Been hitting the early morning Thursday game the last few weeks. It was cold and I’d had a crummy night’s sleep so I didn’t really push it today.
We had a tryout tournament last weekend (that I’ll talk about soon) so I’ve been angling to play a hunch to stay sharp.
To spoil my story, we got the wins we needed last weekend, but it was at a cost. I’m still kind of beat, mentally, and it feels like I tweaked my left knee. It’s balky for the first half-hour or so and then it gets progressively sore after I’m done playing.
October was pretty full. I got hooked up with some tickets to the 2024 Dominion Energy Charity Classic, which is a stop on the PGA Senior Tour. They don’t call it that any more, I think because the golfers don’t want to be called “seniors”, but that’s basically what it is.
I had never been to a golf tournament in person before and we had a lot of fun on day when the weather was perfect.
I didn’t know at the time, but this event is a big deal locally and for the players. We got the whole bus-from-the-lot treatment.
Right out of the gate I spied Rocco Mediate’s fly Jordan’s. I like to think that I’d be cool enough to pull of J’s on the golf course (but who am I kidding?).
I know I am cool enough, and have the corresponding golf skills, to get stuck behind a green-side crepe myrtle.
the whole day was cool but the highlight for me was following Ernie Els for a handful of holes. He’s a beast, and definitely someone I remember watching on tv in his prime.
With one match left (and I’ve already played so much I may not make it in the lineup), I took my first L of the 6.5 Mixed Combo season this weekend, 5-7, 3-6. I took a nasty bite from the double-fault bug in some inopportune moments in the first set and then we just stunk it up in the 2nd.
Adding insult to injury, the match was on hardcourt so I was starting to get sore before I got back to the house. Playing on clay is so forgiving to these old bones.
A couple of Saturday matches of various effort levels, and a Sunday match with good tennis but the same fun levels. It’s almost always fun.
The morning session was a chill affair with some friends. My normal doubles partner is moving up a level, so I’m trying to get some reps with another pal who I think would make a good partner. We did okay against some guys at a higher level, and there is always room to improve.
Saturday afternoon’s match was a 6.5 mixed doubles bloodbath that we won in, like, 45 minutes. Afterward, my partner suggested we hit some singles since she “wanted to try to return that serve”. We ended up playing a full set of singles that I eked out 7-5. You can see all of that Zone 4 time was when she was running my big ass all over the court.
I’m not a fan of playing singles. There is a great deal of physics at work when I’m starting and stopping all of this body, and I tend to suffer.
Sunday’s match was my second run at the 7.5 mixed combo league where I’m playing with a 4.5 lady. Most of the teams in this league are a combo of a 4.0 and 3.5 player, but since my partner is a 4.5 she had to find a 3.0 to play with.
She’s explained to me that I was picked mostly for vibes, and also because I’m okay at the net. We won a fun match in a 3rd set tiebreak against a couple of good players.
I enjoy playing mixed doubles. And these combo leagues are a lot of fun because I get to hit with people that are, mathematically, better than me. We have a couple of weeks left in the season, which is fine, because we play outside and it’s starting to get cold.
It was another insane finish to an important ballgame last night. Lindor is a bad, bad man. Alonso had a clutch hit (while in the middle of an awful slump). And starting pitcher David Peterson got the save?!?!
These damn Mets pulled off a wild one yesterday to make the postseason for the first time since 2016 (and that was a super-stinker of a time).
Francisco Lindor hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 9th to put the Mets ahead after they gave up a 3-run lead in the bottom of the 8th. It was tremendous, as he has been this whole darn season.
The Mets had to go from Atlanta to Milwaukee after the doubleheader where they’ll start their series tonight. It would be wild to see them get past the Brewers.
