PICKLEBALL HAS LONG, GLORIOUS HISTORY IN PICKLEFIELD.
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 5, 2023) — Today THE PLANET takes your mind off of budgetary considerations, the failure of the Pittsfield Slooch Department, and the complicit failure of our office holders to face facts. We lighten things up with the sport that boasts the most ridiculous name of all time, it having bumped curling from that esteemed honor.
We speak of pickle ball.
Two words. Like “base ball” when played in Park Square, circa 1791. THE PLANET‘s archeologists are now on an Indiana Jones-type hunt not for the Lost Ark or the Holy Grail but The Elihu Document. This is a rumored parchment thought to have been written in Pittsfield in 1697 by Elihu Edgerounce of a game he invented called pikkelbawl (one word). The finding of this document would equal the discovery of a 1701 document of a city ordinance prohibiting pocket pool, which to this day still enjoys a rabid following, especially in downtown Picklefield.
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What is pickle ball? It’s a game played with colorful paddles and a plastic ball that looks like a poor man’s Wiffle Ball. Some describe it as tennis for invalids, ping pong for cripples, and badminton for dummies. It features all the exertion of eating Doritos in a chaise lounge.
It’s a sport for those who can’t play sports, who have never played sports, who once played sports but now have the athleticism of a petrified tree trunk. The three basic shots of the games are the dink, volley, and groundstroke. There are also dinking, the long dink, and the Ernie. THE PLANET kids you not. This is from the Bousquet Sport website. Pittsfield is noted nationally for its expertise in the long dink, particularly around North and Wahconah streets and all of Tyler Street between 1:30 and 4 a.m. The long dink is also involved in pocket pool, a sport invented in Pittsfield.
Of course, Picklefield can’t get enough of pickle ball, which means it can’t have too many pickle ball courts. In addition to the six courts at Reid Middle School (North Junior High for the enlightened), four at the Boys and Girls Club (the Boys Club for the enlightened), and the 10 at Bousquet Sport, Picklefield wants to build 2,247 pickle ball courts at the William Stanley Business Park plus another 1,841 at Springside Park. The mayor and council say it will result in only a “modest” tax hike.
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For those pickle ball aficionados, we share this press release from our good friends from the Boston Red Sox:
For Immediate Release
June 1, 2023
FENWAY PARK TO HOST PICKLEBALL JULY 13-16
BOSTON, MA – Fenway Park will host pickleball from July 13 to 16 featuring professional and amateur tournaments as well as open play for fans. Pickleball at Fenway Park is in collaboration with Pickleball4America (Pickle4), a newly formed organization partnered with the US Open Pickleball Championships focused on developing America’s fastest growing sport.
In anticipation of high demand, fans will be asked to register for the opportunity to purchase court reservations or participate in the amateur tournament on redsox.com/pickleball. Additional information on purchasing tickets for the professional tournament will be available at a later date.
Court times for the twelve temporary courts in Fenway Park’s outfield will be available for rent in 80-minute increments for up to 10 people. All skill levels are welcome. While not actively playing, those in attendance will have access to concessions. To book a corporate or group event, please contact pickleball@redsox.com or call 617-226-6624.
Fenway Park is the first of three ballparks participating in Pickle4’s Ballpark Series™, with additional stops at Oracle Park in San Francisco and ending at Coors Field in Denver. Pickleball is the latest sport to debut at the ballpark following Topgolf’s initial engagement in 2021.
About Pickleball4America
Pickleball4America, founded in 2022, is focused on developing an ecosystem around America’s fastest growing sport, including events, and digital content, commerce, and community. In 2023, Pickle4 closed its initial round of funding, merged with the US Open Pickleball Championships® and launched the Ballpark Series™, which is bringing more playing opportunities to amateurs and professionals in iconic venues across the U.S. Join the movement™!
Pickle4 Contact: Sabrina Carrozza at sabrina@sabrinacomms.com or (646) 596-2853
This picture perfectly captures the thrills, athleticism, and dynamic ballet of this invigorating sport. Woman at foreground right did not move from that spot throughout the entire game. In fact, no one did.
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“Why sit around all day in a chair when you can play pickle ball?” — Sir Donald Turpentine, Knight of the Bath.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
After I get tired of playing pocket pool, and then I get tired from playing Pickleball, and after Tricia Farley-Bouvier is successful in legalizing scarlet collar work, and I have some money left over after getting high at Andy’s Pittsfield Pot Kingdom, then I could top off my night by getting a Happy Ending special massage in downtown Pittsfield. That would be the BALLS!
