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Contents
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| The Story behind the Tattoo |
| The Crib ?Purist |
RIP Williwaw
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| Bits and pieces |
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| June,
2011
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Written by Damien Blond |
| The Story Behind
the Tattoo
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My name is Robyn,
but I am known to the e-crib world as
Freespirit.
I have desired to
get a tattoo of a robin for as long as I can
remember. For the past 5 years I've pushed
myself to get it done, but I wasn't
comfortable with the design. Something was missing
and I was not going to put something on my wrist
until I was sure I could live with it.
On September 5, 2010, I
signed onto e-crib on a whim and created an
avatar without so much as a thought to what it
would later come to represent. I immediately met
some wonderful people who welcomed me to the site.
In the months that followed I have formed some
life long friends. We have shared laughs, sorrow,
hopes & dreams, all while having fun and
playing crib. E-crib is family. It's the
first thing I do
when I get up in the morning and it's the last
thing I do before going to bed. When life gets you down there's
always a friend online to lift you back up.
One day I was having a heart-to-heart about life with
one of my e-crib friends. He asked me what my name meant. I
paused, laughed, and said, "I had never really given it much thought." It was the
first thing that popped into my head when creating my identity. But If
I had to explain what it has come to mean to me since joining e-crib it
would be this:
The past can't be
changed, so leave it be! The future is undetermined, so dream big! And today is
a gift, so embrace it for all it's worth!
A few days later it dawned on me--this was the missing piece to the
tattoo, who I was and how I live my life. I have always walked a
different path and taken the road less travelled. It hasn't always
resulted in the best decisions. I march to the beat of a different drum,
leaving people guessing. My battle cry is obvious to those who know
me: Living Life My Way. I believe I have found myself.
On May 4th, 2011, I tattooed on my wrist the robin I've always
wanted and my e-crib name that has come to define me.
I am Freespirit--body, heart and soul.
Freespirit
Living Life My Way
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| The Crib Purist |
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We have been
selling King's Cribbage in the UK for three years
now. Over this period of time we have met many
crib players that have succumbed to the charm of
the game. Occasionally, though, I have to face
comments from the crib purist. I quote: "It
has cribbage in the title, but it is not cribbage.
KC is a retrograde step to the game. I never play
any other version."
It's usually men,
and they never give the game a chance, just
indignantly stroll away to further their
point.
Sometimes comments
like these feel a tad personal. Some of us love the challenge
of the many multiple crib hand scenarios you get playing KC. From
the moment you draw your first tiles, every board position presents
the player with a crib puzzle, determining the best move, or finding the best way to
stifle your opponent. Just like the card game, KC is exciting and fun, plus a
good balance of luck and skill.
I'm reminded of
another story.
In 2010, my daughter's partner befriended and decided to rescue
a stray puppy named Bobby from outside a military compound
in Afghanistan. Unfortunately for the pup it had also been spotted by one of
the Afghan locals who wanted to use him as a fighting dog. It is not
uncommon to amputate the ears and tail from the dog at an early age before
they start training it to fight. To keep the story short, Bobby made it
safely to the UK, less his ears and tail, served his time
in quarantine, and is now a very happy and amazing dog, enjoying life to
the fullest
At a recent dog assessment class, a trainer told me it will
be very interesting to see if other dogs will recognise his body
language because he has no ears or tail. I had never given this much
thought, but it is logical really, this is how dogs communicate with
each other, using body language to introduce themselves, be polite (or
not), make friends, give calming signals, have fun and interact.
The similarity? Maybe to the hardened crib purist, KC and
other variations of the game send the wrong signals, like Bobby
with no ears or tail.
As savvy crib fans know, the
invention of the game is attributed to Sir
John Suckling (1609-1642), but strong evidence
suggests it is an extension of an older Tudor game
called Noddy or Noddie. Only three cards were
dealt to each player, and combined with the
upturned card make "the Show." Maybe the pedigree
of cribbage isn't as pure as some would like to
believe.
I suspect Sir John
would be most flattered,
knowing we still enjoy playing cribbage and its other variations nearly
400 years later. As a gamester, coupled with his gambling reputation,
he may have revelled in playing KC, trying to win another shilling or two. If
plastic grid boards and tiles had been in style during his time, we cannot be
sure what version of cribbage may have blossomed. What would the purist
insist on playing today?
Paul
Kings Cribbage Connections UK
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Notes from
Cribbageland
In early June, one of the
hottest pitchers in Major League Baseball for the
(alleged) world's most famous team was dealt quite a
blow. Joba Chamberlain, one-time setup man and now
starter for the New York Yankees, was told he had torn a
ligament in his right elbow, his season over. With Tommy
John surgery on the horizon and his career possibly
marred forever, there was no sun in the Big Apple for
Joba that day.
Nor was there any for his father,
Harlan. A victim of polio at a young age, Harlan showed
up to Yankee Stadium, as he had so many other times--in
a motorized wheelchair, the American flag draped across
his lap and a somber expression on his face. In his
pocket? A cribbage board.
"He's been playing
since he could count," Harlan said in a recent article
from the ESPN website. "We were going to play cribbage,
and we still will." And we still will. What an
odd addendum; it's almost as if what's at stake is
Joba's ability to share simple pleasures with his
father, as if their whole history--Joba's whole
identity--is represented not by his scuffed
glove or the silver stitching on his navy ball cap, but
his father's wayward cribbage board. It's impossible to
know if Harlan always carries that board with him, or if
it was fatherly instinct that instructed him to produce
a talisman of their past in lieu of an unknown future.
Either way, it speaks volumes about their relationship.
Maybe that's what cribbage instilled in Joba--values and
ideas of sportsmanship, competition, and how to make the
best of the cards you're dealt.
Jordan Wiklund is a writer from
St. Paul, MN. He is currently drafting his first book,
titled Cribbageland: The People, Craft, &
Culture of a Curious Game.
JordanW (eCrib)
Cribbageland
website
on Facebook
on Twitter
Bits &
Pieces
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RIP
Williwaw
Long time ecribber
williwaw (Phil Latrenda) recently passed away. His passions
were sailing and cribbage. He was ill for a
long time.
His
message: don't smoke!
Rest in peace Williwaw. We'll miss you on the crib board!
Final ecrib stats:
5000 KC games played, 6700 Crib games, 80 cross games.
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Congratulations
to
JOHN
E BREN for winning the free baseball cribbage board game!
We've started up Round The Bases (Baseball Cribbage) Tournaments!
Next up is HAL for Cribbage Baseball.
The
tshirt contest is still running! Get your shirts and take some
pictures ASAP. A discount on the shirts is available if you email info@ecribbage.com |
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