Another close mahut contested all the way through as the Inser format designed to do. I felt strong during warm ups and expected to bring that in to the Mahut, but once the action started I started making errors, some forced by the strong play of Gorman and some unforced...the unforced errors were frustrating and I almost lost my cool. Gorman brought his strong serve tonite and I think he aced me at least 3 times, maybe 4. My serve was better than normal which helped me pull through to grab the Mahut 9-6.
Wednesday October 3rd was a beautiful night and the conditions were ripe for what would surely be a memorable Mahut.
I showed up a few minutes late tying my headband on as I walked up…gorman was already on the court hammering first serves… I could hear the ball smashing off the racquet and knew that he was going to come after me tonight…I have to say I was a little nervous as I walked past him and saw the look in his eye…ya know, he just had that look, like a tiger eying his prey as he peered at me through the windscreen covered fence.
We warmed up for about 15 minutes and then we did the spin, of course gorman wins again…I really think he has some kind of Jedi trick he is using…I just can’t figure it out.
Gorman was true to the form I saw as I walked up and served amazing hitting 5 or 6 aces, at one point I though to myself and I think I said aloud that he was serving like Sampras…if I had to guess he hit at least one or 2 serves at 115-120 mph minimum…but his aces were unfortunately cancelled out by the double faults, I think he hit at least 5 or 6 doubles as well, which had to be frustrating.
I felt good, I didn’t play my normal weekend match so I was itching to play and have a good night. I was able to control my serve well and my ground strokes were solid. I felt like I was on track for a good night.
In the first 5 games we were 3 and 2 in my favor. At one point during this phase of the Mahut Gorman struck a near perfect forehand which I lunged for…as I lunged for the ball it ticked slightly off my racquet then hit the fence behind me and as I looked back the ball bounced off on of the posts and hit me in the chin – I literally took it on the chin, but shook it off. I have an iron jaw I said letting gorman know I was not hurt by this.
The first 5 games were back and forth but then I went on a little bit of a roll and won the next 4 games in a row and eventually the 5th as well…this was simply too much for gorman to handle…something had to give!
What I witnessed next was an epic gorman meltdown complete with balls being fired over the fence, racquets being thrown and the very rare “stomping of the racquet”…this is how the stomp works…after having lost the game, the disgruntled player heads towards the net trying to decide if he should or shouldn’t stomp, once the internal green light is given the racquet is thrown at the net, after the bounce off the net the racquet is then kicked, at least once and usually twice, once the racquet comes to a stop from the kick the final stomp of the racquet is given…the point of the stomp is to hopefully leave a mark on the court from the battered racquet, because as we all know it’s always the racquets fault…if no mark then one more stomp may be necessary to complete the task…Gorman took 2 stomps…the stomps had tremendous force and seemed to be intended to break the racquet, but the racquet survived.
As I sat down next to gorman following the stomp, I really thought we might hear the expletive heard round the world…this is a loud, really loud, almost primal scream of the f word. Gorman restrained himself and it didn’t happen…I think the only reason I (and the rest of the world) didn’t hear this primal scream was because my 10 yr old son was also on the court that night, gorman knew this and didn’t want to harm the young man or his tennis team mates.
I couldn’t help but laugh a little realizing I have been in the same frame of mind many times in the past, I knew his pain, its not a place you want to be on the tennis court unless of course you are Johnny Mac and can somehow use it to your advantage…I sensed his pain and did my best to change the subject and allow gorman to shift his focus back to the business at hand, which he was able to do.
Gorman recovers and rights himself as he usually does and was able to take 3 of the last 5 games. The Mahut ended with a final score of 10-5. A great night of tennis and one that I will fondly remember as the night of “The Stomp”!
The internal green light is the curse of tennis. Allowing me, justified and rightous, to completly lose my cool. A silent and deliberate changeover usually quells the insanity, but the disappointment lingers. Aaahhhhh!!!!!!...Keck will take quick advantage of your mental weakness and rip off 6 games before you can gather your bearings. It's alot to consider. Had some big serves and big double faults. Failed to put away a few put aways. It all added up to a pcr tie and a good workout. My racquet impressively withstood an internal green light onslaught and Keck performed as expected, with a better-that-usual-serve. Mahut!!!
>>>heard bv beat jv in the cold yesterday morning. 9-6 bv. evidently it could have been worse for joe, but he battled back. no updates or specifics at this point and i'm not sure where that puts them in their isner match either. thinking of ways to avoid a roddick this week. hopefully, spur, tx has a tennis court. (wher're you from bud?...I'm from spur.)>>>
...it was windy. And windscreens were not a feature of the tennis courts in spur, Texas. Avoiding large rocks, glass, pavement, a severely sagging net, and massive stickers, I was able to win a 9-6 Mahut over Keck in a west Texas showdown. Impressively, we kept to our initial tennis instincts and played the early Mahut, shaking off the aftereffects of a raucous Friday night. The conditions were extreme and too numerous to fully mention, the turnstile entrance was little used. I jumped to a 4-1 lead, taking advantage of several west Texas bounces that went my way. The short net was a huge advantage for me as I pulled the trigger slightly earlier and adjusted the angle. Fought back from at least four or five break points. Continued the onslaught as Keck was wounded in the thumb by a sharp sticker. His anger was tempered by the uniqueness of the match, but he lamented his missed opportunities. 9-6 win. We shook and met the superintendent of the spur isd, who had just driven up. 'You getting some good bounces?'. He went on to confirm Keck's guess of 30 years of neglect. It was a tremendous Mahut. 28-47, and playing well above pcr in I9.
We hit the court around dusk, just before 7:00. The day had been very windy as a front had moved through and I thought we might be playing in the West TX Wind again, but the night air turned still and had a hint of humidity.
Neither of us had remembered to bring fresh balls so we were hitting with duds which had us both a little off our game having to lunge and adjust timing to compensate for the lifeless balls…despite this I felt good and could tell Mr. Gorman was ready to cash in on his previous win.
We spin the racquet, my call this time, I call down and it is up…again Gorman wins. He serves first and last, a big advantage in the Isner format.
We started under the lights and both got off to a good start. No breaks in the first few games, we were both playing well and Gorman’s serve was on. I was able to break in the 6th game though and went up 4-2. A nice feeling since his serve was strong again tonight.
The bugs were crazy…we had crickets, green fly like things and hundreds of these little black bettle things everywhere…they were a little distracting but we both Isner’d up.
Gorman had indeed come to play tonight and was able to hold me off every time I felt like I might make a move…I was having a tough time handling his serve, especially the flat one wide to my backhand…I don’t know if it was the balls, the humid air or just the speed of his serves but I kept banging the ball of the frame and was starting to get pretty frustrated…we were at 5-3 now and I told Gorman that I think my run of dominance was coming to end, like the phases of the moon, for some reason I felt like I was about to go dark. Gorman had the momentum, he was feeling strong…I had to push myself. Gorman is smart though and realized this was my attempt at a jedi mind trick, similar to what the Vita boys from McKinney use as a part of their game plan…he had seen it before and didn’t give it a second thought.
Gorman pushes on and continues his great serving. We continue to go back and forth holding serve, I’m telling myself just don’t let him break you, you have the lead, don’t blow it! The score goes back on forth on serve and somehow I am able to grab one more break to get to 9-5 me with Gorman serving last…Gorman’s serve hold up one more time and the Mahut comes to an end at 9-6 me.
left the coffee pot on this morning and i'm enjoying a cup as i write, only twenty minutes after the conclusion of the 7th mahut of our 9th isner match. on this windy, sunny, late october morning, the air was cool but humid. sweat poured out of me like raindrops as i earned a rare win over the keck. 9-6. joe vita had pulled a roddick and keck wanted a weekend match. he had scored a 9-6 win the previous wednesday, as noted in this very mahut logbook, but held a lingering doubt in his mind regarding his game. something about the moon. i shook it off as rubbish and reminded him of his recent 14-1 mahut win and his 70-32 isner win over me in isner8, which came after my best ever effort of 36-70 in isner7--when i officially became half the player of keck. anyway, he was anxious to reverse his eternal moon and we scheduled a 8 a.m. match. we opened a fresh can and began to warm up. keck had a new look and i couldn't put my finger on it until he reminded me of his costume party exploits. the kecks were a western couple and keck had trimmed his beard into a fantastic old-west shape, which highlighted the mustache. it was cool. the warm ups, as they always do, featured smooth swings and solid connections. keck spun, i called down, it was up, keck served first.
the humidity hit me right away. keck scored an easy win in game one on four straight points. now, this next part was a complete accident and i continue to have remorse. as i was taking serves, keck was walking into position unaware and i clocked a huge practice serve that hit the side of his racquet and knocked him in the face. not really a cheap shot because i had no intentions of hitting him, but an unforunate wrong-place-wrong-time thing. he shook it off, testing for blood a couple of times, and immediatly he took the first point of my first service game. the first 5 points of the mahut! he glared at me and i knew i had to win this game. after 4 deuces, i did win the game and, at 1-1, the mahut was on. mahut! we battled and battled, keck breaking serve twice and me breaking once. we stood at 3-5 keck when i asked God to help me control my tennis anger. not only did He remove my tennis anger, He seemed to heap it all on keck. he began igniting explosion after explosion of tennis anger, highlighted by the destruction of a heavy utily-grade electrical box that housed on/off switches of the court lights. it was early. no one was there and the echo of the noise lingered. the rest of the match was a blur, but i won 6 straight games before keck took the last one to make it 9-6. i definately had excellent kramarian touch and hit several ridiculous drop shots. serve was reliable. keck lamented his loss and commented on a drawing board, but he was proud of me in an odd way and his last words were...'nice mahut.'......43-62...big match coming up...
pulled a roddick on keck due to a conflicting engagement. just as well. some sort of foot tendon is giving me a small amnount of discomfort and keck is busy with his drawing board. addionally, the weather is turning cold and the wind has picked up. preparing for cool and cold tennis.
the fragility of the aging body speaks through pain. weirdly, having two sources of pain seems a better balance. mind confusion, i guess. my back pain and heel pain were balanced as i walked on the court to continue my greatest isner match to date. i had fought to 43-62 in isner9 against keck, already far eclipsing my previous best of 36 by seven games. i had won the last 2 out of 3 mahuts and keck was questioning his game. but it had taken it's toll. in addition to the heel pain and back pain, i had tweaked my elbow trying some far-eastern stretching motion to soothe a large painful back muscle. it had not worked. regardless, i was excited for the mahut and held out hope that i could extend the match another week. it would take another mahut win as keck was only 8 games from victory. keck disputed the intitial racquet spin. something about me looking. i reluctantly agreed to respin and won again. keck broke me right away, hammered his serve early, and broke me again to go 0-3. after 2 more games, i finally broke through after keck popped a string, and won a couple to make it 2-5. with a moulette out of reach and 45 games in the bag, the pain got the best of me, along with keck's sharp game, and he wrapped up isner9 70-45. Keck's temporary half moon game came back to full moon status. reports of a 14-1 mahut win over joe vita bringing them to 26-4 support his game's renewal. perhaps he's been inspired by the junior keck's impressive tournament results. i don't know. as for me, isner9 proved a triumph--my body held up despite the pains and my game has never been better. mahut!!
