2020 BNP Paribas Open...ATP 1000...Indian Wells, CA USA

[arturohernandez]

So this thread began on March 7th as we anticipated Indian Wells. Hard to believe what has transpired in the meanwhile. You have to wonder what the future of tennis holds and the rest of society for that matter. Much has changed in the world...at least in society since then. The countryside in Sweden remains unaffected. No discernible changes. In fact...in some respects Sweden remained unaffected.

The report from my golfing partner who is the head of infectious diseases at the local hospital here in Skövde, Sweden says that ICU patients are down to two whereas they had been averaging around twenty. He says that incidents of infection are up but this is due to increased testing. One can easily get tested for antibodies if one desires. Maybe I will. I did have a cold right around the time when this thread started. It came and went in a week.

Hope that all is well with everyone here on the forum. Check in here and report on the circumstances in your area. Let us know you are alive. Huge thanks to John for keeping the nose to the grindstone and producing solid issues of TennisPlayer without losing a step. That's huge in my book.

Well everyone, here we are 1 year later and there is hope. What a year it has been. Just scary and startling. I hope everyone is safe!

[Salonisoni05169]

We offer exclusive body-to-body massage in Dubai with full service to serve you with full relaxation at your hotels and homes. If you are one of those people who believe to live life like a king, then you must experience the wonderful body-to-body massage in Dubai. Dubai is one of the leading financial capitals in the world and more than thousands of corporate work here for earning more money. Dubai is indeed the best city to live in, but sometimes the pressure of work may take a toll on your mind.

[don_budge]

It’s a really common tale that HP Printer Not Printing Black. You have to print something and your printer’s black ink has decided to take a permanent vacation.
You go straight to Google and look for fixes to solve this issue and run into a number of printer forums without a clear resolution. We have gotten calls on this matter as well so to help, we have put together a list of things you can do if your printer stops printing in black. Visit Here

Total gibberish...yet an interesting timing. Look how far we have come since the 6th of March. Love in the Time of Covid...don_budge, Coming to a book store near you.

[hockeyscout]

Steve - I did not know you were First Nation? You are, yes? I have never applied for it - but, I am Metis status card eligible. You know you get a free education in Canada if you have Metis blood?

Holy crap - watching CNN now - these politicians just looked whipped out on both sides - wow - you can tell when you got a businessman on the ropes when he is not wearing the suit, buttoning up the collar, running/hiding etc etc - these guys look like they all want to run/hide - and, I don't blame them. It's going to be very interesting to see these debates this year and how much energy Biden shows - but, I tell you what I bet you they will not debate side by side. I don't think Biden can last on the stand.

What a great deal this virus has proven to be for China - wow - its unreal.

I predict the next virus will be the big one - that will be the computer virus and that will shut everything down, and I mean everything. It's coming next.

[don_budge]

Recent photo of yours truly...don_budge

[don_budge]

This thread has officially gone "off thread".

So this thread began on March 7th as we anticipated Indian Wells. Hard to believe what has transpired in the meanwhile. You have to wonder what the future of tennis holds and the rest of society for that matter. Much has changed in the world...at least in society since then. The countryside in Sweden remains unaffected. No discernible changes. In fact...in some respects Sweden remained unaffected.

The report from my golfing partner who is the head of infectious diseases at the local hospital here in Skövde, Sweden says that ICU patients are down to two whereas they had been averaging around twenty. He says that incidents of infection are up but this is due to increased testing. One can easily get tested for antibodies if one desires. Maybe I will. I did have a cold right around the time when this thread started. It came and went in a week.

Hope that all is well with everyone here on the forum. Check in here and report on the circumstances in your area. Let us know you are alive. Huge thanks to John for keeping the nose to the grindstone and producing solid issues of TennisPlayer without losing a step. That's huge in my book.

[don_budge]

The 2020 BNP Paribas Open has come and gone as if it was never here. But Roger is out there. Somewhere. Licking his wounds. Hamming it up.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/roger-federer-coronavirus-pandemic-trick-shots

[don_budge]

A hero dies but once...a coward dies a thousand times.

[don_budge]

This thread has officially gone "off thread".

[don_budge]

Just one more thing...The Kennedy Grandchildren


The Kennedy Grandchildren singing "Timber...it's going down."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRFA_LYYesQ&feature=youtu.be

What could it mean? Dylan? Grandchildren? Caroline meeting with Donald Trump? President Trump calls up 1,000,000 troops? Everyone in lockdown in California and New York. Hunkering down. Stay low...stay safe.

[don_budge]

“Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you.

