GENERAL PATTON… AND SQUASH?

Yes, the General George Patton. Or Patton(s). The one(s) that commanded the US armies. Firstly, I will be the first to admit that outside of recognizing the name, I know virtually nothing about the fellow(s). Nor do I know much about the wars they were involved in. Growing up Aussie, American war history was not on our school curriculums. Or, if it was, I didn’t pay any attention.

Secondly, I found it rather stunning (and fascinating) that someone of such stature and power actually found the time to play squash. I suppose it shouldn’t shock me that much, squash is a very intense sport and has been referred to many times as ‘gladiatorial’, and the players as ‘warriors’. War-like in a sense.

Thanks to member Jerry Solomon, he was kind enough to pass on an excerpt from a book he was reading, “Growing Up Patton”. The book covers the interactions between the two General George Pattons as father and son over their commanding years. (At the time, George Jr. was not yet a general, but simply a recruit). Check out the second paragraph. General Patton Sr. sees fit to pass on some very sound squash advice. Remember, this is dated April of 1944 and is in the midst of WWII – in the last 70 years or so, these fundamentals have held true.

So, next time you think that I am sounding like a nagging wife when I tell you how to hold the racquet, watch the ball, get side on, just keep in mind that one your finest military heroes agrees with me! Now, get back to the ‘T’, drop and give me 20!

AND THE WINNER IS…

Summer League final~~

It was close. Very close. Only one point separated the two teams. And it wasn’t decided on bonus points since both teams picked up 7. That’s the good news. The bad news is that not all 10 matches could be played. Nine of them were, and the tenth… well we would have to wait a couple of weeks for that to happen and it’s not fair to let everyone wait so long. So it was scrapped.

Tom Pierce and Joe Danley

It was a fitting finish to the season between two squads that deserved to be in final in regards to turning up and playing their matches all summer. Of the 9 contests, only 2 of them resulted in a 3-0 score, each team winning one of them, essentially cancelling the other out. For the most part, you could be excused for feeling a strong sense of déjà vu because when “Scuttlebutts” and “Naval Fluff” butted heads in round 5, seven of the results ended up exactly the same as what they did for the final.

Joe Danley (“Naval Fluff”) was one the 3-0 winners as he managed to keep his nose just in front of Tom Pierce (“Scuttlebutts”) for the first 2 games taking them 15-12 before controlling more of the third for an easier 15-8 victory. That score was quickly nullified by Mike Rock (“Scuttlebutts”) who has now won 9 of his past 10 recorded matches as he dispatched Andrew Tignanelli (“Naval Fluff”) 3-0, his third consecutive win over him.

Peter Ulbrich and Brian Bartes

“Scuttlebutts” next win came at the hands of Brian Bartes, although it was a comeback effort. Peter Ulbrich played a strong first game, controlling the ‘T’ and keeping Brian deep and he took the set 15-13. Brian steadied his game and started to move the ball more effectively, slowly gaining the momentum. He won the second 15-10 which looked closer than what the score suggests, but certainly had the upper hand in the 3^rd game taking it 15-8 for the 2-1 victory. Again, cancelling out the result, “Naval Fluff’s” Chris Tipton had just enough shots in the bag to keep Chato Hill at bay with his 2-1 triumph.

As the scores came in, each 2-1 win for one team was quickly quashed with a 2-1 win for the other. Eventually though, with an odd number of matches to be played, it would come down to the final match: Justin Jacobs (“Scuttlebutts”) v Jerry Rock (“Naval Fluff”). Little did the pair know when they played early in the morning on Tuesday, they were in fact the deciding result. Keeping up appearances, it was also a 2-1 score line.

And did the whole season end up being determined on a couple of lucky bounces? Point in case was the end of game one. 14-all, Justin serving… into the nick! Game to “Scuttlebutts”. Game 2 goes to the veteran, as Jerry pulls off a comfortable victory. Score tied 1-1. Game 3. 14-13. Justin serving again… and repeating his first game fortunes… into the nick! The 2-1 victory gave "Scuttlebutts” the narrowest of winning margins. They take the summer league final 21-20. Congratulations!

Another season goes into the history books. But, believe it or not, we are only 5-6 weeks away from September and the 2013-2014 chapter. That’s plenty of time to fine tune your game and hit the ground running. Keep your eyes and ears open for the Boasters League registration, join the box ladders, and start swinging away.

ANOTHER BONUS POINT TIE-BREAK

Summer League semi finals~~

Scuttlebutts v Loose Cannons:

“Revenge is a dish best served cold.” I don’t know who said that originally, and it does refer to cold blooded vengeance, so the “Scuttlebutts” are quietly smirking in their knowledge of righting a past wrong when the “Loose Cannons” beat up on them in round 2. No blood was spilled (thankfully), but I’m sure a few tears escaped.

So who from the “Scuttlebutts” stepped up when it counted and turned the tables on a previous defeat? Well it wasn’t Brian Bartes. I’m not picking on Brian here; he has improved steadily and continuously this season and has nothing to be upset about. But this won’t be news to him – or his opponent Anil Kathuria – when I say Brian had the match by the short and curlies and should have taken the 2-1 win. He lost 2-1 in round 2, and after splitting the first games here, had Anil 14-8 in the 3^rd. That’s 7 match-balls. Suddenly, Anil found the ideal length and had Brian scrambling around in the back corners. The unlikely comeback was completed with a low backhand semi-lucky kill shot that was barely out of Brian’s reach. It was certainly the one that got away but in the end, although Brian would be kicking himself, he had the last laugh.

Who did change their fortunes was Julie VandeVusse. Julie lost to Mike Cooney in their first meeting 3-0, but with a summer league season behind her, she has started to find her rhythm. Her 2-1 win was a huge help for the “Scuttlebutts”. Also making up for a past defeat was Dave Morrison. He felt the bulldozer effect from Tom MacEachern in round 2 as he went down 2-1, but his experience showed up for the semi finals and he wasn’t about to fall victim to him twice. A smarter game, better length, and it paid off with a 3-0 win.

With a 2-1 victory to Steve Murphy who had to play a sub because Chris Moyer has regrettably left our sunny Michigan shores and followed in Ken MacDonald’s footsteps to the fantasy world of “Denver”, and 3-0 wins to Justin Jacobs and Mike Rock, the “Scuttlebutts” had an unconquerable lead with one match to play. That match was still completed however, and they won that too. Final score: 25-18.

Naval Fluff v Get Some and Flop Some:

This was closer than it should have been. “Get Some and Flop Some” did themselves zero favors with only 4 bonus points for the evening, plus two no-shows. (We won’t mention names, they know who they are.) However, on a positive note, of the 4 matches that played on Monday, they won three of them 3-0 which made up for their shortcomings.

Jerry Rock (“Naval Fluff”) reversed his 2-1 loss to Paul Flanagan a week earlier with a 2-1 win this time around, and Mike McCuish also took a 2-1 victory for the team. With 3 three matches left to play on the Tuesday, and although Naval Fluff had 4 wins to 3, plus 7 bonus points, they only held a slim 2 point margin.

That margin evaporated when Jay Bonahoom blanked Andrew Tigananelli 3-0. Suddenly, “Get Some and Flop Some” had a 1 point advantage with two matches left. “Naval Fluff” evened it up in the next contest with Bruce Vande Vusse repeating his result from round 7, taking Tom Fabbri 2-1. The final match was for all the cookies. The score stood at 19-19. However, unforeseen circumstances would not see this ‘winner-take-all’ bout and it would have to be nullified. Because of “Get Some and Flop Some” poor bonus point showing, “Naval Fluff” held the tie break and advance to the final.

So we have “Scuttlebutts” v “Naval Fluff” for summer league glory. These 2 teams played in round 5 with “Scuttlebutts” coming out on top 20-14. But only 2 results were 3-0, and 7 of them were a close 2-1. (One didn’t play.) And “Naval Fluff” only picked up 2 bonus points that day. This could be a very close final. Will bonus points once again be the deciding factor? Better turn up!

RUSHING TO WIN

Race Against the Clock Tournament – Aug 9

From 0 to 200. That is what your heart rate will have to do in order to be successful with this event. (Actually, if your heart rate is 0, then don’t bother entering, you may find it difficult to get going.) We ran this event last year as Ken MacDonald’s swan song. (Remember him? He decided to take his talents to Denver…) We had 25 registrations then, and it would be just swell if we could get similar numbers this year. I would love to tell you that Ken will be making a special trip to Detroit just to play and reminisce about old times showing us what he’s learnt on the squash court at the Denver Athletic Club, but I can’t.

However, we can pretend he is here and honor him anyway. The matches will be just like last year: Very short and will vary between 3 and 7 minutes in duration. The actual format will depend on how many registrations there are. Handicaps may be issued. Basically, because of the time restriction, you will need to play flat-out from the first hit to the last. You will not have time to work yourself into the match, or wear your opponent down. Win as many points as fast as you can, that means you should be taking a few extra risks!

As usual, beverages will be available. You do not have to drink that as fast as you can, it would probably be better if you paced yourself instead. I really don’t want anyone going from 0 to 200 here.

The tournament will get under way at 5pm. We will only be using the 2 downstairs courts. Registration deadline is August 5.

SCUTTLEBUTTS CLAIM TOP SPOT

Summer League final round~~  

It was probably the most active week I have seen for the final round of the summer league in regards to getting matches played. A great effort was made by most teams to squeeze into the finals, but unfortunately some of them left their run too late.

Even “Beer Ahoy!” put up a gallant attempt to close the very unlikely gap as they picked up 26 points over the last 7 days – third most overall – and they collect 8 bonus points as well which was 3 more than their previous best. It didn’t help them at the end, they still finished 7^th, but at least it looks more respectable. 

The most active team for the week was “Scuttlebutts”. A 33 point week, they overcame an 11 point deficit to the league leaders “Naval Fluff” last week to leapfrog from 3^rd to 1^st. “Loose Cannons” did just enough to stave off the challengers from underneath - “Lunge-Lob Split-Pants” and “Bermuda Try Angles” - to claim the last finals berth. 

I like to go through the season statistics as often they tell the story of why the standings ended up as they did…

• 71% of matches overall were played. That’s down from last year’s record of 76%
• “Scuttlebutts” played the most matches with 83%. No surprise there.
• “Off the Radar” did not have the lowest match playing percentage, however. They had 66%, good for equal 5th overall. They did, on the other hand, have the lowest winning percentage by a wide margin with only 28%. 
• “Lunge-Lob Split-Pants” played the least amount of matches with 59%. They finished 5^th because they had the highest winning percentage of any team with 63%. Not helping their cause, along with “Off the Radar”, they collected the least amount of bonus points – 25.
• “Naval Fluff” had the most bonus points with 39. The next best was 31.
• The bottom 4 teams collected the least amount of bonus points. Once again, this statistic holds true.
• Not one single player picked up all 7 bonus points.
• Six teams broke the 100 point barrier this season. That’s three more than last year, but don’t forget the league was 25% larger with 80 players – a record.
• Joe Danley (“Naval Fluff”) scored the most points overall with 23. Next best was 20 points. 
• 15 players played all of their matches. 4 of those came from “Scuttlebutts”.  Only Joe Danley (“Naval Fluff”) and Jeff Jardine (“Scuttlebutts”) were undefeated as well.
• “Bermuda Try Angles” was the only team that didn’t have a player complete all 7 matches. However, they were the only team were every player picked up at least 1 bonus point.
• “Beer Ahoy!” did not have any players turn up for round 5.
• Still picking on “Beer Ahoy!” 3 of their 10 players counted for 56% of their team’s total. The team picked up 20% of their total in the final round.
• The most any team scored any round was “Naval Fluff” with 26 in round 2. The lowest weekly total was 6 – which was achieved by “Off the Radar” in round 3 and “Bermuda Try Angles” in round 5.

The semi finals next Monday now come down to a head-to-head battle. If we look at those results from over the season, we can predict likely winners, but as we all know nobody wins on paper. Teams still have to go out and perform. “Naval Fluff” and “Get Some and Flop Some” just happened to play each other 2 days ago in the final round with “Get Some and Flop Some” taking the honors comfortably 21-14 and that’s with less bonus points. It seems “Naval Fluff” will have their work cut out for them. 

The other semi final pits “Scuttlebutts” and “Loose Cannons” against each other. They played in round 2, and you may be surprised to know that “Loose Cannons” won the day 24-19, again with less bonus points. All 10 matches were completed, 8 of them ended up 2-1 so it was competitive, and nobody should be surprised if the result did in fact reverse itself. But again, you have to perform when it counts…

THE INCREDI-BALLS - TAKE 7

Fit for a Hollywood Comedy

Real life is often stranger than fiction. You just can’t make this stuff up. This is about the 32^nd Pakistan National Games recently held from June 28 – July 4 this year. It is supposed to be held every two years, is comprised of a multitude of sports (including squash – which we will get to later on), and is organized by the Pakistan Olympic Committee (POA), the hosting province, and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). The always reliable, never deniable Wikipedia lists that since 1998, the games have been held every three years, and since 1956, the Pakistan Army has ended up on top of the medal count.



A 2013 logo from the Games



A 2012 logo
from the Games



I will try to explain this as clearly as possible… Evidently, the 32^nd Pakistan Games had already been held: in December of 2012, but for some reason they were held again in June-July 2013. The organization committees for the 2013 version involved the PSB and an unrecognized interim committee of the POA - and both were actually warned not to use the title “32^nd National Games” by a justice of the high court and from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but they chose to ignore all warnings and go ahead anyway. It seems that three POA affiliated units (or teams) did not take part in the 2012 games, so somewhere along the line it was decided to run the thing again. One of the missing teams was the Pakistan Army. Even more strangely, the PSB issued 1.3m dollars to run the new Games, where it only issued about $200,000 for the original one. The PSB director that issued the enormous grant also was a part of the new Games organization committee. Does anyone else smell a rat? On June 29, the day the Games started, the POA was finally forced to change the name of the Games to “National Games 2013”. The event finished on July 4^th.

