Funny sportswriter tales, Araton meets McEnroe

Miraculously rare. usually one or maybe two strings pop and that's it. But for enough string crosses to pop on one ball contact/explosion and the ball actually going THROUGH THE STRINGS is impossible to believe it could ever happen but it did. Never seen it before or since. It's also very rare for a tennis ball to pop and break from hard hitting. Very rare also but not as rare as the ball going through the racquet strings.

 

Here it is

 

Mental anguish is more painful for me than physical.

 

That used to be the case for me. But with this pinched nerve, I haven't hit a ball in more than 5 and a half weeks. I'll take some mental anguish if I can just get back on the court.

 

Gotta do neck warmup exercises. Also try applying apple cider vinegar.

 

When I was a kid, we belonged to a swim club out in the country that had an 11-foot basketball hoop, for some reason, on a grass court. One day one of the member's kids brought his friend from St. Bonaventure, Matt Gantt, a member of the SBU 1970 Final Four team. We rustled some guys up and played a game.

One guy took a shot that hit the rim and bounced up; Gantt jumped up, grabbed it with two hands and slammed it back through with ease. Needless to say, we were in awe.

He was only 6-5 but could go to the moon. He jumped center against Artis Gilmore in the FF semifinals, because that asshole Chris Ford blew out Bob Lanier 's knee in an out-of-control drive while down 25 points in the regional final.