...this won't take long. Only 2 weeks from losing my best isner match to date and my game is in the ditch. Began isner ten versus Keck with a 2-13 humiliation. The details are not important. It was mostly Keck, but I contributed plenty of horrid play. Playing on black Friday. Dang.
the second 30 game round robin mahut invoving 4 players was played a couple weeks ago at the eagles landing tennis complex. the outcome, an overwhelming victory for keck, is less important than the exciting vicories and numerous tradgedies. it all amounted to a exhausive workout and a true test for each player involved. On a cool night, bv's knee locked up as he won the final game of our mahut to go 4-6 and secure second place for his brother. he isnered up for sure. the man has shots. jv's second place victory, despite 2 mahut losses, was highlighted by a dismantling of his brother's game in their match. my one mahut loss was a 2-8 smashing by keck. he really played good. a down-the-line one handed backhand was especially memorable. his tennis moon could be rising. i'm currently on a 6-29 pace in our last 35 games, which translates to about a 15-70 isner destruction. however, i did battle keck to fight off a virtual corpse, which is going 15-0 against two players in a round robin. the moulette would count against the first losing player. both losing players would be charged with a virtual corpse loss. he was up 40-15, and serving. i knew this moment was important. keck mouletted bv and had started 4-0 against me. 15-0 would represent notorious failure. for myself and bv. on each of the next service returns, the ball zipped off my racquet. my prue swing was unleashed. a forhand cross court spinner that rung the left fence to make it 30-40, and a deep forhand return to the middle that made it deuce. the point that made it my advantage was a backhand stab shot that floated over the net for an easy dropshot winner. keck cursed and wailed. the virtual corpse was not to transpire. the final point of the game was a long contested back and forth that ended when i rushed the net and put away an unrestrained jumping forehand at midcourt. the burden was lifted. although he went on to win the 10 game mahut 8-2 in a drubbing. he also defeated jv 6-4 to go 24-6 and validate his status. jv won 16, myself 14, and bill 6. in the end, there were 60 wins and 60 losses divided among all players. keck had the most wins, bill had the most losses and bv bailed out his brother again. the vita brothers are tight. thick blood and alive. like mary anne. and senior. saved and painless now. we talked texico and kudlow and rodeo at the drafthouse. i finally have an agent. 2 english beers owed keck for isner9. the round robin is a tremendous format and a kaizenian improvement to the forward development of tennis culture.
six hundred dollars of american economy celebrations, a musical recording of left brain maniacs, and another convincing mahut defeat to keck 3-12. so went my thanksgiving friday. it was a glorious day, not the black day everyone was predicting. the wind was way up--even the huge trees of eagles landing didn't help. the fences are equipped with some sort of plastic rod that slides all the way down through the chain link. there are tens of thousands of these and every time a ball hits teh fence, a loud clank rings out. the sound of an ace or a winner is sweet music. honestly, i think the mesh windscreens are better, but they are prone to making distracting whisteling noises and they are certainly less durable.
Keck went on a 5-0 start, despite my service advantage, i then struggle back to go 3-2 over the next five and felt i had some momentum. the next two games were highly contested and could have gone either way, the eleventh game lasted through seven dueces. the twelth broke me and my serve after being up 30 love. Keck went on to win the remaining games as my desperation tactics didn't have an effect. his forehand was huge, he served well, and he even showed up at net. he told me of the smoke out jerry campaign and enterprise. the red eyes coming out of a bonfire. the tee shirt. tha actual bonfire, where people are charged five dollars the throw a piece of cowboy merchandise onto a collective fire. maybe the ball park in arlington could host it. a fire right in the middle of the field next door to the death star. on just the right day, we could actually smoke them out. he'd likely close the roof and turn on some sort of ventilator device. then he'd call his lawyers. i told him i'd partcipipate.
>>>what is it with jerry, anyway? ok so you were a slick cat in the eighties who was the best oilman amoung oilman. congratulations and way to be. i believe the move to arlington was a good one and the builing is nice i hear. it is impressive on tv, but i live in collin county. you've had a tremendous career. the nfl itself has you to thank for corporate leadership. nike, miller beer, papa johns, verizon, arkansas mike's trailer hitches, dr golden's face replacements, and the safari bar all have you to thank for increasing thier business success. let's sit and have a drink together and consider the performance of our current long standing general manager. we'll find a small table in the back. maybe a booth. we'll talk it out you and me. it's time. alright. if we talked we would agree it's time. stephen i love, but his leadership is queationable for letting this situation go on to long. jerry, you agree of course, your oldest son should have intervened. we wasted the parcell years by following it with the wade years. garrett has not enough respect from the players. they think he's smart and all. he was even a player. he makes so much sense. but he ain't cutting nobody. he's just the coach. so look for the smokeout, the fans have to take control. the media is paid for, obviously. they all benefit from the jerry show. where have all the journalists gone? the old sportwriters. blackie, luska, galloway, bayless. ask some real questions. here's one i'll write for you free of charge---"jerry, when is the general manager getting fired (can also use: terminated, let go, retired, evolved, redeployed, repurposed, exiled).
cold tennis coming up, likely a roddick or two to come. although i broke through the two game barrier for the first time in 3 mahut's, 3-12 never feels good and an examination of my game is needed. i did play better, maybe i'm getting out of my funk.
back on the isner map with a 7-8 loss to keck, making it 12-33 in isner10. assuming a .5 pcr with keck, which could be a bit gernerous even with my 45 games in isner9, keck and i have played 990 total games usilizing the isner scoring method. this excludes exhibitions, round robins, and doubles matches. some were 10 game mahut format, some were the more modern 15 game format. at least 50 to 60 were played vintage and to date i have won 330 games and keck has won 660. our games have improved. i can proclaim for myself and keck on this matter. his avoidance of unforced errors is his trademark and foundation for success. a precise game and a habit of execution. a bit weaker under the lights and in the wind. prone to tennis anger, but has it under control. as for me, improvement is undeniable with a more diverisfied serve and reduction of unforced errors. mental wandering is main opportunity for improvement. also, breathing during points at a steady pace. and sitting during changeovers and having a drink of water. and controling tennis anger with prayer. and stretching my plantar fascia tendon. and and and. played more fluid last night. if i'm going down, i'm gonna unleash at least....unleash at least....unleash at least....unleash at least....da da da doo dah da dee da...
...december 1st didn't produce it's usual weather conitions. it was almost balmy, a bit windy, and reminded me more of an early march day. but it was december and i had a mahut scheduled with chuck cernosek, otherwise known as big cat. i've known chuck for almost twenty years and never knew of his tennis pursuits. on an encouraging note for the tennis resurgence that is currently simmering in america, both frisco high schools we tried were packed full of yuutts. we ventured over to the stonebridge beach courts and found an accomodating and peaceful court. the beach courts are protected additionally by a huge dam on the southside to protect against the feirce spring/summer southern winds. Huge trees line the courts and the windscreens are of the best quality. roughly 25 years ago i had hung the first windsreens on these very courts and have a verbal agreement from the former, and first, head tennis professional that allows me lifetime access to the courts. at the time is was courts 1-4, 5-8 were added many years later. in summary, court 7 at stonebridge tennis club is nice. big cat was anxious. he said it had been awhile and despite maintaining a rigerous workout regimine, he felt he needed the type of workout only tennis can produce. i sent him isner scoring method information prior so he was familiar with the rules. after a very quick warmup, we started in. big cat moved in quick and abrupt movements. he gave no thought to injury or failure. however, i found more good shots than he did this day and the score ended 15-0. he has a jimmy conners flat serve that is tough when he gets it in, but the second serve is usually target practice time. his shots improved greatly through the match with a signature big cat moment at the net. he had three points to prevent the 0-15 result but i steadied my game. also, on a footnote, this was the first recorded corpse in isner tennis culture. of course, any corpse is alos accompanied by a moulette as well. it is very doutful i'll repeat this level against big cat again. he was gracious in defeat, but fire was shallow below the surface. likely, the longhorn loss to kansas state that night held less importance. probably, images of missed opportunities and successful execution peppered his waking thoughts. i suggested backboard time and the continuation of our isner match to 70...also, stretching the achillies tendon to avoid a plantar facsia injury. the big cat on the loose...mahut!...
my mind's betrayal of my tennis game is infuriating. either occupied with thoughts of coming misery or victory or regrets of missed opportuinties and alternate outcomes. keck's 13-2 victory in the fourth mahut of isner10 makes it 46-14 as he has elevated his level of play. sustaining this level is yet to be seen, but his service performance this day was nothing short of spectacular. my strategy of exploiting his second serve was completely netrilized by his ability to hit his first serve. increased pace and flatness has created a huge weapon for keck and must be matched by a specific improvement in my game if i am to maintain pcr momentum. keck is in top form. my ground strokes were sound and my net game has improved. eliminating double faults is a must and increased court speed is needed. the reduction of myself by 30 lbs could help. eat the caveman way, give it two weeks, drionk tons of water and i'm on my way. this action will increase my stamina, allowing me to maintain my workout and tennis schedule to it's fullest potential and get me in a musical performance frame of mind. my joints will benefit, my tennis (and golf) game will improve, my wife will dig my chili, my spirit will glow, and, perhaps, my pcr will return from the deep. keck the maximizer, keck the undertaker, keck the detroyer, keck the punk. it is discouraging, but i started out so well. it is with me and my own mind. it is with my decisions. it is with my efforts. that is all i can control. keck is on another level.
pg>...big cat checked in with a roddick for our saturday morning match. something 'bout a heavy heart. cat's got game if he can get habitual. isner scoring method suits his needs very well. we are in a match to 70 and that was the deal going in. committed. this will encourage a continuation of play. i'll remind him of the 2 roddick limit per isner match next time i see him. also, the cold weather coming up will require some cancellations as well. he commented on spring in his roddick communication so i believe he has some sort of tennis funk. it's a good funk. again, tennis is superior in almost every way to golf. not as much beer drinking as golf, of course, but i can't drink beer and stay awake past 10 anymore. 2 english beers is usually my maximum. or mexican, the only type of beer enhanced by lime. we'll keep at it as we both interrupt our real lives with frequent trips to the other side of southlake. our toils the same. tennis, as in life, requires court time...
..earlier this week i battled keck to a 5-10 draw (pcr adjsuted). conditions we chilly and perfect. winners were hit and rallies were sustained. keck success in the big points are indicative of a tennis player in complete control of his shots. confident and bold, hitting backhand winners and continuing the power serve. my game was more responsive and some memorable points were won, highlighted by solid net play. the air was cool and chilly to start, but proved to be the ideal climate once we got moving. kecks convincing, and hard won , victory makes it 56-19 in Isner10. don't think keck doesn't know a 14-1 or, God forbid, a 15-0 corpse this next week would wrap up the isner match with his most dominating match against me to date. before christmas, my best ever result just a few month's prior a memory. sure, his game is really in decline. keck is a master of deception. i've only seen him lose his cool once. the electrical box incident. although, i did not personally witness the bowling ally incident, i heard he lost his cool then too. or maybe he was the voice of reason. i can't remember. his game is sharp. news of a 11-4 saturday afternoon victory over jvita hit the wire earlier. the lion doesn't go down easy...
