Tag Archives: tennis

The Celebrated Jumping Princes of Tennis

by Woody

Woody’s new novel “The Butterfly Tree” is available at Amazon (click here) and orderable at all bookshops.

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Some people favor “The Frog Prince” fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm while others more greatly applaud “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mr. Twain, but a different frog tale is my favorite – but let me not get ahead of myself.

When I am asked, as still happens from time to time, who is my favorite athlete from my three decades as a sports columnist, my mind instantly fastbreaks to Magic Johnson, Muhammad Ali, and Arnold Palmer because they treated me with a grace and kindness that surpassed their athletic prowess.

Familiar pose: Bob and Mike holding a championship trophy.

A dozen more superstars earn hues in my rainbow of favorite athletes, but wisdom from John Wooden proves decisive in settling the matter. Asked once to describe his ideal basketball player, Coach Wooden replied: “I would have the player be a good student, polite, courteous, a good team player, a good defensive player and rebounder, a good inside player and outside shooter. Why not just take Jamaal Wilkes and let it go at that.”

Thusly, this description of my favorite athlete: “I would have him or her be a good role model, polite, courteous to fellow competitors, umpires, fans and media, a good teammate, sign every last autograph for kids, be good at every facet of their sport with no weakness, clutch under pressure, and possess charisma by the bucketful. Why not leave it at Mike and Bob Bryan and let it go at that.”

Actually, ever since I first started writing about them when they were barely taller than a net post, I have referred to these identical twins from Camarillo as Mikeandbob, singularly. This proved prophetic because in tandem as a single force they authored a singular career as the undisputed all-time greatest doubles team in tennis history.

Their resume of doubles championships, each punctuated with their trademark Bryan Bros. Leaping Chest Bump, is longer than Abraham Lincoln’s inseam but here is a Gettysburg Address-like summary of their greatness: Four score years ago, at age 6, Mikeandbob won their first doubles title – in a 10-and-under(!) event; dominated the juniors at the national level soon thereafter; won the NCAA doubles crown at Stanford; won a record 119 professional titles together and 1,107 matches overall; won a record 16 Grand Slam titles together; were ranked No. 1 in the world a record 438 weeks; named ATP Doubles Team of the Decade for 2000-2009 and 2010-2019; won an Olympic gold medal and bronze, too; and helped Team USA capture the Davis Cup.

For good reason Mikeandbob have been named Tournament Honorees for the upcoming 122nd edition of The Ojai Tennis Tournament and on April 26, three days before their 46th birthday, will be feted at a special dinner at the Ojai Valley Museum. (Tickets are available at www.theojai.net/events.)

When Mikeabdbob were 5 years old, their father Wayne took them to The Ojai for the first time and retells: “The Center Court is in a majestic park with huge oak and sycamore trees. When the stands are packed it is an incredibly inspiring setting. When Mike and Bob first gazed upon the scene they were breathless for what seemed like five minutes. Their eyes got big and you could almost hear their little minds thinking, ‘Wow. I want to play here someday.’ ”

Wayne laughs and continues: “It only lasted a short time, however, and the next thing I knew the boys had raced off to the nearby creek in the park to catch frogs.”

But the magic had already happened. The frog catchers would one day become “The Celebrated Jumping Twin Princes of Tennis.”

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Woody’s new novel “The Butterfly Tree” is now available in paperback and eBook at Amazon (click here), other online bookstores, and is orderable at all bookshops.

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Essay copyrights Woody Woodburn

Bryan Brothers Serve Up Feel-Good Story

by Woody

Sometimes the headline story doesn’t tell the whole story and misses the best story.

So it was on Monday when it was announced that Bob Bryan, half of The Pride of Camarillo along with identical twin brother Mike, is the new Captain of the United States Davis Cup Team.

Mikeandbob – one word suffices for that’s how tightly synchronized the Bryan Brothers always were on the tennis court – are the greatest doubles team in history with a resume of championships too long to fit in this space’s allotted 600 words. Here is a Tweet-length summary in 280 characters:

NCAA doubles crown at Stanford in 1998; record 119 professional titles together; record 16 Slam titles together; ranked No. 1 in the world a record 438 weeks; ATP Doubles Team of the Decade for 2000-2009 and 2010-2019; gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, bronze medal at 2008 Olympics; in 2007 helped Team USA win the Davis Cup.

