Shane Donahue's Tennis Blog

Bulletin Boards and the Liberty League Crown

2010-04-18T20:49:00.012-04:00

One of the stock “insights” that comes from College Football pundits during bowl season is that the number one team in the country will grow soft and complacent from the media’s onslaught of praise and predictions during the month-long layover between conference championships and the national championship. Meanwhile, the underdog seethes for being slighted, planning the moment they silence the doubters. They have everything to prove and nothing to lose.

Many coaches at all levels of pro sports tell their players to ignore the news media and all the outside views about the team. As simple as this seems, it is not realistic because for one- the internet and Sportscenter are inevitably absorbed, and two-most people care about how they are perceived and thus like to be in the news.

Our team deals with similar issues but news about us is on a much smaller scale. As far as media, we all follow two blogs about Division III tennis maintained by anonymous hosts- apparently one blogger is from California and the other is from the Atlantic South. (D3TENNIS and TENNISd3) We also use an encyclopedia named Ben Guzick who knows every result and can list the entire roster of any top 20 or ranked Central team. Yes, that includes the biographical information and a scouting report of each player. Now, whenever we quiz him, we give him obscure teams in regions he is unfamiliar with and he hopes to get the answers wrong because he considers his knowledge “an affliction.”

I will cold call him right now as a test:

Me: Hey BG, two questions. Occidental 3.
BG: I don’t know, sorry.
[Ouch 0-1]
Me: Brandeis 5.
BG: That’s easy, Rozenshteyn, even Mike knew that.
[Well excuse me.]
Me: Colby 5.
BG: Matt Mantikas.
[Correct. 2-3]Me: From?
BG: Oh sorry, not sure. Is this for a blog or something?
Me: Maybe. Willamette 2.
BG: I always get them confused with Linfield… hmmm… Kyle Anderson.
[Anderson is the Linfield no. 2. Almost. 2-4.]

The point is that players are going to read the news and seek out news about themselves because they want to be in the know. While coaches can’t stop this news consumption, they can manage it with use of a bulletin board that showcases articles criticizing the team. Even the coach of a heavily favored team can manage the bulletin board material to instill the hunger of an underdog in his favored squad.

Before the season, team captain Mike Mattelson distributed a season preview about Skidmore from D3TENNIS with several lines highlighted:

“They will almost certainly win their conference giving them an NCAA berth but I think they are a few years away from being a threat to a top seed in their region. I would expect a similar year to last year for Skidmore.”

“They should win the Liberty League title easily.”

Skidmore finished third in the Liberty League and Vassar goose-egged St. Lawrence to capture the Liberty League Crown. Celebrating with a sparkling apple cider fight (but forgetting to spray coach) or pretending the plaque is Lord Stanley’s Cup and finding everyday uses for it is almost as satisfying as proving the doubters wrong.

This material came out after our loss to Williams:

“They were one of the hottest teams in the country a month ago but their flaws became apparent when they started facing stronger competition… They just don't have the depth of the other top Northeast teams and if they can't get ahead in doubles it will be very tough for them to stay competitive with top 20 teams.” - D3 TENNIS

“Vassar will obviously make the tournament with ease but due to geographic proximity, I think it is very possible they will end up playing a regional at Middlebury. A sweet 16 appearance isn't out of the question for Vassar, but they don't have the team to go any further.” - D3 TENNIS

In preparation for Amherst and nationals, this is going on the bulletin board.

An Analysis of the Secrets and Considerations of Spelt

2010-04-01T00:40:00.004-04:00

When planting spelt, there are several concerns. One, are the hessian flies going to destroy it? Is the lack of fencing going to facilitate unnecessary and unadvertised losses to negligence? Is the non-manipulation of genetic material, as amassed through years of hybridized breeding and sequential drilling with International Harvester machinery, setting the grower back? There are countless others. In fact there are so many that only a determined masochist would attempt a germination test. Fact is, spelt is out of date, underappreciated, unappreciated, and non-appreciated. The hessian fly (originally of Hestia, but immigrated to this country with foreigners of foreign descent) poses a grave threat to the health of the crop. After sowing (ideally at a uniform rate of two and 6 thousandths of an inch) in a sandy loamy clay soil of sufficiently organic matter, the crop should be sprayed excessively with pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides to insure as little biodiversity as possible. In fact I would recommend making major capital donations to monsanto and dow agro-science, etc. to help fund the development of roundup ready seed. As that hasn't yet been developed, we digress at the mercy of the pests. Besides hessian fly, there is the German weevle, the California beetle, the scourge of St. Louis, and the black butterfly that all are potential destructors. Due to the historical lack of genetic manipulation, spelt has not been imporoved by natural selection and hybridization. In fact, it remains on of the most primitive grains still grown by man. Nevertheless, there is a determined and dedicated group of followers that would plant nothing else. Thus we are at the mercy of the vagaries of the crop.

