Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
State Of The Union
I've not posted for six months and how our lives have changed. Instead of living in the well established neighborhood of Eldorado we now call Tucker Hill in north McKinney home. The picture below is of our house during a snowy winter weekend.
As I write this I'm sitting in my new office, which is a definite step up from my previous workplace, I'm listening to President Obama's state of the union address. So many of the phrases seem familar and worn. The best we can hope is for some positive action and work follows the speech making.
Another reason I'm finally updating this blog is that I'm simply too tired to drag myself into the garage or dog kennel to do yet more work. So much of my energy has been directed toward creating a great space for our new dogs - Chloe, Zach and Blaze. We taken a small portion of our tandem garage and turned it into a kennel. I've built a new wall, an exterior door and a dutch door that connects the kennel to the master closet. Additionally I'm working on building out the garage by adding new cabinets and workspace area.
From that center of activity I plan to continue to build upon my new "handy man" label. Indeed I've jumped in with both feet, and with the help of a talented tennis friend named David, I'm quite surprized at what we've been able to accomplish. As I get more free time I'll post more details about what has been done.
So what is the state of Jo's and my union? We continue to work hard to make our new house a home. We certainly underestimated the impact that the move would have upon our lives. It took us fifteen years to turn Penny Lane into a home that sold in less than two weeks back in November. Its unrealistic to think that we can do the same here on Ripley Street in short order. It will need to be a long term effort and we can't kill ourselves doing it. Pushing myself so hard I have gained 20 pounds, have only played tennis a handful of times and need to be more productive at work. I keep telling myself "I'll do better after I finish this or that" but there is always something else to do. So I once again I need to fight for a more balanced life.
As I write this I'm sitting in my new office, which is a definite step up from my previous workplace, I'm listening to President Obama's state of the union address. So many of the phrases seem familar and worn. The best we can hope is for some positive action and work follows the speech making.Another reason I'm finally updating this blog is that I'm simply too tired to drag myself into the garage or dog kennel to do yet more work. So much of my energy has been directed toward creating a great space for our new dogs - Chloe, Zach and Blaze. We taken a small portion of our tandem garage and turned it into a kennel. I've built a new wall, an exterior door and a dutch door that connects the kennel to the master closet. Additionally I'm working on building out the garage by adding new cabinets and workspace area.
From that center of activity I plan to continue to build upon my new "handy man" label. Indeed I've jumped in with both feet, and with the help of a talented tennis friend named David, I'm quite surprized at what we've been able to accomplish. As I get more free time I'll post more details about what has been done.
So what is the state of Jo's and my union? We continue to work hard to make our new house a home. We certainly underestimated the impact that the move would have upon our lives. It took us fifteen years to turn Penny Lane into a home that sold in less than two weeks back in November. Its unrealistic to think that we can do the same here on Ripley Street in short order. It will need to be a long term effort and we can't kill ourselves doing it. Pushing myself so hard I have gained 20 pounds, have only played tennis a handful of times and need to be more productive at work. I keep telling myself "I'll do better after I finish this or that" but there is always something else to do. So I once again I need to fight for a more balanced life.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Match: Joe McDonald
07/27/2010, Tuesday
Ultimate Tennis, Allen Middle School and Cooper Clinic
5:30 PM: Joe McDonald 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(7-0)
Its always tough playing against my best friend, Joe McDonald. Not only is there the mental aspect of playing a friend but Joe's style of play, which includes hitting with less pace and varying his shot placement well, has always presented challenges to my footwork and consistency.
I started well enough in this match getting out to a 5-0 lead. Strangely enough Joe seemed a little nervous and was making more UEs that normal. The first point I gave up was a double fault during my second serve game. Looking at the video of the first five games I can't say I was doing anything particularly well. The whole poor shoulder rotation issue sticks out to me like a sore thumb. Also I must start getting lower to the court as I look like a stiff stick man.
At 5-0 the rain finally forced us to stop and at that point I took down the video camera not wanting it to get water damaged. After a few minutes the rain let up and the court quickly dried enough to let us continue. The break hurt me more than Joe and he took the next game and was up 40-love when the sky fell in. We decided to head west to the Cooper Clinic at Craig Ranch and as luck would have it, even though we felt a few drops there, we were able to finish out the match at that location.
It was a good thing that Cooper had lights because the next two sets would end up being long ones and we would not finish until about 9:30. While Joe got two games back on me I was able to take the first set 6-2. But I knew that Joe would not go down without a fight. The first game of the second set was a long one and I had several chances to break him after getting a 40-0 lead but I could not pull it off. That was very frustrating and that carried over to my service game and I was quickly down 0-2. Nothing particular stands out to me about the middle of the second set except that I was playing more on the defensive and my shorter shots were becoming more frequent.
