When I boarded a bus on Hollywood blvd earlier this evening I didn't expect too much from the journey.
But thanks to my larger than life "Franz Ferndinand" T-shirt the bus driver (a now known avid military historian) and I struck up a conversation about the original Archduke himself. A couple of stops later the conversation has transgressed to current world politics soon after moving onto the war in Iraq. At which point an elderly man sitting across from me joins into the conversation and everything progresses along just fine. As we chat I am drawn to a bright Orange Sticker stuck to his breifcase. At the next stop a lady boards the bus, immediately striking up a friendly side conversation with him, it's at that point I know there is something more about him, and there was, he was "John Scott".
Who is that you ask? Well John Scott is no different from you or me, except for one thing perhaps. As John is chasing his dream, and to me that in itself says more about LA than anything. Cause if I've learnt one thing from my short time here its that this truly is...... the city of dreams.
But in saying that... they won't catch me napping as tomorrow I'm off to Tijuana!!!!
Oh I also saw Paris Hilton drive passed in a black Porsche today but I think that John's story was much more "Hollywood".
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Saturday, November 18, 2006
The PCG Memoirs...
I moved into 168 Page Street about 6 months ago, it’s a pretty run down old place, paint peeling of the walls, palings falling off the fence, vines creeping into the outdoor dunny, to the naked eye not much to look at; except for one feature..... it’s hallway.
To most a hallway is what? A simple indoor stretch of corridor which you use to get from one room to another. But make this stretch a full 25 meters long then ad a 12 foot high ceiling and what do you have? Yes I know, a very long and tall hallway. But to those few dreamers of you out there I know you can see more..... and so did we.
Creating the PCG (Page Cricket Ground) was a team effort, visualised during the consumption of many a twilight beer out in the Page Street backyard. But as Kevin Costner knows they don’t come unless you build it. Thus on the 3rd of October myself and Pauly hand crafted the “Killcunda Super Palmer Scoop” from an off cut of Radiata pine. Aptly named after a Super Chicken Parmigiana that I’d consumed earlier that day down at the Kilcunda Pub, it’s creation marked the dawn of a new era at 168 Page St.
After some basic rules and a quick seam of red electrical tape being laid around 'The PCG pill', the Inaugural Page St Cricket test kicked off between me and Pauly. We both started tentatively not quite at home to the Rico deliveries bouncing in off the walls; but on the back of a nutty 38 in my 2nd dig I clenched the win, my final delivery getting Pauly a beautiful Bowled Rico off the legside wall.
Just like World Series Cricket back in the 70’s, the word spread fast, “What is this new game? What’s this Bowled Rico all about? How does this Caught Boonie work?
Less than 3 weeks after the 'Inaurgural Test' the First Triangular series was held, the results clearly illustrating - the PCG favoured aggressive batting and savy bowling. The next week ‘Triangular’ became Quadrangular, two days after it evolved to Pentagluar there was clearly no stopping this new form of the game.
To date the PCG has hosted no less than 18 series and had a total of 6008 “official” runs scored on it’s hallowed carpet. It’s had no shortage of controversy either with the infamous Lost Series still discussed with much passion.
With myself heading off to Mexico in a couple of days I can only hope that my fellow PCG Players continue diving for catches and striving to win matches on our hallowed PCG hallway.
Tim B.
To most a hallway is what? A simple indoor stretch of corridor which you use to get from one room to another. But make this stretch a full 25 meters long then ad a 12 foot high ceiling and what do you have? Yes I know, a very long and tall hallway. But to those few dreamers of you out there I know you can see more..... and so did we.
Creating the PCG (Page Cricket Ground) was a team effort, visualised during the consumption of many a twilight beer out in the Page Street backyard. But as Kevin Costner knows they don’t come unless you build it. Thus on the 3rd of October myself and Pauly hand crafted the “Killcunda Super Palmer Scoop” from an off cut of Radiata pine. Aptly named after a Super Chicken Parmigiana that I’d consumed earlier that day down at the Kilcunda Pub, it’s creation marked the dawn of a new era at 168 Page St.
After some basic rules and a quick seam of red electrical tape being laid around 'The PCG pill', the Inaugural Page St Cricket test kicked off between me and Pauly. We both started tentatively not quite at home to the Rico deliveries bouncing in off the walls; but on the back of a nutty 38 in my 2nd dig I clenched the win, my final delivery getting Pauly a beautiful Bowled Rico off the legside wall.
Just like World Series Cricket back in the 70’s, the word spread fast, “What is this new game? What’s this Bowled Rico all about? How does this Caught Boonie work?
Less than 3 weeks after the 'Inaurgural Test' the First Triangular series was held, the results clearly illustrating - the PCG favoured aggressive batting and savy bowling. The next week ‘Triangular’ became Quadrangular, two days after it evolved to Pentagluar there was clearly no stopping this new form of the game.
