BlisterWatch '08

[Cue local TV news theme music] BlisterWatch 2008!

The devastating attack of blisters on the balls of both of Tim's feet during a grueling tennis match Monday morning continues to hamper his tennis activity. Sources close to his feet say that the blisters may incapacitate him for the rest of the week.

"The left foot looks like it will be ready to go by this weekend, but the right one, where the skin broke, make take a few more days to heal," reported Tim at the breakfast table this morning. Although he's no longer walking with a limp, his feet are not ready for the rigorous demands of tennis motion, he added.

The appearance of the blisters has caused much anxiety on the part of local residents. "I've been hearing the whine of the Double-Blistered Loser all week long," says Rebecca, a local resident of Timbecca Manor. "It's causing me to lose sleep. I'll be glad when this is over. It's the only thing people around here talk about."

Authorities believe the blisters are the result of Tim trying to squeeze in too much league play over the course of the long MLK holiday weekend. On Saturday, he played his first league match, which he won, 7-6 (10-8), 6-1, but the long match took a toll on his aging body. Sunday evening, Tim played in a doubles league match, which turned out to be more strenuous than he'd anticipated. "Usually there's not a lot of running in a doubles match, but this one was pretty competitive," he explained.

The first blister appeared Monday morning during the second set of Tim's second singles league match. After losing the first set (4-6), Tim was down 1-2 in the second set when, during a long game that went to deuce several times, a blister opened on his right foot. He lost that game, and then the next, to go down 1-4. The second blister, on the left foot, made its appearance sometime during Tim's apparent comeback run, where he won four straight games and took a 5-4 lead. With two set points in the next game, however, Tim failed to convert and his opponent won three straight games to win the match, 6-4, 7-5.

"My scouting reports said that this guy really worked the angles well," the Double-Blistered Loser said, "but I didn't know what that really meant was, 'You're going to run your ass off.' This guy ran me all over the court."

Tim Enthusiasts are hopeful that blisters will not become a recurring problem in his tennis game. "Some people are trying to blame my new shoes, but I've played in them several times before and never had blisters before. I think it was just the combination of too many matches so close together and the style of play of my last opponent," Tim said. He emphasized that he will monitor the blister situation more closely from now on.

Although it's hampered his tennis game, not all Timbecca residents are bothered by the blisters. Some furry locals are enjoying the extended hours of couch time required for blister recovery. "Squeek!" said one as she plopped down on Tim's lap and demanded to be stroked.

Pictures of the blisters and a time-line of related events can be found on page B4.

[Cue local TV news theme music] This has been... BlisterWatch 2008!