Overheard at the Tennis Courts

I walked the dog over by the tennis courts this morning, and realized that it was time for the 5 to 7 year olds' group lesson. The teacher was a very cheerful young man who was encouraging them in all the right ways, and clearly enjoying his job and the kids. And then, as I got closer, I heard him tell one of the girls - a tiny little blonde thing all in pink and ruffles - to get ready. She immediately lifted her racquet into a baseball pose, and the teacher said, "No, no, not like Manny Ramirez."

"David Ortiz!" The girl sounded totally indignant.

"OK, not like David Ortiz," the teacher said. "You want to be like Pete Sampras, or Roger Federer, or Venus Williams -"

"I want to be David Ortiz." The girl dropped her racquet and put her hands on her hips: not a kid to mess with, clearly.

There was a little silence, and then the teacher said, "OK, but you have to be David Ortiz playing tennis..."

I didn't hear what happened after that.