Boy Killed While Playing 500

[Boobie Miles]

We had the classic, and self-explanatory, kill the kid with the ball at recess. I can at least understand why that game was outlawed by teachers. It was almost impossible for someone not to end up with a bloody nose or some other injury.

Going back a little further in the day, one of the sneaky, dangerous games I remember was Red Rover. It seemed innocent enough, but you'd usually see a shoulder hurt trying to hold on too hard or someone would catch a clothesline.

 

[mike311gd]

How about Red Rocket? That a popular game out in Colorado.

 

[Flash]

Anyone ever play Smear the Queer?

I can't even begin to tell you how much is wrong with that question.

 

[mike311gd]

Anyone ever play Smear the Queer?

I can't even begin to tell you how much is wrong with that question.

Well, I suppose it's not the most PC of titles. But as 8-year olds in the early 90s, that wasn't a concern of ours. In fact, I don't think I knew what queer meant -- the new definition. My guess is most of us didn't. We didn't learn that until fourth grade.

 

[Flash]

Anyone ever play Smear the Queer?

I can't even begin to tell you how much is wrong with that question.

Well, I suppose it's not the most PC of titles. But as 8-year olds in the early 90s, that wasn't a concern of ours. In fact, I don't think I knew what queer meant -- the new definition. My guess is most of us didn't. We didn't learn that until fourth grade.

Hey ... we played Cowboys & Indians and ate N-word Toes.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

I never heard of this game before this thread.
Ever.

Because you were a geek as a child?

I was an AMERICAN KID, pal, and we ate pansy Canucks like you for breakfast.
We played Catch-The-Flaming-Stick with our bare hands, and chased down bears in packs like wild dogs.
So watch it.

 

[mike311gd]

Anyone ever play Smear the Queer?

I can't even begin to tell you how much is wrong with that question.

Well, I suppose it's not the most PC of titles. But as 8-year olds in the early 90s, that wasn't a concern of ours. In fact, I don't think I knew what queer meant -- the new definition. My guess is most of us didn't. We didn't learn that until fourth grade.

Hey ... we played Cowboys & Indians and ate N-word Toes.

I used to play Cowboys and Indians, but later turned it into Super Mario Brothers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the hardest part was convincing a girl to be April O'Neil or Princess Toadstool.

And I have never heard of those toes.

 

[mike311gd]

I never heard of this game before this thread.
Ever.

Because you were a geek as a child?

I was an AMERICAN KID, pal, and we ate pansy Canucks like you for breakfast.
We played Catch-The-Flaming-Stick with our bare hands, and chased down bears in packs like wild dogs.
So watch it.

You eat Pansy Canucks for breakfast?

Damn. It doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Couldn't you have said "Pieces of ****"?

 

[Flash]

Anyone ever play Smear the Queer?

I can't even begin to tell you how much is wrong with that question.

Well, I suppose it's not the most PC of titles. But as 8-year olds in the early 90s, that wasn't a concern of ours. In fact, I don't think I knew what queer meant -- the new definition. My guess is most of us didn't. We didn't learn that until fourth grade.

Hey ... we played Cowboys & Indians and ate N-word Toes.

I used to play Cowboys and Indians, but later turned it into Super Mario Brothers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the hardest part was convincing a girl to be April O'Neil or Princess Toadstool.

And I have never heard of those toes.

I was eventually told they should be called macaroons.

 

[Flash]

I never heard of this game before this thread.
Ever.

Because you were a geek as a child?

I was an AMERICAN KID, pal, and we ate pansy Canucks like you for breakfast.
We played Catch-The-Flaming-Stick with our bare hands, and chased down bears in packs like wild dogs.
So watch it.

You eat Pansy Canucks for breakfast?

Damn. It doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Couldn't you have said "Pieces of ****"?

No. He wasn't talking about Americans.

 

[mike311gd]

I never heard of this game before this thread.
Ever.

Because you were a geek as a child?

I was an AMERICAN KID, pal, and we ate pansy Canucks like you for breakfast.
We played Catch-The-Flaming-Stick with our bare hands, and chased down bears in packs like wild dogs.
So watch it.

You eat Pansy Canucks for breakfast?