...the northern blew in the previous night, wrecking my fence and scattering leaves everywhere. A holiday vacation day and Kevlar early work departure had us on the court ten til two. We took the backboard court creating echoes with each swing. We warmed up quick, testing each side. One side was blinding in its December Sun. Mentioning the math that could end the isner match during this Mahut. With 14 games Keck would get to 70. I was calm and hitting very solid. I was warm with long pants and a toboggen. I won the spin by calling down and started with a quick win in game 1. After wasting a break point in the next game, I held serve again and it was 2-1. The match would make it another week. In the end we battled to another 5-10 draw (pcr adjusted). Keck's serve was good again and he showed cat-like quickness. I hit the inside out forehand to Keck's backhand over and over. Lift tickets, even those purchased prior, are expensive. The cowboys can be proud of the position they are in. The t bar m academy is one of the finest in the Dallas area. Keck is up 66-24. Very possibly we'll be having beers after our next mahut. Dropped the racquets off for some synthetic gut. Always strung at 59. Gonna get my youngest a puppy girl shih tzu. Wants to name her Bella. Bella. I like that.
.cold air, holidays, anniversaries, tournaments, enfluenzas, installations, and confirmations. For many reasons, its been awhile since my last Mahut. The cowboys have since been mercy killed. The aggies don't seem dumb. The money grabbers grabbed our money. And the leaders keep walking the cliff. The order and expectations of the court haves been missed. Very likely next wee, Keck will wrap up isner10 in his new shoes and we'll. have English brews. Perhaps we can plan our tournament entry strategies. Four oh. Singles for sure. Doubles may be too much, but we would likely be dominant. We are isner tuned. A tennis reformation...
.the thick fog turned into a steady mist the closer i got to wylie. by the time i arrived for the four way round robin mahut, the courts were soaked. not a dry spot anywhere and significant puddles were forming quickly. the kecks, jr and sr, and joe vita were warming up with balls slushing back and forth. the format calls for a 10 game mahut against every player, with scores added up at the end. in our previous round robin, billy vita had beat me in the last game to hand second place to his brother. keck jr was first, of course. i had my eye on reclaiming my secondary status to keck jr. greetings at the net and a quick departure to our singles courts. no time for long warm-ups in the rain. i drew keck sr first. brian keck. retired, and living teh Texican life. in cabo, i think. or something like that. i knew he played alot of tennis and understood the advantages of our scoring methodology. in fact, he and his normal group have adopted an alternate scoring version as well. the underground heartbeat of tennis is strong. once, if ever, that vein is tapped, it will gush with the culture of the sport. teh dea will rise. if only the nostaligia of the past and greed of the present is left behind. sr was breaking in a new racquit that looked like aspaceship. huge gapping holed were lined on teh side which made the racquet very light. sr had a hard time adjusting and fell to a moulette. jr took joe out 8-2 and i met up with joe for our mahut. it was back and forth, with joe theatening a 3-0 start until i broke him to make it 1-2. at 4-4, joe the lion rallied for teh final two games and defeated me 6-4. as expected jr mouletted sr on the other court and teh final mahuts were set. i needed to get a few games from keck and hope sr was adjusted enough to avoid a triple moulette. which he did by going 2-8. my match with keck started very frustratingly as he went up 1-4...i controlled my tennis anger to find myself at 3-6 and we called the match because i had locked up 2nd place. sr had delivered me to 2nd. thanks mr keck. as we walked off the court, exhausted after two hours and 30 games, teh big rains came. perfect timing. did well on the intermediate put aways and seved fairly well. moulette really set me up. joe and i made agreements to enter into an isner match and there is talk of team tennis. the new shoes were incredible and seem indestructable. the todd awaits keck jr tomorrow as he searches for superior competition. isner up keck, the todd got nothing on you..
...alot has happened. started in a suburban disco with groove muic playing in my ear. thought it was a downunder pub. guess not. joe vita is telling me the reasons for keck's tennis domniance. something about a backboard and new shoes. we were set to play a match the following morning using classic, old, scoring methodology and tensions were high. never had i beaten joe in a full match. that is well documented and known. for almost thirty years this fact, as all facts do, held true. keep in mind, as i do mine always, i have hd opportunities. match points, i fact. 3 setters. mahut wins, set wins, breaking serves and hitting winners. through significant court time and throught the years. the woe has subsidde as the aged mind finds peace, but indications had me optimistic about my chances. my wife even taunted joe before he slipped out the side door in an impressive exit. the band was playing brickhouse and i couldn't help but crunch a bit. that's right. anyway, the next day, a sunday joe dug me under and burined me again. 6-3, 6-0. i hate to even write it. my tennis spirit was trampled and my pride was laid bare on the court. waffling like a blinded junkie. this all in front of his eldest and only son, zach. humiliation stunk up the court. joe was indeed impressive and even at my best the outcome would have been lopsidded. joe had recently sustituted in a sactioned match and performed at a high level. his introduction to ISM has helped his overall play. the constantcy of action and expectations of repetetive execution. although the impovement of his serve cannot be overlooked. he used to give away games and points to double faults. don't know what sort of adjustment he's made, but at one point i mentioned the need to arch the back much more. he's not as slupped over as much now. a couple of weeks on after that we did enter into an isner match that, unbelievably, i won 8-7. this could be the longest isner match ever played due to our almost identical PCRs versus Keck. If the first mahut is any indication, this could be the grudge match of all grudge matches. although age has taken the edge off the grudge. maybe a grunge match fit the mood. keck, for his part has completely raised the level of his play. a thrashing of me 70-19 in Isner 11 was minor news to the massive Isner match started with The Todd. The Todd is ranked 4th in the state in 5.0. A tennis beast, i'll say. He is a cowboy fan and a great dude. And evidently, he is a tennis badass. Joe confirmed his tremendous game as he wacthed The Todd detroy Keck 11-4 in their first mahut. Two weeks later a more focused Keck, determined to hit forehand winners and flat serves, beat The Todd in their second mahut and the battle to 70 is on. The Todd has the experience and fitness to put The Jason in his place, but Keck is Isner tuned and tenacious in his will. I wanna see this The Todd play someday, perhaps even play him myself.
i got my second mahut with joe this afternoon after jesus adventure stories and lunch. gonna play it smooth and take my time on my serve.
...wendell watched the whole match, understanding the scoring method and it's nuances. got ahead of joe early and notched another 8-7 mahut win to give me a 16-14 lead on joe. what a battle. joe's serve let him down a bit and i was coming to the net effectively and got up 5-2. i fought back from 15-40 three times to win service games. still ahving big trouble with my backhard return of serve. all i need to do is lift it back to the middle but consistent execution is elusive. wendall was a big, tall dude from florida who joe was hitting with when my daughter and i arrived for the mahut. abby had come to get in some backboard work and log some court time in preperation for 7th grade tryouts next year. the lady panthers of evans middle school. joe burned the top of the net as he went for winners. both of us missed easy putaways, something keck never falls victim to. both of us had critical double faults. rare for keck. it was a well played mahut in spots with some spectacular points and impressive court coverage. we both called the lines close and hoped for mistakes from our opponent. i closed teh match 8-5 with two games to play and wondered of a 10-5 or 9-6 finish. my mental lapse cost me as joe gobbled up the last two games in 3 minutes total. 16-14 is a virtual tie, but that's two mahuts in a row in the win column. playing keck next sunday. hope to catch some dead legs from the slopes. hope he don't yank his shoulder out of place. think i got something figured out against him. joe the lion awaits for our third mahut. but not idly. he knows the 85% rule should be remembered on easy put aways. maybe around resurrection time we'll play another mahut. wonder if joe's working good friday?....that wndell guy knew emmitt in high school. pensacola. great beaches.
...she was in training and smiled alot. was truly sorry she forgot my raw onions and hurred to get them. the other was not as friendly, but she did an adequate job. keck and i finished off our third new castles and bolted, after paying up on isner11's 19-70 smashing and just finishing our first mahut of isner12. a 5-10 keck win, but above my pawlty pcrs of recent months. my serve was strong at the finish as i held my final 3 service games to go 3-2 in the final third of the mahut. the courts were clean and clear and every shot was leaving a clear mark. i was very impressed with one out call i made. after calling the huge flat first serve out, i walked up to check it and due to the mark, i could see it was a quarter of an inch out. incredible, i thought. my eyes are as good as ever. well, i was wearing glasses, so maybe not. anyway, it was a perfect weather night for tennis. cool, little breeze. keck's two handed bankhand was a bit off, but he still hit winner after winner. some extended rallies and a cracked racquet, which i further pulverized and tossed aside. later, another duo walked on the other court, a father and his son, and it was awhile before i realized my detroyed racquet was on their side. they were looking at it, then looking at me, then looking at it. the father mentioned sommething to the boy quietly. i felt the need to explain myself once i realized the racquest was on the other court. as i was retrieving it, i said to the other players, 'uh, um, it's really not what it seems. the racquet was already cracked and i just smashed it for fun. you see? years and years of frustration. you know?' the father made a small crack of a smile and nodded quickly. the boy continued to stare over at me periodically. nervously and leery. keck just laughed. i put it out of my mind and played better after that. i like those byob places and so do the kecks. maybe black saturday night, before easter...
..i like a place with mirrors on the walls. opens the space up and reflects light. went to a latin joint with the kecks with good salsa, great chips, and tasty mojitos. our women, smiling and lovely. keck and i were still glowing from our massive tennis event the day prior. especially keck as he had rushed to a 8-0 mahut start before we began our tennis tune-up training careers. the allen head coach, a good friend of kecks, had met us ealier and mentioned sending his singles player down to get a look at different styles of play as he was preparing for district play. this is allen high school. super 5a, or something like that. basically, keck and i were responsible for this kid's performance. nick his name was. thankfully for me, down 0-8 to keck and near a moulette. almost near a corpse. he had a big grin, introduced himself politely, said he didn't need to warm up, and walked to the nearest baseline. we were ready too so we quickly determined teh terms of the match. rotate every game, singles player always serves, keep tally of wins, play 15 total games, everyone gets 5 service games, isner scoring method. we began and immediately we knew. we could hang. during teh first change over we asked him hw he was ranked on teh team. this kid was playing #1 singles. keck had just torched him with a backhand. surprised, i was not. this was the keck, defeater of the todd. we played a few games back and forth, keck winning, nick keeping close pace, and me getting my scraps too. very competitive. it was 4-3-2 when the other kid walked on the court. young man, really. dayton. he was a junior doubles player and the coach had sent him down too. keck and i were up for anything. we decided to take them on in a doubles mahut. "...we'll play ten total games, regardless!", i yelled as i concluded the brief explanation. they understood perfectly. this guy's name was dayton and he had a huge serve, but a sloppy forehand. both of them could get around the court and our double's inexperience was exposed as we dropped the mahut 4-6. i hit some good volley, wiffed a few, served alright, and lived on a few lines. keck was flawless at times, flustered a bit, and out of his singles element. we went on to play another format, one in which keck and i won on serve and almost won on return. a few more drills and we walked off the court exhausted just before noon. a gooder friday morning was never had. our scoring method and training intentional techniques validated and reinforced. we left with enthusiatic invitations to return, spreading the seeds a tennis resurrection. nick and dayton knew, tennis had a glowing future only if a reformation busted out. keck contacted me later in the day to confirm dinner plans and clarify the continuation of his 8-0 mahut. serena almost blew her top and sharapova fell apart in the third, the season of tennis is at hand.
