COACH "BAGTAG" McCain DOES IT AGAIN! AGAINST TOP TEAM RIVAL FOR DIVISION HONORS!!

Coach Terry's stellar strategy lines up season ending division win. Rob "can't touch this" Schmitz and Gary "bring it on" Conklin take first line in 2 strong sets against big threat, big serve opponents. Mike "volley (and kayak) king" Larrimer and Paul "overhead king" Smith take the 2 spot in 2 sets and Jackie and Greg lose in a tight three setter. Way to go Coach Terry and Teams! COLUMBUS HERE WE COME!!

ALL GRINS FOR THE BIG WIN!

No. 1 and No. 2 Shake on it! Coach Gary Conklin (left) got it right (after coaching women's ALTA for 25 years!). Brilliant partnering with Rob "Goliath" Schmitz, as Coach Gary uses Chinese Water Torture to unwind opponents wheels. Pinpoint serving, precise poaching and perfect putaways off the ROBBO's topspin artillery set up the number 1 spot 2 set victory. On the right: "No lob left unsmashed" PaulJordanSmith, another "it's a good year to be a Techie", wowed the crowd (Terry, Ann, and proud Mama and Pappa Bear "we made him what he is today" Schmitz) with brilliant ball tracking and "had ta been a college player" ground strokes. A thing of beauty and a wonder to behold, Paul. Great Playing!

Thanks Mama and Pappa Bear for braving the damp weather and bringing good MOJO for the team victory! We owe it all to you! See you at Bitsy soon, Marilyn! We're so glad you are better. The Bitsy Prayer list works again!!

TERRY "BAGTAG" MCCAIN CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL SEASON WITH "AMP IT UP' SCHMITZ

Coach Terry cools off with a cold one after an exciting team victory led by No. 1 hoss Rob "Air Schmitz". Hey! Thanks for letting all the little people play, COACH! It's OK, McCain, we expect you to carry the team in COLUMBUS!! Congrats on another first place finish; your brilliant tennis acumen does it once more!! Eat his dust, Brad Gilbert!

Big Rob dominates again with needle threading sky high missiles off both wings. Although the opponents came out gunning to try to topple Goliath, Robbo's barrage of line-dusting topspin beauties proved too much for our worthy and wiley opponents. Congrats on a fan-tastic season, Baby Bear! Nobody does it better! Team Jackets will follow you anywhere--especially. . .could it be. . . . to COLUMBUS!! Go Jackets!

CHRISTMAS DOINGS AROUND THE QUADRANGLE

Sunday was another of those semi-wretched cold, damp, overcast days when you just have to find a way to get out there and hit anyways. Once you do, you often find that you can get down to your short sleeves and even your shorts or skirt and feel the blessed fresh crisp air on your skin and actually work up a sweat mayhaps. Ahh, sweet mystery of life, persistence does pay off.

Doreen Massell was there on court one with her usual Sunday game. A tight match with Ms. Jane Strickler and Keno. Theo, the artist, showed up and William King got up some CLASS A stuff with Jeff and Joe (not little Joe, this one's the bartender at Bones that always wears the wide brimmed straw hat and has a game as spiffy and stellar as his headgear). Still nursing the left foot, I just hit with always the gentleman and lovely player, Jim Wyatt. Jim has a printing/photography business and took pictures of the Tree Bar Dedication that should be coming soon. He also plays a lot of tournaments and is an expert on racquets. His current choice: he kinda goes between the Babolat Pure Drive (did I get it right, Jim?) 107 and 110 centimeter frames. Baby Bear showed up and wanted to hit which is always a challenge. Sort of David trying to hit with Goliath. On just a regular human speed of a forehand, I had been making some real progress on the topsin. But Baby Bear, even ratcheting back 40 notches, is still bouncing that dang ball over my head. Hercules: get yourself straight to Monaco and hit with Raffa immediately!! Still he's an awful good sport to slum it with the likes of me. Thanks, BB!

Here's what I'm excited about: Mike Bernard (double PhD retired Tech Prof and organizer of the senior men's tennis and Weed Rep--those are really cool oversized rackets--and ultimate expert and best deal stringer and one of the all time classic mainstays of Bitsy AND who just acquired himself a sassy new convertible: LOOK OUT LADIES!!) called me especially to invite me to play in the men's group on Tuesday and attend their Christmans party!! I AM SO EXCITED! More so, cause he said something like-- we want to show you what a real party is like. A party throw down! You gotta love the battle!

Tonight the Friends of Bitsy Grant Board and some others are going to have their December meeting at a festive location and that will be fun to see what these folks look like after they've had a shower and put on real clothes. Everybody's worked really hard for Bitsy and it will be nice to get together and celebrate all the hard work and good fun. Here's to our fearless leader, Mel Locklear, for all his hard work! Persevere, man! And Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Go Jackets! See you round the quadrangle and at the NEW TREE BAR for a wassail soon! AD

BITSY YELLOW JACKETS + DOC CELBRATE SENIOR MEN 4.0 DIVISION CLINCHER! GO TEAM!!!! Captain Terry "John" McCain Steers Team to Season Excellence!

Left to right: Bitsy Yellow Jackets Rob, Kenny, Doc, Captain Terry, Coach Gary Conklin and Professor John toast today's 2 to 1 win. Although, the team has to play elsewhere due to cut backs at Bitsy, we claim them as our own. Everybody come Wednesday nights to see the guys play at Bitsy and next Saturday for the season finale. Then on to the city playoffs and HOPEFULLY, STATE TOURNAMENT IN COLUMBUS. It dudn't get any better than this!

PROFESSOR JOHN REPRESENTS! Loses a thrilling 3 setter with Coach Gary Conklin but wins on style points!

 

Rob and Kenny and Terry with the Blow by Blow on the BIG WIN!. And, YES, Baby Bear (Rob) broke another string! (DUH!)

 

Victors! Rob and Kenny clinch the playoffs for the Jackets! Yea team!

Jackets Win Again! Congrats Kenny! You are not the first person to lose with Rob!

Whoever thought Fridays wouldn't be your favorite day?

Due to the cutbacks in city budgets these days, Bitsy Grant is now closed on Fridays. This puts a lot of very active, tennis loving, Bitsy fans in a fowl mood. A day without tennis is a day without sunshine. Give me tennis or give me death?! You can't even sit on the porch and rock and philosophize on Fridays. When times are tough, some people think it's a good idea to keep as much of a normal routine as possible, to keep up your community, to pull together and share a meal or a game and stay connected. Rally the troops, keep your chin up, eyes on the prize and muddle through together. It's hard to do when your "town square" is shut down.

When the center is closed on Fridays, in other words, brace yourself, that means all the clay courts are locked up. Now just sit a minute and think on that. There are folks that would rather play than eat, who arrange their whole lives to live out of a car, if need be, in order to play tennis, and most of em play at BITSY. Maybe it's a spiritual or religious thing, I don't know, but tennis is a lot cheaper than therapy or golf, and besides: EVERYONE CAN PLAY.

But if your joints can take it, and you are desperate enough, you can head down to the hard courts and probably still get in a game or at least find a hitting partner. Bernie Segal (Middle Man--cause that's what he was in the diamond business and also Florida State doubles champ and Orange Bowl Jr. Champ and SEC singles champ) was there but he'd already hit. POOH. I love to hit with Bernie. He's my favorite. He's the most consistent guy out there of any age and he's got to be pushing 60, right Bernie man? Plus, his son took my sister out on her most favorite date of her pre-married life. Not bad. Me thinks the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Bernie just likes to hit during the week, around 1: 30 everyday, and then he plays every Saturday with HOT DOG, and Terrel and Joe. These are all super great players, EXTREMELY fascinating and important people in the tennis universe of Bitsy. Stay tuned.

Anyway, back to the Friday/hardcourts: Ernie Garrison hit with some lady we didn't know and Mr. Maxwell (Pac Man) and I watched some pretty good women in a T2 match looked like. Mr. Maxwell was especially, and I do mean ESPECIALLY festive in a BRIGHT RED cashmere sport coat, Christmas bow tie and BLACK ALLIGATOR LOAFERS. MY, MY! Having just attended one of his many social and/or philanthropic events. Mr. Maxwell is nothing if not the arbiter of good taste; he was surely raised right and generally cuts a pleasantly wide and entertaining path.

Back to the hard courts on "closed down Friday". After not too long, the clouds covered up the sun and we got to shivering out on the bleachers where we were watching those women play. So we didn't get to hit or to stay all the way til the shank o' the e'nin and enjoy the Tree Bar again, but we sure remembered what fun it was last night. STILL, truth be told, although we are proud and happy and relieved and grateful to have our new tree, we really miss our old girl. She was grand and strong and lush til her last day. I imagine we'll be needing a sunbrella come summer time until Deuce gets her spread going. In the meantime, just to show you how much we appreciate our new girl: click on the link below to see the blow by blow of just how carefully and professionally we planted our new 6ish inch caliper WHITE OAK THE KING OF TREES (or queen in this case, we like to think) from TREES ATLANTA. THANKS! (and thank goodness there was a TECH GRAD participating or we might never have gotten her in right!) Also, stay tuned on the whole TREES ATLANTA deal. These people are truly and bodaciously great people. Hats off! And just thinking about the great things they did for Bitsy and how our new TREE BAR has been officially inaugurated and will grow for generations to come--makes this Friday not so bad after all.

Picasa Web Albums - Ann - 2008-12-04 Tree Bar Installation

Picasa Web Albums - Ann - 2008-12-04 Tree Bar Installation

Well, when the clouds finally parted enough to where we thought there might be a dryable court or two, around say 4 pm, a few brave souls meandered on down to the quadrangle. Sure enough, Mr. Maxwell was hosting a bridge party (complete with popcorn straight from the microwave), and had already been reminded of a song: "the green green grass of home." Which is what Bitsy is, I spose, rain or shine. Dan and Airplane and Slow Gun and Pac Man rolled their own court with that big heavy roller to work out the bubbles from the rain, and by the time I got back from home with my tennis gear, Keith had rolled one for us to hit on. With his tips for the day on my always in progress topspin forehand, Keith says it improved 20 percent. Bailey Brown even had his student, the lovely mannered young Franklin, observe and Terry said it was looking pretty good and I should join their mixed up troubles team. OK, Big Air, I got witnesses! Here were the deciding factors: close the raquet face, continuous follow through, meet the ball in front and LIFT! Sometimes even a blind squirrel gets a nut!

We finished the evening with the inaugural visit to the Tree Bar. Freezing but happy comrades present were Mr. Maxwell leading the charge and furnishing libations, Slow Gun with his Old Milwaukee, Terry McCain, Airplane Eddie and me, Doc (forgot to tell y'all I'm a phd). We hugged the new tree, raised a can or bottle and sang "the green,green grass of home." Then, in the shank o' the e'nin, we bid each other and the tree a fond farewell. So even when it's cold and damp and trying to dry out, you can still work on that forehand and participate in something as special as the inauguration of the new Tree Bar. The last one last fifty years. Let's hope this one will last fifty and more. So, till tomorrow,then--see you round the quadrangle. Doc

What to do when it rains.

One thing to do is remember that the sun does come out again, summer will return and, you can even count on a sunny day or two between now and then when it'll get hot enough to put in four good sets. After which you'll retire hot and sweaty to the Tree Bar for a cold lemonade or other libation with your comrades. From right to left: the major d'omo of the Tree Bar, hishonor the distinguished Mr. Mike Maxwell (Pac Man), the inestimable Mr. Alan (take no prisoners--one of my favorite parnters) Elsas , behind the flag--Terry, "john" McCain, Kenny, Theo "the artist" Rudnak, Dan (Dandy--but he doesn't really like that name) Lyon, and Baby Bear, son of Papa Bear, Rob Schmitz. In the front in the pretty blue shirt is Jim (Midnight) Wyatt.

You can bet there will be a bridge game today at Bitsy, indoors of course. And Mr. Maxwell will be working the Puzz (the crossword puzzle, that is, and by Thursday it's just starting to get a mite challenging). Inevitably, someone around the bridge table will say or do something that will remind Mr. Maxwell of a song, which happens frequently. Mr. Maxwell's musical references are always funny, and occasionally poignant. It's a way of saying something deep, I spose, when you all think you're just having a good time. So here's an example from a recent email about the Tree Bar (ok, that will take a whole nother day or four to tell you about that, but Mr. Maxwell, having been a CFO at a big corporation is really good at keeping track of money and here's him talking about collecting for the Tree Bar and then being reminded of a song).

"11)So, overall, the event should have paid for itself with a little "profit refund" for Friends (based on $1125 or slightly more in revenue, and $950 or slightly more in expenses, by far the most of which was the $600 to plant the tree). PLUS THE LEGACY OF THE TREES PLANTED "FOREVER," which is priceless!

I'm reminded of a song - "Rock & Roll Heaven" - The Righteous Brothers - 1973, and updated as a "cover" song in 1990 to include add'l references to Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, jackie Wilson, Roy Orbison and others - the main theme of which is "If You Believe in FOREVER, Then Life is Just A One night Stand!"

See it's pretty funny but also means a lot. Point is, when it rains don't forget the good times, the sunshine, and always remember to laugh and sing. And it's not a dress rehearsal--plant trees when the sun shines so you can watch em grow when it rains? Heck, I don't know, I'd really just rather be out playing tennis.

AD See you round the quadrangle.

Hishonor Bitsy Grant playing checkers with Coach Dodd and the Original Railbirds

The Birth of Bitsy Grant in 1953: Growing Up with Bitsy

Lots of folks at Bitsy Grant grew up playing there. Back in the early 70s, my brothers, still the plumb handsomest, sweetest guys God ever put on this earth, were playing here daily, bro Neil even won the Chollie Cup (you'll have to stay tuned til I can tell you exactly what that is, but trust me it was cool and a big deal, kinda like winning all four slams in one year).



Families like the Sheffields, Dimons, Butlers, Lobells, Schmitzes, (and feel free to add to the list, you guys) have memories of raising their children here, hitting the millions of balls it takes to make a real player, teaching and learning the lessons of "putting in your time," "a job well done," "practice makes perfect," good sportsmanship and fair play--and sometimes not so fair play, perseverance and the sheer joy and pleasure of playing with your friends, making new ones and building a history of trial and error, accomplishment, overcoming injuries, defeat and bad weather. Yes, the sun will come out again, we remind ourselves in December.

There are still a few guys playing a Bitsy who were here when the doors opened. So that means they saw Arthur Ashe and his protege (and still a massive hunk of burning love), Horace Reid, (you can see Horace play or give you a lesson today at Ansley Golf Club) break the color barrier with resounding boom; they saw Marty Riessen, Stan Smith and Tony Roche, among so many other legends crack the clay court circuit at Bitsy. I once played in a little club tournament in Ohio at Marty Riessen's beautiful, I mean most gorgeous tennis club ever, New Albany Country Club, and had lunch with Marty. He loved Bitsy Grant like we do and had good memories and STORIES to tell.


Or that means they hung out with folks like my personal hero of all time, Coach Bobby Dodd of Georgia Tech, Bitsy Grant, James Dickey, Lewis Grizzard and a host of others came to play tennis or (checkers or bridge when it rained or they got wore out from playing tennis) and they showed up for each other when they got sick or needed help or a pall bearer.


