qpeedore
SOTM Winner - July 2014
The short answer is, I don't. But it still sounds great even if I don't know the meaning of the words.
- I would say pelau. Every Caribbean country has some version of it, whether they call it rice-and-peas, cook-up, one-pot, etc.
- Eastbourne. Maybe it was because it was the first time I was that far from home and I was alone. Or maybe it was that I went there just at the start of spring when things were emerging after winter. I don't know, but it was sort of magical to me.
- Good question. A few years ago I'd have said football but I don't watch or follow it anymore. Maybe professional wrestling.
- That's an interesting one. Because while the Globetrotters were talented, it was all about the flair and showmanship. So I'd have to think of guys who, yes are talented, but that make you smile or laugh when you see them or make you stare in amazement at their skill.
Monty Panesar (because of course)
Tino Best (guy always gave it 100%)
WG Grace (who according to legend, once replaced a bail after being bowled and continued to bat claiming that the crowd was there to see him, not the bowler)
Brian Lara (as a high school student he kept batting in the nets so much so that after all the net bowlers were gone, the football team would have to come to bowl to him...true story)
Andrew Flintoff (will never forget his pompousness)
Andre Nel (that stare)
Imran Tahir (maybe the only bowler apart from Tino above to regularly run right to the edge of the field in celebration)
Chris Gayle (who once did a quack dance after dismissing a batsman for duck)
Curtly Ambrose (after you ask him to remove his wristband)
Steve Smith ("I'm absolutely gutted"...yeah, so just who said bring the sandpaper out?)
Gordon Greenidge (145kmph? Hook. Six. Wham, bam, thank you maam.)
Touring umpire will of course be Billy Bowden.
- Thing is, in recent years the regional FC competition has actually gotten better. I'm not of the belief that the islands should split because that would mean each island needs their own separate FC structure and that's not going to work out well in terms of cricketing quality. It's possible that we can break up the Windwards and Leewards into their separate countries and have a 2-tier system like the County Championship, but I don't see that happening. Because of the country-based FC system though, some teams will naturally be weaker than others. If we had a system where players can represent other territories then that might work too. I don't know if I'm making much sense but basically if you're Trinidadian you can't play for any other team but Trinidad, unless you've lived in or have ties to another island. If we had it like how the CPL is, where players are freely mixed, it might be a bit more balanced, and that way things will be closer. Representing a team will become a bit tougher, and the prestige attached to it would be bigger.
- I've always thought that even though the nickname for the West Indies is the Windies...we don't exactly, you know...win. And everytime there seems to be something of an uptrend, it never actually realises itself. For example, I think that right now we're playing some of the best cricket we've played in a long time. And we've gotten the odd positive result here and there, but I know how fickle the politics behind this team can be. No matter how well the guys on the field play, it's always something happening behind the scenes. And the vast majority of players want to represent us. They want to get us back on top. Where are we now, something like 8 in the rankings? They want to get us higher. But sometimes the board doesn't seem to have the best interests of that desire in mind.
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