With the nation firmly in the grip of lottery fever as the ridiculously high Powerball jackpot cruises past the $500 million mark, I thought I should appeal to any potential winners that I might know. After all, lottery directors estimate there is a 60% chance of someone winning tomorrow. If you win and end up with lots of money to burn right before Christmas, my requested Christmas gift will only set you back about $15,000 or so. That would be like buying a Happy Meal to the winner.
The present I am talking about is a tennis ball machine called the "Boomer". Here is where this one is different, you can play out points with it! I read an article today on Tennis.com about it and is crazy! It uses a camera system to judge the trajectory, speed and location of your shot (think HawkEye) and adjusts its reply accordingly. It can concede points on clean winners and will also trash talk you when it wins points! That's right folks, a trash talking tennis robot! I've lost to plenty of players that I would call "machines" but this would be the real deal. It plays anywhere from NTRP 2.0 all the way to 7.0 (pro caliber). Instead of listening to Federer's robotic press conference banter, I could be on court getting smack talked by a real robot! The only thing that would make this better is if the name was cooler. I'm thinking like "Tennis Terminator" or something along those lines. Here is the original article if you want to know more:
Boomer Machine
"I'll let the racquet do the talking."
-John McEnroe
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Celebrate Tennis-giving
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I need to get a post done before the short work week next week (Yes I am just as upset as you that we are only open 2 days next week :). I thought I would do a list of all of the tennis things I am thankful for:
1. My volleys: Volleys, you are my saving grace. With my groundstrokes as spotty as they are, I am fortunate to have you around (most of the time...) to bail me out when I need it. You aren't always flashy but you are consistent and get the job done when I need it.
2. Polyester string: I love modern technology. I fully admit I am a bit lazy so if I can get some bonus power and spin from strings, I am all for it. Some "purists" think poly is wrecking the game. Well, it is 2012 and sports evolve. I honestly would have no interest in tennis if it was played the same way it was in 1925. We also wouldn't have record crowds at Grand Slam events, etc.
3. Shoe Warranties: Best thing ever. I have to give credit to New Balance for their 12 month durability warranty. This has allowed me to burn through 2 pairs of shoes and get 2 new pairs with no additional out of pocket costs. Anybody who know me knows that the less money I have to actually spend on tennis the better!
4. Doubles Partners: It's always nice to have somebody carry you and I have had great partners all year. From spring mixed through tournaments, men's league and fall mixed, I had the privilege of playing with some great players and generally awesome people overall. Thanks to my partners, I am sitting on a sanctioned match record of 56-11 this year. Sounds pretty darn good to me. Thanks partners!!
5. My Wife: If it wasn't for her willingness to be a tennis widow, I wouldn't have improved as much as I did this year. She is almost always willing to let me sub on blocks last minute ( like just now), lets me play a ton of leagues and lets me blab about tennis stuff at home whether she really cares or not. Thanks babe!
What tennis things are you guys thankful for?
1. My volleys: Volleys, you are my saving grace. With my groundstrokes as spotty as they are, I am fortunate to have you around (most of the time...) to bail me out when I need it. You aren't always flashy but you are consistent and get the job done when I need it.
2. Polyester string: I love modern technology. I fully admit I am a bit lazy so if I can get some bonus power and spin from strings, I am all for it. Some "purists" think poly is wrecking the game. Well, it is 2012 and sports evolve. I honestly would have no interest in tennis if it was played the same way it was in 1925. We also wouldn't have record crowds at Grand Slam events, etc.
3. Shoe Warranties: Best thing ever. I have to give credit to New Balance for their 12 month durability warranty. This has allowed me to burn through 2 pairs of shoes and get 2 new pairs with no additional out of pocket costs. Anybody who know me knows that the less money I have to actually spend on tennis the better!
4. Doubles Partners: It's always nice to have somebody carry you and I have had great partners all year. From spring mixed through tournaments, men's league and fall mixed, I had the privilege of playing with some great players and generally awesome people overall. Thanks to my partners, I am sitting on a sanctioned match record of 56-11 this year. Sounds pretty darn good to me. Thanks partners!!
5. My Wife: If it wasn't for her willingness to be a tennis widow, I wouldn't have improved as much as I did this year. She is almost always willing to let me sub on blocks last minute ( like just now), lets me play a ton of leagues and lets me blab about tennis stuff at home whether she really cares or not. Thanks babe!
What tennis things are you guys thankful for?
Friday, November 9, 2012
Downhill Both Ways....
This is a quick one because what I am going to bring up needs a bit more thinking in the future. This week, yet another American based pro tournament was sold off. The Farmer's Classic tournament based in LA was sold to a group out of Bogota, Colombia. This comes on the heels of the San Jose ATP event being sold to a group moving it to Brazil earlier this year. The Farmer's will most likely follow suit and be moved to South America after it fulfills its out standing dates (2013 I think). Not only are we in a down time of top American players now we are losing tournaments. In 2014, America will be at it's lowest point in the modern era with 11 tournaments on US soil. More on this to come.....
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