Bulgaria, Bulgarians are fond of saying, is a very old nation. America, conversely, is very young. While the decisions Bulgaria makes come from a history of 1,100 years or so, America--which came into being at the clap of a hand in 1776, I'm told--tends to make rash choices typical of, say, an adolescent. Standard post-Iraq Euro-philosophy, I know, but in Bulgaria's case it usually comes up when I, or another volunteer, talk about things we miss about America. For example, if I were to say that I really miss screen doors as I slap at mosquitos while sitting on my couch, a friend of mine in Silistra would argue that Bulgarians have developed a heartier stock, one that doesn't need screen doors in the summer or properly insulated windows in the winter.
Only two kinds of cheeses in Bulgaria? Bulgaria has developed the best cheeses, and only two are really needed. Kufte and Kebapche? Bulgaria needs no other form of meat outside of the unidentifiable mystery kind. Steak is for the weak, sir. Usually, when I make a suggestion to my students, Bulgarian friends, or colleagues about things a long-term foreign tourist might miss when visiting Bulgaria, it's met with the kind of argument parents give their teenage kids. We're old, you're young and that's just the way it is. Accept Bulgaria for what it is, and get on with life. But sometimes it doesn't go that way.
Last night only three guys showed up to play basketball, and on any court anywhere three guys means a game of 21. 21, though popular with pick-up game players, is a bit mysterious to the uninitiated. This is mostly because rules change widely depending on where you play, and, to my knowledge, it's never been popularized in movies, books, or anywhere else people may get their ideas from.
Most of the time, in America, 21 starts at the free throw line where one of the three guys shoots free throws until he/she misses. Each free throw gets 1 point. If he misses, the other two guys lounging around can grab the rebound and effectively start the game. When somebody makes a basket, he gets 2 points and goes back to the free throw line to shoot until he misses. It's pretty much a rotating game of 2 on 1 and the first guy to 21 wins, although the rules governing the end of the game are always horribly confused and should usually be checked on first.
So when we started playing last night and the other two guys asked me if I knew 21, I said "yes," looking back on my years of experience in poorly organized pick-up games. We shot for the ball and I was the only one to hit a free throw, so I "broke" from the free throw line. I made two free throws, but missed the third. When I dove in for the rebound, the guy who had grabbed it stopped the game for a second and told me that I wasn't supposed to play. In Bulgaria, I guess, 21 is an organized way of getting three people to play 1-on-1. After a guy misses a free throw, he sits out until another guy misses and then gets to play again. And every basket is worth one point here.
This version of the game really, really favors a guy who can hit free throws and I dominated the two games of Bulgarian 21 we played. I didn't even really get tired. I'd get a rebound, back up to about 18 feet, and take a shot. I made about half of them, and when I hit them I'd make 6 or 7 free throws, sit out for a while, and repeat. When the second game was at 19-5-6 or something like that, I began explaining the American version.
At first, they were doubtful, citing the fact that 2 on 1 was unfair. After I told them that the 2 are always different and that it's just a matter of rotation, and that everyone always gets to play, they both developed an "it's just crazy enough to work" face and we tried it in the next game.
I've never been particularly good at American 21, working against double teams is never my strong suit, and I have a tendency to use it as hook shot practice. I also get lazy on rebounding. Personal flaws, really. So I lost the two games of it we played, the Bulgarians were awfully happy with the strange new rule-set, and we all went home satisfied. A cross-cultural success if there ever was one. And while Bulgarian 21 is certainly not to be ignored since I'm very good at it, the American version is at least a worthy option. Everybody's happy, and we all have something new to do when the lazy, slacker, family-oriented types can't make it on Tuesday nights.
Posted by Rob at June 16, 2004 06:55 PM