BS: Baseball and Basketball

Subject: Baseball and Basketball
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 04 May 01 - 04:35 AM

Let's suppose, just for the sake of argument, that Abner Doubleday DID invent the game of Baseball (which he didn't, English kids have been playing "Rounders" for centuries) Then he, also, invented the baseball bat. Right?
Some unsavory types have used baseball bats to inflict pain and/or injury on others only because of what they look like. (Skinheads, KKK's etc) Does this mean that baseball is a shamefull game? and that Abner doubleday should have been ashamed of himself.

Basketball WAS invented by a guy from Springfield, Massachusetts. Basketball players regularly, by accident or design, foul their opponents. Does this make Basketball a shamefull thing? And should anyone who doesn't voice his (or her) disgust at this shamefull display be "ashamed of themselves"?

Take that Mr (or Ms) "Cookieless Guest", now go back and read some of those horrible examples of preying on stereotypical stuff. I sugest that you first "Know what it is you're talking about" before you talk about it. (that's one that Casey Stengel would have loved)

And, just to make sure that I piss a WHOLE LOT OF People off here's one final joke, before I refuse to be part of this "choosing up sides"


Once upon a time, a Woman of ancient Palestine was being stoned as punishment for some sort of crime. Jesus of Nazareth steped forth and stopped these proceedings by saying, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone"

an old woman came out of the crowd, picked up a large stone and hurled it at the hapless victim. Jesus gently took the old woman by the arm and, after leading her out of earshot of the mob admonished her with, "Mother, sometimes you REALLy piss me off..

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: mousethief
Date: 04 May 01 - 11:28 AM

I always get a chuckle from the self-righteous who decry Mudcat, and refuse to sign up because it's such a horrible place, yet they keep coming back and posting as guests. Aren't they afraid of getting their hands stained?

People are a lot like folks. They all seem to be a mixture of good and bad elements. We all usually will acknowledge that we fail to live up to our own standards from time to time. Getting one's knickers in a twist over it won't change this fact about people.

If someone dislikes, say, ethnic jokes, they should say so. "I dislike ethnic jokes. I think they are demeaning."

This is so much more to the point than "You are all a bunch of racist bastards, even the ones who didn't post, because they should have posted about what racist bastards all the others were."

(Translation: you should be just as judgmental and self-righteous as I am, dammit!)

There are real racists in the world. There are people who hate those different from themselves, and some of these people actively try to harm others, whether by words or, more rarely, in 3d. They are dangerous and spiteful and not a little bit frightening.

There are others who have inherited either condescending or uncharitable attitudes about people different from themselves. Most of them, I think, would be horrified if they saw one of these "different people" in pain or suffering. It doesn't occur to them that their jokes, or their songs maybe, are harmful. And if told so, some of them actually stop singing the harmful songs, or stop telling the harmful jokes. I've seen it happen right here on Mudcat so don't tell me it ain't so.

The problem we have right now is that there are people who can't distinguish between these two groups, and want to tar everybody in the second group with the same brush as those in the first. It is a foolish thing to abuse your allies -- or potential allies. Abuse them too much and they will cease to be allies. Your labelling them as "enemies" will turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Just some thoughts.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: Kim C
Date: 04 May 01 - 02:26 PM

I prefer basketball over baseball. Baseball just moves too slow for me.

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: gnu
Date: 04 May 01 - 02:40 PM

CY.... basketball was invented by a Canadian. As well as was modern baseball. Now, I don't know who invented that joke, but it is the best one I have heard in a long time. Thanks. ROTFLMAO !!!!!

Kim C.... baseball is only slow on the TV or at a diamond where the fans are staid. The baseball games I go to are enjoyable if you sit with the dedicated fans. They hurl insults and cheers which are better than the game - which ain't hard to surpass. It's the only reason I go.

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: mousethief
Date: 04 May 01 - 03:26 PM

Every pitch is a contest between two psychological players. It's like a chess match, only it involves throwing a ball. Every pitch is a new game. Every pitch is a psych-out contest, a battle of wits.

People who don't watch baseball this way won't find it very exciting.

I do watch it this way and find it far more eventful and thus exciting than soccer (football) or "American football" and CERTAINLY than basketball, which I am not at all fond of.

I hear airplanes and computers and the internet and chewing gum and gunpowder were all invented by Canadians, too. Frankly I begin to doubt some of their claims.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 04 May 01 - 11:49 PM

Actually they were invented by Al Gore.