“Bob Dylan”

[don_budge]

[Verse 4]
What's new, pussycat? What'd I say?
I said the soul of a nation been torn away
And it's beginning to go into a slow decay
And that it's thirty-six hours past Judgment Day
Wolfman Jack, he's speaking in tongues
He's going on and on at the top of his lungs
Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack
Play it for me in my long Cadillac
Play me that "Only the Good Die Young"
Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung
Play "St. James Infirmary" and the Court of King James
If you want to remember, you better write down the names
Play Etta James, too, play "I'd Rather Go Blind"
Play it for the man with the telepathic mind
Play John Lee Hooker, play "Scratch My Back"
Play it for that strip club owner named Jack
Guitar Slim going down slow
Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe

[Verse 5]
Play "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any good
Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey
Take it to the limit and let it go by
Play it for Carl Wilson, too
Looking far, far away down Gower Avenue
Play tragedy, play "Twilight Time"
Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime
Play another one and "Another One Bites the Dust"
Play "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In God We Trust"
Ride the pink horse down that long, lonesome road
Stand there and wait for his head to explode
Play "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery
The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree
Play it for the reverend, play it for the pastor
Play it for the dog that got no master
Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz
Play "Blue Sky," play Dickey Betts
Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk
Charlie Parker and all that junk
All that junk and "All That Jazz"
Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz
Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd
Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd
Play the numbers, play the odds
Play "Cry Me A River" for the Lord of the gods
Play Number nine, play Number six
Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks
Play Nat King Cole, play "Nature Boy"
Play "Down In The Boondocks" for Terry Malloy
Play "It Happened One Night" and "One Night of Sin"
There's twelve million souls that are listening in
Play "Merchant of Venice", play "Merchants of Death"
Play "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth
Don't worry, Mr. President, help's on the way
Your brothers are comin', there'll be hell to pay
Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?
Tell them, "We're waiting, keep coming," we'll get them as well
Love Field is where his plane touched down
But it never did get back up off the ground
Was a hard act to follow, second to none
They killed him on the altar of the rising sun
Play "Misty" for me and "That Old Devil Moon"
Play "Anything Goes" and "Memphis in June"
Play "Lonely At the Top" and "Lonely Are the Brave"
Play it for Houdini spinning around his grave
Play Jelly Roll Morton, play "Lucille"
Play "Deep In a Dream", and play "Driving Wheel"
Play "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp
And "A Key to the Highway" for the king on the harp
Play "Marching Through Georgia" and "Dumbarton's Drums"
Play darkness and death will come when it comes
Play "Love Me Or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell
Play "The Blood-stained Banner", play "Murder Most Foul"

[don_budge]

[Verse 1]
It was a dark day in Dallas, November '63
A day that will live on in infamy
President Kennedy was a-ridin' high
Good day to be livin' and a good day to die
Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb
He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am?"
"Of course we do, we know who you are!"
Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car
Shot down like a dog in broad daylight
Was a matter of timing and the timing was right
You got unpaid debts, we've come to collect
We're gonna kill you with hatred, without any respect
We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your face
We've already got someone here to take your place
The day they blew out the brains of the king
Thousands were watching, no one saw a thing
It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise
Right there in front of everyone's eyes
Greatest magic trick ever under the sun
Perfectly executed, skillfully done
Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman howl
Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul

[Verse 2]
Hush, little children, you'll understand
The Beatles are comin', they're gonna hold your hand
Slide down the banister, go get your coat
Ferry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat
There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags
Pick up the pieces and lower the flags
I'm goin' to Woodstock, it's the Aquarian Age
Then I'll go to Altamont and sit near the stage
Put your head out the window, let the good times roll
There's a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll
Stack up the bricks, pour the cement
Don't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President
Put your foot in the tank and then step on the gas
Try to make it to the triple underpass
Blackface singer, whiteface clown
Better not show your faces after the sun goes down
Up in the red light district, they've got cop on the beat
Living in a nightmare on Elm Street
When you're down on Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe
Don't ask what your country can do for you
Cash on the ballot, money to burn
Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turn
I'm going down to the crossroads, gonna flag a ride
The place where faith, hope, and charity lie
Shoot him while he runs, boy, shoot him while you can
See if you can shoot the invisible man
Goodbye, Charlie! Goodbye, Uncle Sam!
Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I don't give a damn
What is the truth, and where did it go?
Ask Oswald and Ruby, they oughta know
"Shut your mouth," said a wise old owl
Business is business, and it's a murder most foul