At harvest time, the crop must be collected at night and as quickly as possible. Spelt, unlike wheat, will spook and shatter its grain if it is harvested in the daytime. The spelt plant is one who does not like to give up her secrets. Stealth at harvest is key, otherwise the surrounding spelt will do little more than reseed the ground (at which point it will be very difficult to collect of the ground). These are the concerns. The rewards are few, the work difficult, the cost high. But for a man of determination, gluten free bread is the only bread.

The End of Spring Break

2010-03-26T19:28:00.006-04:00

One week removed from an blissful two-week Spring break, I’ve had some time to reflect and gather my thoughts, which is important in maintaining the quality of my posts as I do not want to churn out blogs just because I’ve come under pressure from various interested parties.

This has been a newsworthy month for Vassar men’s tennis but I decided to spare my audience from an aggrandizing blog about sweeping our rival Skidmore or about earning the program’s first ITA national ranking. I could have framed an entry with a revenge theme during Spring break as we knocked off Coe 8-1 and captured a program-first win against TCNJ 5-4. We’re 9-0 on the year and coming off a 3-0 Spring break trip so the undefeated frame was appealing but I’m tired of hearing about undefeated teams considering themselves the underdog and taking it one game, match, or week at a time.

Since I will not use any of the aforementioned frames, I’ll give the highlights of the break in a slightly different way.

The Magic Number is TWO:

After losing to Coe 5-4 in the previous TWO meetings, Vassar won 8-1.

Rochester’s Brian Bowman defeated Mike Mattelson in their TWO meetings Mike’s sophomore year, but Mike grinded out a three-set win to complete the sweep for the Brewers.

TWO tennis matches were canceled because of rain so the team went to TWO movies. I dashed out of The Crazies so I ended up seeing three movies, none worth mentioning.

I visited my friend’s farm on Long Island and assisted in the slaughter of TWO veal calves.

I shadowed at the NFL Player Development office in Manhattan for TWO days. Even though I was disappointed that there was no office linebacker, I met some amazing people and had a heck of a time.

Spring Break Most Likely Awards:

Greg - Most likely to dive head first into a hedge after being booted off of the show “Cash Cab.”
Josh - Most likely to bowl his second ball just before the pins are reset.
Ben - Most likely to fall into an alligator enclosure.
Max - Most likely to dig up tapes for a tabloid or drive a yellow car.
Andrew - Most likely to swallow a bottle of seltzer water.
Mike - Most likely to play high stakes mini golf.
Jeremy - Least likely to ever play tennis on an indoor court again.
Shane - Most likely to start a DIII tennis blog.

Brewers Open Spring Vs. Manhattanville

2010-02-12T12:29:00.004-05:00

The Vassar men's tennis team kicks off the Spring season Saturday, February 12 at home in Walker Fieldhouse against Manhattanville.

For the inside scoop on the Brew Crew, check out my season preview.

Also take a look at the revamped player bios, the best in D3.

Here's the soon to be wallpaper graphic I made to represent the upcoming season:

Love for My Housemates

2009-11-19T11:09:00.002-05:00

In a country enamored with using superlatives (I hope to coin the words “superlatize” and superlatization) in an attempt to contextualize the feats of modern athletes among those of legends, we excessively and prematurely dole out greatest of all time (GOAT) labels. Think of the overabundance of Kobe and Jordan comparisons. Thanks to this climate, I have always fantasized of one day being a GOAT.

My freshman year, upon hearing that LSU’s JaMarcus Russell threw a football 85 yards while standing, 65 yards kneeling, and 45 yards lying down, I organized what I believe was Vassar College’s first ever Pro Day to showcase the NFL-readiness of myself and some friends. Unfortunately, no scouts attended, but I learned that I can throw from my knees just as far as JaMarcus Russell can lying down.

