“Listen guys, there’s already a massive security presence outside the stadium, and on the way in, so once people reach the VIP Hospitality area, they need to feel relaxed. So, try to blend in as much as possible. Maybe even mingle a little, and if you insist on wearing suits, at least choose different colours.”
It was hard to be certain whether the attitude and tone of the security operation had mellowed after the ferocity experienced on Monday, but there might have been a little less aggro. I was grudgingly granted permission to walk through Eisenhower Park this morning for the India/Ireland match, on production of further photo ID beyond accreditation.
On the way out of the stadium, after the match, I walked in the same direction. A cop in a golf cart challenged me, with a curled lip. “Sorry,” I said, “but this is the way I came in, your colleagues directed me this way.”
“Are you questioning me?! I said you cannot walk this way! Are you questioning me?” Many of them do seem to be spoiling for a fight. What I thought was a potentially helpful explanation for why I was walking where I was became a trigger-point for conflict, almost. Thankfully I scuttled away quickly enough with my tail between my legs. He barked something at me as I left, fortunately inaudible.
The grandiosity of the pop-up Nassau County Stadium lies in the 4500+ VIP tickets, not in the fact that another 30,000 can be seated in (unusually comfortable) bucket seats on giant scaffolding structures. That’s a very high VIP percentage. And today they were virtually empty.
The reality of what most people expected is becoming graphically clear. The temporary stadium, and its core purpose, was to drain the maximum revenue from just a single game. India against Pakistan is the biggest, single international fixture in any sport, in the world, and it takes place on Sunday, June 9.
There was a significant turn-out for today’s game against Ireland, but the Indian supporters I spoke to were unanimous that their presence represented a ‘failure’ because they were unable to buy tickets for the Pakistan game on Sunday. But one man admitted that “$230 tickets and $200 for parking is disgusting. I will never come back.” The ‘alternative’ market for $230 tickets, on Sunday, is now running at around $5500. But, obviously, these tickets cannot be traded. Obviously. There’s no way around it. It is forbidden. That’s why prices are on the internet.
Here’s a ‘happy snap’ of the Proteas squad in Times Square. Each of the ‘major’ teams has an official ICC photographer assigned to them to do this stuff. There are more ‘nice’ snaps released showing the Proteas receiving Yankees jerseys last night before watching the game against the Minnesota Twins. You can google them if you’re keen to see an un-named Yankees official looking curiously at a Proteas shirt with Aiden Markram grinning awkwardly as he receives a Yankees shirt.
The tournament was always likely to start slowly, but there has been no shortage of tremendous stories. 43-year-old Frank Ntsuba claiming figures of 4-2-4-2 against PNG after their humiliating defeat against Afghanistan in the first game.
But mostly the world is waking up to the absurdities of the travel and logistics of the tournament with Bangladesh covering over 9,500 kilometres for their four group games, albeit in three venues, while Sri Lanka travel approximately 9000 to get to four different venues. New Zealand, quixotically, have a travel quota of 550 kms for their four group games. Hopefully it is random. It is unfair. And there will almost certainly be no explanation.
Oh, the life of the blessed and glamorous. Laundry day today, and could there be a better location to switch off and listen to a podcast? East Meadow, we have become close. Because we had to. But you are very dull. In the nicest possible way.
It all sounds rather... Odd and weird. Those cops! They must cause as much PTSD from all the aggro they put out to compliment their own from the job.
Do Americans even give a crap about the cricket? Probably will be paying more attention after their win over Pakistan today.
I hope you've seen the vid where a staffer was showing Dale Steyn what to do when bowling a cricket ball😁 He had no clue who he was 'teaching'!