Jonathan you were the Mass high school state champion pocket pool player PHS. You could show them a thing or two.
Like the 7-10 split in bowling, nobody could perform the two balls between the pin, two fisted death grip like you.
Slo-mo tennis? I don’t get it, who would want to be seen with one of those paddles? I’m betting they get stomped on by the tennis players.
https://theathletic.com/3683281/2022/10/12/tom-brady-pickleball-team/
Rumor has it that TFB is pushing for state funding for a pocket pool hall on North Street.
Perhaps she could add a rider asking for money to paint lines on the roads and crosswalks? This used to be done till tyer and Marchetti took over. Does anyone know why our city does not think it is important anymore?
Perhaps if there is any paint left over from the pickle ball courts a couple of volunteers could paint a crosswalk or two. If only one life is saved it would be really cool.
They have to spend money on stupid crap
So chool !
With all the unused tennis courts in Pittsfield you would think it would be easy to change them into pickleball havens! Typical Porksville though because we need to steal the taxpayers money to give to our cronies to build new things that Porksville won’t take care of so more new things will be needed. It’s called greasing the system. Thankfully Biden’s Inflation has made it cheaper to pay off all our debt all the useless dollars can pay off whatever debt Porksville incurs. Thanks Brandon, Thunder Thighs Tyer, TDS/TSC/Fizzlehead/Kindergarden and the rest of the MSNBC/CNN/NPR/NBC/CBS and ABC crowd
Pickleball politicized? What’s next? You’re welcome.
When taxpayers $ is involved it is bound to become political.
Pickleball – tennis for old people. Strokes they left out, the slam and the lob.
Elm Street and Williams street are known for their dangerous speeding trucks.The speed limit needs to drop to 25 mph and start the enforcement on trucks only for one year.The drivers are frustrated little men in big trucks.There are 3 schools in 2 miles of road in the area with kids everywhere.These little men must start paying fines for their dumbass driving talents.
I think pickleball is more difficult to play than tennis because the racket is much smaller.
Table tennis is the main game in many Asian countries. Awesome to see what some of those guys and girls can do.
And a hell of a lot cheaper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5gLsUhbRVI
Now THAT’s impressive!
It’s a driveway game. It’ll pass and pb paddles will flood the Goodwills at 99 cents.
Is the investment by taxpayers to pickle ball venues for the greater good of the taxpayers? Hell no.
Pickle ball looks like a cross between ping pong and badminton.
The game is for athletes who are long past dying young.
Maybe Krol and Marchetti should have a match for charity
and would that involve wheelchairs?
Call it the TIF Cup.
Yes, it is a badminton court.
Supply should follow demand.
Who provides the paddles and pickles? Do the taxpayers have to pay for that as well? What if people break or lose or steal them?
In any other town in the Berkshires the taxpayers would have gotten the chance to vote on up or down wether they wanted their money going for such a thing. Pittsfield voters never get a say in large expenditures because we elect people who know far better than we do what is good for us. So cool.
Yes we shd have a say.
We used to play Pickleball in P.E. at North Jr. High. It was actually pretty fun. Tennis for those who don’t want to grunt like you’re on a scrambled cable channel
Wow pretty amazing.
“who would want to be seen with one of those paddles? I’m betting they get stomped on by the tennis players” I have 5 of those paddles, wood, fiberglass and carbon. The tennis players are in retreat, as the boomer pickleballers are moving in.
“pickleball is more difficult to play than tennis because the racket is much smaller.” It’s actually much easier, because it’s slower and covers less ground.
“ if there is any paint left over from the pickle ball courts a couple of volunteers could paint a crosswalk or two. If only one life is saved it would be really cool.” Agree.
“It’s a driveway game. It’ll pass and pb paddles will flood the Goodwills at 99 cents.” Open your eyes, Chaz, it’s taking the US by storm. Check out BCC or Hebert Junior High some morning.
The point is not the incredibly difficult and incredibly silly question whether Pickleball embodies the sportiness of sport.
The point is, taxpayers who are our valued neighbors, seniors on fixed incomes who built this City and created its wealth, cannot afford nor want to afford $500,000 in taxes on the game. They are busy trying to keep their heads from sinking under the rising tide of tax hikes, water hikes all happening as the city paints lines on the roads and in the parks.
