Tennis Night in America
- Jenna Maroney (played by Jane Krakowski) in NBC's 30 Rock
Final plug: In case you missed our [s]motherhood article in Frazzled last week, here it is!
. . .
Did you ever watch 30 Rock? If you missed it during its original run on NBC from 2006-2013 and if you missed it on Netflix about six years ago, it’s currently on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. Don’t have a Peacock subscription? Most people don’t. Neither do we. But we do have the first six seasons on DVD (season 7 isn’t worth watching, in my opinion. The show suffered a pathetic fade out beginning in season 4 or 5 and the first signs of trouble appeared as early as season 2. It’s a shame. The series had a good first season and it was downhill from there. Like Survivor. And Riverdale.). We haven’t watched the show in about five years so I suppose we’re due for a re-watch (if we can fit any TV in around episodes of Fireman Sam and Clifford the Big Red Dog. If you only click one link in this post, click the Clifford link. That show’s theme is so happy and catchy.).
Arguably, one of the best parts of the television series, was the music composed by Jeff Richmond (husband of 30 Rock star Tina Fey). Michael Buble singing Mr. Templeton; Werewolf Bar Mitzvah; Milton Greene’s “Kidney Now” Drive… classics. But there’s one song from 30 Rock that is the soundtrack for this week’s comics batch…
No more links or singing for the rest of this post, I promise.
This must have come from accidentally clicking the like button on social media post, instantly taking it back, then realizing it’s too late because the notification will appear in that person’s feed and they’ll realize I unliked it, and having to click that stupid button again anyway just to participate in “digital society.”
I’m enjoying how Buddy storms into their apartment with a racket and a complaint, catches Romeo off-guard eating an apple and then Romeo pulls his racket out of nowhere to defend himself. They’re like a couple of Jedi.
Just remembered the lightsaber fights Real Buddy and I (Real Romeo) used to have after hours in the illustration studio in college. Those were awesome. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith had just come out and we were really into Star Wars again. We were like Palpatine and Yoda dueling in the Senate (::sigh:: I promised no more links!).
In case you don’t play tennis, love is zero and the server says their score first. So Buddy saying the score is forty-love means Buddy has forty points and Romeo has zero (though he argues he has 15 points).
Freshman year of college, I had a plans to meet a girl for tennis on the Wednesday during spring break. On Tuesday, it snowed. About eight to ten inches. I’d had a crush on this girl for four years and there was no way I was missing that date. So I got there an hour and a half early and started shoveling. I wasn’t done when she arrived so she started helping too. Where did she get a shovel you ask? From me!
. . .
Apparently I brought two. Clearly having anticipated there was a chance I’d have her help me. It took another 45 minutes to an hour. After about two and a half hours of shoveling, we attempted to play, realized one of us was going to break our neck and called it a day.
My dad loved that story. He couldn’t believe I asked a girl on a date and made her shovel snow for an hour. He said “Bring her over and she can pull weeds or spread some mulch!” Obviously, happily, that relationship went nowhere.
Wait ——— that’s it?! Three years of comics and Buddy and Romeo only played tennis four times (these three strips and the one from last week)?! You’re kidding. This was supposed to be Tennis Night in America! I can’t believe it! I really can’t. Actually, I sort of can. I think there were several times I wanted to do a tennis strip but I was too tired. Most weeks, my schedule would force me to do all of the penciling (six strips for Monday through Saturday) in one night (typically Monday nights from around 8 or 9 pm until about 2 or 3 am) and then ink and scan and send them all on Thursday nights between 8 pm and 3 am). I’d get up for work at quarter of six so that meant I got two to three hours of sleep twice a week. Those were tough, unsustainable hours to keep…but those were the Buddy and Romeo years.
Speaking of years gone by, here’s a true story:
I still remember this vividly. Our dads were the coaches. Like most baseball games, I was right where I belonged — sitting the bench. Also like most baseball games, Real Buddy had just struck out.* Upon entering the dugout, he angrily threw his metal bat down. It bounced off the ground, hitting me in the knees and I instantly came off the bench (at last!), and writhed around in the dirt.
To level the playing field, I’ll share an embarrassing story about myself at bat from that season.
I was up at bat. I realized the pitch was going to hit my leg… so I ducked and the ball hit me in the head instead. I remember my dad (Coach) shaking his head as he walked out of the dugout toward me when suddenly — I shocked the crowd by standing up and declaring that I was alright! I happily took my base and thought I was so smart for making sure the ball hit my helmet instead of my leg.
Another time, I slid too early to second base and had to crawl the rest of the way. I was out.
Jackass.
* I don’t actually remember how Real Buddy did at bat in those days. It’s just funnier to write it this way. Sorry, Real Buddy. I’m sure you were better than me.
“Look, let me just state for the record, I think you’re [ all ] better than me.”
- Jerry to the Mandelbaums on Seinfeld
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