Running From City To City

So much excitement in the world of sports, just over the weekend. I wish I had another person to write for me, but thus far, it's just me (if you want to guest blog, let me know!) So that means not enough time to cover everything. My selection:

1. Exciting first weekend in the NFL. My brief observations: Brett Favre looks good in his new suit, eh? Did he really call them "New Yorkians"? As I told Novak Djokovic, I'm available for American culture lessons...Way to go Aaron Rodgers, even doing the "Lambeau Leap" like that other guy. Keep winning, they'll forget all about him...More and more the NFL seems like it stands for "Not For Long" with all of these significant injuries on day one, including Brady, Vince Young, Nate Burleson, at least 15 others. What gives?...What happened to the Colts?...The Philadelphia Eagles, and more specifically, Donovan McNabb, look very good...St. Louis looks...the same. And with the Lions performance, that makes two of them...Kudos, though, to Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan. Keep winning, they'll forget all about him...Happy to see Jay Cutler (with his Denver Broncos) doing well in his first regular season game since learning he has diabetes. Very much looking forward to seeing how the rest of this season shakes out, and I don't even have a fantasy team. Go figure.

2. U.S. Open wins by Roger Federer and Serena Williams. I love seeing people (around) my age still getting it done. Serena's final was much more interesting than Fed's, but the best matches were definitely played in their quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively. Each got a "milli"* and a half for their efforts and regained their respective perch at the top of the rankings - Fed, of course, not having left that long ago. This is a huge deal for Serena though, hence the high racquet throw at the end of the match. Her win effectively silences all of the critics who said her and her sister weren't dedicated to the game. They don't need to do what everyone else does. They're really just that good. And so is that Oreo commercial featuring the Williams sisters vs. the Manning brothers (see video in right corner). I love the concept but must admit I'd prefer it was for something healthy like, PowerBar, rather than Double Stuf Oreos. Ah, well.

3. I am really curious to know what in the world Monta Ellis did to his ankle that would cause him to lie to the Golden State Warriors about its cause. He claimed he hurt it playing basketball, but then it was discovered that he tore his deltoid ligament and had multiple scrapes and scratches, "not typical of a basketball injury." I got scratched in basketball once and still have the scar on my arm to prove it, but yeah, he really should have made sure his story would check out better than this before he decided to lie. I don't know him, but I'll guess it's something silly that violates his contract like wheelies on an ATV or motorcycle, parachuting, extreme jump roping, bear-wrestling, etc. I'm kinda hoping it's one of the latter two and not any of the first three. The truth comes to the light eventually...

4. Marion Jones left prison. Sad. (Some of these news stories are a little harsh, don't you think? I don't see other admitted dopers getting treated this harshly.)

5. I saw an ad the other morning for a new show on National Geographic called Dogtown: Saving the Michael Vick Dogs. Normally, I would think this was a great idea...if it weren't the season premiere of the Dogtown series and if it didn't include his name in the title. It seems a bit exploitative, premiering not coincidentally within a day of the Atlanta Falcon's own season. Not that I expect much out of Hollywood these days, but I thought National Geographic was different. I guess I was wrong. Why can't we let sleeping dogs lie?





*If anyone caught the MTV VMA's last night (DVR is again my new best friend!), 'Lil Wayne has officially taken over James Brown spot as the hardest working man in showbiz. The Kid Rock set confirmed it. I think his pants are the same length as the sleeves of my coat, though - he's not even sagging, he actually has them cut to only come up to his hip. What next?

Five But Still Alive

I know I said that there would be something coming by midday Monday, but life happened which made that impossible. And if you are reading this, then you're witnessing dedication at its finest because I am one pillow shy of a passing out. Ahem . . .



1. Federer's 10 years of making it to all of the Grand Slam finals (ok, not that many, but a lot) came to an end when he lost to Novak Djokovic - the eventual winner of the Australian Open. Hey, Tiger loses every now and then. Whether this signals the beginning of the end for Fed, I am not quite ready to predict his demise just yet. At least we know he's really human. When pressed, he admitted that he had a little food poisoning that could have affected his preparation, but he was sure not to blame the loss on that. After that match at the U.S. Open where Pete Sampras puked out his guts courtside from the flu and winning the match in five sets, that excuse isn't really available, so good choice, Fed.