I ended up getting the break back and getting one myself and was serving in the 5-4 game for the match. However, today was not one of my better serving days as I was hitting a lot of first serves into the net and second ones very short. This allowed him to play lots of short angles and he was killing me with that. So he ended up breaking me, winning his serve and then breaking me again to win the set 5-7.
The third set started off like the second with a long service game for Joe during which I had my chances to break. Once again I failed to do so. In my mind the third set played out pretty much like the second with me not getting to the net or hitting aggressive shots nearly enough. This time around however he was up 4-5 on my serve and I was serving to stay in the match. Even worse he took a 0-40 lead on my serve! I pretty much was already checking off another close loss to him. But a miracle happened and I scrapped my way back to duece with one point consisting of me diving for a short ball just before it hit the ground. After getting level I ended up winning the game and we went on with the set reaching a tiebreaker.
As it was already pretty late I jokingly asked Joe if he wanted to play it out instead of doing a tiebreaker. Laughing he said we better not. As it was he might of done better as I ended up sweeping the tiebreaker 7-0 (don't think I've ever done that before) and pulling out the match.
My shoulder rotation is especially poor when I play players that hit with less pace. This robs me of even more power and I tend to fall into the trap of hitting the ball shorter and shorter as the match goes on. I need to continue to work on upper body rotation including using both hands on the racket during practice.
Ultimate Tennis, Allen Middle School and Cooper Clinic
5:30 PM: Joe McDonald 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(7-0)
Its always tough playing against my best friend, Joe McDonald. Not only is there the mental aspect of playing a friend but Joe's style of play, which includes hitting with less pace and varying his shot placement well, has always presented challenges to my footwork and consistency.
I started well enough in this match getting out to a 5-0 lead. Strangely enough Joe seemed a little nervous and was making more UEs that normal. The first point I gave up was a double fault during my second serve game. Looking at the video of the first five games I can't say I was doing anything particularly well. The whole poor shoulder rotation issue sticks out to me like a sore thumb. Also I must start getting lower to the court as I look like a stiff stick man.
At 5-0 the rain finally forced us to stop and at that point I took down the video camera not wanting it to get water damaged. After a few minutes the rain let up and the court quickly dried enough to let us continue. The break hurt me more than Joe and he took the next game and was up 40-love when the sky fell in. We decided to head west to the Cooper Clinic at Craig Ranch and as luck would have it, even though we felt a few drops there, we were able to finish out the match at that location.
It was a good thing that Cooper had lights because the next two sets would end up being long ones and we would not finish until about 9:30. While Joe got two games back on me I was able to take the first set 6-2. But I knew that Joe would not go down without a fight. The first game of the second set was a long one and I had several chances to break him after getting a 40-0 lead but I could not pull it off. That was very frustrating and that carried over to my service game and I was quickly down 0-2. Nothing particular stands out to me about the middle of the second set except that I was playing more on the defensive and my shorter shots were becoming more frequent.
I ended up getting the break back and getting one myself and was serving in the 5-4 game for the match. However, today was not one of my better serving days as I was hitting a lot of first serves into the net and second ones very short. This allowed him to play lots of short angles and he was killing me with that. So he ended up breaking me, winning his serve and then breaking me again to win the set 5-7.
The third set started off like the second with a long service game for Joe during which I had my chances to break. Once again I failed to do so. In my mind the third set played out pretty much like the second with me not getting to the net or hitting aggressive shots nearly enough. This time around however he was up 4-5 on my serve and I was serving to stay in the match. Even worse he took a 0-40 lead on my serve! I pretty much was already checking off another close loss to him. But a miracle happened and I scrapped my way back to duece with one point consisting of me diving for a short ball just before it hit the ground. After getting level I ended up winning the game and we went on with the set reaching a tiebreaker.
As it was already pretty late I jokingly asked Joe if he wanted to play it out instead of doing a tiebreaker. Laughing he said we better not. As it was he might of done better as I ended up sweeping the tiebreaker 7-0 (don't think I've ever done that before) and pulling out the match.
My shoulder rotation is especially poor when I play players that hit with less pace. This robs me of even more power and I tend to fall into the trap of hitting the ball shorter and shorter as the match goes on. I need to continue to work on upper body rotation including using both hands on the racket during practice.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Ft. Worth Major Zone Wrap Up
This is one major zone that I'd rather forget as I did not win a match. There is little doubt in my mind that the competition level at this tournament was tougher than San Antonio. I think this not only because I did not win a match, my level of play was much better down there, but because of the matches I watched. Rich, having also played in San Antonio, agreed with me.
