Thoughts about Tennis Tradition...

[don_budge]

Happy Christmas one and all. I hope Santa has left some Wilson Prostaff RF97 Autographs for me...

He didn't.

Start out the new decade on the right foot. 2020!!! Bring it!!! Don't make the mistake of waiting around for somebody else to do it for you.

Just go and treat yourself to something nice. A pair of Wilson Prostaff RF97 Autographs. What a great investment. An investment in your play time. Now that you have a lot of it what better way than to spend your money. Be a little selfish. A little self-indulgent. After all there is one virtue in being selfish. Quite a lot actually. You see...if you are taking care of yourself then nobody else has to. Tell yourself..."I deserve it." You are working hard. The gym. The serving reps. Straight out of the don_budge play book!

[don_budge]

Sorry about that...late as in he hasn't posted in a coon's age and great is self explanatory. I actually exchanged a couple of emails not too long ago to see what he was up to. He sounded good. I told him we missed his voice on the forum.

[johnyandell]

Wait! "late great"? That was just a metaphor right?

[glacierguy]

He didn't.

[glacierguy]

Happy Christmas one and all. I hope Santa has left some Wilson Prostaff RF97 Autographs for me...

[don_budge]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all...from don_budge.

[don_budge]

if that is true, then we need to roll back the technology a little bit to preserve SOME of the tradition of the game.

Thoughts?!
don

Talking about tradition in tennis: I think it has gone, just like tradition seems to have faded away everywhere. We are now, for better or for worse, on the electronic age, the age of internet, smartphones. Communication skills are rapidly disappearing, because to communicate via Whatsapp instead of by letter, the essential vocabulary has reduced itself to about 100 words and abbreviations. How can such an era produce "tradtion" in any sport in the Western World. Reading the cover article to the Swiss magazine "Beobachter", I read that 44k% of Swiss citizens feel lonely. Why? Decline of family, friends, rise of virtual communications....

The original quote I used to start this thread was one by the late, great tennis_chiro. I ran with it on "my thread" here called "Thoughts about Tennis Tradition". My main thesis has been that tennis somehow metaphors life a great deal and not so subtly. What you wrote is a culmination of sorts and I wonder if this is a change of heart for you? It seemed to me that for the longest time that you resisted the concept of my warning. Now it seems that you have embraced it.

For sure the electronic devices are having a great impact on human behaviour. It isn't for the better. For the first time in history we have to think in lines of devolution. The devolution of the species. Once we become too dependent on the technology that tennis_chiro referred to...we are devolving as animals. The "Artificial Intelligence" is evolving at rates the human mind cannot comprehend. Only people of age...only those that were fully cognisant by the time 1984 rolled by can really be aware of the change that has taken place. If you weren't aware by that year then your chances of fully understanding the implications of so much change in so little time is having on the species.

Sure the new apps are fun. A lot of it cast an illusion that somehow our lives are made easier or "better" because of them. But what happens if suddenly we have to do without? What happens if a sunspot knocks out the grid? Not a cheery thought...I know.

Tradition is the fabric that holds society and culture together. If that is destroyed or becomes unraveled...what holds it together? A new "Pie in the Sky" philosophy? Perhaps it will appear so for a while...but then the science fiction becomes a reality.

[gzhpcu]

Talking about tradition in tennis: I think it has gone, just like tradition seems to have faded away everywhere. We are now, for better or for worse, on the electronic age, the age of internet, smartphones. Communication skills are rapidly disappearing, because to communicate via Whatsapp instead of by letter, the essential vocabulary has reduced itself to about 100 words and abbreviations. How can such an era produce "tradtion" in any sport in the Western World. Reading the cover article to the Swiss magazine "Beobachter", I read that 44k% of Swiss citizens feel lonely. Why? Decline of family, friends, rise of virtual communications....

[don_budge]

Anyone want to buy a horse? This little darling is only 80,000 euro. Going once...going twice...sold!

https://www.facebook.com/magnus.ting...epa=SEARCH_BOX

See the top video on this facebook page. We own this horse with the trainer...Magnus. She is seven months old and her name is Morning Rose. We bought the mare mother from America with Magnus. A gorgeous and courageous lady in her own right. The mare's name is Morning Glory.

[don_budge]

Stefanos Tsitsipas...and all things Traditional

Geez...when did I start this thread anyways. May 20th...2011? What was I thinking? Well I guess you know. You can surmise. It's not like I have kept any secrets from you have I? Or have I? And if I did does that make me a liar? I believe that we are all liars at some point and certainly that is true if we don't tell about something we know...if we deliberately leave something unsaid. That's a lie isn't it...if you leave something out. A thought unknown.

