For starters, I want to say I’m really astounded and pleased at how long my previous Mangle thread lasted. Its predecessor really died rather quickly and it was dormant for quite a while before I got around to creating a sequel. Thanks everyone for keeping that one alive so long!
The idea for this one came only about a week after the Sciences thread was started and at the time I figured I’d let that one run until it died – which didn’t happen for a surprisingly long time.
So shortly after I made the Sciences thread game, I happened to be walking behind a guy who was wearing a Tshirt with a logo on the back and a single word at the top: TRIATHLETE
I’m sure that’s what it said. Not only were the letters all capitalized and large, but it was on the back of a XXXlarge Tshirt and spread across the back of a man who was about two meters tall and 200 kg and, to say the least, he did not look athletic – unless you’re one of those who thinks food-eating is really a competitive sport.
And on my way home I thought about that guy and imagined someone giving a eulogy…
Yahhh…Fred…he tried running and di’n like the shin-splints he got.
Then he tried bicycling and purty quickly got tired of all the dogs chasin’ him down the street.
So then Fred tried gettin’ into ocean swimmin’ and – well, ya kin see the upper half o’ him in th’ casket and see how that turned out.
But me and Fred’s brothers…we’ll we’re still gonna remember him as a tri-athlete even if anythin’ he tried jus’ di’n go right.
And I realized pretty early that I should have done this with the Sciences thread; I’ll add a bit to the rules by asking that some of the real definitions of the terms you guys provide be explained either before or after it’s mangled for our entertainment because otherwise some of us just don’t understand and some of us get only half the pleasure out of some of the better jokes.
Knuckle-ball: During the obligatory clear-the-benches MLB brawls, this occurs when combatants are aiming for the opponent’s athletic cup.
[Actually, it’s a special way of throwing the ball so it follows a difficult-to-track trajectory. It gets its name from the way the pitcher typically holds the ball when preparing this pitch.]
And, speaking of pitches, I’ll throw out the first one:
Cricket: A game like baseball but played with flatter bats – which makes it easier to smash those little bugs.
Wicket: The opposite of good. Or, related to the game of Cricket, part of the after-party when the field is raked and those little squashed insects are set on fire.
[But, quite honestly, I don’t really know what a wicket is…]
And, as before, keep it light-hearted and remember it’s all in gest.
Your turn!
–G!