Your TennisTitan closed out the year with some fun sets over at Kinsley this morning. TT and 8 other stalwarts benefited from the crisp, dry, windless conditions that saw temperatures hovering about 40 in grey wintry skies. A perfect day for outdoor tennis in the northeast! TT paired with George "Chemist" Hauss on court two against 'Big Al' Diodati and Frank 'Slats' Slattery. Titan/'Chemist' rallied from a 1-3 deficit to take the tightly contested set (7-5) and earn the right to meet Carl 'Spindly Legs' Gessman and My Liege, 'King' Gene Slattery. 'King' had stepped in for 'Happy Jack' Carey so that he could have his way with TT as was the case on Wednesday at the YTC. 'SL'/'HJ' had eked out a (6-4) triumph over the venerable (but departing) Sab 'Koide Kid' and Amackassin's finest, Rich 'RC Cola' Condon. As 'Big Al'/'Slats' dropped another heart(and tie) breaker (6-7 [5] to 'RC Cola'/'HJ' your Titan did not let down his most enthusiastic fan, O'Reilly, the Bischon Friese who somehow makes more noise than his 'masidon master.' With the barking reaching a near crescendo Spindly Legs served to get to the tie breaker. TT/'Chem' had withstood the late charge of 'SL'/'King' coming back from three-love deficit to level it at 4. Then "O" dog came through big for the 'bloated behemoth' inducing 'SL' to pull a calf muscle, double fault twice, and possibly lose track of the score in the final game (7-5). An embittered 'King' threatened "to bring my own dog" next week and to have his wife come to keep score! Titan's crisp winning volley- "King, you'd be better served if you'd bring a son to help you out!"
Your TennisTitan punctuated the week between Christmas and New Years with some excellent tennis at the Y.T.C. Titan paired with erstwhile partner Frank 'Slats' Slattery for 3 scintillating sets against Amackassin tournament partners Rich 'RC Cola' Condon and My Liege, Gene 'King' Slattery. Each of the three sets exceded the prior set in level of play and in drama of its outcome. TT/'Slats' wilted in set one. After rebounding from a 1-3 deficit to square it at three, the boys dropped two multi-deuce games before bowing out at (3-6). Set two was a roller coaster from start to finish. TT/'Slats' ran off the opening four games only to see 'King'/'Cola' level it at four games a piece. Titan came up with the goods in the ninth game to stave off the hemmorage and retake the lead, 5-4. Back and forth it went. TT/'Slats' hung tough and eked out a (9-7) victory. TT had a nice mix of booming serves amid a bevy of spinning floaters to keep 'Cola'/'King' off balance. 'Slats' was like dog shit in New York City, i.e. "all over the court" defending like crazy and coming up with some great digs. Your Titan showed occasional prowess at net with his volleys but continues to blow easy overheads. Set three was a donnybrook, with all four players dragging somewhat from their earlier efforts but all showing incredible heart. Neither side had margin for error or the ability to open up a two game lead. The set went to an exciting tie breaker with 'King' securing the rubber (6-7 [5]). As 'RC Cola' came to net he saw his partner smile broadly as 'King' aced TT with, "Titan, you played much better today, but at Amackassin you'd still be classified as a "C+ group" player."
"Titan, with that belly of yours, you really do look like Santa Claus, especially with that red shirt you wear... but, oh, those wonderful gifts you give on the court!" So were the sage words of Lou 'Golden Hands' Avitabile this morning at the YTC. 'GH' and the 'Caballero' had just won the rubber of a three set match (2-6, 6-4, 1-6) against the TennisTitan and Mario 'Zippy' Zino. This was TT's first appearance on the indoor courts in a month and it was far from memorable. Titan showed some signs of coming out of his prolonged slump by serving effectively, if without pop, during the match. The 'bombastic blowhard' held his own against the superior fire power of Hanibal 'the Caballero' and the guile of the experienced 'Golden Hands.' Titan takes no comfort in his mirroring the mobility of 'GH' who is 20+ years his senior. Indeed, the match was as close as it was because 'Caballero' had no giddy-up on his serve and 'Zippy' had a strong first set before the errors crept in. As the foursome retired to the dressing room, 'Golden Hands' espoused the wisdom of his many years on the courts, "Titan, you're lucky you met me when I am in my 80's; otherwise you'd have to pay me to get a game!"
