For the love of Tennis

Happy Saturday Morning – Enjoying my Saturday morning coffee it’s still quiet and peaceful. It’s “the peaceful” piece that needs to be front and center.

It was Benjamin Franklin who, looking ahead at the nation he had just helped form, stated; “We have a republic, if you can keep it.” Hence, it’s the wisdom of that heavyweight of the founders of our nation, Benjamin Franklin, who peered into a future we should reflect on. While it’s peaceful I should add.

Dinner time last evening (and we’re high up in the basin where the ‘Nati sits) so while flooding was not an issue for us, a heavy rain made our roadway and sidewalk look like a fast-flowing river. It only took minutes before mobiles began to wail their Emergency Alert.

Most traffic ground to a halt. ‘All’ except for UPS and Prime, they kept on going, staying right on track.

A Guinness Record? – Two weeks from today Jason and I will be kayaking the Ohio River. The Ohio River Paddlefest is a Cincinnati tradition which has long been recognized as the nation’s largest paddling celebration with around 2,000 participants. This year the sponsors, Adventure Crew (a nonprofit organization that connects city teens to nature and each other through outdoors activities) is ‘hell-bent’ trying to get the event into the Guinness Book of World records.

The run is just shy of 10 miles and at one point passes downtown (great views). Luckily, we’re going westward – makes paddling somewhat easier.

Jason and I did Paddlefest several years ago when he went in his canoe along with Marin and I was alongside in my Kayak.

This year we’ll use the paddle to memorialize Marin and give thanks for the too short a time we had together.

Starship – Last evening I had the good fortune to tune in at the right time to watch the test flight 12 of the completely redesigned Starship.

The thrust has to be amazing so I checked with Ai (Grok). Using as a base point the Boeing 747-8 4-engine aircraft fitted with the latest locally produced here in Evendale GE GEnx-2B engines set at full takeoff power, and accounting for differences such as ‘sea level’, it’s comfortably equivalent to seeing 70 – 80 of such aircraft taking off simultaneously.

AMAZING!

Cincinnati Open — Last summer I was involved with both FIFA’s Club World Cup 2025 and the Cincinnati Open. Loved both! The excitement, the pace, and the people all made my involvement a lifetime memory. Again, this year I was offered a slot in the Hospitality Suites Tower which looks over both the P&G Center Court and the Grand Slam Court. Much of what’s involved is interacting with people and an occasional problem-solving minute. I’m practicing getting ready for it all; shaking hands wherever possible for starters.

The Cincinnati Open is the oldest U.S. tennis tournament still held in its original city. This year there will be 96 world ranked singles players for a total of 153 entries across the ATP and WTA Tours. With all of that, 38 different nations will be represented. You can see, mid-August I’ll be a busy lad.

Worldwide there are 4 Grand Slam events. Cincinnati does not possess official Grand Slam status, but we are immediately beneath that status ranking as an elite Masters 1000 event for men and a WTA 1000 event for women. Sitting directly below the four Grand Slams in importance, it makes this event a pivotal lead-up to the US Open.

If anyone has plans to attend, please look me up or make contact prior and we’ll catch up.

This week’s Interlude – Watching a performance by composer-songwriter-musician Kishi Bashi perform his breakout composition, “Atticus, In the Desert”, is where I was introduced to today’s featured musician. Kashi has performed at many venues including the Kennedy Center. The attached video is of him doing a warmup preparing for the SXSW (South by Southwest Festival) in Austin, TX. The soloist’s seen in the piece’s real name is Mike Savino.

Your question this week is to give Savino’s stage name; in the video he’s seen playing his “Banjotron 5000“. When not playing with Bashi he usually performs as a “one-man psychedelic indie-folk orchestra” (Wikipedia) under his stage name.

Now best get ready for the bronze, 3rd place, match of the current FIFA World Cup. Game between France and England at 5:00pm. Then tomorrow it’s the tip of the mountain game starting at 3:00pm between Argentina and Spain.

Enjoy!

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

You know that piece of common wisdom; ‘companies come and companies go’. It’s a fact that a high percentage of startups fail to stay in business for more than a couple of years. However, there are companies and their brands which have been a staple fixture in our nation’s ‘stable’ of well-known names for decades. In fact, one of the following brands has been around since Thomas Jefferson was our President. On this list, which is the oldest brand/company.

1. Jell-O
2. Ivory
3. Nike
4. LL Bean
5. Colgate
6. 3M
7. Fruit of the Loom
8. Red Wing Shoes.

Last week Bonus Points answer – # 8
Answer, this week’s Interlude: ‘Tall Tall Trees’ is Savino’s stage name, he solo’s with Kishi Bashi’s “Atticus in the Desert”