Ghost Man on First

While recently watching a baseball game I was reminded of my childhood and the ghost man rule. In case some of our un-American readers are not familiar with the ghost man rule, I will take a moment to explain how we used it in my neighborhood.
I ran with a crew of maybe three to four other boys. Not really enough to field a baseball team, let alone two opposing teams. So when one lucky kid scores a base hit and is called back to bat before making it around the diamond, you could enact the ghost man rule, effectively allowing you to get off base without being out. Why does this not still work?
Imagine standing in line waiting to get the newest game console, cell phone, or a chance to audition on American Idol and you have to go to the bathroom. Or eat. Or not be a loser. If you could just call ghost man lines would almost be obsolete.
Or my personal favorite, calling ghost man at work. Maybe you are at work but there is something more important that you would rather be doing, like your taxes or research for your new website that rates how fast different brands of paint dry. Ghost man!
Maybe you are having a conversation that you don't necessarily want to be having (or reading a really boring blog, nah). . . you got it, ghost man.
Really, if you think about it, it can be applied to almost any facet of life like a get out of jail free card. Even as a get out of jail free card. "Yes judge, I would like to call a ghost man to serve that sentence for me" See, a perfectly applicable skill obtained in our youth. . .

E.Garrett McMillan