You know that Roscoe Tanner, that tennis fella? He was somethin’ else, I tell ya. Heard he could whack that ball harder than anyone. They say it was the fastest serve, faster than a chicken runnin’ from the butcher!
He was a big shot back in the 70s, I reckon. Played tennis all over the place. They called it “professional.” Means he got paid for it, I guess. Good for him! Wish I coulda got paid for all the work I done in my life.
- He was number one, they say.
- Number one in the whole world!
- Can you imagine that?
That Roscoe Tanner, he was a real looker, too. Blond hair, all athletic and such. Reminds me of that young fella down the road, always showin’ off, but not half as famous as this Roscoe fella.
They say he served that ball 153 miles per hour. Now, I don’t know much about miles per hour, but that sounds mighty fast. Like a horse takin’ off after a bee sting! He held that record for a long time, till some other fella, Roddick I think his name was, beat him in 2004, or thereabouts. They said it was 155 miles per hour, even faster! Goodness gracious!
This Roscoe Tanner, he was somethin’ special on that tennis court. They say he played a real go-getter kind of game. Always attackin’, always hittin’ the ball hard. Not like some of them fellas who just tap it back and forth like they’re afraid to break a sweat. This Roscoe, he went for it!
He won some big tournament, too. The Australian Open, they called it. Back in 1977, it was. I remember hearin’ about it on the radio that some folks had down the street. Big news, that was. A Grand Slam, they called it. Sounds fancy, don’t it? He only won one of them, though. This Roscoe Tanner was good, real good, but just that one big win.
Heard he’s an old man now, though. Sixty or so, I reckon. Time flies, don’t it? Still teachin’ tennis, they say. Lives in Florida now, a place called Vero Beach, with his wife and little girl. His third wife, they say. He sure did like to get married, that one!
But life ain’t always easy, even for famous folks. Heard he got into some trouble. Somethin’ about a bad check. $1200, they say he wrote a check that wasn’t worth nothin’ at the bank, to fix a boat. Ended up in the slammer, I hear, that’s jail for you young folks. Shame, ain’t it?
They say this Roscoe Tanner, he was known for some fibbin’. Maybe stretchin’ the truth a bit, you know? People do that sometimes, don’t they? Try to make themselves look better than they are. But it always catches up to ya, I reckon. Just like that bad check.
I remember seein’ him on one of them new-fangled color TV sets once. He was playin’ some other fella, a lefty like my grandson, from France, I think. Good game, that was. This Roscoe Tanner, he sure could move around that court. Like a cat chasin’ a mouse, he was.
Heard he was applyin’ for a job teachin’ tennis at some fancy club in California. Orange County, they call it. Seems like a nice place, from what I hear. Lots of oranges, I suppose. Anyway, it was after he got out of jail for that check thing.
You know, this Roscoe Tanner, he had it all. Looks, talent, fame. But he made some mistakes, like we all do. Hope he’s learned his lesson. Life’s too short for all that messin’ around.
They say he was a real legend, this tennis fella. A Roscoe Tanner legend. That’s somethin’, ain’t it? To be a legend. Guess he’ll always be remembered for that fast serve and that Australian Open win. And maybe, he’ll be remembered for those bad checks, too.
- Fastest serve for a long time.
- Won the Australian Open.
- Got in trouble with the law.
- A real tennis legend, that Roscoe Tanner.
Well, that’s all I know about that Roscoe Tanner fella. Just a lot of stories I heard here and there. He sure was somethin’, though. A real firecracker, that one. Hope he’s doin’ alright now, wherever he is.