Of all those triumphs the one dearest to Mikeandbob growing up, since way back when they would lose interest watching matches at the prestigious Ojai Championships and venture down to the creek in Libbey Park and try to catch frogs, was to represent the U.S. in Davis Cup action. So to become Captain is a dream come true atop a dream come true for Bob, a chocolate-dipped strawberry atop the cherry on a sundae. And yet that isn’t the best story.

The best story is this…

At the Indian Wells Masters, currently underway and unofficially considered tennis’ “fifth” Grand Slam event, a group of 154 junior players from five states, including California with Ventura County represented, were invited as special guests to not only watch some terrific matches at the highest level, but also take part in a youth clinic. Joining the kids were 23 coaches comprised of former pros and college stars, and a gaggle of parent chaperones.

The United States Tennis Association felt the Indian Wells Masters was an ideal setting to tell Bob Bryan that he had been selected to be the Davis Cup Captain and did so last Friday. The official announcement, however, would not be made until the following Monday.

Naturally, Bob had a full slate of USTA meetings to attend and wanted to touch bases with as many American players and their coaches as possible. Too, there were media interview requests for embargoed stories. Moreover, Saturday night he and Mike had to leave for a previous commitment in Miami on Sunday.

Understandably, Bob decided he would have to pass on participating in the special clinic for the invited youth players.

On second thought, Mikeandbob being Mikeandbob – perennially voted the ATP’s “Fans’ Favorite” for two decades, beloved for giving clinics at every tournament stop and for always lingering after their matches until the very last autograph request had been fulfilled – decided they would drop by for a few minutes to say hi to the kids before jetting off to Miami.

On third thought, Mikeandbob stayed a full hour to hit with all the juniors.

The spark of Mikeandbob’s long-ago dream to play on the U.S. Davis Cup Team happened when they were attending a Davis Cup match as seven-year-olds and squad player Ricky Leach said hi to them, even gave them an American flag, and inspired them.

On final thought, perhaps the very best story about Bob Bryan becoming Cup Captain won’t reveal itself until 15 or so years from now when one of the girls or boys at that junior clinic who met and rallied with Mikeandbob has her or his own tennis dream come true.

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Essay copyrights Woody Woodburn

Woody writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @woodywoodburn. His SIGNED books are available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com.

Personalized Signed copies of WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make

Great effort spreading “Goodness”

by Woody

Great effort spreading “Goodness”

            At first blush, it would seem impossible to answer with authority who was the biggest winner at the recently concluded 119th annual Ojai Tennis Tournament. After all, new champions in 25 different divisions joined a legendary roll call that includes Jack Kramer and Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King and Tracy Austin, and five-time doubles champs Mike and Bob Bryan.

Upon further consideration, however, the biggest winners were a few draw sheets worth of kids who didn’t even play in the prestigious tournament. Specifically, disadvantaged youth from local programs taught by Walter Moody, as well as the Santa Paula High girls tennis team and Pacifica High’s boys team.

Judging from their smiles you would think each young player had just won match point upon receiving top-flight rackets, apparel and new shoes, and tennis balls.

The biggest champion of all, therefore, was Rhiannon Potkey. Her official nonprofit organization Goods4Greatness made the grateful smiles happen by collecting equipment donations from college teams and junior players at The Ojai.

If you are a local sports fan, Rhiannon’s name may ring familiar. She was a gifted sportswriter at The Star beginning as a night intern straight from high school graduation in 1998; as a stringer while attending UC Santa Barbara; and eventually joined the staff fulltime. In 2016, Rhi departed for stints at The Salt Lake Tribune and Knoxville News-Sentinel.

A year ago, Rhi took a brave leap from newspapers to freelance in order to have time to start Goods4Greatness.

“I reached a point,” the 39-year-old Knoxville resident notes, “where I needed to make a decision because my passion is helping others. I wanted to start this (G4G) for years and years, but needed to get to a point in my life and career when I could make the time to do it.”

Growing up, sports were Rhi’s life. She played on whichever club was in season, tennis year-round, and as a point guard at Ventura High made the All-County Team.

“I loved assisting others,” Rhi shares, an attitude that extended off the hardwood and planted the seeds for Goods4Greatness. “Seeing teammates who rarely could afford equipment, I always wanted to give them my ‘old’ stuff that was still in good condition.

