What a long SMS!

This guy writes me more eloquently than I ever could. I like his analogy to a Derby horse. It feels apt.

I always wonder whether SRK types the messages on his handphone or does he send them over the internet using one of those direct-to-handphone services. I'm not pasting it here as you can read the whole schbang over at SRK the Don (article: Don't drop catches: SRK). I had a strange experience this morning. I woke up and the first line that went round and round in my head like one of those circular neon signs you can see outside some shops somewhere was something like this: Please let KR win the match. It was like a litany or chant. I couldn't get up for some minutes while sentences to that effect repeat themselves in my brain like a desperate prayer.

Their next match is this Sunday. I'm scared to look up the result on Monday *sweat*

I don't understand why people are already looking away, saying that they'll succeed in IPL 3. Of course that's my wish too, but are they forgetting that we still have 5 matches left? Have they totally given up on the team? Is this how weak cricket teams and losing cricketers are looked upon in India? In Malaysia, our football teams are weak (again, I suspect it's due to the management), but the loyal supporters give their unflagging support come every football season.

Maybe this is the main reason why I didn't want to cheer for a team before, until my obsession with Shah Rukh pulled me into the world of IPL cricket. I was more comfortable supporting individual athletes. Team sports are filled with over-emotional supporters and officials. I read how the Norwegian referee (Tom Henning Ovrebo) had to be smuggled out of Britain yesterday by the police who feared for his safety at the hands of the Chelsea/English fans after committing some serious errors that caused Chelsea to exit from the Champions League at the hand of Barcelona. To some thousands of people out there, sports is life itself. They don't appreciate it if they think you were frelling around with their team, and in KR's case, not even when you're one of the team owners yourself.

(I want to hi-5 anyone who knows what 'frell' means in human language!)

I empathize with the fans who spam Shah Rukh's blog with crazy, angry, hate-filled messages. Everyone is frustrated and he is easy target. I find no need to defend him against any of the verbal or literary attack from the fans. He's a very aware guy and he knows what's happening as it's unfolding. He did say he wish he could absorb all the sadness the team is experiencing unto himself. Maybe that's what he's doing by giving the recent interviews and this gigantically long SMS. Direct the attention away from the team towards himself so the boys can play in peace. Or maybe he thinks that he needs to say something to show that he hasn't given up on them. Although, if you ask me, the mood I feel is, everytime he writes something about or talk to the media about KR, there's always gonna be a backlash later. I'd rather read a press statement by RC Ent than an SRK interview on anything KR-related at a time like this.

This thing with Sourav has also divided the fans. Those who support Shah Rukh even went so far as to jeer at Dada's inability to prove to everyone that he was deserving of the captaincy. You know what? He didn't have to prove anything to anyone. All he needs to do is play his own game and help the team, along with the other players, to win the match... and no matter what you say, that's what he's doing/trying to do. In fact, do you think Shah Rukh appreciates you insulting the cricketer he loves so much? One of the reasons why he wanted to acquire the Kolkata team is because he wants Dada to be in his team.

Why do we have to take sides? SRK, Dada, Mr B, McCullum, Ishant... aren't they all KR people? This is not the same case as a referee like Ovrebo turning down four strong penalty appeals by Chelsea. No matter how much I, and thousands of other fans, want Mr B to get off our faces, for the time being we're stuck with him. We're all in the same boat, and we'll get to the shore, or sink, together.

What I did was to try to defend the team in my KR blog post. I don't think I made any impact though, being female and ignorant of the game. I used to be so irritated and angry when I read the derogatory spams given to Shah Rukh, especially in his own blog. But now, it's come to a point where reading the negative messages is boring me to tears. The words are becoming repetitive, the insults are no longer original, and even the angry tantrum is beginning to have a dull edge to it. Some interesting writers still manage to piss me off LOL ...I wish there were more creative people like them. If you wanted to annoy Shah Rukh so much, at least do it amusingly so other readers can be entertained too. Otherwise, what's the point?

One more thing, haven't you ever wondered why Shah Rukh's comment section is so accessible, i.e. he does not publish your comments only after he's reviewed and approved them? He's collecting everything, you idiots. This is a guy who can still remember vividly the headlines and the bylines that tore him apart and fed him to the dogs 10 years ago. You say you're anonymous, so you can say anything you like. And then you accuse him of cowardice? If you want to accuse someone of being a coward, go find a mirror.

I think it's very unfair to attack the cricketers and create so many controversies around them. However professional they are, they're only human. At the start of the tournament, none of the other teams' losses were highlighted as much as KR's were. Maybe it's coz the team was the most glamorous, the most preferred by the sponsors, and the most popular among the fans... that's why when they went down, everyone from the media to the fans caused such an unbearable din that the effect of the noise started to show in the way they play. Everyone wanted to be the first to say, "I TOLD YOU SO!"

I'm not worried that they won't win. I'm worried that they don't think they can. I'll continue to pray for their win (even though reading this article is making me feel depressed again). There are 5 more matches, people. Let's look out for our team and give them our support to the very last.