The Times has an Op-Ed today by Joshua Ferris on the joys of Ping-Pong. I second his notion (and find it funny that the Times ran a Ping-Pong-based Op-Ed), although I'd like to think I'm not as bad an athlete as the author describes himself. As Ferris writes:
Ping-Pong suits me nicely because of the soft paddles and relatively harmless ball. Two people locked in fierce, low-aerobic struggle. It’s perfect.
We have a standing table tennis game at the office at 5pm most days that's a great break from staring at a monitor. And so far, no injuries other than a hole put in a wall accidently. Before I started playing with co-workers, I hadn't played in forever. Now my skills have improved and my opponents look like this as I wail on them. Ok, that's not true, but it is good, clean fun (no steroid testing yet in the office league).
The author mentions a program back in 2000 that put ping-pong tables around Chicago. Wish Boston would try that despite the less-than-stellar results he describes. Perhaps the new Balls of Fury movie (trailer) will spark newfound interest, but I doubt it. The movie doesn't look great, other than perhaps Christopher Walken doing his Christopher Walken thing.
