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PAGE 4 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19. 1995 But one spring of a very good year, a bunch of us decided to have flick to the finish, each taking on an opponent in progressive elimiâ€" nation rounds to finally declare the true champion. The Bear sruffed that he had nothing to gain and everything to lose; we agreed with him and told him to put up or shut up. Ego slightly larger than his air of superionity, he agreed. Strict rules though, no round corners (easier leaners), no crappy Post Cereal cutâ€"out cards (they were light but cartâ€"wheeled better and didn‘t bounce off the wall as hard) and double or nothing on tiesies, leave the omginals where they landed. For my part, I spent most of my campaign working up to the heavyweight title, knocking off the insignificants and the bully pretenders who‘d prey on the rich but hapless flickers with great cards but no talent. Every once in a while, I‘d amble over and take on "the Bear" just to show I wasn‘t afraid to get blood on my uniâ€" form â€" usually it happened after a sizable winning streak when my pockets were bulging with dispensable doubles. Predictably, the Bear waltzed through four rounds, eating bananas, talking to the crowd, twisting those ridiculous golden bangs with hus fingers between flicks. Me, I also sidelined four foes, including one who tmed to slip in a Post cutout Vada Pinson pretender, the nerve. That meant of course, The Ricker and The Bear in the final. Big crowd, lunch hour, the showdown at high noon. Wish I could relate some high drama. But alas, The Bear prevailed in a tough, long battle. Of some consolation, he put his banana in his back pocket, talked to no one, and never once twisted his bangs. All It was the closie code of conduct, in its most honorable form POGers know what I‘m talking ‘bout. POG heaven is very closie to my heart I remember | could hardly wait to get out for recess. I was among the top three or four at our public school at closies, and had the deck to prove it. However, my nemesis was Larry Bearinger, who, in a typical fit of nonchalance, could dust virtually any oppoâ€" nent without ever giving the impression he was breaking a sweat It was nothing for "the Bear" to dispatch five or six challengers in a 15â€"minute recess, usually while yakking to the crowd that always gathered to watch. was a heste The ultimate, in ither victory or defeat, would come when an expertly thrown card would not fall flat, but angle against the wall as a leaner. Artgh. Unbeatable. The most you could hope for then For what it is worth, I have gained virtual cult hero status with our boys and others in the neighborhood. Not because I play the POG game well, but because (serious sorts, cover your ears), I can imitate the commercial chant from YTV that has made the game so colossally popular *Poâ€"poâ€"po, poâ€"pâ€"POG,, pâ€"pâ€"pâ€"POGâ€"POGâ€"POG, POGâ€"pâ€"POG * What makes this game the subject of the day is that watching kuds‘ fasernation with it reminds me of a card game we played in our own vouth at school. Clostes. _ I‘m sure any of you who watched Leave It To Beaver and Andy Gniffiths in their omginal form knows what I‘m talking about Sports cards, entertainment cards, you‘d bring your pack to school and at recess and lunch, you‘d find a piece of school wall, take 10 paces back, and flick away to your heart‘s content. Or, discontent, if your competitor got his or her card closer to the wall, and thereâ€" fore seooped your‘s. Those of us with children have been introduced in the past few months to a phenomenon known as, uh, POGs. We have YTV, school yard recess, and a teacher in Hawaii to blame. Or thank. Whichever The game, almost too simple to explain, involves a group of playâ€" ers with decorated POGs (many say similar to oldâ€"fashioned milk bottle caps) ranging from sports images, to adventure scenes, to famous movies. There is also a master POG, known by most kids as the "hitter" or "slammer" that players use to slam a stack of regular POGs. All those that land face down go to the player While many kids play "funsies" where you retain your POGs at game‘s end, others play "keepsies" and roam the range at recess, devouring the lesser lights. Waterioo Chronicle Canadian Publicatons Mail Sales Product Agreement #136379 Published every Wednesday by The Faurway Group 215 Fairway Rd. S., Kitchener, Ont. 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