...keck's first serve improvement continue to propel his results against me. 2-13 tonight with a dejection cloud following. even threw my racquet over the fence at one point. after a slow start, including several tough and and hard fought games, keck caught something and ripped off 11 straight games. not official, but a moulette-type streak nevertheless. we had just explained isner scoring method and the upcoming king of teh court tournament with a really tall south african named jonathan/ he had a compact backhand and huge serve. he thought it was brilliant. excellent validation of our plan to host the first ever collin county king of the court. justin's on board, the courts are booked, the flyer's been made, the pre-tournament and post-tournament strategies are being considered, the todd has committed, and joe the lion is roaring louder than ever. just last weekend he put on a display at the brookhaven tournament, fighting off match points and winning 3 setters. got ambushed in the first round, then pedro motalvo finished him off 4 matches later. i believe pedro went on to win the whole thing. in between, the steady roar. he could be king, but more likely a prince as the possible players in this tournament, including professionals, are lining up for the big crown. brent james, rusty branch, billy vita. who knows of the possible field. we explained it to a pro the week prior and he's anxious to play. unknown to him, we debated the professional entry and approved it in the end, due to the natural leveling that takes place at 2nd round robin. it's a brilliant format, one that will create 4 flighted winners. king, prince, duke, earl. 60 games against 6 opponents for every player. back to the method. all goes back to isner scoring method. if there was a way to make it 70 total games, we would have implemented it. math is math. perhaps a final mahut to add 10 more could be arranged. I'll think on it. 53-21 in isner 12. keck's tough.
...with keck on a week long desert resort vacation lined up a another mahut with joe vita. met early on saturday mornng. the coldest may saturday morning eve on record in texas. 38 degrees. it warmed up quickly and i shed my layers of thermals early into the super mahut. coming into this mahut, i had won the first two mahuts of our first ever isner match. 8/7, 8/7. close battles, hard fought, hard won, hard lost. after never eclipsing joe in a classic scoring method match, i was 2 for 2 for mahuts. the super mahut is a 25 game mahut. almost twice as log as the 15 game standard we had been playing. discussions with joe reinforced teh need for flexibility in the isner scoring mehod and concluded that determining teh number of games of a mahut should be up to teh players themselves. mutual agreement would decide. brilliant. truly, ism is a revolutionay approach. completely campatible with all skill levels, ages, and competitive tennis needs.
the super mahut was mostly serve and win during the first half as the server went 10-0 on break points between us both as we sat at 8/7. serve held every time. finally a break through as joe brke me. i broke him right back, the most desperate player holding up. very brisk tennis during the 4th 5th of the mahut. took one of my service games when i rushed the net and put away a nice nackhand volley. killed it with spin and pinned the left line. joe ripped winner after winner and was hitting the ball deep. caught him playing back a few times and got some points off drops. we battled to 11/11, then 11/12 and i knew i must hold serve to have any chance. i went back to fundamantals, took my time, and concentrated on hitting my firt serve 95% to improve the chances of it goin in and preventing me from the chance of a double fault, the tennis killer. i took the game easily. 12/12, joe serving for the mahut due to the spin win at the begining of the mahut. back and forth with joe following a massive first serve ace with a double fault. i worked my way to a mahut point and knew i had one chance. i took joes first serve and smoked it cross court and joe barely got a racquet on it. 13/12. 29/26 overall. this one stung joe, i know. after brookhaven an extra road work, he was looking for a win. heard a couple of the glowface tracks, without the lead and keys. he liked it, especially the erwin park song. dylan of the south, he proclaimed. our 'i'll have another' stories are somehow combined, the meaning revealing itself after the creation of the song. i'll have another, make it two or three, keep em on ice my honey, come on and dance with me.
...the one game i got against keck during our 15 game mahut two days ago was hard fought. seven dueces, i believe. that game is the only thing that prevented a corpse moullete, the term for a 15-0 mahut win. keck was on fire, perhaps still motivated and inspired by the indian brother spirits he encountered in the northern arizona mountains. he had a different gleam in his eye, a sharper forehand snap, quicker reactions. it was incredible the way he played. confirmed that he followed that up with a 17-8 super mahut win over joe yesterday. looking back, we've seen trend. the win over the todd, the destruction of his isner wins against joe and i. his serve has put him into another category. more like a 5.0 player than the 4.0 or 4.5 he professes. his condiioning would be tested at that level. he would need to draw on his indian spirit to pepare for the rigors of 5.0 play, but he could do it.
glowface development continues and is progressing very well. lead and backing vocals to add. rankin blues melts the space. fleece proclaims, and punk rockers and deadlifters jumps like it's supposed to.
...keck and i played a double last week. monday, we finished up a 70-21 Keck vicory within a 20 game mahut. a couple of points to note here. first, the number of games in a mahut can be defined as any number. this allowed keck and i to change our # of games to 20. also, in a small adjustment, we determined that we would carry over mahut games into the next isner match if 70 was reached by either player during the playing of a mahut. the mahut would continue to the end. this provides for a smoother transistion between insner matches. well anyway, keck trounched me 16-4 monday night. busted my strings and had to play with ole blue, the elbow killer. keck played tremendous tennis, his forehand crosscourt shots the best i've seen. unplayable angles and pace. however, he did seem to twist his back at one point and the consition currently has him on the sidelines. it was only the original twist because he went on to play again thursday as we met joe vita and his buddy jesse for a round robin. on a suffocatingly humid evening, we began around 6:30 at eagles landing. we ran late because i had to go see lily make her marqette debut. i can't believe my daughter is a marquette. visions of leslie geer--god bless your soul. her highlicks were high, her smile was frozen. what a dame.
the round robin started when jesse finally showed up. he certainly looked the part. cool shoes and a electric blue nike headband, the swoosh perfectly placed. he played keck first and i was impressed he scratched two games off him. saw several good shots, but his serve was consistently long. more back twist on the setup could help. bvita is the coach, he could probably tell. joe swiped me off teh court 7-3. he was up 3-0 right off teh bat in a fury of serves and forehands. the tennis club i had in my hand, overmatched and slow. i regrouped and took clawed back to 3-4 before joe wrapped it up 7-3 by winning the final 3, all my energy zapped while clawing. same thing happened with keck, as he jumped out on me 3-0 before i came back to 3-3. he took the next four games, teh final three in skunk fashion--he won the final 12 points of teh mahut. i was a wasted mess. first drenching sweat of the summer. exaustion. partly, this is what led to my total ineffectual finish against keck. i was storing energy for the final mahut against jesse. this was one i wanted to win. i was suprised when i looked up and he was packing his bags and leaving. something about a movie and him arriving late and him not knowing this would go two solid hours. i was a bit disappointed, but also a bit releived. although i had a plan going into our mahut and felt i would win it, i was gassed. i only half jokingly told him as he was leaving that i win a 10-0 moulette on a default. he smiled and understood. he liked teh format and he is a likely convert to the isner scoring method. joe and keck played the final mahut with joe clearly the dominate player this night. the king of this court. the owner of the prize, the defeater of the inferior. during payoff beers and queso later at uncle julios, we mapped more details of teh upcoming tournament and drew lines of association between projects and trains of thought. his recruiting company organizational design is well thought out. in practice, he would maximize the time of each person and likely find significatn efficiencies. again, kaizen being the best method of producing excellence. forgot to ask him about his aussie friend. took a swing at a cop. self defense, i'm sure. the info on the july tournament is going glowface and we are up to seven entries as spotz signed up just last night. in the market for a racquet change as one of my dunlops cracked and the other is weathered significantly. need to have them well in advance of the tournament so i can be prepared going in. my goal is the prince title, but i'd take the duke title. we already have too many heavy hitters committed to play for me to shoot for the king. keck, the todd, joe vita, brent james. who's next, rusty branch? billy vita is in too and he ain't no chump. i've heard of this spotz dude's abilities a few times and met him on several occasions. wendell still hasn't signed up and jonathan teh south african hasn't signed up either. once our buddy justin sends out the word, we'll fill the remaining 9 spots easily. final draft tracks, including lead, keys, and backup vocals due in about a week. glowface project right on target and the tunes sear.
...it was extremely humid and the sky looked ready to explode, especially to the north...we were at the wylie high school courts, 2nd rate facilities to be sure. gate handles broken, net not secured at the side, and no side court windscreens. still, the courts were fine as i was briefly reminded of the courts and conditions in spur, texas. eagles landing has spoiled me for good. we had scheduled a 25 game mahut and teh noon to 2 timeslot was perfectly placed for both of us. joe with baseball tournament games and me with a lokey wedding that night. another added to the clan. lokeystrong, prayers ascend. we got started quickly due to the likely length of the mahut. joe was down in lbs and looking quick. i was filling out my early forties frame a bit too much. needed this test of endurance. drank a bunch o water prior, anticipating the heat and pouring sweat to come. serves held up early and joe was flying shots all over the place. fence shots, net shots. but he kept his cool. he was in for the long haul and he calmed down and fought to a 6-4 lead, about to go up 3 games. i was serving and down 15-40. the wind was whirling. the legs were labored. but i fought and fought and claimed the game. another game followed and we were locked at 6-6. this is when joe found his tennis place. he ripped the next 5 games in a blur of execution and poise. mostly it was joe, but my inferior tennis mental abilities were evident. i yelled, i cussed, i threw a borrowed racquet. i stopped the streak by hitting only second serves and letting joe fizzle out as he finally sailed a few. at 13-7, it looked like could be a total smashing. i scratched out 3 of the final 5 to take it to 10-15. every point fought for, every turn of momentum felt. joe was the better, and smaller, man today. already, two days later, i've hit the workouts harder, motivated by the next mahut. in the current isner match with joe, our first ever, he holds a 41-39 lead. this, while winning only 1 of our 4 mahuts. it will come down to the wire. it will end in a ring of fire. thinking about a switch to yonnex. the japanese make the best cars. likely their racquets are superior. king of the court is progressing in registration, needing on 9 more slots to fill. glowface bootleg of swaying california brown has been well received. perfect opener. hope keck's back is back. i need the court time. i'm in the middle of a massive tennis grudge match. joe the loin is roaring.
Another close mahut contested all the way through as the Inser format designed to do. I felt strong during warm ups and expected to bring that in to the Mahut, but once the action started I started making errors, some forced by the strong play of Gorman and some unforced...the unforced errors were frustrating and I almost lost my cool. Gorman brought his strong serve tonite and I think he aced me at least 3 times, maybe 4. My serve was better than normal which helped me pull through to grab the Mahut 9-6.
