kid wanted to do was run around and mess with things, and

Fourteen years ago, Robin Uthappa, a teenage batsman who came with the reputation of being Karnatakas batting future, replaced J Arunkumar in the state side before the start of the domestic season. Arunkumar, a senior player and part of Ranji Trophy-winning sides in 1995-96, 1997-98 and 1998-99, was aggrieved and turned professional, playing for Assam and Goa before retiring in 2008. Four years later, when he took on a coaching role with Karnataka, Arunkumar found himself in the same position as the selectors were in 2002-03, having to take the brave call of dropping seniors.This decision, Arunkumar believes, has led to the renaissance of Karnataka cricket, taking them from an almost there side to back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in 2013-14 and 2014-15. It is a process he is prepared to stick to as Karnataka look to reclaim the title they lost in 2015-16. They have begun promisingly this season, with a win and a draw from two matches.It was tough, but [there were] very conscious decisions to replace senior players like KB Pawan, Ganesh Satish and a few others, Arunkumar, who is now head coach, told ESPNcricinfo. That call was a must then because the team management was mindful of the bigger picture. By that I mean, by 26-27 if a cricketer wasnt playing for India A at least, chances of the national cap were remote. We didnt want a situation where a player is just happy playing state cricket and then going away. It was a bold decision we took when asked to present a roadmap for the state team, one that has worked wonderfully so far.Arunkumar said the decision to part with senior players put tremendous pressure on the youngsters, with some of them scrutinised on a match-by-match basis. When Arunkumar took over as batting coach before the 2012-13 season, KL Rahul was not a regular in the side. Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Gopal had not made their first-class debuts. Manish Pandey was far from national reckoning and Uthappa was struggling with form and fitness after being left out of the India team.Rahul, for example, made his first-class debut in 2010, but was dropped after three matches. It took him two more years to re-establish himself. Nair, too, failed in his first two matches. There was pressure not to give more chances, but as coach, you have to go by instinct, and I went with my heart, Arunkumar said. Even someone like Karun Nair did well in only his third game.A lot of times I have seen, and I say it from experience, that some players are slow starters. As a coach you have to give them the confidence. You need to be transparent and straightforward, you cant be manipulative and get away; you will be sorted otherwise. We were in fact extremely lucky to have a core group in such quick time that the two championship wins brought many of them in national focus. The national focus brought with it new challenges. The price Karnataka have paid for being so successful over the past couple of seasons is that they have lost players to the national or India A teams at various stages. While it is a matter of pride, Arunkumar said the challenge lay in handling fame and remaining grounded.Luckily were in a good position where those who have played for India realise the need to not take things lightly when they return, Arunkumar said. That is the challenge for us as coaches to bring out the best in them. There is an inclination to not give 100% sometimes, but we have given everybody ownership and authority to take their decisions, else coaches will be made to look like prison wardens. Thats what we were taught in 1995-96 when we won the Ranji Trophy.In 2015-16, Karnataka suffered from the after-effects of another aspect of national-team ambitions. Senior players Uthappa and CM Gautam had a small misunderstanding over their roles in the side because of the split wicket-keeping policy that stemmed from Uthappas desire to press his case as a keeper-batsman for India, a role he had fulfilled with Kolkata Knight Riders.CM probably missed out on an IPL contract because of that, but all that is in the past now, Arunkumar insisted. CM lost a bit of credibility because no one saw him as a wicketkeeper, but he did it for the team. Robin himself realised it was affecting team chemistry. So this season we decided to let specialists handle their own jobs.With the team set to remain on the road for the next three months, Arunkumar believes bonding between the players will be vital when wins are elusive. Theyre all mostly friends even outside the cricket ground, he said. They plan bike rides, movies, treks and outings during the off season. We all regularly meet for dinners during the season too. Were even allowed to have a couple of beers from time to time to celebrate victories. As a coach, you cant be imposing and set team rules and curfews. The boys understand where to draw the line, so its fine. Josh Donaldson Jersey . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Bobby Cox Braves Jersey . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. http://www.baseballbravesproshop.com/john-smoltz-braves-jersey/ .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Darren ODay Jersey . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. Matt Joyce Braves Jersey . