The weather appeared it was going to be an issue for us this week.  In fact, the rumble of thunder and rain pelting down in buckets definitely gave me pause for a moment.  Then I got a call from the Lovely Chrissy (who was unable to join us because she was celebrating her father’s Birthday) who said “Ted LOVES those Bandshell Jams.  They always wind up being great.”  With that inspiration I set out from da’ Bronx for the friendly confines of Central Park.

I strolled passed by a very soggy Meadow on the Northern walkway and continued on to the Bandshell from the West.  There was a “fashion shoot” going on featuring a waaay too skinny blond in a garish YELLA jacket.  Thank goodness they were almost finished and called it a wrap before the Hard Corps of the Big Apple arrived.  I got myself nailed up and the first to join me was Quinn-O, followed a few minutes later by the reliable one himself, Roger Meier.  We chatted a bit and quickly got to the business at hand.

Our Jam* started out with instant flow.  In fact, we went dropless for the first 3-4 minutes of play with Quinn-O hitting a sweet south-paw Scarecrow and snapping off a Hi-Z angled Overhand to Roger off of the catch that he in turn converted into nice combo that he sealed with a double spinning Triple-Fake.  While this catch is practically a ‘The’ for him, it was really Hein in my view.  He also hit the first Gitis of the Day (Waka Waka Waka!).  We played for a while and then Mr. Doug E. Fresh sauntered in, setting up to change out of his cililian garb in the Bandshell itself where he was join by Bradford T.  Sir Tedley of Shredley arrived next and there was a very funny moment.

Brad and Fresh are busy changing, and TO was trying to be polite by not busting the ongoing Jam.  He’s self setting for a few minutes…he jumps up into the Bandshell and talks to the fellas, then jumps down…a few more self sets.  Then I glance over and he is just standing there like a big puppy waiting for someone to play with him.  Mind you, he did not whimper, but it was clear that he needed some Z’s right now, and we gladly obliged.  Adding TedShred to any Jam is always great.  He adds a level of joy to our mutual passion that is just great.

Brad and Fresh finally got up, and Roger went to ‘see how they do things over there’ after fixing a nail.  This left me, TedShred, and and the Mighty Quinn to soldier on.  This was great from my perspective because this made three (3) weeks in a row where this trio got to play together.  It is always interesting how people’s styles work together.  Quinn-O is left handed, so his backhand is Counter, while is forehand mac-throw and overhands come in Clock.  All of them strikes with Z’s.  TO is completely ambi-discerous in terms of throws, which is an sight to see because he is liable to throw anything from any direction with either hand.  SWEET!  All three of us like both spins so it really was a blast.

After a really good run, Roger, who had grabbed some H20, came back over, and TO switched to get him some Fresh and Brad.  This completed the circle of our first Jam and we continued without missing a beat.  And that is where your intrepid reporter must leave it.

Daddy Duty called, so I had to split at about 7pm, missing the last 45 minutes or so of Frisbee Frolic.  I was hangin’ with Carina, so I can’t complain.  I consider myself Blessed to be able to share time with My Girl and participate in another great A*T.

While Joey was absent yesterday, the Board designated Rob to wear the Yella Jersey next week.  Roger spoke with him and he said he was comin’ down.  Besides, he looks really good in Yella! 😉

Don’t forget, next week is Mikey Reid’s first A*T appearance, so if you are with striking distance of NYC, you should make your way out to the Sheep’s Meadow.

Peace Out, Yo!

TP, TJH

* – The participants in yesterday’s Jams are guaranteed to be steroid free.  There may be trace elements of other organic compounds, but they are not technically classified as performance enhancers.