“I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief.” — Gerry Spence
“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” — Mother Teresa
“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you!” — Pericles
“Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.” — Stieg Larsson
I don’t declare that I am a grammar expert and I do have to look up certain grammar rules from time-to-time. The difference is that I take that extra step and do the research.
I am not an official member of the grammar police even though there are certain violations of English grammar rules that annoy me.
The proper use of then and than, the differences between two, two and too and of course…
are most disconcerting!
Many people are confused about when to use commas, but as you can see (below) it is even more confusing when they are not used.
Credit where credit is due. Even though JBRish is pleased to present the above as infotainment, it is not original to us. These were originally presented as part of a BuzzFeed post. You can see all of their grammar gift recommendations by clicking here:
“You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.” — Arthur Ashe
“Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late” — Felix Frankfurter
“Because equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like the air: we all have it, or none of us has it. That is the truth of it.” — Maya Angelou
“When buying a used car, punch the buttons on the radio. If all the stations are rock and roll, there’s a good chance the transmission is shot.” — Larry Lujack
Pets are very loving and give us something that is hard to find; unconditional love. Doges especially would willingly give their lives to save their masters. That is what makes it so heartbreaking when it is time to say goodbye.
This picture of a dog’s last ride opens our emotions as we see how much it is enjoyed even with the wear-and-tear of old age.
First seen on Mashable where you can read more of the story.
NOTE – This went out to the email list, but was late being posted; sorry!
“Firelight will not let you read fine stories but it’s warm and you won’t see the dust on the floor.” — Irish Proverb
“Bottom is bottom, even if it is turned upside down.” — Stanislaw Lec
“We are constantly being surprised that people did things well before we were born.” — Robert Benchley
“A fanatic is one who sticks to his guns whether they’re loaded or not.” — Franklin Jones
“Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.” — John Shirley
“When you feel irresistible, you’re hard to resist.” — John Updike
“There are years that ask questions, and years that answer.” — Zora Neale Hurston
“As far as I’m concerned, ‘whom’ is a word that was invented to make everyone sound like a butler.” — Calvin Trillin
As most notably demonstrated by last year’s NFL Deflategate Scandal, any sport needs to control the elements of the craft if it is to be taken seriously. Pickleball is no exception. To assure that ratings, rules, etc. are valid for everyone, specifications need to be maintained for paddles, courts,pickleballs, etc.
As recently noted by the USAPA on several fronts:
“Pickleball-Now green indoor ball and the new Onix outdoor “Pure” ball will not be approved for sanctioned tournament play after May 1st, 2016. There will also be other balls that do not meet the new specifications.”
I would encourage all pickleball enthusiasts to join the USAPA. They support us so let’s support them. You will receive the USAPA newsletter which includes updates to the rules and specification changes for paddles, balls, etc. There are other benefits as well.
Find out more about USAPA membership by CLICKING HERE.
“We lie best when we lie to ourselves.” — Stephen King
“We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.” — Neal A. Maxwell
“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” — Rachel Zoe
“The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well.” — Alfred Adler
“Poacher!” That’s what someone – a spectator – yelled during a recent intermediate pickleball game I watched. It was meant not as an observation, but a reprimand of the man who crossed the centre of the court to put away an attempted dink that floated a little too high. With the tone she used, she might as well have yelled, “Ball hog!” It was clear that this spectator viewed poaching as a kind of etiquette infraction, a pickleball sin that was both rude and obnoxious. But is it?
To be clear, poaching refers to crossing over the centre of the court to hit a ball that is otherwise destined for your partner. It means that you must abandon ‘your side’ of the court in order to intercept/steal ‘your partner’s ball’. There are a few reasons one might poach:
So, is it a faux-pas to poach? The answer is, it depends. Like most things, context matters. If you are playing a competitive match where the primary goal is to win, I think you can justify poaching for reasons 1 and 2. In this situation, both teammates should have similar goals and personal ego should be set aside for the good of the team. If a poach is more likely to result in a winning shot then it is a reasonable play. If, however, it is a friendly, recreational match, things get a little murky. For most people, the fun comes from hitting the ball. And since poaching takes away your partner’s opportunity to hit the ball, it takes away some of their fun. You become not just a shot stealer but a fun stealer!
If we think back to the story that started this article we see how important the context is. The woman who yelled “Poacher!” as a reprimand, clearly saw the poach as stealing the fun of one of the players. If that exact same shot had been hit not during a fun pick-up game at the Y but in the gold medal round of a tournament, perhaps she would have yelled something more congratulatory.
So where do we go from here? First, err on the side of caution. Until you learn otherwise, assume that your partner cares more about being part of the game then about winning. Even if you can poach some of their balls, maybe hold off, at least for the start. Second, talk to your partner. Ask them how they want to handle balls over the net that either person can get. See what they say. Finally, encourage your partner to go for balls if they are in a position to put them away – even if they are on ‘your’ side of the court. This can show that you care more about the team doing well than you hitting a certain number of shots.
*This information is being presented with permission from the author, Mark Renneson. Mark is a 5.0 pickleball player, coach and advocate. He is the founder of Third Shot Sports which provides first-class tennis and pickleball training. He lives in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. You can reach him at mark@thirdshotsports.com
Click the link to register to receive the Third Shot Sports Pickleball Newsletter
Click the link to see Third Shot Pickleball Past Newsletters.
Click the link to visit the Third Shot Sports Pickleball website.
Thanks to Mark and Third Shot Sports for allowing this to be presented on JBRish.com
“Geologists have a saying – rocks remember.” — Neil Armstrong
“You are never stronger…than when you land on the other side of despair.” — Zadie Smith
“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” — Jean de La Fontaine
“When a person tells you, ‘I’ll think it over and let you know’ — you know.” — Olin Miller
