Word: bradman
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...callow bowler in the opposing XI, what would it have been like to confront this Bradman? His entry onto the ground was an amble, which some interpreted as him basking in the applause. In fact, he was allowing his blue eyes to adjust to the sunlight. From narrow shoulders hung muscular arms; this was the result of nothing except overuse of a bat. More striking was his unmistakable half-smile, reflecting both supreme self-confidence and pleasure. "I couldn't wait to bat," he said. "The bigger the occasion, the tenser the atmosphere, the more I liked the game...
...arrival at the crease, he studied the field; he did not perfunctorily glance about as most batsmen do. Satisfied, he'd utter a shrill "right" and crouch over his uncommonly light bat. That single word sent a powerful message: Bradman was ready. As the bowler moved in, Bradman revealed two more idiosyncrasies. First, he did not tap his bat, a habit observed by virtually every batsman at all levels. He was perfectly still?and still smiling. Second, his grip was unusual, his bottom hand turned more toward the front than the textbooks recommend...
...During the ball's split-second journey from the bowler's hand to the batsman, Bradman would show more of his peculiar method. His backlift wasn't straight but in the direction of second slip, and his rear foot moved back and across the stumps. He liked to score from his first ball, then assess the vagaries of the pitch from the other end. He was most vulnerable early?he made seven noughts in 80 Test innings?but, once settled, an all-out attack was likely. These consisted of shots of all types, with a weighting toward late cuts...
...Even after his retirement in 1948, Bradman had to endure the corollary of greatness, in his case a fame so massive it was given its own name: Bradmania. It was the bane of his life and, with the stress it brought, the cause of much of his ill health. For a tired, introspective old man, reclusion was a sanity-saving last resort. It was also his final stroke of genius. There's enough sound and fury in the world, enough fading stars who won't leave us to our memories, so eventually spoiling them. Bradman remained Bradman...
DIED. SIR DONALD BRADMAN, 92, self-taught cricket player and courtly Australian icon considered by many to be the pre-eminent sportsman of all time; in Adelaide, South Australia. His perch atop batting stats was said to be "as changeless as alphabetic order"; over his 20-year career, he racked up an average of 99.94 runs per innings, 30 runs more than the next best in the game. A recent book comparing the relative statistical achievements in a variety of sports put Bradman ahead of Michael Jordan, Ty Cobb and Pele. One of Australia's most beloved heroes...