Brimley Ball

Brimley Ball (also known as Paddle Wall Ball) is drinking game that is played using a single set of 10 plastic cups, Ping Pong paddles, and Ping Pong balls. Play involves two players alternating trying to bounce off a wall into a single ping pong ball into one of the 10 cups filled with beer until a winner is determined. Much like beer pong, no official rules have been adopted, and thus variations on the basic rule set are commonly found.

Origin
Brimely Ball orginated in the central Ohio area in June 2008. It first spread across the campus of the Ohio State University before being seen at various other Midwest college campuses.

It is named after actor Wilford Brimley, star of Cocoon and various Liberty Medical health insurance commercials. No real connection between this game and the actor has been established.

Playing Field Setup
The playing field must consist of a table at least 3 feet in depth and of an arbitray width placed at least 12 inches from a wall or other solid surface. The typical setup is a Ping Pong table placed sideways with the long edge spaced 12 inches parallel from an adjacent wall.

Ten standard plastic cups (usually 16 oz. Solo or Dixie are arranged in a triangle shape at the opposing side of the table in a similar fashion as beer pong. Approximately 24 oz. of liquid (preferably lower to mid-priced alcoholic beverage) is then distributed evenly between the 10 cups. The setup of the cups is the same as in beer pong

Basic Outline of Play

Play begins with one player serving the ball. A legal serve consists of the ball being hit with a paddle, it bouncing off of the wall, and contacting the table or the cups before anything else. If this is not accomplished a penalty (see below) is incurred for an illegal serve.

Following a legal serve one of two events will occur:

* The ball will land in a cup. If this occurs then a Rebuttal must be attempted. Follow the description below.

* The ball will not land in a cup, and come to rest somewhere else. In this case the opposing player may then pick the ball up and continue the game with their own serve.

* The ball will be on a path in which it will clearly not land in a cup. When this happens the opposing player has a choice:
** A volley can be attempted. This consists of the opposing player hitting the ball towards the wall without picking it up. If this shot then lands in a cup, then a rebuttal must be attempted and a 1 cup bonus is awarded, effectively scoring two cups. The second cup to be removed is at the server's discretion.
** The ball may be picked up and served as normal.

Play continues in this manner until one player either has 6 points and is declared the winner, or both players have 5 points and all cups are gone. In the case of a 5 point to 5 point tie, a tie breaker occurs (see below).

Rebuttals

When the ball lands in a cup, the opposing player has a chance to cancel out the made cup. This is known as a "rebuttal", and consists of the opposing player performing a serve. If this serve lands in any cup, then the original made cup is canceled out and no point is scored. If no cup is made or an illegal serve occurs then the originally made cup is to be drank by the player and a point is scored for the original server.

In the case of a cup being made on a volley, the rebuttal attempt may cancel one of the two points scored by the server.

Penalties

A penalty is incurred anytime that the following occur:

*A ball is served and fails to hit the opposing wall and then make at least one bounce on the table. For example, if the ball is served, hits the wall, and then bounces into the gap between the table and the wall, then a penalty is incurred.

*A player interferes with the other player in his or her attempt to make a legal shot on the ball. This could consist of any action such as pushing, "screening", or in any other way preventing the player from having a clear path to the ball when it is their turn to make a volley or serve.

*As a legal shot is traveling on a path towards the cups and looks like it may score a point, it is interfered with in a manner that prevents the ball from taking is natural path. This rule is more commonly known as "Goaltending".

Note: It is recommended that a third party is asked to watch the game being played and to act as a penatly judge. This party has final and absolute ruling on all penalty judgements.

Any penalty results in one cup of the non-offenders choice being removed from the table, and a point being scored in the non-offenders favor. The serve is then given to the non-offender and play continues.

Tie Breakers

In the event of a tie (when both players score 5 cups at the end of the game), three of the empty cups are used to determine the actual winner.

Two cups are placed centered at the playing edge of the table, and a third cup is balanced upright on the edges of the two bottom cups. Play then continues as before with each player serving a ball off of the wall until either the top cup is knocked off of the two bottom cups, or a penalty (as defined above) is incurred.

In the event of the top cup being knocked over after a legal serve the serving player is declared the winner. If a penalty is incurred then the opposing player is declared the winner.

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See Also

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