The Quiet Plodder

By thequietplodder

To lose a wager - the Lollipop bet

The song

Lollipop

Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop POP

(verse repeated)

Call my baby Lollipop
Tell you why
'Cause he's sweeter than an apple pie
And when he doesn't shake he rock and dance
Man I haven't got a chance
I call him

Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop POP

Sweeter than candy on a stick
Huckleberry, cherry, or rye
If you have a choice you fill your pick
But Lollipop is mine ...

Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop POP

Crazy way he thrills me
Tell you why
Just like a lightning from the sky
He loves to kiss me
'Till I can't see straight
GEE, my Lollipop is great!
I call him...

Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop POP

Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop Lollipop
Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli
Lollipop oh Lollipop

Written by Julius Dixson & Beverley Ross in 1958, initially for the duo Ronald and Ruby. However, an all female Group from the United States, 'The Chordettes' (active from 1946-1961) recorded the better known version becoming a worldwide best seller in 1958. The song belongs to the rather obscure genre of 'Barbershop Music' a predecessor of sorts to the style of 'Bubblegum' music of the 1960s & 1970s.

The wager

I'm not into betting or wagering (as it is locally known). My loot, I prefer to splurge on important stuffs of life like coffee, white chocolate, poetry books and public transport fares. Supplemented by plodding maps, occasional food, water and Bailey's Irish Cream or Bourbon (the latter, neat thanks).

However, a mate wagered me a Lollipop on the outcome of an Australian Rules Football (AFL) match between the team I barrack for, Western Bulldogs (Footscray), and the team he supports, Hawthorn (The Hawks). The AFL or 'Aussie Rules' is one of Australia's premier sports played mostly during the autumn and winter months. The game was formed in 1857 on an idea suggested by Australian born Tom Willis after his return to Australia from England. Willis was Captain of the Rugby School Football team and a fine Cricketer. In order to keep Cricketers fit over the off season of winter, (Cricket being a summer sport), Willis along with his cousin H.C. Harrison and friends W.J. Hammersley and J.B. Thompson devised an Australian rules version of Football with its own distinct style, rules and ethos. The first club, The Melbourne Football Club, was formed on 7th August 1958 and the first recorded match took place between the private school teams of Scotch College (Melbourne) and Melbourne Grammar School.

Following this first match, the game steadily progressed with a number of clubs being formed and by 1866 a standard set of rules had been adopted and formal competition started. In 1896 the Victorian Football League (VFL) was established with 9 foundation clubs drawn from the suburbs of Melbourne, including a team from bayside city of Geelong. Additional clubs joined over the years eventually making up a competition of 12 sides. This structure remained in place more or less until the 1980s into the 1990s when additional new clubs from interstate were added and other clubs relocated and merged making a total of 16 clubs in competition under the banner of a national league, the AFL.

A season runs from early March to the Grand Final which takes place on the last Saturday of September at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground - the MCG. Crowds up to 100,000 regularly attend the Grand Final and the game throughout its season has the highest number of spectators (plus a huge participation base) of any sport in Australia. Yet, AFL is not played anywhere but in Australia. Though a hybrid game between Ireland (with their Gaelic Football) and Aussie Rules is played on an occasional basis in 'Tests' in either Ireland or Australia with the features of both games being blended to produce a hybrid form.

In the AFL, each team consists of 18 players plus 4 interchange players who can be rotated on and off the field as dictated by a Coach who is responsible for the direction and conduct of a team. The game is divided into 4 quarters of roughly 20-30 minutes duration (depending on stoppages, time added on for injuries etc). After each quarter, a small break occurs on the ground for teams to change ends (this being the direction they are kicking toward their goal) and to take formal direction from the Coach. A longer 20 minute break occurs between the 2nd and 3rd quarters when teams leave the ground. To win a game, a team must kick more points, which is made up of goals (worth 6 points) and behinds (worth one point) than its opponent. At the end of a season, which at present is 22 rounds, the best eight teams in terms of games won and by percentage (difference between total points won and lost) play a finals system of progressive elimination. After 4 weeks of finals the Grand Final is played between the last two remaining teams for a Premiership Cup, much sought after by players and (often long suffering) supporters. It should be noted the sport is now a multi, multi-million dollar industry with players, especially elite players and coaches, receiving 6 figure yearly salaries and more.

The game is also extensively played at the local level, with most schools, suburbs and country towns having teams in a variety of leagues ranging from Under 10s through to the elite AFL level. As a misguided and tearaway youth, I used to play for my school and for a short time my local suburban club until cricket and especially girls, claimed me. Though, for all of my years - since I was knee high to a grasshopper - I have followed just the one team, the Western Bulldogs. Since they were admitted to the VFL/AFL in 1925 they have won only one Premiership and that was in 1954, before I was born! I live in hope for another Premiership in my lifetime. The team colours are red, white and blue stripes and supporters affectionately call the team 'the Doggies' (after the team mascot a Bulldog) and you'll hear barracking of 'Go Doggies!' riposting across the bleachers at a match.

But what has all this to do with a Lollipop?

Well, my team lost to my mate's team (just a mere three points - less than a single goal) and I had to give him a Lollipop to satisfy the bet. So, today, I took a photograph of the biggest Lollipop I could find - it took some doing to get one too. I printed the Lollipop image on A4 sized photo-paper, framed it, and handed it to my friend over dinner this evening. Whilst the wager was for a Lollipop, it did not specify what type of Lollipop. Happily, my friend thought my 'payment' hilarious. As to the Lollipop itself you can guess where it ended up ... yum!

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