Shaquille O'Plot Returns

Having hit the weights this winter while the court was drying out, The Great Plotnik was ready to play ball this morning. Though the morning was not sunny, it was dry enough for the guys to show up -- Dana, Old Mike, Counselor Sherlock, Rico, Sam, his son Shawn, Baseline Bill and Bulked-up Plotnik (pictured to the left).

OK, so it must be said that the winter and spring rains have kept everyone off the court long enough so that bodies felt a year older and slower. Vertical leaps had diminished from 3" to 2". Shots that are never missed, were. Legs that fly, jogged. No one even argued very much. Nobody got threatened.

Here, in his new aerodynamic haircut, O'Plot makes short work of the competition. He is already thinking about the bagels, cream cheese, tomatoes and Italian Roast latte to follow.