As I look out my backdoor at the bleak white landscape one comes to expect in January after witnessing 33 straight

As the great CCR sang, Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back door.

years of similar tundra-like conditions in this great cricket hotbed of Wisconsin, I can’t help but feel an emotion long foreign to me–envy. Not since the long-departed years of hoping for an AT-AT under the Christmas tree or salivating at the very mention of my friend’s new Nintendo Entertainment System (complete with the cool gyro-robot thingy) have I felt such a strong sense of covetousness as I have this week.

Gazing at the blue sleds laying on the pristine white snow, it’s hard for me to imagine that about 4 months from now I will be dragging the future of USA cricket (aka, my three children–are you taking notes, Don Lockerbie?) on this most modest of cricket pitches. Then, as I clutch my Irish Creme hot chocolate, my thoughts turn to Johannesburg, South Africa, where England and South Africa will begin their fourth and final test match in their series later this week. Daydreaming, I can’t help but think of the warm sun beating down on the throngs of spectators fueled with lager, the umpires and the players. What a spectacle this final test will be at The Wanderers. How I wish I could be in the crowd to “ooo” and “ahh” at every ball bowled by laser cannon-armed Dale Steyn, to delight in every Jacques Kallis cover drive, to catch a glimpse of Graeme Swann’s cheeky grin as he takes another wicket or calmly stares down Morne Morkel to hit another four, or even just to see the ever-present look of concentration on Paul Collingwood’s face–whether fielding at slip or fighting for England’s life at the crease.

Yes, I guess I am jealous. Jealous that instead of soaking in the warmth, sights and sounds of this match, I will be forced to cuddle up with a blanket, a bottle of Mountain Dew and a small computer screen. Well, one thing makes it alright–those three kids that will gather around the screen with me to delight in every ball bowled and every boundary struck. I’ll take them over Joburg any day.