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PICKLEBALL CURMUDGEON
Scene on the
Court:
Occasional
Observations
from a
Pickleball
Curmudgeon
BY CRAIG LAUGHLIN
‘ Ball On! ’
N
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othing I’ve experienced on a pickleball
court is quite as exasperating as
having players on adjacent courts
(and sometimes even opponents)
indiscriminately force a mid-rally stoppage
of play due to the approach of an errant
ball. I understand the need for safety, and
have no gripe about stopping play when an
approaching ball presents a danger. But can
we use a little common sense?
Hollering “Ball, ball, ball!” and interrupting
play three courts down just because your ball
is rolling along the back fence is just plain
wrong. So is claiming a replay for a “Ball
on” that had no impact whatsoever on you
misplaying a ball.
I witnessed the epitome of this nonsense
recently, when my partner and I were at the
net and our opponent hit a lob shot. While
his shot was in the air, he began calling “Ball
on!” because a ball was headed for the back
corner of our court. His lob was so far out of
bounds we didn’t even bother to go after it, and
I expected him to give the ball to his partner
as second server. But, no—they both wanted a
replay. I asked the lobber if the errant ball had
affected his shot in any way, and he said no,
but nevertheless insisted that a replay was in
order.
If this is proper protocol, there’s something
seriously amiss in the game of pickleball!
Grrr! •