To date the PCG has hosted no less than 18 series and had a total of 6008 “official” runs scored on it’s hallowed carpet. It’s had no shortage of controversy either with the infamous Lost Series still discussed with much passion.
With myself heading off to Mexico in a couple of days I can only hope that my fellow PCG Players continue diving for catches and striving to win matches on our hallowed PCG hallway.
Tim B.
The Lost Series
On the 29th of October, the 4th Quadrangular and 1st Pentangular series were played, won by Cashy and Pauly respectively. The following day I entered the Stats into my laptop only to discover the next day that the file was gone, I spent an hour trying to recover it, but to no avail. With myself having a dogged series and Cashy and Pauly posting some very solid numbers speculation spread that it was deliberate, but it is mere speculation, and to this day I still proclaim my innocence.
The only official evidence that the series ever took place were these 2 photos. The series were soon after renamed “The lost Quadrangular and Lost Pentangular”.
The only official evidence that the series ever took place were these 2 photos. The series were soon after renamed “The lost Quadrangular and Lost Pentangular”.
PCG Player Profiles (as at 17th Nov)
To Read:
The image will load a little blurred, wait a few seconds then select the 'Expand to regular size' icon box that will pop up in bottom right hand corner of the image.
Boonie
Boonie is a brown cardboard box that sits to one side of the PCG hallway just passed Pauly's bedroom. He has always been a member of the PCG, but he was upgraded to official "PCG fielder" status on the 31st of October after a brief committee meeting between Pauly and I.He is handy for stopping 4’s & 10’s down the ground and his official status also allows him to take catches.
On the odd occasion that he does hold onto one (he's claimed only 6 catches to date so far) celebration always rings out from any crowd members in the backroom pavilion.
Official PCG Statistics (21/11/06)
To Read:
The image will load a little blurred, wait a few seconds then select the 'Expand to regular size' icon box that will pop up in bottom right hand corner of the image.
The PCG Rules
Scoring:
It’s simple – the further you hit the ball down the PCG hallway (which is about 25mtrs long) the more runs you get, with extra runs on offer for getting it in one of the 4 adjoining rooms and a whopping 14 runs on offer for getting it in the back bathroom. A clear stance was agreed from the outset, no runs are awarded for shots square of the wicket.
Runs are awarded as listed below:
2 runs into front TV room
2 runs passed Pauly’s bedroom door
3 runs passed Timmy’s bedroom door
4 runs into Pauly’s bedroom
4 runs passed Ryan’s office door
6 runs into Timmy’s bedroom
8 runs into Ryan’s office
10 runs into back room
14 runs into the back bathroom
Getting Out:
The rules for getting out are standard to anyone familiar with FYC or BYC, all bar one that is. It's the rule of 'Rico' and its what separates PCG cricket from all other forms of the game. It is inspired by the tight environment offered only by hallway cricket, and at the PCG the savy bowler is allowed to use these unique conditions to ‘rico’ (‘ricochet’ if you are French) the ball off the wall in an attempt to catch his man off guard.
Methods of going out are listed below:
Bowled
Bowled Rico
Bowled Double Rico (aka "Cashy Rico")
Caught
Caught Auto (Wicket keeper)
Caught Rico
Caught Boonie
Hit Wicket
Special Rules:
It’s simple – the further you hit the ball down the PCG hallway (which is about 25mtrs long) the more runs you get, with extra runs on offer for getting it in one of the 4 adjoining rooms and a whopping 14 runs on offer for getting it in the back bathroom. A clear stance was agreed from the outset, no runs are awarded for shots square of the wicket.
Runs are awarded as listed below:
2 runs into front TV room
2 runs passed Pauly’s bedroom door
3 runs passed Timmy’s bedroom door
4 runs into Pauly’s bedroom
4 runs passed Ryan’s office door
6 runs into Timmy’s bedroom
8 runs into Ryan’s office
10 runs into back room
14 runs into the back bathroom
Getting Out:
The rules for getting out are standard to anyone familiar with FYC or BYC, all bar one that is. It's the rule of 'Rico' and its what separates PCG cricket from all other forms of the game. It is inspired by the tight environment offered only by hallway cricket, and at the PCG the savy bowler is allowed to use these unique conditions to ‘rico’ (‘ricochet’ if you are French) the ball off the wall in an attempt to catch his man off guard.
Methods of going out are listed below:
Bowled
Bowled Rico
Bowled Double Rico (aka "Cashy Rico")
Caught
Caught Auto (Wicket keeper)
Caught Rico
Caught Boonie
Hit Wicket
Special Rules:
- The game can only commence after the toss of one of the two official PCG coin’s.
- In One Day games the bowlers run up is limited to starting from Ryan’s Office doorway.
- If a bowler misfires a delivery into a room, the batsmen is awarded the value of runs allotted to that room.
- If a batsmen is out for a Golden Duck he must draw a duck on the score sheet and colour it in with the Yellow marker provided.
- In any match during a ‘series’ the batsmen must retire at 100 runs.
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