Extracts from Punters new book

Say what you like about Michael Clarke ('Gee thanks Fred!' - Red) but at least he's leaving the tour diary stuff to Jack Kerouac. TF.

Hass wrote:

Fred Nerk wrote:I think/hope that when whoever said as a writer Punter aint Steve Waugh, what he meant was, he somehow manages to be even worse.

They both make Patrick Smith read like Shakespeare.

Oh, I was just referring to the fact that Steve Waugh actually wrote his book. It doesn't mean he's any good, but at least we know it's his words and his opinions.

Now there's nothing wrong with Ponting having a ghost-writer, but the fact he doesn't even know what's in the book suggests it may not be the most useful/accurate autobiography.

Former Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting was described as 'in a state of shocker, mate' on hearing what is contained in his purported autobiography. Asked to comment on the many outbursts littering the tome (available on all good websites), such as "Darren Lehmann, he was a hella racist fat slug", describing Michael Clarke as a "knicker-shitting arsesucking bimbo" and Shane Warne as a "complete grub, a sex-crazed drongo", Mr Ponting's agent pointed out that these statements may have been taken out of context.


Actually, I think there's a LOT wrong with sports stars having a ghost writer, especially to the extent that the former has no knowledge of what the latter may have written in his/her name. The fact that it has been a convention for decades doesn't erase the fact that such a book is a form of imposture, and gross deception of the public (however willing that public may be to suspend its intelligence for the duration of the read).

In a forum first, I might have to agree with Pete here.

Frances Edmonds in [i]Cricket XXXX Cricket[/i] wrote:To me only people who are dead should invoke the privilege of opting out of the hassle of recounting their own version of events. Unfortunately....most cricketers take the easy option, pick up the loot, and let some other poor sod do the hard graft. Too often the results tend to be of fairly incandescent mediocrity.... .

I'm surprised ghost writers haven't been phased out completely by some new MS Wizard that you just feed the names, the facts, the stats and the (usually only mildly) funny stories in and it spits out the 180 pages five minutes later.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/unshackled-nononsense-ponting-gets-to-tell-it-like-it-is-20131018-2vsdl.html

Further excerpts from Punter's talked about book released in the Fairfax media today.


Interesting comments about Ali Cook.
''I keep coming back to Alastair Cook. Three or four years ago he was just hanging in there, now he's captain and the second-leading runscorer in England's history. You can't tell me he is any better player than some of the guys we've got, skill-wise. He's just worked it out, he's been backed and given an extended run at it and he's repaid them for that.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/unshackled-nononsense-ponting-gets-to-tell-it-like-it-is-20131018-2vsdl.html#ixzz2i9Yez2n7

He also sees Lara as more of a potential matchwinner than Sachin but the latter the best technician and KP as the best English batsmen he has confronted because of his lack of fear.

Red wrote:
He also sees Lara as more of a potential matchwinner than Sachin but the latter the best technician

Wow, that's insightful Punter.

Also I hadn't noticed that Cook had gotten better.

That's because he had nothing to do with any of those statements.

Punter usually has nothing very fresh or original to say, but the book is a sort of satire on that. Punter parody, under his own name.

PeterCS wrote:That's because he had nothing to do with any of those statements.

Punter usually has nothing very fresh or original to say, but the book is a sort of satire on that. Punter parody, under his own name.

Well he probably would have said it. The way they usually write these books is the ghost-writer has a few interviews with the sportsman, I heard for one of Rooney's it was as little as two one-hour interviews. Then the author writes it all up into a book. Then they divide up lots of bags of cash, and laugh all the way to the bank.

With Ponting 'not having read it' it was probably a case of he couldn't be bothered to see what the author had written up as a result of their conversations.

Red wrote:http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/unshackled-nononsense-ponting-gets-to-tell-it-like-it-is-20131018-2vsdl.html

Further excerpts from Punter's talked about book released in the Fairfax media today.


Interesting comments about Ali Cook.
''I keep coming back to Alastair Cook. Three or four years ago he was just hanging in there, now he's captain and the second-leading runscorer in England's history. You can't tell me he is any better player than some of the guys we've got, skill-wise. He's just worked it out, he's been backed and given an extended run at it and he's repaid them for that.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/unshackled-nononsense-ponting-gets-to-tell-it-like-it-is-20131018-2vsdl.html#ixzz2i9Yez2n7

He also sees Lara as more of a potential matchwinner than Sachin but the latter the best technician and KP as the best English batsmen he has confronted because of his lack of fear.

Huh?

Aye, Chef's not even the 2nd highest run getting English opener (he's behind Gooch, Stewart and Boycott). Seems the ghost writer not only couldn't be bothered trying to get sound bytes from Punter, but couldn't be arsed checking the records. Or maybe this was one of the few actual quotes he DID get from Drunky?   

Interesting that 5 or England's top 7 run-getters are openers.

JGK wrote:

Red wrote:http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/unshackled-nononsense-ponting-gets-to-tell-it-like-it-is-20131018-2vsdl.html

Further excerpts from Punter's talked about book released in the Fairfax media today.


Interesting comments about Ali Cook.
''I keep coming back to Alastair Cook. Three or four years ago he was just hanging in there, now he's captain and the second-leading runscorer in England's history. You can't tell me he is any better player than some of the guys we've got, skill-wise. He's just worked it out, he's been backed and given an extended run at it and he's repaid them for that.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/unshackled-nononsense-ponting-gets-to-tell-it-like-it-is-20131018-2vsdl.html#ixzz2i9Yez2n7

He also sees Lara as more of a potential matchwinner than Sachin but the latter the best technician and KP as the best English batsmen he has confronted because of his lack of fear.

Huh?

By the time the book hits the $1 bargain bin (Post Xmas sales) the statement will be correct

He wants to revisit 'Monkeygate' in his book. Kumble also has a counter to offer in his forthcoming book. Sounds like a fun match in the making.......