Surf's up!

Trolling through the web I often come across things that I file away for future (posting) reference. Today is one of those days when I collate them and regurgitate the ones that still seem interesting enough to pass on to you.

a) First up, the Oscars by the numbers:


Source: Business Pundit

b) The IPL honchos are not averse to picking up the best ideas of others and palming them off as their own. As such I have no issue with copying what someone else is doing, as long as two things are done - you acknowledge the original source and do not claim it as your own doing. The promos for the third season of the IPL had a familiar ring to them. I'll let Sundeep Dougal's blog explain it a little better.

c) Aakash Chopra has an ongoing series of articles on CricInfo where he attempts to deconstruct some of the more integral aspects of cricket. Here's his absolutely spot on take on swing bowling. The how's, why's and what's explained better than I have seen anywhere else. For example:

Once the ball is released, the seam can reveal some more. It will be tilted towards slip if the ball is set to move away, and towards fine leg if it is going to come in. That's not a guarantee, though. I remember getting bowled by Jason Gillespie in the third Test against Australia in Nagpur in 2004. He bowled close to the stumps, his wrist was straight and the seam pointed towards second slip. So I expected it to move away and shaped myself for it, only to find the ball darting back in after pitching. I was bowled, and so was Rahul Dravid, under similar circumstances. The only difference being that he managed to get an inside edge.

d) Just go to this World-o-meter link and watch in awe at the various numbers as they flash by in real-time. At 6pm CDT on March 18, 2010, the world population was 6,832,543,751. What was it when you looked at it?

e)From the National Geographic (January 2010 issue) comes this graph that depicts the cost of health care per person (in US dollars) for various countries around the world. Check out how far off the charts the US is.

f) What do you think of this? Would you buy it? Do you think this is something that will catch on?



g) Here's an extremely detailed essay on MS Dhoni, by Suresh Menon, highlighted by the mentioning of little, hidden nuggets about the most sought-after man in Jharkhand.

Part of Dhoni’s maturity arises from the fact that he is not an overnight sensation. He served his apprenticeship well, having made his first class debut four years before his international debut. In 2004, his century helped East Zone win the Deodhar Trophy one-day tournament. Then he made two centuries for India A against Pakistan A in Nairobi, and worked his way into the national consciousness.

h) How much would it cost you to obtain an IPL franchise? Prem Panicker does some number crunching and explains why the bidding process for two new franchises was scuttled and postponed to later in the month. No wonder the owners are looking for any means possible to recoup the costs of owning a team.

Most of the existing franchises made thumping losses in year 1 (year 2 figures will be out only after March 2010) as seen below:

Add the above Rs 27 crores handicap to the IPL operating finances, and see where you stand. If one were to consider that the guarantee will be in force for each year of the franchise on a reducing balance (10% reduction as the franchise fee is paid out), then the second year’s guarantee commission + opportunity loss would be Rs 24 crores; in the third year would be Rs 22 crores and so on. At the end of this gestation period, long even by LKM’s own admission, what you get is a still born.

While on the IPL, Gideon Haigh weighs in on the art of the gentle hype something that is evidently lost on Shane Warne. I cannot believe that Warne felt that a 37-ball thwackathon against middle-over bowlers was the greatest display of batsmanship he has ever seen!

Shane Warne has given his view on the best innings he has ever seen. Having bowled to Tendulkar and Lara in their pomp, Laxman and Dravid in Kolkata, having watched Steve Waugh in Antigua and Adam Gilchrist in Johannesburg, he has nonetheless opted for… Yusuf Pathan's hundred for Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League at Brabourne Stadium last week.

From the greatest bowler of his generation, such pronouncements are bound to be noticed, especially as Warne is already on record - or, at least, on Twitter - as confirming that the zenith of his career was the Royals' victory in the inaugural IPL. This was during an exchange of mutual endearments with the IPL's equally Tweet-happy impresario, Lalit Modi.

Actually, it's one of Warne's most admirable characteristics that he is so liberal with his praise. With age can come the attitude that all was better in one's own day. Warne might be the far side of 40 and only play six weeks a year, but the day, he feels, is still his. One with ample reason to dwell in the past is uncompromisingly a man of the present.

i) Prem Panicker twitters about Ravi Shastri's style of commentary, presented without further comments. None needed.

Thought experiment: close your eyes, listen to Ravi Shastri and guess which game he is commenting on? Listened to him thru this stint. Never named a player. He has become the world's first random comment dispenser.