Archive for Sports

Problems we encountered ..

~ 2011 Friend at Court
~ Part 2, The Code

 

Grunt .. ..what to do when the opponent interprets it as an OUT call?


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  • In ball called out

your opponent’s mistake was to call the ball “Out” instead of saying “Bounce it”.

If you look in the Friend at Court, the 7 pages long fm 2011, read item 14 which refers back to item 12.

12. Out calls reversed. A player who calls a ball out shall reverse the call if the player becomes uncertain or realizes that the ball was good. The point goes to the opponent and is not replayed. However, when a receiver reverses a fault call on a serve that hit the net, the server is entitled to two serves.
13. Player calls own shots out. With the exception of the first serve, a player should call out the player’s own shots if the player clearly sees the ball out regardless of whether requested to do so by an opponent. The prime objective in making calls is accuracy. All players should cooperate to attain this objective.
14. Partners’ disagreement on calls. If one partner calls the ball out and the other partner sees the ball good, they shall call it good. It is more important to give opponents the benefit of the doubt than to avoid possibly hurting a partner’s feelings. The tactful way to achieve the desired result is to tell a partner quietly of the mistake and then let the partner concede the point. If a call is changed from out to good, the principles of Code § 12 apply.

If your opponent had said “Bounce it”, there would be no issue. As long as the ball was returned, you would need to keep playing the point.

So, next time this happens, politely tell your opponent that they should never use the word “Out” when they are trying to warn their partner and then tell them you’re taking the point because they disagreed.

  1. Over a line call, Dec 23, 2012
  2. Out, stop, oops, I’m sorry, Dec 10, 2012
  3. In ball called out, July 26, 2012

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Yes, you can call ..

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.. .. Opponents were kind of tricky and did a lot of talking so after they won the first set, they kept talking so we ended up in second set at 5/5. At one point I had to say let’s play.

  1. Sorry, you’re on your own .. , Jan 15, 2011
  2. Cheating, is always an option, Jan 3, 2012

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  • During a match what if we lose two balls? Do we continues with the remaining ball or the home team opens another can?  March 3, 2010

There is nothing in the rules to cover this. So that will be up to the 2 teams that did not keep track of their balls & captains to decide if they want to open a new can & have both teams split the cost for a can of balls, which is less than $1.50/team.

That is why I always buy 4-ball cans (Dunlops) for my matches. It is easier for warm-up also now that both sides will have 2 to hit with.

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  • To use new balls to warm up or not?

Jan 2010: As we opened a new can of balls, our opponents insisted on NOT using them for warmups. They insisted on using old half-dead balls they picked up from the neighboring ball cart. They wanted to “save” the new balls for the match and were adamant about that. We ignored them and integrated them into the warmup with the other balls. I didn’t think anything of it until I heard that our female opponent complained about it after the match was over. So what’s the official word? I don’t think it s rule that you have to use the new balls, but it’s our perogative – right?

It seems rather stupid to get used to dead balls and then have to re-adjust to new ones during match time. There’s no official word.

My suggestion: use the new balls.

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The league allows self rate if player never played, or didn’t play for (I think 2 or 3 years). Self raters can get DQ easier than computer rated. Computer rated people can also get DQ in mid season. I know a guy who was rated (by a verifier) back several years as a 3.0. The player insisted that he was a 3.5 [sounds a lot like Irene 🙂 ] and the verifier said NO. Well, he went to Sectionals (upstate) and got DQ!!! Now you see how fair that was. I also know another guy recently that appealed his rating down to a 3.5 after he got bumped up to 4.0. The team went to sectionals, won and would have gone to Nationals and this guy got DQ and all the points taken away from the team and they did not go to Nationals.

You can play at any level that you want, however, when the stakes are high, and your team goes deeper/further, to regional, sectionals, anyone can get DQ. At those competition, your performance is visual as well as the scores.