Priority today is housing. There is not enough, and it is paramount that we keep those in houses in their homes.
Charles Ivar Kronick, (sarcasm): Matt Kerwood asked me to post this link for your review:
Budget Overview | Fiscal Year 2024 (cleargov.com)
$$$$
Absofreakinglutely!!!
Agree
I agree if pb costs that much then it’s a waste. Right now the courts at Herberg Reid and BCC are converted tennis courts, so the cost is the portable nets and the drawn lines. And right now B Mountain pb pays to use them and the users pay yearly dues to bmp.
Even Dementia Joe plays….after he checks for sandbags.
Maybe you’ll carry one of the paddles in the pride parade!
Most people here just don’t get it. If the Red Sox are in on it, maybe you should think this is legit.
Stop living in the 1950’s they really wern’t that good. Remember hiding under your desk in school (like that was going to protect us from an A bomb)? Remember the Fonz kicking your ass for being a 100lb weakling (or were you the bully)?
The Bosox weren’t good? Tony C, Yaz, Geo Scott, Reggie Smith…c’mon!
Pickle ball is no big dill
But pickle jar could be.
What of the mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall’s porch? It’s been there since noon today.
Hmmm. How sweet it is.
Kufflinks says the budget is a road map where things change and some monies are just place holders. Monies can be freed up and moved to certain line items. Any turn backs usually become free cash.
Krol was at the meeting tonight and was very concerned about the Sports fields and stated he himself was a track participant in college and our tracks should be upgraded. I assume that’s tracks as in running? Gaetani was absent again and Marchetti was bent on passing the budget…with very little if no scrutiny of his own of course. And of course the public didn’t weigh in at public session.
Yes, Krol found something we can all agree upon in the 2024 budget.
All this GE land going to waste when we could build a state of the art Coliseum capable of hosting the Olympics. As we can see, money is no problem in Pittsfield and I think I can speak for every other senior citizen in the city, that we have no problem chipping in for it.
My personal opinion is that it is penny wise and pound foolish to build pickle ball courts when a coliseum could host a huge variety of venues, (including Taylor Swift might I add) (or Conan OBrien) which would draw people from around the world. That is right. Picture people from France, Tunisia and Uzbekistan zipping around the city on Bird scooters, spending cash like there were no tomorrow, fattening up the city coffers and bringing joy to the world around them.
Please, please, please, let us Reignite the Community and leave our children and their children and their children a debt they will be proud to pay off.
NASCAR
Good idea. I like the idea of Armenian oligarchs on scooters.
Yeah, Krol could do a photo op with them.
I like the idea of the mayor and seven councilors on scooters headed out of the city
The Blackhole effect. Get to the outer boundary and will reappear on the other side.
No argument here.
Yes. I heard that. The famous words floated over the room, “Any jackass can draw up a balanced budget.”
The Capital Waste Plan is the roadmap.
Budgets are supposed to be highly accurate. In fact, they need to be highly accurate. If it is likely to fail to reflect spending, it is NOT a budget. It is a preliminary draft. A work in progress not ready for review.
With revenues being predictable, expenses are driven by labo, and raw materials driven by revenues, overruns should be therefore not be a necessity.
Does accuracy really matter if no one is ever going to be checking the numbers? I mean, what ya don’t know ain’t gonna hurt ya. And if anything runs short all we need to do is raise the taxes and let the seniors on fixed income become homeless. Does anyone really care about them anyway?
Does not look like it or somebody would have come up with a safety line. Kinda like the TIFFs some of the local millionaires get for their business. But ya gotta be connected or you can just figger it out for your own selves people. Beg, borrow or steal if you have to but make sure city hall gets their generous share before you get that new pillow.
Committee of the Whole tonight Grades
Fudd Absent F
Kavey F
Persip F
Kronick A
Maffuccio Absent…Mulligan
Marchetti A
Sloth F
Kalinowsky F
White F
Warren F
Disco Dina
This basically the citys Board of Directors. I sure hope Getty Oil does not sneak in and hire them all away from us.
Now really. You completely undervalued Kalinowsky and the perfect comedy she revealed. She asked simple question about the size of the City Fleet and questioned whether we could slow its growth just for a year. Modesty.
