Papp Plays Pips at Columbus while Leaving the Sponge Behind

By Bill McLaughlin - Cub Reporter, Table Tennis Dayton

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Al Papp brought his Hock bat, Leyland rubber and clipboard to the Columbus Ohio region for some hardbat and clipbat play with the non-sponge regulars at the Columbus TTC on September 25th. Berndt Mann, Greg Morgan, Al Fish, Todd Inui and Bill McLaughlin (from the Dayton TTC, and recent 2nd place finisher in the 2004 Ohio Closed U-1900 hardbat event) were on hand to greet "The Professor" with open bats.

Papp, who runs one of the premier table tennis sites on the web, Hardbat.org, whisked through the state of Ohio on a whirlwind hardbat tour, embraced by throngs of rabid hardbat players wherever he went. The fact that his employer in California directed him to this region to fulfill client obligations, and the "throng" consisted of six Luddite hardbat players, does little to dispel the initial notion.

The Columbus TTC was the recipient locale for this premier event and the city did its level best to ignore these classic competitors. The club is situated in a shopping mall, allowing among other things, the opportunity for players to ogle the nearby fitness center females, and receive some spiritual advice from an Indian religious establishment. Financially, this mall has seen better days.

The "hardbatketeers" started the all-day, all-night ping-fest at 2:00pm, with Papp and Mann rekindling their friendly rivalry which has taken them from the green grass of the "mid-west" to old Hollywood haunts in Southern California. Fish then took on Papp and showed him what a flat hit was all about. McLaughlin wandered in shortly thereafter and rallied with Mann. The celluloid met the (thinly covered) wood and the hardbat sparks were flying.

Papp brought out one of the more unique pieces of equipment from his bag - a clipboard, where he then displayed a knack for hitting the 38mm ball, while simultaneously attempting to take inventory. McLaughlin quizzically mused about the sanity of this "bat", as did club spectators. Fortunately the mall security - an 83 yr. old retiree named "Skeeter", was not called in for involvement.

Al Fish departed as Greg Morgan eagerly entered the scene. Morgan, a hitting partner with no-show John Tannehill quickly established himself as the powerhouse of the bunch.

Despite the common denominator of equipment, the player's styles were of a wide variety. Papp displayed a classic off-table defensive play, with chops reminiscent of the legendary Dick Miles, and a backhand kill not unlike his hardbat mentor, Marty Reisman. Mann capably held the bat with either the western shakehands or the penhold, the latter of which he eagerly showed off his unique reverse penhold loop kill, ala Liu Guoliang. Fish's famous flat hits and corner shots were daunting, while McLaughlin's two-wing "sponge" style, loop drives had moments of brilliance. Morgan showed off his "drive-thru-the ball" forehand and backhand, smacking the covers off many a hapless 38mm ball. Indeed, by the end of the night, over half-a-dozen of the little fellas packed it in, having been crushed under the onslaught of wood wi'out sponge.

Todd Inui came in late and rallied against Papp, as a warmup for the upcoming Columbus Oct. 9 tournament hardbat event.

Of the matches played, Papp proved to be too much for the competition, with his steady classic style and defensive prowess taking close matches against all comers. Morgan, having not played in six months, declined matches, but engaged in practice sessions against all and might very well have been the most accomplished and certainly powerful hardbat player of the group.

After nearly 11 hours of play, the day-long hardbat fest came to a conclusion. With sore legs, and a few welts from errant hardbat shots, the players said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. As with the common bat, a common philosphy of appreciation for the beauty, grace, precision and history of table tennis hardbat style was re-affirmed among all both in word and deed.

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