Archive for Sports

Reaching for the gold

April 18, 2008 at 11:46 pm · Filed under Sports ·Tagged

Wah corrected my backhand one more time today: reach out, hit deep.  Simon’s been saying this too. 

“Don’t you feel tired?  Hitting so hard but the balls don’t go far, landing short.. .. ”  Simon’s been saying this too.  My balls land around the service line.  They need to be near the baseline to qualify as a modestly decent shot, don’t even dream lethal.

He said there are four points to connect as one hits a backhand.  The first is the starting point, second is the mid way prior to the contact, third the actual contact and the last is follow through. 

“Most people would omit the second point, they don’t reach out far enough.  Think curve of physics .. ” 

We practiced a while, he commented, “see you haven’t net a single one.”  Reach out on the third point makes the ball travels high and ends up near the baseline, without too much hard hitting.  This is the right way.  Obviuosly I’ve been doing it wrong. 

For some reason, Wah seems can get the point across clearly.  When he plays, there is a bit of delibrate pause in every shot right before the contact and he looks very relaxed.  He’s been saying, ‘you have plenty time to set up a shot ..’  I never thought of that.  Just rush to hit and rush to the net (to claim that candy)!

Simon and I won both sets agianst him and Irene.  Yes, Irene’s ok and been playing!!!  – Welcome back GIRL!!!  Her forehand is lethal, so you know she’s back.

 

 

 

 

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屡教不改

April 18, 2008 at 11:16 pm · Filed under Sports ·Tagged

吕 is for 屡教不改:).  I have been trying a slight different strategy on court lately: Simon has been preaching stay behind base line.  Simple enough?  Stand behind the base line.  Not me.  I have memory lapse, can’t help but rush to the net.  And caught dead in no man zone.  I have a permanent sofa in no man zone, that’s why I always linger there.

“Why did you have to come in all the time?”  Simon asked.  Deflected.  Thousand times.  “You’ll have more time to return the shot, and in a more relaxed manner.. ..”

Honestly I don’t know.  Seriously, I have no idea.  Perhaps I thought there is a candy hanging on the net.  Seriously I don’t know why can’t I remember the simple rule, not to come in, stand behind the base line!!

“It’s a piece of cake when you play behind the base line ..”  Simon would demonstrate.  Ever heard 劳碌命?  That’s me.  I’m so sick of myself too, 🙂 and the grunt is just getting louder – I only have backhand at the moment.  Haven’t been serving for a while.  Simon’s lips are thinning (or fattening from over use?) from repeating himself so often. “Stay behind the baseline.” Then next game I positioned myself grandly by the net – can’t correct my bad habit.  Oh lord, that’s embarrassing!

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The torch relay will go on

April 10, 2008 at 10:45 am · Filed under Celestial Empire, Sports ·Tagged

So China goes on.  WTG … Don’t forget that two opium wars didn’t crack open its door.  Mounting pressure to flex its currency didn’t work either.  I doubt China would give in to Tibet.  Take my word, UK would have a hell to pay for not attending its opening ceremony, especially their London game comes in just 4 years,  and most importantly UK has far less cloud than the US.  What the 10 Downing Street is thinking?

Go China Go …

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The mile long swimming pool

April 10, 2008 at 9:21 am · Filed under Sports ·Tagged

Can you believe this place in Chile? Imagine doing 10 laps of this swimming pool lengthwise! On a jet-ski maybe. It 1.3 km long, 800 mtrs wide at its shortest point and varies from ankle depth to 8 mtrs deep. It employs 41 life guards and has lifesaving devices which pop out of the bottom in various locations in case of rescue requirements. Built jointly by Korean/Japanese interests, it’s expected to have a business life scale of 15 years. Wonder how they clean the thing?  My goodness, this looks like the perfect paradise to me: the endless long pool.  Wait, one glitch: bottomlines , :).  But where is it in Chile?

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What gets me high

April 4, 2008 at 5:15 pm · Filed under Kronicle, Saga, Sports ·Tagged ,

I don’t like to run, so have no idea as what they’re talking about, but swimming gets me high, no any other sport could or would, tennis doesn’t even come close, so I know what they’re talking about.  The feeling after a swimming is that you can take on the www, whole wide world, 🙂 !!

Yesterday I visited Dr. Kim.  He’s in a relax mood and chatty.  Talked about his recent trip to China.  “For additional $200 [from Seoul], we could tour Beijing for 5 days, hotels and three meals and sightseeing included.  How did they do that is beyond me.”
“How’s Mrs. Kim?”
“She’s fine. Thank you.” She used to dab in when the nurse/receptionist wasn’t around who’s a very pleasant tall lady.
“Still playing tennis?” We used to have chat on tennis all the time.
A chuckle, “no, she’s in golf now.” We all laughed.
“Do you still swim?” When he first learned that I was swimming during my first pregnancy, he was horrified, if not annoyed. “What? You’re swimming? Don’t anyone see a pregnant lady? They allowed you to swim?”
Relax, Dr. It’s good for you. Toward my third trimester, he predicted that my delivery would be easy,
“Although I have no scientific proof ..”
I swam almost every day till my labor started. That morning, I stayed home, instead at the pool, watched Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in Wimbledon, while enduring the mild contraction. Pete went on to win his first championship there, followed by six more – Wondering what does Pete do with all those trophies for? Ladies can use theirs to line the dinner plates, :). One suggestion Pete: planting flowers. .. .. When it’s time to give birth later, Dr. Kim rushed in to the hospital, “hold on .. .. hold on .. let me put on my gloves.. ”  It went so fast, I almost regret – could I at least see what the color of the wall paper in the waiting room was?  The nurse first sent Golfer to register on another floor then had to page him in PA to come back, if he wanted to see the birth of his child.  Dr. Kim wasn’t pleased, “where’s father?”  One of the nurses explained, “we didn’t know she’ll be this fast .. is her first ..”  Did I savor the experience?  What experience?!?!
My second pregancy/delivery was the same, and he turned around to be a fan of swimming, at least for expectant mothers.  During the subquent years, he would often ask if I still swim and how’s my swim, but never about the babies he delivered.  Mrs. Kim would ask about kids.