ReplyDelete“The Stomp” KECK, J 10/4/12
ReplyDeleteWednesday October 3rd was a beautiful night and the conditions were ripe for what would surely be a memorable Mahut.
I showed up a few minutes late tying my headband on as I walked up…gorman was already on the court hammering first serves… I could hear the ball smashing off the racquet and knew that he was going to come after me tonight…I have to say I was a little nervous as I walked past him and saw the look in his eye…ya know, he just had that look, like a tiger eying his prey as he peered at me through the windscreen covered fence.
We warmed up for about 15 minutes and then we did the spin, of course gorman wins again…I really think he has some kind of Jedi trick he is using…I just can’t figure it out.
Gorman was true to the form I saw as I walked up and served amazing hitting 5 or 6 aces, at one point I though to myself and I think I said aloud that he was serving like Sampras…if I had to guess he hit at least one or 2 serves at 115-120 mph minimum…but his aces were unfortunately cancelled out by the double faults, I think he hit at least 5 or 6 doubles as well, which had to be frustrating.
I felt good, I didn’t play my normal weekend match so I was itching to play and have a good night. I was able to control my serve well and my ground strokes were solid. I felt like I was on track for a good night.
In the first 5 games we were 3 and 2 in my favor. At one point during this phase of the Mahut Gorman struck a near perfect forehand which I lunged for…as I lunged for the ball it ticked slightly off my racquet then hit the fence behind me and as I looked back the ball bounced off on of the posts and hit me in the chin – I literally took it on the chin, but shook it off. I have an iron jaw I said letting gorman know I was not hurt by this.
The first 5 games were back and forth but then I went on a little bit of a roll and won the next 4 games in a row and eventually the 5th as well…this was simply too much for gorman to handle…something had to give!
What I witnessed next was an epic gorman meltdown complete with balls being fired over the fence, racquets being thrown and the very rare “stomping of the racquet”…this is how the stomp works…after having lost the game, the disgruntled player heads towards the net trying to decide if he should or shouldn’t stomp, once the internal green light is given the racquet is thrown at the net, after the bounce off the net the racquet is then kicked, at least once and usually twice, once the racquet comes to a stop from the kick the final stomp of the racquet is given…the point of the stomp is to hopefully leave a mark on the court from the battered racquet, because as we all know it’s always the racquets fault…if no mark then one more stomp may be necessary to complete the task…Gorman took 2 stomps…the stomps had tremendous force and seemed to be intended to break the racquet, but the racquet survived.
As I sat down next to gorman following the stomp, I really thought we might hear the expletive heard round the world…this is a loud, really loud, almost primal scream of the f word. Gorman restrained himself and it didn’t happen…I think the only reason I (and the rest of the world) didn’t hear this primal scream was because my 10 yr old son was also on the court that night, gorman knew this and didn’t want to harm the young man or his tennis team mates.
I couldn’t help but laugh a little realizing I have been in the same frame of mind many times in the past, I knew his pain, its not a place you want to be on the tennis court unless of course you are Johnny Mac and can somehow use it to your advantage…I sensed his pain and did my best to change the subject and allow gorman to shift his focus back to the business at hand, which he was able to do.
Gorman recovers and rights himself as he usually does and was able to take 3 of the last 5 games. The Mahut ended with a final score of 10-5. A great night of tennis and one that I will fondly remember as the night of “The Stomp”!
The internal green light is the curse of tennis. Allowing me, justified and rightous, to completly lose my cool. A silent and deliberate changeover usually quells the insanity, but the disappointment lingers. Aaahhhhh!!!!!!...Keck will take quick advantage of your mental weakness and rip off 6 games before you can gather your bearings. It's alot to consider. Had some big serves and big double faults. Failed to put away a few put aways. It all added up to a pcr tie and a good workout. My racquet impressively withstood an internal green light onslaught and Keck performed as expected, with a better-that-usual-serve. Mahut!!!
ReplyDelete>>>heard bv beat jv in the cold yesterday morning. 9-6 bv. evidently it could have been worse for joe, but he battled back. no updates or specifics at this point and i'm not sure where that puts them in their isner match either. thinking of ways to avoid a roddick this week. hopefully, spur, tx has a tennis court. (wher're you from bud?...I'm from spur.)>>>
ReplyDelete...it was windy. And windscreens were not a feature of the tennis courts in spur, Texas. Avoiding large rocks, glass, pavement, a severely sagging net, and massive stickers, I was able to win a 9-6 Mahut over Keck in a west Texas showdown. Impressively, we kept to our initial tennis instincts and played the early Mahut, shaking off the aftereffects of a raucous Friday night. The conditions were extreme and too numerous to fully mention, the turnstile entrance was little used. I jumped to a 4-1 lead, taking advantage of several west Texas bounces that went my way. The short net was a huge advantage for me as I pulled the trigger slightly earlier and adjusted the angle. Fought back from at least four or five break points. Continued the onslaught as Keck was wounded in the thumb by a sharp sticker. His anger was tempered by the uniqueness of the match, but he lamented his missed opportunities. 9-6 win. We shook and met the superintendent of the spur isd, who had just driven up. 'You getting some good bounces?'. He went on to confirm Keck's guess of 30 years of neglect. It was a tremendous Mahut. 28-47, and playing well above pcr in I9.
ReplyDeleteJ Keck -
ReplyDeleteWe hit the court around dusk, just before 7:00. The day had been very windy as a front had moved through and I thought we might be playing in the West TX Wind again, but the night air turned still and had a hint of humidity.
Neither of us had remembered to bring fresh balls so we were hitting with duds which had us both a little off our game having to lunge and adjust timing to compensate for the lifeless balls…despite this I felt good and could tell Mr. Gorman was ready to cash in on his previous win.
We spin the racquet, my call this time, I call down and it is up…again Gorman wins. He serves first and last, a big advantage in the Isner format.
We started under the lights and both got off to a good start. No breaks in the first few games, we were both playing well and Gorman’s serve was on. I was able to break in the 6th game though and went up 4-2. A nice feeling since his serve was strong again tonight.
The bugs were crazy…we had crickets, green fly like things and hundreds of these little black bettle things everywhere…they were a little distracting but we both Isner’d up.
Gorman had indeed come to play tonight and was able to hold me off every time I felt like I might make a move…I was having a tough time handling his serve, especially the flat one wide to my backhand…I don’t know if it was the balls, the humid air or just the speed of his serves but I kept banging the ball of the frame and was starting to get pretty frustrated…we were at 5-3 now and I told Gorman that I think my run of dominance was coming to end, like the phases of the moon, for some reason I felt like I was about to go dark. Gorman had the momentum, he was feeling strong…I had to push myself. Gorman is smart though and realized this was my attempt at a jedi mind trick, similar to what the Vita boys from McKinney use as a part of their game plan…he had seen it before and didn’t give it a second thought.
Gorman pushes on and continues his great serving. We continue to go back and forth holding serve, I’m telling myself just don’t let him break you, you have the lead, don’t blow it! The score goes back on forth on serve and somehow I am able to grab one more break to get to 9-5 me with Gorman serving last…Gorman’s serve hold up one more time and the Mahut comes to an end at 9-6 me.
left the coffee pot on this morning and i'm enjoying a cup as i write, only twenty minutes after the conclusion of the 7th mahut of our 9th isner match. on this windy, sunny, late october morning, the air was cool but humid. sweat poured out of me like raindrops as i earned a rare win over the keck. 9-6. joe vita had pulled a roddick and keck wanted a weekend match. he had scored a 9-6 win the previous wednesday, as noted in this very mahut logbook, but held a lingering doubt in his mind regarding his game. something about the moon. i shook it off as rubbish and reminded him of his recent 14-1 mahut win and his 70-32 isner win over me in isner8, which came after my best ever effort of 36-70 in isner7--when i officially became half the player of keck. anyway, he was anxious to reverse his eternal moon and we scheduled a 8 a.m. match. we opened a fresh can and began to warm up. keck had a new look and i couldn't put my finger on it until he reminded me of his costume party exploits. the kecks were a western couple and keck had trimmed his beard into a fantastic old-west shape, which highlighted the mustache. it was cool. the warm ups, as they always do, featured smooth swings and solid connections. keck spun, i called down, it was up, keck served first.
ReplyDeletethe humidity hit me right away. keck scored an easy win in game one on four straight points. now, this next part was a complete accident and i continue to have remorse. as i was taking serves, keck was walking into position unaware and i clocked a huge practice serve that hit the side of his racquet and knocked him in the face. not really a cheap shot because i had no intentions of hitting him, but an unforunate wrong-place-wrong-time thing. he shook it off, testing for blood a couple of times, and immediatly he took the first point of my first service game. the first 5 points of the mahut! he glared at me and i knew i had to win this game. after 4 deuces, i did win the game and, at 1-1, the mahut was on. mahut! we battled and battled, keck breaking serve twice and me breaking once. we stood at 3-5 keck when i asked God to help me control my tennis anger. not only did He remove my tennis anger, He seemed to heap it all on keck. he began igniting explosion after explosion of tennis anger, highlighted by the destruction of a heavy utily-grade electrical box that housed on/off switches of the court lights. it was early. no one was there and the echo of the noise lingered. the rest of the match was a blur, but i won 6 straight games before keck took the last one to make it 9-6. i definately had excellent kramarian touch and hit several ridiculous drop shots. serve was reliable. keck lamented his loss and commented on a drawing board, but he was proud of me in an odd way and his last words were...'nice mahut.'......43-62...big match coming up...
pulled a roddick on keck due to a conflicting engagement. just as well. some sort of foot tendon is giving me a small amnount of discomfort and keck is busy with his drawing board. addionally, the weather is turning cold and the wind has picked up. preparing for cool and cold tennis.
ReplyDeletethe fragility of the aging body speaks through pain. weirdly, having two sources of pain seems a better balance. mind confusion, i guess. my back pain and heel pain were balanced as i walked on the court to continue my greatest isner match to date. i had fought to 43-62 in isner9 against keck, already far eclipsing my previous best of 36 by seven games. i had won the last 2 out of 3 mahuts and keck was questioning his game. but it had taken it's toll. in addition to the heel pain and back pain, i had tweaked my elbow trying some far-eastern stretching motion to soothe a large painful back muscle. it had not worked. regardless, i was excited for the mahut and held out hope that i could extend the match another week. it would take another mahut win as keck was only 8 games from victory. keck disputed the intitial racquet spin. something about me looking. i reluctantly agreed to respin and won again. keck broke me right away, hammered his serve early, and broke me again to go 0-3. after 2 more games, i finally broke through after keck popped a string, and won a couple to make it 2-5. with a moulette out of reach and 45 games in the bag, the pain got the best of me, along with keck's sharp game, and he wrapped up isner9 70-45. Keck's temporary half moon game came back to full moon status. reports of a 14-1 mahut win over joe vita bringing them to 26-4 support his game's renewal. perhaps he's been inspired by the junior keck's impressive tournament results. i don't know. as for me, isner9 proved a triumph--my body held up despite the pains and my game has never been better. mahut!!
