Mook Envy

Satiricus never failed to wonder at the ability of the MuckrakerKN to always hone in on the most salient aspects of a news story and give it prominence so that the good people of Guyana could be “educated” – just like its owner Mook Lall was. As a journeyman in the newspaper trade, Satiricus could only sit back and admire the latest effort.
All Guyana and the Caribbean – and indeed all across the former British colonies that still played cricket – about a billion and a half people – everyone was excited about the announcement that the Caribbean was launching its own T-20 league.
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL)!! Imagine if the Indians, who were known for the stodgiest and dullest cricket possible, could make such an impact with the new format – everyone was thinking – what would the West Indians be doing??!!!
Mouths were watering over at the cricketing blogs at the entry of “Calypso Cricket” with men like Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard who had lit up the Indian skies with fireworks of cricket balls, would now be playing in their own homes. Abandon! Joy! Euphoria! The sheer delirium of life in the Caribbean!
But Satiricus shook his head. They had all missed the most important point to report on. Satiricus knew that he and his cohorts in Guyana were kinda backward – not too exposed he admitted, with head hung low. But what kind of media did the rest of the world have? Why didn’t they see the most important point that the MuckrakerKN immediately grasped and reported in a screaming front-page headline? It had to do with the first team to announce its owner. It was the fellow who owned the pharmaceutical company in Guyana. The name of the team was announced – the Amazon Warriors! The players – including the international players – were announced – Mohammad Hafeez and Sunil Narine, etc; the dates of the fixtures were announced; and the logo was unveiled.
But they were all missing the point. And here it was on the front page of the MuckrakerKN. The pharmaceutical company, which had been the first in the Caribbean to manufacture HIV/ AIDS antiretrovirals and saved Guyana from a catastrophe – WAS NOT AS OLD AS IT SAID IT WAS, according to the MuckrakerKN!! Satiricus gasped! The company has been formed 90 years ago, but had changed hands before the fellow had bought it.
How dare he claim that the company was still 90 years old? So what if the company was a corporation which has its own life which continues even when it changes owners? If the MuckrakerKN said so, it had to be so. And furthermore this was more important to report on than all that cricketing stuff. Or than Guyanese fans were once again going to see professional cricket.
But in his heart Satiricus was proud that a Guyanese could have the vision and guts to put his money where his mouth was, and actually buy a franchise in the new CPL. But then what did Satiricus know? He was just a regular Guyanese cricket patriot. Not a journalistic genius like Mook Lall. Or was the Mook just green with envy?