Ahh.. There's The Classy Lookin' Old Girl!

Ask and ye shall receive:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Wilson-Advantage-Wood-Tennis-Racket-Nice_W0QQitemZ280244595846QQihZ018QQcategoryZ20871QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I bought a Jack Kramer Autograph a few years ago.

This arguement about 'tennis isn't as popular as it was in the late 70's/early 80's' is a bit ridiculous. The players were rock stars. They did what they wanted to and said what they wanted to. Then, like all sports, in came the money. You can't tell me Johnny Mac would act the way he did if he thought it could endanger his endorsement deals. Today's game is fine - at least on the men's side. The athleticism is unbelievable. There is incredible depth in the fields. And the new Hawkeye system lets the players get bad calls corrected.

Wilson T2000 baby! Jimmy Connors was my idol...but I still played like crap which is probably due to the impossibly small sweet spot. I sure felt cool, however.

Small world. In the 70s I played a Jack Kramer and my best friend had a Wilson T2000. It was a different game, on lots of beautiful courts...waiting in freaking LINE to play. It was a glorious time, in spite of the bad hair, the goofy shirts, and tube socks.

Thanks for the reminder of a special time.

I'm 39 and I've got to thank my mom & dad for throwing down the $500 initiation fee and the $300 annual membership fee back in the 80's just so my spoiled brat ass could today enjoy the best possible summertime memories that you could possibly ask for. I remember I had to fight my way back and forth every day traversing the rough and tumble Cincinnati neighborhood know as Mt. Lookout to get my daily court time at Mt. Lookout Swim Club. I'd get up at the crack of 10 a.m. choose between the green Adidas swim suit, or the blue Adidas swim suit, throw down a bowl of Wheaties, and head to the garage to grab my weapon, also a Jack Kramer Autograph with blue syn gut strings, black Babolot tape to protect the frame, and some sticky blue Gamma Grip. It was bad ass! I'd throw it accross the handle bars of my Mongoose and ride through 15 minutes of the sweetest side walks in the sweetest neighborhood in all of the world. It could be 93 degrees and we would play for 2-3-4 hours. I remember playing in a tournament until I got heat stroke. And let me tell you, nothing ever tasted as sweet after you were done playing as an ice cold can of Mountain Dew from the vending machine for 50 cents. We'd be there every day in the summer playing pickle in the pool, hitting the high board (If you're under the age of 25, they used to let you jump off spring boards that were 10' high in the air) for some can openers, and play hoops or ping pong during adult swim. And for the record, I never understood why they had adult swim after 5pm when there was never more than 30 people there anyway. Sadly, I do not have the Jack Kramer Autograph anymore, but about 15 years ago, I found my white plastic Mt. Lookout Swim Club membership card while going through some boxes in my mom's basement. You can bet I held on to the card that gave me access to the type of care free times that the summer of 1983 held for me.

Tennis players in the 80's and early 90's were absolutely rock stars. As one piece of evidence, I submit the following on Boris Becker:

- In February 2001, Becker acknowledged paternity of a daughter, Anna, with Angela Ermakova. The child was the result of a brief sexual encounter in a closet at a London restaurant/nightclub. Becker initially denied paternity, but admitted he was the child's father after a DNA test. -

A little closet action in the club sure sounds like he could have hung out with Led Zep/Aerosmith/Guns n Roses.

Rasta Dog...if i didn't know better I'd swear you were my brother, your description of your summer is spot on, from the bike rides to the club to the disdain for the adult swim and about everything in between (i played a Dunlop Maxply though, Johnny Mac style) by far some of the best memories i have, not to mention all the mammaries I had hanging out behind the kids locker rooms by the pool at good ole KCC, thanks for stirring em up again Czabe....and now back to your regularly scheduled, stress filled adulthood,ugh....

Dunlop & Donnay racuets were for serious players. You had to have been in lessons since you were 7 yrs. old to play those advanced stix. And you are so right about vixen's who watched the water in their stunning blue Arena one piece suits guarding our safety. I had meant to put a few lines about the life guards but felt I had rambled on enough. They were baywatch before baywatch.