the $627.5 million home of the Red Wings will ease any lasting

The life of the impoverished writer has an occasional upside, and one of those came along a couple of weeks ago at the Guildford Book Festival, where I did an event with Tom Collomosse, cricket correspondent for the Evening Standard and Mark Nicholas, the former Hampshire captain turned commentator. Nicholas told a story about facing Derek Underwood on an uncovered pitch. It was early in his career, which began at Hampshire in 1978. They were playing Kent in a three-day game and when the rain came down, the captains got together and negotiated a deal: Hampshire would chase 160 on the last afternoon to win.Paul Terry and Gordon Greenidge went in. Greenidge took six from the first over. Underwood opened at the other end and Terry got through it by playing from as deep in his crease as he could get. Greenidge took another six runs from the next at his end. Underwood came in again, having had six deliveries to work out the pitch. By the time Nicholas had been in and out shortly afterwards, Hampshire were 12 for 4.Derek didnt really bowl spin on wet pitches, he explained. What he did was hold it down the seam and cut the ball. When you were at the non-strikers end, you could hear it - he made a whirring sound - it was an amazing thing.Nicholas described the nearly impossible task of trying to bat against a ball that reared up from almost medium pace with fielders surrounding you and the immaculate Alan Knott breathing down your neck from behind the stumps. Hampshire lost, of course.Deadly Derek and uncovered pitches are a part of history now, but those who can recall his flat-footed, curving run and liquid movement through the crease saw a bowler who was much more than just a specialist on drying wickets. Whatever the weather, whatever the day, he had the ball for it: 2465 first-class wickets at 20.28 tell his story.Underwood had a thousand of those wickets by the age of 25 and retired in 1987 at 42. The game, and spin bowling, have changed irrevocably since, yet the spooky art is still shining, and perhaps about to enter a new golden age.R Ashwin stands at the top of the Test bowling rankings, New Zealand the latest to fall to his strange magic. His buddy Ravindra Jadeja knocks them down at the other end. Bangladesh unleashed the 18-year-old Mehedi Hasan on England, and he had a five-bag on day one. Even England - brace yourselves for this - played three spinners in that game, and may well do so throughout the first part of the winter. Far from killing spin bowling, as it was supposed to do, the new way of batting has encouraged a new style of response. To chart an evolution is fascinating. It is not so long since Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble slipped from the game, Warne having reasserted legspin, Murali reinventing offspin. The future looked as though it may be big; huge freaky turn of the kind that pair specialised in. Instead, it has become something more subtle: the notion of beating the bat narrowly on both edges.These are broad brush strokes of course, and evolution doesnt come in a straight line. Its deeply intriguing though that T20 cricket has played such a role. Through Ashwin, who emerged there, and Jadeja and Sunil Narine and others, it raised the value of cleverness, of invention. Big bats were sometimes defeated by small or no turn. The slow ball was harder to hit. As the techniques bled into Test cricket, where wickets deteriorate and change and the psychology of batting switches, they have grown in value.Were undoubtedly living through an era in which batting has been revolutionised, undergoing its greatest change in a century. Its the nature of the game that bowling should come up with an answer, and maybe were starting to see its first iterations. As Jarrod Kimber pointed out in his piece about the inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes, there are more very fast bowlers around now than for generations. Spin bowling is making its move too. And just as the small increments in speed increase in value the higher they go - ask any batsman about the difference between 87mph and 90mph, and then 90mph and 93 or 94mph - the small changes that, for example, Ashwin is producing have their dividend too.Underwood once described bowling, tongue no doubt in cheek, as, a low-mentality occupation. His variation was as simple as an arm ball, and yet in the pre-DRS age, it brought him many lbw decisions. Now the subtle changes in the spooky art are wrecking a new and welcome kind of havoc of which Deadly will surely approve. Should we call it the era of small spin? Josh Allen Womens Jersey . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Quincy Williams II Womens Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. http://www.officialjacksonvillejaguarspro.com/Josh-oliver-jaguars-jersey/ . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. Gardner Minshew II Jersey . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Jalen Ramsey Jaguars Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Detroit Red WingsOverall: 44 Title track: 15 Ownership: 9 Coaching: 82 Players: 52 Fan relations: 22 Affordability: 61 Stadium experience: 92 Bang for the buck: 71 Change from last year: -30Once deemed the gold standard for NHL franchises, the Red Wings dropped 30 spots in our fan ratings this year. Despite their 44th overall ranking, the teams ownership remains beloved by the Red Wing fans due in part to their relentless loyalty and drive to win. Theres hope that the teams shift from the Joe Louis Arena to Little Caesars Arena can help make the Red Wings one of hockeys top franchises again.Whats goodIf theres one thing that Detroit hockey has figured out, its the ownership earning fans trust and appreciation. Owner Mike Ilitch understands what it takes to be the best boss in all of sports. And for Ilitch, that means building a new stadium and rearranging staff and players to bring out the Red Wings fan in everyone. The Ilitch family exudes hometown pride and that shows in their efforts to make the fan experience central in the design of the arena and surrounding neighborhood, known as The District Detroit, according to the Red Wings public relations department. The Red Wings ownership maintains a top 10 ranking simply because it strives to continue to enhance the fan experience and foster a community in Detroit, even after experiencing some bumps in the road.Whats badThe Red Wings slipped into the 92nd ranking of stadium experience, but dont let that fool you. The anticipation of Litttle Caesars Arena, slated to be the Red Wings new home in 2017-18, can quickly make any fan forget about the third-oldest NHL arena killing their hockey vibes.ddddddddddddWith innovation in mind, the $627.5 million home of the Red Wings will ease any lasting memories of the Joe Louis Arena for the fans. Just the conception of this new arena has already led to a record rate of season-ticket renewals for Detroit. This new arena has one goal in mind: the fans. Bringing fans as close to the action as possible and creating a blueprint that matches the steep incline and loud atmosphere of hockeys most intimidating arenas, says the PR spokesman.Whats newWhen it comes to the players ranking, the Red Wings took a huge blow, dropping from 16th to 52nd. The team won 41 games and ranked third in the Atlantic Division, but that wasnt enough for fans accustomed to titles. The coaching staff, too, cant seem to gain momentum with the fans after promoting AHLs Jeff Blashill last year. Down 25 spots, the Red Wings staff continues to try to gain back the trust from the fans. With the hopes of gearing up for a more prosperous season, Blashill and general manager Ken Holland announced earlier this month that Justin Abdelkader will join Henrik Zetterberg and alternate captain Niklas Kronwall as the official leadership team. Just like they await their new arena, the fans are eager to see what Detroit is made of this year.Next: Washington Capitals?| Full rankings ' ' '