MC Lara caught at slips after “unimportant” stroke

It turns out that arguably the greatest batsman of all time is a below average MC.

Brian Lara, former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies cricket legend, took the microphone at the “Yorke Beach Party” during the Carnival season, hopped around the stage like Courtney Walsh with a bat and turned up his bromance with ex-Manchester United and “Soca Warriors” World Cup captain Dwight Yorke to levels that might have made professional artist and amateur sex educator, LeRoy Clarke, blush and clutch his valuables.

But it was when Lara turned to announcing that he really started to flirt with danger. (See video here).

Photo: Ouch. Brian Lara suffers after a rash stroke at the crease for the West Indies cricket team.
Photo: Ouch. Brian Lara suffers after a rash stroke at the crease for the West Indies cricket team.

First, he introduced Yorke’s old friend Ugo Ehiogu as “Hugo” and tried to convince patrons that Ehiogu and Yorke united as impoverished teammates at Aston Villa:

“They were poor guys. Poor. They were living in a little three bedroom apartment…”

Lara clearly wasn’t reading the pitch well. In Trinidad and Tobago, two young single men in a three-bedroom apartment is pretty close to heaven.

But Lara’s profanity-laced innings as MC would best be remembered for his attempted tickle down leg-side when he introduced his girlfriend, 24-year-old Miss Scotland Jamey Bowers, as: “She’s not very important but this is my girlfriend…”

Bunji Garlin, who was on stage at the time, disappeared to the boundary; just in case his wife, Fay-Ann, took umbrage and decided to “Miss Behave.” A vociferous female patron picked up the injudicious stroke straight away and began heckling and, as the video went viral, the jeering grew in intensity on the social media.

Mr Live Wire immediately wrote about the faux pas under the headline: “Drunk man embarrasses himself and girlfriend at Carnival party.” It got no hits.

Photo: See ociffer? Who's the drunk now?
Photo: See ociffer? Who’s the drunk now?

But, when “drunk man” was substituted with “Lara”, the moral rage flew at a level not seen since former beauty queen and Project Runway winner Anya Ayoung-Chee’s stolen personal videos became a hotter topic than the Piarco Airport Scandal.

Mr Live Wire has a suggestion: Search for “Brian Lara cricket” on YouTube, remember what he is famous for and calm down; he is cricket’s world record holder not the CEO at Toastmasters. Miss Scotland has probably already received her “Kobe Bryant-esque” apology gift too.

Less well publicised but more likely to raise international eyebrows was Lara’s warm welcome for Dr Conrad Murray, who was convicted two years ago for the involuntary manslaughter of late global pop star, Michael Jackson. (See video here).

“This is one of our own, this is a Trinbagonian and we love him,” said Lara, who once banned Australian cricketer Ian Healy from the West Indian dressing room for claiming an illegal catch. “(This is a) a great human being!”

Murray, a Grenada-born doctor and former Trini resident who claimed to have more lovers than Yorke, Lara and Tiger Woods put together, responded with: “I love you, Trinidad and Tobago… I thank you for your support your love and encouragement.”

Photo: Dr Conrad Murray (left) and his famous former patient, Michael Jackson, who he was convicted of killing in an involuntary manslaughter case.
Photo: Dr Conrad Murray (left) and his famous former patient, Michael Jackson, who he was convicted of killing in an involuntary manslaughter case.

He probably then wandered off stage to offer Miss Scotland a shoulder to cry on.

Dodgy doctors are probably not what Trinidad and Tobago had in mind when Lara was asked to use his celebrity to put the two-island republic on the map. We have quite enough of those, Prince.

So, to be clear, Lara did not do himself any favours as a potential future MC and he probably blew his chances as a possible Minister of Tourism too.

But Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan might have found his new head recruitment officer.

 

Editor’s Note: Who do you think should have a greater responsibility to impeccable public behaviour? Star athletes, entertainers, politicians, corporate juggernauts or noone at all? Let us know what you think in our Comments section below.

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19 comments

  1. As adults an educated people we must be aware of context. In introducing his girl friend the not so important remark is more a poor choice of words than anything else. He introduced famous celebrities before her and it is in this context he meant to say that she isnt famous or important to the listening audience. But she was his girlfriend, meaning she was important to him…. lets not degrade our intelligence by subscribing to the mob rule and bacchanalia.

  2. Thanks Earl. Sometimes a guy who is great at hitting a ball with a bat is only great at hitting a ball with a bat. It is the public who curiously assumes that he must be great at everything else too. Sometimes even the guy himself begins to believe the hype.
    This is a general principle and not aimed at Lara even though some might thing it applies here as well.
    If, as Christian said, he is human; then he is not above criticism either. Not hysterical over the top condemnation. Just a note to buck up where he has erred. That’s all.

  3. I hear you, Christian. And I agree 100%. But how is the story at odds with your position? Doesn’t it give the master batsman his due? is to point out one (or more than one) way in which he falls short to say that we hold his imperfections against him? Check out John Legend’s recent tribute to his wife in song (“…love your curves and imperfections…”) if you need some help answering the question…

  4. They give Oscars for films and Grammys (Grammies?) for songs but what do they give for blogs? Whatever it is, you deserve at least a nomination and I think you’d have a good chance of copping the actual award. Keep up the good work.

  5. Let us remember that Brian Lara at the end of the day is a human being. Let us also remember that human beings are not Gods. . Let us remember Lara for his cricket skill.. National and regional contributions .. Lara has had to shoulder responsibility for most of his prime life as a young man via cricket.. Let the guy free up.. How many of us lime and curse in public.. may the person without sin cast the first stone.. lol.. He was just unlucky someone taped it.. President Obama called Kanye West a ‘Jackass’.. Lara just thought is was a @#$/^& great party.. lol.. Come on Trinidad and Tobago.. it was his friends party.. He was not at calypso or soca monarch

  6. I think you got the girl name wrong. It’s Jamey Bowers.

  7. Ah weak…Brian just make ah out deh!!

  8. Rum in truth out.

  9. (If the Prince of Port of Spain had a Trinbagonian girlfriend)
    BC Lara: “She’s not very important but this is my girlfriend…”
    T&T girlfriend: (Bursts into tears)
    BC Lara: “Why are you crying so?”
    T&T girlfriend: “I always cry at funerals… Dr Conrad Murray, pass me some anesthetic for him please!”

  10. None of the above… our role models and exemplars should be the righteous, the one’s whom God favored. Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad, Mahatma Gandhi, Mary mother of Jesus, Helen Keller, Mother Teresa. Hard as it may be to walk in these men and women’s shoes, if we try to be half as pious, humble, good, conscious, kind and respectable to all manner of life and humankind as them, we’d be well off.

    • I agree Abdallah. I think we shouldn’t expect people to do more than fulfill their job description. I salute those who beyond the call and play a great moral role in our society. But I think it would be unfair to ask them to live a righteous life for our sake.
      Not that this excuses anyone from bad behaviour. We should just remember he is a man and not a God.

  11. Tell me why this young lady went on the stage after that embarrassing introduction. Steups. What value is she placing on herself.

    • That’s what I was thinking and she didn’t even look upset, but as Mr Livewire said, ” Miss Scotland has probably already received her “Kobe Bryant-esque” apology gift too.”

  12. she is still miss Scotland because they have not yet chosen her successor yet

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