Erin Kornfeld for ESPN.com Comedian Judah Friedlander loves to play ping pong at SPiN, a nightclub and ping-pong parlor.NEW YORK -- The scene looked like something out of a Judd Apatow movie.
On a recent Friday night at SPiN New York, a ping-pong facility/nightclub, a floppy-haired 15-year-old known as Mike "The Kid" Landers was schooling his opponent, another floppy-haired teenager.
The two flicked the ball back and forth, as beads of sweat began to form across their sweatband-framed faces, but Landers, the reigning American table tennis champion, easily prevailed.
When the match was over, Landers milked the crowd before the emcee grabbed Landers, and asked, "What happened since the last time you played?"
"I quit smoking," the 15-year-old quipped.
SPiN New York, backed by actress Susan Sarandon and often visited by celebrities such as Judah Friedlander, is on a mission to bring ping pong to the forefront of New York social life.
"Ping pong is the great equalizer -- age, build and gender don't weigh in as in other competitive sports," Sarandon said. "It's fast and funny and sometimes magical."
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