December 4, 2025
My first tennis job began at The Jewish Community Center in Denver on Leetsdale Boulevard. Abe Polanski was my boss and we got along great and took a number of fly fishing trips together to The Eagle River near Vail. He told great stories and loved to play the harmonica in the car. We had […]
December 4, 2025
Coach Gay West inquired if I might want to coach The JV Girls Tennis at Kent Denver. I accepted believing such a premier program would have pretty dedicated players at all levels. Our first day of practice was held at Arapahoe Tennis Club. I introduced myself and asked the players to share their name and […]
December 4, 2025
I joined Randy Ross for two four year stints coaching Varsity 2 boys tennis at Kent Denver. There were noticeable changes from the 2000-2004 teams to the 2015-2019 squads. I can’t remember players using cell phones in the early years. A dozen years later, I had to confiscate cell phones before players left the bus […]
December 4, 2025
Most people believe that Andy Roddick started this serve and surely he achieved the best results with it. He’s kind of like Dick Fosbury who revolutionized high jumping with The Fosbury Flop. These days you’re seeing more and more of it with player like Caroline Garcia and Belinda Bencic adopting this motion. It’s reported that […]
December 4, 2025
Andre Agassi has been a favorite player since we saw his dazzling play when he was ten years old. i decided to name this drill after him. The coach hand feeds 4 balls and the first ball is … Average speed. The second is… Accelerated and the third and fourth are… Agassi Ask […]
December 4, 2025
Michelle Sie scheduled a lesson in 1988 and said that her second serve was nowhere to be found. As she began hitting a few, it was obvious what the primary cause was. Michelle had an aggressive forehand using a semi western grip and just carried that grip to her serve. It produced a screwball […]
February 27, 2024
Sally and I have enjoyed watching American Idol for years. The talent seems to get better each year with never heard of artists from little towns trying to make an impression on the judges. A few years ago, Luke Bryan was nearly speechless after watching a fellow named Alejandro masterfully play the guitar. This week, […]
February 27, 2024
A not so young cowboy learned of the passing of three former teammates last year. My, oh my, could they play! Their exit from this life prompted a thought. What would I, if my number was called, like to leave our daughter. Not having a million dollars or a condo in Vail, perhaps something simpler […]
February 27, 2024
Today, as usual, I trekked to the gym for a strength workout. I normally shoot a few free throws to break up the routine and this time I dribbled out to where I imagined Caitlin Clark’s recent record breaking shot was taken. If you didn’t know, it was another shot of hers from the logo […]
February 13, 2024
We could say it a million times Sing till our lungs might burst Shout from the mountain tops Write until our fingers bleed But it wouldn’t be enough We could tell everyone we meet Write letters to the editor Hold signs all day on the street Carve it in every tree in the forest […]
February 13, 2024
A woman and her husband decided to bake a cake. The man chose to taste each individual ingredient…baking powder—-disgusting, raw eggs—-ugh, vanilla extract—-yuck. But once they were mixed together and baked, the results were a flavorful chocolate cake. The author said that sometimes, like the distasteful cake ingredients, it takes messy trials and tribulations to […]
February 11, 2024
“The numbers that govern the operation of our universe are calibrated with mind-boggling precision so that life can exist. The very physics of the universe are so precisely tuned that they defy the explanation that the universe is merely the result of chance.” Lee Strobel ”The universe is the handiwork of a master designer.” […]
February 10, 2024
A word came to me this morning on the way home from the grocery store. Imperturbable….always staying calm and controlled even in difficult situations that would cause others to come undone. In tennis, it’s Bjorn Borg as John McEnroe blew a fuse. The basketball genius John Wooden was imperturbable while rival Bobby Knight was a […]
February 8, 2024
A good friend related an amusing story recently. He was scheduled to have a colonoscopy and had just completed the prep that called for taking 4 Dulcolax pills. When his wife returned from shopping, she asked how the prep had gone as it’s often a bit testy. The fella mentioned that the pills were a […]
February 6, 2024
Well, this is the first morsel a very young cowboy has posted that has not had an accompanying picture. I didn’t feel it would be fair to the parties involved. After driving my wife to the hospital this morning for a bit of surgery all seemed to be going perfectly. The procedure was slated for […]
February 5, 2024
‘Let us read and let us dance – two amusements that will never do any harm to the world.’ Voltaire just click on arrow and scroll to view btw…the book An Invisible Thread is terrific
February 5, 2024
Ok…so breakdancing is now an Olympic Sport in 2024. I guess it follows that square dancing is next and, who knows, maybe solitaire in 2032. Love to hear the committee explain flag football and breakdancing taking precedence over softball/baseball.
February 5, 2024
Many years ago, a much younger cowboy had a job in sales. At team meetings in Chicago, I was given the nickname of The Strobe. There was a constant stream of marketing ideas flowing to and from me that I wish would have resulted in more sales. Fast forward 25 years and I now rise […]
February 2, 2024
On numerous trips to my ‘home water’, I have developed a good luck ritual that some might think is a bit odd. Home water means the river you consistently frequent in hopes of fooling wily rainbow and brown trout which, for me, rarely happens. This habit originated in 2022 when I saw a huge elk […]
What You’re Saying