John Petty ended up winning the singles draw. The players he left in his wake were pretty impressive as he defeated Donnie Davis, Chris Church, Gary Schneider, Chau Troung and Rick Nunez. Mr. Petty also ran through the field at the Spring Brookhaven tournament so I'm thinking we might have a little sandbagging going on. But that's probably not fair of me as I've not seen him play nor do I know his history. Its pretty impressive to enter two tournaments and only drop one set total against some of the top 3.5 players in North Texas.
In doubles the guys that beat us, Lang and Thomas, won the tournament so I feel a little better about that loss. If I had been playing up to snuff we could of won that match. But I've got to be honest with myself and realize that even up to snuff my game still has serious flaws in it that need to be addressed. My reaction capability has got to improve and I must learn to read opponent's shots sooner so I can be in better position earlier. My footwork needs to improve. If I do these two things that should help cut down on my unforced error count, which was though the roof in this tournament. I've also got to figure out my loopy forehand and resolve the whole grip situation and try to get back to a less western style.
Singles Draw
Doubles Draw
John Petty ended up winning the singles draw. The players he left in his wake were pretty impressive as he defeated Donnie Davis, Chris Church, Gary Schneider, Chau Troung and Rick Nunez. Mr. Petty also ran through the field at the Spring Brookhaven tournament so I'm thinking we might have a little sandbagging going on. But that's probably not fair of me as I've not seen him play nor do I know his history. Its pretty impressive to enter two tournaments and only drop one set total against some of the top 3.5 players in North Texas.
In doubles the guys that beat us, Lang and Thomas, won the tournament so I feel a little better about that loss. If I had been playing up to snuff we could of won that match. But I've got to be honest with myself and realize that even up to snuff my game still has serious flaws in it that need to be addressed. My reaction capability has got to improve and I must learn to read opponent's shots sooner so I can be in better position earlier. My footwork needs to improve. If I do these two things that should help cut down on my unforced error count, which was though the roof in this tournament. I've also got to figure out my loopy forehand and resolve the whole grip situation and try to get back to a less western style.
Singles Draw
Doubles Draw
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tucker Hill
Since I got knocked out of the Ft. Worth Major Zone so quickly Jo and I had some time Saturday to go home browsing. We've been kind of looking for a new home for a year or two. Our real estate agent lives in Tucker Hill and we think it is a very nice community. We walked through a couple of model homes and an available resale that caught our eye. It was somewhat overpriced but we liked the basic floor plan.
Match: Steven Samuel
07/24/2010, Saturday
Fort Worth Major Zone, McLeland Tennis Center
9:00 AM: Steven Samuel 4-6, 4-6
This match represented somewhat of a milestone for me as Steve is the very first opponent I ever played in an official USTA match. That was back on Friday, November 4th, 2005 at the Bob Noel Tennis Classic. On that day I won 6-2, 6-3 but that was probably because I was so nervous and only barely able get the ball back over the net making it impossible for him to make heads or tails of my "game". This time I would not be so lucky as he evened our head-to-head matchup with a 4-6, 4-6 victory.
In both sets I would immediately be in hole losing the first games on my serve and never being able to dig out from that. I felt much better than I had on Friday but I still did not think I was at my best. My wrist was very sore (for now I'm blaming yoga) and I decided to play with a "4" racket instead of the "3" I had been using for about a month. I thought the larger grip might be easier on my wrist. This lasted only about 6 games as I felt I could not get the "snap" on the serve that I wanted. Although it was still early in the morning I was sweating much more than I had on Friday and that made me think I was more "normal" physically as I typically sweat like a pig.
Steve did a very good job of attacking my backhand throughout the match. This was especially true in the first set as he kept the ball deep and me on the defensive. Somewhere in the middle of the first set I managed to pull back the break he had taken from me but then on my next service game he broke me again! However, I remember thinking that as the set progressed I was playing somewhat better and felt good going into the second set. I definitely still had a shot at the match. I noticed that he seemed to have the most problem with looping balls at this feet on the backhand side, especially when he was close to net and. I was going to keep trying to attack in that manner the rest of the match.
At the beginning of the second set I started off sharply with an ace to the left sideline. This was a serve that I pulled off about 6-8 times during the set and he was mumbling after each one of them. I took at 30-love lead but then he fought back and broke me again to begin the set. This really upset me as I'd, once again, have to dig out of another service break hole.
