Dog Day Afternoons

Last weekends turnout was fantastic, starting on Friday and continuing through out the weekend. The humidity was very oppressive and relentless however. Sunday saw the return of Ken who seems have recovered to from his hamstring injury quickly and played well. Todd, Walter, Loi, Victor, Kevin, Marin, Chad, Laura and Chris were in attendance at various points during the weekend along with both Joe's, even John Murphy and Jose both made showings. Great doubles action on two courts & sometimes three for most of the weekend. That is over fourteen teen people including myself and I might have left a few out. Good exercise and tennis & fun for all.
Tuesday Night Smack Down
Toad & Little Joe vs. Loi & Z (4-6, 6-0, 6-1, 6-3)
Talk about opening a can of whoop-ass… I am not sure that phrase captures what transpired in the last three sets! Toad spent most of the first set teaching Joe how to hit forehands and serves properly so it was too late for them to come back from the first set 3-0 deficit. Although they fought like hell and almost did.
In the first game of the second set Z sat a volley up near the net and the Toad man blew Zeke’s face off at the net with the return. This along with Todd’s great serving & incredible volleying, plus Joe ripping angled winners off good serves and making incredible gets and hitting aces set the tone for the next three sets. They were both on and all we could do was look on in wild wonder! Thank God for Coors light to ease the bruising.

How much beer is consumed during the average Winnekenni tennis season ?

Which would be more beer than at the Oktoberfest in Munich Germany ....Alex!

Haverhill City Open Championships.

What can one say about city tournament? Todd and Ken destroyed each other in a close three rounder with 15-20 shot ground stroke rallies. Ken won in the end but paid a high price by popping a hamstring and having to default in the second game of the second set to Ray the next day. Little Joe played well against Chad who just had too much firepower and skill plus equaled his speed. The Palm Beach Florida pro who was teaching down the Cape turned out to be a joke! (Ray called it beforehand!) And I definitely can not hang with twenty one year old Bentley singles players, especially lefties.

Toad and Dave did make it to the doubles finals by taking out Peter Lynch and Steve Iola in a hard fought match. They then made a really good showing against Ray Reed & Randall Seabrook 6-3, 6-4 in a match I thought should have gone on to a third set. At least we all played both singles and doubles and supported the Haverhill Tournament. This by the way is helping to pay for the badly needed resurfacing of the courts in mid August.

Ray Reed both Haverhill Singles & Doubles Champion was too cool for school and true to his word! He played with us on Saturday for several hours (seven plus sets) sprang for a twelve pack which made a total of well over thirty plus beers counting Jose’s 211’s. The tennis had its moments but was more about that machismo inner city street ball mindset. Instead of hoops and b-balls it was racquet's and tennis balls. After 10 hours of tennis this boy was beat and doing the duffle bag drag!

Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Rafael Nadal Soveriegn of the French clay!

Rafa with the blood and fire of conquistadors of old demolished undoubtedly the very best hard and grass court player that ever lived, Roger Federer at the French Open 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Vamos Rafa!

Caliente or hot, extremely hot down the Basin this weekend. It had to be over 100 degrees on the hard courts and good hydration was key well before play. Walter (70) and Loi (54) played a set of singles in between double matches. Saturday was the hottest of the two days but we had a good turn out in any case. Loi, Walter, Victor and Little Joe had play well under way by the time I arrived around 11 AM. I played a few matches which are currently a blur in my mind. All I remember is winning twice with Loi in some close matches and Little Joe was playing extremely well and could not hit a shot wrong. I believe Ken and I lost to Joe and Walt two sets.

Sunday was a bit more humid but also had a breeze off the lake which acted like a natural A/C. I had played at Cedardale and got in on the last three matches. Vic & Joe C. took on Little Joe and me for a first set 6-1 victory. However by the time the second set was done Z & and Joe pulled out a 6-4 win and Victor was too hot to play the third (rubber) set. Joe and Z. then proceeded to take on Master Loi and Joe C. and nearly blew a 5-1 lead before Z served it out for the 7-5 win. The City Open singles tournament begins this Saturday.