"Titan, even a 'King' can't help you with your game." Such were the words of Gene 'King' Slattery at net at the conclusion of this morning's play at Kinsley. TennisTitan and My Liege had just dropped a truncated set (5-6 (4)) with the 11th game serving as a tie breaker to George 'Chemist' Hauss and Frank 'Slats' Slattery who completed a two set sweep (2-6). Titan offered the 'King' little help in a match that featured many wind blown balls that exposed TT's limited mobility with increasing regularity. 'King' had to cover too much court and was ineffective with his volleys and overheads. 'Chemist'/'Slats' burned 'King Gene' frequently by passing him on the backhand down the doubles alley. Titan had no pop on the ball and could not effectively lob due to the swirling wind conditions. A recipe for disaster for sure. 'Slats' opined as he left the court smiling broadly, "Titan, this was worth the scolding Patsy is going to give me for being an hour late, even if I have to scrub the toilets a second time time week."
"Titan, wasn't that Spiro Agnew's plea in court that caused him to resign the Vice Presidency. Isn't he dead, like your tennis game." Those were the stinging words of Jim 'CC Flash' Stephens at net after he completed the rout of TennisTitan (2 and 1) in their first match on Titan's abbreviated Southern Senior Tour. 'Flash' took no hostages as he mauled the 'bloated behemoth' in both sets, barely breaking a sweat. Titan had come out firing and played a strong first set (for him these days) that was epitomized by the play in the first game. TT had 'big-time pop' on his serve but was stunned by two reflex returns on serves that seemingly had gone by 'CC' which he somehow got half a racquet on and with no backhand back swing hit winners just over the net and out of the reach of the 'immobile manequin.' Indeed several times in the first set Titan watched incredulously as 'Flash' returned balls that were unreturnable. Titan must struggle to combat not only Flash's quickness on court but his ever increasing consistency with his serve. For crying out loud (which Titan habitually does do) Flash did not drop a point on his own serve until the the fourth game of the second set. Should Titan take some solace from the fact that was the only game TT managed to win in the second set. I think not. TennisTitan will make another attempt to put a chink in 'Flash's superior game later this week before retreating to the somewhat more comfortable court conditions of doubles in New York. Hell, who cares if it's going to be forty degrees at Kinsley, maybe TennisTitan can get hot there!
Your Titan is making a quick trip to Florida. TT has been Santa Claus on the court in recent weeks, might as well give "some gifts" to' CC Flash' and 'Big Daddy' Jeff and enjoy my grandchildren and do some fishing. Titan will be back on the Kinsley courts on Sat. 12/16 weather permitting.
"Titan, if you were a horse we'd have to shoot you." Those were the caustic words of 'Happy Jack' Carey who along with Carl 'Spindly Legs' Gessman and George 'Chemist' Hauss outplayed TT this morning in every facet of the game. Your Titan was consistently five steps too slow in getting to the ball (when he made an effort to move toward it at all) and played as poorly as he is capable of. Titan had no legs. The cold autumn wind played havoc with any ball hit more than three feet above the net. The conditions brutally effected the 'bombastic blowhard's' arthritic knees. TennisTitan could not elevate off his heels, no less launch into the ball, on his serve. Titan and 'Happy Jack' fell (1-6) before the Germanic duo. Even the vaunted 'Spindly Legs' could not compensate for the 'bloated behemoth's lethargy (3-6) in the second set. 'HJ' whizzed serves past TT and dinked Titan at net with greater consistency than a Dunkin' Donuts cappucino as the helpless Gessman looked on in disgust. 'Chemist' took perverse delight in twisting his spinners at the 'Master of Immobility' but took on the hero's role in set three. 'HJ's game returned to its normal level, 'SL' could not out-rally the 'Chemist,' and Titan studiously avoided any ball not hit right to him - the result, a face-saving (6-1) victory! Titan and Spindly Legs led the fourth set (3-2) when play was halted. As the foursome met at net to say aufvidersehn, 'Chemist' opined, "Titan I guess I was the big winner today" to wit 'Happy Jack' retorted, "I wasn't the big loser either, isn't that right TennisTitan!?!" "How right you are" wimped the 'beaten bloviator.'
