Windy Tuesday. November 23, 2010 - REPORT

As reported by Stevie Wonder: Then, slightly modified. Very windy day - enough so that some p'ballers swung at - and sometimes missed the ball by several yards. Well, it wasn't really reported that way. Anyway: eight players showed up - including long lost Claude. Here is the official attendance: Mike, Claude, Gary, Jan, Joanie, Johnny, Carol and His Leadership: Steve. They had a bunch of good games and carried on for 2-1/2 hours and were finally driven off by rain.

That's the short and sweet of it. Watching the weather.

Spike
Roving reporter

Fierce-Friday P'ball - Nov. 19, 2010

Fourteen players showed up on another beautiful SC day: Mike, Steve, Ralph, Anne, Lynne, Jan, Bob H, John, Johnny, Ray, Joanie, Gary, Sharon and Ron (Editor & exaggerator). There were lots of good matches and we carried on for over 2-1/2 hours. One problem, though. There is always ONE problem, it seems. This would be Callous Court Crossing (commonly know as the 3 C's). In this case, Gary no-nick-name walked directly through the 'kitchen' of Court One while a game was in progress. Eye- witnesses thought that perhaps Gary didn't know a match was in progress - even though the players were poised for action and one was ready to serve. But, he (the perp) did it again, this time with a telltale swagger. This flagrant disregard for P'ball Courtside Decorum, has been directed to the UPG Sanctioning Board for possible action. UPGers and cable news outlets will be informed when and if a penalty is levied.

One of the last matches of the day, and probably the finest - pitted Stevie Wonder and Gary against Spidy in a game of Canadian Doubles. An exceptional match to watch. The duo ganged up on Spidy and finally won the match 12-10. So, Spidy's undefeated record came to an end. Will he start another run?

Hope everyone has a blast at Tuesday's P'ball gathering. Have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Spike

Humpday-P'ball. Nov. 17, 2010

We were rained out on Tuesday, so played on Wednesday and had a good turnout of eleven. Spidy was 1st on the scene - push broom in hand. By the time other troops showed up, the courts were almost as dry as a bone. Players: Mike, Johnny, Carol, Steve, Jan, Anne, Catherine, Mike B, Ray, Sharon and yon editor.

 As anyone can see from these photos (some taken by Catherines Courageous), we had a beautiful day and lots of action. Sun-in-the-face and cross-court breeze added a little interest and flair to the matches. The resident red-tailed hawk that happened by gave us pause for thought; we contemplated: who among us the hawk was most interested in.

There was one match that went into "overtime", a few near shutouts and a bunch of tight matches. We all had tons of fun including yon editor who had a grumpy spell - but, recovered.

One of our players is going to host a Christmas party. Details to follow.

Also: Does anyone have access to a digital video camera? I would like to replace the demo video on this BLOG because it doesn't even closely represent the way we UPGers play the game.

We will be playing again on Friday the 19th. Same time; same place. Check your email.

NOTE: All photos, including collages can be enlarged by double clicking on them.

Spike

Needy Knees - UPG - Friday, November 12, 2010

This post is dedicated to needy knees, careworn calves and angry ankles. "Careworn" is a stretch, but go with it anyway and save yourself the trouble of looking it up. Just a suggestion. UPGers play on. It doesn't hurt (clever play on words - no?) that some of us show up for the promised cookies, then feel this compelling urge to thrust our bodies about the courts as a sort of penance for careless calorie consumption.

P'ballers present (9): Mike, Steve, Johnny, Carol,Catherine the gracious, Lynne, Ray, Sharon & Ron.

                                          Above: Stevie Wonder & Hoot. Below: Ray & Ace.

Below: Here's the $1,000,000 question. Did Stevie Wonder 1: drill the ball into the net, 2: over the net, or 3: through the net. The UPG Photo Interpreter Team (PIT) is still trying to answer that question.

Above: Photo by Catherine. Spike is trying to fly, but hasn't even reached his amazing all-time-record, personal best vertical leap height of just over 6 inches. Below: Spidy lets one fly (the ball, that is) as Cupcake looks on.

