Why? You want an unfair advantage?

Well, irregardless of all that or not, we await but the fair goaler, BelM. I'll drop her a PM; she seems to have forgotten this thread exists.

No, no, haven't forgotten. But dang you guys, I thought it'd be easier to choose a real first line from a book than it is to choose a real definition. I've been having trouble making up my mind.

O.k., I choose M. I love playing baseball, so I know exactly what the writer of that sentence meant - The Charlie Brown in me feels that it's always a good day for baseball, even if the winds are gusting and the clouds are looming darkly overhead.

hehheh, I suspect Sparteye is marvellously happy!

> maybe that's the game you're playing at.



I learnt it from milo minderbinder, purveyor of fine cotton and other flannel...

If we don't like our gender assignments, can we change them?

We'll straighten them all out come Saturday, Rock Island. I will say that Milo managed to get his own gender correct, but, considering his overall performance, that could have been by pure chance.

Well, he got my gender correct, but then, it never really has been in question

Hey, Ginette...race you to Carpal Tunnel

Vrrrrroooooom Vrrrrrrrroooooooom

What? Whom amongst you can testify absolutely to my biological gender?

I absolutly sometimes can and absolutly sometimes can't.

But no matter.

> But no matter.

then what are you made of?

you know, WO'N, when I just glance at your avatar, it looks like a Star Wars stormtrooper...

Today's the day. I'll be posting results in a few hours. If you haven't voted and want to, now's the time.

Oh my god! Oh my god! . . . Can I change my vote? Can I hide? Disgrace disgrace disgra . . . . !

Six hours, huh?
Well, Faldage, if you must temporize, I must evagationate...

A) I never thought, back in the days when my mother would fussingly wash the streaks of sweat and dirt off my face, that my determination to win at all costs would ever get me more than the fleeting attention of one of my teammates' older brothers.
Jackie ( not half bad, but only your mother would "fussingly wash" the streaks of sweat and dirt off your face)

B) Long before women were burning their bras, and marching for equal rights, a small group of women were striking a blow for equality, one home run at a time.
BelMarduk ( straightforward but with a moral)

C) Sure, if I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I'd do it in exactly the same way -- well, except for one thing.
Consuello (who reserves the right to change her mind at her whim)

D) "Dreamer."
AnnaStrophic (succinct, but with a certain cynical touch)

G) The train conductor entered the bar car calling out "Next stop, Chicago".
Sparteye ( who studied brevity, like Hemingway, "Up in Michigan")

H) The ball seemed to be hanging against the azure sky, impossibly far yet as threatening as a comet, like the whole promise of her life coming rushing towards her – and as if from the echoing passage of her far-off childhood she could hear her dad yelling “CATCH it Bunny! Catch it!”
Elizabeth Creith ( who can't resist writting a story in the opening line)

L) He's gonna throw at me, said "Baby" Ruth McGonigal to herself as the pitcher went into his windup, I know 'cause most of them do that even when they know the umpire's watching for it.
The female author of the book "She's On First"
__________________________________________________________

Nice going gentlewomen, but too bad, the entry winner is a male and is...

(M) It was a perfect day for a game, but then, it was always a perfect day for a game. MALE

Better luck in Fibliotheque, Game Two.

If themilum learns to play better with others, then could he have his own avatar?

that burns it; I unvote for M.

The real answers (with Milo's guesses as to the sex of their perpetrators for your amusement and amazement) follow:


A) I never thought, back in the days when my mother would fussingly wash the streaks of sweat and dirt off my face, that my determination to win at all costs would ever get me more than the fleeting attention of one of my teammates' older brothers. <Jackie: musick> F

B) Long before women were burning their bras, and marching for equal rights, a small group of women were striking a blow for equality, one home run at a time. <BelMarduk: AnnaStrophic, Father Steve> F

C) Sure, if I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I'd do it in exactly the same way -- well, except for one thing. <AnnaStrophic: Elizabeth Creith, Alex Williams> F

D) "Dreamer." <inselpeter: Jackie> F

E) Sliding spike-high into first after a pick-off attempt wasn't really a routine play, but those lovely bare legs were such tempting targets, and bled so easily. <WhitmanO'Neill: > M

F) "Stupid Major League equipment rules!", Karen snorted to herself in irritation as she struggled to wear the athletic supporter. <Sparteye: > M

G) The train conductor entered the bar car calling out "Next stop, Chicago". <Consuelo: etaoin, Kelly123, Marianna, sjmaxq> F

H) The ball seemed to be hanging against the azure sky, impossibly far yet as threatening as a comet, like the whole promise of her life coming rushing towards her – and as if from the echoing passage of her far-off childhood she could hear her dad yelling “CATCH it Bunny! Catch it!” <maverick: TEd Remington, WhitmanONeill> F

I) Timothy Michael Curry, known to baseball statistics as T. M. Curry and to his old teammates as Curry Powder, or just plain Powder, sat on the barren bleachers and wiped the sweat off his neck. <Barbara Gregorich: Sparteye, themilum> M