The answer was many of the cars on the list that they had just provided her for the meeting, the accurate and up to date list as opposed to the inaccurate stale list given the rest of us three weeks ago were fictional. Poof, Gone, Deceased, Auctioned Off, etc…
At least 17 cars that are listed on the city’s list don’t exist. Finance Director explained that the list of car is a ‘moving target.’ He explained that it changes everyday and any list he makes is not going to be completely correct. In fact, it will be completely incorrect. (“Did you say we have 7 cruisers? No, it’s just two”) It was really the funniest part of the hearing. Kind of like something out of Catch-22. “I can get you a list of our vehicles. It will take three months to make it because it’s a moving target. Because it is a moving target, list will of course be off by 20 cars. If you need the actual number, you will have to wait until we can get the final number, which will not be correct because that number is very much likely to change.”
So, if we were to have a fire in the garage, we’d tell the insurer, “How many cars did we lose? Uh, I dunno… it was somewhere between 50-75. How about you decide for yourselves.”
This suggests a need for a financial audit of the vehicle fleet. It was comic, but also kind of frustrating knowing that reports from the city are subject to change at any time. The Budget Book should have a big font (Senator Warren Standard) disclaimer: “All numbers in this budget are likely to be incorrect. Do not use for financial purposes.”
Sounds like Kerwood has not changed much since he was on the city council. He was hired for that treasurer job for a reason and this clearly illustrates that reason.
“Dooley noated”
Skip to 2:17 (2 hours, 17 mins.)
https://pittsfieldtv.org/program/?id=48581
Just watched and if I didn’t see it with my own eyes I would never believe it. What struck me more than Kerwood cluster fruck explanation was the completely bored expressions on Marchetti, White, Conant, Kavey, Lampiasi, do they have one brain between all of them!?
Complete error sorry. Karen knows I’m a fan. Her grade should have been A+ and Disco F-. Thanks for showing me that Charles.
Dooly noated.
Looks like Ricky ate the whole jar.
Is it true that Tiddly Winks is making a comeback?
Yes, the Pitts is in the forefront of this new phenomenon. There is discussion of building a $50 million stadium in Springside so the poor disadvantaged children can attend the activities, Tyer is saying this has to be done “FOR THE CHILDREN”!!
But will it Reignite the city?
Doesn’t matter….just about spreading the grease
with manhole covers
Melle vs Pete White for the northeastern championship
Red Sux are woke jokes.
Ted Williams is rolling in his grave.
Ted was the splendid splinter. In Pittsfield we have the splendid sphincter.
There are nine (9) of them on the city council alone.
50’s were awesome
“50’s were awesome”
But only if you were not afraid of the Fonz, who himself would be wondering what he was doing bopping about in 1950, twenty years before his time. Today, children don’t hide from bombs, not that they don’t have reason to fear them given who has them now. Instead, they have more to think about. They live in existential fear of climate change, the WHO, gender dysphoria, and drugs, and other dreads. They don’t play on the streets anymore either. Parents are terrified what happens there.
Pittsfield politics candidate update:
Election Checkup: Pittsfield Sees Increased Interest in School Committee / iBerkshires.com – The Berkshires online guide to events, news and Berkshire County community information.
I still believe that 30 years is too young for a school committee person. Min. age should be 50.
Minimum age to be U.S. President seems to be 80.
Von Hindenburg Syndrome.
Oh the humanity
We can’t get away from it. That’s why we are inventing AI.
I disagree. A younger person might have more recent perspective on the real world school issues. Some of those dinosaurs now in place still remember walking five miles to school every day and seem to be embedded with failed policies and not too concerned about it. I am also all for term limits of 4 years on school committee members and they should not be paid or get health insurance. Get people in there who are there because they truly care about kids getting a good education.
You know those dinosaurs were once those young things under the spell of the imposter syndrome. They outgrew the syndrome only to become dinosaurs merrily munching on grass and sticks.
We now need, because of the mass confusion about simple things, a brand new academy. And, we probably need to get rid of computers and bring back slate and chalk.
Permission to speak frankly here? I do not wish to be the trigger for the detonation of my political credibility by revealing my troubled past. I learned a great deal more than math in algebra when filling a room full of chalk dust when the teacher turned her back on me or channeling ink into my neighbor’s lap by carving canals into my desk. School used to be an invigorating experience.
Nah.
Thanks for ruining my day!! A quick look at the names running and all I see is the same old GOBSIG crap that has infected the city for 60 years!! These candidates will not change the city to one that will attract businesses and people to move here. It will just continue the destruction of a once great city. So Sad
Might wanna review that list of other places to live again. That sucking sound you hear in the background is Pittsfield being pulled into the waste water treatment plant.
