हैप्पी बिर्थ्दय ब्रेट..........

Namaste!
Today's the eighth of November, my idol/crush/favorite cricketer's 31st birthday! So...Happy Birthday Binga! May the speedometer never tire! May the motor keep on running! May the wickets never stop falling..I can go on. Well, I thought this would be the perfect day to tell you people my 'Story'...yes, this is kinda interesting....
It was Third Day of the Boxing Day Test in the year, 1999. Since it was India Vs Australia, and India would be batting(GO! DRAVID!). I decided to wake up and watch the third day from the start.The previous night, I went to sleep with happy dreams of meeting Steve and Rahul..
Third day of the Boxing Day Test: I woke miraculously at 4 am..dragged myself into Daddy's room..that was were the TV was. Dad was up already and he was watching Harsha Bhogle voice his opinion about some 'new young pacer..who was going to make his bowling debut that day' Well.. as I did not watch the previous two days properly, I was unaware of this new Pacer who was rumored, 'to be faster than Shoaib Akhtar'......I didnt care(silly me!)...Well, I simply assumed the new guy would be:
1.Abnormally Tall (6.4feet+...a.k.a McGrath, Fleming)
2.Brown Hair(McGrath style)
3.average looking(Big mistake!!!!!!)
As it was chilly, and I was still full of last night's dinner..I fell asleep on my beanie..covered in my pink Blanket. I woke up at 7:30am...India was batting ,finally! Dad looked soooooo excited! He was really jumping! He was talking about some bloke... who's 'CAPPING CEREMONY', I had missed, on Boxing Day(SO?)...Dad is a huge fyaan of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson and the like....so he was excited that a bowler of such pace was gonna be making his Test Debut! Newsflash: Dad is a big fan of Shoaib's too. I guess he's addicted to pace.
I hoped and prayed that Dravid would get a 100 that day..
I napped again...then, this time I was woken by Dad shaking me awake..He was like," Brett Lee's gonna be bowling in a while..", and I was like,"LEE?"...'does he look Chinese?'..Dad gave me a u-r-not-even-remotely-funny look. I fell silent...
After the commercial break...the match resumed..The camera now focussed on the 'NEW PACER'! I was flabbergasted! I didn't noe what to say! My asumptions, (1,2&3)..were reduced to ashes!
'Cause, here was a Greek God, with blond hair, lovely brown eyes..and an army cut,he was looking good enough to eat! That picture is till fresh in my mind....There he was..the most handsome guy I had seen in my 9yr old life!
I was still recovering from the shock when....Sadagopan Ramesh drags a Brett Lee delivery to the stumps! that was the fourth bal he'd ever bowled in international leve Test cricket! Dad does a little jig! Then Lee went on to take Dravid's wicket in the course of the match....The Pacer also managed to get a five-for on debut...which remained his best figures until the Adelaide test versus the Windies in 2006.Yup..5-47(His debut figures)..maan he rocked that day..
Yet,I finally admitted to liking him , only in Febraury...till then my opinion about him was kept strictly to myself..though ,I guess Dad would have guessed it on that day! After that, I used to wake up early/study late into the night/wake up at odd hours ,...to see him bowl! Mum and Dad used to keep an eye on the matches..and call me when he came onto bowl! Yes...frequent injuries, batsmen hitting him all over the park...became all too common over the last 7-8 yrs..And yes.. how can I forget the Knock-your-punch celebration? or the Brett Lee dance?
or the frequent searches of Sportstars for Lee's pictures.
the most insane thing I ever did:
This is really true...I kept I diary, and noted down the names of all the Umpires..who've denied him LBWs which he deserves/chided him. Well, sadly the list cannot be reproduced here...
Yes, these things became a part of my life...and yes, they will remain as long as he plays..many the Insanity never end!
I was very lucky to have met him...and to have had the pleasure of talking to him...So, Brett keep rocking! Luv yaa.

The Brett Lee Dance