tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193495965695124697.post2561088966854979786..comments2024-03-29T01:10:34.095-07:00Comments on The Old Batsman: Rain down, rain down...The Old Batsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376172807195747856noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193495965695124697.post-68832182418012481562009-11-04T09:47:23.303-08:002009-11-04T09:47:23.303-08:00Yes, probably why lots of them aren't overly-e...Yes, probably why lots of them aren't overly-encumbered by self-awareness...The Old Batsmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14376172807195747856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193495965695124697.post-53776449467211270142009-11-04T01:22:54.298-08:002009-11-04T01:22:54.298-08:00Well I suppose an existential crisis, or 'Nake...Well I suppose an existential crisis, or 'Naked Lunch moment' if you like, can strike anyone at any time (except, perhaps, midwives). But playing ball games for a living (particularly in front of small, barely conscious audiences, or crowds that have all come to see the other guy) must scream at you daily.Brithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00390560583798960760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193495965695124697.post-70715530968938955472009-11-03T09:15:15.872-08:002009-11-03T09:15:15.872-08:00Yes absolutely, the grind and the process, rather ...Yes absolutely, the grind and the process, rather than the game. It's be interesting to know at what level of obvious usefulness a job stops feeling trivial though - anything sporting or artistic? Investigative hack? Nurse?The Old Batsmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14376172807195747856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193495965695124697.post-14294403778629605582009-11-03T03:41:31.095-08:002009-11-03T03:41:31.095-08:00I think this is an excellent piece on why an amate...I think this is an excellent piece on why an amateur would 'hate' his beloved hobby and pray for rain.<br /><br />But there are missing elements which I suspect only apply to the professional. First, the grind. For Agassi, this would be the diets, the hotels, the practice sessions, and then the endless first-round, second round routine matches against mediocrities, tournament after tournament, which don't test his talent, just his will to concentrate sufficiently not to be humiliated. For cricketers, this might be four day county matches in the Second XI in front of one man and a dog, or in the First XI in front of six men and dog. <br /><br />And second, there's the existential problem of earning your living, of justifying your being on this planet, by doing something so trivial and, in those awful moments of clarity, as absurd as batting a ball about.Brithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00390560583798960760noreply@blogger.com