Men who have become bald can participate in suction cup tug-of-war. It’s a sport hosted annually by the Japanese town of Tsuruta.
Operating under the motto “The light of baldness is the light of peace, illuminating the dark world brightly,” the Tsuruta Hagemasu Association has been trying to shed a positive light on baldness. Baldness can cause some men to lose self-esteem, go into depression or develop anxiety. And those are the good side effects. But Hagemasu wants its members to know that they can brighten the world with their baldness through positivity. Amen to that, Hagemasu!
In the competition, suction cups connected by a string are attached to the heads of the competitors and the tugging begins. The first to have his cup pop off loses.
A Mr. Ota won this year for the third consecutive time, making him one of the most successful participants in the history of the sport. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of him. He has a rather flat crown of the head, which may be an advantage. Tricks participants sometimes use include polishing their heads or slightly altering the force with which they pull in order to force the opponent’s mistake.
Suction cup tug-of-war can be played by men with hair, and even women who attach the suction cups to their foreheads, but baldies dominate the sport. The smoother and flatter the surface, the better the suction.
Where else but in Owl Chatter can you find material like this? I ask you.
The puzzle today drew on Romeo and Juliet. At 37A, the clue was “Response to thumb-biting in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’” and the answer was DO YOU QUARREL SIR?
As you should know from high school English, to bite one’s thumb at someone is an act of insolence, akin to giving one the finger today. Here’s the scene:
“I will bite my thumb at them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it.”
“Do to bite your thumb at us, sir?”
“I do bite my thumb, sir.”
“Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?”
“No, sir. I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir.”
“Do you quarrel, sir?”
“Quarrel, sir? No, sir.”
“But if you do, sir, I am for you. I serve as good a man as you.”
“No better?”
“Well, sir. “
Whew. Close one.
Here’s Olivia Hussey, who played J in the Zefferelli film version.
The Israeli national baseball team was overmatched after its exciting win over Nicaragua. They lost to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, and the competition is over for them. There was a lot of good feelings from the experience though, and they are guaranteed a spot in the next World Baseball Classic in 2026.
In a special ceremony, Israel and the Dominican Republic signed a memorandum of understanding to emphasize the friendship between the two countries. The event was a follow-up to a trip to Israel some DR players took last fall. And later this year, there will be a charity softball game in the DR between Dominican and Jewish-American players.
There is history here. Back in 1938, the Dominican Republic was the only country that took in Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis.
Nelson Cruz, an 18-year MLB veteran with almost 500 career home runs who played for the Nats last year, spoke about the importance of spreading love. “Right now, what’s connecting us is baseball, and a love of baseball,” he said, addressing kids from a Jewish youth group. “God created us all equal, it doesn’t matter what color, what gender you’re coming from. We should all stay together.”
You tell ’em, Nellie.
Speaking of Jews in sports, Owl Chatter just learned that Jon Scheyer, the first-year basketball coach at Duke, replacing legendary Coach K, is Jewish. He’s 35, born in Illinois, and had a bar-mitzvah. He played college ball at Duke and was on the coaching staff since 2013. He’s getting paid $8 million a year. (Yow!)
Scheyer’s wife Marcelle and he have a daughter, Noa, and a son, Jett. No one beats the OC photographers at getting kids to laugh. What did you do this time, Philly, you big nut?
What a nice image to end with tonight! See you tomorrow.
The Wellington Files 