The Things One Can Find When Having Insomnia

Pick up the marbles can be used the same way as take your ball and go home. Sore loser, etc.

When I was a kid, the winner took all the marbles. When someone played their best ones (like a big red, bubble-less purie) and lost, they lost their marbles. It could be aggravating.

This was near the end of 'marbles' as childhood pastime in the mid 60's. I played at Roosevelt (Theodore) grade school at Mason/Irwin street in Green Bay. I think it's a parking lot now. Which would be a good place to play marbles. Nice and flat with a true roll.

Are you explaining how you lost your marbles?

I remember playing marbles as a kid with other yout in the neighborhood. I recall i was fairly good at it. Also played a lot of tether ball on the playgrounds back then.

Remember playing at all? I'd leave the house by 7 a.m. in the summer. And I'd be gone until lunch or dinner depending on how  my day was going. I lived across the street from Kosciusko park . There was a swimming pool there, or a frozen pond for ice skating.  Point was, nobody cared about my safety back then.

Still don't

Proof that cops don't care about your safety.

Tough crowd.

@Fedya posted:

Proof that cops don't care about your safety.

So you think he wanted DeJean at corner?

Have some James Jones going in on Austin Rivers talking about how easy it would be for any of 30 NBA players to walk on to an NFL roster for your long night.

I understand NFL players being bothered by the casual disrespect. 99% of everyone that plays in an NFL game on Sunday scratched their way there. Talented athletes get sent home permanently regularly at the end of August in the NFL for reasons that have nothing to do with their talent. Reducing NFL football to simply being able to catch a ball is laughable.

James Jones - CLASSIC!

@lovepack posted:

Remember playing at all? I'd leave the house by 7 a.m. in the summer. And I'd be gone until lunch or dinner depending on how  my day was going.

Not only that, I was frequently ordered out of the house with the admonishment of "... and I don't want to see your ass 'til dark!"

And, eventually, having to make THE decision...
Whether to extend play time or try your luck about dinner time when Dad would be getting home. It could mean the difference between a hot meal or a cold plate. Wasn't any microwave ovens in those days.

@DurangoDoug posted:

I remember playing marbles as a kid with other yout in the neighborhood. I recall i was fairly good at it. Also played a lot of tether ball on the playgrounds back then.

Marbles was slightly before my time.
There were still plenty of them around, and I accumulated some over the years, mostly those of an unusual size, color, or pattern.
I have never seen anybody actually playing marbles, other than what may be recreated for TV or film.

My family used marbles to play Wahoo, a tradition that extended over many decades. In fact, we called the game "marbles", so asking to play marbles was different than what one would typically think.

My husband has a jar full of marbles he found when installing new duct work in residential homes.     Some of them are pretty cool.  This was back in the 70’s and 80’s.   I wonder if they’re worth anything……

Only to pickle juice guzzling pickle, Ballers

@grignon posted:

When I was a kid, the winner took all the marbles. When someone played their best ones (like a big red, bubble-less purie) and lost, they lost their marbles. It could be aggravating.

This reminds me of my dad.  He would glow when he talked about playing marbles in the late 30s - he claimed he would dominate with his potent "steelie" and would usually come home with more marbles.

We had a rule for those guys who showed up with a big honking ball bearing called steelie stays- If (when) you missed out, the steelie got spotted in the middle and you couldn't shoot with it any more. If you wanted it back, you had to knock it out (unlikely without using another steelie) or 'win' the game by knocking out the last glass marble. It wasn't really a win since we played for keeps. The real winner was the guy who walked away with more marbles than he started with. There was almost as much action after a game as guys would trade to get a prized shooter back. It was considered bad form to refuse to trade back, though I did see some eye-popping transactions- like 20 cats eyes for an  agate shooter that looked like the planet Jupiter. I would never have put that one at risk.

@Koopla Krash posted:

This reminds me of my dad.  He would glow when he talked about playing marbles in the late 30s - he claimed he would dominate with his potent "steelie" and would usually come home with more marbles.

Marbles also reminds me of my dad but for a very different reason.  Back in the 70s we had shag carpet everywhere.  So when I dropped a marble somewhere in the shag carpet my dad's foot would be drawn to it and step on them.   Hearing what he said taught me my current vocabulary.

@titmfatied posted:

Have some James Jones going in on Austin Rivers talking about how easy it would be for any of 30 NBA players to walk on to an NFL roster for your long night.

I understand NFL players being bothered by the casual disrespect. 99% of everyone that plays in an NFL game on Sunday scratched their way there. Talented athletes get sent home permanently regularly at the end of August in the NFL for reasons that have nothing to do with their talent. Reducing NFL football to simply being able to catch a ball is laughable.

The word laughable is the only word I have and thank you James Jones.  Anyone who has played football at any level will tell you that its not just a turn around and catch game.  Sure a couple of guys could play receiver and tight end and catch some passes but you are going to take hits after you catch the ball and but even those positions require you to block on many plays. And if you shy away from the contact there isn't a coach in football that will play you. 

Anyhow back to the other discussion about how things used to be.  I was ordered out of the house by mid morning to go do my list of chores on the farm.  Thankfully I didn't grow up on a dairy farm and had to be up at the crack of dawn I could wait until mid morning to do my chores.  Then I was allowed a quick lunch but then I had to be out of the house until dinner.  After cleaning up after dinner we had to go back outside  so my Dad could have some peace and quiet.   

Kids these days probably think a day like that was torture but man it was freaking awesome.

There are countless athletes who could play football but simply don't like being hit.  Our HS football program was very successful during the regular season but rarely got past the first round in the playoffs.  And the losses were always to teams with more talent on the field.  We had more talent in our school but some of the best basketball players, wrestlers and runners didn't like getting hit on a regular basis.  I'm sure most of the NBA guys would have second thoughts after their first NFL training camp.

@DurangoDoug posted:

I remember playing marbles as a kid with other yout in the neighborhood. I recall i was fairly good at it. Also played a lot of tether ball on the playgrounds back then.

Napoleon, is that you?

What, no hopskotch!?