“Then as I began reporting, I covered high schools from drastically different socioeconomic areas and wondered why I couldn’t just take some of the richer program’s equipment and bring it down to the less fortunate programs. I knew there was a void that needed to be filled.”

Rhi has made it her mission to help fill the void with all manner of sports equipment.

Some of the gear donated at The Ojai Tournament this year.

“I want every kid to get the experience I received without economics preventing them from playing,” she allows. “Every time I see a kid’s face light up is meaningful.”

An especially meaningful example: “I had a single mom start to cry because she wasn’t going to be able to afford to have her son play baseball, but the bat, helmet, pants and cleats I gave them enabled her to afford the registration fee.”

John McEnroe never threw as many tennis rackets in anger as players at The Ojai happily tossed to Rhi and the kids Goods4Greatness serves. Other benefactors made financial contributions, including a check from the Bryan Brothers so generous it gave Rhi “tears of joy.”

(Financial donations can be made at www.Goods4Greatness.org or checks payable to “Goods4Greatness” mailed to 312 Chestnut Oak Drive, Knoxville TN 37909.)

“There’s no better role models on and off the court in professional sports than the Bryans,” Rhiannon says of Mike and Bob. Rhi likewise is an exemplar of great goodness.

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   Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at woodywoodburn. His books are available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com.

Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Column: Stan Smith, Part II

by Woody

My new memoir WOODEN & ME is available here at Amazon

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The Rest Of This Story Took A While

Eight weeks ago in this space I shared a cherished memory of being a 10-year-old ball boy for Stan Smith in 1970, two years before he would ascent to being ranked No. 1 in the world. After literally smashing his wooden racket while hitting an overhead smash on match point to win the doubles title with Bob Lutz, Smith gave me the crumpled frame as a souvenir.

Feeling 10 years old again with my boyhood idol, Stan Smith.

Feeling 10 years old again with my boyhood idol, Stan Smith.

To borrow the signature phrase from the late, great radio broadcaster Paul Harvey, “And now the rest of the story . . .”

Last week I was a guest at “An Evening With Stan Smith” fundraising dinner held at the spectacular home of Valerie and Alan Greenberg to honor the former Ojai champion during this year’s 115th annual tennis tournament.

In addition to my lovely wife, I brought along that old broken Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff model racket. I have always regretted not asking Smith to autograph it that long-ago summer day in Ohio.

In Ojai, on a spring night, I now hoped to remedy that.

“Hello Mr. Smith. I’m Woody and we met 45 years ago,” I said as introduction. “I was a ball boy at the Buckeye Boys Ranch tournament.”

“I remember you,” Smith warmly joked. “You’ve grown a little taller since then.”

It can be a dicey thing meeting one’s hero. The risk is that in person he or she will fall shy of the image you hold. My boyhood idol measured up even in my adulthood, which is saying something because Smith stands 6-foot-4.

For the next 15 minutes, Smith, still five-set-trim at age 68, regaled me one-on-one with stories of his Hall of Fame career. Of Wimbledon, where he slept in a narrow bed a foot too short for him en route to winning the singles title in 1972.

Of his days at USC, where he won the 1968 NCAA singles championship and partnered with Lutz – who was also on hand this night – to capture two NCAA doubles crowns.

And of Davis Cup play, specifically his match for the ages in 1972 in Bucharest against Ion Tiriac, against eight Romanian line judges, against a head umpire intimidated by the hostile home crowd, against death threats on the U.S. players.

Tiriac’s “out” balls were routinely called in and Smith’s “in” shots called out. Smith got two such bad calls on one single crucial point.

Still, Smith overcame it all and prevailed in five sets to clinch the Cup. Too, he overcame the urge to punch the gamesman Tiraiac rather than shake his hand at the net afterwards. Instead, Smith coolly told him he no longer respected him, turned, and walked away.

Wayne Bryan, emcee for the evening, began his warm introduction of Smith with a roasting that belonged in a comedy club. Smith laughed so hard I half-expected his trademark blonde mustache to slip off his quivering lip.

But when the microphone was in Smith’s hand, as with a racket, he gave better than he got, displaying a wicked sense of humor and playfulness and grace.

SmithAutograph

Finally autographed 45 years later!

Speaking of having a racket in his hand, when I showed Smith the old Pro Staff he smiled and instantly examined it. He explained how he personally nailed the butt cap secure and showed me where he twice tacked the old-school leather grip in place before tightly wrapping it on.