J) At age thirteen little Olga Wilhite, tall and strong and quick of eye and reflex, did not sell her soul to the devil as had her famous great-uncle, Cy Slocum, a six hundred game winner with a 0.92 earned run average for a five year period with the Saint Louis Browns - no, pretty little Olga Wilhite sold her sweet little soul to a modern day demon that was much worse. <themilum: > M

K) The count was three balls and two strikes, and with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning the St. Louis Trojans were down seven to five in this the very first game of the season. <musick: Consuelo> M

L) He's gonna throw at me, said "Baby" Ruth McGonigal to herself as the pitcher went into his windup, I know 'cause most of them do that even when they know the umpire's watching for it. <TEd Remington: > F

M) It was a perfect day for a game, but then, it was always a perfect day for a game. <Elizabeth Creith: maverick, inselpeter, BelMarduk> M

You will note that, although Milo correctly guessed the sex of the real author, he did not correctly guess the sex of the writer of the correct line (although he and Sparteye were the only ones to correctly identify that line as being the correct line [and, as an additonal bonus, it allows me to say that he was one of the only correct answerers]).

The winner in the ha-ha-I-fooled-you category is Consuelo (with a special thanks to sjmaxq for putting her over the top). As previously noted Sparteye and themilum correctly guessed the real author, despite Milo's feeble attempt to provide cover for his nefarious plan to claim he had voted for the wrong choice about which he was equally wrong about the sex of.

This edition of Fibliotheque® has been brought to you by M&M Enterprises, purveyors of fine, chocolate covered, Egyptian cotton.

RECOUNT! I demand a recount.

If you will note the post several above yours, Mr Faldage, themilum changed his vote to L, which happens to be my entry.

RECOUNT RECOUNT RECOUNT [/chant]

But I suppose you're gonna tell me there's no recounting for taste.

BTW, the book that was supposed to be sent to you turned up on my doorstep. Come Monday it'll be all right. Come Monday I'll be holding it tight (as I walk up to the PO to drop it in the mail to you.)

That was really fun, even if nobody wanted to vote for mine just because they liked the joke. I didn't expect to fool anybody into thinking it was the real opening line, but I had hoped for amusement votes. :-/

Er, did you say the correct answer was J? I think that's what you said.

my abject apologies to EC for costing her [strikethrough].500[/strikethrough] 1.000 vote in my pique of low dudgeon; and also my profuse plea for longanimity from the actual author, Barbara Gregorich, who couldn't possibly care less that I illegally cast .500 vote for her most excellent opening pitch, which (by default) I illegally changed to 1.000 vote, notwithstanding.

edit: BTW, thanks for that, Faldage.

E) Sliding spike-high into first after a pick-off attempt wasn't really a routine play, but those lovely bare legs were such tempting targets, and bled so easily. BRUTE --Milo



Oh, come on, Milo, I was just imagining how Ty Cobb would've welcomed a young lady to the customs of life in the Big leagues. 'Course, uh, I guess 'Bama Boys played the game a lot more mannerly than the Georgia Peach, huh?

> Is it the peyote or psilocybin?

hard cider!!

Gotta say, if I were browsing potential reading, I'd have a tough time with that opener. Tschja, ja.

> I'd have a tough time with that opener.

I know! Tim Curry? is she serious?

Congrats to Connie as well as to Elizabeth, who ran a close second.

Yee-hoo! I got two votes. I got two votes. Yay! Very excited!!

Well done Connie and indeed all others whatever your vote hauls. I was surprised and delighted to see my own concoction had not only snared two American male afficionados of the game, but had deluded Milo as to the gender of the authorial voice - LLOL!

So, thanks again Faldo - a really fun game - it only remains to ask if the rest of the book is as dire as that opening line?!

Long before women were burning their bras, and marching for equal rights, a small group of women were striking a blow for equality, one home run at a time.

Somebody oughta write a book that starts with this sentence. Many people buy books based on the first sentence of the first chapter, second only to those who buy a book based on its title.

Overheard in the locker room after the opening game of the season...

"Say Bro, did you catch the news that the themilum picked five out of six of the sexual proclivities of the Fibliotheque players and even picked the correct opening liner?"

"Right on, Brother, like they say, Bo and Faldage may know baseball; but the themilum knows opening liners and women."

"I heard that!"

> five out of six

who does your counting, Diebold?

Tsuwm, no apologies necessary. I'm tickled to have fooled you at all, even briefly. This was a fun game - including watching milo smugly get me completely wrong.

When's the next round?

I can do it. Give me a chance to flip through some books tonight. I have an idea of which one I want. I think it'll make for a good game.


One question...do I have to use all those highfalutin words like score, sennight and fortnight, or can I just say, "gimme your opening sentences in eight days or the jig’s up" ?

> Diversity is the jam on the bread of this board.

and we'll stick to that in the trenches...

>> Diversity is the jam on the bread of this board. (italics mine)

So, what you're saying is that, um, we're fruity?