no shame at all, and in the SEC, arguably the toughest conference. It is only fitting that a Punjabi guy represents India in the quintessentially brawny sport of football. Gurminder is a 6’-4”, 293-lb sophomore, originally from Toronto. As I am writing this, he makes a bonehead play, a personal foul for shoving, 15-yd penalty.. oh.. well, played like a true sardarji (as in the sardarji jokes!). Well, he has some ways to go.

Further googling unearthed a 2002 Michigan State back up QB, Amish Patel. By the way, Amish is from Austin, TX (where I went to school for 2 years and change). There are probably more such players who I don't know about. The foundation has been laid; let’s see how the superstructure shapes up...

Jack, Here I Come!

Tiger, in his customary Sunday red attire, won Major No.12. In contrast to last month’s British Open triumph, this time he was playing the longest course in major championships in Chicago. So, he had to use the driver quite a lot and the result… Victory by 5 strokes, 18-under, almost matching his own record of lowest score ever to win a major. So much for driving being his “weakness”! I think 2011 is when he is going to break Jack Nicklaus’ 18 majors. Tiger is the “King of the Forest”, again. Watch Out!

Vintage Warne

Shane Warne, on a cricket pitch with the red cherry in hand, is truly the “Wizard of Oz”. I have not seen Tiger O’Reilly, Richie Benaud or Subash Gupte, but it is hard to imagine they would have been better than Warne. These deliveries definitely serve as ample testament to his wizardry. Also, consider what’s not shown, the mind games and the setting up of the batsmen. Oh.. yeah, he was no slouch at that either! Enjoy!

My personal favorites from the video:

The one to Gatting. Enough said!

The great flipper to Stewart homing on middle like a guided missile

The awesome top spinner to Kallis for numero 300!

A Great Ball by Akram to Dravid

Wasim Akram bowled a great delivery to dismiss Dravid on the final day of the 1999 Chennai Test. Pure Magic!

The German Autobahn - A Driver's Dream

Admit it; the thought of zooming at high speeds on our freeways, feeling the adrenaline and thrill, has crossed our minds at one time or another. Most of us have at least followed races, be it NASCAR or Formula One, and it is the control at high speeds that makes it so exciting. Yeah, the saying goes “Speed thrills but kills”, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The answer is the German Autobahn, a system where you can drive fast and not break a law.

Some facts about the Autobahn,

• There are no speed limits only through 50% of the road sections, though there is a recommended speed of 81 mph. By the way, if you drive above 81 mph and wreck your vehicle, the insurance company is only partially liable! Damn these insurance companies, they are the same, wherever you go!
• The roads are inspected regularly using advanced scanning machines and the entire section is replaced if a crack or fissure is found (What a contrast to developing countries like India!)
• Research has shown that the accident and fatality rates in Autobahn roads are actually lesser than US and other European highway systems with significantly lower speed limits. This has long been a contention of mine that speed and safety don’t necessarily have a positive correlation. Thanks Autobahn for proving this!
• It is a criminal offence (not just a small fine) to run out of fuel on the Autobahn because this is considered to be a preventable offence

Now, I understand why the Germans excel in designing great cars. After all, they are only doing justice to the work of their civil engineering counterparts! Can’t wait for my turn…

India's Sixtieth I-Day

India celebrated its sixtieth I-Day this week. The PM had some interesting opinions and facts to share with the nation. I thought he painted a realistic picture of India in his address from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Some things that grabbed my attention. India has sustained 8% YOY growth for the past three years. Better yet, Manufacturing has grown at 11%. This is good news because it is generally believed that IT is fueling all of the growth in India. This statistic indicates a more balanced growth which is essential in the long run. After all, how long can Indians buy swanky cars without the road infrastructure to support them?

Our PM did raise a lot of social issues too and this got me thinking about the reservation debate that was raging a few days ago. Our reservation system is frequently compared to the Affirmative Action policy in the U.S. I came across this article that highlighted the basic differences between the two. In my opinion, the social reservation system should give way to an economic reservation system, based on family incomes. The private sector should definitely not be forced into adopting this system. However, the Government could offer financial tax incentives to businesses that voluntarily undertake this initiative. Food for thought, don’t you agree?

