Civilization comes to this — Beer Pong

By Jerry Fink

Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008 | 10:39 a.m.

Millions of years of evolution. Stone Age to Space Age to the age of

computer technology. Mankind explores the galaxies, puts robots on Mars,

eradicates diseases, produces profound literature and art. To what end? BeerPong.

It might be argued that advanced civilizations from other galaxies may have

landed on earth, saw our young people playing Beer Pong, shrugged and went

home thinking there is no intelligent life in this universe.

A California team recently won the World Series of Beer Pong III. Go figure. The same state that produced Jerry (Governor Moonbeam) Brown produces a champion Beer Pong team.

Jeremy Hughes, 25, and Mike Orr, 24, of San Diego, Calif. -- who call their

team Chauffeuring the Fat Kid -- collected a $50,000 check at the end of the

three-day tournament held Jan. 2-4 at the South Point, out-ponging 295 other

teams, among Iron Wizard Coalition of Albany, N.Y.

Pong is a drinking game, played with cups of beer set in formation like

bowling pins. Opponents try to get ping pong balls into the other team’s

beer-filled cups. When a ball lands in a cup, the defenders must drink the

beer. The losing team has to drink all the beer from the winners’ cups.

The rules were modified for the Vegas tournament. No one was required to

consume beer and could substitute water for beer in the cups at any point in

the tournament. The event was structured so that each player would consume

no more than one beer per hour as a direct result of the competition. Each

cup consisted of two ounces of liquid.

Call me when they come up with Jack Daniels Pong.