Sunday 17 May 2009

The Voice of Rod

J-Rod has a book available, The Year Of The Balls 2008: A Disrespective. Haven't read it yet, but I'm going to. J-Rod is the closest cricket writing has got to the fine spirit of Gonzo: a man innately suspicious of authority and scathing of its efforts and intentions, a bravura destroyer of bullshit in all its forms, a natural, big-hearted iconoclast with an unerring nose for cant, hypocrisy and the public pronouncements of Andrew Hilditch. 

The briefest glimpse at the players he champions - Virender Sehwag, Dirk Nannes, Bryce McGain - lets you know what he values about the game, and the fact that anyone who reads CWB won't be able to see those names without thinking of Sehwagology or Dirty Dirk or Bryce's day job in computers shows that he can write, too. 

The mainstream cricket media has become homogenised. It's centered around the journalism and punditry of ex-players, a burgeoning horror of mangled vowels, received wisdom and in-jokes. CWB is part of the solution. Here's to that.

NB: The book's got a forward by Gideon Haigh. It is the Gideon Haigh apparently, as opposed to all of the other Gideon Haighs out there. 

2 comments:

Ceci said...

It's been proofed by Mims so it will have real spelling and apostrophes too. Am keenly anticipating the ordered copy - he's a daily (sometimes twice daily) joy

The Old Batsman said...

Have just ordered it, so I await my perfectly proofed copy!