:) New Neighbors!

[Harbor_Pilot]

How Fortunate Could We Be?

Last evening we went next door to greet our new neighbors, of a foreign country.

Two weeks ago, we knew they were coming and which country they were coming from. We did not give a rip about the country of origin; our focus was on friendship, hospitality, social interaction, cultural education, and enlightening experiences.

They came from across the pond. He is here on a three contractor assignment. They speak English, but not very well.

We look forward to helping them out in their adjustment, being good neighbors, helping them learn our ways, (we already did that in many ways in our introductory hour and most pleasant visit), having them over for dinner regularly, entertaining them, learning what they like to eat, how they like to prepare food, what they call it (name it), and why they call soccer "foot ball". They had serious legal questions about the proper way to park. They were most confused.

We will take our new friends to a real, live Bronco's "football" game, park on the "right" (correct) side of the street, and treat them to "hamburgers" (GROUND meat - not mince) and hot dogs (not bangers), and teach our new neighbors from the U.K., how to speak "English"!

We hope to travel to their home in Wales and have they teach us a thing or two, or three, or four....

We like our new neighbors! It certainly is an enriching cultural experience!

[Lighthouse]

Good one! You'll have to explain that strange American Football game you play over there as well.

[Nausikaa]

In return, one of our South Afican, British, NZ or Oz friends might like to explain the rules of cricket........just don't be in a hurry. It will take some time!



Aye,

Stephen

[Peter Owen]

Real difficulty here is that the national game of Wales, football, is probably not the game of soccer as you know it but football in the sense of Rugby Football.

The main difference is that football/soccer is defined as a game for gentlemen played by ruffians and (rugby) football - a contact sport vaguely similar to American Football but faster, more skilfull and played on a bigger pitch without all the padding, continual interruption for adverts, meaningless statitistics and time outs - the exact opposite!

Unlike American Football, of course, rugby is also a truly international sport with the next World Cup being played in France this summer.

Hope that this helps your international understanding and continues your otherwise laudable efforts to understand the those of us in the rest of the world!

Keep up the good work!

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by Peter Owen

Real difficulty here is that the national game of Wales, football, is probably not the game of soccer as you know it but football in the sense of Rugby Football.

The main difference is that football/soccer is defined as a game for gentlemen played by ruffians and (rugby) football - a contact sport vaguely similar to American Football but faster, more skilfull and played on a bigger pitch without all the padding, continual interruption for adverts, meaningless statitistics and time outs - the exact opposite!

Unlike American Football, of course, rugby is also a truly international sport with the next World Cup being played in France this summer.

Hope that this helps your international understanding and continues your otherwise laudable efforts to understand the those of us in the rest of the world!

Keep up the good work!

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Real Rugby THE Super Fourteens

Week Fourteen

4 May Crusaders v Chiefs 19:35 07:35 Christchurch 24-30

4 May Force v Blues 19:05 12:05 Perth 6-33

5 May Highlanders v Brumbies 17:30 05:30 Dunedin 10-29

5 May Hurricanes v Waratahs 19:35 07:35 Wellington 14-38

5 May Lions v Cheetahs 15:00 14:00 Jo'Burg 10-16

5 May Stormers v Sharks 17:00 16:00 Cape Town 10-36

5 May Bulls v Reds 19:10 18:10 Pretoria 92-3 (New Super Rugby record)

Semi-finals

11/12 May tbc tbc tbc tbc

11/12 May tbc tbc tbc tbc

Final

19 May tbc tbc tbc tbc

Sharks now at the top of the table, together with Bulls in the Semi final

[Lighthouse]

Two S African teams in the semi's - maybe better at rugby than cricket?

Up the SHARKS!

[Auzzee]

......And, as for the rules of cricket.....There is 20 over cricket, 50 over cricket and unlimited over cricket. An 'over' consists of six balls. In all forms of the game, one bloke runs towards you at full tilt, then hurls a lump of highly compressed cork at your head as fast as he can.

It can arrive at your face at over 150kmh. You try to hit the bloody thing with your bat. If you are successful you run like hell up and down the pitch until someone in the field returns the ball. Then it starts over again. After six balls the action recommences from the other end of the pitch.

If you hit the ball and someone else catches it, you take a walk because you have lost your wicket (unless of course it was a wide or a no-ball).The team with the most 'runs' , and with the least wickets-lost usually, but not always, wins. A game can last for five days. Even the referees don't understand the rules of the game. To be a true cricket fan you need to understand terms like 'googly', 'silly mid-off', 'short leg', 'long-on' and phrases like 'bowledimneckancrop', 'comprehensivelyyorkedim', 'oohaahglenmcgrath', 'grabbusanothercoldiemate' and 'waddayamean'notout'yasillybloodyprawn'.

Like soccer and rugby (league and union), but unlike baseball and american football the world championships most often, involve the whole world.

And therein, my friends, is everything you need to know about cricket.....except of course for the fact that OZ JUST WON THE WORLD CUP!!