So, a whole lot of money was spent on a sporting event that was conjured up last minute and in reality was done to appease the 3 original missing entrants. It would be like running your own club championships after the fact because you failed to turn up to the real one. The absurdities don’t stop there. From reading articles about this “mock” event, the organization of the ‘new’ Games was so incompetent it was bizarre. I was shaking my head so much, I have whip lash. If even half of what is listed below is true, it is ripe for a Hollywood (or Bollywood?) movie:

• The majority of the events on day one of the Games could not take place because the organizers failed to pay the respective federations for the use of their facilities.
• There was no drinking water for the athletes. Temperatures at the Games were 100 degrees +.
• Organizers chose venues that were very far apart from one another and it was extremely difficult for journalists to gather information and results from events.
• The bathrooms were filthy. Which, in the excessive heat, must have smelled rather peachy.
• Organizers were often MIA. They were not reachable even by cell phone. There was nobody to guide the athletes and the guests, and a schedule of events was missing.
• The Pakistan Squash Federation demanded $5000 from the organizers for the use of their facilities, but was only promised half of that. Consequently, they turned off the air conditioning for the event. Temperatures outside the venue reached 116 degrees. Reportedly, many players were almost passing out even before their matches started.
• The Pakistan Army won the medal count of the ‘new’ Games with 115 gold medals. The second placed team had 39.
• Three teams did not participate in the ‘new’ Games.
• Since the interim committee of the POA is unrecognized, the IOC warned them not to use or display Olympic properties (e.g. the Olympic rings). It was ignored. The IOC is now threatening to ban Pakistan from the Olympics.
• Athletes were promised a daily allowance of 10 dollars a day for 12 days to cover things like meals. Not only were they underpaid, they only received 9 days of allowance – totaling $45.
• Organizers were seen showering themselves and friends in opulence with luxury transport vehicles and extravagant meals.
• The organization committee was too busy praising themselves for a job well done rather than fixing all the complaints and issues. Nice.
• Security was very lax. There was hardly any checking on any of the spectators entering the venue. Luckily there were no major incidents.

The list goes on. One wonders how anything can reach this level of ridiculousness. Which brings me to the squash event and actually the reason I found out about these Games in the first place. An article caught me eye titled “Players Reportedly Attack Ref…” so I immediately clicked into it. It describes an incident that occurred during the Games in the semi-final of the squash tournament. One of the players, Mansoor Zaman, was so incensed by a decision of the referee, he couldn’t help but verbally abuse the poor fellow. The referee then warned him which had zero affect – the abuse continued – and was left with no alternative but to award the game to his opponent. On leaving the court, the abuse still continued. The referee then did the right thing – he awarded a conduct match against Zaman.

Then it got interesting. Along with his brother, Zaman attempted to do what every other normal person would do under these circumstances: beat up the ref. I mean, why wouldn’t you? Makes perfect sense, right? Saving the day, in steps the Zaman brothers’ father and the head-tournament-referee to calm the situation, and rescue the ref from a certain trip to the hospital.

But that wasn’t the end of it either. Zaman’s father then somehow convinced the head-tournament-referee that the conduct match be nullified and they should start over. From scratch. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation, justifying the reason for a redo. So they played again and Zaman ended up winning. Are you kidding me??? You just can’t make this stuff up.

Maybe this should be an episode on “Ripley’s Believe it or Not”. It is painfully obvious that Pakistan Sport has a myriad of issues to deal with. Ineptitude across the board and up and down all associations and committees involved seems to be a good place to start. Who knows if it is at all fixable.

Squash is just another victim of the Pakistan Sports World. It is also a politically unsafe country for foreigners and because of that, the Professional Squash Association (PSA) has banned its (non-Pakistan) players from playing there. Until recently, the PSA have allowed Pakistan to host world ranking squash events anyway, but only up to $10,000 in prize money – and a short time ago that was increased to $25,000. The ban, however, is still in place. So should a country be allowed to host events of reasonably large prize money and world ranking points, but only allow locals to enter? If Pakistan hosts enough of them, a handful of Pakistan players would be able to climb the world rankings without having to play any foreigners. Would this not skew the rankings and is this fair to everyone else?

In completely unrelated news, Pakistan has been awarded the rights to host 2015 Squash World Cup.

…say what?

FINALS SPOTS UP FOR GRABS

Summer League round 6~~

Seven days and counting. That’s all you have left to get your matches in. Throw in the Independence Day weekend where many of you will be away, it should make for an interesting scramble for the play-offs. Four teams will advance and by the looks of things, “Naval Fluff” should be safe to make it through, but from 2^nd to 6^th it’s anybody’s guess.

I think we can safely eliminate “Beer Ahoy!” and “Off the Radar” from finals contention, they have left it too little too late and never really got going anyway. For the entire season, neither of the two teams reached any higher than 6^th place on the standings. Playing catch-up simply doesn’t work.

Best mover of the week goes to “Get Some and Flop Some” who jumped from 5^th to 2^nd. Biggest dropper of the week is “Lunge-Lob Split-Pants” who swapped places with them. The point difference is minimal however, it will all come down to the final week of play – who is around this holiday weekend, and who is willing to sacrifice some time to get on court…



Matt Hayduk

A couple of tight matches last night worth mentioning: Matt Hayduk (“Beer Ahoy!”) was very pleased with his game last night against Mike McCuish (“Naval Fluff”) as he took him 2-1, but a lot of that can be attributed to the racquet he used. Rather than swinging his 1986 Prince Extender, he decided to borrow his Dad’s new 2013 Grays racquet… and what a difference it was! Power. Accuracy. Lightness. Good Squash. Matt was rather surprised – as was Mike! Should I put one of them aside for you, Matt?

Andy Combs (“Bermuda Try Angles”) picked up his second win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Tom Bergh (“Off the Radar”) which is only Tom’s second loss. Joe Danley (“Naval Fluff”) remains undefeated and is now 6 for 6 after his 3-0 win over Joe Paglino (“Beer Ahoy!”) 3-0. It was Joe P’s first loss.

As it comes down to the final week of play, keep in mind that bonus points may play a big part of who advances to the finals. If teams are tied, then bonus points will be the decider. That actually places “Bermuda Try Angles” in the least favorable position as they have the least amount of bonus points from teams ranked 2-6. “Loose Cannons” hold the tie-break right now (if it came down to that), but only by one. If bonus points are also tied, then the head-to-head matchup of the two teams during the season will decide who advances.

OVER THE HALF-WAY MARK

Summer League round 4~~

Can you believe it? The Summer League is already on the downhill run. Four rounds in, and three to go. The good news is that 6 teams are still very much in the hunt to make the final four. The bad news is that two teams appear to have forgotten the league is running at all.

“Beer Ahoy!” and “Off The Radar” are falling further and further behind as the weeks go by. They are now both over 25 points outside the last play-off position. In fact, “Off The Radar” didn’t play any make up matches last week, and only scored 3 points last night, and are averaging only 7½ points a week. They also have the lowest amount of bonus points overall (12). No prizes for guessing which team has the most. As you can see the rest of the teams are bunched up rather tightly. Only 7 points separate 2^nd from 6^th and a couple of matches could make all the difference… or bonus points…?

Highlighting some of the action yesterday, nothing stands out more than Jerry Solomon (“Bermuda Try Angles”). He gets a special mention here as somebody who literally put his body on the line – the red line on the tin that is. Late in the third game against Tom Pierce (“Scuttlebutts”), Jerry (accidently) launched himself face first into the tin. It was a messy consequence which resulted in a quick trip to the hospital for some stitches to the cut on his forehead. To make matters worse, Jerry lost that rally. But, he did take the match since he had won the first 2 games anyway. Jerry is well on the way to a full recovery – his head will heal fine, although he may wear the war wound for a while – however he will be taking a few weeks off for the sprained knee he suffered from the fall. We hope to see him back on court soon!

In a less bloody contest, Tom MacEachern (“Loose Cannons”) is trying his utmost to make the most out of each match. Since league matches are only 3 games without a tie-break, Tom is deciding to play every single point available. Last week, he played Tom Fabbri (“Get Some and Flop Some”) and won 2-1 with each game going 15-14. This week he played Tom Healy (“Beer Ahoy!”) and almost did exactly the same thing. He won 2-1, the first 2 going 15-14. Must be something in the name “Tom”.

Other close contests saw Ben Stone (“Get Some and Flop Some”) score a 2-1 victory over Allie Penz (“Off The Radar”), Brian Bartes (“Scuttlebutts”) picked up his second win of the season with a solid 2-1 win over Chuck Doyle (“Bermuda Try Angles”), and Bruce VandeVusse (“Naval Fluff”) scored his 3^rd 2-1 win of the summer and thereby handing Josh Slominski (“Lunge-Lob Split-Pants”) his first loss.

Time is running short – quickly. Players have until July 9 (inclusive) to complete all the matches. That’s 3 weeks. Better get swinging.

THINK YOU KNOW SQUASH?

Timed-Handicap-Quiz Team Squash Tournament – July 10

Are you a true student of the game? You may think you practice a lot, groove your swing, take those lessons and mold your game into a successful style, but do you really know the sport? Can you name anyone in the world’s top 10? Who won last year’s World Open? Or how high is the tin? (In my case, it’s always one inch too high!). You’re probably thinking why you should know this stuff. How will such information make me a better squash player?

Well, it probably won’t. But it will help you win the Timed-Handicap-Quiz Team Squash Tournament that is scheduled for Wednesday, July 10. Because, not only will you have to perform on the squash court, you are going to have to perform off it as well. No, no, I am not looking for any song and dance routines (although it would be entertaining), the performance I will be after is all about your brain power. Specifically, your know-how of the DAC, international squash, and general knowledge.

If you are up for the unique challenge, here is how the tournament works: Firstly, I will place you onto one of two teams. To get the gray matter warmed up, you will play one match of 20 minutes straight. No rest. No water breaks. Just flat-out for 1200 seconds. Every point counts. Your task is simply to score more points than your opponent. I will do my best to match you up with someone of your level, but if that isn’t possible, I will be handing out handicaps to even it up. To get the gray matter more loosened up, beer will be available too. Be aware though, that too much of it will turn the gray matter into gray mush.

Secondly, once the matches are complete, the two teams will get together and complete a quiz. Each question is worth a few points. The quiz shouldn’t take longer than 10-15 minutes. Electronic devices will be banned from this part of the tournament. Googling answers will be strictly forbidden!! Guessing answers will not. I expect some that…

Thirdly, to finalize the team scores, I will discard the highest point getter from the squash scores, add the rest, and then add it to the quiz score. The team with the highest total wins! Members of that team will be able to win a prize.

Registration deadline is Friday July 5. We need at least 14 people to run the event. Matches start at 5pm, and depending on how many entries we get it should take about 2 -2 ½ hours. Click on the above poster for all the details.

NAVAL FLUFF SHOW THEIR STUFF

Summer League round 3~~

I am not overly happy about having a 2 week break in the Summer League, since momentum can be lost and people can find it difficult to get back into the swing of things. Not that we had much of a choice, and participation in round 3 was the lowest so far of the season. And that was even with the horrible rainy weather that was dumped on us yesterday!

On the other hand – and trying to find the positive here – the 2 weeks gave players time to make up some matches from the first couple of rounds. “Naval Fluff” took advantage the best and together with last night’s matches, plus a round’s best 6 bonus points, jumped from 3^rd to 1^st on the ladder with a 23 point improvement. “Bermuda Try Angles” weren’t far behind – they picked up 22 points over the break but remain in 5^th position. The good news for them though is that they are a lot closer to the teams above them.

“Off the Radar” and “Beer Ahoy!” continue to linger at the bottom of the standings, each of them picking up only 12 and 8 points respectively. They will be already playing themselves out of contention if they aren’t careful.

The closest match of the evening went to Tom MacEachern (“Loose Cannons”) and Tom Fabbri (“Get Some and Flop Some”). Tom M’s grunt of disapproval was heard through the fitness center as I walked in just as the second game ended. After he had won the first game 15-14, Tom F had just pinched the second with the same score line. The third was just as close. 15-14. Tom won that one. MacEachern that is. This time it was a grunt of appreciation.

Arnaud Mangin (“Get Some and Flop Some”) and Anil Kathuria (“Loose Cannons”) ran themselves into oxygen deprivation as Arnaud took the 2-1 win, and Brian Schrage (“Off the Radar”) picked up his first win of the season over Bruce Shaw (“Beer Ahoy!”) 2-1.

There are 4 rounds to go. Still time to get matches in, but not enough to put it off. Let’s go people!!

MEET A MEMBER - 16

This time we’ll go old school. Let’s probe the mind of a long-term successful DAC squash playing member that defies the age barrier and demands the respect of his fellow squashies with his longevity. He is still a threat to win the Club Championship, even with the likes of the younger crew starting to take charge. He is a great supporter of not only the DAC squash program, but of squash outside the club walls as well.

MEET… PETER LOGAN

The Squash Joint (TSJ): You just turned 75… umm, I mean 55. How long have you been belting around the squash ball and who taught you? 

Old? Maybe, but still very much in the way. I started playing around 1985 just out of law school.  Jeff Parsigian taught me. He's probably the best racquet guy around. 

 TSJ: You are still one of the fittest players in the club. What do you do to keep yourself in such good condition? What does the ideal Peter Logan work-out week look like? How do you keep yourself motivated? 

I never really stop playing squash or doing the weights.  I do some Syphus Training, mountain biking, hiking and a bit of trail running when I'm out west. Typical week would be squash maybe 3 - 4 times with weights and some Syphus thrown in especially if some event is coming up.  Motivation has never been an issue.  I just like to play and have been fortunate to have made lots of friends around the world doing so.

   

TSJ: You have won many DAC Club Championship titles – doubles and singles. Is there one that stands out more than others?  

Not really sure...blush went off that rose some time ago...13, 14? First one stands out as it was so long ago...1989? Jeez, I am old. Thanks for another reminder. Really don't feel any different though.....yet.

TSJ: Who is the one person in history that you admire most? If you had a chance to ask him / her one question, what would that be?  

Probably Sun Tzu. I'd love to discuss the concept of complementary opposites with him.  

 TSJ: Tell us about your get-a-way home in Montana. And tell us about a time you had a close encounter with nature… 

We built it about 7 years ago just north of Red Lodge right on Rock Creek. MT is a very special place.  Every day there is a close encounter with nature...lots of bears, black and grizzly and moose, you name it. Ran into a big grizzly last year just at the tree line ...very disconcerting and humbling.   

TSJ: Of all the squash events outside the DAC that you have played, which has been the most enjoyable? 

All have been great and different but I guess I'd go with the Windy City Open. It is always a good and wild time there. Weather is always a factor. Snowed in twice over the years and pretty gnarly walks to the hotel at 3am with 2+ feet of snow on the ground if you recall!

TSJ: You are very involved with the Racquet Up Detroit program. Tell us your part in it and why it is so satisfying.  

Rob Graves and I have been teaching there from the start.  It's a wonderful program with a great Director; our very own Derek Aguirre. I like the continuity of the program. We take roughly the same 40 kids from grade 5 all the way to college. They are improving in squash very rapidly and more importantly, becoming productive individuals and good students. We'll be part of each other's lives forever I think.

TSJ: Tell us your favorite…

      a)      Movie?  “Tender Mercies” and “The Big Lebowski”  

b )   Weekly home chore? Walking the dogs early and late. Patty would say I don't do any chores!

c)    Detroit Tiger?  Not a big basketball fan 

d)    Activity when in Montana?  Fly fishing         

e)    Squash racquet you have ever played with?  Manta Ice 

f)     Food?  Ice cream     

g)    Car?  1974 - 76 BMW 2002 Tii  

TSJ: You are actually a man of more than one talent. Tell us about your music and your band.  

We play kind of  hippie bluegrass stuff in different iterations from a duo to trio or the big band with up to 7 of us.  I play mostly dobro and guitar. It’s really fun and a challenge to be out there in front of lots of people especially when everybody is in the moment.  Like squash when the ball looks big.  

TSJ: What is the one thing in life you haven’t yet done but would like to do? 

Paragliding looks cool.   

TSJ: If you had a 60 second Super Bowl advertisement, what would you show to the billion viewers?  

 My baby picture.  

TSJ: And for the final question, we like to dive a little deeper and turn the cheeks a darker shade of red… although I am not sure that’s entirely possible with you! Anyway, here goes… What is the worst lie you have ever told?   

Either that I was going to go quietly or that I have a filter.  

I am very grateful to Peter for answering these questions for us! Be assured that he will be resisting the age barrier for a while longer and will remain competitive for another DAC singles title. There aren’t too many more laid back and approachable members around and we hope he keeps swinging his racquet, strumming his guitars, and smiling through that hedgehog for years to come. I certainly hope he doesn’t get that Superbowl commercial spot, because I have seen his baby picture and it would shock even the most hardened of minds…!

DANGLING THE OLYMPIC SIZED CARROT

Squash has been in this position before. Two new sports were introduced to the Olympic program for the 2016 Games (in Rio). Squash was competing for one of those rare spots and eventually lost out to Rugby 7’s and Golf, something that I still can’t quite wrap my head around that both were considered more worthy. How they lost out was also a little controversial in regards to the way the IOC committee voted. Squash was selected after the first round of voting, but was discarded after a second. It was clear that the IOC wanted sports that can generate advertising dollars. And squash didn’t fit the bill. 

Roger Federer backing the bid with
world number one squash player Nicol David



That golden carrot that was cruelly snatched away from us now dangles once again precariously close to our outstretched fingers. On May 29, the IOC narrowed down the field of how many new sports will be considered to join the 2020 Olympic Games from eight to three. The five sports that were eliminated: wushu, karate, roller-sports, sports-climbing, and wakeboarding. And the three that made the cut: wrestling, baseball and softball, and - thank goodness – squash.

I am a little puzzled, however, at why baseball and softball (who are making a combined bid) made the cut in the first place. Pundits predicted that it had virtually zero chance of getting voted back in after it was cut from the 2012 Games. The main reason being is that the MLB flat out refuse to suspend the baseball season while the Games are taking place. That means that the world’s best players would not be available to compete for their country. I mean, would the Detroit Tigers allow Miguel Cabrera 2 weeks off in August to represent Venezuela? I don’t think so. And, as a Tigers fan, I wouldn’t want them to. The only reason I can see why they made the short list would be money. Baseball is America’s past time. It would still generate more dollars than squash even without major league players. And for softball, America is the best country in the world at it and it would effectively guarantee another medal. That means more advertising dollars too. NBC’s billions of dollars for the Olympic broadcasting rights no doubt carries a little weight. Despite all that, I still don’t think this is much of a threat to squash and I doubt baseball / softball will get in. What does worry me is wrestling.  

