"El Manco de Lepanto" and Pain Resistance

Those who saw my gimped gait in a recent match may wonder, "Does Rudy's left knee throb in unbearable pain?"

For an answer, we turn to the youthful years of Miguel de Cervantes. After engaging in a duel in 1570, he was obliged to leave Spain and travel to Rome. There, Cervantes had to prove himself a hidalgo, or a man of “clean” blood without Jewish, Arabic, or southern Californian ancestors. (Such foolish prejudices…in two of the three cases, anyway!) 


Thus, a year later, Cervantes found himself aboard an Italian warship and in a naval battle against the Turks! The hidalgo engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, even after sustaining a harquebus blast to his left arm!


This left Spain’s greatest writer maimed for life, and earned him the sobriquet el manco de Lepanto, or the one-armed man from Lepanto. And while it was surely painful, Cervantes was so proud of his crippled arm, he boasted of it until his dying day.

So when you ask me if my left knee hurts, I can only reply in the spirit of Cervantes! Each throb of my knee is an affirmation of my red, Spanish blood and each faltering step is taken with off-kilter nobility! (Of course, I have an advantage that Cervantes was unable to employ: El Advilo.)

Rudy graphic by YikesItsCameron.