So when cricket makes an appearance, the USbased cricket fan reacts with an emotion that is a curious mix of pleasure, relief, and sometimes, a giddy determination to make the most of it. These reactions can be occasioned by many prompts: rare access to a live televised game, a snippet of a cricket score that miraculously found its way into the back pages of a local newspaper (perhaps thanks to a diligent, cosmopolitan, sports reporter), an impromptu game thrown together by a few enthusiasts, and of course, most pleasurably, the chance to watch a game in the company of other aficionados. In the twentyfive years I have lived in the US, I have sampled some of these pleasures; they have served to provide me some of the most pleasant memories of my time here..Holy fucking OW. I feel like shiznit, sheeat, shit, poo poo, crap, doodiedoodieickick. Why does the simple cold feel so BAD? And how the hell did I get it? This came out of nowhere.

It's a feeling I get sometimes that Tes