There are two ways to get ahead of your opponent in the dart game of cricket, by closing numbers and by scoring points. In order to win the game you have to be ahead in points and have the requisite numbers closed. If there are no points on the board, the game can be won by putting three darts into each of the required numbers and the bullseye.
If your opponent is ahead in closing numbers, you can attempt to close a different number on the board and continue to throw darts into it to score points. Winning the game by simply closing the numbers becomes more difficult when you have more than two players, and "pointing up" becomes mandatory to win the game.
One of Belles favorite stories is from a 3 line cricket game we played with a dart buddy of ours years ago. Belle started a bit slow while Mark and I commenced to immediately draw blood from one another and point up. We were going back and forth, trash talking, each of us gaining the advantage in points as our turn at the line arrived.
Meanwhile, Belle was quietly closing numbers. She was hundreds of points behind, but had every number closed before long which meant she could score points on any number not closed by all three of us. Before Mark and I realized what was happening to us, Belle pointed up and won the game.
And so it is with Herman Cain and his Republican opponents.
Perry enters the race and his poll numbers immediately eclipse Bachman and Romney. Bachman and Romney go on the attack to cut this Texas boy down to size, and of course, Perry responds in kind. So while those three are trying to score points on one another, Mr. Cain stays steady on the course and talks about his plans to get us out of the mess we've allowed to happen. Closing the numbers and handily winning the Florida Straw Poll.
One in a row does not a trend make, but Herman Cain is beginning to look more viable as a candidate. The other three "first tier" candidates had better step back and take a look at what's happening very soon.
Oh, and could someone in Perry's camp coach him on not standing there on stage like a Sears Catalog model, smiling at the audience while his opponents are delivering their responses to questions? All the kool kids turn and listen intently to their opponents
So Belle snuck up on you guys, huh?
ReplyDeleteI once got called by a buddy of mine to fill in at a pool tournament. This was years ago and I'm not THAT good, but they needed a warm body or they would lose by default. So I played. It was obvious I was outclassed by my opponent and his team knew I was just a 'warm body fill in' anyway, so there was a lot of hee-hawing and banter going on while we played. I just ignored them and took my best shot when it was my turn. I still had one ball on the table when my opponent sunk the 8 ball in a side pocket. He grinned at me, looking half apologetic, and extended his hand in a good sportsmanship kinda way ...a no hard feelings handshake offered to the loser. I smiled as I returned his handshake and said, 'No hard feelings at all, it was a tough break because you didn't call your pocket on the 8.'
The. Look. On. His. Face. Was. Priceless.
A noticeable hush fell on our little group and then his team mates surrounded him, laughing and slapping him on the back saying, 'She's right ...you didn't call it. You LOST!' Now they were laughing at him even louder than they'd been laughing at ME earlier. Loved it!
It was not so much sneaking up on us as assessing the situation and choosing a strategy that capitalized on our weaknesses in the given situation, which is the point I was trying to make.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you are correct in noting that she Righteously whipped our asses. She's capable in that way.