"Quitters Never Win"

"Titan, this is the price you gotta pay" opined George 'Chemist' Hauss. "First you abandon us for three weeks to go to supposedly warm Florida - and you can't find a game down there, now this." Frank 'Slats' Slattery interjected, "those Florida rubes won't even wear shorts if it's under 60 degrees and you had temperatures of 35 - 55 each and every day. Those snow birds can't fly, they're turkeys!" "Yeah, but this is even worse" responded TennisTitan. "I take umbrage at that" snickered 'Happy Jack' Carey. "You and 'Slats' losing to me and the 'Chemist' (5-7) in the opener, especially after I made it possible to play with my ice melting crystals, chopping and broom work at game time, is no disgrace." "Titan, said 'Slats,' dropping the second set (6-7 [6]) wasn't entirely my fault, you know. Your legs never moved at all in this morning's 28 degree temperature. And Jack, you don't even know what umbrage means. You must have read it in some asshole's blog." "Frankie, it's not that. I am pissed at 'Dave the Rave.' He and the 'Chemist' squeaked out that second set. But my legs finally loosened up for the third set when it's always about heart anyway. I sacrifice far more in the pain I will endure post match when I play a third set, than any of the other guys, and that yokel 'Dave the Rave' quits down 5 - love (partial). 'HJ' reminded us all, "maybe it's in his DNA."