The way we played it, nope. At least not after the time the kid got knocked out when the ball hit him in the head and he crashed into the fence. Lots of blood. And lots of screaming first graders.

I was surprisingly good at kickball. Nothing is more fun than having the outfield all come way in, and then kicking the ball over their heads. NOTHING.

Could you throw the ball at the runner to tag them out? We did.

Um, how else do you get someone out? Oh. Catch the ball and tag the person with your hand? Lame.

I'm not sure a kid's popularity or unpopularity necessarily correlates with ability to play dodge ball, or any sports activity.

But a kid's popularity or lack thereof does correlate with the other kids' desire to hit him/her in the head with the ball.

I never played dodgeball with a big rubber ball. I played it with nerf balls, though, and 4-5 at a time so it was a lively game. Also, there were rules to the effect that if you got knocked out, you stood on the sidelines and were allowed to direct the people still in the game, so your side would win. I think the game dynamic is a lot different if the ball can't hurt you.

I did play kickball, though, and I think it was the last organized sport I was any good at.

I forget the name of the organization that did the ad, but I've seen something like it before. Is this some conservative religious thing?

tommy, it might be. But my doctor did say that female fertility does drop significantly as you get into your 30's. Physically, women are better off giving birth in their 20's (according to my doctor). But that's just the physical ability of a younger person. I think older women (late 20's and older) tend to actually plan their pregnancies and get better prenatal care, resulting in healthier babies. It's also more dangerous for older women (late 30's and 40's) to have babies.

Personally, I'm glad I traded a quick physical recovery for emotional stablity and financial security.

I love the ponk! sound those big red rubber balls make.

I am once again reminded to be grateful to my highschool for having enough gym options that I only had to do one semester of a team game. The rest of the time, I pretty much took weight training and tennis. I still sucked at tennis, but at least I wasn't letting anyone else down by it.

Something about how your 20's or early 30's is the best time to have a baby, as the odds of getting pregnant drop off after that.

I have heard that fertility starts to drop around 27 (I heard it right around my 27th birthday, which is why I remember). Think I got that from the Globe.

I'm not sure a kid's popularity or unpopularity necessarily correlates with ability to play dodge ball, or any sports activity.

No, but (and I'm totally willing to de-generalize my argument, and state that this is purely anecdotal information referable only to my grammar school) in a game like dodgeball, popularity or unpopularity can easily be made to correlate to whether you're a target of a hard ball or a soft one, where you stand in the outer circle after you're hit, and whether you ever get a chance to throw the ball yourself.

At my school, the ball was always given first to some bright shiny well-dressed kid, who then either (if a good athlete) drilled some un-shiny kid in the knees or (if not a good athlete) gently lobbed the ball to someone whom s/he knew to be a good athlete and able to drill (or tossed it lightly at a best friend, tagging out the friend, who would then go and stand at his/her side in the circle).

I can recall plenty of dodgeball games in which the unpopular kids didn't get more than two throws; in a group of 20, it's very easy for 15 to gang up on 5 and keep them from ever having control of the game, and very difficult for the 5 to wrest control away, even if all 15 suck and all 5 are superb athletes (which was never the case at my school).

Again, purely anecdotal, relevant to my grammar school experience only.

It's also more dangerous for older women (late 30's and 40's) to have babies.

They called my pregnancies geriatric pregnancies because I was over 35. (38 & 40) No doubt I was more responsible about my medical care and physical behavior than I would have been in my 20's. The doctors made a big deal about it though.