PLEASE HELP ME I'M IN DANGER!

Ok, I’m only trying new ways to grab your attention, but remind me not to use that one again.

What is up, folks? Welcome to Picklewho, the place to find the freshest pickleball news. Here’s what came out of the oven for today:

• No. 1 player in the world falls in Mesa

• Manhattan FINALLY has something cool to show

• Ladies and gentlemen, Vulcan Pickleball has arrived

The best in the world lost a match… and we're lost for words

This weekend we witnessed a tragedy at the Carvana Arizona Grand Slam. Pickleball no. 1 player, Ben Johns, lost for the first time in a singles match this year, against Federico Staksrud, the no. 4 in the world.

Call me dramatic, but as Ben Johns number #1 fan, this was literally the worst day of my life. 

Still, we gotta acknowledge Staksrud's fantastic performance. He came back from being 5 points down in the tiebreaker, taking home not only the victory but also Johns' hopes of winning both his third Triple Crown and Mr. Universe. Don’t research that.

This edition of the tournament saw several top 10 players miss the event due to injuries, physical discomfort and the occasional alien abduction, which gave Staksrud the chance to show what he’s made of. And he excelled. So congrats, good sir!

Even though we Johns' supporters are still crying.

Manhattan’s first indoor pickleball courts rock!

Located at Life Time Sky, Manhattan’s first indoor pickleball courts are here to stay. Terrific news for such a boring city with pretty much nothing to do. So, it’s a great initiative for this complex to also include certified pickleball instructors, weights, yoga and palates classes, an indoor secret civilization, assassin training, a life-size replica of the statue of liberty and an NFT library filled with presidential secrets.

Or maybe I read the wrong article.

Life Time has over 500 courts throughout the state as well as major connections with Major League Pickleball (MLP) and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA). Meaning that they host national events and tournaments.

Of course, unlike superb pickleball info sources like us, their services require a paid membership. So, am I suggesting that we are better than Life Time Sky? Maybe.

Watch out! Vulcan is taking over Pickleball

And somehow it has nothing to do with Star Trek. Don’t worry, here’s the context:

Vulcan is a Hot Springs-based company that started making baseball products until they realized in 2018 that investing in any sport other than Pickleball was a dumb idea. So they switched to paddles and now they offer more than 50 different types of them, including my favorite one: The McStuffing British Special with leather grip which is not made up by me at all, stop saying that’ it’s just private, come to my home and I’ll show it to you.

Vulcan rose to popularity so much that the PPA named them as one of their official paddles and now…well, they signed a deal with the Indoor National Championship, the world’s largest indoor tournament.

Though I personally suggested the Vulcan’s Too Hot To Handle Competition, they decided against their best interest to officially name it the Vulcan Indoor National Championship.

I’m all for brand’s support, but pickleball needs better creative writers.