Since I realized that I would never be a GOAT, uncovering the next “diamond in the rough” and sharing this endowed athlete with the world seemed like a more reasonable endeavor. To carry a fantasy like this in my pocket, I overstate my ability to scout and evaluate talent. To those who question my scouting ability, I offer an eloquently paraphrased, self-serving quotation I once saw in my coach’s office: “the eye for talent is rarer than the talent itself.” That line segues into boasting about my biggest scouting accomplishment ever, winning an autographed JaMarcus Russell helmet because I predicted more 1st round picks than anyone at the 2007 NFL Draft, including my idol, Mel Kiper Jr. Put it this way: when I people-watch at the Retreat, I don’t judge appearances, I grade draft prospects.

I once again hit the jackpot with my overstated talent evaluation skills because I nabbed what I consider two of the greatest athletes in the history of Vassar College for housemates.

Honestly, this realization just snuck up on me today, so let me give some unexpected and overdue props to two of my four housemates (sorry Katie and Kristina, you’re cool too), Michael Mattelson and Emily Haeuser, tennis king and basketball queen.

After crunching numbers all morning, I conclude that Mike will go down in the Vassar men’s tennis annals as the GOAT and Emily will most likely finish her career as Vassar women’s basketball’s most prolific rebounder and a top 3 scorer.

I remember seeing Mike for the first time in Coach Kroll’s office with all the other freshmen trying out, and thinking that he didn’t look old enough to be in college. The first time I saw Mike play was a practice match outdoors against this stud recruit from Bolletieri’s IMG Academy whose tennis background intimidated everyone. In the only point I watched, the Bolletieri guy cracked a first serve and Mike shanked it over the fence so I figured that little Mikey was getting trounced. Turns out he won. I realized that this nondescript, little kid could play when he ripped a crosscourt forehand winner off a ball up around his head from then captain Erik Skartvedt’s heavy topspin forehand. Coach and I exchanged looks of bewilderment and mouthed in unison, “Whoa.”

I still haven’t fully realized the extent of Mike’s tennis mastery. I practice with him everyday but it wasn’t until recently when I played IM doubles with him that something about his game struck me. He was closing on volleys the way Ray Lewis comes through the gap and lights up a running back. I was playing with a linebacker who took control of the net and made a play on just about every ball. It wasn’t just his quickness that elicited the cross-sport comparisons with Ray Lewis, it was his ball-striking. When Ray Lewis hits somebody, there’s a characteristic violence, a frightening extra bit of pop that I also notice in Mike’s volleys.

I remember the first time I played basketball with Emily, the tall girl on my hall, and at some point between her unblockable southpaw shot, baby hooks and vicious elbows to my gut, I commented, “Dude, you’re more physical than the guys I play with.” She didn’t appreciate that comparison but it worked in my favor because she adjusted her game, and instead of mauling me under the hoop, she drained contact-free jumpers right in my face. Remarkably, it seemed like I never had to box her out for a rebound because there really were not many anytime she shot the ball.

Because this is a lot to digest, let me put it in perspective. If someone came to me my freshman year, when I knew nothing about VC Athletics, and told me I had the opportunity to see two of the greatest athletes in school history in the final season of their collegiate careers, I would go see each of them play at least once. No joke.

At last year’s VC Athletics Banquet, the awards for Male and Female athlete of the year went to the super-couple of Scott Leserman and Emily Love. This Spring, imagine the stroll home from the Athletics Banquet, Emily on the left, Mike on right, each athlete of the year linked to an arm of the extraneous and unlikely node, me.

Vassar Slogan Help From My Father

2009-11-12T08:21:00.002-05:00

I wasn’t planning on writing a blog today but I received some inspiration from the man who endowed me with my creativity, my dad. I figure that because Rick Reilly and Bill Simmons both have columns where they share interesting emails, and both have written pieces about their fathers; I can shoot for combining the two in this entry.

My “Vassar Needs a Slogan” post came out a few weeks ago, which is ages in the blogging community, but my pops came off the bench late in the game and delivered some great suggestions. Now I’ll share the fresh ideas and advice from the best teacher and hustler I know -- My dad. Non-pasteurized and unabridged, here is the greatest e-mail I’ve ever received. No faux superlative. No joke.