Apparently Marin did not like the movie Borat and did not find it humorous at all. At least Polack’s can take a good joke!

The Fall of the King of Kenzoa.

Ken & Joe vs. Todd & Victor 6-4, 6-0
The air was heavy with pre-match betting reminiscence of the Davydenko fiasco. All the odds and betting was heavily in favor of Ken & Joe who were 20 to 1 favorites by the time the premier match of the day started. The match was pretty much even halfway through the first set and I was one of the few that thought Todd & Vic would pull out the victory with their solid doubles techniques. Somehow things turned ugly very quickly and first set fell too fast for them to recover. Some say it was net play and volleys, some say that Joe had a horseshoe up his arse. The second set turned out to be a total let down for the King of Kenoza he seemed demoralized and turned back into a Toadman by the end. I say it was all the rotor tilling of the front lawn and yard work performed. He did bravely play on and defeated "The Flash" Little Joe in a grueling 6-6 (7-2) post singles match. The doubles match will be investigated by the Haverhill Parks Department for possible tampering.
Loi & Zeke vs. Walter & Marin 6-4
Walter and Marin (Borat) seemed like they would cruise to the winners circle in this one but somehow without a backhand Z with the help of Master Loi pulled out the win even with Marin hitting his opponents with several balls between points. He (Borat) said he was going to wrestle his bear naked afterwards. Walter played his solid game as usual but could not over come his partners crazy eastern European style of play. Walt is a seventy years old and kicks thirty and forty year old guys asses in both singles and doubles, amazing!
In earlier round play Peter Lynch brought his solid doubles skills back to the courts he was brought up on. And Ken & Victor shined in a 6-4, 6-0 trashing of Z & Joe.
In the last match of the day, post pizza & beer...Zeke & Loi (Yoda) defeated Kayak Kevin & Joe 6-4. Which was a tiring and hard fought battle in the sun. A good time had by all!

Memorial Day! Duty, Honor & Country! Plus some Tennis.

This weekend is dedicated to all veteran's especially those serving in Iraq and those past and present some with us and some are not who gave of themselves to serve our great nation and other nations for the sake of freedom for all peoples. An unspoken bond of understanding resides in us all.
In order of age our present veteran members include Walter P. (U.S. Army Korea) Loi N. (South Vietnam Forces) Jack S. (U.S. Marines), and Rich Z. (U.S. Army). More to follow.... about tennis tomorrow.
I believe the Beatles had a song titled "Tomorrow never comes." Well it is the day after tomorrow and there was a lot of action down at the Basin Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday was a late start because of the early rain but saw some good action. We almost had a full crew with two courts going with doubles action. Sunday Master (Yoda) Loi was a little off but still won with Zekes consistent play and service game 6-4, 6-2 against Walter and Kevin I believe. Than I went to Cedardale to watch some good men's USTA matches have a burger and some brews while cheering on some friends. I returned to the basin by three o'clock but had to coax Kevin into playing with a twelve pack of Corona. I believe Loi & Kevin squeaked a 6-4 victory over Zeke and little Joe but no one really cared to much as a good time was had by all. I did managed to hold out on buying pretzels however which Kevin tried to barter out of me also for playing. John from WA. also made his annual summer appearance and Victor is back from PA. and in good form. Linda M. from Cedardale stopped by to practice some ground strokes and played in a match with Z. against MasterLoi and Hotdog Harry who prevailed 6-2. All's I can say it was a weekend with too many barbecues and too many beers.