[Verse 3]
Tommy, can you hear me? I'm the Acid Queen
I'm riding in a long, black Lincoln limousine
Ridin' in the backseat next to my wife
Headed straight on in to the afterlife
I'm leaning to the left, I got my head in her lap
Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trap
Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give
We're right down the street, from the street where you live
They mutilated his body and they took out his brain
What more could they do? They piled on the pain
But his soul was not there where it was supposed to be at
For the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that
Freedom, oh freedom, freedom over me
I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free
Send me some lovin', then tell me no lie
Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by
Wake up, little Susie, let's go for a drive
Cross the Trinity River, let's keep hope alive
Turn the radio on, don't touch the dials
Parkland hospital, only six more miles
You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy, you filled me with lead
That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head
I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline
Never shot anyone from in front or behind
I've blood in my eye, got blood in my ear
I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier
Zapruder's film I seen night before
Seen it thirty-three times, maybe more
It's vile and deceitful, it's cruel and it's mean
Ugliest thing that you ever have seen
They killed him once and they killed him twice
Killed him like a human sacrifice
The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "Son
The age of the Antichrist has just only begun"
Air Force One comin' in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at 2:38
Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel
It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

[don_budge]

Bob Dylan..."Murder Most Foul"

For years, Bob Dylan fans have spoken in a sort of hushed awe about the longest song he ever released, “Highlands,” an album side-length 1997 track that ran 16 minutes and 31 seconds. Now, 23 years later, he’s slightly outdone himself. As the clock struck midnight on the east coast Friday morning, Dylan released a new song, “Murder Most Foul,” that has a running time just seconds shy of the 17-minute mark — and it’s an epic free association on the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Little information was given about the surprise track, except for a brief statement from Dylan himself:

“Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty over the years.

“This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting.

“Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you.

“Bob Dylan”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NbQkyvbw18

[don_budge]

That's a really important precaution. Speaking to the coaches here, who were about to take classes with 20 kids, it was the "balls as virus vector" that concerned them.

Ironically it appears that golf just might be the safest of sports to play in the midst of a pandemic. A friend of mine happens to be the Head Doctor in the Infectious Disease Department at the hospital in Skövde which is the largest city near me. Probably around 25 miles away as the crow flies. I sent him an email yesterday because my wife was catching the hysteria bug that goes hand in hand with this thing. She didn't want me going to the golf course because I might end up talking to someone. God forbid!

So I messaged Lars this:

"Hello..what are the chances of catching a dose of the virus playing golf at Knistad with one or two other guys? Statistically speaking?"

His answer:

"Chances are extremely small. We have no spread within the Skaraborg area yet. All cases have been out traveling. So, if the people you play with don't have symptoms of a respiratory tract infection and if you don't kiss and hug each other, then outdoor activity should be one of the safest ways of seeing people. I played 9 holes today. The course is fine but they don't open the greens until after Easter. Mariestad and Breviken are open."

Actually my wife refused to even look at the message as she was totally convinced that if I ventured over to the golf course that it was inevitable that I was going to bring something home that would kill her. I felt like doing the job for her. I've never seen this Viking so hysterical. She is glued to the television hanging on every last bit of doomsday message they are sending out.

So in an act of total defiance and not to mention disbelief I went to the course yesterday. I hadn't hit a golf ball with a full swing since October. Not since I went into the gym to make myself into a totally different animal. I took a small bucket of forty Titleists to the club and went down to the far end of the range where I like to practice in total solitude. I had four wedges, a nine iron and a eight iron. I hit one ball off of the mat on the range before I went down and I pured it. A lovely sight to see the ball silhouetted high against the pure blue Swedish sky. Oh...what a feeling! Just like the old Toyota add.

Practicing for perhaps a half an hour and feeling pretty darn good, I was just about to pack it in and head back to the car. Who do I see but my friend Lars on the first tee. He saw me and waited for me. Lars was supposed to be in Brussels this week for a conference on the CoronaVirus...COVID-19 but that was canceled. We proceeded to play the first four holes and first of all I want to tell you...I am a different animal.

Lars has been studying the situation since it began and we talked about each spot one by one during the walk around the first four holes. We talked about the statistical break down on each and every "hot spot". I walked away more convinced than ever that the numbers do not add up to the level of the hysteria. Let's put it this way...basically Lars confirmed that the mortality rate was around .6%. But that is without a complete set of data as well. One example that he gave me was that they tested an entire village in Italy I believe it was and of the 3,000 inhabitants that were tested 200 were found to be infected with the virus. After quarantining for 14 days they were tested again and all but 6 were virus free. He also confirmed that as with flu most of the deaths had mitigating circumstances...at least one and usually more than one preexisting conditions.

By the way...I was pureing the eight iron. It felt like I was a different animal. And I am.