From: Sherwood Donahue

Date: November 12, 2009 9:09:23 AM EST

To: Shane Donahue

Subject: Re: VASSAR SLOGAN CONTEST

HERE ARE SOME ENTRIES FOR THE VASSAR SLOGAN CONTEST. PRIZE SHOULD BE AT LEAST $100. YOU NEED TO GET MORE READERS FOR YOUR BLOG. IT IS OUTSTANDING!

VASSAR WINS OR ELSE

CEREBRAL- "PONDER VICTORY"

BE TRUE TO YOUR SKOOL

WIN OR DIE

A WIN FOR VASSAR IS A WIN FOR ........... FILL IN (DA PEOPLE- HISTORY-HIGHER LEARNING.... (WATCH OUT FO THE DOUBLE MEANING ON THIS ONE))

THE PRIDE AND THE POISE ( RAIDERS DON'T NEED THIS ONE ANYMORE AND PEOPLE BACK EAST DON'T KNOW IT)

GIVE IT UP FOR VASSAR

VASSAR DON'T PLAY (MY PERSONAL FAVORITE)

VASSAR- FIGHT LIKE A PIT BULL

YOU GO AGAINST VASSAR, YOU ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE

VASSAR SAYS "MAKE OUR DAY" (MAYBE A PICTURE OF CLINT IS NEEDED WITH THE MAGNUM POINTING)

VASSAR IS GONNA GREEN ON YOU

Shane, I see a lucrative t-shirts business for the Sports Information Department or for an enterprising young student. Contact the art department for silkscreen guys. Feel free to use any of my slogans-examples-t-shirts etc.

Love Dad

The Illusion of "Clutch"

2009-11-05T14:19:00.004-05:00

I have always considered myself a “clutch” performer. I have never missed a penalty kick in soccer. In baseball, I celebrated my 8th birthday with a grand slam and was disappointed on my next birthday when I didn’t come through with the grand slam, but hit for the cycle instead.

In my Vassar tennis career, one shot stands out as clutch. Down 6-5 match point in the 3rd set tiebreaker against Coe College, I turned toward the back fence and crossed my arms with fists clenched to form an “X.” I stepped up to the ad side a few steps behind the baseline, twisting my racquet in my hand, ready to return. A booming first serve came and I ripped the biggest, cleanest forehand winner of my life, right down the line and yelled, “Allez!”

I went on to win the tiebreaker 10-8 but was disappointed by not winning sooner and having to use my X-Factor. My X-Factor refers to a sign I make by crossing my arms as a cue to concentrate in critical situations when I need to be clutch. I’ve been flaunting my X-Factor ever since the human joystick return specialist Dante Hall lit up the NFL and although I don’t think it always works, I only remember the times when it does.
My personal experience makes me question the idea of clutch. Can an athlete actually raise their level of play at critical moments or is clutch a construct or fabrication?

We remember all of Jordan’s buzzer beaters but we forget that he also missed 29 game-winning shots. Clutch implies that some internal state, aware of the situation’s gravity, makes Jordan more likely to hit a particular shot when it’s a buzzer beater as opposed to a routine 1st quarter FG.

John Elway’s famous 4th quarter comebacks make clutch seem like procrastination because he waited until the end of the game to play well as was the case with my aforementioned tennis match.

My tennis match was only clutch on an individual level anyway, because although it tied the team score at 4-4, Vassar dropped the final match and lost, rendering my clutch win irrelevant.

In certain cases, it takes only one spectacular play to earn clutch status as David Tyree did with the “Helmet Catch” in Superbowl XLII.

In last year’s Superbowl, the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger threw a beautiful pass that should have been caught by Santonio Holmes for the game-winning score. Imagine that Roethlisberger doesn’t make the equally spectacular game-winning pass a couple plays later. Is the first throw clutch by Roethlisberger even though Holmes dropped it? Even though Roethlisberger stepped up in that moment to deliver the perfect throw, he is not clutch if it is not completed and they do not win. It becomes a forgotten pass.

