PCA tops UMLY

On Saturday, January 8^th we resumed our Mixed season at our home courts against a much improved UMLY squad captained by Jim Taylor.  Coincidentally, I started playing USTA Mixed doubles for the first time in 1999 for UMLY.  Low-lights include the “Russell roll” from when I used to dive for balls.  That year UMLY qualified for postseason play and let me play a match at districts which I’m sure contributed to my future lust for post season play.   Since then, the UMLY mixed teams at 8.0 have not been one of the stronger teams but all that may have changed in 2011 because UMLY is certainly a solid squad now.  I was fortunate to be able to watch this match and with a few spectators (none in Spanx).   As I am sidelined currently with an injury I have realized a few things.  First, I have about $200/month more in my checking account, Kauffman Vodka is a great pain “medicine” and finally I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m supposed to be playing tennis?

We rolled out a fairly strong lineup for the UMLY match.   At first doubles we led with  Carrie Hurzeler (a dominant 4.0 singles player) and Rob Laiacona who won matches at 4.0 men’s sectionals this past Summer.  Carrie and Rob practiced often with my Mixed Nationals team and they were competitive with our top teams. They faced Beth Rickard and Karthekeyan Dharmaraj or DK for short.  DK certainly looked the part.  He’s a young guy, 6’ 150 lbs.; the classic tennis frame.  He had on Adidas Barricades and matching socks.  And, he looked bored.  His frame and clothes concerned me when I was trying to gauge this his level but so many guys, in fact most guys who really look the part, don’t have the strokes to match.   The bored look made me think – ringer?!  He’s not a ringer but he and Beth notched a first class 3 set win over Carrie and Rob who never really got in a groove all night.

At 2^nd dubs, Veronica Loch played with Joe Ferry against crafty Anne Riley and an ever improving Jim Taylor.  V was on fire in the first set and I recall one game where she hit 4 winners in 5 points.  She forced errors, made good shots and we rolled at Love in the first set.  The 2^nd set was a little different.  V came back to earth and Anne and Jim settled in.  They smartly started to avoid Joe and made it a competitive set.  We won it in a tiebreaker – good playing all around in this one.

At 3^rd dubs, Ying Lopez and Billy McElroy played Emily Blackburn and Justin Carreon.   Ying is amazing at net and Billy was just “on.”  He hit short shots, power shots, hit his solid 2^nd serve and totally dictated play.  We won 2&0.  This match levels our team record at 2-2.  If we are to get back into the mix we need to keep winning from here on out.

Here’s a heads up – within a few years USTA tennis may be undergoing a seismic shift.  This would possibly mean a new age groups of 18-40, 40-55, 55+ and maybe even 70+.  This seems like this is going to happen to me.

We just kicked off our 4^th annual inter-team tournament called Kings & Queens.  We’ve had some great matches in the past and every year at least one” middle of the road” team has emerged from the tournament as a solid A lineup team.   And of course, there are nice tchotchkes for the winners.

Since I like to mix up my content, I’m going to share with you a great recipe.  Cooking recipe.  Now I know what you are thinking, a cooking recipe  – really?

Besides the fact that I don’t cook much but since I do enjoy cooking reality shows so that has to count for something.   I made this dish and it’s great.

Recipe: Penne Bolognese

Ingredients

5 medium white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 pound finely ground lean beef

1 16-ounce can plum tomatoes, with juice

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon

1/4 cup beef broth

Pinch of oregano

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 pound penne (or spirali pasta), cooked al dente

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the mushrooms, and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain, chop finely, and reserve.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame and sauté the onions for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the blanched mushrooms, garlic, and ground beef, and continue to cook and stir for 7 to 8 minutes, until the meat is browned. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add with their juice, then bay leaves, wine, broth, and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove the bay leaves. Add the butter and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve over the cooked pasta.