Something I don’t recommend (illustrated here):

Yes, it was bound to happen.  After my brief three-week comeback, I sprained my ankle playing basketball yesterday.  It couldn’t have come at a worse time.  I was starting to get a little bit more stamina on the courts, my "stroke" was coming back, and my language buddies were showing up every week.  Perfect.

Until I collided with Yao’s younger brother… 

I kid you not, this Chinese guy I was playing against when the injury happened was a good 3 or 4 inches taller than me.  He was like a Gulliver in this land of relative Lilliputians.  And the guy had it out for me.  The thinking goes if you can take the American down a notch on the courts you’re really making your way in the basketball arena.  (At least that’s what I think he was thinking.)  He seemed like a nice guy (even though I thought he charged me quite a bit!) and it wasn’t his fault that I landed on my own ankle, but part of me blames him, nonetheless.  What’s really weird is that I also got a bruise on the palm of my hand!  How does that happen?  I’ve never gotten a bruise there before.

It’s pretty humiliating when you get outplayed by a guy wearing blue jeans, let me tell ya.  On the positive side, my friend, Mr. Plum (that’s how his name translates from Chinese) called me last night to see how I was doing.  That kind gesture felt nice.  Right now I’m icing the softball that was once my ankle.  It’s going to be a long weekend…