January 2015 - 8

Letters to the Editor

♠8
♥Q
♦AKQJ987654
♣6

Doggone it

My	name	is	Lola.	
I	am	a	Cavalier	
King Charles
Spaniel.	In	refer♠ A K 10 6 4
ence to George
♥ A 10
Jacobs's	Novem♦-
ber	column,	I	do	
♣ A 10 9 7 5 4
not appreciate
being	called	"Lola	
Photo by Gene Snyder.
At	three	of	the	12	tables,	North-
the	dog,"	and	I	
South	misbid	to	7NT.	However,	the	
certainly	do	not	appreciate	the	comopening leader, holding:
ment	that	he	played	"worse	than	Lola	
♠Q 7 5 2 ♥K J 6 3 2 ♦10 3 ♣K 8, the	dog."	Sure,	I	have	had	rough	(even	
ruff	ruff )	sessions.	But	I	could	lick	Mr.	
naturally	led	a	safe	diamond.
WILLIE	WINOKUR Jacobs	and	his	partner	any	time	in	a	set	
West	Bloomfield	MI game,	especially	if	I	was	playing	with	
somebody	named	Wolf(f ).	I	respectfully	demand	a	retraction	and	an	apology	
A salute to Bob Wallace
from	Mr.	Jacobs.
My	wife	and	I	were	saddened	to	
My	famous	attorney,	Joel	Cats	(not	
learn	of	the	accidental	death	of	ACBL	
sure	of	the	spelling),	has	promised	to	
tournament	director	Robert	"Bob"	
represent	me	if	needed.
Wallace.	He	was	a	director	at	many	of	
LOLA	GORDON
the	regional	and	sectional	tournaments	
The	Poochness	(not dog)
that	we've	attended	in	the	past	decade.	
Sedona AZ
We	fondly	called	him	"Big	Bob,"	not	
because	of	his	size,	but	because	of	his	
Lola contacted Mr. Jacobs by email.
big	smile	and	big	heart!	He	also	had	a	
Jacobs responds:
great	presence	when	called	to	the	table	
I	was	very	worried	when	I	saw	the	
to	rule	on	an	infraction.	Once,	when	
subject	line	of	this	email,	as	I	tend	to	
my	partner	trumped	my	ace	and	later	
insult	everyone	at	some	point,	but	I	
found	out	that	he	had	also	revoked,	
went	back	to	my	"lab"	and	checked	
Bob	said:	"Hmm,	I	guess	you	wanted	
with	the	type	"setter,"	and	it	turns	out	
that	trick	so	bad	that	you	won	it	twice."	 I	am	protected	by	my	membership	in	
The	laughter	that	followed	eased	the	
AARF. 
tension	at	the	table	that	normally	
This	is	a	clear	case	of	barking	up	the	
occurs	when	the	director	is	called.	
wrong	tree. 
On	several	occasions,	when	he	was	
the	director-in-charge	at	an	Evansville	
Family legacy
sectional,	his	wife,	Cassandre,	
Together	with	my	two	younger	
accompanied	him	and	helped	out.	Our	
siblings,	I	learned	bridge	many	dethoughts	and	prayers	are	with	her	and	
cades	ago,	peering	over	my	parents'	
their	family.	He	will	be	missed!	
RAY	ANDERSEN shoulders.	It	became	a	passion	for	the	
Newburgh	IN three	of	us	and,	in	time,	for	our	spouses	
as	well.	The	decades	rolled	by,	bringing	our	own	families,	careers	and	all	
the	usual	demands	of	busy	lives.	The	

8 Bridge Bulletin January 2015

opportunities	to	play	were	sometimes	
limited,	but	at	every	family	gathering,	
there	was	an	energetic	bridge	game	
somewhere	in	the	house	at	all	times.
Our parents lived to 92 (Dad) and
103	(Mother).	The	latter	was	an	active	
player	into	her	101st	year.	Now	retired,	
my	sister	and	I	(our	brother	died	in	
1989)	are	fully	involved	in	our	local	
bridge	scenes.	We	have	frequently	
commented	on	how	present	our	parents	(even	at	our	now	advanced	ages)	
are	to	us	at	the	bridge	table.	Our	father,	
in	particular,	had	bridge	cliches	that	he	
spouted	freely	and	frequently,	which	
echo	in	our	heads	today	as	we	sit	at	the	
table.	(We	used	to	tease	him	that	he	
played	bridge	with	his	tongue.)	They	
included:
Never send a boy out to do a man's job.
(Careful	you	aren't	overruffed.)
Duplicate rewards the aggressor.
(Generally	recognized,	I	believe.)
Not through the Iron Duke! (I'm	covering your honor.)
Don't let your opponent play under
2NT.	(Possibly	dubious	today.)
Many a man is walking the streets of
London without his trousers because he
forgot to draw trumps.	(You	bet!)
Assume cards are where they need to
be to make your contract. (Questionable,	perhaps.)
A good bridge player never complains
about his cards.	(Of	course.)
I've got a meeting in the morning.
(Opponent	is	slow	to	make	a	decision.)
We	were	given	a	great	gift	in	our	
early	and	passionate	love	of	bridge.	
Many	decades	later,	in	a	mysterious	
way,	it	seems	our	parents	are	now	looking	over	our	shoulders	and	whispering	
in our ears. The circle is closing in a
wonderful	way.
ELIZABETH M. KOEHN
Huntington NY
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2015