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

..... To be a true cricket fan you need to understand terms like 'googly', 'silly mid-off', 'short leg', 'long-on' and Orstraulian phrases like 'bowledimneckancrop', 'comprehensivelyyorkedim', 'oohaahglenmcgrath', 'grabbusanothercoldiemate' and 'waddayamean'notout'yasillybloodyprawn'.

And therein, my friends, is everything you need to know about cricket.....except of course for the fact that OZ JUST WON THE WORLD CUP!!

Sir, (from the back of the class)

What did the straain "wrong'un" have to do with a chap from China ?

Sir ?

[Auzzee]

Well, ya see......China, as everyone knows, can only be reached by drilling straight through the earth's core. As a consequence, everything is upside down...reversed as it were. Ergo, when a left hander (Oz=kackhander) bowls an 'off-break' rather than an 'inney' to a right handed batsman, the bowler was 'accused ' of bowling as if he were from China. This became known as sending down a 'chinaman' and thus became a legitimate cricket term. But then, the politically correct arbiters of all that is good and wholesome in the world, told us that the chinese might be a tad miffed at the reference, so the term was modified to 'wrong-un' (coz it just looks wrong), which nowadays does not necessarily only refer to cackhanders, but to all 'leggies' who send down an 'offie' to an opposite hander, usually from around the wicket.

At least that's wot I fink! And another thing....it's 'Straya'.....that's the country...and we speak "stray-yan'. Ok?

David.

"if you don't know what you're talking about, say it with confidence and most people will believe you".

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

Well, ya see......China, as everyone knows, can only be reached by drilling straight through the earth's core. As a consequence, everything is upside down...reversed as it were. Ergo, when a left hander (Oz=kackhander) bowls an 'off-break' rather than an 'inney' to a right handed batsman, the bowler was 'accused ' of bowling as if he were from China. This became known as sending down a 'chinaman' and thus became a legitimate cricket term. But then, the politically correct arbiters of all that is good and wholesome in the world, told us that the chinese might be a tad miffed at the reference, so the term was modified to 'wrong-un' (coz it just looks wrong), which nowadays does not necessarily only refer to cackhanders, but to all 'leggies' who send down an 'offie' to an opposite hander, usually from around the wicket.

At least that's wot I fink! And another thing....it's 'Straya'.....that's the country...and we speak "stray-yan'. Ok?

David.

"if you don't know what you're talking about, say it with confidence and most people will believe you".

Well, all is revealed ! Can't even spell besides getting half the question wrong, even if the answer was delivered with confidence !

Also noted that no confident response provided for Strayas chances in the Super 14's

[Auzzee]

One in four is fair odds in the ruggers. Didn't want to upset anyone from South Africa after the result in the cricket.....But we remain Kwaietly cornfedant!

HeHe!

[Spike_dawg]

Cricket is very similar to American Baseball...Both are great tranquilizers and are guarantied not to produce an addiction. Only real difference is a 150 kmh cricket fastball would be considered a slow ball in the US. Neither game has the cheerleaders of US football, which makes it a much better spectator sport then rugby.

[Nausikaa]

Of course, a purist would say that the cheerleaders are a distraction.... How I love being distracted and thank goodness cheerleaders have found their way into Rugby.....it even is plaster on the sore of a defeat for the Stormers at Newlands

Stephen

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by Spike_dawg

Cricket is very similar to American Baseball...Both are great tranquilizers and are guarantied not to produce an addiction. Only real difference is a 150 kmh cricket fastball would be considered a slow ball in the US. Neither game has the cheerleaders of US football, which makes it a much better spectator sport then rugby.

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There is a huge difference between being hit by a cricket ball at silly mid off and by being hit by baseball at first base. In the first scenario they call a priest! :icon_boohoo1:

[Auzzee]

Here's some interesting satis....stastis...stakis...figures.

The fastest ever recorded baseball 164.8kmh

The fastest legal recorded cricketball 161 kmh.

More streakers choose cricket matches to show their 'bits'.

Baseball lighter by 15%, smaller by 5% and less dense.

You see more nakes bodies at cricket matches.

Cricketers don't wear padded 'glovies' or 'mit-mits' in the field.

More naturally blonde streakers are seen at cricket matches.

Baseball players spit more than cricketers.

More females streak at cricket matches than males.

Baseball uniforms are metro.

More males streak at baseball than females.

Cricket came from the english game of cricket.

Chips and pies are nicer than hot dogs.

Baseball came from the english girls game of rounders.

I like football.

[Spike_dawg]

You also left out

Most streakers in cricket and baseball games go unnoticed as the crowd is asleep.

Cricketers can't catch anything because they don't wear gloves when fielding. That's why the game lasts for 5 days.

Pies are good but can't be pitched 40 rows into the stands by the vendor. The fastest recorded Hot dog pitch was 172 kmh.

Only ugly streakers attend cricket games.

[Auzzee]

G'day Spike...Most of what you say is true...but, I once threw a pie 132 feet during a Collingwood vs St Kilda game...... At least that's what the coppers reckoned...