TennisTitan joined three of his mates for some fun indoor tennis today at the Yonkers Tennis Center. Your Titan had been away from the courts for 12 days, the longest stint away from such hedonistic, make that masochistic, pleasure this year. TT paired with Roy 'Mr Spin' Marzullo against the duo of Bill 'EBL' Tully and 'Big Al' Dio Dati. This is the best pairing of this foursome even though it continues to produce only lopsided results. TennisTitan/'Mr Spin' were thrashed (2 and 0) in the two sets played to completion. Set three saw the beleaguered tandem hold their own through the five games played and end on serve (3-2). Once again it was a case of "Tullyville" domination. 'Big Al' does Just Enough early in points to keep the ball alive during rallies that enable 'EBL' to take control as the point is played out. 'EBL's agility and versatility at net, speed covering both ends of the backcourt, are Just Too Much and causes the usually reliable 'Mr Spin' to go for too much. Titan did not have the necessary pop on his serves or placement on his forehands to minimize 'Big Al's effectiveness. Titan can not do enough in the forecourt to enable 'Mr Spin' to compete effectively against the omnipresent and alacritous Daedalian, the Energizer Bunny. Mr Spin unwillingness to leave the baseline as TT serves negates many opportunities to take immediate control of the point. But what the hell, how often do you get to use "alacritous Daedalian" when not in fourth year Latin class?
"He's 84 years old - you'll kill the man if he's got to carry you, Titan!" The words of erstwhile friend and former partner, Frank 'Slats' Slattery as he buried (ha!) a volley at TennisTitan's feet to close out the first set (1-6). Amackassin's own Rich 'RC Cola' Condon joined his fellow club member, 'Slats,' in four sets of spirited doubles at Kinsley, easily outdistancing TT and Sab 'Koide Kid,' making his return after months on the injured reserve list. TT/'Koide Kid' went on to the loser's draw and met 'Rockin Rick' Ricci and 'Big Al' Dio Dati in set two. Again Titan/'KK' did not have enough game to overcome the septuagenarians as they fell (3-6). Titan paired with Carl 'Spindly Legs' Gessman for the third set with more satisfactory results due to the agility and consistency in 'SL's game. While on the winner's court the tandem of 'Slats'/'RC Cola' enjoyed mixed results; first defending successfully (6-4) against George 'Chemist' Hauss and ''Happy Jack' Carey, then blowing a 5-2 lead to lose (5-7), and then holding on for another (6-4) victory against 'Chemist'/'HJ.' After 'HJ' and 'RC Cola' departed Titan accepted the onerous task of partnering with 'Slats' against 'Chemist' and 'RRR'. TT/'Slats saw their 3-0 lead vanish all too quickly and become a 3-4 deficit before Titan kicked it into high gear. "Slats' I am saddled up, hop on my back, I'm taking us home before noon, was the 'bloated behemoth's cry as he rallied the troops for the last three games. Indeed, Titan served it out at love and made two sparkling running forehands that left 'RRR' agape to take the set (6-4). 'Slats' was mortified as the 'bombastic blowhard' left the courts yelling to all who would hear him, "What would Julie say?" "It's all about heart in the last set!"
"Well, Titan, it's my second term" chortled Bill 'EBL' Tully at net who had just replicated the results from last week's meeting of the foursome of 'EBL,' 'Tutor' Tuchman, 'Mr Spin' Marzullo, and TT. Titan/'EBL' dominated the opener (6-1) with TT serving big and 'EBL' barely breaking a sweat in the 22 minute set as he gobbled up put-away after put-away at net. Set two again saw TT/Mr Spin win but one game on TennisTitan's serve (1-6) as 'EBL' eased into full running mode and thwarted some excellent returns by 'Mr Spin' and the Titan that prolonged this agony to 29 minutes. More significantly the quality of points again was uplifted, even if the results do not bare this out. And finally, set three. The complete blow out. 'Tutor'/TT were badly overmatched (0-6) by the all court play of the 'Energizer Bunny' and the rejuvenated 'Mr Spin', who for once, could comfortably remain at the baseline and not worry about covering for TT or 'Tutor.' Roy hit his lobs concistently beyond the tired Titan's reach and his dinks spinning away from a flailing Max. Titan reminded our "Mayor of Tullyville' at net, "Billy boy, unlike last week, when Max and I didn't win a game when we started that 4th set, I started to impose "term limits" today 'cause the pop on my serve won the opening game of set 4 today." Max cautioned Titan, "TT, the exit polls were not good, we were down 1-3 when we were bumped from the court.
