If you'll allow me to make the most solipsistic post I've ever made. (Two things: One, that's an incomplete sentence, I know. And, two, I never really liked the word "solipsistic," but I've also never really had a chance to use it, so I went with it. Apologies to others who dislike the word.)

Here's some shocking news that may make you laugh: I coach a high school tennis team. No, seriously. I know I joke a lot, but, for real, I'm coaching a high school tennis team. Me, the guy who had zero high school school spirit and just a tiny little bit of college school spirit. Also, the guy who's never exactly been sports-oriented. But here I am, coaching tennis.

My team consists of 14 players. They're a nice bunch. They're also atypical athletes, for the most part, which is what makes my job enjoyable. But as far as the skill level... We're certainly not the strongest team in the world. It's okay, though, because we go out there and the guys seem to have fun.

Today we played our second series of matches. Tuesday was our first round, and we lost horribly. Nine matches, and we lost all of them. The closest match was 4-10. (Instead of playing normal six game sets, they play an extra-long set to ten games.) We lost to a school that was #2 in the district last year. But that leads us to today: a match against a school that hasn't won a match in three years. Three years. Not a single match won. This should be a blowout, right? WRONG, fool. You are wrong and a fool for even entertaining such an idea. (In the interest of full disclosure, I, too, am a fool.)

The nine match breakdown goes like this: six singles matches and three doubles matches. My top 6 players play singles, then they pair up and play doubles. That's how it normally works. Today was a little different. Today was cold. Today was windy. And today my #6 player wasn't using his normal racket because he broke a string a couple days ago. During the warm up for the matches, he wasn't playing very well. He didn't seem comfortable playing with someone else's racket. So I suggested that the #7 guy switch with #6 for singles, but that #6 still play in doubles. This decision occurred quite literally at the last minute. But we went ahead with it.

The matches began and we were off to a bad start. My #1 and #2 players were not playing well. Their matches ended fairly quickly: 3-10 and 1-10, respectively. My #7 was also off to a rough start. He had never played a varsity match before, and I think the nerves were getting to him. I believe the score was 3-6 or 3-7 at some point. The good news was that my #3 and #5 were both ahead. #4 was having a rough start, but kept the game close -- he was never down more than two games. The next matches to finish were my #3 and #5, both of whom won. Meanwhile, something clicked with #7, and he started to kick some ass. He mounted an unexpected comeback. He evened it up at 8-8, then 9-9. Sadly, he ended up losing 9-11, but it was an epic recovery. At this point, my #4's game was still not over. However, he ended up losing 8-10. Recap: At the end of the singles matches, our opponent was up four matches to two. That left the doubles.

My #1 and #2 players are the most emotional players on the team. When they're playing well, they ride the crest of that euphoria. When they're not playing well, they get really down on themselves. After their losses, they both went to their own little area to be alone and seethe. I told them to forget about it, that the doubles match was going to be their redemption. They didn't care; they were cold and angry at themselves. But it was time to get the matches started. My pairs of doubles: #1 and #2, #3 and #5, and #4 and #6.

Since #3 and #5 both won their singles matches, it wasn't a huge surprise that the two of them together won 10-2. I was also happy to see that my #4 and #6 were playing well. They won their match 10-2, as well. That evened the overall match score to 4-4. It was up to my #1 and #2 pair.

They weren't playing their best. At one point, they were up 3-2. But they lost a series of games and I believe the score was 4-5 or 4-6 by the time the other two doubles matches ended. Things weren't looking good. The opponents had stronger serves and stronger net plays, but my guys were fighting back, little by little. Then, all of a sudden, my #1 and #2 players were able to turn things around. They broke their opponents' serve. They won their serves. It was 7-6, then 8-6, then 9-6. They lost the next game, but won on their serve 10-7. And we ended up winning 5 matches to 4.

This post is solipsistic not because I'm trying to convey an interesting story or brag about my (rather lackluster) coaching skills. I'm writing it so that I can remember the nervousness of that last doubles match and the eventual relief and excitement of winning an overall match. I've never done anything remotely close to coaching a sports team before, and I've never really understood how much other people invest of themselves in sports. But today, this afternoon, I got it. I understood. It was a feeling unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and I'm not yet ready to let it go.