SUN 5/9

It used to be that the average person’s exposure to polo was either watching
Willie Mays perform baseball miracles at the Polo Grounds or spending a Sunday
hitting golf balls in a Polo shirt. That other thing, the sport with the ponies
and mallets, was left to Hapsburgs with receding chins on play dates with their
royal cousins. But have you added up the cost of a night at Minute Maid Park
or bought anything from Ralph Lauren lately? The point is, you can check out
some quality polo at the Houston Polo Club for about the same price as a day
at the old ball game. And this weekend offers the perfect opportunity to start
refining your tastes: the Texas Open Polo Invitational. (Aside: If it’s an “open,”
why does anyone need an invitation?) In its 76th year, the club touts the Texas
Open as the “Super Bowl of Polo,” featuring “the world’s best riders and ponies.”
And while there won’t be a stunning catch in deep center field, you can still
hang out for a few exciting chukkers. But you might want to bring your own peanuts.
5 p.m. Sunday, May 9. 8225 Memorial Drive. For information, call 713-622-7300
or visit www.thehoustonpoloclub.com.
$25 to $150. — Eric Norvell

Ball in Hand

Seems like Houston gets all the major sporting events this year, including
the USA Team Handball (USATH) National Championships. Team handball, for those
who don’t know, is an Olympic sport that involves six-on-six court action with
a leather ball about the size of a cantaloupe. As in basketball, you dribble
to progress. As in soccer, you try to score goals, except you throw the ball.
Typically, several dozen goals are scored, so the action is far from sedate.
As you can guess, team handball is a “small” sport. But the USATH is a serious
entity (with a real drug policy, even), and when the teams get down to business,
there won’t be anything small about the games. Friday through Sunday, May 7
through 9. George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas.
For a full schedule, call 719-866-4036 or visit www.usateamhandball.org.
— Eric Norvell

This article appears in May 6-12, 2004.