My 2005 campaign on these pages for Philadelphia all-rounder J.Barton King's nomination as the Greatest American of All Time has gathered support, albeit three years after the poll closed and was won by an obscure mid-western baseball commentator.

Steven Wells, US-based sporting blogista for The Guardian's website, used his column on July 15 to throw his weight behind The King's claims to be America's greatest sportsperson of all time, citing "Australian cricket writer Rick Eyre" who claimed that King was "the greatest cricketer the United States ever produced, and thus the greatest sportsperson in American history".

Nice to see a reporter who quotes his sources accurately. Onya Steve!

But in 2008, it's time to take the Bart King campaign one step further. Is there anything in the US constitution that prevents a dead person from becoming a write-in candidate for President of the United States?

Alternately, Bart King could be named as John McCain's vice-presidential running mate. After all, they're roughly the same age...

It's a hundred years since Bart King, America's greatest cricketer of all time, graced the playing fields of both his own country and of England as a world-class all-rounder. It was Sunday, August 6, 1905, that five thousand people watched a New York XI lose by fifty runs to the MCC in a two-day game at the Staten Island Cricket Club. American cricket has had its ups and downs since then, but yesterday brought one of its lowest moments.

The USA's expulsion from the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup for failing to provide its selected team on time - the legacy of continued internal squabbling - deserves to be ranked as one of the most embarrassing events in the history of American sport. That is, of course, if the vast majority of Americans could care or even be aware of it.

The immediate cause of the US expulsion was the failure to announce by August 1 its squad for the Intercontinental Cup matches against Bermuda and Canada at the end of the month. This, after the USACA had been given an extension of time from July 22. It's curious to see on the USACA website today that there is a squad of thirteen players dated August 4.

The deeper cause is that there are two warring groups struggling for control of US cricket - the official governing body, the USACA and the Council of League Presidents, which is entitled to one place on the USACA board.

CricInfo's USA website documents the recent sorry turn of events. This is one part of CricInfo which is truly outstanding these days. If only the incompetence of some other, higher profile, national cricket boards was pursued with such vigour.

While USA's Intercontinental Cup campaign has been dashed for this year, their Under-19 national team is currently competing in Toronto in the Americas qualifying group for the 2006 ICC U19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. They beat Canada in their opening game on Monday. Bermuda, Argentina and the Cayman Islands are the other teams taking part, only one going through to the World Cup next year.

Not surprisingly, USA's cricketing shame has not received any attention in its mainstream media. There's one Associated Press item that is turning up on most news websites, and that's about it for now. Perhaps if more Americans (say, about a hundred million more) cared about their cricket team, we might see some more accountability and better governance at the top.

Then again, look at the Bush administration... Which reminds me: Condi, are you taking notes?

The Discovery Channel in the US is set to announce its choice of the all-time Greatest American next Sunday. Despite my campaign on this website earlier in the year, Bart King is, disgracefully, not among the final five nominees. Indeed he wasn't chosen in the top 100.

The greatest cricketer the United States ever produced, and thus the greatest sportsperson in American history, King was snubbed by Discovery Channel viewers whose choices for the top 100 included Hugh Hefner, Martha Stewart, Mel Gibson, Michael Jackson and FOUR members of the Bush family.

Just two sportspeople made the top 25: Muhammad Ali and Lance Armstrong. (Other sporting figures in the top 100 were Brett Favre, Michael Jordan, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth and Tiger Woods. Yes that Brett Favre.) Neither Ali nor Armstrong could make it to the Top 5.

Surely Bart had the credentials to top them all. Consider some of his achievements:

• In a first-class career spanning nineteen years (1893-1912) he took 413 wickets at 15.65 and scored 2134 runs at 20.51 - achievements no other American has matched;
• He topped the bowling averages in the 1908 English season whilst on tour with the Philadelphia side, taking 87 wickets at 11.01;
• He took 10-53 in the first innings of Philadelphia's crushing innings victory over Ireland in September 1909;
• He scored 98 and 113 not out for Philadelphia against Surrey at The Oval in August 1903 (as well as taking six wickets for the match);
• He was a member of the last team to beat Australia in a first-class match on American soil, taking nine wickets in the match for Philadelphia in September 1912;
• He played in Philadelphia teams which defeated Australia on three separate occasions. Not even Bangladesh has done that.

Surely a great American who could stand alongside the likes of the official final five nominees, Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and George Washington.

Well, certainly alongside Ronald Reagan.

The Discovery Channel in the US is conducting a poll to determine the Greatest American of all time. (Update: Nominations are now closed and the Top 100 countdown begins on April 18.)

You have until 2400 ET on January 31 Polls appear to be still open as at February 6 to cast your five nominations. Whoever gets your votes 2-5, don't forget to Vote #1 for the USA's greatest all-round cricketer of all time, Barton King. (Check out his stats.)

Let's see if he can outpoll L Ron Hubbard, Lee Harvey Oswald and Pee-Wee Herman. Vote 1 Barton King!.