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2011 Manhattan mixed 7.0, regular season matches

The 2011 Manh

  1. 7-Nov 2010 Sun 6:00 pm Westside; T2 Kende/Vogt vs: 1st 4-6, 4-6; 2nd 6-3, 3-6, 1-0; 3rd 7-6, 2-3
  2. 12-Nov Fri 7:30 pm Randalls Is; T4 Holbrook/McConway vs: 1st 7-6, 4-2; 2nd 5-7, 1-6; 3rd 6-1, 6-3
  3. 18-Nov Thu 9:00 pm Randalls Is.; home vs T6 Rosenberg: 1st 6-4, 3-6, 0-1; 2nd 6-0, 6-1; 3rd 6-0, 6-1
  4. 30-Nov Tue 8:00 pm Westside Tennis;  T3: Cuthbert vs.: 1st 6-1, 6-1; 2nd 6-0, 6-1; 3rd 6-0, 6-1
  5. 6-Dec Mon 8:00 pm Westside Tennis Club; vs T3: Cuthbert: 1st 6-1, 6-6; 2nd 1-6, 4-6; 3rd 6-2, 6-3
  6. 16-Dec Thu* 8:00 pm Westside Tennis Club;  T5: Kim/Seto vs us: 1st 3-6, 7-5; 2nd 6-3, 6-2; 3rd 6-4, 6-1
  7. 11-Jan, 2011  Tue 9:30 pm RIRC; vs T2: Kende/Vogt: 1st 1-6, 2-6; 2nd 2-6, 5-5; 3rd 6-3, 4-6, 10-6
  8. 14-Jan Fri 8:00 pm RIRC; vs T4: Holbrook/McConway: 1st 6-4, 3-3; 2nd 7-6, 6-3; 3rd 6-3, 3-6, 10-8
  9. 18-Jan Tue 9:00 pm Randall’s Island; vs T5: Kim/Seto: 1st 6-1, 6-4; 2nd 6-4, 4-6; 3rd 6-3, 4-5
  10. 28-Jan Fri 7:30 pm Randall’s Island; T6 Rosenberg vs: 1st 6-4, 6-2; 2nd 6-4, 6-3; 3rd 6-0, 6-0

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Roosevelt Island Racquet Club

Roosevelt Island Racquet Club
281 Main Street
Roosevelt Island, NY 10044
Tel: (212) 935-0250
Info, directions to the club and map

The tennis club is on the little island between Manhattan’s East side and Queens, with 12 har-tru clay courts.

Oct 26, 2011

Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, October 26, the ramp leading onto Randall’s Island from the Manhattan Plaza of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge will become an exit only ramp while repaving work continues just south of the toll booths.

– All motorists seeking access to Randall’s Island from Manhattan will be detoured to the new RI/Ward’s ramp, which is only about a quarter-mile away. The ramp will put motorists on the Ward’s side of the Island.

– Vehicles heading to Randall’s Island from the Harlem River Lift Span should stay right after the toll plaza and follow traffic signs to Queens.

Vehicles WILL be able to exit the Island normally.

The work is expected to take approximately five weeks.

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Autumn is here ..

It’s a windy weekend and we were still out there playing, tennis. During a point, I saw this little greeny landed in front of me. It was so distracting because I wanted to take a picture of it. I probably double faulted twice to end the game. it’s a little cutie, isn’t it? Then I saw another cutie .. no worry my partner and I managed to win the set despite few double faults.

叶落归根 yeluo guigen falling leaves settle on their roots – a person residing elsewhere finally returns to his ancestral home. Where is my root, Beijing or New York?

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In the middle of the game, I began hearing funny noise, little echo when I hit the ball. I didn’t think too much. But at the change over, I randomly looked at my racket and told no one in particular that my little thing’s anger management needed?acting funny .. then I saw ..
the crack
And
the loosened string
Oh my lord ..
It cracked.
How did that happen?
I don’t have a habit of hitting any one with it, or anything with it.
Probably out of old age then. It’s been with me for a while, a long while, was a left over from my kids.
Now I need to go shopping for a new one.
What should I buy?

