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Discussion Groups / British English / May 2005Clarification of a "Baseball Joke", please
[Note cross-posts and follow-up] My partner was given a desk calendar as a little Christmas gift, where each day's page bears a description of some seemingly stupid activity that has been carried out in the past (the title is "Well, Duh", which seems to establish its Leftpondian origins). The page for yesterday (17th) has us both stymied as to just what might be so amusing and/or stupid[1] about it. Here it is, /verbatim/: Stupid Sports Baseball players will often change their uniform number if it's not working for them. But San Francisco Giants short- stop Johnny Lemaster had a different idea. When fans got down on him for not hitting in or out of the clutch, Lemaster said he was going to change the name on the back of his uniform from Lemaster to Boo. That didn't go over well with team management. We fail to see the joke; can anyone enlighten us, please? [1] Well, nothing more stupid than the idea of grown men playing what is essentially Rounders.  SignatureBrian {Hamilton Kelly} bhk@dsl.co.uk "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte." Blaise Pascal, /Lettres Provinciales/, 1657 > [Note cross-posts and follow-up] > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > We fail to see the joke; can anyone enlighten us, please? When fans "get down" on a player, they yell "Boo!" (not the hide-and-go seek "boo" but a drawn out version) when he comes on the field. So if he changed his name to Boo, they would be yelling his name, instead of deriding him. > [Note cross-posts and follow-up] > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > le loisir de la faire plus courte." > Blaise Pascal, /Lettres Provinciales/, 1657 The joke is not specifically baseball-centric. Every athlete wants the fans to scream his name, cheering (applauding) him as soon as they see him. It seems, however, that fans observing Lemaster yelled, "Boo!" which is the word yelled at someone who is not pleasing the fans (I believe y'all whistle to show disapproval and disappointment?). He thought he'd change his name so that he could claim they were cheering him rather than dissing him! Cece >[Note cross-posts and follow-up] > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > >We fail to see the joke; can anyone enlighten us, please? Because when the fans express their disapproval, they boo. By "naming" himself Boo, he would change the disapproval to encouragement....thousands of fans shouting out his name. SignatureTony Cooper Orlando FL > [Note cross-posts and follow-up] AUE reinserted, because it feels odd to post just to a group I never read. > My partner was given a desk calendar as a little Christmas gift, where > each day's page bears a description of some seemingly stupid activity [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > We fail to see the joke; can anyone enlighten us, please? The fans are booing him. If he changes his name to Boo, he can pretend they're cheering him. Oh, my side. > [1] Well, nothing more stupid than the idea of grown men playing what is > essentially Rounders. That would be stupid, wouldn't it? Good thing that doesn't happen. SignatureSML >> [Note cross-posts and follow-up] > [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > The fans are booing him. If he changes his name to Boo, he can pretend > they're cheering him. Oh, my side. Doesn't have to change his name if he's Tony Blair at a school. SignatureJohn Dean Oxford > [Note cross-posts and follow-up] > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > [1] Well, nothing more stupid than the idea of grown men playing what > is essentially Rounders. Hey, I can welly this one over the square-leg boundary without lifting a foot! Rounders fans cheer the player's name, right? So he changes his name to what they shout. "Up my salary, or I go to Lancs! You heard the fans cheer me." SignatureMike. > [Note cross-posts and follow-up] > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > We fail to see the joke; can anyone enlighten us, please? When a player is not doing well, the fans may be inclined to voice their displeasure with choruses of "Boo!" By substituting "Boo" for his name on the back of his uniform, Johnny could kid himself that the fans were calling his name. (Years ago, the Baltimore Orioles had a large first baseman by the name of Boog Powell. The fans would chant his name ("Booooooog") when he came to bat, and the radio or television announcer would invariably advise the listening audience that what they were hearing were not "boo"s, but