First Post: Thursday, September 5, 2013

Still swinging it!

Been watching any of this American Lawn Tennis tournament from Flushing Meadows this week? Arthur Ashe, a model of grace, class and modesty (all three now irretrievably disappeared from the current culture and society, probably) once said that to be good at tennis, you had to have quick feet, quick hands and a quick mind. Buzzer reflexes! Signaling-device reflexes! Lockout-button reflexes!

So here we are with the man in the picture, Mr. Leander Paes, now 40 years old, still competing at the highest levels of the tennis profession. Now do you see why they call it the “Game of a Lifetime”? The doubles competition is all about the quickness, and Mr. Leander Paes still possesses that in abundance. ’gratsz to Mr. Leander Paes on defeating the Bryan Twinsz — Koobie & Anita! Rock on, Chaka Khan!

At the club level, you can also tell who the Type-A personalities are on the tennis courts. They’re the ones who will not release their grip on the racquet at any time, not even between points, not even during the ball-retrievals and not even at the change of ends. You can tell these guys will not laugh at themselves or have the proper perspective; you can tell these guys (and many Type-A gals, too!) will expect to win every point they play. That’s why they never let go of the racquet. They can’t relax. They probably don’t breathe too much on the courts, either.

One of the very best bits of advice you can take in early on in your tennis journey is this: Use your off-hand (non-forehand hand) to hold (well, really balance or cradle) the racquet at the intersection of the head and the throat in-between points. Andre Agassi was the best at this, and he achieved much as, later on in his career, a Type-B personality.

Let go of the handle. Breathe. It’s good for the tennis, it’s good for the proper reflexes. It won’t prevent you from having quick hands, quick feet or a quick mind.

Free ones:

No free ones today. Try back tomorrow for live Thoroughbred (and other breeds, too!) racing from hot, dusty Pomona, Calif.

Pay-side:

Arlington 2
Delpark 4, 5, 6, 8
Louisiana 2, 5, 6
Remington 4, 6, 8

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: Longshot-favourite duo on tap in Delpark 7, the Whiring Ash. The worthy fave is #2 No Fruit Degroote; the live long one is #4 Interchange.

Yesterday’s Activity: OK at Del Mar for Closing Day, but who wants to know about that? Rather, there was a wild one worth revisiting at Portland, Race 3.

In it, the V6 Betting Line Fair Odds were not prohibitively set on any one or two horseys. LifeLiner had five contenders of its own, some of them common with the Betting Line contenders. Indeed, the “Nocturnal Submission” touters here deemed the race as the Colonial Penn Triple Stumper of the Day.

The outcome confirmed their suspicions, with the winner coming in at $92.60 to win, from 15-1 on the morning line. LifeLiner Early (not Speed, but Early) column gave the surprise winner a solid 95 in the Early, but then had him fading poorly through the latter stages. Not on Wednesday he didn’t!

Dammit, Jim! I’m a touter, not a doctor! At any rate, the LifeLiner Speed did have the second-, third- and fourth-place Portland Bohemians pegged, with the fourth-place guy going off at 35-1. Super-duper for a thin dime was nominally $7,458, but you had to have that wild 45-1 winner hanging on. Oh, well. Next time!

Nocturnal Submission: We sift through the wreckage now to bring you, shortly before 5 p.m. EDT / 2 p.m. PDT this afternoon, any potential plays in a freestanding edition, the Lucky 13th, coming up. Thank you for your patience.

Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. Game!