Effort to ban beer pong quickly abandoned

[The Straight Story]

Effort to ban beer pong quickly abandoned
Online lobbying by players leads to state senator's decision to pull legislation

A veteran state senator has abandoned his effort to ban drinking games such as beer pong and flip cup in Baltimore City bars in the face of a growing online lobbying effort.

Sen. George W. Della Jr., a Baltimore Democrat, said such games encourage excessive drinking, which leads to raucous behavior in city neighborhoods. A bill he introduced late last month would have outlawed any games that award drinks as prizes in city taverns.

On Monday, a copy of Della's bill, SB 233, was circulated in e-mails and posted on Web sites of local beer pong leagues, setting off an online firestorm. Fans of drinking games sent a flurry of angry e-mails to the senator, who withdrew the legislation today on the eve of its first hearing in a committee.

"We're getting inundated with so many e-mails that I don't have the time to fool with it," Della said. "I just hope that if people continue doing it, they do it in a way that there's not excessive drinking and disrespect for the surrounding neighborhoods."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-beerpong0211,0,2229586.story

Keep politicians out of our bars and personal lives.

[begin_within]

1. What is beer pong anyway?

I've heard of it but I'm so out of touch with all that.

[The Straight Story]

2. No idea really, but just because I don't do it doesn't mean I back the rights of others to

:)

[JVS]

4. Lame, that's what.

[madinmaryland]

11. This...

Beer pong (also called Beirut, lob pong, BP, etc.) is a drinking game in which players throw a ping-pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in one of several cups of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of two two-player teams, one on each side of a table, and a number of cups set up on each side.<1> There are no official rules, so rules may vary widely, though usually there are six or ten plastic cups arranged in a triangle on each side. The number of players on a team can vary as well, from one to three or more.

When a ball lands in a cup, the defending team must consume all of the beer inside that cup. The cup isn't generally completely filled. It is also common to have a glass of water with the purpose of cleaning the ball between throws. An August 2008 Time article stated that cups were 1/4 to 1/3 full.<2> The game is won by eliminating all the other team's cups before all of one's own cups are eliminated. The losing team must then consume all the beer remaining in the winning team's cups.<1> The order of play varies – both players on one team shoot followed by both players on the other team, or players on opposite teams can alternate back and forth.<3>

[begin_within]

15. Thanks

So I'm not missing anything...

[petronius]

3. There are actual beer pong leagues?

That's a bit bizarre, IMO...

[madinmaryland]

6. I wish I knew where there were!!!

:rofl:

[petronius]

14. I got curious - check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series_of_Beer_Pong

:)

[madinmaryland]

17. Wonder what happens if it goes into overtime..

mim passed out!!!

:rofl:

[madinmaryland]

5. We have our "bong" priorities straight here in Maryland!!

:rofl:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

7. Damn

Besides Michael Steele and Ted Agnew, you guys got somethin' goin' on.

:toast:

[madinmaryland]

10. We also stuck the world with Alan Keyes!

:yoiks:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

13. Whoa.........

I forgot Mr. Keyes. I thought he'd become a full-time resident of Illinois after he tried to run for the Senate from there.

You also brought us Cal Ripken, Jr.

And my old pal, Marty Abeloff, who was head of the Breast Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

[madinmaryland]

16. Keyes is a man without a state and a daughter.

Cal has done alot, but I don't know Mr. Abeloff.

:hi:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

18. He was my sponsor

when I was inducted into the National Honor Society in high school. I was a sophomore and he was the Big Senior - basketball player, valedictorian, and a really sweet boy.

Grew up to become one of the leading cancer researchers in the world. Hugely respected. Died of leukemia - how's that for irony? - in September of 2007.

Marty was well worth knowing - http://tinyurl.com/af3emk

[madinmaryland]

19. Wow. One of the real Heroes in this country that never

gets acknowledgement for what they have done. Not that he wanted it.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Apparently that guy knows how to play Asshole just fine, however.

[underpants]

9. I used to give those as Christmas gifts

back in the day

[AlCzervik]

12. apparently he's never heard of Quarters or up the river, down the river.