Time, as a wiser man than I once said, is the author of authors. No matter how fast we run in the hope of outpacing it, it always catches up with us. This is because it is attached to our heels with elastic. And it always has the last word, just as it does the first.Cricket also has an elastic view of time, packing its excitement into barely a quarter of the actual minutes available. In Test match cricket, each ball bowled is in motion for between six and 12 seconds, with the important bit, from hand to bat, taking up barely an entire second. A typical hours play, containing, say, 13 overs, thus involves barely 15 minutes of action, of which around two minutes are ball to bat to field. They also serve, as Milton would say.And yet, within this game of contradictions built on dichotomy, this game that challenges us on every level, forcing us into unnatural positions, demanding fluidity when for the greater part of every match the entire field is almost entirely still, within this game the great players appear to manufacture their own time. Time is the umpire of umpires, if you like.Its no wonder that when we are struggling with our personal game we explain it in temporal terms: we cant time the ball; the rhythm in our run-up has gone. It even works for keepers: a mistimed take bounces out of rather than buries itself into the glove.I was once at a milonga, an organised event where you dance the tango, where tradition has it that the women choose their partner for each dance. I noticed one gentleman, maybe in his late fifties, who was in high demand. He danced a simple dance, little more than the basic walk of tango, but he was obviously preferred over the younger and flashier leaders, all leg flicks and twirls. I asked one of his partners why he was so popular (even though I thought I had it nailed), and the response was that he just felt better. Id been watching his feet, however. The reason he felt better was because he knew where the beat was. This meant that his dancing partners could predict when his feet were aiming at, which made for a dance in which coordination was total, where two dancers merged into one. The others were merely there or thereabouts.But cricket revolves around the ball, and specifically getting the ball to bend to our will rather than somebody elses. And to do that we need as much information about it as possible. In fact, we need to predict where its going to be at any given time in its trajectory. Only in this way can it be propelled to just the right length, hit with just the right amount of force into just the right gap, clasped at just the right moment. This is exactly what happens when playing music, only the ball is the groove.When you play music (by which I mean contemporary popular music; classical music, with a conductor, is a different kettle of fish), the living and breathing heart of the music is the drummer, for they define the groove, they create the contingent time in which the music exists. For the ensemble to work, each instrument must find its place within that time, as asserted on the drum kit. The bass, for example, will find its home in the kick drum, not played at the same time, but inside the drumbeat. The bass must make the kick drum play a note. In similar fashion, the guitar must make the hi-hat or snare play a chord. For a drummer to play at their best, they must be balanced, relaxed and confident in every stroke. They must feel themselves inside the beat and avoid second-guessing their instincts. The best drummers produce a groove so big, so fat, that each beat acts as though it has its own gravity, with the default placement of a note being in the exact centre of each beat.It is this knowledge of the beats precise centre that allows the ensemble player freedom to make a rhythm that is irresistible, a rhythm so simple, so beyond mere precision that it enters the realms of inevitability. From this place, the note can be placed a little in front of the beat, a little behind, on top, underneath... the player controls the note, and thus the music.And so it is in cricket.When a bowlers run-up goes, the suggested fix is invariably technical, but what is needed is for them to tap into how it felt when all was dandy. They must feel like the drummer - relaxed, balanced, confident. They must feel that the ball is part of them, on a string, as is said of Jimmy Anderson when hes in the groove. The game is not the time to practise but just to kick back and play.For the batsman, the process is the same. As you wait for the bowler to deliver the ball, so you tap into the feel of the game, allow your body to connect with it, and as the ball traces its arc towards you, your instinct knows where the centre of the ball is. Then control is yours. Play it early, play it late, play it spot on. Close the face, open the face, show the makers name. Whichever you choose, the ball will obey.Cricket is all about timing, and timing is not technique, its feel. Perhaps, just perhaps, if we learn to feel differently, to trust our instincts to place the ball, bat or gloves just so, it might just help us to slot back into the groove. Nolan Patrick Jersey . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Ron Hextall Flyers Jersey . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. http://www.hockeyflyersauthentic.com/bobby-clarke-jersey/ . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Jakub Voracek Flyers Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Brian Elliott Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. ATLANTA -- Broderick Fobbs has emphasized Grambling States rich tradition while rebuilding the program in his three years as coach.Fobbs, a two-time team captain as a running back under Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson at Grambling, inherited a team that finished a combined 2-21 in 2012-13. The low point was a forfeit in 2013 when players, complaining about the universitys crumbling infrastructure and administrative decisions, refused to board a bus to play Jackson State.Proof of Grambling States return to prominence comes Saturday when the Tigers play North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl.Coach Fobbs tells us every day were standing on great shoulders, defensive lineman Blain Winston said Friday.At stake will be bragging rights as the nations No. 1 team from a historically black college and university.Grambling State (10-1) won seven games in Fobbs first year and nine games in 2015. This season, the Tigers have won 10 straight games since a 31-21 loss at Arizona. They led 21-3 at halftime.In my opinion, I believe we were the better team, Fobbs said Friday.Grambling State won the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship by beating Alcorn State 27-20 on Dec. 3.The thing we had to do initially was build trust and get back on our feet, Fobbs said, adding he leans heavily upon lessons learned from Robinson.Everything we do is basically based on what I went through, Fobbs said, using traveling with ties as an example.Junior defensive lineman Donovan McCray said Fobbs came in and established in our mind we were going to win a national championship. It was a struggle, but we got here.North Carolina Central (9-2) won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference under third-year coach Jerry Mack.---Some other things to know about the Grambling State-North Carolina Central game:BRAGGING RIGHTS: Mack said the stakes are the samme as for those who will play for the FBS national championship.dddddddddddd We have the No. 1 team and No. 2 team in the country in HBCU and weve got a chance to play on the national stage with national championship exposure and exposure your players and your university to a national audience, Mack said. Those are the things that are most exciting. Our kids understand whats at hand and whats at stake.QB MATCHUP: Each team features star quarterbacks. Grambling States Devante Kincade, a Mississippi transfer, threw for 2,957 yards with 33 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He was named SWAC offensive player of the year. North Carolina Centrals Malcolm Bell threw 16 touchdown passes and leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns. To see Devante go against Malcolm, I think everybody is going to be in for a show, Mack said.UP-TEMPO: Expect Grambling State to challenge the Eagles with their fast-paced offense. Our motto is when we walk into the room we set the temperature, Fobbs said.FIRSTS: Mack said college football has provided opportunities many of his players would not have received otherwise, including the chance for trips from Durham, North Carolina. Some guys got a chance to fly on a plane for the first time, Mack said. Some of those guys have left the state of North Carolina for the first time. A lot of the things weve been able to accomplish as a program are a first for these young men.TV EXPOSURE: The game will be televised by ABC, providing rare national exposure for the programs and players. Im just glad the country can see our guys play for once and see the talent we have on the field, Bell said.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '