I'm a Naismith Sayer

December 1 is the 115 anniversary of the invention of the game of basketball. The date would have been a week earlier, but some of the original game's players held out for better sneaker contracts. As many people know, James Naismith is the Father of Basketball, but being both a Canadian and born long ago before things like the National Enquirer, he never revealed who the Mother of Basketball was (and your brain twister for the day is, if giving birth to a human is like passing a basketball through a straw, what's giving birth to a basketball like?). Naismith created the game so his students could do something indoors for gym; until inventing basketball he had them do 10 push-ups and then hit the showers, which left far too much time for wet-towel-snapping, although the Springfield, MA soprano boys choir won many an award. Naismith adapted a game called duck-on-a-rock, which involved real rocks and no ducks, and very few children willing to play defense, the wimps. He originally used peach baskets as goals, and if the current players think the new ball is slippery they should try using one coated in mashed peach. Another little known fact is originally dribbling wasn't allowed, since that term was already trademarked by Friendly's Ice Cream, another Springfield, MA creation. Oh, that's the Fribble. I guess I'll have to pass on that joke until something better shakes out.