So you can imagine that the stories, tall tales and legends at Bitsy are numerous, hilarious, tragic (well, the place has been around so long, that we've lost alot of our players, but we're real good about sticking plaques on walls and by trees so that we don't forget these folks--they came to do battle and be friends day in and day out, everyone has a story and is worth remembering).

It's a place of routines and rythms--I can tell you who shows up every day at 9, which group comes at 1 and the folks that start at 4 pm--the same way for decades now. In a place like Atlanta, where everything's been Home Depot'd and Walmarted and John Wielanded to death, Bitsy Grant is an actual real place where people gather to play with and pick on each other, to share a meal, a cold libation, and, well, I just keep coming back to--those stories.


Thanks to the city, the clay courts have been restored and the Friends of Bitsy Grant put in a well to keep the precious underground watering system flowing. But the building really needs a complete renovation/restoration. Dreaming on: how about another building for the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame or the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame or some indoor courts and conference space, tutoring space for after school programs, and well, dream on.


Richard Aeck was the architect of the original building and his son's firm Lord, Aeck and Sargeant, has made a plan to renovate/restore this precious place. If you want to
help bring Bitsy back to its glory days, click onto the USTA website in the links below and make a contribution to help restore this jewel of modern architecture and about the funnest place I know of. Mainly, come out and play.AD

Introducing the REAL RAILBIRDS, Porch Sitters, Court #1 Heckle Brigade, Gentlemen All

from top left going clockwise: Dandy Lion (Dan Lyon), Jim (Mr.) Kennedy, Mike (Pac Man) Maxwell, Ed (Airplane Eddie) Norton, "Sonny" MacAdoo, Coach Dave, Ernie (well man) Garrison, and in the middle in the blue shirt--Gorgeous George Muse. Stay tuned for tall tales of these any many others, (yes we do have women at Bitsy!). You don't want to miss the amazing and unique technique of the unbeatable Little Joe, the antics of Vicious Sid, the family dynasty of Papa Bear and Baby Bear, (also known as: Big Air, Goliath, and Hercules), Dr. No, Rose Red, the Queen, Hu-man (no 1. in the world in his age group, or at least top 3 for a decade), and so many more! See you round the quadrangle! AD aka DeRO

Bitsy Grant Tennis Center is the Actual Center of the Universe

Everyone Can Play! When Bitsy Grant created the first public tennis center (hey, anyone got a dispute on that? Blog me!) he was looking to create the first non-fancy pants, non-elitist, not a private club place where "anyone" could play. His vision has, over time, become reality. Probably turned out better than he imagined, cause while this may come as a surprise to some, most real lovers of clay tennis are well aware that, today, Bitsy Grant Tennis Center, nestled in the verdant bosom of Buckhead/Atlanta, Georgia is the undisputed heart and soul of tennis--period.

So if you haven't yet played at Bitsy Grant: COME ON DOWN AND BRING YOUR GAME, or your tall tales, or your violin and washboard (to join the BITSYLAND STRING BAND Blue Grass Band), or your favorite libation to be enjoyed under the shade of the TREE BAR (the grand old girl was recently lost and replanted--be on the look out for that post) after three or six sets of pick up doubles, and start earning your stripes to become an official RAILBIRD and to receive an official nickname--so that you enjoy the distinct pleasure of "porch courtesy" graciously extended to all NEWCOMERS, the occasional "dinner on the grounds" where you might be taught to Shag by an 83 year old Shag Champion and master of the crowd pleasin "triple rump bump", or Bitsy Homecoming where you might enjoy a Varsity chili dog and encounter the likes of Armisted Neely, Hugh Thomson, Bailey Brown, William King--hey, if you have to ask, you'd better come on down and meet them. Life isn't gettin any longer. And there shore is a bunch of fun to be had. Come join us!

AD