                                                                    Below: Ace in action.

Below: What it is really all about! These goodies were hand made from some natural ingredients, low in everything evil, and high in everything else and tasty, too. Thanks to Cupcake and Catherine.

We had a good day of Pickleball, which is why we show up twice a week all year long and in spite of almost all cranky weather conditions. We laugh at aches and pains, except for pains-in-the-neck. And, we play hard-core Pickleball. That's the only way to play the game.

Speaking of cranky weather: Tuesday, 11/16 may be too 'marginal' to play w/ a 90% chance of rain predicted. So, watch for the e-mail announcements. For those of you who don't look at this BLOG - why don't you go ahead and ignore this paragraph. It's not a question.

Spike

P'ball Essentials - November 9, 2010

Tuesday Pickleball. Another exciting day on the courts. Beautiful day and a good turnout of 11 players: Johnny, Carol, Gary, Mike, Ralph, Jan, Joanie, Mike B, Steve, Sharon and Ron. If there were any valid complaints about the day - sun-in-your-eyes may have been one of them. Remember your hat!!! Also, there was a what-if-a-ball-falls-out-of-your-pocket during play issue? The question is still unresolved, but the UPG Rules Committee will meet to discuss the topic at its meeting on the 5th Thurdsay of this month. Will report.

With 11 players and several quick matches, there was little down time, but we still had a few players banging away 2-1/2 hours after we started. Lots of good games as usual and tons of fun too.

We'll be playing on Friday 11/12 at 1:00PM. There will be some yummies there as well - compliments of Cupcake. Watch for the email schedule notification.

Spike
Labels by Ken
Thanks Ken. I had put in the labels, but must have messed up somewhere. (11/12/10)

WX Shortened P'ball - Friday, 11/05/2010

Eleven players showed up today including world-traveler Mike-the-lengthy, and recuperating Bob (not Hopping or Hoppy at-the-moment). Other players of equal notoriety: Steve, Jan, Carol, Johnny, Joanie, Gary, Lynne, Sharon and Ron.

We got started just like any day, that is - folks kept showing up and filling the courts. As noted above, Buckeye returned after a several week absence due to an injury he received while doing household chores. Spidy also arrived - first of the scene, actually. As we dried the court then warmed up - he gave us a little rundown of his recent travels. We commenced playing while the temperature began to drop and black clouds circled us. 

Yon Editor is having nothing but trouble with this post. It's the most miserable program I've ever worked with. So, I'll finish with this. Eventually, we had a light rain and the weather looked to pose a real threat. So, our players started drifting away. We ended up playing on one court - first a doubles match, then a game of Canadian Doubles (cutthroat) and finally a singles match with Stevie Wonder vs Spidy. I have not heard who won the singles match or if Spidy or Mr Wonder toughed it out and had a match with just one of them in attendance. We'll find out.

Pictures above: 1. Spidy & Cupcake; 2. Jan lofts a lob as Lynne stands by; 3. Dark skies move in on us;
4. Ace tries to chase down a ball - probably out of reach.

Will see you next week.
Spike

Tuesday P'ball w/ newbie - Oct 2, 2010

We had 11 players on this day including long-lost Anne and a new player - another Mike! This one: Mike B who never played P'ball before. We gave him about 10 minutes of practice and pointers, then he played his 1st match - which he won! He put on quite a few miles doing it.Welcome Mike B. Anne didn't take long to get back into her game - smoked more than a few balls - but, no one took a direct hit. Joanie - of the "lost jacket crowd" showed up with a batch of still-warm cookies which were a big hit. She also intended to retrieve a jacket that she had left behind - in a car during a recent hike. It was brought to p'ball but ended up being mistakenly taken by Jan who left a similar one in its place. The jacket my be destined just to travel about - and never be worn again by Joanie. Jan brought along her granddaughter Sophie - who liked the cookies quite a lot. She entertained herself while we entertained ourselves. Jan's daughter Kristin also stopped by for a short visit.

