Besting Shortz is a tall order

Some at a pingpong tournament marking the grand opening of SPiN Standard LA were miffed when crossword puzzle guru Will Shortz smashed his way to victory with hotel owner André Balazs. “He’s a ringer,” griped one loser of Shortz. The tourney — hosted by Balazs and Susan Sarandon, owner of the original SPiN on Manhattan’s East 23rd Street — featured such table tennis aficionados as Topher Grace, Melissa Etheridge and “Entourage” creator Doug Ellin. But mustachioed Shortz, 60, was in a league all his own, reports The Post’s Richard Johnson. A member of USATT (USA Table Tennis’ organizing body), Shortz is the owner of the Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, NY, and regularly competes in tournaments. “I play every day,” he admitted. The Shortz/Balazs duo triumphed in the final over actor/director Vincent Gallo and pint-size health supplement tycoon Nikki Haskell. But Sarandon, recognizing the odds were unfairly stacked in Shortz’s favor, presented the 4-foot-tall trophy to Haskell, who is only marginally taller, and wondered, “Where am I going to put it?”