Posted on 04/29/2024 9:36:29 AM PDT by ChicagoConservative27
President George W. Bush took Queen Elizabeth to her first ever baseball game in 1991 - and the excursion only lasted two innings.
A new book, penned by the late Bush's longtime chief of staff Jean Becker, sheds light on the exact moment the then-president realized the Queen wasn't enthralled by the game.
But her reaction was full of grace.
In Becker's book, Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George H. W. Bush, she features a number of political heavy hitters including President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Vice President Dan Quayle, as well as family members and White House staff.
Dorrance Smith, a member of Bush 41's White House staff, recalled the president telling her he had an idea.
'We should take the Queen to an Orioles baseball game! It's our national pastime, and I want to take her to Camden Yards,' she remembered Bush telling her.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Then there is Peru
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takanakuy
The procession to the fighting site starts with a high-pitched falsetto, a method of voice production used by male singers, especially tenors, to sing notes higher than their normal range, through the streets. The procession is family oriented as a preparation for the young children who will see the violent fights later on in the day. Children also dress up for the occasion, usually resembling their father’s character.
The purpose of the fighting is to settle conflicts with an individual, friend, family member or to settle territorial conflicts that have come up throughout the year. The style of fighting used during the celebration is relatively similar to martial arts, which involves kicking, punching, and quickness of their movements.
Those fighting call out their opponents by their first and last name. They then proceed to the center of the circle and start the fight. The men fighting must wrap their hands with cloth before the fight. Biting, hitting those on the ground, or pulling hair is not allowed during the fight. The winner is selected based upon a knockout or intervention by the official. There are amateur officials who carry whips in order to keep the crowd under control. At the start and at the end of the fight, the opponents must shake hands or give each other a hug.
If the loser of the fight disagrees with the outcome, he or she can appeal for another fight. This type of fighting also exemplifies one’s level of manhood in the community of Santo Tomás.
Then Bolivia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinku
During the brawl itself, men will often carry rocks in their hands to have greater force in their punches, or they will just throw them at opponents. Sometimes, especially in the town of Macha in Potosí, where the brawl gets the most violent, men will wrap strips of cloth with shards of glass stuck to them around their fists to cause greater damage. Slingshots and whips are also used, though not as much as hand-to-hand combat.[4] The last day of the fight is considered the most violent and police almost always have to separate the mass of bloody men and women.
chuckle
Yeah but she doesn’t have much to say.
She’s a good sheila, Bruce, and not at all stuck up.
My personal favorite is Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper%27s_Hill_Cheese-Rolling_and_Wake
Due to the steepness and uneven surface of Cooper’s Hill, there are usually several injuries each year. St John Ambulance have previously provided first aid cover at the event, however this stopped in 2012 when the event was no longer being officially managed.
Canadian competitor Delaney Irving won the ladies race in 2023, despite finishing unconscious, and only learning of her victory in the medical enclosure. A total of 6 competetors were transported to hospital by Ambulance treatment following the event.
Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling has been summarised by a previous participant as “twenty young men chasing a cheese off a cliff and tumbling 200 yards to the bottom, where they are scraped up by paramedics and packed off to hospital”.
There is no official medical provision on site, leading to concerns from the Local resilience forum about the safety of the event.
Cheese rolling winner from Canada returns home
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-65793229
It also occurs to me that after the first two innings, she might have thought the game was over.
Seriously.
You see, a cricket match only lasts two innings. And no extra innings. Ever.
In the first innings,* the entire first team bats around. There are 11 players on each team but the batting team must have two batsmen on the pitch in order to play. So once the 10th batsman has been put out, they no longer have two men eligible to participate and the innings is over.
Then the second team comes to bat and the process repeats, either until they’ve scored more runs than the other team (in which case they’ve won) of they’ve had 10 batsmen put out (in which case they’ve lost).
Of course that’s classic test cricket, not the “one afternoon” versions like T50 and T20.
* In cricket, the term is “innings,” with an “S,” regardless whether it’s singular or plural.
Long story short, if QEII wasn’t briefed on the intricacies of the game (which I’d count highly likely) she might not have had a clue there were seven innings remaining.
A batsman needs more skill sets than a batter but whether it takes more skill in general is purely opinion.
A baseball "fastball pitcher" throws 25% faster than a cricket "speed bowler." That leaves the batter with 25% less reaction time. However, the pitcher doesn't get to bounce the ball across the plate.
Me personally, if I had the choice of letting Bob Gibson throwing at my melon or Shane Warne throwing at my wedding tackle, I think I'd have to go with Gibson.
I miss Leslie Nielsen.
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