Have a ball

Since the ball is in my court, I thought I’d get the ball rolling and run with the ball.  I must admit, I felt as if I’d put myself behind the eight ball. Not wanting to drop the ball on my first attempt, I did some research. Now I think, I can carry the ball and will proceed to play ball with this post.

So let’s talk about the word “ball”.

In written records, the usage in reference to a spherical object traces back to the twelfth century. Evidence suggests that the use of a round object to play games dates back centuries earlier.  The Mayan civilization dates back to 2000 BC and they constructed courts in their cities in which to play a game with a ball.

The reference to a ball is almost always associated to some aspect of play. Whether used in sport or simply for entertainment doesn’t matter. Even today, the majority of sport requires the presence of a ball before game play can start. In ball games, players and coaches want to control the game so they design set plays to score points. So when players play a game they use plays to play the game. If they are playing a game, then why do we call what they’re doing plays?

I went to a play recently. My wife and I enjoyed the performance. The actors did a marvelous job, but I know it didn’t come easy for them. They must have spent countless hours rehearsing their lines and movements on the stage.

 

In sports we call this practice, and we all know that practice makes perfect. Sports teams spend countless hours practicing their plays so when they perform them on the field they can score. I’m not talking about a musical score for a play. I’m talking about putting points on the scoreboard. This is what we want to see. We want our team to score.

 

Okay, I hope I didn’t ball the Jack too much on my first time out. I’ll try to keep the ball rolling in future posts. If I keep my eye on the ball I’m sure I’ll be able to keep up. In the meantime I must go, that’s just how the ball bounces. I hope you had a ball reading this post. I did during its writing.