It was a Joel Garner benefit game just after Somerset sacked Garner and Viv Richards. Our club chairman at Tring Park organised the game. He knew someone down at Somerset. It was bizarre to see our club house packed full of great cricketers. Must have been 6000 spectators at the ground.I didnt usually bowl that much, but I was sending down a few rubbish offspinners at Ian Botham and Richards to see how far they could hit it.Botham went for the big slog sweep, with that big, heavy Duncan Fearnley bat. It went off the top edge and was heading over the boundary when our deep-midwicket fielder launched himself in the air and took a stunning diving catch right in front of the pavilion.As Botham walked off, he said to the fielder, People have come here to watch me bat, not to watch you take great catches.Viv hit the most sublime hundred, off 50 or 60 balls. Lots of sixes. All the bowlers went for plenty. He kept hitting it over the scoreboard and into the 2nd-team ground, where people had parked their cars.The crowd were enjoying watching him bat, so thought Id float a few up to see how far he could hit it.When Viv had 60-odd, he miscued one straight down long-offs throat, but the fielder went with such hard hands that it must have bounced about four feet out of his hands and over the boundary for four.After Viv got his hundred, I was back on again, bowling the same rubbish spin, and Viv, by this time, had decided hed had enough. So he hits one straight up in the air towards long-off, straight to the same fielder and starts walking off. Unfortunately, our man never looked like catching it. So next ball, Viv tries it again. This time the fielder ran the wrong way and the ball went for four. Everyone just fell about laughing. Viv turned to our wicketkeeper. Is there anyone in this team who can catch? he asked.Botham and Richards almost didnt turn up in time for the game. They had gone to the pub down the road for a few pre-match beers. When they got to the ground, they asked for two pints of Guinness to be sent into the dressing room. There they were, two cricket legends, dipping sausage rolls in the beer and eating them.It was an incredible experience. They were two of the very best cricketers in the world at the time. Botham hit it hard, but Viv hit it harder - timed it rather than smashed it.Ive played against some pretty good club and minor county players, but the difference with those two was the time that they had to play the shots; so much more than anybody else youll ever see.Sports Jerseys . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Sports Jerseys From China . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. https://www.discountsportsjerseyscheap.com/ . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Clearance Sports Jerseys . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Authentic Sports Jerseys . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday.CHICAGO -- The Detroit Tigers will look to bolster their playoff chances when they visit the Chicago White Sox on Monday afternoon to open a three-game series.With 26 games to go in the regular season, Detroit (74-62) is tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the second wild-card playoff berth in the American League. The Tigers are two games behind the Boston Red Sox for the first wild-card spot, and they trail the Cleveland Indians by 5 1/2 games in the American League Central.I think we understand that if we keep playing inconsistent, were not going anywhere; were going to go home, first baseman Miguel Cabrera told the Detroit News after the Tigers won two of three games this weekend against the Kansas City Royals. We dont want to go home. Were going to keep fighting to the end and try to make something happen. This is fun.To play for something, this is fun. Trying to play for a spot in the playoffs, its exciting. You need to come every day and play hard.That leaves the White Sox (65-71) to play the role of spoiler as the Tigers come to town. Chicago opens a 10-game homestand after a disappointing road trip in which they went 2-5.The White Soxs road trip started against the familiar Tigers, who swept them in three games. Chicago is 5-11 against Detroit this season and has been outscored 92-68 in those contests.Since May 23, the White Sox have posted a 13-31 record against AL Central rivals.You have to figure out a way to shore that up and get some consistencyy, White Sox manager Robin Ventura told the Chicago Tribune.dddddddddddd We can go from one night scoring seven to three games in a row scoring one.Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander (14-7, 3.30 ERA) likely will not make life easy for the White Sox. Verlander has recorded 10 consecutive quality starts and is second in the AL with 198 strikeouts.During his career, Verlander is 19-13 with a 3.87 ERA against Chicago. He is 6-8 with a 4.34 ERA in 18 starts at U.S. Cellular Field.White Sox left-hander Chris Sale (15-7, 3.10 ERA) will try to outshine Verlander in a battle of aces. Sale limited the Tigers to two runs in eight innings in his last meeting Aug. 31 but did not factor in the decision.Chicagos lanky southpaw has gone 8-7 with a 3.09 ERA in 28 career appearances (18 starts) against the Tigers. He is 5-3 with a 2.97 ERA in 16 games (nine starts) at home against Detroit.Sale and his teammates could benefit from a return to their home ballpark. The White Sox are 35-29 at home this season compared with 30-42 on the road. Against the Tigers, the White Sox are 4-3 at home and 1-8 on the road.Tigers catcher James McCann is relishing the high stakes of September baseball.Its what you dream about in the offseason and spring training, McCann told the Detroit News. Getting to this point in the season and getting to play for something. ' ' '