NY Mets @ Clover Park


31 Piazza Dr.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986

Will return.

Mets’ training days are played here. We passed by Cardinals’ in Jupiter which looks rather minor. This one for the Mets is pretty major.

It’s my first time to a training game and like it a lot. The park is intimate compare to Shea and now Citifield. The bathrooms are plenty and clean. Food smell rather good – given the fact that I just had a huge meal. Staff is courteous.

Tonight’s game is a tie: 4-4.

Leave a Comment

FLA Live Arena: Panthers


FLA Live Arena
1 Panther Pkwy,
Sunrise, FL 33323

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Panthers 6-2 and we’re happy: Islanders is fighting the playoff spot with the Panthers.

The Florida Panthers is based in the Miami metropolitan area / Fort Lauderdale, who competes in the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They initially played their home games at Miami Arena before moving to the FLA Live Arena in 1998.

Toronto team scored shortly after starting … and they lead till the end. There are so many Canadians …

Leave a Comment

Miami Vice

Four sports events in a week, in and around Miami:

  1. World Baseball Classic: US lost the final
  2. Miami Open day 1
  3. Ice hockey Toronto Leafs vs Panthers: 6-2
  4. Mets’ training day: 4-4, a tie

Tampa has a few pro teams that are winning:

  • Buccaneers: 2 Super Bowls, 2002 and 2020 with the aging QB Tom Brady
  • Lightning: 3 Stanley Cups, 2003/4, 1019/20 and 2020/1
  • Rays (AL): pennants in 2008 and 2020

I think the best way to rise a city’s profile, is to have a winning pro team, imho

Leave a Comment

Grand Prix 2023

Albert Whitted Airport
107 8th Ave SE
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete (May 3-5) is the season opener for the IndyCar series. The ground includes Dali Museum and Mahaffey Theater.

The 180 miles race is ran on track and streets. It has multiple crashes: the first one occurred on their first lap. This one took out Grosjean who was the leader, as we were about to leave. Luckily, no one hurt. Marcus Ericsson of Sweden (1990-) survived the chaos and won the race – last man standing.

This is the second auto racing event I attended. The first was 30+ years ago at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA – nascar – that race was ran entirely on the oval race track.

Noise is bearable. Maybe I’m old and hear no evil because I remembered the nascar race I went, was nearly killed or deafened by the unbearable noise. Getting old has its advantages.

The national anthem is awesome. The country singer Trace Adkins (1962-) has an incredible deep voice and sang beautifully.

There is fire works; jets fly over;

Some photos

A serious tailgating. Biking two wheelers come to watch four wheelers.

Seriously? Yes

There are many exits. Some has really long lines. We walked around and found one that has no line and left.

Many apartment building along the route have watching parties.

Be the One – Save a veteran

We left before the end

Leave a Comment

The duckies are coming

Are they lovers or a couple? Do they look lost?

Won two out of 3 sets – Bruce the former 4.5, Allen and Greg.

Leave a Comment

2-6, 6-4

A windy day. I’ve a slow start – too much tennis yesterday, losing 2-6 the first set, with one double.

Thanks to our neighbor who retrieved our 🎾… actually her 🐩 did. Before she found it, her dog did and took it into his/her mouth and won’t let it go.
😂

After a brief struggle, she asked if we’ve an old 🎾 ball to exchange. We did. And apparently, the 🐕 agreed 😂 we continued with our game … 2-6,6-4. We’re identical twin with fancy color outfit, separated at birth 😀 👇

All have a wonderful weekend 😊

2-6, 6-4 双胞胎

趣事 🎾 被打出去了了
栅栏外正好有一遛狗的妞
我们请她捡起来 丢回来
她左看右顾的就是找不到🎾
结果🐶先看到 就一口咬住不肯放
[Lol]
搏斗一阵后 妞问有没有旧的🎾拿来换
🐶这次松口
好可爱哦

湿湿的 …球友们说 … 算了 别用了 [Lol][得意]
还不如留给人家 … 🐶汪汪
陪了夫人又折兵 [呲牙]

风大 乱鸡窝 [愉快]

Leave a Comment

The Sweet Open

The Sweet Open (coach initially wrote sweat 😓… One letter different but actually both are good) is our first tournament. 13 men and two women players showed up. The coach has to step in to make the 8th team. We drew our partner from a hat 🎩.