2. After starting 29-3, the Boston Celtics are now 5-5, or pretty average. Their latest loss (I almost wrote "laws" - I need sleep) came at the hands of Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. The game before that, they beat Kevin Garnett's old team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, by 1 point. Of course, KG has been sitting out now (taking turns with Ray Allen) but I still think you're looking at their playoff team. Why? One of these guys is bound to be hurt by then (Allen, most likely), so they better figure out a way to drive the tricycle with at least one flat tire.



3. Come on, boys. Let's raise the level.



4. I read an article in the SportsBusiness Journal discussing the intersection between politics and sports. The article included a pie chart showing the breakdown of Democratic vs. Republican support by executives acrosss several of the major sports (I think hockey was included, too). According to their contribution history, NFL execs are overwhelmingly Republican supporters, and the NBA execs are overwhelmingly Democratic supporters. Does that really surprise anyone? What did surprise me is that 1) a lot of execs support both parties; and 2) our friend and Atlanta Falcons' owner Arthur Blank has given money to both Hillary Clinton'a and Barack Obama's campaign; and one thing that did not surprise me: I don't recognize any of the three execs listed as supporters of John Edwards. That's all I'll say.



5. Back to tennis. Regular people were talking about Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who lost to Djokovic in the final. it's funny when you have unique knowledge or experience with something the average person does not - i.e., competitive tennis. Whenever something happens in tennis, people ask me questions like I get e-mail updates on every player. (They stopped sending those e-mails years ago.) Unfortunately, I don't know that much about Tsonga nor was I able to see many points of the final, but from what I did see, this kid could definitely be great if he keeps working and getting more consistent. He wiped out Rafael Nadal like Nadal was #200 not #2 in the world. Although, on hard court, that just might be a more accurate ranking for him.

And congrats to Maria Sharapova on winning the Australian Open on the women's side. She played some very tough matches and made them look easy. But it's not.

Yes, I ended on tennis. If you read this far and don't like tennis, pat yourself on the back. And keep living on the edge in 2008. It's good for you.

Foot-In-Mouth Disease As Contagious As The Flu

Three straight days of sleepy, and tomorrow is not looking any better. Without further ado, I bring you the rundown:

1. Apparently another female sportscaster, this time ESPN's Dana Jacobson, landed herself in some hot water over some comments she made during a roast of Mike and Mike hosts (Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic) about Notre Dame (Golic's alma mater and Jesus Christ. It is virtually impossible to find exactly what she said without having been there myself, but apparently the Catholic church knows because they said she's anti-Jesus. Well, I don't know what she said so I can't say much about this. Even though her alleged comments sound inappropriate, I will say that I think women take a lot of flak that men don't for the things that they say. More on that when my eyes aren't shutting.

2. Five overtimes in the Baylor University vs. Texas A&M basketball game on Wednesday night. In one of the OT's the teams only scored 8 points combined. I can't say I have ever heard of 5 OT's before. That's 3 1/4 halves of basketball played. One of them must be regretting that decision to eat that full rack of BBQ ribs before the game. Five players fouled out for Baylor but they still managed to pull out the win against #16 A&M. The game even lost a ref, who went down with a pulled hamstring ($1 to anyone who can locate this video). Great for Baylor. If any team in college basketball could use some good news, it's Baylor. I'm not sure if they have fully recovered from the murder of Patrick Dennehy (I'm sure mention of the murder still makes its way at the end of any big story outside of Texas about the school), but pulling out tough games certainly helps.

3. NCAA crying "foul" for USC's O.J. Mayo taking tickets for a Denver Nuggets game from Carmelo Anthony. Eh. The coach is trying to take the fall, saying he gave Mayo permission after Mayo asked him if it was OK. I know there could be some undue influence if college kids were getting handouts from NBA teams, but I haven't been an NCAA fan before, so I'm not going to start now. Give the kid a break. Smack (on the hand, of course) the coach, though, because he definitely knows better.

4. The Toronto Raptors beat the Boston Celtics, further proving that the Celts are just another team. The stat line shows some pretty good percentages in this game from the floor and behind the arc for the Raptors, who held on for a two-point win, but I am most impressed - of course - with the fact that they went 100% from the free throw line. I can accept a miss or three, but a perfect percentage is . . . something that we shouldn't marvel at that should happen more often. Darn it.

