The Game That Never Ends

It started innocently enough. I was invited to one of my best friend's houses for dinner last night. His roommate would be cooking a meal of beef stew, preceded by salad and followed by chocolate cake. How could I resist?

After dinner, we would whip out the board games. Maybe there would be a potential Trivial Pursuit win in my future or I could become a Scrabble champion for the night. The possibilities were endless.

Someone, not me, suggested that we pass the time during the cooking of dinner by playing a game. It sounded like a fun way to pass an hour or two. This game would be played only with our brains. It was a sports name game. The first letter of the last name would be the first letter of the following first name. Sounds simple. The following is just a random sample. I don't remember what name started it all, but the game began at 6:30 PM.

Jason Bere
Bartolo Colon
Chad Billingsley
Britt Burns
Brooks Robinson

The only additional rules were that a name could not be repeated. It could be from any sport or sports related occupation.

Ravishing Rick Rude
Reggie Jackson
Jack McDowell

This was so successfull that we continued playing it during dinner.

Michael Vick
Vida Blue
Bobby Bonds
Bobby Thigpen

We also couldn't use names starting with I, Q, X, Y and Z, because they were too uncommon for first names.

Tiffany Cohen
Carlton Fisk
Floyd Patterson

We finished with dinner and dessert and decided to sit around the fire pit in the back yard.

Pete Rose
Roger Bossard
Bob Boone

We started the fire around 9:30PM

Barry Jones
Joe Jackson
Jerry Lawler

This would be one of the last nights where the weather would be perfect to sit out and enjoy a fire. It wasn't too hot or too cold.

Lance Armstrong
Alex Cora
Catfish Hunter

About a half hour before we decided to call it a night, there was an H to me. We had used all of the Harolds, Honuses, Herbs, Horaces and other H names we could think of. When I came up with this H name, we knew we hit the bottom of the barrel.

He Hate Me
Manny Trillo
Tara Lipinski

We went our separate ways sometime after 4:00AM. Be warned. This game is infectious.

Larry Bird
Bruce Jenner
Jeff Juden

Take extreme caution when you start this game.

John McEnroe
Mark O'Meara
Ozzie Canseco

It may never leave!

Cal Ripken
Rodney McCray
Mario Andretti
Alvin Davis