dagblog - Comments for "Let Me Entertain You"

Walter was a friend of mine.

Anonymous — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 09:09:50 +0000

Walter was a friend of mine. He taught me tennis at Pasadena Poly. I was 11, he was 80. It was a great frendship that taught me about life and tennis. I was remembering him today when I interviewed Dodo Cheney. I suppose the last time I saw him I was about 13. Then in college he turned up on television at age 88, pole vaulting in the senior olympics. I can't say enough about the man. And yes, he taught me to dink. But he was very methodical as a teacher and as a tennis player. A really good guy and very gracious.

I'm glad you caught this

Oxy Mora — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:22:14 +0000

In reply to Great story. Played Tilden.

I'm glad you caught this small remembrance of Walter.. He was a special character. He looked less like an athlete than anyone I've ever seen but he had unbelievable drive and love of tennis.

Great story. Played Tilden.

LarryH — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:00:21 +0000

In reply to Larry, that's a great piece.

Great story. Played Tilden. Damn.

Saves on garters. ;o)

we are stardust — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:08:40 +0000

In reply to It had occurred to me, but

Saves on garters. ;o)

It had occurred to me, but

Atheist — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:08:01 +0000

In reply to Somehow. methinks

It had occurred to me, but I'm pretty sure that Canadian hockey players don't have huevos, so I ruled it out.

Larry, that's a great piece.

Oxy Mora — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:58:08 +0000

In reply to I’m sorry I missed this

Larry, that's a great piece. As to spin and dinking I played at a club in California run by a character named Walter Westbrook. He was then in his mid eighties and was # 15 on the Michigan alumni list which netted me some great Rose Bowl tickets. Walter had been a pole vaulting champion in 1919 and he regularly competed in the Senior Olympics from which he would return with major gashes in his arms and legs--which together with his many skin cancers he handily cured with a pen knife. His favorite book was called the the"Spin of the Ball" and he was a master at dinking--which always foreordained where the ball would return--to him, standing on the base line looking half asleep and with the racquet dangling down to the ground--Walter was about 5' 8". Typically his opponents would be so frustrated they would slam the ball into the net or against the back fence. In the 1920's Walter won the National Doubles against Bill Tilden, I think in Pasadena, maybe at those very courts. Walter related that he was behind in the match and when he changed sides he got tangled up in the net, the audience laughed and so did Tilden. I suppose Walter had Tilden's number at that very moment. Walter, who was a devoted Christian, maybe Christian Scientist since he had never been to a doctor, had a parrot who would shout obscenities, plus the occasional "out".

Just a little remembrance of Walter Westbrook, a one of a kind, and also very kind to me--a very dubious player. But we always won our doubles matches, both of us playing the base line.

Somehow. methinks

we are stardust — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:24:46 +0000

In reply to Silly people. Tchaikovsky

Somehow. methinks 'Nutcracker' might play a bit better in the hockey locker rooms, but what do I know of garter belts and their true functions?

Silly people. Tchaikovsky

Atheist — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:29:45 +0000

In reply to The... Serenade for Broken

Silly people. Tchaikovsky only had two ballets that begin with "The". Since we're talking about effeminate Canadian hockey players, clearly it was a reference to "The Sleeping Beauty".

The... Serenade for Broken

quinn esq — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:14:33 +0000

In reply to I knew it. I knew it.

The... Serenade for Broken Garters?

A while back, maybe ten

A Guy Called LULU — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:44:17 +0000

In reply to What's the point of having

A while back, maybe ten years, I was in a match with a guy I had never seen before but had heard a bit about. He had played tight end as a reserve for the Redskins and a bit in Canada. He was about six-three, 195, and it was a hot summer day so we both had our shirts off. I know, poor form for tennis. Anyway, he was a big powerful looking guy.
We were locked in a close match when he hit a ball that tipped the tape and bounced high. I was able to dig for it from the baseline and got it just over the net as he was charging towards me. We both almost went into the net. He got his racket on it but it went low as we came together just a few feet apart. He looked at me and said, through gritted teeth, "Damned non-contact sports".