TennisTitan joined 'Rockin' Rick Ricci, Tony ' No Baloney' Guido and 'Hanibal the 'Caballero' for two sets at the YTC this morning. Titan might as well have stayed in bed! Your Titan paired with 'RRR' in the opener and quickly saw the handwriting on the wall. TT not only didn't have his legs but brought nothing to the table in terms of his service or return games. The 'boisterous behemoth' was notably subdued this morning because he couldn't buy a first serve nor handle the service of 'NB' or 'Caballero' in dropping the set (2-6). The second set presented an even greater challenge for TT. 'Caballero' brought his 'A' game this date and given effective support from the Titan could have easily expected to come away with a "W" for his efforts. TT/'Caballero' surrenderd their 4-2 lead to 'RRR'/'NB' by losing three games in a row primarily due to Titan mishits and an inability to return serve. Titan's only solace this date was hanging tough on serve in games 12 and 16 to prolong the match and by keeping out of 'Caballero's way! The quartet was bumped from the court with TT again trying to extend the set (9-10, 30-30). "NB's attempt at comforting the 'bloated blowhard' at net was for naught, "Titan, look at it this way. We all have our bad days, turns out that yours was an especially good day for us. We didn't have to listen to as much gibberish from the bombastic bloviator!"
TennisTitan joined four of his mates for some fun sets at Kinsley on this beautiful fall day in Yonkers. Titan, coming off two consecutive days of intense doubles play elected to be a late arrival and happily sat out the first set of doubles. 'Happy Jack' Carey and Frank 'Slats' Slattery responded to the challenge offered by 'Big Al' Dio Dati and George 'Chemist' Hauss. Trailing 1-4 the tandem of HJ/'Slats' pull off the upset (7-5). 'HJ' showed surprisingly good form with his volleys at crunch time and awed the Titan by serving it out in deciding game. Titan jumped in to pair with'Slats' for set 2 as 'HJ' decided that the 12th game was "his last call." Speaking of calls TT/'Slats' overcame some missed calls and late game resistance from 'Big Al'/'Chemist' to take the set (6-4). Titan had pop and placement on his serve but little else this day as 'Slats' did all the heavy lifting with his excellent mobility. The final set played was singles between 'Chemist' and the Titan. TT got off to a fast start opening up a two-love, 40-love lead before dropping the quadruple deuce third game and watched despiritedly as 'Chemist' exposed the 'bloated behemoth's coverage limitations and ran the table (2-6). As the combatants met at net Chemist expressed his appreciation to TT, "Titan, I had played poorly prior to this set; you're just what the doctor ordered when he said, 'Georgie, play someone old, slow afoot, and twenty pound overweight... why Tom, I do believe that's you!"
TennisTitan joined fellow morning group players Mario 'Zippy' Zino, Hanibal 'Caballero' and Tony 'No Baloney' Guido for three sets of fun tennis this morning at the Yonkers Tennis Center. TT paired with 'Zippy' in set 1 and put up an admirable fight (3-6) against the heavier hitting two some of 'NB'/'Caballero.' Your Titan came out firing and made a match out of this first set. 'Zippy' hung in there as best as he could but is overmatched by his brother-in-law's superior fire power. Set 2 saw 'Caballero'/Titan dominate (6-1) as Titan continued his heavy hitting and benefitted from 'Caballero's mobility in the forecourt. 'NB' and Titan eased up on the accelerator in the third set after establishing a four-love lead to win comfortably (6-3). As the boys met at net for the post match photo the Argentinians protested, "What' this, Titan? The Faulkland Island war of 1982. You're no Margaret Thatcher! 'NB' cooled down the testiness with, "TT, if a picture is worth a thousand words, you owe us - now get writing!"
