Ship of the week: Nova

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:47 pm

Poker ain't a sport, it's a game. Yes, it's nowhere near as difficult as chess, but can be played with a group, so lends itself to more male bonding, drinking, etc.

I personally know a number of former professional, NFL American football players, and don't ever say that it's for "wimps" (I defer to Blackstar's request, rather than using a direct quote) until you know what you're talking about. Jack Youngblood - played for three quarters - that's 45 minutes - on a broken leg. Not a fracture, or a hairline, a real broken tibia. Chuck Bednarik - tore his lower biceps tendon during a game so that the muscle rolled up inside his arm like a windowshade. He smoothed it back down, wrapped it at the lower end with some medical tape, and finished the game. The list could continue. I know American football players who have faked even knowing what city they were in (by looking at advertisements, scoreboards, etc.) after concussions in order to continue playing. I'm not saying that rugby isn't rough; I'm just saying that until you know what you're talking about, don't make a spurious comment.

And from the brief description provided, hurling seems more like lacrosse than anything else common in the States - which I don't personally enjoy, but can be extraordinarily violent.

I won't really comment on cricket, because when I have tried to watch a game (match?) I couldn't watch for more than a couple of minutes. Almost as painful to watch as golf on TV.

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:58 pm

Ah, Lacrosse - my people's contribution to the sporting world. Another game that originally lasted for days, and occasionally used an enemy's head for a ball. The original fields varied in length between 500 yards to miles long. Sounds pretty tough.

Blackstar the Chakat · Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:41 pm

Tsukiyumi wrote:Ah, Lacrosse - my people's contribution to the sporting world. Another game that originally lasted for days, and occasionally used an enemy's head for a ball. The original fields varied in length between 500 yards to miles long. Sounds pretty tough.

Your people? Lacrosse sounds french. Are you french? Or did you just play with french heads?

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:52 pm

No, lacrosse is a French name for a native American game. It was played by various "Plains Indians," and named by French fur trappers for the vaguely cruciform stick used.

Blackstar the Chakat · Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:02 am

Really? What tribes?

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:03 am

Yeah, you wouldn't know from the pics I posted, but I'm half Native American, specifically Cherokee and Commanche.

French missionaries and traders saw Natives playing it, some traders joined in, and the French codified the game in the 1800's. Originally, people would regularly be injured, and sometimes killed. I suppose that's inevitable when you have up to 1,000 players on the field...

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:04 am

ChakatBlackstar wrote:Really? What tribes?

Cherokee, Mohawk, several others.

Post by **Mikey** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:05 am

Actually, the injuries - if not the killings - still occur pretty regularly in NCAA lax.

Blackstar - I believe it was played originally by some of the Northern Plains tribes, like Ojibwa, Blackfoot, etc.

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:06 am

Mikey wrote:Blackstar - I believe it was played originally by some of the Northern Plains tribes, like Ojibwa, Blackfoot, etc.

Ah, those were the 'others' I was trying to remember.

Post by **Mikey** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:06 am

Tsukyumi - do have your BIA number and everything? I ask because my wife is 1/8 Leni Lenape, but doesn't have any surviving family on that side to point her in the right direction.

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:08 am

Nah, unfortunately, my family was hiding (thus my uber-generic last name), so birth-records are non-existent. I'd need a DNA test to prove it. I'm saving up for one.

Post by **Mikey** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:18 am

The only time the actual identification ever came up for us was when she checked "Native American" on a law school application, and they wrote her back asking for her BIA number.

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:32 am

I'm not even clear on how to get a BIA number; the Bureau's website isn't terribly helpful on the subject. My dad didn't have one, and neither did any of the rest of his family so far as I know. To get tribal recognition, you need proof, and since I can't really trace my geneology back past my great-great grandfather who served with the Texas Rangers at the turn of the century, a DNA test seems my most likely option.

Blackstar the Chakat · Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:39 am

I got friends in the local Oneida tribe. In fact I actually go to school with one. He might know some of that stuff. I could probably get you the information by the end of the week, if he knows it.

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:45 am

If he has any clue how to get registered, or get recognition, I would really appreciate it, Blackstar. I wonder if there's a payment plan for DNA tests... Damn things run around $1,300 last time I checked.