Buddha’s B-Day, Walter delivers & the Return of Ken

This beautiful Sunday saw the long anticipated return of Kenneth P. 2006 Haverhill City singles champion. The action and level of play definitely rose to the occasion. Jack also made his first appearance at Basin since last year and vowed that he would never make his bed again. The cast of characters also included the Toad man, Smithy, Mr. Little Joe, Joe C., Christian, and me Zeke. This left us with nine but we rotated out and everyone saw enough play. Todd’s brother John and girlfriend also showed for some practice on court three.
Walter & Loi vs. Ken & Zeke (7-5) Walter delivers!
This match made the AARP proud. What can I say when Walt & Loi are on they are a formidable team that never gives up. Ken and Z. cruised out to an early 3-0 lead but let up a bit and that was enough for the Mailman and Master Loi to regain the breaks. With a combined age of around 125 years they ran their arses off and base lined, hit passing shots and lobed themselves to a hard fought victory. With the momentum gained they cruised to an easier 6-3 second set. Walter also took down the 4.0+ Toad man in the next match while Zeke and his guitar sang a sad song of tennis wow on the bench. Walter by far was definitely the player of the day.

Buddha’s birthday a day of peace, love and compassion was a bit marred by a mentally ill man deciding to come on the courts to interrupt play. He did not take kindly to being strongly ejected from the courts and heckled us for a bit. But water finds its own level and him and Joe C. developed a bond of mutual admiration and exchanged phone numbers to party together.

Mothers Day Miracles & Jesus Sandals

Some say that Mothers Day is just a practice run for Fathers Day which is usually the weekend of the Haverhill City Open Championships held at Winnekenni Basin. But I would have to disagree. I have seen quite a number of extraordinary things happen on Mothers Day such as the birth of my son for example. But to every one's amazement on Sunday May 11^th, septuagenarian Walter (The Mailman) appeared for first time and then lo and behold Kevin’s (Smitty) car appeared at the courts. All matches were well under way and we hoped he had brought more beer since it was well after noon. He had not played since the winter and was on the disabled list along with Jack who threw his back out while making his bed on the first day of the season (Marines). Kevin suffers from feet and joint problems however and had taken to wearing Jesus sandals and baptizing converts in the basin. First a racquet appeared from his car door and immediately the Toadman yelled out “I am not stringing that racquet!....wait he has a bag....and is he wearing sneakers?” Kev came to play and play well he did. He was the last person off the courts that Sunday and even hit with Little Joe after the matches where over.

Of course there is a price to pay for everything and by the 16-4 Tuesday trashing of Toad & Zeke by Master Loi & Mr. Little Joe, Kevin was back to the sandals, making beer runs and heckling the players. This in no way helped the Toad & Zeke's plight and embarrassment. Victor still remains on vacation in PA.

May Day Tennis 05/01/08

Victor G. and Little Joe vs. Master Loi & Z. (6-4, 6-1)

A bit chilly Thursday Eve. Holding serve was key in these matches with a lot of early breaks. The first set the tone and momentum for the second set for the 6-1 win. Severing at 5-1 Z. pulled out some tough fought and long points for a 40-0 walk off win. Loi 's quick handed volleys and put aways at the net were key.

The next match involved Victor and Loi vs. The Semi Pro 5.5 level Toadman and The Flash Little Joe. It was ugly with Joe and Toad losing 6-3 . Toadmans level has dropped at Winnekenni to a very high 3.o, 3.6 perhaps. Hopefully Saturday will be playable. Sunday looks like a wash, we will see and there is always Cedardale.

For people on Plaxo or AIM the link to this website is: http://winnetennis.blogspot.com/

Endless Tennis....Thurs, Fri., Sat.

Team Asia (14,12) versus Team U.S.A.

In a sheer battle of wills some how team Asia, Loi & Hot Dog Harry (Master Yoda & Tiger Chan) pulled off a 14 to 12 exhausting win over Rich & Little Joe (The Warsaw Pack). After an hour and twenty Joe & Z. broke first and were serving for the match at 7-6 and had three additional chances before being broken at 12 all. Master Loi's consistent service game finally pulled it out for team Asia before 911 was called to the scene.

Paul M. and Maria stopped by socialize and watch exciting Corona fueled matches (payoff for racquet's strung) between the Toadman & Z. vs. Victor & Little Joe. All I will say about these two is that they definitely are not sanctioned, but they where worth all the laughs enjoyed. The Player of the Week hands down was Little Joe the "Flash" for running down 5 to 8 winners and turning them into defensive winning shots! The 2008 season is now officially open.