My father made up this game that he played with all those close to him and some that were close to those close to him. He called it the two word game. I'll share it with you. The game was this in a nutshell. Not very complicated. He called it the two word game. I call it "Dad's Two Word Game". My dear old father. The game had only one rule for every participant...you cannot call them contestants. You see everyone is a winner according to my Dad. Although I insisted that I won. You know how I am. I guess that's two rules now. But the rule is only for the participant to state what they believe are the two most important words in human language. My father's words were "ME and WHY". Can't argue with that and it certainly makes you think. Particularly if you know dear Father. Me? LIFE and DEATH. I win...or so I thought. I still think so...but I keep it to myself.

I may have won. But my father's words will forever be on my mind. The word "me" is self-explanatory (no pun intended) and the word "why" is perhaps the most fascinating word in all of language...if not the most important. But as I travel through time and space it all comes down to two things for me...life and death. I know a tiny bit about life...from my perspective. Death I know nothing about. The great unknown.

[don_budge]

explorequotes...interesting "new" contributor. He is actually quoting one member here on the forum and if I am not mistaken he should be nominated in the category of "Best Subliminal Troller". But that is only par for the course for a member who chooses as his user_name "explorequotes".

[explorequotes]

Welcome to my playground! I'm Bigfoot. Wherever you hit the ball, there I will be. Once, John Yandell used a lovely parenthetical regarding myself. "If he behaves himself..." he said. The pressure has been on ever since. Still don't know if I can do it.

I, too, applaud the above article by Tom Allsopp on stopping time. Among its other virtues is its smashing up of one of those ready made ideas that can creep, insidiously and unbeknownst to the person, into anyone's unconscious.

From reading the old book RICK ELSTEIN'S TENNIS KINETICS, WITH MARTINA NAVRATILOVA and starring Mary Carillo in its visuals, I got the idea of little steps. Watching people like John McEnroe or Justine Henin or even Roger Federer only reinforced this.

But Tom, with eyes like a dermatologist, has noticed something that the rest of us can see only once it has been pointed out-- that when Roger isn't using small steps, he's using big steps.

This is essential intelligence for a tall person such as myself. Get there first.
Then refine position with small adjustments if needs be or maybe throw in a couple extra just to stay alive.

Also, in Roger's first match at The Open last night, he took countless balls on the rise-- talk about stopping time! It's fun to see an uneven match once in a while. The virtuoso comes out.

Friendship SMS

[don_budge]

Happy Fourth of July...My fellow Americans

It has been a while since I have written in this thread. Traditional thoughts. Happy Fourth of July to each and every American. The country is coming to a great point historically speaking and there is a great divide in the union. Somehow the word "United" is taking a back seat to diversity and this should never happen. Be that as it may...please do not respond with any disparaging remarks. In fact...I don't need any negativity at all. Just refrain.

My dear father just came out of his third surgery and I just spoke to him with my wife here in Sweden. It has been a tough ordeal. He's ninety years old. This is what life is about and how thin the balance is at times between life and death. My faith in God has only deepened because of this experience and the older my father gets the more he impresses me with what kind of man he is. The Lord is my Shepherd...I shall not want.

All of us have our fathers and we have our stories. This is something we all have in common. Perhaps we can at least try to draw on the things that unite us before we find ourselves too divided to go back. You see this in families a lot nowadays. The dysfunction gets to hysterical proportions. Members of families become estranged. It's unfortunate and in many cases totally unnecessary. Keep your heads and try to love your families, your neighbours and as much as you possibly can...our America.

[bottle]

I'm looking out my window now. The entire tree is visible to me. Thinking back last night on the awe the vision of the very top of this tree silhouetted against the full moon...yellowish orange due to the partially cloudy sky. I am thankful for small things...the things that make a man truly rich and thankful. Thank you Lord and Happy Easter to all of tennisplayer.net.

I don't know. Are you sure you don't have Easter confused with Thanksgiving? Isn't Easter supposed to be a time of Transformation? I do know for sure that if you don't wear something new a bird will poop on your head.

[don_budge]

I'm looking out my window now. The entire tree is visible to me. Thinking back last night on the awe the vision of the very top of this tree silhouetted against the full moon...yellowish orange due to the partially cloudy sky. I am thankful for small things...the things that make a man truly rich and thankful. Thank you Lord and Happy Easter to all of tennisplayer.net.