Seemed Like a Good Idea. 03/27/26

Yogi Berra was once asked about whether or not he and his Yankee teammates were going to this popular restaurant after the game. His response, “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded” has become legendary. While it doesn't make sense literally, we all know exactly what he meant. It’s great when you have a secret spot that only “people who are in the know” know. There’s a place in NYC, in the theater district, where you have to walk up a flight of stairs to get in. It looks like a regular brownstone and you are walking up this outside flight of stairs, and there isn’t even a name on the door. But once you know, you know. I was once in a bar in Milwaukee that you entered through a telephone booth. Once you dialed the secret number, the back panel of the booth slid down and you entered the bar. Like you were in the tv show, “Get Smart.” When our kids were little, there was a place that was a former lunch counter restaurant that made stuff like grilled-cheese sandwiches, but in the kitchen was a Japanese chef who specialized in the most delicious Italian food my wife and I have ever had. What a secret. Our kids would have the aforementioned grilled cheese while my wife and I would eat the most amazing pasta dishes. Then it got discovered. Moved into a fancy setting. No more kid’s food, plus it became harder to get in. Sadly, it went out of business within a couple years. We hope Armondo's has a better fate.

Our second comic features Al playing pickleball with his son and two of his son’s friends. John plays pickleball. I played once. Doubles. My wife was not a fan and did not want to play again. I did want to play again. So I asked my son. Sure he’s half my age. Literally. I’m 72 and he’s 36. But I had PBE (PickleBall Experience) while he had none. For those of you who don’t know the rules, the first person to get 11 points wins the set. My son said, “I’ll give you 5 points a set,” which means he wanted to start each set 5-0 in my favor. I said, “I don’t need that.” And he said, “You have no chance otherwise.” “But you’ve never played before,” I shouted. I refused his charity. First set, Greg 11-Andy 3. Followed by 11-4, and finally 11-7. I was getting closer. Until I lost the last set 11-2. On a side note we played a week later and I took the five points. Still lost every time. Anyway when I told John the story, we came up with today’s pickleball comic. Notice that he put Al in a doubles match. I told John, “But I played singles,” to which he replied, “Nobody plays singles.” I can tell you this: I’m not playing anymore singles unless the other guy is twice my age.

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week with two new ones hit off the Macintosh,

Andy and John