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Libby and Connie

Two tennis fans, Libby and Connie, sat beside each other for a best of three exhibition match between America's top two players, Barry O'Bannon and Mitchell Ryan.

Libby and Connie quickly became aware of their opposite rooting interests, their muted claps coming at different times. During the first set, Libby did a lot less clapping than Connie, as Ryan soundly defeated O'Bannon, 6 – 2. No one was surprised to see Ryan take the first set, but no one had expected such a dominating performance. Connie turned to Libby, chiding, "I think your guy O'Bannon is showing his true colors today. He's just no match for Ryan."

To which Libby replied, "He was certainly off his game in that first set, seemed like he was in a daze."

Connie nodded, "I've really never felt he was any good, frankly, and I think Ryan just exposed him."

Libby did not deem this last Connie comment worthy of a reply, so the two fans sat in silence as they awaited the start of the second set.

And a doozy of a second set it turned out to be. Days later, pundits would label it the most competitive set of tennis in recent memory (whatever that means). Each point was a battle, some rallies seeming like they'd never end. Each game went back and forth from deuce to advantage and back to deuce until someone would win by attrition. When O'Bannon finally took the set 7 – 6 after Ryan shocked everyone with a double fault to end an eighty seven point tie break, Libby clapped but, more than excitement, she felt relief. She tried to avoid Connie's eyes, but the Ryan fan tapped her on the shoulder, saying, "Wow, O'Bannon sure got lucky at the end there, the judge completely blew that call."

"What do you mean?"

"That second serve was in!"

"How could you see from here better than he can from down there?"

"Come on," Connie shook her head in disgust, frowning, "it was obvious. You'll see I'm right in the tv highlights."

Libby saw no use in arguing, so once again she let Connie have the last word between sets.

Just as no one had expected such a lopsided first set victory for Ryan, no one would've predicted O'Bannon to prevail by a wide margin in the third. But that's exactly what he did, winning 6 – 1, taking the match, sealing his place as the number one rated US player.

Standing to leave, Libby bowed her head toward Connie. "Good game," she said, "take care."

Connie, brow furrowed, replied, "Ryan got hurt at some point during that second set, I know it. His people will confirm it and this result won't affect anyone's opinion on who's the better player. Just look what Ryan did to O'Bannon in the first set, while he was still healthy. . . ."

Connie continued on for another full minute before she realized that Libby had left the stands, and she'd been talking to herself.

Choice of Locale

You tell me you have two job offers, one in some population twenty thousand Illinois town, the other in Man-hat-tan. I think about how every time I see 'widely recognized' in print, I imagine three or four white haired men nodding in unison, shaking hands, grinning, wearing tuxedoes. They look like Statler and Waldorf.

You snap me out of it, tell me you're serious. I tell you that in some small town you can't stop by a tented Oktoberfest block party run by a local bar selling bratwurst and pork with kraut en route to a gourmet, wood-fired oven flat bread pizza shop.

You tell me you're leaning toward NYC anyway and there's lots of stuff like that there, more than we have in Philly. I tell you that in NYC you'll have to wait an hour to sit down at the wood-fired oven flat bread pizza shop whereas in Philly we can sit at the bar pretty darn soon after we show up, and how the Yankee Stadium crowd remains lifeless most of the time because the fans just expect their team to always win.

You tell me you'll think about it. I call verses versus verses and lead off:

Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
Get busy quittin' or get busy tryin'
The city speaks truth, the city don't lie
It's Philly: a coop you don't fly.

You just stare at me like I'm crazy. Then you surprise me with:

There's more to life than just cheesesteaks
Tony the Tiger loves Frosted Flakes
But even though he says they're grrrrreat
Cocoa Puffs also satiate.

Now I look at you like you're the crazy one until we're both laughing. I tell you your rhyme made me hungry and we go for appetizers and soup at Vietnam Restaurant.