ReplyDelete...this won't take long. Only 2 weeks from losing my best isner match to date and my game is in the ditch. Began isner ten versus Keck with a 2-13 humiliation. The details are not important. It was mostly Keck, but I contributed plenty of horrid play. Playing on black Friday. Dang.
ReplyDeletethe second 30 game round robin mahut invoving 4 players was played a couple weeks ago at the eagles landing tennis complex. the outcome, an overwhelming victory for keck, is less important than the exciting vicories and numerous tradgedies. it all amounted to a exhausive workout and a true test for each player involved. On a cool night, bv's knee locked up as he won the final game of our mahut to go 4-6 and secure second place for his brother. he isnered up for sure. the man has shots. jv's second place victory, despite 2 mahut losses, was highlighted by a dismantling of his brother's game in their match. my one mahut loss was a 2-8 smashing by keck. he really played good. a down-the-line one handed backhand was especially memorable. his tennis moon could be rising. i'm currently on a 6-29 pace in our last 35 games, which translates to about a 15-70 isner destruction. however, i did battle keck to fight off a virtual corpse, which is going 15-0 against two players in a round robin. the moulette would count against the first losing player. both losing players would be charged with a virtual corpse loss. he was up 40-15, and serving. i knew this moment was important. keck mouletted bv and had started 4-0 against me. 15-0 would represent notorious failure. for myself and bv. on each of the next service returns, the ball zipped off my racquet. my prue swing was unleashed. a forhand cross court spinner that rung the left fence to make it 30-40, and a deep forhand return to the middle that made it deuce. the point that made it my advantage was a backhand stab shot that floated over the net for an easy dropshot winner. keck cursed and wailed. the virtual corpse was not to transpire. the final point of the game was a long contested back and forth that ended when i rushed the net and put away an unrestrained jumping forehand at midcourt. the burden was lifted. although he went on to win the 10 game mahut 8-2 in a drubbing. he also defeated jv 6-4 to go 24-6 and validate his status. jv won 16, myself 14, and bill 6. in the end, there were 60 wins and 60 losses divided among all players. keck had the most wins, bill had the most losses and bv bailed out his brother again. the vita brothers are tight. thick blood and alive. like mary anne. and senior. saved and painless now. we talked texico and kudlow and rodeo at the drafthouse. i finally have an agent. 2 english beers owed keck for isner9. the round robin is a tremendous format and a kaizenian improvement to the forward development of tennis culture.
ReplyDeletesix hundred dollars of american economy celebrations, a musical recording of left brain maniacs, and another convincing mahut defeat to keck 3-12. so went my thanksgiving friday. it was a glorious day, not the black day everyone was predicting. the wind was way up--even the huge trees of eagles landing didn't help. the fences are equipped with some sort of plastic rod that slides all the way down through the chain link. there are tens of thousands of these and every time a ball hits teh fence, a loud clank rings out. the sound of an ace or a winner is sweet music. honestly, i think the mesh windscreens are better, but they are prone to making distracting whisteling noises and they are certainly less durable.
ReplyDeleteKeck went on a 5-0 start, despite my service advantage, i then struggle back to go 3-2 over the next five and felt i had some momentum. the next two games were highly contested and could have gone either way, the eleventh game lasted through seven dueces. the twelth broke me and my serve after being up 30 love. Keck went on to win the remaining games as my desperation tactics didn't have an effect. his forehand was huge, he served well, and he even showed up at net. he told me of the smoke out jerry campaign and enterprise. the red eyes coming out of a bonfire. the tee shirt. tha actual bonfire, where people are charged five dollars the throw a piece of cowboy merchandise onto a collective fire. maybe the ball park in arlington could host it. a fire right in the middle of the field next door to the death star. on just the right day, we could actually smoke them out. he'd likely close the roof and turn on some sort of ventilator device. then he'd call his lawyers. i told him i'd partcipipate.
>>>what is it with jerry, anyway? ok so you were a slick cat in the eighties who was the best oilman amoung oilman. congratulations and way to be. i believe the move to arlington was a good one and the builing is nice i hear. it is impressive on tv, but i live in collin county. you've had a tremendous career. the nfl itself has you to thank for corporate leadership. nike, miller beer, papa johns, verizon, arkansas mike's trailer hitches, dr golden's face replacements, and the safari bar all have you to thank for increasing thier business success. let's sit and have a drink together and consider the performance of our current long standing general manager. we'll find a small table in the back. maybe a booth. we'll talk it out you and me. it's time. alright. if we talked we would agree it's time. stephen i love, but his leadership is queationable for letting this situation go on to long. jerry, you agree of course, your oldest son should have intervened. we wasted the parcell years by following it with the wade years. garrett has not enough respect from the players. they think he's smart and all. he was even a player. he makes so much sense. but he ain't cutting nobody. he's just the coach. so look for the smokeout, the fans have to take control. the media is paid for, obviously. they all benefit from the jerry show. where have all the journalists gone? the old sportwriters. blackie, luska, galloway, bayless. ask some real questions. here's one i'll write for you free of charge---"jerry, when is the general manager getting fired (can also use: terminated, let go, retired, evolved, redeployed, repurposed, exiled).
cold tennis coming up, likely a roddick or two to come. although i broke through the two game barrier for the first time in 3 mahut's, 3-12 never feels good and an examination of my game is needed. i did play better, maybe i'm getting out of my funk.
back on the isner map with a 7-8 loss to keck, making it 12-33 in isner10. assuming a .5 pcr with keck, which could be a bit gernerous even with my 45 games in isner9, keck and i have played 990 total games usilizing the isner scoring method. this excludes exhibitions, round robins, and doubles matches. some were 10 game mahut format, some were the more modern 15 game format. at least 50 to 60 were played vintage and to date i have won 330 games and keck has won 660. our games have improved. i can proclaim for myself and keck on this matter. his avoidance of unforced errors is his trademark and foundation for success. a precise game and a habit of execution. a bit weaker under the lights and in the wind. prone to tennis anger, but has it under control. as for me, improvement is undeniable with a more diverisfied serve and reduction of unforced errors. mental wandering is main opportunity for improvement. also, breathing during points at a steady pace. and sitting during changeovers and having a drink of water. and controling tennis anger with prayer. and stretching my plantar fascia tendon. and and and. played more fluid last night. if i'm going down, i'm gonna unleash at least....unleash at least....unleash at least....unleash at least....da da da doo dah da dee da...
ReplyDelete...december 1st didn't produce it's usual weather conitions. it was almost balmy, a bit windy, and reminded me more of an early march day. but it was december and i had a mahut scheduled with chuck cernosek, otherwise known as big cat. i've known chuck for almost twenty years and never knew of his tennis pursuits. on an encouraging note for the tennis resurgence that is currently simmering in america, both frisco high schools we tried were packed full of yuutts. we ventured over to the stonebridge beach courts and found an accomodating and peaceful court. the beach courts are protected additionally by a huge dam on the southside to protect against the feirce spring/summer southern winds. Huge trees line the courts and the windscreens are of the best quality. roughly 25 years ago i had hung the first windsreens on these very courts and have a verbal agreement from the former, and first, head tennis professional that allows me lifetime access to the courts. at the time is was courts 1-4, 5-8 were added many years later. in summary, court 7 at stonebridge tennis club is nice. big cat was anxious. he said it had been awhile and despite maintaining a rigerous workout regimine, he felt he needed the type of workout only tennis can produce. i sent him isner scoring method information prior so he was familiar with the rules. after a very quick warmup, we started in. big cat moved in quick and abrupt movements. he gave no thought to injury or failure. however, i found more good shots than he did this day and the score ended 15-0. he has a jimmy conners flat serve that is tough when he gets it in, but the second serve is usually target practice time. his shots improved greatly through the match with a signature big cat moment at the net. he had three points to prevent the 0-15 result but i steadied my game. also, on a footnote, this was the first recorded corpse in isner tennis culture. of course, any corpse is alos accompanied by a moulette as well. it is very doutful i'll repeat this level against big cat again. he was gracious in defeat, but fire was shallow below the surface. likely, the longhorn loss to kansas state that night held less importance. probably, images of missed opportunities and successful execution peppered his waking thoughts. i suggested backboard time and the continuation of our isner match to 70...also, stretching the achillies tendon to avoid a plantar facsia injury. the big cat on the loose...mahut!...
ReplyDeletemy mind's betrayal of my tennis game is infuriating. either occupied with thoughts of coming misery or victory or regrets of missed opportuinties and alternate outcomes. keck's 13-2 victory in the fourth mahut of isner10 makes it 46-14 as he has elevated his level of play. sustaining this level is yet to be seen, but his service performance this day was nothing short of spectacular. my strategy of exploiting his second serve was completely netrilized by his ability to hit his first serve. increased pace and flatness has created a huge weapon for keck and must be matched by a specific improvement in my game if i am to maintain pcr momentum. keck is in top form. my ground strokes were sound and my net game has improved. eliminating double faults is a must and increased court speed is needed. the reduction of myself by 30 lbs could help. eat the caveman way, give it two weeks, drionk tons of water and i'm on my way. this action will increase my stamina, allowing me to maintain my workout and tennis schedule to it's fullest potential and get me in a musical performance frame of mind. my joints will benefit, my tennis (and golf) game will improve, my wife will dig my chili, my spirit will glow, and, perhaps, my pcr will return from the deep. keck the maximizer, keck the undertaker, keck the detroyer, keck the punk. it is discouraging, but i started out so well. it is with me and my own mind. it is with my decisions. it is with my efforts. that is all i can control. keck is on another level.
ReplyDeletepg>...big cat checked in with a roddick for our saturday morning match. something 'bout a heavy heart. cat's got game if he can get habitual. isner scoring method suits his needs very well. we are in a match to 70 and that was the deal going in. committed. this will encourage a continuation of play. i'll remind him of the 2 roddick limit per isner match next time i see him. also, the cold weather coming up will require some cancellations as well. he commented on spring in his roddick communication so i believe he has some sort of tennis funk. it's a good funk. again, tennis is superior in almost every way to golf. not as much beer drinking as golf, of course, but i can't drink beer and stay awake past 10 anymore. 2 english beers is usually my maximum. or mexican, the only type of beer enhanced by lime. we'll keep at it as we both interrupt our real lives with frequent trips to the other side of southlake. our toils the same. tennis, as in life, requires court time...
ReplyDelete..earlier this week i battled keck to a 5-10 draw (pcr adjsuted). conditions we chilly and perfect. winners were hit and rallies were sustained. keck success in the big points are indicative of a tennis player in complete control of his shots. confident and bold, hitting backhand winners and continuing the power serve. my game was more responsive and some memorable points were won, highlighted by solid net play. the air was cool and chilly to start, but proved to be the ideal climate once we got moving. kecks convincing, and hard won , victory makes it 56-19 in Isner10. don't think keck doesn't know a 14-1 or, God forbid, a 15-0 corpse this next week would wrap up the isner match with his most dominating match against me to date. before christmas, my best ever result just a few month's prior a memory. sure, his game is really in decline. keck is a master of deception. i've only seen him lose his cool once. the electrical box incident. although, i did not personally witness the bowling ally incident, i heard he lost his cool then too. or maybe he was the voice of reason. i can't remember. his game is sharp. news of a 11-4 saturday afternoon victory over jvita hit the wire earlier. the lion doesn't go down easy...
