Death to the Crawl line!

Or the ticker,or the info centipede,or whatever you want to call it.It's a bad idea.
I don't have any illusions that anybody actually reads my blog (heck,I don't even have any spam in my comments) but I'll have my little say.
I hate crawl lines.They are in fact a useless distraction.In the age of the Internet,and super phones,and ipads, there are other,better ways to give people information than to ugly up a TV screen.
When you try to watch a tennis match, it's like having a strand of string raked across your eyeball.There it goes constantly racing across the bottom,or middle,of the screen insisting on it's own importance."Look at me!!" "I'm value added!" "Wouldn't you rather read trivial information than watch a sporting event?"
No. No I would not.

Maybe dull witted people don't mind it.Goody for them.
It bothers me.It bothers plenty of people.But how loud would you have to complain to get it stopped? Probably hopeless.
I'm afraid the button pushing monkeys in the control rooms enjoy it to much."Ooh,ooh dump some more eye stabbing crap on the screen." "Because we can!"
Just because you can,doesn't mean you should.

ESPN has always done this.They should have classed up and dropped it some time ago.But now for some inexplicable reason,Tennis Channel has added a constant crawl line.Which is usually in the middle of the screen.To small to read,but enough to annoy.
What are you thinking?

If it does irritate you;there is a way to rid yourself of the pestering visual trash.Cover it up with duct tape.
No I don't mean to stick it to the screen,and damage the TV.

Get two long strips of duct tape,and stick them to each other.Sticky side to sticky side.
Wrap the strip around the bottom of the screen.Put a little tape on the ends to hold.
Visually neutral,and much better than a crawl line.

Tennis Racket as Guitar

I did find a few pictures of people,all young men unsurprisingly,strumming on rackets.The shape of the racket does lend itself to the pose.
A old joke from even the earliest days of lawn tennis.

This fellow on the lower left is playing a Badminton racket.

1890's South Africa

Tom (and his bro Harry) Foolery on tennis rackets,under the tree.
1885 Pennsylvania.

Dueling Banjoes on small lopsided rackets.

What would Earl Scruggs make of this?

1878.

My personal favorite.Marcel Proust writer of the masterpiece

"Remembrance of Things Past", serenading on bended knee.

After a long,and somewhat languid day of tennis in the garden,

tea,and madeleines will be served.

And yes,I've read it.

Postcard - Tennis Player and Old Farmer

Caption; "Guess ye kin hit up a purty lively tune on them things, can't ye?"



One of the tennis things I've taken to collecting is postcards.I don't have that many yet.But I thought I would put some up.It can really be fun to see how the tennis images are portrayed,and mixed with other subjects.

This postcard looks to be from 10's - 20's period.You have a tennis player wearing long flannels,and a tie.Holding a wooden racket with a convex throat.He's listening to an old farmer.You have to wonder where the court is for these two to happen to meet.Out past the cow pasture, I reckon.
I hope the player sets aside the pipe during the match.

Tennis with a little country cornpone humor.

It reminds me how often you see someone pretending to play the racket like a guitar in old group photos of tennis players.There's always a wit in every crowd.
I'm sure I could find a few pictures to put up on that subject.

Bryan Brothers win 62

It seemed pretty clear they were going to get the record,but it's still perfect.These terrific tennis twins deserved it.
They are a real credit to the sport.

Brothers with mother Kathy