Mr. Powell's name.) > [1] Well, nothing more stupid than the idea of grown men playing what is > essentially Rounders. For certain values of "essentially". I still recall being blown away (at age 11 or so) by skill with which those grown men played their children's game, the first time I saw a major league game in person. SignatureJ. At 14:47:59 on Wed, 18 May 2005, John Dawkins <artfldodgr@aol.com> wrote in <artfldodgr-11968F.14475918052005@individual.net>: >> [1] Well, nothing more stupid than the idea of grown men playing what is >> essentially Rounders. > >For certain values of "essentially". I still recall being blown away >(at age 11 or so) by skill with which those grown men played their >children's game, the first time I saw a major league game in person. Not only rounders, but baseball itself, was a children's game in the UK before America got hold of it - children playing "base ball" is referred to by Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey. SignatureMolly Mockford They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) > At 14:47:59 on Wed, 18 May 2005, John Dawkins <artfldodgr@aol.com> wrote > in <artfldodgr-11968F.14475918052005@individual.net>: [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > before America got hold of it - children playing "base ball" is referred > to by Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey. It was also a children's game in America (under a different name) before Jane Auten wrote Northanger Abbey. SignatureJ. John Dawkins wrote in uk.culture.language.english on Wed, 18 May 2005 14:47:59 -0700 MID<artfldodgr-11968F.14475918052005@individual.net>: >(Years ago, the Baltimore Orioles had a large first baseman by the name >of Boog Powell. The fans would chant his name ("Booooooog") when he >came to bat, and the radio or television announcer would invariably >advise the listening audience that what they were hearing were not >"boo"s, but Mr. Powell's name.) Same happens now in English football, to an Estonian goalkeeper by the name of Mart Poom (Derby, now Sunderland). Signaturebaby-sitter - one who mounts guard over a baby to relieve the usual attendant Chambers 20th Century Dictionary > [Note cross-posts and follow-up] > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > [1] Well, nothing more stupid than the idea of grown men playing what is > essentially Rounders. You may enjoy the following taken from Column 8, of the Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/column8/index.html "Help! I need to explain cricket to Americans!" wails expatriate David Scott, who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. "It's baseball season, and when my Australian accent is heard, inevitably a cricket discussion begins. The only way to explain the game is by drawing parallels to baseball, which usually leads to confusion. I recall a tea towel that described the game of cricket in simple baseball terminology. It probably existed some 20 years ago but I am driving my ever-patient mother batty trying to find it." Can anyone help David out? Explaining cricket to Americans is hard work. Stupot > [Note cross-posts and follow-up] > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > We fail to see the joke; can anyone enlighten us, please? I'm guessing the idea is he'd want fans to call out his name in encouragement when he's at bat. Since they were shouting 'Boo' already, he changed his name to match. Matthew. On Wednesday, in article <20050518.1844.59956snz@dsl.co.uk> > [Note cross-posts and follow-up] [Restored] > We fail to see the joke; can anyone enlighten us, please? Many thanks to all that provided enlightenment; we hadn't realized that adults shouted "Boo" in public (over here, it's something done in fun to encourage the children to do the same at a theatrical pantomime performance; along with hissing at the villain, etc.) [JanieB has just pointed out that it's sometimes heard in Parliament, but they're all childish anyway. (More usually, the word "Shame!" will be shouted.)] SignatureBrian {Hamilton Kelly} bhk@dsl.co.uk "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte." Blaise Pascal, /Lettres Provinciales/, 1657 > On Wednesday, in article <20050518.1844.59956snz@dsl.co.uk> > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > they're all childish anyway. (More usually, the word "Shame!" will be > shouted.)] So how do fans of cricket or football show their disapproval, over there? (In addition to booing, throwing cups of beer onto the playing field is another favorite method, over here.) SignatureJ. >> On Wednesday, in article <20050518.1844.59956snz@dsl.co.uk> >> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > (In addition to booing, throwing cups of beer onto the playing field is > another favorite method, over here.) Beer isn't sold at football stadia over here. Anyone throwing things onto the pitch is liable to get themselves into a conversation with the police, though. I'm shuddering at the connotations of "cups of beer". Eugh. SignatureAndrew Gwilliam To email me, replace "bottomless_pit" with "silverhelm" > >> On Wednesday, in article <20050518.1844.59956snz@dsl.co.uk> > >> [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > I'm shuddering at the connotations of "cups of beer". Eugh. Plastic cups. Shudder on. SignatureJ. >>>> On Wednesday, in article <20050518.1844.59956snz@dsl.co.uk> >>>> [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > Plastic cups. Shudder on. Actually, if you don't tell anyone, I'll confess to having sipped about half a mouthful of "beer" at the only baseball game I've ever gone to. It was foul stuff, it really was; and we were charged some ludicrous price, something like two or three times what it'd cost in a bar. The food was bloody awful, too. SignatureAndrew Gwilliam To email me, replace "bottomless_pit" with "silverhelm" > > Many thanks to all that provided enlightenment; we hadn't realized that > > adults shouted "Boo" in public (over here, it's something done in fun to [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > (In addition to booing, throwing cups of beer onto the playing field is > another favorite method, over here.) I've heard big crowds in Europe *whistle* to show disapproval -- it's a real culture clash to be an American and hear that. For us, "whistle" goes with "cheer," not "jeer." SignatureBest -- Donna Richoux an American living in the Netherlands >>> Many thanks to all that provided enlightenment; we hadn't realized that >>> adults shouted "Boo" in public (over here, it's something done in fun to [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > real culture clash to be an American and hear that. For us, "whistle" > goes with "cheer," not "jeer." I can understand that. But it would, I think, be pretty obvious from the tone of the whistling that "I say, what a good chap!" wasn't the intended meaning. SignatureAndrew Gwilliam To email me, replace "bottomless_pit" with "silverhelm" >> I've heard big crowds in Europe *whistle* to show disapproval -- it's a >> real culture clash to be an American and hear that. For us, "whistle" >> goes with "cheer," not "jeer." Donna never watched _West Side Story_, apparently. >I can understand that. But it would, I think, be pretty obvious from the >tone of the whistling that "I say, what a good chap!" wasn't the intended >meaning. Don't forget hissing. A white friend and I were hissed one time when we wandered into a bar in a black section of Washington, DC, not something I'd expect to happen in most black-owned establishments there, by the way. To save face, we sat down at a table for a few minutes, but no-one came around to take our order. We left quietly. SignatureCharles Riggs > >> I've heard big crowds in Europe *whistle* to show disapproval -- it's a > >> real culture clash to be an American and hear that. For us, "whistle" > >> goes with "cheer," not "jeer." > > Donna never watched _West Side Story_, apparently. I have, but I don't remember any crowd (or anyone) whistling to show disapproval except maybe Office Krupke (police whistle). What scene is yours, please? SignatureDonna Richoux [...] >> I've heard big crowds in Europe *whistle* to show disapproval -- >> it's a real culture clash to be an American and hear that. For us, >> "whistle" goes with "cheer," not "jeer." > > I can understand that. But it would, I think, be pretty obvious from > the tone of the whistling that "I say, what a good chap!" wasn't the > intended meaning. It's changed in Br usage, I understand. Whistling was once disapproving, but has now become applause -- perhaps by extension of wolf-whistling? For the opening at the Paris Opera, the anti claque was issued with specially-made whistles actually stamped "Pour siffler Tannhäuser". SignatureMike. >[...] >>> I've heard big crowds in Europe *whistle* to show disapproval -- [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >was issued with specially-made whistles actually stamped "Pour >siffler Tannhäuser". There's a certain difference between the opera crowd and the footie boys. Whistling, not the tuneful aria, but the piercing two fingers in the mouth squeal, is undoubtedly the mark of disapproval. Blown metal whistles don't count. SignaturePaul In bocca al Lupo! |
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