I decided to write a Sports Psyc research paper on clutch but my professor shot down that idea because there isn’t much empirical data for clutch performance. That makes sense because clutch is intangible and by definition, cannot be measured like a 40 time.
If clutch does exist, it may be a heightened state of arousal that improves concentration and enhances performance. Think of an average lady lifting up a car to save her child trapped underneath. This clutch phenomenon could be measurable through somatic components such as heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance; but it may be hard to take Tom Brady’s vitals while he’s leading a game-winning drive in a Superbowl.

There is a football scene in the movie The 6th Day starring Arnold Schwarzenegger the Governator (he’s my governor so I can call him that) and the QB has a heads-up display that tells the play and alerts him of blitzes. Perhaps this sort of breakthrough is not far off as helmets are already fitted with radios for calling plays. Researchers have placed sensors in helmets to measure the impact of a hit on the neck and head.

Today, we are probably capable of measuring vitals or even brain activity with EEG (Electroencephalography) by modifying a helmet. Sports psychology awaits that one key innovation that leads to a series of advances in performance studies. This moment of invention that spurs rapid technological advancement is known as the alpha barrier. Only 66 years after the Wright’s first heavier-than-air flight, man landed on the moon. I suspect that Sports Psychology is approaching an alpha barrier breakthrough that may help to explain the clutch phenomenon. For now, clutch is a convenient fiction so I can wait to debunk it.

What Vassar Athletics Needs Is A Slogan

2009-10-21T19:12:00.005-04:00

In high school, I never played a team contact sport like football, lacrosse, hockey, or even basketball so I missed out on the locker room experience. My only exposure to the moving team prayer or the fiery half time speech is from what I’ve seen in various clichéd sports movies so the locker room has a mythical quality for me. I dream of a chance to slap Jon Henderson in the face to pump him up, or to stare into Ray Lewis' eyes as he leads the famous “Game time” chant.

Because my athletic career, though long and diverse, lacks a true locker room experience, it’s something I yearn for. I came close to it at Vassar when coach took us to the locker room for a pre-game speech when we played indoors, but something was off. I didn’t feel like the guys in Miracle did after Kurt Russel’s speech, but that’s understandable because tennis requires a more cerebral approach anyway.

I think the problem was that there was no sign with a slogan to touch as we exited the locker room like in Rudy with Notre Dame’s hallowed “Play like a champion today” sign. To fulfill my dream of an authentic locker room experience, I need a sign with a good slogan that I can slap as I exit. It would be similar to the low, nearly record-setting branch of Vassar’s plane tree which I slap during midterms and finals because I heard it’s good luck.

During a hellish week of midterms, I posted a sign with Notre Dame’s famous slogan “Play like a champion today” in the stairwell of my TH so I could touch it whenever I went downstairs. Thanks in part to the sign, I knocked out 3 papers, a midterm, and a presentation.

Inspired by former NBA head coach and blogger extraordinaire Eric Musselman, here’s my categorized ideas for Vassar’s new locker room sign which will come to a vote in the coming weeks:

Coaching adages:

“Your greatest strength is the exploitation of your opponent’s weaknesses via your strengths.”

“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.” –Albert Einstein

“Reasons = Excuses” – My 6th grade music teacher

Rhetorical question:

“How does what YOU accomplish today influence your ambitions for tomorrow?”

“IDK what you’ve done lately, what will YOU do today?”

“What skills do YOU have?”

Motivational:

“DESIRE to set a goal. Dedication to pursue it. Determination to overcome the obstacles.” – Archie Griffin via Vassar alum Jim Citrin.

“It’s going down.”

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

“You can always try harder.” - My friend while coaching 10 year-olds at a tennis camp.

“Motivation is simple, you eliminate those who are not motivated.” – Lou Holtz

Performance-oriented:

“Imagine. Concentrate. Execute. Appreciate.”

“Play beautiful.”

“Smooth is fast. Fast is smooth.” – movie Shooter

School-related:

“You represent Vassar first, yourself second.”

“Victory is relative.”

“I am… We are…”

“Vassar is a small, coeducational, highly selective liberal arts institution.”

The Mental Side of Tennis

2009-10-13T12:29:00.008-04:00

This idea is fresh in my mind because I just used it as an opener for a soc paper I wrote yesterday.

