It’s been such an up-and-down week with too many down sides.
This past week has been a spectacular week of lovely, still holding on to summer, days. The temps soared once again into the 90s and even on Thursday evening at 5 p.m., thermometers were holding steady at 94 degrees.
The sunsets have been spectacular, and if you appreciate them like me, I looked forward to the next evening’s palette of colors.
I think this past week was the most tennis I’ve played in several years, and for the game of tennis, it’s been pretty sparse when heading to the courts and not too many people are playing.
Maybe something is in the air, but I hit the courts earlier in the week and they were jammed. Some novice players were out, some veterans were playing and even a family of upstart children were learning and practicing the game.
If I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, tennis is a great sport that you can literally play for the rest of your life.
As we find ourselves in the middle of the pandemic, it seems tennis, mainly professional tennis, has found a way to be played safely with no contact with your opponent. Next to golf, it’s probably the safest sport to play right now.
Don’t get me wrong, for as safe as it is, when played correctly and proficiently and as one progresses skill-wise, it is a tough sport on your body, especially if you play on hard courts.
This past week, two of my tennis veteran player friends had surgery; one had a total shoulder replaced and another had ruptured his Achilles tendon requiring surgery.
I myself had rotator cuff surgery and elbow reconstruction surgery, all stemming from tennis injuries.
But yet, I still try to get out and play and going into this year, pre-COVID, I vowed to play the most in years. All the best-laid plans were washed away when the pandemic hit, locking up all tennis courts until state officials and medical authorities said it was safe.
The United States Tennis Open is about to start in New York City and so many of the top players around the world have bowed out because of either travel restrictions, quarantining, or just fear of the virus.
There will be no fans on the grounds and even the line judge officials have been replaced by a computerized system to monitor and call the lines to minimize the amount of people at the site.
So in some ways, things have gotten back to normal – the new normal for now.
I had a chance to watch the rescheduled Indy 500 last weekend and my favorite driver Marco Andretti, grandson of racing icon Mario Andretti, was one of the favorites going into the race. Marco fell backwards as the race progressed making my Sunday less pleasant.
Normally, close to 500,000 are in attendance for the race, giving it claim to be the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” expect the stands and grounds were void of anyone other than race officials, race teams, manufacture representatives and of course, TV crews and broadcasters.
As I watched the race from my lounge chair, it didn’t affect me as much as it did being there for all those racers. Feeding off the fans is one of the biggest thrills for athletes and for them; it had to be a big bummer nobody was there.
I suspect watching the U.S. Open will be pretty watered down as well without spectators. I know a lot of people from our area would usually attend the event must be pretty disappointed in not going this year. I had series tickets for 20 years and the atmosphere is just intoxicating, especially if you’re a tennis player.
Add to the fact the world’s top players won’t be there, I just might find myself looking for a good movie to watch on Netflix or maybe watching the entire series of The West Wing all over again. Man, that was such a good show.
Earlier in the week, we found out that a great guy from Pittston died tragically from a motorcycle accident with his wife onboard. Lew Sebia was someone I competed against in high school baseball and years later, Lew’s daughter Alex and my daughter Ashley competed against each other on the tennis courts.
Lew’s wife Mary Jo was practically a neighbor to my grandparents on Parsonage Street, Pittston, and I knew her from a very early age. Mary Jo sustained injuries from the accident, and we pray she recovers well.
Lew was a great family man, businessman, and friend to so many. He will be sorely missed.
Another loss this week was Sandy Agolino Charney, sister of restaurateur Joe Agolino. Sandy succumbed to cancer while suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Sandy was another person that everyone loved. She had a great personality and every time she saw me, it was with a smile. Even as her dementia progressed, she would occasionally call me by my name and she always stopped to talk to me if we were at the family restaurant. I will miss seeing her and there will be another void in the Agolino family.
Lew was just 60 years old and Sandy was 69; both had so much more living to do with family and friends.
Our thoughts and prayers are with each family and other families that lost a loved ones this past week.
Quote of the week
“Art is now what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas
Thought of the week
“Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself.” Michel de Montaigne
Bumper sticker
“Love demands infinitely less than friendship.” – George Jean Nathan