I felt we both played a better second set and the level was improving as the match went on. I had my chances to break him but could never do it. One point stands out in my mind when, after a long rally I caught him going to the net and set a perfect lob over his head to the "T" at the middle of the baseline. He hustled back and pulled out a great over the shoulder shot that I was unable to do much with and he finished the point off. His fans, who had been cheering him on through out the match, went crazy and I was disappointed that I did not win that game. It was a big point score wise and mentally.
We continued to have good games through out the rest of the set and eventually we were at 4-5 with him serving to close the match. During first point I had a very makeable volley at the net but it hit the tape and the ball fell back on my side. This was a big mistake as we traded points and were at 30-30 instead of 40-15 in my favor. I then had 3 break point opportunities to even out the set but could not finish it and he eventually held to take the match. I was really disappointed that I had not broken as I felt at 5-5 I could of come back to take the set, but it was not to be.
Serve games are so important for me that I must take more time to insure that I'm hitting the right serve and varying my delivery to keep my opponent somewhat off balance.
Fort Worth Major Zone, McLeland Tennis Center
9:00 AM: Steven Samuel 4-6, 4-6
This match represented somewhat of a milestone for me as Steve is the very first opponent I ever played in an official USTA match. That was back on Friday, November 4th, 2005 at the Bob Noel Tennis Classic. On that day I won 6-2, 6-3 but that was probably because I was so nervous and only barely able get the ball back over the net making it impossible for him to make heads or tails of my "game". This time I would not be so lucky as he evened our head-to-head matchup with a 4-6, 4-6 victory.
In both sets I would immediately be in hole losing the first games on my serve and never being able to dig out from that. I felt much better than I had on Friday but I still did not think I was at my best. My wrist was very sore (for now I'm blaming yoga) and I decided to play with a "4" racket instead of the "3" I had been using for about a month. I thought the larger grip might be easier on my wrist. This lasted only about 6 games as I felt I could not get the "snap" on the serve that I wanted. Although it was still early in the morning I was sweating much more than I had on Friday and that made me think I was more "normal" physically as I typically sweat like a pig.
Steve did a very good job of attacking my backhand throughout the match. This was especially true in the first set as he kept the ball deep and me on the defensive. Somewhere in the middle of the first set I managed to pull back the break he had taken from me but then on my next service game he broke me again! However, I remember thinking that as the set progressed I was playing somewhat better and felt good going into the second set. I definitely still had a shot at the match. I noticed that he seemed to have the most problem with looping balls at this feet on the backhand side, especially when he was close to net and. I was going to keep trying to attack in that manner the rest of the match.
At the beginning of the second set I started off sharply with an ace to the left sideline. This was a serve that I pulled off about 6-8 times during the set and he was mumbling after each one of them. I took at 30-love lead but then he fought back and broke me again to begin the set. This really upset me as I'd, once again, have to dig out of another service break hole.
I felt we both played a better second set and the level was improving as the match went on. I had my chances to break him but could never do it. One point stands out in my mind when, after a long rally I caught him going to the net and set a perfect lob over his head to the "T" at the middle of the baseline. He hustled back and pulled out a great over the shoulder shot that I was unable to do much with and he finished the point off. His fans, who had been cheering him on through out the match, went crazy and I was disappointed that I did not win that game. It was a big point score wise and mentally.
We continued to have good games through out the rest of the set and eventually we were at 4-5 with him serving to close the match. During first point I had a very makeable volley at the net but it hit the tape and the ball fell back on my side. This was a big mistake as we traded points and were at 30-30 instead of 40-15 in my favor. I then had 3 break point opportunities to even out the set but could not finish it and he eventually held to take the match. I was really disappointed that I had not broken as I felt at 5-5 I could of come back to take the set, but it was not to be.
Serve games are so important for me that I must take more time to insure that I'm hitting the right serve and varying my delivery to keep my opponent somewhat off balance.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Match: Todd Lang, Leslie Thomas (With Keith)
07/23/2010, Friday
Fort Worth Major Zone, McLeland Tennis Center
4:00 PM: Todd Lang, Leslie Thomas (With Keith) 2-6, 3-6
After my match with David I had doubles with Keith to look forward too but honestly I was dreading it and fearful that my performance would not be much better than what I had in singles. When you are playing bad its even worse to feel you let down someone else.
We had about five hours before our start time so Keith and I drove up to TCU to watch some of our friends and teammates (Enrique, Mark, Sam, Larry, Oleg) play in the 4.0 draw. I was very impressed with the college facility. All the courts were surrounded by grassy knolls that made viewing very pleasant and removed the need for windscreens. We made jokes about coming up from the ghetto to watch the "real" tennis players. Everyone was playing well and making decent showings at the 4.0 level against stronger competition.
