Prelude

It felt good to lay my money down and hit the courts at DHAC after not having played there for the past seven weeks. Stepping thru the glass door and being hit with the warm, dank, stale air that defines our home court brought it all rushing back in an instant. How could I forget the "phoosh, phoosh" sound from the Big Ass fans and the dim lighting so quickly? Damn, it was good to be back where FND all started.


Until I started shanking balls left and right.

Now the voices in my head were jabbering away again.

God, I'm getting old. My eyes are playing tricks on me. I can't see shit. Crap, I hate this place. Would somebody please tell the cleaning guy to shut that f*&king thing off. Christ, I'll probably get athlete's foot again in the shower.

Just great. Right where I left off last spring - down two sets. Why do I do this to myself?

10:40PM - another dog fight. 4-all. I swear, if I lose this set I am going to quit playing this stupid game.

Wait. A break! Now a chance for me to serve it out and salvage the night.

Deuce! Of course it's deuce. Everytime I serve it goes to frickin' deuce. Just once I would love to have an easy hold. Is that too much to ask?

Okay. Ad in.

The other court is done. I see you Craig, watching over there while you stretch.

Go for the big serve now. Don't be afraid to lose. That's the key. Take your chances, right? Yeah baby. A service winner to close the set - - 6-4! One for three for the night. I'll take it.

Ahhh, I forgot how hot these showers are. It's a perfect night for a tailgate too.

I guess this place is not so bad after all.