Today, in honor of all the wings folks will eat while watching balls move in various ways so that gold can enter the coffers of burly boys calling themselves patriots and equally burly ones calling going by “giants,” and inspired by bowsprite’s clarity and conciseness on the subject of balls, I thought to reflect on them myself.

British Mazel, moved here by Elizabeth McAllister,  has one white ball up high that seems to exist as a major node in the vessel’s nervous system.

A full- and a half-ball serve

the same function high atop Affinity, on the arm here of Marion Moran.

USCGC Seneca WMEC-906 sports a communication ball as well, and then some

others, including one that’s slit, serve other mission functions.

My field notes include appearance of more balls–three of them–and in unexpected places, such as these on a pleasure cat.

Explorer of the Seas has four.  Lacking bowsprite’s clarity and self-assurance, I’ll hazard a guess that ball quantity might vary directly proportional to crew size.

Ball color might relate to artistic intention, which could trigger a cease-and-desist.

Just as with the arcane rules of football, the ball code mystifies me here . . . uh . . . Artemis of Ephesus comes to mind here, or the fecund tomato plant that I’ve never had in my urban window garden?

The good folks in Detroit seem to have the right idea . . .  make them gold.  Put your local sports jersey on the statue.  I’m sure that golden “ball” perforated by golden rods here . .  is really a prolate spheroid.

I’ve failed to bring clarity to this topic, as bowsprite so artfully did.  I’ll go on with my observations and quantifications.  Spare me the entertainment and singers.  Pass the wings, please.  Lucas Oil Stadium . . . that’s along the KVK, right?

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.