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: gnu
Date: 05 May 01 - 12:08 AM

Airplanes and gun powder too ??? Do you have the references ? I would never just say stuff if I didn't have the references.

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: catspaw49
Date: 05 May 01 - 12:17 AM

Jody, another of those "he who is without sin" stories......Here's a bit I dearly love:

"Well there are those good men and good men do exist.....so burn his ass!!!....Yeah, that's it, when I'M the Chairman of the jury...............

The scene, a large room with a couple of "prisoners" and some "interrogators".....................

"Yeah man, I'd never sell out my country! I wouldn't do it, no way man. I would NEVER sell my country out........uh,say...What are they doing with that other guy?..............They got his pants down............What are they heating up that lead for over there?..............Aw, it doesn't matter, I would never sell out, no way man..........uh, what are they putting that funnel in his ass for?.........That's OK, I would never......Hey, they're not going to pour that hot lead in the funnel in his ass are they?..............WOOOWWWEEEEEE!!! THEY DID!!! GEEZIZ MAN...........I'll tell you all the secrets....I'll MAKE UP secrets man.........Just don't give me the hot lead enema.........

Yeah, so that's it ain't it? If you can take the hot lead enema, you can cast the first stone............"

................LENNY BRUCE, Stand Up Philosopher

**********************************************************

And while we're here speaking of baseball, if you haven't seen the HBO Original movie by Billy Crystal titled "61*"......You need to see it! It's the tale of Mantle and Maris and the '61 Yankees when Maris broke Ruth's record but was then given the * after the 61 because of the difference in seasons. It is well told and very well done. Billy Crystal grew up a Yankees fan and worshipped Mantle (as many of us did). This is an intimate and compassionate story that has the details right thanks to Billy Crystal and his relationship with Mickey and Billy's love of the game. Mantle once said to Crystal, "If they ever do a story about me, I want you to do it ya' little sumbitch. Hell, you know more about me that I know about me!" It really is worth a watch for the story line alone, but when you add in the baseball details that they got right.....It's just great!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 05 May 01 - 01:53 AM

I'm a Brooklyn Dodger Fan, When the Dodgers left, my fondness for Major League baseball left with them. I worked at Ebbets Field selling "stuff" in the stands the whole Summer of 1947, the year they broke the color bar. While I was in the USAF, whenever I went on leave or pass and visited my parents and sister in Brooklyn, My wife (the one who's not with us any more) and I went to Ebbets Field to watch a game. I got in free if I was in Uniform and how can you pass up a deal like that.
When we went to a game, all there was was the actual game. As far as I'm concerned all the "Instant replay" crap is distracting, and the damned announcers (on television and radio) NEVER SHUT UP, they constantly bombard us with nonsensical "blithering" If it wasn't for the "mute" button on my TV remote, I'd never watch a game again. Red Barber and Mel Allen just described what was happening on the field. The only time they ever related any "Statistics" or "Color" was when this information was pertinent to what was happening in the game.

Hey Dick, I think I agree with you, your name rings a bell with me too re: the Villiage in the late 40'and early 50's . This question will decide the issue, "Do you remember Lionel Kilburgh?


Here's a real bit of trivial trivia. Do any of you know who the SECOND Black Major leager was? It was Dan Bankhead, also a Brooklyn Dodger. He was a pitcher. I only remember him playing in one game. He lost the game. However, he hit a home run his first time at bat. Both He and Jackie Robinson were Canadians, did you know that?, they both came to Brooklyn from the AAA "Montreal Royals". (He said ,with a twinkle in his eye)

Subject: RE: BS: Baseball and Basketball
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 05 May 01 - 02:09 AM

Leonard Bernstein told this one on the Tonight show. He was rehearsing his orchestra for a coming performnce of Beethoven's 9th symphony. It was going to be an outdoors performance so that's where they were rehearsing. It seems that after thesir lunch break it was noticed that two of the "Bass" players had a bit too much to drink and they were disrupting the rehearsal, so he sent the two of them home. Then the wind picked up and the music began to go flying around the place, so they fastened the sheet music to the music stands with string.

All this stuff began to happen when they were at the bottom of the last movement. "So", said Bernstein, "There we were, in the bottom of the ninth, with the score tied, two out and the basses loaded."