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A SENIOR MOMENT

By Charles E. Vasoll

It is sometimes amazing what we seniors remember and what we forget. After the APTA Senior Men’s Championship for 50+, 60+ and 70+, I had an opportunity to talk with John McMillin, of Garden City, one of Long Island’s platform tennis heroes. He and his partner, Tim Mangan, also a pillar of Long Island “paddle”, joined together as a team again, after a long separation, in the 50+ section of the championship. Here is some of what we talked about.

Like most male paddle players in their 50's, John McMillin remembers losing to Rich Maier. But, he insists, it was never when Rich Maier was with his long time partner, Steve Baird. They have won ten Men's National Championships and nine of them were together. Once during the mid-1980's in the Long Island Invitational, McMillin remembers, "Tim Mangan and I were scheduled to play Baird / Maier in the first round, but Rich got sick late Friday and had to cancel. Baird and Maier were nearly unbeatable during that period and we certainly were not going to beat them."

"Timmy and I played a lot of tournaments in the 1980's and early 1990's, but we never got Baird / Maier in an early round and we never advanced far enough in any tournament to run into them and to get run over by them." As a result, McMillin's first meeting with Steve Baird was in this year's 50+ Nationals and McMillin / Mangan won in a long three set match. "Steve's knee was bothering him and I have learned over time that it is smart to lob a great volleyer.” McMillin observed.

When I said that he was one of the only a few 50+-year-old paddle tournament players undefeated against a Baird, McMillin replied "not quite." He remembered that he lost once in aToronto tourney in the early 1980's with his first paddle partner, Bob Betz, to Steve's father Charles (Chuck) Baird, who "had a great forehand." He also said that he never played Steve's brother Chip, who is also a former National Champion. As for a rematch with Steve, McMillin indicated he does not look forward to it, but "I would take a rematch with his father, any time, any place."