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Major League Pickleball finals
Pickleballers promo
There have been thrilling upsets, dominating performances, sideline drama, surprising trades, disastrous decisions and plenty more interesting developments over the past four months in Major League Pickleball.
It's all been leading to this weekend: The MLP Finals in the Big Apple. We dive into the matchups here.
Speaking of apples … A yet-to-be released comedy that follows a washed-up tennis pro who turns to pickleball to save his career has officially been acquired by Apple Original Films. More on that below.
Also in this issue:
Pickleball OGs Scott Moore and Beth Bellamy join Pickleballers 🎙️
The world needs more high-level women’s pickleball 👏
Anna Leigh Waters takes the mound at Wrigley Field ⚾️
Play more, hurt less with Picklebalm đź’Ş
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳
AMATEUR HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
This is what 5.0 women’s doubles looks like
The level of play in the amateur ranks is getting higher and higher every day.
The four women in this clip are a perfect example of just how many great players are our there. They’re aggressive when they should be aggressive, their resets are flawless and their court positioning is on point.
PICKLEBALLERS PODCAST
Inside the world of senior pro pickleball with legends Beth Bellamy & Scott Moore
This week on the Pickleballers Podcast, we sit down with two legends of the senior pro game: Beth Bellamy, a top-ranked 50+ women’s pro with 99 medals, multiple US Open and National titles, former WTA tennis star and co-founder of the National Pickleball League, alongside Scott Moore, a 21-time USA Pickleball National Champion, 12-time US Open winner, Hall of Famer and founder of Pickleball Trips.
We dive into their incredible journeys from tennis to pickleball, the rise of the senior pro game and how they stay competitive and injury-free at the highest level beyond 50. Packed with history, stories, strategy and lessons, this episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the game.
PICKLEBALLERS DOORDASH & PROTON GIVEAWAY: Each week we’re doing a Pickleballers giveaway to celebrate the latest episode. This week we are giving away a $500 DoorDash gift card & a Proton pickleball paddle of the winner’s choosing. Enter here!
FROM THE COURT TO THE MOUND
Anna Leigh Waters throws out first pitch at Chicago Cubs game
It’s been a busy summer for No. 1 women’s pro Anna Leigh Waters. She was featured on multiple New York City billboards, appeared in a live interview on SportsCenter during the MLP Mid-Season Tournament, attended the ESPY Awards, and on Wednesday night she threw out the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game.
Waters attended the game with several other pickleball pros who participated in an exhibition outside Wrigley Field before Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Other pros in attendance were Jack Munro, Connor Garnett, Leigh Waters and all four members of the Chicago Slice MLP team — James Ignatowich, Vivian Glozman, Max Freeman and Callie Smith.
THE PROS
MLP Finals start Friday — and our team is in the hunt!
The Major League Pickleball Premier Level semifinals start Friday in New York City’s Central Park, followed by the Challenger Level finals and Premier Level finals later in the weekend.
Multiple matches will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, as well as a CBS national broadcast on Saturday afternoon. Here’s what to watch for in the highest stakes matches of the year ⬇️
(1) ST. LOUIS vs. (5) COLUMBUS - Premier Level semifinals
How they got here: St. Louis took care of business in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 sweep of Orlando, while Columbus pulled off an upset over the No. 2 seed Dallas Flash. Check out our video breakdown of the Columbus-Dallas series to see how Columbus took down the defending champs.
Season series: St. Louis won both meetings in the regular season, winning 4-0 on May 3 and 3-1 on July 18. In the first meeting, CJ Klinger was out with an illness for Columbus.
(3) NEW JERSEY vs. (6) LOS ANGELES - Premier Level semifinals
How they got here: Both teams looked pretty strong in the quarterfinals. New Jersey earned a 2-0 sweep over Texas, while Los Angeles beat a solid Brooklyn team handily.
Season series: New Jersey won both meetings in the regular season -- 3-2 on April 27 and 3-2 on July 26. The first meeting can be thrown out entirely because Hunter Johnson was out for LA and the Mad Drops hadn't traded for Ben Johns yet. In the second meeting, New Jersey narrowly prevailed 22-20 in a Dreambreaker. This series could be epic.
(1) LAS VEGAS vs. (2) NASHVILLE - Challenger Level finals
How they got here: Las Vegas and Nashville -- The Kitchen's MLP team -- have been No. 1 and No. 2 throughout the season. Las Vegas swept the Bay Area Breakers 2-0 in the semifinals, while Nashville also got 2-0 a sweep over the California Black Bears.
Season series: Las Vegas leads 5-1, but only one of those matches has been played since Nashville made a trade late in the season for Genie Erokhina, who replaced Michelle Esquivel in the lineup. In that meeting on July 31, the Night Owls won 21-16 in a Dreambreaker.
TRENDING
It’s US Open week in the tennis world, which reminds us that we still have high hopes of seeing the current greats like Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz compete on the pickleball court someday.
Djokovic and Sinner were spotted getting some reps in recently — that backhand volley from Djokovic looks pretty solid.
PICKLEBALL ON THE BIG SCREEN
Apple buys Ben Stiller's new pickleball comedy
A yet-to-be released comedy that follows a washed-up tennis pro who turns to pickleball to save his career has officially been acquired by Apple Original Films.
"The Dink" features several big-name stars, including Jake Johnson, Ben Stiller, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Chloe Fineman, Aaron Chen, Patton Oswalt, Chris Parnell and Christine Taylor.
Former tennis pros Andy Roddick and John McEnroe also make appearances in the film.
According to an Aug. 18 story in Variety, "Johnson plays a washed-up tennis pro who, desperate to save a struggling club and earn his father’s respect, is compelled to break a sacred vow and do the unthinkable: play pickleball."
A release date has not been announced.
Are you excited to watch the Ben Stiller pickleball movie? |
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Play more, hurt less with Picklebalm
Pickleball can be hard on your joints — there’s lots of starting, stopping, bending and lunging. But you can power through aches and pains with Picklebalm, a topical analgesic that offers more than generic pain relief.
Their clinically-proven C.A.L.M. formula features 4% lidocaine (more than competitors), healing arnica, 1% menthol and soothing cucumber seed oil in a fresh, non-medicinal scent that won't clear the court. Picklebalm is available in three player-friendly formats – roll-on, cream and balm stick – to deliver fast-acting, targeted relief specifically for pickleball-related aches and pains.
Available at picklebalm.com, Amazon and select CVS stores nationwide.
QUICK HITS
LOL: Study shows hitting a perfect drop is the hardest thing in sports
Poetry in motion: Now that’s great touch
Battling adversity: Love that these dudes are still playing
What did you think of this week's newsletter? |