"It's like Disneyland on the tennis court." That was the sage comment of Max 'Tutor' Tuchman as he sauntered to the courtside bench at the conclusion of three whirlwind sets at the Yonkers Tennis Center this date. 'Tutor,' recently back from a jaunt to his Florida condo, had become accustom to geriatric tennis played in Broward County. Today, he was reintroduced to 'EBL's brand of "no point is ever over until I can't get my racquet on it" tennis. Your Titan paired with Bill 'EBL' Tully in the first set and rolled to a comfortable (6-1) pounding of 'Tutor' and Roy 'Mr Spin' Marzullo. TT had plenty of pop on the serve and provided Tully with a slew of easy put-aways at net off his serve. It was only natural that the 'bombastic blowhard' would move to the other side of the net to make for a more equitable second set. Not so. Titan, still exhibiting his "A" game - big serve, accurate placement, precision returns down the line - could not provide enough support for 'Mr Spin'/TT to make a dent in Tullyville. 'EBL' raised his game considerably in set 2 to make the (1-6) thumping adminsistered to 'Mr Spin'/TT seem comparable in its decisiveness to the previous set. It was not. The quality of points far exceeded that offered in set 1. 'Tutor' and Titan united in set 3 to face the onslaught of spins, droppers, overheads and all court dominance (0-6) exhibited by 'Mr Spin'/'EBL.' 'Tutor' and Titan waxed philosophically as they congratulated themselves at net for taking the bullet, "Titan, make sure the blog records 'Mr Spin' finally was on the winning side!" 'EBL' chortled, "perhaps next week we'll make it three against one, this way someone can cover the middle."
"And next time I might insist that you wear whites and display proper verbal decorum on the court!" So said Frank 'Slats' Slattery as he imposed his panty-waist 'Amackassin Club' rule on the unsuspecting TennisTitan when he announced that the seventh game would be the last game of today's first set. TT had motivated himself to arrive at Kinsley early so as to have the pleasure of playing doubles with Bob 'Kraut' Kluge who had flown in from Chicago for the weekend. Instead 'Slats' declared himself the protector of the lazy and/or the elderly by arbitrarily eliminating the opportunity for 'Chemist' and 'Big Al' to warm up as singles and/or await the regulation outcome of a hotly contested first set. Your Titan chose to dump that seventh game and take on 'Kraut' in a competitive singles match despite his aching knees and throbbing hamstrings. TT gave it his all but 'Der Klugmeister' had too much Sierra Mist in his truck this morning weenying the 'bloated behemoth' repeatedly at critical junctures to take the set (4-6). It was especially satisfying for the Titan to then pair with 'Kraut' in the (6-4) defeat administered to Carl 'Spindly Legs' Gessman and George 'Chemist' Hauss in what was the feature match of the morning. Games were intense and the norm was 12-14 balls per point. Titan savored this even more because 'Slats'/'Big Al' had dropped their set (4-6) to 'Spindly Legs'/'Chemist' as TT and 'Der Klugmeister' played manly tennis. 'Chemist'/'Kraut' were up 4-3 against 'Slats'/'Big Al' in the final set when Bob called a halt to play. Der Klugger launched the definitive shot of the day as the boys posed for their post match pictures when he opined, "Boys, based on my back pain and how I played today, it's not Amackassin. but rather KRAUT RULES that are the order of the day."
"Well, Titan, maybe you should consider going back to work then." These were the not so comforting words of Bill 'EBL' Tully at net having just denied TT for the umpteenth time the pleasure of winning a set against him. Titan and Roy 'Mr Spin' had tried mightly for the second consecutive week to defeat the tandem of 'Big Al' Dio Dati and 'EBL.' As was the case last week TT/'Mr Spin' were unable to hold their early break and succumbed in the latter stages of the set (3-6). Titan had pop on his serve and some jump on his first step to the ball but poor placement serves were his undoing as the 'bloated behemoth' lost too many service points to 'Big Al's short cross court returns. 'Mr Spin' played considerably better than he had the previous week but still displayed errant tendencies on his once sure lobs and short droppers. But his hustle had returned big time. The first set turned on two terrific games - the seventh and ninth - that went to six and five deuce respectively, with the indefatiguable Tully pulling the chestnuts from the fire with superb retrievals. 'Big Al' was no slouch either, thwarting many of the blowhard's blasts reflexively at net and using Titan's power serve to supply enough pace to angle it out of reach over the net. Set 2 was another barn burner with 'Mr Spin'/Titan getting the early break back to draw the set even at 4. Titan was serving at 4-5, in the second deuce, when play was halted. Titan was lip synching his pitiful lament to the hearing impaired 'Mr Spin,' "Roy, all that effort and nothing to show for it. Damn" when 'EBL' zinged him. 'Big Al' had the final word "You three guys were employed by the education system, what would you know about work anyway?"