Marchetti wins easy as mayor unless Kroll comes out against the anti SS retirement check budget we will continue to get for 10% every year for 4 years.200 million goes to 220 Pete’s first year,244 his 2nd year,268 his 3rd year we will push 300 million his 4th year.PHS will be 102 years old.Crosby will have 70 years of mold and another generation will be educated on the old GE chemical swamp at Allendale.Meanwhile the pickleball paint lines will be as faded as road lines are.Elm and Williams will still have bid trucks and very small men going 60 in a 30 zone.Pittsfield is going bankrupt as their citizens move to lenox for cheaper taxes as they build equity.The Catholic church had to consolidate.Pittsfield is at 4 empty churches now.You must look at them and see yourself.There are 600 students at other schools as we shrink.School choice is a complete failure.
And Rep Bouvier set that hypoctical standard and by representing us telling us how great our schools are and sending her kid out of town,what a joke.
I see this as a success for school choice. I don’t understand why you consider it to be a discriminatory policy when it directly benefits those trapped in failing districts.
Families, not affluent enough to own property or rent in Lenox or Williamstown have the opportunity to get their children out of PPS. Same goes for BArT. There are a great number of minorities taking advantage of the Charter option alone.
Governor Kean, NJ – D, tried to reform public schools in New Jersey and spread the taxes evenly across districts. Wealthy homeowners’ taxes would be combined with others to fund their and neighboring district schools. He attempted to statify the public schools! Well, that didn’t work. The blue state revolted and kicked him out.
Today, you will find no interest in progressive Berkshire County, especially in Great Barrington. Taxpayers there will scream if someone seriously tries to send their taxes north to Pittsfield. Not that we actually need the money – there is plenty, and if I the tightwad am willing to spend on quality, so will all the others. The only acceptable equalizer, therefore, is school choice. It’s not perfect; nothing ever is in social policy.
Happy Pride Month
Council passes 205 million dollar budget. 1/5 of a billion dollars to run Pittsfield. However we do have pickle ball courts.
Very sour pickles
Rotten cucumbers?
Mind boggling. And if the current trajectory continues Kerwood will have us near or at a full billion before we know it. The generation growing up in Pittsfield right now does not stand a chance. If this keeps up some of the special interests folk might lose their TIFFs someday.
Planet posters. I know you feel the stress of this years budget. If elected I assure you you will see a Much smaller budget next year. I plan to right the city of all the dead wood and outdated thinking. All I need now is to be elected. Try to destress as much as possible. Cue the following play Karolina Protsenko and Dan Vitale music from Titanic. This should calm your nerves for a little while. Next year will be a total new ball game. I am having my teeth sharpened to cut out the Gobsigs where ever I find them. Peace to all. Better days are coming
I would warn you in advance. If you sharpen your teeth, you will not be able to smile for cameras.
Imagine if there were no tiffs?
Mayor discussion of two year terms must begin immediately. Four years hold City Councilors two years at bay.
No tiffs makes me think of squeaky
It isn’t hard to do….
Somehow, the price of pickleball courts went from $30,000 to $500,000. I showed a graph hastily crafted last meeting showing this phenomenon. Each time a pol mentions a figure – grab it! Next time it will be double.
Charles. Got a game we can play on here with Dans permission. There are clever people on here so it could be pretty funny. We have three candidates for Mayor so far and hey have a motto. Krols is Reignite the Passion. Marchetti is One Pittsfield and the G mans is Stop the Bleeding. So I’ll start and hope many on here will chime in.
Mine will be…Go for Two.
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I don’t get the game. How do I win?
Another small family business closing its doors in Pittsfield. Over years It was a pleasure doing business with Alliance Appliance They were competent, honest, friendly. Now they are gone. I no longer ask what is happening in Pittsfield. I know. We’re sinking and not much can be done about it. Our answer to this is raise taxes, especially to pay for law enforcement agencies and a sinking educational system. Think about this. If it makes any difference to anyone and I’m not sure it does, taxes for non-existent services is what we are getting financially buried for. Not that long ago we would not have tolerated this thievery of taxpayer funds, but this is a new age and it seems we no longer are intellectually independent. Here’s the worst part. Non-intellectuals are calling the shots and telling you how to think and what to believe in. The Ward 2 city councilor has good ideas. I never met him, but I believe we should listen to him. The man has a solely needed brain that is badly needed on the council.
r
Very useful business. Mikes Maytag is now #1.