(Photo Credit: Craig Hickman's Tennis Blog. Click on all pictures to enlarge.)
Virgo & Pisces was our restaurant of choice in Portland. It was where we had our first TATeur gathering after Friday's play. Where we had our final breakfast there on Sunday morning. The place featured local Portland food with a Pan Asian flare. Sweet or savory crepes served all day, and seafood preparations to die for. Dungeness crab cakes, oyster burgers, scallop cigars... You name it, they had it.
Fortunately, they also had Wi-Fi which allowed me to keep up on my reportage!
Our accommodating waiter, Caleb.
The Ceremony
The Man Behind The Camera
If I wasn't taking pictures, the man behind the hat was. He shot all the video as well. A special shoutout and a big round of applause for Job.
Dance, cameraman, dance.
NetHeads: The Final Gathering?
After the ceremony, the NetHeads returned to the Hilton for drinks and goodbyes. Our founder Jay (right) informed us that he and his wife Leslie were retiring from NetHead leadership and hopefully the USTA would allow Anthony (left) to be point person for NetHead activities.
Unfortunately Jay's tone of voice let us know that this might not happen. The NetHeads began back in 2001 in Winston-Salem when Andy and James played their first Davis Cup together on homesoil and it appears likely that the USTA may let the NetHeads expire with their homesoil victory.
I certainly hope not.
All I can say is that Arlen Kantarian and his wife were on our flight to Newark. I gave him a card and his wife helped him look at the site while the plane was still parked at the gate. He said he loved all the pictures from the tie.
I hope he understands, then, just how import the NetHeads are to the success of Team USA. There's a reason James Blake threw his ball right at us after his career defining moment on Friday evening.
Whatever our future, I'm supremely grateful to have been a part of it all. Grateful to have experienced the quarterfinal live in Winston-Salem while I was still reeling from my father's recent death (and here's to my mother's 80th birthday today - Happy Birthday, Mama!). Grateful to have been able to travel coast-to-coast to the other Portland to witness history being made, dreams made manifest, another career goal achieved for my favorite player. To have been able to meet him, even shake his hand, and to meet all the other members of Team USA.
Here's to Jay and Leslie and their family and to Anthony and all the NetHeads! I'll drink to that.