I often catch myself daydreaming about the future and reminiscing about the past. I think G-Reg and Stretch are guilty of wandering minds too because sometimes they look like they're strolling through K-Mart when they're playing a match. (Robin's joke but I'm borrowing it.) These thought processes are natural and evolutionary because we learn from experience and plan based on expectations.However, the theory of mind that allows us this capability is onerous when the thoughts of past and future distract us from the present. In my all-time favorite book, The Inner Game of Tennis, a seminal piece on sports psychology, Timothy Gallwey explains the importance of focusing on the present. It doesn't help my concentration to dwell on the forehand I just shanked or to imagine what I'm going to say in my interview after I win the match. (Yes, that thought crossed my mind in high school when I was playing for the league championship.)

This usually isn't a problem on the big points because one realizes the gravity of the situation. One must commit to the present to stay focused on the routine points early in the second when people are most prone to losing focus.

Staying in the present is also a productive outlook for the season to direct attention to only the next match. After Mike Mattelson won the A flight singles at the Wallach Invitational this past weekend, I asked him in my final question of a casual interview, "How you feel going into Nationals?"
Coach Kroll interjected and ruined what could have been a good transition and quotation to cap off my story by saying, "You kidding me, bud? He's not thinking about Nationals yet."Right, Mike was preparing to win the A flight doubles crown shortly thereafter.

When it comes to motivation, Max Willner is proof time and time again that there individual differences.After winning the B flight singles (Yes, Vassar did well at the Wallach Invitational. To read my story, click here), Willner revealed that, "I was thinking about my loss last week at the ITAs and so it feels good to bounce back and win this."

He's so chippy... Bingo... Max's new nickname is Chipper.

A Memo From No Joke

2009-10-06T14:00:00.006-04:00

My new nickname in the Sports Information Bureau is “No Joke” because I find it necessary to add “no joke” in order to seem convincing at times when I do say something serious. That makes me the tennis team’s resident prankster, a title I embrace, because Bill Walsh was also a joker. When the 49ers arrived at the hotel before the 1982 Super Bowl, Walsh greeted his team disguised as a bell hop and it took several minutes before his players recognized him. The joke loosened up the team and they went on to win the big one.

When I heard of the administration’s plans to re-organize the budget to allocate money for a bronze representation of ITA Champion Mike Mattelson overlooking the Josselyn Courts, I took the opportunity to hyperbolize and build on the celebratory climate. I bring you this blog’s first attached team email, which was confusing to some, and a laugh for most:

Subject: Practice Today
From: shdonahue@vassar.edu
Date: October 5, 2009 1:11:24 PM EDT
To: VC Tennis Team

Special Announcement:

Part four of our blog has been posted. Tell your folks. And you should all be following by this point while it's still cool, before it becomes bandwagoning or front-running. I refitted the site and it flosses but there's still a bit more construction to be done.

I don't know if all of you congratulated Mike yet. Not cool. Get on that. There's a parade in his honor today at 4 on the quad so we need to all be in tennis apparel. I saw them setting up the stage behind Rocky this morning. Bags will be ready at noon. Tom Brady is the emcee.

And just for Mike, 2 videos, but don't get used to it because I usually just do one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzSpPaCIG0g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRALJyv86eY&feature=related

/

One of the reasons I like having freshman on the team is because they’re still susceptible to my jokes.

“Goose” texted me, “Hey is this parade thing for real?” I detected some skepticism so he passes.

“Stretch” sent me my favorite text of all time which set me off laughing as I walked across the entire campus, “What the [expletive] Shane? Liar! I’ve been waiting in the quad for an hour almost.”

As I suspected, he didn’t actually fall for it, just tried to flip it back on me. These freshman learn quickly. They do go to Vassar.

Mattelson Wins ITAs and Makes History

2009-10-05T10:07:00.005-04:00

I was not there so I did not witness it. But, I covered it. From my write-ups that I assume you all read, you know that Mike played a beautiful tournament and survived the rigors of 12 hour days with no days off. In the finals, his body held up and his opponent’s did not. He even fought off six match points in his 3rd round match. Imagine that of all the balls he hit in those six rallies alone, had one of them been just an inch out, Mike would’ve never been the third men’s tennis player in Vassar history to make nationals, after the now disbanded diaper dandy, All- American duo of Greg Katz and Max Willner.I’ve missed a shot and even framed a ball on match point only to shrug it off as tough luck. Even Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer in last year's Wimbledon with a framed forehand on match point. It's not a fun way to end a match. Mike and I once had a discussion about controlling the outcome of a match. I argued that it’s unreasonable to set outcome-based goals because they’re not directly controllable due a plethora of uncontrollable factors.

Mike stated that if he plays well, he can beat anyone, and that he ultimately dictates how he plays. I countered that he should figure out how to play his best every time on the court and never lose a match again. Our debate continues but I do concede that Mike made a conscious effort to win and was in seemingly complete control of his path towards that goal, even if it took him three sets to win in the final.

Everybody who played the tournament deserves a ton of credit for representing Vassar well amongst our foes. Props to “Goose,” “Maximus,” “G-Reg,” “J.R.,” “Mr. Defense,” and of course, “Smash.” Among those less-mentioned guys since Mike is sponging all the praise, Max Willner stands out for me.

I sometimes draw comparisons between the playing style of a guy on the team and that of a well-known professional a la my idol, Mel Kiper Jr. Max embodies the style and mind-set of Andy Murray. We all know that Max has great court sense and shot selection, similar to Murray. As far as mindset, I’ve come to realize that he’s a chippy econ major who loves statistics, rankings, and bracketology.While some people just go play and let the ranking take care of itself, Andy Murray knows every player in the top 500, and he not only understands the ATP ranking system, he knows which matches of his own, and of others, have ranking implications.

Max is the same way so I was surprised when at practice a couple days before the ITA tournament, he knew who everyone on the team was playing but couldn’t remember who he drew in the first round. This is when I saw the chip on his shoulder forming. He felt slighted by his #15 seed, was bothered by the lay-out of the draw, and therefore didn’t want to talk about his upcoming match.

While worrying about these uncontrollable details may have hindered most people, Max thrived on this snub for his motivation and it may have helped him reach the semi-finals of the ITAs for the second straight year. Congrats to Mike, but Max, next year is yours.

The Role of a Tennis Team Senior

2009-10-02T11:53:00.003-04:00

How does it feel to be a senior on the team?

I get more air time and the older guys don’t talk over me, which is good, because I often have something funny to contribute. I’m not an official leader because Mike (Mattelson) is our “Tim Tebow” minus the concussion, but I do feel a responsibility to take care of the freshmen.
We have five of them. They add some diversity to the metaphorical salad or melting pot because before them, the team was mainly a New York stew. Our freshmen hail from Tanzania, Texas, Florida, Rochester (Not tri-State mind you), and the last is a French and Japanese tri-cultural Northern Californian.

I have two people on the team to speak French with now. French is one of Euma’s three languages and one of Kartik’s four. Kartik has already taught some greetings, rather insults, in Hindi and Kiswahili. It feels like I play for the UN.

We even have actual brothers on the team. This year, junior Josh Jasso was reunited with his younger brother Nick Jasso. I’m excited for the freshmen to get more comfortable, crack their shells, lower their guard, and open up. I barely spoke as a freshman, well, maybe only the first week. I think our blend of characters has begun to coalesce beautifully. For grinding out the wait and following my blog, well, let’s call it our blog, here’s the final nicknames.

Jeremy: “Arthur” because that’s his last name and also the name of a children’s book character. We also use “J.R.” not as in Smith but because his middle name starts with R.

Euma: A great name like that doesn’t need a nickname but we came up with “310” in reference to the movie and “Puma” because he’s fast and aggressive, a beast.

Max Willner: Another guy who doesn’t need a nickname. I sometime use Snoop’s izz-inflection to say “Mizz-ax.”

Greg: “Franklin” because of his resemblance to the children’s book character or “G-Reg” with “G” pronounced like the letter because it sounds cool.

Shane: I’ve had plenty of nicknames even though I have a great name. Here, I go by “Slash” or “/” because like Kordell Stewart, I can play quarterback and wide-receiver. Ironically, I am mainly a singles player. Some, mainly J.R. refer to me as “Dirty” or “Dirty Dirty” because I talk trash and play physical in basketball and football, tip toeing the line of legality. I do have good hygiene though.

Josh Jasso: He reminds me of a character named “Rig” from a TV show but he didn’t like that so I started calling him “Smash” because it fits his game and rhymes with “Slash.” We call him “Yosh” occasionally but he hasn’t embraced any of his nicknames thus far.

