The Apocalypse is Near as Pickleball Conquers Idaho

What the heck is pickleball? I had heard the odd name, but I didn’t know squat about what the game was all about. My question was answered when I read a story in the Washington Post about the growth of the game. The writer at Pravda-on-the-Potomac explained how the game is played. I still don’t get why anyone would take up the sport. To what purpose? Wouldn’t tennis be more challenging and only slightly less boring?

Pickleball was primarily a game for retirement communities. I assume it was invented to break the monotony of only playing dominoes and dying. Today there are leagues and big payouts for tournament winners. Where is the money coming from?

In Idaho, there are three places where you can find a court. Not surprisingly, in the ever loopier Treasure Valley, there are two locations in Boise. You can see some details by clicking here.

The third location is in Blanchard, which I also can’t quite fathom. As I understand it, the biggest sport in the northernmost reaches of the panhandle is shooting guns. Maybe they like to blast the whiffle ball used in pickleball with their shotguns. Combine some trap shooting with your new hobby!

Whatever happened to a good old American game like baseball? I remember a hot summer night about ten years ago in Baltimore. It was 95 degrees just before the first pitch (which a Blue Jay drove straight over the center field fence). As the sun set, we could see the reflection off a glass tower overlooking left field. A breeze came off the harbor. Our seats were on the deck above home plate. My buddy, Duke, had a tray of nachos. My buddy, John, had an Esskay hot dog. I had the breeze and the food aromas on each side of me. Pickleball? The communists have clearly triumphed.