ReplyDelete...the northern blew in the previous night, wrecking my fence and scattering leaves everywhere. A holiday vacation day and Kevlar early work departure had us on the court ten til two. We took the backboard court creating echoes with each swing. We warmed up quick, testing each side. One side was blinding in its December Sun. Mentioning the math that could end the isner match during this Mahut. With 14 games Keck would get to 70. I was calm and hitting very solid. I was warm with long pants and a toboggen. I won the spin by calling down and started with a quick win in game 1. After wasting a break point in the next game, I held serve again and it was 2-1. The match would make it another week. In the end we battled to another 5-10 draw (pcr adjusted). Keck's serve was good again and he showed cat-like quickness. I hit the inside out forehand to Keck's backhand over and over. Lift tickets, even those purchased prior, are expensive. The cowboys can be proud of the position they are in. The t bar m academy is one of the finest in the Dallas area. Keck is up 66-24. Very possibly we'll be having beers after our next mahut. Dropped the racquets off for some synthetic gut. Always strung at 59. Gonna get my youngest a puppy girl shih tzu. Wants to name her Bella. Bella. I like that.
ReplyDelete.cold air, holidays, anniversaries, tournaments, enfluenzas, installations, and confirmations. For many reasons, its been awhile since my last Mahut. The cowboys have since been mercy killed. The aggies don't seem dumb. The money grabbers grabbed our money. And the leaders keep walking the cliff. The order and expectations of the court haves been missed. Very likely next wee, Keck will wrap up isner10 in his new shoes and we'll. have English brews. Perhaps we can plan our tournament entry strategies. Four oh. Singles for sure. Doubles may be too much, but we would likely be dominant. We are isner tuned. A tennis reformation...
ReplyDelete.the thick fog turned into a steady mist the closer i got to wylie. by the time i arrived for the four way round robin mahut, the courts were soaked. not a dry spot anywhere and significant puddles were forming quickly. the kecks, jr and sr, and joe vita were warming up with balls slushing back and forth. the format calls for a 10 game mahut against every player, with scores added up at the end. in our previous round robin, billy vita had beat me in the last game to hand second place to his brother. keck jr was first, of course. i had my eye on reclaiming my secondary status to keck jr. greetings at the net and a quick departure to our singles courts. no time for long warm-ups in the rain. i drew keck sr first. brian keck. retired, and living teh Texican life. in cabo, i think. or something like that. i knew he played alot of tennis and understood the advantages of our scoring methodology. in fact, he and his normal group have adopted an alternate scoring version as well. the underground heartbeat of tennis is strong. once, if ever, that vein is tapped, it will gush with the culture of the sport. teh dea will rise. if only the nostaligia of the past and greed of the present is left behind. sr was breaking in a new racquit that looked like aspaceship. huge gapping holed were lined on teh side which made the racquet very light. sr had a hard time adjusting and fell to a moulette. jr took joe out 8-2 and i met up with joe for our mahut. it was back and forth, with joe theatening a 3-0 start until i broke him to make it 1-2. at 4-4, joe the lion rallied for teh final two games and defeated me 6-4. as expected jr mouletted sr on the other court and teh final mahuts were set. i needed to get a few games from keck and hope sr was adjusted enough to avoid a triple moulette. which he did by going 2-8. my match with keck started very frustratingly as he went up 1-4...i controlled my tennis anger to find myself at 3-6 and we called the match because i had locked up 2nd place. sr had delivered me to 2nd. thanks mr keck. as we walked off the court, exhausted after two hours and 30 games, teh big rains came. perfect timing. did well on the intermediate put aways and seved fairly well. moulette really set me up. joe and i made agreements to enter into an isner match and there is talk of team tennis. the new shoes were incredible and seem indestructable. the todd awaits keck jr tomorrow as he searches for superior competition. isner up keck, the todd got nothing on you..
ReplyDelete...alot has happened. started in a suburban disco with groove muic playing in my ear. thought it was a downunder pub. guess not. joe vita is telling me the reasons for keck's tennis domniance. something about a backboard and new shoes. we were set to play a match the following morning using classic, old, scoring methodology and tensions were high. never had i beaten joe in a full match. that is well documented and known. for almost thirty years this fact, as all facts do, held true. keep in mind, as i do mine always, i have hd opportunities. match points, i fact. 3 setters. mahut wins, set wins, breaking serves and hitting winners. through significant court time and throught the years. the woe has subsidde as the aged mind finds peace, but indications had me optimistic about my chances. my wife even taunted joe before he slipped out the side door in an impressive exit. the band was playing brickhouse and i couldn't help but crunch a bit. that's right. anyway, the next day, a sunday joe dug me under and burined me again. 6-3, 6-0. i hate to even write it. my tennis spirit was trampled and my pride was laid bare on the court. waffling like a blinded junkie. this all in front of his eldest and only son, zach. humiliation stunk up the court. joe was indeed impressive and even at my best the outcome would have been lopsidded. joe had recently sustituted in a sactioned match and performed at a high level. his introduction to ISM has helped his overall play. the constantcy of action and expectations of repetetive execution. although the impovement of his serve cannot be overlooked. he used to give away games and points to double faults. don't know what sort of adjustment he's made, but at one point i mentioned the need to arch the back much more. he's not as slupped over as much now. a couple of weeks on after that we did enter into an isner match that, unbelievably, i won 8-7. this could be the longest isner match ever played due to our almost identical PCRs versus Keck. If the first mahut is any indication, this could be the grudge match of all grudge matches. although age has taken the edge off the grudge. maybe a grunge match fit the mood. keck, for his part has completely raised the level of his play. a thrashing of me 70-19 in Isner 11 was minor news to the massive Isner match started with The Todd. The Todd is ranked 4th in the state in 5.0. A tennis beast, i'll say. He is a cowboy fan and a great dude. And evidently, he is a tennis badass. Joe confirmed his tremendous game as he wacthed The Todd detroy Keck 11-4 in their first mahut. Two weeks later a more focused Keck, determined to hit forehand winners and flat serves, beat The Todd in their second mahut and the battle to 70 is on. The Todd has the experience and fitness to put The Jason in his place, but Keck is Isner tuned and tenacious in his will. I wanna see this The Todd play someday, perhaps even play him myself.
ReplyDeletei got my second mahut with joe this afternoon after jesus adventure stories and lunch. gonna play it smooth and take my time on my serve.
...wendell watched the whole match, understanding the scoring method and it's nuances. got ahead of joe early and notched another 8-7 mahut win to give me a 16-14 lead on joe. what a battle. joe's serve let him down a bit and i was coming to the net effectively and got up 5-2. i fought back from 15-40 three times to win service games. still ahving big trouble with my backhard return of serve. all i need to do is lift it back to the middle but consistent execution is elusive. wendall was a big, tall dude from florida who joe was hitting with when my daughter and i arrived for the mahut. abby had come to get in some backboard work and log some court time in preperation for 7th grade tryouts next year. the lady panthers of evans middle school. joe burned the top of the net as he went for winners. both of us missed easy putaways, something keck never falls victim to. both of us had critical double faults. rare for keck. it was a well played mahut in spots with some spectacular points and impressive court coverage. we both called the lines close and hoped for mistakes from our opponent. i closed teh match 8-5 with two games to play and wondered of a 10-5 or 9-6 finish. my mental lapse cost me as joe gobbled up the last two games in 3 minutes total. 16-14 is a virtual tie, but that's two mahuts in a row in the win column. playing keck next sunday. hope to catch some dead legs from the slopes. hope he don't yank his shoulder out of place. think i got something figured out against him. joe the lion awaits for our third mahut. but not idly. he knows the 85% rule should be remembered on easy put aways. maybe around resurrection time we'll play another mahut. wonder if joe's working good friday?....that wndell guy knew emmitt in high school. pensacola. great beaches.
ReplyDelete...she was in training and smiled alot. was truly sorry she forgot my raw onions and hurred to get them. the other was not as friendly, but she did an adequate job. keck and i finished off our third new castles and bolted, after paying up on isner11's 19-70 smashing and just finishing our first mahut of isner12. a 5-10 keck win, but above my pawlty pcrs of recent months. my serve was strong at the finish as i held my final 3 service games to go 3-2 in the final third of the mahut. the courts were clean and clear and every shot was leaving a clear mark. i was very impressed with one out call i made. after calling the huge flat first serve out, i walked up to check it and due to the mark, i could see it was a quarter of an inch out. incredible, i thought. my eyes are as good as ever. well, i was wearing glasses, so maybe not. anyway, it was a perfect weather night for tennis. cool, little breeze. keck's two handed bankhand was a bit off, but he still hit winner after winner. some extended rallies and a cracked racquet, which i further pulverized and tossed aside. later, another duo walked on the other court, a father and his son, and it was awhile before i realized my detroyed racquet was on their side. they were looking at it, then looking at me, then looking at it. the father mentioned sommething to the boy quietly. i felt the need to explain myself once i realized the racquest was on the other court. as i was retrieving it, i said to the other players, 'uh, um, it's really not what it seems. the racquet was already cracked and i just smashed it for fun. you see? years and years of frustration. you know?' the father made a small crack of a smile and nodded quickly. the boy continued to stare over at me periodically. nervously and leery. keck just laughed. i put it out of my mind and played better after that. i like those byob places and so do the kecks. maybe black saturday night, before easter...
ReplyDelete..i like a place with mirrors on the walls. opens the space up and reflects light. went to a latin joint with the kecks with good salsa, great chips, and tasty mojitos. our women, smiling and lovely. keck and i were still glowing from our massive tennis event the day prior. especially keck as he had rushed to a 8-0 mahut start before we began our tennis tune-up training careers. the allen head coach, a good friend of kecks, had met us ealier and mentioned sending his singles player down to get a look at different styles of play as he was preparing for district play. this is allen high school. super 5a, or something like that. basically, keck and i were responsible for this kid's performance. nick his name was. thankfully for me, down 0-8 to keck and near a moulette. almost near a corpse. he had a big grin, introduced himself politely, said he didn't need to warm up, and walked to the nearest baseline. we were ready too so we quickly determined teh terms of the match. rotate every game, singles player always serves, keep tally of wins, play 15 total games, everyone gets 5 service games, isner scoring method. we began and immediately we knew. we could hang. during teh first change over we asked him hw he was ranked on teh team. this kid was playing #1 singles. keck had just torched him with a backhand. surprised, i was not. this was the keck, defeater of the todd. we played a few games back and forth, keck winning, nick keeping close pace, and me getting my scraps too. very competitive. it was 4-3-2 when the other kid walked on the court. young man, really. dayton. he was a junior doubles player and the coach had sent him down too. keck and i were up for anything. we decided to take them on in a doubles mahut. "...we'll play ten total games, regardless!", i yelled as i concluded the brief explanation. they understood perfectly. this guy's name was dayton and he had a huge serve, but a sloppy forehand. both of them could get around the court and our double's inexperience was exposed as we dropped the mahut 4-6. i hit some good volley, wiffed a few, served alright, and lived on a few lines. keck was flawless at times, flustered a bit, and out of his singles element. we went on to play another format, one in which keck and i won on serve and almost won on return. a few more drills and we walked off the court exhausted just before noon. a gooder friday morning was never had. our scoring method and training intentional techniques validated and reinforced. we left with enthusiatic invitations to return, spreading the seeds a tennis resurrection. nick and dayton knew, tennis had a glowing future only if a reformation busted out. keck contacted me later in the day to confirm dinner plans and clarify the continuation of his 8-0 mahut. serena almost blew her top and sharapova fell apart in the third, the season of tennis is at hand.
