Comedy of errors pre-match tonight. First, we arrive 20 mins late because my partner had a business meeting run long. It happens. I go to check the balls and discover they're all a little flat. So I pump the first one up, and as I'm pulling the needle out of the ball, it breaks off!
There I stand, with only a very few minutes to go before match time, looking sheepishly at the rapidly deflating volleyball in my hands. Only thing that would have been better would be if it sputtered around the gym like a balloon.
After a couple minutes, I manage to extract the broken needle from the ball. No problem. I'll just swap the needle from my gauge back and forth. Except I can't get it off the gauge. I finally have to hunt down the custodian and borrow a pair of pliers. I finally manage to get the game balls all sorted just as they are finishing player introductions.
So, as a permanent addition to my gear bag, tonight I added a small pair of pliers. And tomorrow I'll hit the sporting goods store for a new needle. And a few spares.