Monday, February 28, 2011

Opinions on... Billy Bowden



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Billy Bowden secretly wishes he were a baseball umpire. He sees the "freedom of expression" they are allowed in American Major League Baseball and he lusts for job as a home plate umpire. He grew up with pin ups of great American baseball umpires.

And as an adult...

...he has admitted he sees no reason to surf porn.

Like Murali and Chandrashekhar he uses his physical limitations to his advantage. Or so he thinks.

He isn't much liked by South Africans and Australians alike.

Even the West Indies have lodged an official complaint against him. When a team who expects to lose, loses and still takes time to complain about the umpiring; there has got to be something genuine there.

Recently he thought he had India's backing but being preferred over Steve Bucknor isn't much of a compliment. Regardless, whatever goodwill India might have had for him may evaporate following their World Cup game against England.

Previously, he wasn't exactly known to know the rules. He has left his mark on the 2005 Ashes and was an abettor in the foolishness demonstrated by the ICC umpires in their showpiece event in 2007.

He seems to have corrected it though.

When faced with a choice between common sense and the rule book; he left us wondering if he has any traces of the former

Other unsolicited opinions on unsuspecting cricketers... (and now umpires)

  1. Suresh Raina
  2. Jacques Kallis
  3. Shakib Al-Hasan

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Common sense was definitely lacking in that decision. I don't know if you have read it... but I wrote a piece on that decision here.

straight point said...

much before he made that wrong call in a tie to anger india... he got me off when he gestured VVS to shut up by placing finger on his lips... since then he ceased to exist for me...

Vidooshak said...

But in this match, Dhoni pissed him off by arguing about where to station Zaheer. Billy was specific where he wanted Zaheer to stand (about 2 steps ahead of where he was). Dhoni simply pissed him off. Marginal decisions will go against you if the umpire doesn't like you in that instant. No point arguing about professionalism. No one is a robot.

Unknown said...

Vidooshak, there was nothing marginal in that decision!

Where a marginal decision goes against you, you can get over it. But that was dead duck plumb... so much so that Ian Bell started walking back!

And really, that I don't know whether Zaheer was really too far away to be called a catching position, but that was a foolish argument that lasted 2-3 minutes for 2-3 feet. I mean, if Billy was so certain that Zaheer was not in a catching position, then he should have simply called a no-ball and there wouldn't have been any arguments at all!

Golandaaz said...

Vidooshak,

So if I piss you off you will abandon all common sense even if you look like a fool?

Vidooshak said...

Gol - It might happen. It depends on how pissed off I am. :-)It looks like common sense only because it's reviewed. Minus UDRS, it's called benefit of doubt. Another reason to let umpires be umpires and cricketers to be Gentlemen.

Shridhar - I thought Bell walked only after the review was called. He didn't walk before the review. So he reacted to what he saw on TV. He didn't keep walking like Gilchrist would have or Gundappa would have.

I agree it was a terrible decision. I'm not defending it. Just searching for reasons.

Vidooshak said...

Also, I think it was a needless indulgence on Dhoni's part to get the umpire cranked up.

In school, I never pissed off the teacher who decided my grade, because I knew she could abandon all common sense and I had no recourse.

Gol did and look what he has become. :-)

Golandaaz said...

my looks overshadowed all my perceived short comings :-)