 

Lucky me to partner with a good player. We won 3 and lost two to the coach/Stan team.

First match was against Craig/Dick. As Craig first serve to me went long, a ball rolled onto our court. I said “take two.”
He said, “seriously?”
“Of course, ball on court.” I said.
I’m wondering if these simple etiquette is being followed here. Silly me.

Second match was against Dennis/Pu. We ran into the bad line call again. My partner hit a lop that landed on the baseline: you can hear the sound and see the funny bounce. P called it out but Dennis said it’s good. Next up, my first serve was out in the alley but P played it. I lost the point. This is bad, so elementary school stuff. But we beat this team and again twice in a row – not sure how did this happen with eight teams draw. But I’m very glad we did. Cheater doesn’t deserve to win.

Our third match was again the coach team and we lost.

Fourth match was against Dennis/P. We won soundly again.

Next match was final against the coach team and we lost again.

The runner up prize is $50 … My first career win: I’m quitting my day job now …ha ha ha.

More on bad line calls here:

The usta has a mantra, that  a 99% out is 100% IN whenever I encounter a bad line call, and there are a few here, from the same player.

USTA has a couple of rules, too:

#1: if you don’t call an out ball immediately, it’s your opponent’s point. The hawk eye system honors this. When you circle a ball mark 3 times and asking if it’s out, every player knows what’s going on, call it IN and move on.

#2: if two partners disagree on a line call, it’s your opponent’s point.

Both rules, I interpret, are up holding the gentlemen or women’s game: when unsure, be courteous, give the point to your opponent.

You may say, come on old bag 👵, this is only recreational game. But, the fact that you’re chewing over a line call, shows exactly you care win or loss, that needs rule to play the game fairly. Let’s face it, without rules, how can you can play any game?

Leave a Comment

Won my first slam in bridge

How would you bid with these three hands? I played and won my first slam 😊 lost the last trick to ♣️K. My partner’s hands have been great too.

你会怎么叫这三手牌? 打赢了第一个小满贯 可惜最后一圈输给了♣️K

  

From left:

  1. Hand 1: I stated with 1♣️
  2. Hand 2: I stated with 1♥️ then 2♠️
  3. Hand 3: I started with 1♥️, my partner bid 2♦️. My thinking heart/spade need 4 extra tracks to game (diamond needs 5), so I bid 4 hearts on the second round. (My partner has 7 diamonds.) Forget if we made game 😂

Opinion 1: 1st hand correct bid; 2nd hand spades are better than hearts; 3rd hand with distribution you have 17 points, void =4points; you should have game or slam if your partner opened first or if you opened and your partner jump-shifted indicating 10 or more points.

Opinion 2: I agree with your bid on the first had. On the second, with two 5 card suits, it is best to bid the higher ranking first, unless there is a clear discrepancy in the strength of the two suits. In the third hand, I would not have gone to 4 hearts and just bid two hearts.

Leave a Comment

Wild v Lightning 4-2 @ Amalie Arena

401 Channelside Dr.
Tampa, FL 33602

Tampa Bay Lightning beat Minnesota Wild 4 to 2, the last goal was empty net. The first period was bit boring, no goal, except a fight.

We parked on the street, because the jam goes into the stadium parking. It might have been the most expensive street parking I’ve done: $12.85

When we dined at Watervue Grille @ Harbour Island in 2021, saw the Amalie Arena is across the Bay or Garrison Channel – here we come, finally -:)

The first fight 😂 0:0 after the first period.

Hoping for more actions 😊

The bathroom run: After the first period, I went to the bathroom. There were two lines, one was visibly shorter. So I investigated.

The reason? The shorter line was formed at the Exit.

So ballllsie – the Floridians go in both ways? Are you kidding me??? We kind of follow the rules back north, even in New York we don’t this shxt bec I don’t remember that I never ever went to the other side to remind the ladies that IS the exit!! lol…

Leave a Comment

Three firsts

6:13pm

I made my own tennis game today because I’ve been passively waiting for the call for the game to come. In the past few months, I played two games a week: in the beginning it was Sundays and Fridays, lately on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Today I add the third time of the week -:) … many players do two or three games a day!  I meant to hit but three neighbors came, so we ended up played two sets – women vs men. We lost 3-6 and 2-6 but I’m happy for not being bageled – ha ha ha.

5:49pm

We’ve a beautiful sunset, as I finished up my swim.

Leave a Comment

Older Posts »