Wow.  My second time to Indian Wells and I am even more amazed than ever.  When a Southern boy thinks of the "desert", he certainly doesn't picture the Coachella Valley.  It's more about Clint Eastwood barely making it back to existence and having to eat cactus and snakes to stay alive;  I didn't have to eat either during our stay.  If you are an outdoor enthusiast, do yourself a favor and visit the Palm Springs area - simply breathtaking.

The tournament you ask?  Great play.  Let's hear it for Lubijic!  A serve-and-volley throwback.  Oldest man to win a master's series event - (I've still got a chance!)  His 31st birthday celebration consisted of ousting Nadal and Roddick in a 24-hour period.  Throw a few extra candles on the cake for that boy! 

Nice job Miss Jankovic.  Looked pretty much invincible the whole tourney.  Was expecting more in the final but when you are on, you are on.  Personally I am still pulling for Kirilenko to bust through but just because I have a crush on her. 

Congrats to all the players for fine performances and a wonderful tourney. 

Unfortunately, Bill and I were delayed and did not make the Hit for Haiti evening but we felt the shockwave from the Agassi/Sampras exchange.  I am not going to talk to the exchange itself, rather I prefer to look at the dynamics of one-on-one rivalry.  These two have been opposing forces since they were mere children and apparently have not escaped the adolescent emotional trappings of their youth.  Please do not misunderstand - I am certainly not condemning it - just interested in it.  I have 3 brothers and we were all extremely competitive and never as much so as when we were competing against one another.  We still compete but now it is for a beverage at the end of the match/round as opposed to blood.  Granted, I did not call any of them out for being a cheap b**tard in front of our club members - everyone already knows anyway so why point it out.  I just hope that Fed/Nadal can just get along in the future; the tennis world can only take so much crying and crotch adjustment.

Enough comedy.  The BNP Paribas/Fed Ex/reBounces tennis ball recycling promotion was a huge success - nearly a ton of balls collected!  Thanks to all the considerate tourney goers who went out of their way to bring their old balls to the event.  Thanks again to Fed Ex/Allison for being a part of the event this year and here is to a continued concerted effort to help raise awareness to the tennis ball recycling issue. 

BNP Paribas?  What can I say - THANK YOU!  The biggest sponsor of tennis in the world is helping to champion our cause.  It might seem like an unlikely pair - Paris, France and Harrison, Arkansas, USA - but it just goes to show that people are people and things that matter matter, no matter who/where you are.  Sauveur, Etty and Michelle continue to be the best of friends/partners/hosts and we cannot wait to do it all over again next year.

I could go on and on but you would get tired of reading and I would grow weary of typing.  Oh yeah, did I mention the Rebounces gang took center court after the men's doubles final on Saturday night.  Thanks Sauv/Steve!

Grant

If you're going to be at the BNP Paribas Open tomorrow, be sure to bring in those old tennis balls to recycle. We'll be giving away a new can of balls for each 6 that you bring in. We collected around 8,000 balls last weekend, and we're hoping to top that tomorrow. We'll be in the booth from 10am to 2 pm. Even if you don't have balls to recycle, come by the booth and say hello and take a look at the patented Green Tennis Machine. Here's a pic of the reBounces crew living it up in the BNP suite at the Baghdatis/Federer match. What fun that was!

 Here's a pic of my pick to win the tourney - Go Roddick!

 Hope the weather where you're at is as sunny and warm as it is here.

Hi Folks,

It's been a busy month around reBounces headquarters! We've launched the Green Machine, and Cannon and Grant are headed out for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells for a little fun and recycling in the sun. This is our second year to partner with BNP Paribas on the tennis ball recycling program, and we're delighted that we've been joined in our efforts by FedEx Ground! If you're out in the area, drop by the booth (it'll be the one with the rather unmistakable FedEx Ground truck parked beside it) and say hello. Don't forget to bring in those unwanted tennis balls! We're also going to be unveiling our Green Machine - the patented device built to effeciently recharge tennis balls and save you money. We'll be demonstrating the technology for a select group of club owners, managers, and pros - so if you want to get in on the action - contact Grant (grant@rebounces.com or 888.630.5696). 

We'll keep the blog updated with news and pictures from Indian Wells. There's twice as much TV coverage as last year, so be sure to look for us waving our arms behind Bud Collins.

The good people over at On the Baseline published a story on the recycling program yesterday. You can check that out and more at www.onthebaseline.com.

Regards,

Bill