5. Ah, the life of a kicker. Just ask the NY Giants' Lawrence Tynes. If he misses that last field goal (that sent the Giants into the Super Bowl), after missing previous ones, he says he is looking at real estate in Wisconsin. But, he made it, so he's on The Late Show with David Letterman talking about the dress shoes his wife picked out for him. Brett Favre could have thrown 5 interceptions and lost the game on a bonehead play and gotten carried out of Lambeau Field, but if the kicker misses from half a field away (because his offense couldn't get him any closer), he has to move his family to another state. Life's just not fair.

6. Even though I like to do an odd number of rundowns, I couldn't leave without updating you on the Australian Open happenings (I know you read the first five just to get to this point). Maria Sharapova ripped apart Jelena Jankovic, who is shockingly up to #3 in the world. I saw Jankovic at the U.S. Open and she doesn't really have the weapons and is fairly inconsistent, as she proved so aptly in her semifinal against Sharapova. Like I said, Sharapova's pretty much got this one on lock.

7. Splitting up men's and women's tennis gives me a #7. Woohoo. Over on the men's side, Roger Federer dusted off James Blake, per usual, in straight - but well fought - sets. I feel bad for Blake because he really is a good guy and a good player, but Federer is more than a thorn in his side, he's the chloroform cloth to Blake's mouth and nose. He'll get you one day, Federer, one day.

American Men's Tennis Did Something Cool . . .

Newsflash: The United States men won the Davis Cup for the first time in 12 years.

What? You didn't hear about that?

Well, take heart because I am ashamed to admit I didn't either until someone told me. I didn't even watch a single point of the entire Davis Cup. They beat Russia, by the way. And the Davis Cup, is an international team tennis event akin to the World Cup in soccer, an event that the American men have won 32 times since 1900.

And no one even knows it took place. Why? Because, as much as I hate to admit this, American men's tennis is just not relevant.

Unfortunately, I think American men's tennis would be more popular if there wasn't this guy named Roger Federer around. I've had enough of seeing Andy Roddick and James Blank make it to the semis and finals of a tournament just to see them ultimately lose to Federer or someone else - but mainly Fed.

If they didn't get dealt with so handily, then perhaps it might be sort of interesting to watch them play. It's not really fun when you know someone is not going to win. I've seen Roddick play (and lose very badly) to Federer enough times to know that this guy just has his number, maybe for life. Once he or Blake, or some other American breaks through against Fed for the first time, or Fed retires then maybe people will start watching again. Even then, I see another hungry Fed-like player right behind him.

Add that to tennis just not being anywhere close to football (or even basketball, for that matter) in the realm of interesting sporting events going on in December. It really hasn't seen a serious base in this country since Agassi first came on the scene.

And, I have seen the new crop of players coming up and the sad part is that there are just not as many kids playing anymore. It's just not as popular.

People will watch a Federer match at least once just to see what the hype is about. I'd put money on the fact that less Americans have seen Roddick and Blake combined play than have watched a Federer match.

Because the American men are not winning, they haven't really drawn people in or received the endorsements. Because Blake may be a nice-looking guy, but you have to have some on-court results to get Anna Kournikova publicity if you're a man.

Will this Davis Cup win do more for their popularity here? Maybe. But if you didn't know that they'd even won the Davis Cup before you read this post, then I think we have our answer right here.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I will give my theories on why the American men's tennis is not as good as it could be, and my 10 suggestions for making it better . . .

The Rundown From the Run-Down

Today was a long day, so here's the run down on what I might have given individual attention:

1. Poor Alex Smith. The San Francisco 49ers QB had a rough night on Monday. Literally. This guy got clobbered on almost every play. He's not terrible, but his offensive line has some issues. At least he didn't throw any interceptions . . . no touchdown passes either, but let's focus on the positive.
2. The New Jersey Nets' Vince Carter is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle. And he's on my fantasy basketball team. Maybe I ought to just give up this idea of fantasy sports. I'm inventing Fantasy Work. Among other ways, you can get points every week that someone steals your food out of the office fridge. I'm guaranteed to be in contention in that league.
3. Roger Federer lost back-to-back matches for the first time in over four years. Call me when he loses more than one Grand Slam final per year. Then we'll worry.
4. Phoenix Suns star Boris Diaw is living the American dream. Who knew athletes took pictures at pool parties? Is Diaw the NBA's Willie Beaman?

Tigerer vs. Federer

So I've been going back and forth all day with some folks about who is the most dominating athlete between Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. Both are smashing records, both are currently tops in the field. . . and both are in a Nike commercial with Thierry Henry (?) (I know he's a popular "futbol" player but I doubt most Americans get it -- but maybe bravo to Nike for making us care)

I won't tell you which one I think and why just yet, because I'd like to hear from you first.