Damn. It doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Couldn't you have said "Pieces of ****"?

No. He wasn't talking about Americans.

Fair enough. And macaroons look absolutely nothing like a black toe, unless they're chocolate or have gone terribly bad. Even still, it's a definite stretch.

 

[Flash]

I never heard of this game before this thread.
Ever.

Because you were a geek as a child?

I was an AMERICAN KID, pal, and we ate pansy Canucks like you for breakfast.
We played Catch-The-Flaming-Stick with our bare hands, and chased down bears in packs like wild dogs.
So watch it.

You eat Pansy Canucks for breakfast?

Damn. It doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Couldn't you have said "Pieces of ****"?

No. He wasn't talking about Americans.

Fair enough. And macaroons look absolutely nothing like a black toe, unless they're chocolate or have gone terribly bad. Even still, it's a definite stretch.

Macaroons ... chocolate and coconut. Whatever.

 

[JR]

I never heard of this game before this thread.
Ever.

Because you were a geek as a child?

I was an AMERICAN KID, pal, and we ate pansy Canucks like you for breakfast.
We played Catch-The-Flaming-Stick with our bare hands, and chased down bears in packs like wild dogs.
So watch it.

Maybe so but you wouldn't have survived our full contact road hockey games.

 

[Flash]

I never heard of this game before this thread.
Ever.

Because you were a geek as a child?

I was an AMERICAN KID, pal, and we ate pansy Canucks like you for breakfast.
We played Catch-The-Flaming-Stick with our bare hands, and chased down bears in packs like wild dogs.
So watch it.

Maybe so but you wouldn't have survived our full contact road hockey games.

Car!

 

[Big Buckin' agate_monkey]

It's stories like this that make me wonder how tragedies like this didn't happen more often when I was a child (and that's just the 80s). We didn't have bike helmets, we played all the games mentioned here, we played tackle football occasionally. The only injury was a broken arm in a game of football.

Of course, this also reminds me when I got drilled just above my right eye by a football from 50 yards thrown by the teacher. Hey, I was in seventh grade, not the most cordinated kid. Went to the hospital for some stitches, I think. Administration told me to call my mom ... I did, but told her I was OK. Then they made me call her back to say she needed to take me to the hospital. Next day I over slept my 6:15 a.m. bus probably because of a mild concussion. Who knows, an inch over and maybe there's no BBAM at SportsJournalists.com today (sad thought for all of you, I know).

Outing alert BBAM is Star Jones.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8512585262769022963&q=star+jones+football&total=362&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

I've had a helluva first day. As Star Jones, they're on to me playin' grab ass in Hallifax.

 

[mike311gd]

I never heard of this game before this thread.
Ever.

Because you were a geek as a child?

I was an AMERICAN KID, pal, and we ate pansy Canucks like you for breakfast.
We played Catch-The-Flaming-Stick with our bare hands, and chased down bears in packs like wild dogs.
So watch it.

Maybe so but you wouldn't have survived our full contact road hockey games.

Car!

Game on!

 

[Central-KY-Kid]

Direct from the boy's hometown fishwrap:

http://www.newcanaannews-review.com/ci_6583979

"Some boys were playing a game called "500 Up," in which a batter hits a ball and many other players try to catch it and score points. Leslie was sharing a glove with another boy and was out of the game, lying in the grass and awaiting his turn when a batted ball hit him, according to Cpl. Glenn Smiley of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The death has been ruled accidental, according to the Mounted Police, who are handling the investigation."

 

[Flash]

Never take your eye off the ball?

 

[Flash]

It sounds pretty cheeky and cold ... but it's true.

The kid chasing butterflies in foul territory is more likely to get hurt ...

 

[21]

Never take your eye off the ball?

Seriously ... damn. That's the second time in a month we've had a story where somebody was killed being struck by a batted ball. That's ****ed up.

Have no clue why this doesn't happen more often ...

I don't know how a parent ever gets over this....I suppose they don't, ever.

This child came from a town--like many--where kids are SO protected and sheltered....you can put them in car seats and bike helmets and elbow pads and heart protectors....but you can't protect them from random flashes of disaster. If he hadn't been sitting out, if he had been looking the other way, if if if if.

RIP, John Leslie.