Andre Agassi is behind squash too!



Wrestling was shockingly dropped from the Olympic program back in February. An IOC decision that many people weren’t expecting and couldn’t comprehend. Other sports could have made the chop – like the modern pentathlon (I bet you couldn’t name the 5 disciplines). If any sport is supposed to embody the Olympic spirit, be a poster child of a sport that is completely mano-a-mano, then wrestling is it. It is the only sport that (outside of the standard clothing) has absolutely no tools of the trade to assist the athlete. No gloves, no equipment, no special outfits to assist in speed, no racquets… it pits two people against each other and may the strongest, most skilled one win. It has been around since the original modern Olympiad back in 1896.

On top of that, it is also a sport where some lesser ‘athletic’ countries have a decent chance of winning medals. Like Iran. (This, by the way, is the only topic that it sees eye to eye with the USA. USA is also strong in wrestling, and has a lot higher medal chance in that sport compared to squash. An Iran-USA gold medal bout would peak the interest, would it not? Can world politics be an important factor?) Other countries include Cuba. And Turkey. Bulgaria. Uzbekistan. Even Moldova. The IOC likes to look good when the spoils can be spread out. Squash also has that advantage, but in a lesser capacity. Egypt will no doubt still be a major threat in 2020 for the men’s and women’s, there aren’t too many other sports where they would be considered a favorite. Malaysia has Nicol David but she will be 36 by 2020 and will most likely not be competing by then.

So why was wrestling dropped? According to reports, it came down to… you guessed it, dollars. The IOC documents rated wrestling “low” in several criteria for the London 2012 Games. Including popularity, viewership, ticket sales, internet hits and press coverage. It wasn’t generating enough interest, so the advertising dollars would have been lacking. Not good enough that the sport is practically exactly what is required for it to be considered Olympic, what trumps all of that is the fact it doesn’t fill the IOC Olympic sized coffers enough.

Support from the English Rubgy team



And that is bad news for squash. What makes you think that squash will close that financial gap? No one is arguing that squash doesn’t meet all the criteria required to become a part of the Games. All the “official” criteria that is. The “unofficial” prerequisite appears to be how much money can be raised from it. Will it be the decisive issue? If so, then baseball should get in. No one can claim that squash will be more popular than that. But, as I said before, I don’t think baseball / softball will.

Squash’s presentation to the IOC is vastly improved from previous bids. There has been a world-wide on-line push to generate excitement for the sport and there have been many celebrities publicly endorsing it as well. One major advantage squash has over wrestling is that the IOC may be rather reluctant to vote a sport in that it dropped just a few months earlier. They would appear quite ridiculous doing so and it would defeat the purpose of the IOC’s goal of introducing a new sport for 2020. But let’s not underestimate the IOC. Look at what they voted in last time. And, they just elected wrestling onto the short list. What’s more, wrestling was nominated on the first round of voting whereas squash and baseball / softball took several rounds of voting to be chosen. An omen?

If squash were to be elected, the tournament format would be simple enough: 1 men’s singles draw of 32 players and 1 women’s single draw also of 32 players. Thankfully, the softball doubles version doesn’t appear on the menu. I don’t know how the players of each draw would be chosen – whether straight from the world rankings, or 2 players each from the top ranked countries. Either way, a 64 player contingent is very small for an Olympic sport, and only 2 courts would be required to stage the event. Courts, which could be propped up virtually anywhere, and on short notice. So, the cost to run the event, in comparison to other sports is somewhat low. 

Even Diego Maradona has blessed squash
with his "Hand of God"!



The final vote is scheduled for September 8 in Buenos Aires. As will the venue for the 2020 Olympics, which is between Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul. Istanbul would probably be the worst choice for squash as Turkey is a powerful wrestling country. For the next 3 months, the three sports will be promoting, fine tuning, bragging, pleading, and presenting themselves to death to the world, but more importantly to the IOC. Between now and then, there are no major squash events scheduled anywhere around the world, so there will not be a chance to promote the game the best way we know how – by actually playing it. Olympic inclusion would be an enormous infusion of revenue for squash. Government funding, endorsements, publicity, the potential is rather exciting. But we need to grab that carrot.

My feeling? Without question, squash deserves its place. It’s criminal that it isn’t already Olympic. We have an excellent chance, but the skepticism in me thinks the IOC will re-elect wrestling anyway, regardless of how idiotic that would be. It was idiotic to drop it in the first place, and now they have a chance to correct that mistake. If it was any other sport squash was competing against, we’d be munching away on carrot sticks.