I wasted more than a decade of beer drinking before I tried beer pong. Drinking games always struck me as the realm of overgrown frat boys. My thinking: Beer is good--it shouldn't be a negative consequence of poor game play. Then one night at a house party, the action at a friend's homemade beer-pong table proved the most raucous area. People just bounced balls into cups at the opposite side of the table. Each time someone landed a ball, the opponent had to remove it and chug the partially beer-filled cup. Stupid, I thought, but I agreed to play anyway. My ironic detachment lasted exactly one toss; I was hooked. The strategies--fake-outs and psyche-outs--from increasingly intoxicated competitors are hilarious, and there's something almost Zen-like about the game's simplicity. Don't believe me? Watch the Wild and Crazy Beer Pong Tournament and try to resist signing up at noon Saturday at Lee Harvey's, 1807 Gould St. Entry is $15 per person, $20 for a duo or...um...free for females who wear a bikini top. OK, so maybe this tournament will be kinda fratty. But it'll still be fun. Visit wildandcrazybeerpong.com.
Sat., Aug. 22, 12-5 p.m., 2009