Binker

 

The Game of Binker

1969, many may remember as the year the New York Jets won against the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III following Jets quarterback, Joe Namath’s guarantee of victory. Although the game of Binker may never have risen to similar fame, it should be recorded that it all began right there in Northport, next door to what was then the Public Library on Main St.

Little Sheralee Baker lay in her bassinet, a nearly brand-new human being, “factory fresh” enjoying the reassuring suckles of her pacifier which was branded “Binky”. We and our son, her slightly younger cousin visited often, easily walking to their home. Those little infants with an entire lifetime ahead of them was so uplifting and the sight of little Sheralee lying in the bassinet prompted me to pull the pacifier out of her mouth and bump her nose with it. “Bink-Bink”. Before she had a chance to react, the “Binky” was back in her mouth. She was delighted with this little game that was conceived right there that day in her bassinet The game was “carried home” and our young infant son enjoyed it just as much. Soon, in our family, the term “binker” became synonymous with the human nose, although it's hard to imagine a medical diagnosis involving the binker.

With the benefit of hindsight, I now realize that the game of Binker was an unlikely brainstorm. It's perfect; no rules, no protective gear to be worn, can be played in all kinds of weather, it's not seasonal, can be played during TV ads, no need for a referee, can be enjoyed by young and old alike, requires no special athletic ability, boys and girls can play ......the list is endless! As our young son grew a little older, he was usually up to the joke, regularly challenging me to a game of binker. When he was about 8 years old, he brought the family dog into the game proving once again that the appeal of this game knows no bounds. He balanced some crayons on the floor in a circle and made a slip-knot “noose” from my wife's yarn which he draped over the crayons. He then placed a piece of cheese in the middle of the crayons and when the dog went to take the cheese, he pulled on the yarn, effectively lassoing the dog's “binker”.

The insanity (or sanity of this game, depending upon which piece of furniture you occupy in the psychiatrist's office) still provides hours of enjoyment, fifty something years later for generations of infants, kids, adults and dogs. No one has ever been reported injured, dehydrated or traded to another team. It's a legacy that all started there in Northport, right there in Sheralee's little bassinet.

Binker anyone?