Tennis Shenanigans and Booya Sandwiches
My stories are better than yours, Just sayin'
by
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A compilation of short stories. ‘Buddy stories’ surrounding the battlefield of tennis.
These stories could have been taken from any sport; softball teams, dance competition, police academies, political campaigns even bingo or poker night. Any place people get together, play games, and compete. It’s about people in pressure situations, tales with in-depth observations through relationships with friend and foe. Some friendships lasted years, some just a season, or a single tournament. Grudges lasted decades.
ll have spectacular endings, some taking as much as ten years to wreak vengeance, or win the coveted token of victory. When I say great endings, I don’t mean all happy-endings but exciting, with twists like only true life can dish out.
These observations will tickle the avid tennis player as well as anyone who deal with people in competitive situations. Battling the town, the league rival or your best friend…
The truth simply Is…………….
Erik the Barbarian:
The meanest loudest no nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is Drill Sgt. 'Tennis Instructor.' My one and only private lesson was an experience I'll never forget. This story gives him back the best compliment a student could give a teacher, and then some. ‘He told me himself.’ He has since semi-retired, and is writing his own book. Using this chapter in his book.
Gilligan's Wrath:
The worst partner on the face of the earth. He was a good tennis player and a nice guy, but on the court, he was loud and embarrassing, throwing racquets, degrading himself. No matter who threaten him, he could not stop. The incident that turned him into Mr. Congeniality.
'Coming of age':
A teenager touring the Midwest in a 70’s punk-rock band. Teaching tennis to kids on his time off - finding truth and the ‘meaning of life’ along the way. With an inner-body spirit cleansing, giving insight to why he is - who he is. (Top that Stephen King)
Secret Agent man: 0007 Super Heroes are real!
Covert operation gone wrong, captured behind enemy lines. In the meantime, his abandon: mother, dog and baseball cards come to live with me as he loses everything. His health, home, future-wife, and dignity slip away. Seven years later teaming up for a run at the local summer league championships, and a bid to re-enter society. It’s time to collect!
Is there a Doctor in the house?
A July fourth weeklong tournament kicks-off with parades and fireworks, along with intensive cable and newspaper coverage. A disaster strikes and more than half of the players and spectators become hospitalized …. Having so much invested they decide to pair-up the remaining players to continue the first day’s festivities. When a couple of unlikely outsiders team up becoming the biggest news story in years.
My own personal Mt. Kilimanjaro adventure:
Our tennis team representing all of New England win a trip to play the best amateurs in the world. On our day off, we become sidetracked and lost. Hiking in the mountains after dark with a secret trail map looking for the tenth wonder of the world, the ‘Devils ta ta’ rock formation.
Lions, tigers and bears oh my. Do bears sit in the woods? Yes they do.
All stories are true. Tennis etiquette and life morels to be learned and enjoyed. As you ponder the trials and tribulations of the characters, you get deeper insight into the author. He sees things from a slightly different angle than most. To the players it was just another game. To Mike it was a battle of life and death --- Honor and Ego.
If you’ve gotten this far I applaud you and realize I don’t need to go on, … of course, - I continue………………….
The Rocket Scientist:
Diagnosed with terminal cancer. As we wept together he pondered how he would be remembered. The eulogy we wrote together became a tribute to him and became the basis for this book of misadventures.
Michael Chwalek inspired me to put down on paper all the funny stories we shared while I visited him in the Hospital. Encouraging me to finish this project, of course, in his honor.
First of all, he didn’t want his golden tennis years to be lost in infamy.
He wanted them to be remembered in all their glory and reverence.
Ok, maybe there was just one reason but it was a good one.
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Book Details
About the Book
A compilation of short stories surrounding the battlefield of tennis. These stories could have been taken from any; locker room, dance competition, police academies even bingo or poker night. Any place people get together, and compete. It’s about people in pressure situations, tales with in-depth observations through relationships with friend and foe. Some friendships lasted years, some just a season, or a single tournament. Grudges lasted decades. All have spectacular endings, some taking as much as ten years to wreak vengeance. When I say great endings, I don’t mean all happy-endings but exciting, with twists like only true life can dish out. These observations will tickle the avid tennis player as well as anyone who deal with people in competitive situations. Battling the town, the league rival or your best friend…
All stories are true. Tennis etiquette and life morels to be learned and enjoyed.
As you ponder the trials and tribulations of the characters, you get deeper insight into the author.
Michael, are you sure this really happened? I did not approve any of it.
This is the most implausible, coincident ridden exhibit of maternalinstincts
and corny sentimentalism, smacking just short of Bolshevism.
A molotov cocktail of thoughts and utterances. It’s like Vuja De` all over again.
Mike is a top-notch Athlete, Musician, Carpenter, Artist, Horse Wrangler,
Kick boxer, and now a Writer... An authentic ‘Renaissance Man’ ---
He was a gifted child, kind and honest, always seeing things differently than
the other kids. Who knew he would turn out like this? Why couldn’t you be
more like your sister? ..................................
You don’t have to be a tennis buff to be drawn into Mike’s world. These are
stories about people, who they are and what they do. They kept me turning
the pages.
A great writer can paint a picture in your mind and you have mastered this art.
About the Author
Michael DiGiantommaso
The curse of being an Artist means you have to express yourself, trying as many mediums as you can until you can finally tell your story. Michael has tried to express himself writing and performing music, tackling Sports and challenging the Art world. Working the past 25 years with his high school sweetheart renovating houses, painting murals and wrangling horses. Clinically diagnosed deaf from playing loud rock n roll, and too old and brittle to play contact sports, sitting at the computer is looking better everyday. Now studying the art of writing to further express his imagination and humor.
Realizing he had a lot more to share and gaining confidence after writing a biography for a friend fighting terminal cancer that wanted desperatly to be remembered. Read any short story in this book, and you will learn more about the author than any bio could tell. Michael resides at the ‘Little Ash Brook Farm’ in a small rural backwoods community in New England, a country mile from where he grew up. Hoping to pull a ‘Chwalek’ with this new book. A framed (miss hit) winner.