And then his right hand, a paw really for it is huge and strong, wrapped itself around the oversized 4-7/8 grip. All these years later his fingers instinctively found their familiar grooves in the overlapping seams and he squeezed gently, caressingly almost, and waved the Wilson magic wand ever so slightly to better feel its heft and balance. From his contented smile you could tell it was like he had been reunited with a dance partner from a long-ago Prom.

Then my boyhood hero returned to 2015 and, while I remained in 1970 a little longer, he signed the racket with a single double-tall script “S” next to “tan” which was above “mith”.

And now you know the rest of the story, finally completed 45 years later.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upCheck out my new memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece”

 

Column: Stan Smith stands tall

by Woody

My new memoir WOODEN & ME is also available here at Amazon

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Ojai to Wimbledon, Stan Smith shined

Nearly two decades before fictional Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella built his “Field of Dreams,” a Court of Dreams was laid down in the middle of an Ohio cornfield for the inaugural 1970 Buckeye Open – now the ATP Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The green hardcourt was built and they came – Arthur Ashe, Charles Pasarell, Tom Gorman, an aging Pancho Gonzales, and that year’s eventual singles champion, Bob Lutz.

However, it was Lutz’s doubles partner out of the University of Southern California, Stan Smith, who made the quickest – and most lasting – impression upon me.1stansmith

I was a 10-year-old rookie ball boy working the very first match of the pro tournament. Like Smith, my forte was at net where I was quick and confident. But unlike the tall, lanky, blond Californian, I was not falling prey to my own miscues. The opening set was over quickly as Smith didn’t win a game.

In the second set, however, the three-time All-American from USC and 1968 NCAA singles champion found his form. Unleashing aces instead of double faults, put-away volleys and laser-guided passing shots instead of unforced errors, Smith won the second set as fleetly as he had lost the first. Ray Ruffels, a lefty out of Australia, suddenly became Ray Ruffled as Smith ran out the match, 0-6, 6-0, 6-0.

Walking off the court my new idol paused to sign “Good luck, Stan Smith” on the brim of my tennis hat. A week later I got more than an autograph. I scored one of Smith’s rackets – a custom Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff model, weighted “Heavy” with an oversized 4-7/8 grip.

On match point of the doubles final, Smith hit an overhead a fraction high of the sweet spot and the wooden racket head collapsed like a dry leaf. Still, the shot had enough power to win the point and give the title to Smith and Lutz.

Before shaking hands with their opponents at the net, Smith handed me his splintered racket. It was like having Babe Ruth give you a cracked bat before his home-run trot.

Behind a serve that came out of the treetops and a net game so monstrous that Romanian star Ilie Nastase nicknamed him “Godzilla,” the mustachioed Smith soon rose to No. 1 in the world. He won the 1971 U.S. Open. He won Wimbledon in 1972. He won the prestigious year-end WCT Finals twice.

Too, Smith was Mr. Clutch in Davis Cup play, going 15-5 in singles and 20-3 in doubles (13-1 with Lutz) while setting a record by personally clinching the Cup five times.

Stanley Roger Smith was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 but his credentials date back to The Ojai Tennis Tournament “Where Champions Are Discovered” and where he won the 1964 Boys’ Interscholastic singles title and added three Collegiate singles crowns, two Collegiate doubles titles and one Open Doubles championship.

More than a half-century after his first appearance at The Ojai, Smith will be back at this year’s 115th edition of the prestigious event. On April 23 he will attend the traditional Thursday Night BBQ and on April 24 will be the guest of honor at a special reception from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Ojai Vineyard Tasting Room to raise funds for capital improvements to the tournament. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.ojaitourney.org.

“The main goal, of course, was to play on the main Libbey Park courts,” Smith, now 68, recently recalled. “That was really special.”

The Pasadena native who now resides in Hilton Head Island, S.C. where he runs his own junior tennis academy, continued: “And the orange juice stand was the other highlight. It’s funny how certain things stand out in your mind.”

Funny indeed. When he was losing that six-love set to Ray Ruffels, this is what stands out in my mind: Stan Smith argued a line call – that had gone in his favor and ultimately gave the point to his opponent.

I think of that whenever I look at that broken keepsake racket hanging on my wall to this day.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upCheck out my new memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece”