Star Date - 04022008:
All photos on this page by: Irene Salinas

 3:00 p.m.:  Several phone calls into the day trying to get players at the last minute so see if someone
 can cover for me.  I practiced my back hand slice the previous morning with Don, the head
 pro at the Harlingen HEB Tennis Center.  Now my forearm is killing me.  Did I sprain it? Or
 is it just sore?  Now no one is around to cover for me today.  Well, I AM the captain.  I really
 should suck it up and play.  Yeah, I guess that is what I will do.  What choice do I have? If I don't,
 I will never hear the end of it from Don.  I can just hear him now: "Dangit, Jorge!  Now I'm going to
 have you run lines all day long to toughen you up!"  Yeah, I am definitely going to have to play tonight.
7:00 p.m.: Arrived at the McAllen Country Club and spoke to their captain.  Such a nice looking
 club, but they only have three courts for us.  We can't begin our warm up until right at 7:30 when the
 club members get off the courts on those three.  Hmmm.... I've gotten spoiled with Harlingen's 18
 courts and no waiting. 

Israel breaks the bad news to Jan and he lets out his inner child.

9:00 p.m.:  Finished my doubles match with Israel Trevino.  We lost in the tie breaker in lieu of a
 third set.  We almost pulled it out.  These guys didn't play like your average 3.5 players.  Israel and I
 did pretty good considering we've never seen such hard serves before.  I was getting aced by the weaker
  of the two on his second serves! Still, we took it to them and almost pulled it out.  Nice couple of guys
  though, Jacob even took the time to give Israel and I advice on our second serve.  Took a pic with them after
 the match.  Nice to see we made them sweat a little.  

10 p.m.:  We've lost every court.  Number two dubs is still playing. Rene and Steve are playing their captain
 Rudy Gomez and his partner Juan Rocha.  I don't envy them.  We lost the first set and took the second set.
 Rene turns and tell me that before the match, they agreed to play out a full third set instead of playing a  tie
 break for the third.  My heart drops to my feet as my wife is with me and our day starts at 5 a.m.  Rene's
 wife is not happy either as their daughter is with us tonight.  Daughter is not distressed, too busy rooting for
 her daddy.  My wife and I watch, take pics and cheer for Rene and Steve.  My god, they are going back
 and forth in a real nail biter!  I can't help but notice that Rene has really improved his serve.  I want to tell
 them to be agressive, but coaching is not allowed.  All I can do is pump my fists when they look at me and hope
 they get my aquaman mind waves I'm sending. 
10:30 p.m.:  I can't believe this!  The third set is tied at 6 all!!!  Either way they are going to have to go
 to a third set tie breaker.  I don't know who is the more nervous, me or the players.  My legs are hurting
 from my own match as my body cools down, but I can't bring myself to sit. I want to feel like I'm on the
 court fighting with them.  Rene and Steve keep hitting overheads that bounce hard and fly over the fence.
 They've had to open up another can of balls and even now they are down to one ball.  In the end, our
 team lost the match.  I go up and shake hands with my guys and they both apologize to me for losing.
 They have nothing to apologize for.  If they only knew how proud I am to call myself their captain.  This
 is their first year playing USTA league and they take this veteran team to a third set tie break at 11 oclock
 at night!  "Nothing to be sorry about, guys!", I tell them: "You guys did great!  Have a safe drive home
 and we'll do this again next Wednesday". 

 11:15 p.m.:  Their captain Rudy, comments to me about how surprised he is that my team is so good
 for having a bunch of 3.0's playing up a level.  "Your team is going to be a major force to contend with
 next year, Jorge", he says.  His team is tied for first place he tells me.  Rudy and I shake hands and part
 ways.  My wife and I talk about the matches on our drive back to Raymondville.  I smile to myself as
 I think of how blessed I am to have a wife that is also into tennis and can really talk to me like this.
 As a good wife, she gives me advice and tells me how great I am doing -  to balance out the self
 negativity that myself and all real tennis players have....Oh my God!!!  The gas went up three cents!!!
12:45 a.m.:  Yeah, I know this is another star date, but I'm making this website ok?  I'm just about
 to go to bed.  I will think about my matches tonight until sleep overcomes me.  I've got to get my second
 serve to kick out some more and get some more pop on my back hand for those pesky left-handers. 
 I plat to write a note to myself to call my team mates during the week and let them know how great they did.
 I write another note instead...... "Buy post-its".  I love being captain.

Contact Information:
Harlingen Tennis Center: (956) 428 - 2092
Ask for Don