ReplyDelete...keck's first serve improvement continue to propel his results against me. 2-13 tonight with a dejection cloud following. even threw my racquet over the fence at one point. after a slow start, including several tough and and hard fought games, keck caught something and ripped off 11 straight games. not official, but a moulette-type streak nevertheless. we had just explained isner scoring method and the upcoming king of teh court tournament with a really tall south african named jonathan/ he had a compact backhand and huge serve. he thought it was brilliant. excellent validation of our plan to host the first ever collin county king of the court. justin's on board, the courts are booked, the flyer's been made, the pre-tournament and post-tournament strategies are being considered, the todd has committed, and joe the lion is roaring louder than ever. just last weekend he put on a display at the brookhaven tournament, fighting off match points and winning 3 setters. got ambushed in the first round, then pedro motalvo finished him off 4 matches later. i believe pedro went on to win the whole thing. in between, the steady roar. he could be king, but more likely a prince as the possible players in this tournament, including professionals, are lining up for the big crown. brent james, rusty branch, billy vita. who knows of the possible field. we explained it to a pro the week prior and he's anxious to play. unknown to him, we debated the professional entry and approved it in the end, due to the natural leveling that takes place at 2nd round robin. it's a brilliant format, one that will create 4 flighted winners. king, prince, duke, earl. 60 games against 6 opponents for every player. back to the method. all goes back to isner scoring method. if there was a way to make it 70 total games, we would have implemented it. math is math. perhaps a final mahut to add 10 more could be arranged. I'll think on it. 53-21 in isner 12. keck's tough.
ReplyDelete...with keck on a week long desert resort vacation lined up a another mahut with joe vita. met early on saturday mornng. the coldest may saturday morning eve on record in texas. 38 degrees. it warmed up quickly and i shed my layers of thermals early into the super mahut. coming into this mahut, i had won the first two mahuts of our first ever isner match. 8/7, 8/7. close battles, hard fought, hard won, hard lost. after never eclipsing joe in a classic scoring method match, i was 2 for 2 for mahuts. the super mahut is a 25 game mahut. almost twice as log as the 15 game standard we had been playing. discussions with joe reinforced teh need for flexibility in the isner scoring mehod and concluded that determining teh number of games of a mahut should be up to teh players themselves. mutual agreement would decide. brilliant. truly, ism is a revolutionay approach. completely campatible with all skill levels, ages, and competitive tennis needs.
ReplyDeletethe super mahut was mostly serve and win during the first half as the server went 10-0 on break points between us both as we sat at 8/7. serve held every time. finally a break through as joe brke me. i broke him right back, the most desperate player holding up. very brisk tennis during the 4th 5th of the mahut. took one of my service games when i rushed the net and put away a nice nackhand volley. killed it with spin and pinned the left line. joe ripped winner after winner and was hitting the ball deep. caught him playing back a few times and got some points off drops. we battled to 11/11, then 11/12 and i knew i must hold serve to have any chance. i went back to fundamantals, took my time, and concentrated on hitting my firt serve 95% to improve the chances of it goin in and preventing me from the chance of a double fault, the tennis killer. i took the game easily. 12/12, joe serving for the mahut due to the spin win at the begining of the mahut. back and forth with joe following a massive first serve ace with a double fault. i worked my way to a mahut point and knew i had one chance. i took joes first serve and smoked it cross court and joe barely got a racquet on it. 13/12. 29/26 overall. this one stung joe, i know. after brookhaven an extra road work, he was looking for a win. heard a couple of the glowface tracks, without the lead and keys. he liked it, especially the erwin park song. dylan of the south, he proclaimed. our 'i'll have another' stories are somehow combined, the meaning revealing itself after the creation of the song. i'll have another, make it two or three, keep em on ice my honey, come on and dance with me.
...the one game i got against keck during our 15 game mahut two days ago was hard fought. seven dueces, i believe. that game is the only thing that prevented a corpse moullete, the term for a 15-0 mahut win. keck was on fire, perhaps still motivated and inspired by the indian brother spirits he encountered in the northern arizona mountains. he had a different gleam in his eye, a sharper forehand snap, quicker reactions. it was incredible the way he played. confirmed that he followed that up with a 17-8 super mahut win over joe yesterday. looking back, we've seen trend. the win over the todd, the destruction of his isner wins against joe and i. his serve has put him into another category. more like a 5.0 player than the 4.0 or 4.5 he professes. his condiioning would be tested at that level. he would need to draw on his indian spirit to pepare for the rigors of 5.0 play, but he could do it.
ReplyDeleteglowface development continues and is progressing very well. lead and backing vocals to add. rankin blues melts the space. fleece proclaims, and punk rockers and deadlifters jumps like it's supposed to.
...keck and i played a double last week. monday, we finished up a 70-21 Keck vicory within a 20 game mahut. a couple of points to note here. first, the number of games in a mahut can be defined as any number. this allowed keck and i to change our # of games to 20. also, in a small adjustment, we determined that we would carry over mahut games into the next isner match if 70 was reached by either player during the playing of a mahut. the mahut would continue to the end. this provides for a smoother transistion between insner matches. well anyway, keck trounched me 16-4 monday night. busted my strings and had to play with ole blue, the elbow killer. keck played tremendous tennis, his forehand crosscourt shots the best i've seen. unplayable angles and pace. however, he did seem to twist his back at one point and the consition currently has him on the sidelines. it was only the original twist because he went on to play again thursday as we met joe vita and his buddy jesse for a round robin. on a suffocatingly humid evening, we began around 6:30 at eagles landing. we ran late because i had to go see lily make her marqette debut. i can't believe my daughter is a marquette. visions of leslie geer--god bless your soul. her highlicks were high, her smile was frozen. what a dame.
ReplyDeleteCONTINUED>>>
ReplyDeletethe round robin started when jesse finally showed up. he certainly looked the part. cool shoes and a electric blue nike headband, the swoosh perfectly placed. he played keck first and i was impressed he scratched two games off him. saw several good shots, but his serve was consistently long. more back twist on the setup could help. bvita is the coach, he could probably tell. joe swiped me off teh court 7-3. he was up 3-0 right off teh bat in a fury of serves and forehands. the tennis club i had in my hand, overmatched and slow. i regrouped and took clawed back to 3-4 before joe wrapped it up 7-3 by winning the final 3, all my energy zapped while clawing. same thing happened with keck, as he jumped out on me 3-0 before i came back to 3-3. he took the next four games, teh final three in skunk fashion--he won the final 12 points of teh mahut. i was a wasted mess. first drenching sweat of the summer. exaustion. partly, this is what led to my total ineffectual finish against keck. i was storing energy for the final mahut against jesse. this was one i wanted to win. i was suprised when i looked up and he was packing his bags and leaving. something about a movie and him arriving late and him not knowing this would go two solid hours. i was a bit disappointed, but also a bit releived. although i had a plan going into our mahut and felt i would win it, i was gassed. i only half jokingly told him as he was leaving that i win a 10-0 moulette on a default. he smiled and understood. he liked teh format and he is a likely convert to the isner scoring method. joe and keck played the final mahut with joe clearly the dominate player this night. the king of this court. the owner of the prize, the defeater of the inferior. during payoff beers and queso later at uncle julios, we mapped more details of teh upcoming tournament and drew lines of association between projects and trains of thought. his recruiting company organizational design is well thought out. in practice, he would maximize the time of each person and likely find significatn efficiencies. again, kaizen being the best method of producing excellence. forgot to ask him about his aussie friend. took a swing at a cop. self defense, i'm sure. the info on the july tournament is going glowface and we are up to seven entries as spotz signed up just last night. in the market for a racquet change as one of my dunlops cracked and the other is weathered significantly. need to have them well in advance of the tournament so i can be prepared going in. my goal is the prince title, but i'd take the duke title. we already have too many heavy hitters committed to play for me to shoot for the king. keck, the todd, joe vita, brent james. who's next, rusty branch? billy vita is in too and he ain't no chump. i've heard of this spotz dude's abilities a few times and met him on several occasions. wendell still hasn't signed up and jonathan teh south african hasn't signed up either. once our buddy justin sends out the word, we'll fill the remaining 9 spots easily. final draft tracks, including lead, keys, and backup vocals due in about a week. glowface project right on target and the tunes sear.
...it was extremely humid and the sky looked ready to explode, especially to the north...we were at the wylie high school courts, 2nd rate facilities to be sure. gate handles broken, net not secured at the side, and no side court windscreens. still, the courts were fine as i was briefly reminded of the courts and conditions in spur, texas. eagles landing has spoiled me for good. we had scheduled a 25 game mahut and teh noon to 2 timeslot was perfectly placed for both of us. joe with baseball tournament games and me with a lokey wedding that night. another added to the clan. lokeystrong, prayers ascend. we got started quickly due to the likely length of the mahut. joe was down in lbs and looking quick. i was filling out my early forties frame a bit too much. needed this test of endurance. drank a bunch o water prior, anticipating the heat and pouring sweat to come. serves held up early and joe was flying shots all over the place. fence shots, net shots. but he kept his cool. he was in for the long haul and he calmed down and fought to a 6-4 lead, about to go up 3 games. i was serving and down 15-40. the wind was whirling. the legs were labored. but i fought and fought and claimed the game. another game followed and we were locked at 6-6. this is when joe found his tennis place. he ripped the next 5 games in a blur of execution and poise. mostly it was joe, but my inferior tennis mental abilities were evident. i yelled, i cussed, i threw a borrowed racquet. i stopped the streak by hitting only second serves and letting joe fizzle out as he finally sailed a few. at 13-7, it looked like could be a total smashing. i scratched out 3 of the final 5 to take it to 10-15. every point fought for, every turn of momentum felt. joe was the better, and smaller, man today. already, two days later, i've hit the workouts harder, motivated by the next mahut. in the current isner match with joe, our first ever, he holds a 41-39 lead. this, while winning only 1 of our 4 mahuts. it will come down to the wire. it will end in a ring of fire. thinking about a switch to yonnex. the japanese make the best cars. likely their racquets are superior. king of the court is progressing in registration, needing on 9 more slots to fill. glowface bootleg of swaying california brown has been well received. perfect opener. hope keck's back is back. i need the court time. i'm in the middle of a massive tennis grudge match. joe the loin is roaring.
ReplyDelete