Pickleball Day 2

 My new paddle arrived today and it was off to the recreation center to give it a try.

In a lot of ways I'm floating up court with a paddle. So much to learn about the rules: stay out of the kitchen, let the ball bounce on the initial volley...stay back...move forward. Am I server 1 or 2?

When do I slam...when do I not?

It's great exercise and time speeds by. A took a break this morning, looked at my phone and I was two hours in.

As for my paddle, it's a good one.

But just like in baseball, it is not the bat that swings and misses...it's the batter.

I think I have the skills to play the game of pickleball.

But as my new partner, Duane, 68, said in Game 3 this morning. "It takes time. You'll get the hang of it."

The players show up daily at the Battlement Recreation Center in Parachute, Colorado. I do not have all the names down pat yet, but I do have some of their spins down. The ball can just die right in front of you; spinning the ball is just part of the game.

"You gotta step up," Luke, 66, said. “Watch the spin on the ball."

I miss my baseball buddies back in Arizona, but I have a bunch of new characters in Colorado to deal with right now -- all of them ready to spin me into the wall as I chase down one of their returns.

Fast game, but right up my alley...and a lot of fun, too.

As soon as I learn to stay out of the kitchen, that is.

Photos: Some of the players at the Battlement Recreation Center this morning, ranging in age from 63 to 85.