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Lenny Dykstra

April 4, 2008 at 11:52 am · Filed under Sports

Look who’s talking money here.  I heard he started an investment club or company, advising fellow players as how to invest or protect their hard earn $$.  I enjoyed watching him, a little fun guy making some in your face plays, same went with John Starks. 

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Spring is in the air

March 30, 2008 at 10:55 am · Filed under Sports

cimg3408.JPG  cimg3412.JPG

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The battle of the sexes

March 26, 2008 at 5:25 pm · Filed under Sports ·Tagged

Billie Jean King (1943-) beat Bobby Riggs (1918-95) in three straight sets after he challenged her to a match in 1973. Matina Navratilova (1956-) lost to Jimmy Connors (1952-) 7-5, 6-2 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas in 1992.  He gave her a dozen of roses and took home $500,000 winner-take-all prize.  After the match, Patty Connors, the former playmate exclaimed that her husband wasn’t playing all that hard, “he can’t slam down on the girl!!”  It’s funny and cute to see woman plays man, knowing well that the top woman can not beat the top ranked man, period.  When Bobby played Billie, he’s 55 and she 30.  Not sure he’s ever ranked #1.

Why should there be a war between the sexes is beyond me.  Man has their places in the world we have ours.  Shouldn’t we make love rather than war?  Feminist, especially the American way is hypocrite.  The current female presidential candidate is riding on her husband’s tail, she and other bright, expensively educated smart women are willing to be hauled onto the stage to be humiliated, in front of the entire world.

We grew up with the notion that there are only two sexes, male and female.  Then enters the gay and lesbian.  As if that’s not busy enough for us, we have bi-sexual, omnisexual, and transgender.  The transmale, transfemale or transgeneration.  It’s very unfortunate that some feels he or she born into the wrong body.  Almost unthinkable.  The biggest fear for those kids was losing family love and support.  Would you love your child less when he or she decides to change gender, or give more since the child is negotiating a tough journey, mentally and physically?

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We played baseball

March 17, 2008 at 12:54 am · Filed under Celestial Empire, Sports ·Tagged

Baseball or softball isn’t a foreign sport, I played it in primary school in the middle 70s in Beijing, Zhongguancun Erxiao 中关村二小 as past of physical education, in our front yard.  The positions weren’t as clearly defined as in MLB.  Not sure Mao banned it.  I enjoyed it a lot.  To my dismay, once a class had to be canceled because US president Ford was to visit the Summer Palace and our school was at the corner of the route in Zhongguancun.  Our school was even considering to ban few students (who always failed) from attending schools during the period.  The article’s assertion that 150,000 people play seemed low,  I played, so did my g/f who attended Qinghua University fm 1980-85 played as part of phy ed – two years basic and then one year specialized (两年基础体育课,然后一年专项体育课) – just to name two, and we weren’t athletes.  One of my classmates played tennis at sport school in Sichuan, she gave it up once she moved to Beijing.  At the time, late 70s, sports could not compete with A+ and getting into a top college. True that we played a lot of ping pong and badminton in China, but let’s face it, baseball is a slow sport, can be really boring.  Despite the love I have for the game, but I have no patient to watch it, ice hockey and football are the spectator sport.  Remember back in the autumn 1986, I was awaken by the sound of cheers, honking, beer bottle chattering on the street in the middle of the night.  Ha, Mets just won.  The following day, every one were talking about the Mets and its win.  It still couldn’t move me to watch.  One game per season is my max tolerance.  When Jack was around, Golfer’s buddy, I did go to Central Park to play pick up game with him.  First time, the team captain complained that he didn’t want a girl on his team.  Jack told him, “too bad .. she waited for her turn ..”  Grumpily, the huge guy took me.  It turned out, I was pretty good at bat but a lousy fielder, :).

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Plenty time for a mile

March 10, 2008 at 9:00 pm · Filed under Sports ·Tagged

I managed 40 laps under 20 minutes!  Total did 78 laps: 40 freestyle, 10 breast, 10 backstroke, 2 breast, 10 free timed at 4:45, 2 breast, 4 free timed at 1:45.  I had little bit more time today, so decided to improve my flip turns.  Thought about Steve‘s stress on streamline – when he demo that on the deck as if he could reach the ceiling, :).  Janet Evans is remembered for her long unconventional strokes and inexhaustible cardiorespiratory reserves – today I tried to stay under the water longer after the turns.  Steve used to pound on me: getting streamlined and should at least get pass the solid blue divider.  I always take a breath almost right after turning – lazy, I suppose.  The pool was empty.  Not sure what accelerated my timing today, was the streamlining and staying in the water longer did the trick?  And hopefully I can keep doing it.

Marge is a cute lady who comes to the pool every day, does 72 laps in about hour or so.  So I nick named her Ms. Mile – 72 laps equals to a mile.  She must be in her 80s, over sized thick glasses make her eyes enormous out of proportion.  Her limps are all bones and skins.  There is a Robert.  At first, I thought they’re a couple.  The first time I ran into Robert by the entrance, I was starlet at how tall he’s, well over 6′.  Guess in the water semi naked, we all look different.  Thank god we have cloth to cover.

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