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. When youre sitting in Section 416 at Wrigley Field, you had better pay special attention to the game when a left-handed batter is up.Thats not just because National League MVP candidate Anthony Rizzo is the sort of player whose every plate appearance is worth watching. No, its a matter of personal safety -- and souvenirs.Left-handed batters send foul balls screaming into Section 416, as well as the seats to either side and behind it. Balls carom off concrete, ricochet off girders and bounce off the hands of inept fans or the heads of people not watching the game.The joy of the foul ball, obviously, is in the adrenaline rush and the physical connection to the game. Not as great as a home run ball, but way better than a batting practice ball or a ball tossed into the stands at the end of an inning. A foul ball almost -- almost -- makes the fan who fields it part of the game itself.Fans recognize this, and so we cheer when someone makes a clean catch in the stands, or boo when someone muffs one -- especially if they are in the front row and the ball falls down to the lower deck.But since left-handed batters are a minority of players, most of my season-ticket partners have never even gotten close to a foul ball. That doesnt stop us from having some serious opinions about foul-ball etiquette, though.Azz has one rule: If youre old enough to have a drivers license, youre too old to bring a glove to the game.But if you do get a ball bare-handed, what next? Are you morally obligated to give it to a kid?Thats the Country Doctors position: Its a freaking ball, give it to a kid!The Big Bun brings a bit more nuance, but ends up in the same place:If its your first foul ball, you get to keep it. If its not your first foul ball, its your responsibility to find the nearest kid and give that kid the ball, but only if the kid isnt wearing a hat or jersey from the opposing team and their parents havent been jerks during the game. You shouldnt expect to get anything in return. This isnt about getting a free beer. Its about being a decent human being and making some 6-year-old kids year.Me, Im suspicious of this whole kid idea. Teach has a slightly sinister take on that. He writes, One of the primary reasons I had kids was so that if I finally got blessed by the baseball gods with a foul ball, I would be able to dodge the ire of the crowd by giving it to a kid -- but then immediately take it back on the car ride home. Looking back, it might have been easier to take a page from the bleacher bums: bring a dummy ball with you to the game, and if you catch a foul, keep it, and give a kid the dummy ball.Im not going to ask what Mrs. Teach thinks about this.My own history with foul balls is pretty sparse. Back in 2003 -- early in the Sunday night Yankees game that Joe Borowski saved by picking a pinch runner off first base for the final out -- a foul ball bounced over from 417, past several grasping fans, and landed in my friend Kathys lap.But she hadnt grasped the ball and held it aloft, the gesture that claims the prize. So I grabbed it. Naturally, I handed it back to her; shes a Yankees fan, and her crush Jorge Posada had stroked that particular foul ball. She also mightve clocked me if I hadnt.In the 12-plus seasons since, many foul balls had come in my general direction, but never had I been really close -- heart-pounding, adrenaaline-spiking close -- until the Pirates game on June 17.ddddddddddddIn the first inning, Jake Arrieta threw a fastball to No. 2 batter Gregory Polanco, who fought it off and sent it up to 416.The ball was coming right to me on a high arc, a lofty popup. All I had to do was keep my eye on the ball and ...I didnt. I looked away, stumbled slightly to my right, and knocked beer all over Stockfish. The ball caromed between him and Azz, and some pedestrian in the aisle picked it up. He got cheers, I got boos.My guilt over the spilt beer was balanced by Stockfish having earlier nicknamed me Ringworm Lardner in honor of this column. But I did the right thing and gave him most of my beer (which he had bought anyway). Then I endured a well-deserved verbal lashing for having blown a freaking gift. In fact, Ive been hearing about it ever since.Then came the White Sox game on July 28. Adam Eaton led off against John Lackey?and sent a screamer above 416, into the stairs leading up to the 500-level seats behind me and to my right.The Big Bun -- who had those seats that night, along with our pal Champ -- was late (thanks to a slow CTA bus, Champ claimed). These empty seats let me do a Fosbury Flop over the railing to play the carom. I plucked the prize away from a guy jumping down from above.I grasped the ball and held it high. My first major league foul ball after 44 years of attending games. There were no kids in the vicinity, although a White Sox fan in front of me made a play for it. But she was too old to wear a glove, so that was that.Im averse to giving foul balls to kids, in part because Im heartless and in part because of events at the Arizona Fall League last October.I got a foul ball there, but thats no great accomplishment. With 500 people in the park, if you want one you have to go to the vast effort of standing up, walking over, and picking it up.Pregame, Id met and chatted with an autograph hound, a guy who had two umpire-pockets full of balls, and a book full of minor league baseball cards. He bragged about getting Kris Bryants signature back in 2014. He also had a boy with him, I presumed his son, maybe 4 years old. All this kid wanted to do was run around and mess with things, and when the Autograph Hound wasnt on the railing waving his pen at players, he was chasing after his wandering offspring.About five seconds after I snagged my official AFL ball in the eighth inning, this lad appeared in front of me. He put on an expression like one of those velvet portraits of a big-eyed Victorian street urchin, his hands held out together in an unmistakable wordless gesture: Im a kid. Give me that foul ball! Please.I told him, No, this one is for my inner child, and he smiled and scampered off instantly. I got a dirty look from the Autograph Hound, but to heck with him. I mean, did I even know this boy was his child? He mightve rented the kid from some Foul Ball Fagin, as a sentimental ploy to increase his odds of amassing more balls for prospects to sign.But if the baseball gods bless me with a second foul ball -- this year or ever -- Ill follow the advice of the Big Bun and the Country Doctor and make some kids year.Unless its a foul ball hit by a Cub. I dont have one of those. Yet. ' ' '