NFL - Wonderlic Test Demystified

Football fans may recall that “Superman” Vince Young scored a “Six” on the Wonderlic aptitude test. It later turned out to be a rumor and he had actually scored a 16. Anyways, people were wondering if he will be a top pick after this rumor. I was personally wondering about the Wonderlic. What is the objective? How is it scored? What are some sample questions? What has been the correlation between Wonderlic scores and on-field performance for some previous draftees? Here are the answers.

Basically, it is like a 12-minute IQ test with 50 questions that measures general intelligence and ability to process information to make decisions. Average score of 20 corresponds with an IQ of 100.

Interestingly, Offensive Tackles and Centers have averaged more than QBs. This result actually challenges (may be even disproves) the common notion that linemen are “not so bright” compared their QB brethren. As it turned out, Vince was drafted No.3 overall and the score did not impact his draft status.

Vince has proved time and again that he is a cool customer and can come out of a pressure situation with a victory. As one Oakland Raider rep said "All I need to know about Vince Young is that he came up with one of the greatest performances ever in the Rose Bowl," Jones said. "In the fourth quarter, I saw Pete Carroll throw every kind of blitz at Vince. I saw Vince read the blitz and beat the blitz. I don't care what his Wonderlic score is. The only score I care about is 41-38."

So, who has had a perfect score on this test? Ryan Fitzpatrick, the current back-up QB for St. Louis Rams, is one. He is a Harvard graduate (Gee! What a surprise?). See if you can match Ryan or (if you are me!) at least do better than Vince! Take an abridged sample test. Of course, reporting scores is strictly optional!!

My NCAA Football Pre-Season Rankings

With the first kick-off of the pigskin less than 3 weeks away, here are my pre-season rankings for you to chew on. I must point put that my rankings are intended to predict the top 15 teams that have the best chance to reach the national title game in Glendale, AZ come Jan ’07. What does this mean? These rankings are based on ease of schedule, returning stars, road schedule and an iota of sub-conscious bias on my part! Also, I made an attempt not to get influenced by several such polls out there in the media (like the USA Today Coaches Poll). Looking for preseason rankings from major media outlets in one place? Stassen has compiled it for us! Without further ado, here they my rankings. Let the argument continue...

Cricket Anecdotes

Cricket, being a slow-paced sport, offers plenty of time for commentators to recount anecdotes that they themselves were part of or they happened to witness. I usually love these little stories. Ian Chappell is particularly adept at that. His set-up and punch line delivery are always effective and they usually leave a lasting impression. Here are a few that I can recall…

In an English County game in Glamorgan, a military medium bowler trundled in and beat Sir Viv Richards’ bat on more than two occasions consecutively. Frustrated, the bowler decided to have a pow-wow with Viv. He walked down the pitch, and went “Its red, its round, it weighs about 6 ounces and oh!.. by the way, you are supposed to get some wood on it”. Viv did not reply and probably just chewed his worn-out gum with a swagger as only he can. After promptly dispatching the next ball into the adjoining county river, Viv said to the bowler, “Mate! You know how it looks, go and fetch it!”

WG Grace, the popular 18^th century cricket icon, came in to bat in a big game. A Sunday crowd had gathered just to catch a glimpse of WG. As they waited with bated breath for the first ball to be smashed to a corner of the park, a shock awaited them. WG had his stumps uprooted the first ball he faced from a no-name bowler. Before anyone had time to react, WG promptly picked up the uprooted sticks and set them back in order, as if he were the umpire. The bowler’s bewildered look was answered with “All these people came here to watch me score a century and I am not going to disappoint them”. Now, I don’t know what transpired after this point, but given WG’s lore, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had held his end of the deal with the spectators.

If you believe that cricket is a gentleman’s game, this collection will make you think again! Some of these “gentlemen” will put a sailor to shame!