                                                           Above: Sophie and Jan.
Players: Jan, Joanie, Steve, Mike B, John, Gary, Sharon, Peter, Anne, Lynne and Ron.
Bright day with squirrelly winds, so no one was able to take advantage of it - except to use it as an occasional reason for flubbing the ball. The wind and sun-in-the-eyes made for some exciting matches, which -unfortunately - included a few shutouts; but they were later avenged. All in all, it was a swell p'ball day and we had barrels of fun and camaraderie. Calories, too.

Below: Joanie in action.

 Below: Clockwise from top L: Stevie Wonder, The Spinmaster, Peter and Mike B. 

Below: Clockwise from top L: Mr. Wonder and Pit Bull, Jan, yummies-by Joanie; Gary.

Note: You can enlarge any of these photos, including the collages, by left-clicking on the images.

Looks like we'll have good playing weather on Friday 11/05/10. The courts will be wet, but we'll take of that. Check your email for the Official UPG schedule announcement. Accept no substitutes.

Spike

Halloween 'Spirit' Day - P'ball 10/29/2010

OK. Here we go. First off. Please note that photos 3 & 4 below are rated PG 13. This day represented our 3rd Freaky Friday. The theme of this most festive of all days in October - being Halloween 'Spirit' day. As you will see. Players: Lynne, Steve, Peter, Gary, John, Sharon and Ron. Not playing, but present for the event was Jan. We had 66% participation in the costume/theme contest which is an all time world's record for the Timmons Park contingent of the UPG. At first it seemed that Ace (4th picture below) had 1st place in the bag; then Gary showed up facing everyone, walked by and displayed what looked like flesh on his north end. He moved into 1st place handily, dropping Ace to 2nd. Then, The Spinmaster happened by @ his patriotic best and moved into second place in the voting pushing hapless Ace to 3rd. Gary & The Spinmaster are pictured in the coveted opening picture of this episode.

Above: L-R: Spike, Peter, Cupcake, Ace, I don't know & The Spinmaster.

Above: Same crew as above except Gary and his plastic butt is pictured Unbeknownst to Gary, he is being groped by Cupcake and Ace. Dashing Jan (on R) stands innocently by.

Except for the forced group pictures above - everyone steered clear of Gary.

Above: The competition was too tough for Ace who would have 3rd place in the costume competition, if there was a 3rd place - which there wasn't. So, she didn't.

We also played pickleball. Bright and breezy. W/ 7 players - only one of whom wanted to play cutthroat - we limited play to one court. Played for 2-1/2 hours and had a good time doing it.

We'll be closely watching the weather next week for more exciting pickleball events. Check your email.

Spike

Windyball - Tue. 10/26/2010

Well, the courts were very puddled when we arrived and as each player showed up, they took to the squeegees and brooms and pushed the water off the courts in about 15 minutes. The strong, swirling wind finished the job for us as we played under cloudy skies. Top photo: Ray serving. He had one of his better outings and made many fine shots. Consequently, he turned up in the winners circle more than a few times. Photo directly above taken by Catherine: Spike (in blue) and Stevie Wonder firing on Peter and his unseen partner. Below: Through the net. Mr. Wonder & Cupcake.

Seven players were present: Ray, Steve (Stevie Wonder), Catherine, Peter, Lynne (Ace), Sharon (Cupcake) & Ron (Spike). Below: Catherine the Great does a little soft-shoe after drilling a return.

With only 7 players we played doubles on one court and when we were able to rustle up enough volunteers, we played cutthroat (Canadian Doubles) on the other court. We didn't get much rest, plus we had to fight the squirrelly winds the whole time. But, we played on and had a great time doing it.

Above: Cupcake is about to deliver a bullet. Below: Peter serves, while Ace awaits a return.

Below: Ace serving a hot one.