Around 3PM Keith and I headed back to McLeland and prepared for our match. As we walked to the courts we noticed that the clouds were gathering. Little did we know that within the hour we'd fall victims to a very heavy Texas afternoon gully washer thunderstorm. So under the gray skies and cooler temperatures we started our doubles match. Immediately we were close to getting the upper hand as we had them love-40 and their first serve game. But we could not finish them off and that was a sign of bad things to come. I managed to hold our first serve, much to my relief after my disasterous singles match. But they broke Keith and took a 1-4 lead on their serve. Then I had a chance to close the gap but got broken to make it 1-5 and that was pretty much it. We had a slight glimmer of hope when we broke back to make it 2-5.
Then the skies opened up and the rain, lightning and thunder came rolling out of the south. It was pretty awesome considering that the forecast called for only a 10% chance of rain. Based upon reports from other venues the rain was hitting the entire area pretty hard. So we waited until 5:00PM when the two indoor courts became available. The lightning had knocked out some of the lights in the facility but we could still see pretty well. But our luck was not any better indoors and we failed to hold Keith's serve, largely due to my poor net play, and lost the first set meekly at 2-6.
The second set started with us, once again, setting up our chances to get the early break. At 15-40 we had two opportunities but could not get it done. Then Keith gave me three more break point opportunities on the ad side but I simply could not get it done. So once again we traded sides having let an opportunity slip away.
Serve was held until it was my turn at 2-3 and we lost an ugly game at love at make it 2-4. I felt horrible but to their credit they were hitting some very nice deep return shot winners down the alley and cross court. They held to make it 2-5 and I was feeling we had no shot. We fought hard to hold Keith's serve but could not find a break to stay in the set and lost 3-6.
Results wise, day one of the Fort Worth Major Zone was a totally disaster. But even bad tennis, and spending time with friends, beats a work day or most other things.
Fort Worth Major Zone, McLeland Tennis Center
4:00 PM: Todd Lang, Leslie Thomas (With Keith) 2-6, 3-6
After my match with David I had doubles with Keith to look forward too but honestly I was dreading it and fearful that my performance would not be much better than what I had in singles. When you are playing bad its even worse to feel you let down someone else.
We had about five hours before our start time so Keith and I drove up to TCU to watch some of our friends and teammates (Enrique, Mark, Sam, Larry, Oleg) play in the 4.0 draw. I was very impressed with the college facility. All the courts were surrounded by grassy knolls that made viewing very pleasant and removed the need for windscreens. We made jokes about coming up from the ghetto to watch the "real" tennis players. Everyone was playing well and making decent showings at the 4.0 level against stronger competition.
Around 3PM Keith and I headed back to McLeland and prepared for our match. As we walked to the courts we noticed that the clouds were gathering. Little did we know that within the hour we'd fall victims to a very heavy Texas afternoon gully washer thunderstorm. So under the gray skies and cooler temperatures we started our doubles match. Immediately we were close to getting the upper hand as we had them love-40 and their first serve game. But we could not finish them off and that was a sign of bad things to come. I managed to hold our first serve, much to my relief after my disasterous singles match. But they broke Keith and took a 1-4 lead on their serve. Then I had a chance to close the gap but got broken to make it 1-5 and that was pretty much it. We had a slight glimmer of hope when we broke back to make it 2-5.
Then the skies opened up and the rain, lightning and thunder came rolling out of the south. It was pretty awesome considering that the forecast called for only a 10% chance of rain. Based upon reports from other venues the rain was hitting the entire area pretty hard. So we waited until 5:00PM when the two indoor courts became available. The lightning had knocked out some of the lights in the facility but we could still see pretty well. But our luck was not any better indoors and we failed to hold Keith's serve, largely due to my poor net play, and lost the first set meekly at 2-6.
The second set started with us, once again, setting up our chances to get the early break. At 15-40 we had two opportunities but could not get it done. Then Keith gave me three more break point opportunities on the ad side but I simply could not get it done. So once again we traded sides having let an opportunity slip away.
Serve was held until it was my turn at 2-3 and we lost an ugly game at love at make it 2-4. I felt horrible but to their credit they were hitting some very nice deep return shot winners down the alley and cross court. They held to make it 2-5 and I was feeling we had no shot. We fought hard to hold Keith's serve but could not find a break to stay in the set and lost 3-6.
Results wise, day one of the Fort Worth Major Zone was a totally disaster. But even bad tennis, and spending time with friends, beats a work day or most other things.
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