Webmaster McLaughlin Back for some Pong Action!

By Bill McLaughlin - Cub Reporter, Table Tennis Dayton

Bill "The Blue Pimplenickel" McLaughlin is back for more swashbuckling hardbat action.

Dayton, OH - After a long layoff, Table Tennis Dayton webmaster, and long time table tennis player, William "Bill" McLaughlin, has roared back both on table tennis ... er, table and webpage.

Having finally overcome a rotator cuff injury to his right playing shoulder in late 2005, McLaughlin, through intensive inactivity and arduous lounging, has re-entered the sport and arena that he has never dominated, with a semi-vengeance.

"I realize I've been missed by the vast minority of the table tennis community, and it is through their lack of support and the myriad of letters and emails that I have yet to receive that has supported me in my time of need. In particular I thank myself, as the time-off allowed me to wallow in my misery, drinking heavily from what was quite nearly a bottomless bottle, and to cry myself to sleep at the thought of broccoli and cement."

Though it is unclear what he meant, it is clear that McLaughlin is back, and dominating the Ohio region with his relatively midling quality of table tennis play. On November 12th, he rekindled his long-standing rivalry with Ohio's highly ranked Larry Hawkins, Sr. and utterly demolished his hapless foe six games to nil.

"I took up right where I left off before the injury, and dominated Larry. Sure I lost the next three matches, but that was due to ennui setting in after my first six games. It had nothing to do with his down-the-line forehand drive finding its mark, nor his ability to move around properly. Nothing at all".

Inexplicably, McLaughlin started cursing and stomped off after providing his thoughts, but one thing is clear: the passion, the glory - the neverending story. He's back, and he's wielding his hardbat once more.

Whither webmaster?

The updates on Table Tennis Dayton have been precious few during most of 2006, but webmaster McLaughlin explained it as mirroring his own playing inactivity. "It was a combination of things. The lack of input from the reader base, despite their penchant for downloading the files I'd provide and my shoulder creating a general personal disinterest which was then reflected on the site. And to top it off, I had "Sergey" - or whatever the heck his name actually is - take over my online forum for his own insidious Eastern European need."

Now that he appears to be re-involved with the sport and community with which he's identified with by so few, McLaughlin provided some inklings as to what may happen in the months ahead.

"Well, I still have a huge amount of table tennis videos I'd like to put forth - but at a price. Oh yes, at a price." He wouldn't provide any more detail as to what might constitute a "price", but he did say that credit cards will not be accepted.

Still one of the greatest hardbat players in the state of Ohio, as proven by his multiple trophies and titles, and the webmaster of one of the most popular table tennis related websites in all of Ohio, McLaughlin believes the only direction from here is "up". "Unless I lose interest, or blow out another body part, my game play and website can only get better, unless it doesn't."

The state of Ohio, and indeed the world will be watching and waiting for either to happen - or not.

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