What does it mean for a player to be dominant? Between Tiger and Federer, who is the most dominant?

The Brady Bunch?

I think our generation has been pretty blessed to see some of the greatest of all time in their sport:

Michael Jordan.

Roger Federer.

Steffi Graf.

Wayne Gretzky.

Tiger Woods.

Barry Bonds.(*)

Now perhaps I'm being shortsighted because the people playing now are the only ones I've ever seen play live and in person, but I think we're in a truly special era. Records that have been around for a half-century or more are being smashed -- even though I think these statisticians come up with more stats and records than could possibly be relevant.

Now, it looks like we might have to add Tom Brady to that list. Sunday, Brady threw for the most touchdowns in the first six games of a season in NFL history, throwing at least 3 TD's per outing, and helping the New England Patriots kept their undefeated season alive with a 48-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys and my fantasy-nemesis, Tony Romo.

I know I harped on Tony Kornheiser for kissing Brady's butt, but he is shaping up to be one of -- if not the -- best at his young age. SI.com is already predicting that he'll win his first MVP. To me, it's hard to judge how good a QB is because they seem only as good as their offensive line is at keeping the defense from sacking him. I guess there's some combination of foresight, play-running, etc. that makes him so good.

So is Brady the G.O.A.T. or just a good QB with a great offensive line?


* Pending BALCO telling on him, too.

Camera M.I.A., But The Show Must Go On

So I still can't find my camera, but I'm charging ahead and giving you the U.S. Open rundown. Take note of the following:

1. What the heck, AmEx? I was all excited about all the perks they were giving at the Open, including commemorative pins featuring Venus Williams and James Blake for spending at least $75 on my American Express card, which was not a problem (see #6, below). But the day I get home from the Open, I see a huge article on the front of the SportsBusiness Journal saying that AmEx was giving out these little babies to cardholders:

You can look up all the stats and scores, and watch different matches. All for carrying an American Express. I saw somebody holding one near me but I thought it was just some high-tech fan trying to show off. . . and I could have been that high-tech show-off! Boo, American Express, for not letting me know that when I was there.

2. Nike is getting lazy. Apparently I'm not the only one who noticed. Had I been able to find my camera, I could have shown you the 5 matches being played simultaneously in which all 5 male players were wearing the exact same Nike outfit. This blogger did a good job of showing you at least three of the players. The only guys who get their own outfit are Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal. I know there are some perks to being #1 and #2 in the world, but dagnabit, if I make the Top 10 in the world, give me my own shirt!! They should just call it the "Also Ran" standard issues. I know we're dealing with guys, and so you all don't care about wearing the same outfit like we do. But it's bad enough that Federer and Nadal have won every major tournament for the past three years, why add insult to injury by making me wear the same outfit as my opponent? Nike makes too much money to give everyone the same distinctive shirt. It looks ridiculous. And it's ugly.

3. That kid pictured above is Donald Young, a talented young American who lost to this guy, Feliciano Lopez:


Also wearing the shirt. If not for that headband, I don't know how I would tell them apart. Although I watched Lopez take out young Donald, I really think this kid's going to be pretty good. He's only 18 so he has time . . . to let Federer retire before he decides to make tennis his main thing. But in all seriousness, keep an eye on Donald Young.

4. Speaking of tennis as his main thing, I watched two players in the men's draw who might be in the wrong profession. The first is the man pictured above, Feliciano Lopez. I thought he looked a little pretty, like a model, when he was on the court.


I guess I was right. If he's taking pictures like this, I'm guessing he knows he could model if tennis didn't work out for him. But why be a model when you can be the best looking in a field where everyone else is relatively less attractive than you? Because if you can't beat them on the court, beating them in the looks department has to count for something - and may make you even more rich famous than you would be if you actually won a tournament. (See this other obscure tennis player.) If I were his opponent, I'd make 50 copies of this pic and post them in the locker room at every tournament. I might even put this pic on my towel, just so I could have extra motivation to kick his butt during our match. If I lost, I'd remember that he took this picture, and I would feel better.

The second player who might want to consider a career change? John Isner. When I heard Federer was playing a guy who was 6'9", my first thought was the same thought every other person had: Is this guy wearing "the shirt"? Answer: Yes, he was.


