A hopeless creature of habit, I've long bought my Tennessee lottery tickets from the same smoke shop on South Broad, even though I've never tried my first tobacco product. (Losing your dad to emphysema will do that to you).
But because I've probably frequented his store far more than I should, owner Kamlesh Patel has eventually figured out what I do for a living.
"Ever covered cricket?" he asked a few weeks ago.
Told no, he replied, "You should. We're about to start a new league season. We play every Saturday and Sunday in Ringgold."
I said that sounded interesting, then filed it away in the floorboard of my car, where too many story ideas, phone numbers and traveling receipts have been permanently disfigured by spilled Starbucks, loose French fries and losing lottery tickets.
But then the Atlanta Braves were knocked out of action for a second straight day by Hurricane Irene, the Falcons and Titans both played their NFL exhibition games on Saturday night, and ... wel l... cricket is supposed to be some sort of forefather to baseball.
So there I was Sunday, pulling off I-75 exit 348, soon to find the meticulously manicured cricket pitch in Naren Patel's spacious front yard.
"A creek used to run through here," said Naren, who owns hotels throughout the area. "It took 300 truck loads of dirt to fill it and build this. It's got drain lines under it and everything. It was quite a project."
But borrowing from baseball's "Field of Dreams" theme, once Naren built it, they've come. For years. Most of them -- like cousins Kamlesh and Naren -- are of Indian descent, determined to reconnect with the game they embraced as children before they moved to the United States.
"Most Indian boys, this is their first game," said 33-year-old Kamlesh. "This is the game we all love."
They love it so much that most of the 90 or so players who make up the eight-team Chattanooga Premier League willingly pay between $500 and $1,000 for equipment, with another $200 or so for league fees.
For the past few autumns, Blue Cross-Blue Shield employee Ravi Bachala -- who began the league -- has sent a check for $6,000 or more to the Chaitanya Gompa Charity in California, which is named for a young cricket player who lost his life to cancer.
"But we wanted to do something for our community this year," said the 37-year-old Bachala, who moved to Chattanooga 12 years ago. "So we're splitting the money and giving $3,000 to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen. We hope to continue to do this every year."
So is cricket really very much like baseball? Yes and no. Each side has a pitcher (a bowler), batters (or batsmen), fielders (fieldsmen) and a catcher (wicket-keeper).
Each side plays 11 players rather than nine. A little like Home Run Derby, the batsman keeps batting until he's out. A guy like Albert Pujols could conceivably spend several days out there, especially since cricket "test" matches -- the sport's highest level of play -- last for five days at a time.
"I think that's why we're not an Olympic sport," said Naren. "It takes too much time."
Indeed, by the time Kamlesh's Cleveland (Tenn.) Knights fell 182-181 to a team from Nashville on Sunday, more than four hours had passed, and that was a quick game.
"Matches can easily go five or six hours," said Kamlesh. "On days like this you need to bring plenty of water."
One reason for the points is the scoring rules. A ball hit out of the field of play on the fly counts six points. A grounder carrying that far counts four. What would be a double in baseball would normally count two points in cricket, since the batter could run from one wicket to the other -- a span of 66 feet -- and back without being tagged out.
One other thing. Everybody on your team bats until they're all out, then the other team bats. So the second team up knows from the outset how many runs it must score to win.
And much like European soccer fans, Indians are crazy about their cricket.
"I watch everything I can on YouTube," said Kamlesh.
"Direct TV has two cricket channels," said cousin Chris Patel, a Cleveland convenience store owner who moved here 15 years ago. "We all watch those."
Especially if 5-foot-5 Sachin "Little Master" Tendulkar is playing for either the Mumbai Indians or the India national team.
Said Kamlesh of the country's best player ever, "He's a genius."
This is not to say American sports never interest for them.
"We love the Titans," said Chris. "We follow the state team, no matter what."
But Naren also says that cricket holds somewhat the same power over India that college football holds over the Deep South.
"A lot of people there believe more in cricket than God," he said.
Still, Chris says they can also keep it in perspective.
"We're still pretty balanced," he said. "No violence."
After all, that just wouldn't be cricket.