FLASHLIGHT TAG

 

FLASHLIGHT TAG

I stumbled across this old post from 2014, brought back memories from lots of folks back then.

A lot of my readers seem to like nostalgia posts.  Well, that is not exactly true, but the ones who do like them always leave fun comments on stuff from their childhood, and I enjoy reading those comments.  I was thinking back to stuff we did “In the day” and I recalled Flashlight Tag.

Flashlight Tag was not really tag; it was part tag and mostly hide-n-seek.  I think we only played it at around age 11 or 12, the year when parents gave us a little slack at night, and before girls started affecting strange emotions.

 

It was generally played with a fairly large group of kids, one with a flashlight, and six or eight hiding.  Everyone wore dark clothes, so hiding in the dark was pretty easy.  I think that is what made the game fun, hiding basically in the open and often only yards away from the flashlight seeker.

 

I think there was a home base involved, and counting and hiding.   If you were caught in the light and identified, you were it and the hiding started over again.   If you made it to home base you were safe, but I don’t remember if there was an “Alli-alli-in-free” save as in regular hide and seek..

(Also Olly Olly Oxen Free)* 

 

The funny thing about kids and games is years later when my own were around eleven or twelve I was asked if it was alright for them to play out after dark.   I asked what were they going to do outside at night and was told, “Flashlight Tag!”

 

Same name, same game, same rules.  I never told them of this game. I never mentioned rules or anything.  How was it still called the same thing.  It wasn’t called “Midnight Tag,” it wasn’t called “Night time hide-n-seek,” it wasn’t called “Dodge the Flashlight.”  It was still called “Flashlight Tag.” 

 

Was this game carried on from 12-year-old to 11-year-old, year after year for 30 years, or are 12-year-olds so similar that they naturally invent the same game and call it the same name?

 

Whatever, this game is probably not played today.  Apparently, it is not safe for 12-year-olds to be out at night, and electronic toys have probably made our old games obsolete.

 

Computers and modern electronics are really cool.

 

So was Flashlight Tag.  

 

*The origin of the phrase is unknown. The Dictionary of American Regional English says the phrase may be derived from all ye, all ye outs in free, all the outs in free, or possibly ”calling all the outs in free”; in other words, all who are out may come in without penalty.^[2] Others speculate the phrase may be a corruption of a hypothetical and ungrammatical German phrase alle, alle, auch sind frei (all, all, also are free).^[1]

Pronouns

 

Pronouns

As these days only about 17 people read this blog I am no longer afraid of delving into issues where opinions are frowned upon.   

Apparently, these days, people need to choose what pronoun they want to be used for their gender identity.  Pronouns used to be an easy thing.  If you were male your pronouns, were He/Him/His, female then it was She/Her/Hers. 

If you were gay it didn’t matter.  Gay man, still He/Him/His.  Lesbian, still She/Her/Hers.  Recently it seems some people who are male, identify as female and they want to be referred to with female pronouns, and some women choose male pronouns.

OK, confusing, but I can adjust.  If it makes a person happy, what do I care.

Then we have people who aren’t sure what gender they identify with.  These people do not want traditional pronouns.  Instead of He/Him/His or She/Her/Hers the preferred pronouns are They/Them/Theirs.

Why, I wonder is this so important to some people?

If I refer to someone with other then their preferred pronoun, how do they even know?  When do you refer to a person with a pronoun when that person is present?

If I am present, USE MY NAME.  Hello, I’m in the room, why are you using my pronoun?

What really is the ice water on my bad tooth, is the use of pronouns in the media.  Apparently news articles do not want to offend the .01 percent of the world that does not know what gender to identify as, so they choose the They/Them/Theirs as the default pronoun.

When I read, “A person stabbed a person when they accidently bumped into themselves.” I get confused.

What, was it one person, several persons…WHAT?  Then I realize it was the default pronoun being used.  Why? Did the stabber and stabbee request the gender confused pronouns, or was the reporter just afraid of offending anyone? If so, why wouldn’t the gender confused pronoun offend either the stabber or the stabbee if they were not gender confused?

Damn, now I am really confused.  Could we just use a non-plural pronoun to represent a single  gender confused person?  How about Himer/Sheim/Hershims.

It just seems to me that if you are a man or women who is unsure of what gender to identify as, your pronoun should not be your biggest concern.

However, since it apparently is so important, my preferred pronoun is “Youse Guys.” If I am present you can just use "Cranky."

JUDGEMENT DAY

 

JUDGEMENT DAY

Back from semi-reblogerment with nothing left to say after 11 years of Cranky nonsense, I have to comment on Yankee homerun champion Aaron Judge.

After sitting on a tie for the American League homerun record, Judge hit number 62 last night.

Some say it is the MLB record as previous players who hit 64,65,70 and 73 were all “juiced” with steroids.  I’m not going to get into that argument.  Seventy-three in a season is amazing if they were hit off a tee for crispy sake. 

Anyway, my comment is not really about Aaron, it is about radio announcer John Sterling.

Sterling has been doing Yankee games for over 30 years.  He is known by Yankee fans for his annoying home run call,

“It is high, it is far, it is gone!”

 Often especially annoying on the radio when the call goes,

“It is high, it is far, it is…CAUGHT at the warning track.”

Equally annoying is his penchant for his personalized calls,

“…it is GONE, BERNIE GOES BOOM” for Bernie Williams or

 “Russell has muscle!” (Russell Martin)
 “Robbie Cano, don’cha know?” (Robinson Cano)
 “Gardy goes yardy!” (Brett Gardner)
 “A thrilla, by Godzilla!” (Hideki Matsui)
 “Andruw Jones makes his bones!”

“A Judgian Blast” Aaron Judge

When a game is over and the Yankees win, John wraps it up with

“The Yankees win, THAAAAA YANKEEEEEEEES WIIIIIN!”

I have listened to many Yankee announcers over the years.  Mel Allen who was often half in the bag by the eight inning was great.  Phil Rizzuto, not particularly professional, but endearing in his own “everyone’s Grandfather kind of way”, and for over thirty years now the annoying John Sterling.

Except at some point, much like Howard Cosell of years gone by, you learn to love hating the guy, and after more years, that slowly turns to love.  He has announcing flaws, and after all these years those flaws are forgiven.

So when Aaron Judge hit his historic “Judgian Blast” I was most interested in Sterling’s call.

Keep in mind John is 84 years old.  I only hope to have his enthusiasm and youthful exuberance if I am still around in eight years.

And hear it is:  

https://twitter.com/WFAN660/status/1577461452729884673

I don’t know, somehow, you’ve gotta love the guy!