My next ponderings will be about the ITA Tournament taking place this Friday-Sunday.

The Names Behind The Nicknames

2009-10-01T20:06:00.005-04:00

I like being part of teams, but I’ve always considered tennis an individual sport masquerading as team sport. I feel the same way about baseball to a certain extent. You can argue, but my sports psychology professor used my exact words the other day, so I’m not the only one who thinks this way. I always thought camaraderie wasn’t important for individual or coacting sports. I learned in sports psych that this is untrue.

People join teams because of attractions to a group for task-based or social reasons. Cohesion or group integration is built on collective task-based or social goals. Cohesion maximizes performance and motivation. In our case, we have both kinds of cohesion. That’s why I’ll look to my mates for support when I’m down a mini-break in the 3rd set tie-breaker.

In order to bolster cohesion and the Functionalist group identity, we often use nicknames. When I coached little league, a mom once told me that her son felt left out because he was the only kid on the team without a nickname. Yeah, nicknames are important.

I met some very kind parents at the Stevens match who were asking me about nicknames so thanks for the idea and let me give a thumbs up to all the parents and readers.

I’ll now explain our nicknames thus far so that you can be in the loop when you come to all our matches. Here’s the deal, because I love teasers and gimmicks, I’ll reveal half the nicknames below and if you read it and click the link for “follow” this blog at the bottom of the page, I’ll reveal the other half next time.

Mike: With a game like his, you don’t need a nickname., but we sometimes call him “Big Mike” or “MJ” becaue Jay is his middle name. We have two middle names of Jay and one of Clay on the team.

Andrew: “The Goose” not because of Tony Siragusa but because his last name is Guzick which sounds like goose. After he stretches, we say “The Goose is loose!”

Josh Kessler: Coach Kroll called him “Mr. Defense” at practice once. It stuck. Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Gary Payton, Ray Lewis, and Josh Kessler. All great defenders in their respective sports.

Nick Jasso: “Stretch” because he likes to stretch and he looks like a stretched-out version of his brother Josh.

Kartik: Haven’t come up with much yet. He says it’s “Kar.” Start your engines. Vroom.

Look for the remaining nicknames, including my own in the next episode.

Talking Tennis

2009-09-29T11:02:00.006-04:00

My name is Shane Donahue and I’m pleased to be the latest unrestricted free agent signee of GM Robin Deutsch’s Vassar Sports Information bureau.

I began my senior year competing for a starting spot on Vassar’s men’s tennis team and through the virtues of Student Employment, have found my way into the Sports Information Department as an embedded reporter covering tennis this fall. After a tennis match is over, and whether I have played or not, my work-study job begins. But I love it!

Thus far, I’ve covered two dual matches against New York University and Stevens and the Middlebury Invitational. I’ve also written the weekly preview of weekend games, which I understand people actually read (first of three jokes in this blog).

My previous blogging experience tells me that a blog is a personal space to express opinions or perspectives. I intend to provide an inside look at our tennis team for the handful who are interested (second joke). Hooray computer-literate parents (third joke).

We beat Stevens last Saturday 6-3 and the Ducks were certainly better than previous years, as we ended up splitting the singles competition. The match was supposed to be played the previous Wednesday, but it was postponed. Unfortunately, I missed out at defending my crown at the Arlington Street Fair Chili Cook-off. But, I digress.

Allow me to first give props to some of my new teammates -- the diaper dandies Josh “Mr. Defense” Kessler, Andrew “The Goose” Guzick, Nick “Stretch” Jasso, and Kartik “Kar” Kappor. “Mr. Defense” teamed with Max Willner to pull out the W in a tiebreak at the No. 2 doubles spot over Sevens that was a real nail biter.

Josh’s exhibition singles match was all the more impressive. Down 4-1, he rattled off seven games to take the pro-set and then says matter-of-factly, “I planned it like that.” “The Goose” was loose and playing in front of a significant other so he dominated both at No. 1 dubs and No. 2 singles. “Stretch” and “Kar” handled their business quickly at No. 4 exhibition dubs, rolling to an 8-2 win.

That’s all for now. Oh, the men’s tennis has a friendly upcoming match against the Vassar Quidditch team. No joke.