My next question: What the heck is he doing on a tennis court? I don't care who you are, if you're 6'9" and above and don't play basketball - or at least do something athletic - people are going to look at you like you've failed in your life's purpose. They might even tell you as much. If you're 6'9" or above and you're reading this, don't worry about those people. They're just jealous. . . but come on! What a waste of height! Seriously.

As a way of background, Isner is an All-American from the University of Georgia who made it to the NCAA tennis finals at #1 singles this past year. He received a wild card entry into the Open and has apparently decided to forego his final year of NCAA eligibility to go pro. And while he lost eventually, Isner did take a set off Federer, which not too many people can say. (On a side note, the guy who won the NCAA tournament didn't even get an invite to the U.S. Open. And he has to go back to school. Ick.) According to my tennis insider, Isner had a late growth spurt, so he gets a pass for passing on basketball. His one weapon, as one might imagine, is his serve. But at 6'9", you may cover the whole court in a single step, but you aren't going to be able to move like the little guys.

If his arms look a lot longer than normal, it's because they are. I didn't stretch this picture. I know he's probably fully invested in this tennis thing, but he would make way more money playing basketball, and being in the NBA is a lot less work than traveling every week to different continents and groupies are much more accessible. I'd start working on that jumper if I were you, Johnny boy.

5. Tennis is unlike most sports because the fans are supposed to keep quiet and avoid distracting the players. As most people do keep quiet and obey the "rules," it's the perfect forum for the solo exhibitionist who wants to say something ("Roddick, I want to have your baby!!") that can be heard by everyone in attendance. Seriously, you can't even walk around at tennis matches. I watched two matches involving top players in which play was halted while a mother returned to her seat with her baby, and in both instances the umpire spoke directly to the mothers to ask them to find a seat. And we got to see these mothers on their big screen, TV close-ups. Talk about embarrassing.

But the U.S. Open is also a little different. It's undoubtedly the loudest of the four major tennis tournaments, partly because it's in New York, partly because they play matches at night and serve beer in head-size portions. Either way, it can get a little rowdy. Witness James Blake's "J-Block" who regularly attend his matches to harass his opponents and support their favorite player:


. . . But even after all this, I was still not prepared to hear the "summer anthem" "Ay Bay Bay" by Hurricane Chris playing during Serena Williams' match. Amazing that this song even made it to the radio, and now it's playing at the U.S. Open. Next thing you know, they'll be talking about Kanye West's album coming out tomorrow during Monday Night Football. Wait, that just happened. No, I'm not kidding.

6. And last but not least, as much as I enjoyed the U.S. Open, I need to gripe about one thing: the prices. Here is a run down of the ridiculous:

• The food. For $3.50, you could get two hands full of water. Just about enough to swallow an aspirin with. A small bottle of Gatorade? $4.50. Caesar salad on flat bread (really, three pieces of lettuce on stale bread)? $14. I saw a small seafood dish that cost $25. At a food stand. Without a waiter. Or napkins. Or even tartar sauce. The only way I'm paying $25 for one item from a stand is if I get to keep eating it forever, or at least a week. I refused to buy the water or the Gatorade, just on principle. I also refused because Evian tastes like toilet water. Not that I've tasted toilet water, but if I did, that's what I imagine it would taste like. And of course you can't bring in your own food and drink. But I heard that if you stuff drinks in sweatshirt sleeves in your bag, you can sneak them past the bottle mafia at the gate. I'm not saying I did that, I just heard that it works . . . if you try it next year and get caught, I will not be held liable for your attempt to cheat the system.
  

• The clothing. The same zip up cotton jacket you might see for $5 in a shop in NYC sold for $125 at the Open, all because of the gigantic Polo Ralph Lauren logo on the back. I never cease to be amazed that a company expects that I'm going to pay them to advertise for them. Since the logo's on the back, I can't even see it and enjoy the fruits of my hard-earned dollars. Now if they want to give me $125 to wear the jacket, then we can talk. So what if I'm not famous. Yet.
  

• The tickets. As it turns out, the U.S. Open is near to the top of the most profitable sporting events in the world, outpacing even the NCAA basketball tournament. . . and I see why. I can't really complain because I didn't technically pay for this year's tickets, but they are crazy expensive nonetheless. Even the "cheap" seats are $60, and it costs $50 just to be on the grounds. Besides the fact that sitting in the cheap seats increases the likelihood that you will experience nose bleeds, headaches, nausea and/or vomiting, you can barely see what's going on from way up there. Nike clearly was not taking the "cheap" seats into account when they gave every player the same shirt and shorts. The best you can hope for is that Federer is playing so you can tell who won!

Overall, if you haven't been to the U.S. Open, I would certainly recommend that you check it out. Even if you're not a huge tennis fan, there's always something worth seeing,


for all of us.

Shocking But True

(I was supposed to do my full U.S. Open post today but I can't find my camera, and I am not happy!! I will try a few more places, and if I can't locate it still, I'll just see what I can find on the Internet. Pray that I find it . . .)

Surprising and shocking to absolutely no one, and to the delight of Nike (because their other golden boy won today, too), Roger Federer captured his fourth consecutive U.S. Open title with his straight set win over Novak Djoko. Never mind. You don't care and it doesn't really matter anyway, although the kid he beat is not half bad and has actually beaten Federer earlier this year. But not today. Today, all that matters today is that I was right and that Federer is quickly becoming the best in any sport the world has ever seen. Take a look at Roger by the numbers. He got to take home an "extra million" today because he won the U.S. Open Series (the series of hard court tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open). So congrats, Roger. And watch your back.

Flushing Meadows, Here I Come!

I know I missed the first day of play at the U.S. Open and for that I should probably be a little ashamed. But the Mike Vick show was on, so I tuned into that instead. Luckily, the show will only be in re-runs until December 10th so I can get back to my regularly scheduled programs.

Which brings me back to tennis. This Friday, I will be heading to the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows, NY. I will be leaving my tennis shirt, skirt, socks, tennis shoes, wristbands, tennis bags and tennis racquets at home because I don't need these to watch a tennis match, but apparently not everyone gets this memo (I think they include it with the tickets). I can see wearing one, or maybe even two of these, but I really wonder about the guy who, every year without fail, comes dressed in full gear, only to be told that he will be relegated to the status of "fan" and, no, Roger Federer will not be asking him to warm up before his match.

I haven't watched much tennis since the French Open, but I know I need to brush up on my Russian and Serbian. This is an annual Labor Day event for me, when I get to spend up to 18 hours at the National Tennis Center watching tennis. If this sounds boring to you, then you probably haven't partaken in the festivities. Chief among them for me, watching Marat Safin.


Man, he's a talented young fella. While he did manage to keep it together long enough to win two Grand Slam tournaments - the 2005 Australian Open and the 2000 U.S. Open - he's what I'd call a bit of a loose cannon.

Federer (aka "Cool Fed"), whom I and apparently others might call the most dominant athlete in any sport, tends to keep his emotions in check.



In contrast, my dear Safin wears his heart, valves and all, on his sleeve.


I just need him to last until I get to town.

As for the other johnny-not-gonna-make-it's competing for a chance to win the U.S. Open, I do believe Cool Fed has this one in the bag, so I'm just hoping to see him get a few good matches. While his domination of tennis is more than impressive, it kind of takes all the fun out of it when you know who's going to win. Just ask the ten people in America who have ever watched an entire Federer match.

On the women's side, I'm looking forward to seeing Maria Sharapova (get beaten) and to watching Venus and Serena Williams. I guess I'm not the only one. If you haven't seen them play in person, you have no idea how strong and powerful they really are. I lucked up on 2nd row seats to watch Serena play Amelie Mauresmo in last year's Open, and I have to say I was quite impressed - even though she eventually lost.

What I do not want to see is a Venus vs. Serena showdown. Try more like a "show is over." I can think of at least 100 things I'd rather do than watch the two of them play, and yes, watching paint dry (#98) and peel off (#99) is on that list. Their matches have to be among the most non-competitive outings I've ever seen. Their all-time head-to-head record is 7-7, probably because they take turns letting the other one win. At least we'll be spared a meeting in the final since they are on the same side of the women's draw (tennis speak for a bracket) this year. But when they aren't playing each other, I am a big fan of theirs, and they're popularity is certainly good for the game. You go, girls!

Lastly, I am embarrassed to admit that American Express does such a good job of promoting the U.S. Open that I was inspired to apply for a card just so I could get all the perks (including free pedicab rides across the "boardwalk" from the subway to the vicinity of the main entrance). And they gave me a lot of credit. And the card is pretty. But what they don't tell you is that about the only place where the American Express card is accepted is at the U.S. Open. D'oh!