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Day 10 at US Open 2010

New York World Fair 1964 score board as of Sept 8th, day 10

I’m weak: 10:40pm flight out to Asia and I haven’t packed yet, but when the US Open is calling, I dash off to Flushing in no time. It’s day 10 of the two weeks long tournament. A glorious sunny day, cerulean blue sky n all that.

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Jordan and I watched women’s doubles quarterfinals between Y. Chan and Jie Zheng vs Bethanie Lynn Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy. The Chinese pair won over the Americans.

Zheng Jie's coach DSCN0620

Zheng Jie’s coach (can’t recall his name but he looks very familiar) in white cap came over to rally us to cheer for Zheng Jie.
“I’ll count to 3 .. you’ll say 郑洁加油” .. make an extra effort.
True to his words, he would shout in good Mandarin
“一,二, 三, ..”
We would chime in with “郑洁加油 ..” The echo worked: they won, despite 64-mile serve.

64 miles per hour serve Day 10, most courts are empty

Zheng had double fault and her second serve came at 64 .. but the China dolls managed to win with persistence and remarkable retrievals. By 10th day, most matches were done, courts became vacant

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The qualifying rounds
US Open Day 3

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Room with a view

DSCN8963 DSCN8946

Le Meridien (Starwood) on Nanjing Road East in Shanghai. A great location, but the lobby is less than desirable. Stacks of moon cakes piled high, in prominent displayed near the entrance, and were being handed out. AT first I thought it were the guest who stays at the hotel. But after I walked a bit on the street did I realize what’s going on. Still, I didn’t understand why the hotel would want to get on distributing moon cake business.

DSCN8964The living room looks out to the east and the bathroom looks out to the Bund and beyond.
A while back, in a mocking article on New York magazine projected that by 2020, Americans would rush to China to find a job, like cute white college grad waiting at restaurants or being baby sitters who speak perfect Mandarin. Well, I don’t know if we need to wait that long. At one lounge at the hotel I spotted a tall and pretty cute blond among waiting staff. Was she a trainee of some sort, or just a back packer who would do anything to stretch her stay at a foreign city. Would people feel odd if a Chinese waiting at a hotel in Zambia?
This xiao long bao juicy dumpling tastes pretty good.

DSCN8387According to friends playing tennis in Shanghai can be a hassle and expensive proposition. So I largely wrote it off. Didn’t bring my gears. But then thought what’s the heck. Let’s try. Tried to line up with a coach who would provide me with a racket .. .. but that didn’t happen.
Then I spotted a tennis court from YZ’s apartment
“Yes you can play here.” He assured me.
I spotted few courts from this hotel .. don’t remember its name .. sorry senior moment ..
When I went to pick up Auntie Ida I found a cluster of courts in her gated community.
And the courts were empty too!

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The young golfers

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Lookin’ for something? Not the balls I hope?
Jimbo told us this story: he met parents of a promising young golfer. The parents took turn to caddy and chaperoned him around for tournaments that starts from Hawaii in January and gradually moved to the east coast; mortgaged their house to support their child, lesson, practice, travel, tutor .. and the boy is ranked … 1000+ nationally.

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Day 3: The Flying Dutchman, G-string, etc

Day (or night) 3 at the 2010 US Open
DSCN0269 filled out
Pumpkin called over to this court,
“Mom, watch his serve ..”
Someone is flying
And his racket has two handles.
Cool
All in the name of a good game.
Kai-Chen Chang has matured a lot, built up and out a lot too.

somethin is bothering me ..
With all the fame and wealth Rafa Nadal just can’t find a comfy undie. Does it tell us to be happy with what we’ve got (or given)?
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We watched the little tree John Isner play .. so did Patrick Mcenroe and his Aussie sidekick ..

Andy Roddick is arguing while John Mcenroe is looking on .. Did Mc wish that he were down there?

We’re not worth .. we’re not worth ..

.. and ran into friends that I haven’t seen in ages ..

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Attending US Open

The little tree John Robert Isner in action.
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a few serves

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