- Playing
- Cricket, Anyone?
- From
- Dick Meister
It's dandy that a new baseball season is about to open, but don't forget our first national pastime -- cricket, of course. Yes, it is a much more refined game than baseball, although big-time cricket teams have adopted some of the shady practices that baseball fans have come to know and love.And you want runs? Cricketers score them in the hundreds every game. True, the games are a bit slow, sometimes lasting as long as five days with breaks. But that gives players and spectators plenty of time to leisurely enjoy cucumber sandwiches, a nice dry sherry and other refined refreshment.
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Piece Description
It's dandy that a new baseball season is about to open, but don't forget our first national pastime -- cricket, of course. Yes, it is a much more refined game than baseball, although big-time cricket teams have adopted some of the shady practices that baseball fans have come to know and love.And you want runs? Cricketers score them in the hundreds every game. True, the games are a bit slow, sometimes lasting as long as five days with breaks. But that gives players and spectators plenty of time to leisurely enjoy cucumber sandwiches, a nice dry sherry and other refined refreshment.
Broadcast History
None.
Transcript
No one could be more pleased than I that another baseball season is about to open. But even I have to admit that we don't absolutely need baseball. We?ve got cricket! It was, after all, our first national pastime, long before we were even a nation.
Oh, sure, cricket is a much nicer game than baseball. But we could all use a bit of refinement in our lives, could we not?
Besides, cricket's not quite as nice as you might think. These days, cricketers engage in some of the same shady practices baseball fans have come to know and love. They've even taking to throwing spitballs.
But, even so, there are those lessons in the social graces that are taught by cricket -- above all the virtue of patience. Cricket matches usually go on all day, you know, and often don't end until after five days of play.
Naturally, there are proper breaks by players and spectators for lunch and
after...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
INTRO: Commentator Dick Meister says we shouldn't forget our first National Pastime.
OUTRO: Dick Meister is a San Francisco writer.
Emon Hassan
Posted on March 23, 2006 at 07:16 PM | Permalink
Review of Cricket, Anyone?
Having played cricket myself as a young boy, I was attracted to the title of this piece. Now it won't teach you a lot about the game, but will give you a good idea about the similarities it has with baseball. The culture of cricket games is described well by Mr. Meister, just enough to get you interested in looking up a game or two on television, maybe. The game has several other strict rules, not mentioned here, that add to the long hours it takes a match game to unfold. The piece, nevertheless, is a fine introduction for those yet unfamiliar with the game.