Midweek Quickie

Joke was on me. I kind of knew when I said yesterday that I'd have time to post tonight that it wasn't true. Right now I'm writing this on borrowed time. But I can't leave you for a week with nothing to read, so I decided to take the time to post a little something to keep you occupied.

I'm still going to wait on my U.S. Open wrap up because I think it deserves more time than I can give to it right now. . .but I will discuss a few tennis items, since that's the only thing I've watched on TV the past two nights.

Ah, Serena Williams. If you hadn't heard, the American press has turned on her because of her "not so gracious" comments following her loss last night to World #1 Justine Henin. I will go on the record as saying that it does seem like something other than tennis is distracting her. I actually feel kind of bad for her.

Her sister Venus, on the other hand, showed all the toughness and grit that her sister could not muster last night, and pulled out a tough three-setter just a few moments ago. And also unlike Serena, she managed to keep her wits about her despite the fact that she wasn't playing her best. And after the match, she was funny and likable. Granted, she won so it was a lot easier to be happy, but her actions seemed genuine. She actually had a lot of pressure on her to win this one, especially following her sister's comments, and I think she did an excellent job to not wither under the pressure . . . just like an older sister should.


Bravo, Venus!


In other news, Mr. Incredible Roger Federer had a slight hiccup the other day but he also managed to remain cool, calm, and collected until his opponent stopped "treeing." For those unfamiliar with the term, treeing means playing well above your normal ability. I recently learned that it comes from the idea that you have reached the "treetop" of your potential. Most people tree for a bit and then return back to their normal, not as good self. This is exactly what happened to Roger's opponent. Valiant effort for the lad. But as I watch Andy Roddick succumb to his powers, I can't help but think that it really sucks to be another men's tennis player right now - unless you're Rafael Nadal at the French Open (who lost last night).

As John McEnroe and company mentioned earlier, Federer has been to nine Grand Slam finals in a row, winning 7 of them. To put this in perspective, that's like Tiger getting to the final playoff of 9 major events in a row and winning 7 of those events. And Tiger is dominant, but he is no Federer.

And now that the world knows he is staying at the Caryle Hotel while he wins the U.S. Open, my only advice to Federer is watch your back, buddy!

You think I'm kidding? It has happened before.


I'm still not convinced that he's all human. Someone check behind his ears for screws.