Pay attention to this part and watch your E-mail. We will be playing on Friday, 10/29/10. Actually, it is officially designated as Freaky Friday and will have its very own theme. It is no coincidence that the date is just 2 days before Halloween - if you are getting my drift!!! Watch for an important notification. Not reading your E-mail, not remembering, having a headache, or any other flimsy excuses will not be accepted - so, don't even think about pulling any of those clunkers out of your hat.

Spike

FridayBall - but with a 'P' - 10/22/10

Gary-no-nickname gets top billing today, because the UPG Athletic Prowess Judging Crew (APJC) ranked him as the hottest player of the day (or, at least for several matches). Gary-n-n was as hot as a firecracker. Everyone else was tied for 2nd place.

Players in action: Gary, Bob T, Johnny, John, Peter, Steve, Ray, Joanie, Catherine, Sharon & yon Editor. A story-book day greeted us and we took full advantage of it. About 65 degrees, sunny with a just-right breeze. Lots of very good games followed. Folks are playing the net more and more each week. That makes for some exciting volleys and more than a few 'player-strikes' (mostly with the ball). There was one match where the ball was kept alive for 20 or more hits - most at the net - but, the actual number can't be confirmed because both of our camera crews were taking a coffee break. Another record not broken!

As already mentioned, Catherine was on site. She was kind enough to take several photos including some of yon Editor (below L).

Looks like we'll be playing P'ball on Tue the 26th. But, always check your e-mail before galloping down to Timmons. ALSO: We will be celebrating another episode of FREAKY FRIDAY on October 29th, which just happens to be a few days before Halloween. You will receive a formal notification. But, be thinking about the day, the trophies (on back order), the glory of getting top billing, endorsements, photo shoots, fan clubs. It's beyond comprehension.

Spike

Not-so-unlucky-13 (players, that is) - Oct 19, 2010

Thirteen players were on the courts and enjoyed the sparkling, 80 degree day and some fine P'ball to boot. Stevie Wonder returned from a cruise claiming he gained 5 pounds, but he looked as svelte as ever and dashed around the court like a gazelle. Ralph was back in town too - none the worse for the wear. His game was hot. Players: Johnny, Carol, Mike, Steve, Peter, Lynne, Joanie, Charley, John, Bob T., Ralph, Sharon & Ron. As always we had scads of matches with the usual excitement and occasional debates about line calls. A few big 'almost-comebacks' were reported with considerable glee. Above: Peter and Bob T protect the 'kitchen'. Below: Cupcake is adorned with a tie-dyed shirt that she has had since 1973 when she was 9. Or, something like that. Will re-check the numbers!

Above: Fiery action everywhere - so much so, that The Shadow appeared on the scene to take photos.
Below: The courts are full of P'ballers and the balls are sailing. Another day of fun in the sun.

Other news: Spidy-the-long will be leaving us for a while. But, promises he will be back - ready to play in a week or so. He has generously left a 2-hour, hi-fi recording (at 86 decibels) of he himself saying: "I got", "You got" - so players will know when and when not to hit the ball - even in his absence. Bob Buckeye Hoppy suffered a calf injury while recklessly deadheading flowers at home. The injury is not expected to be 'career-ending'. He will be returning to P'ball soon but will not be at his customary 65 percent for another several sessions. Yuk, yuk.

See you on Friday.

Spike

Blustery P'ball - Friday, Oct. 15, 2010

Nine players were in action on this blustery, bright day: Bob T, Mike, Jan, Gary, Johnny, Lynne, Pete, Sharon & Ron. We even had a young man named Elliott who, after watching for a while, took at turn @ P'ball. It was very windy, and took considerable effort to keep balls in play. At least two hats blew off - one tumbling across the courts. Gary re-attached his and secured it with the hat cord, shirking the suggestion that he use duct tape.

We had tons of fun as we always do and plenty of exciting games as well. We are slowly getting into the swing of afternoon play. Photos attached for your viewing pleasure.

Looks like we are going to have a nice string of excellent P'ball weather, so watch for schedule announcements.

Spike