Tigger, Throw The Ball To Eeyore!

I'll tell a story about playing ball with Tigger.  I was on the opening cast at the Animal Kingdom in the Jungle Book Show.  I was a puppeteer, and thusly had to be trained in the "Characters" track.  I'm
5'10", and built like a brick outhouse, so the only character that I
truly fit into was everyone's favourite donkey, Eeyore. 

Now, for those of you who have never seen the world through Eeyore's eyes, the view is alright.  You can actually see out of his eyes..and
his mouth.  But, the poor guy has no opposable thumbs.  He doesn't even
have any fingers, as a matter of fact, which makes signing autographs
rather challenging.  What is even more challenging is playing
ball...with Tigger.

So here I am...standing in the practice room/dance studio as my favourite donkey...being ho-hum, and gloomy, and "Thanks for noticin'
me..." and all.  My fellow DAK puppeteers and actors are also in training. 
They included a very bouncy Tigger and a rather gigantic "Beast". 
Tigger, being Tigger, was doing his bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy
bit, and Beast was being massive and beastly.  Suddenly I hear one of
the escort/trainers say: "Tigger...Tigger, come over here...get this
ball, and throw the ball to Eeyore."  Eeyore was very surprised.  He was
surprised as he did not know that there was to be a ball game in this
particular dance studio, and he was surprised because he DID know that
he did NOT have thumbs or fingers which which to catch a
ball.  A big red dodgeball ball, as a matter of fact.

Eeyore looks up and watches as the large red projectile sails through the air...growing larger and larger in the "eyes" of everyone's
favourite donkey.  Eeyore holds up his "flippers", which extend ALMOST
to the end of his nose.  BWAAAM!  The ball
bounces into Eeyore's nose and across the highly polished, wooden
floor.  He stands there for a moment..."flippers" still extended, then
looks over at Beast...who begins shaking up and down as if in the midst
of an eplileptic fit. 

"Oh, that's okay Eeyore.  We'll try again.  Tigger...Tigger, here's the ball.   Throw the ball to Eeyore again."  Eeyore now looks at the
trainer.  In his inability to make any noise other than the "kissing
sound", he is truly befuddled, and searches for a way to say: "FOR THE
LOVE OF GAWD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, DON'T THROW THE FREAKIN' BALL
AGAIN!!".  Eeyore looks again at Beast, who is obviously having some
kind of attack with all the shaking and snickering noises emitting from
his midsection.  "Beast...Beast, stop laughing at Eeyore!"  Eeyore
looks back at Tigger...who winds up like Nolan Ryan and sends
the red dodgeball screaming toward the donkey's head.  His flippers
come up...

"Oh, Bother..." 

BWAAAM!  Off the nose, again.  The ball bounce, bounce, bounces along the floor.  Eeyore drops his flippers,
looks at the ball, looks at Tigger (who has not stopped bouncing this whole
time), looks at the trainer, then looks at Beast...who promply almost
falls over as guffaws overtake his massive, massive-ness. 

That's okay, Eeyore...we'll try it again."  Eeyore looks at him, and then back at Beast...who is now apparently giving birth to something. 
"Beast...stop laughing at Eeyore!"  And in a muffled voice, the entire
room hears Beast say: "I CAN'T HELP IT, THAT $#*!! IS FUNNY!!"

Eeyore did not play anymore ball...