Monday, July 07, 2008
The best Wimbledon final ever?
By chance I got to see most of the Rafael Nadal win over Roger Federer today. I hadn't watched a Wimbledon final in years. I always pull for the underdog and the underdog won today in play that last nearly 5 hours. Federer had won the last 5 Wimbledon championships and Nadal actually seemed on the defensive for the last three sets. Federer had so many aces and huge winning shots, it felt like he was in control. But Nadal's serve was only broken once in the match, and it seemed like any normal human in Nadal's shoes would have broken after those 3rd and 4th set tiebreakers.
But the Spaniard pulled it out and even my wife and our guest who aren't into tennis were captivated to the end.
But was it the best match ever? Well, sorry, but back when I was playing tennis in high school, I witnessed the greatest match, which was between John McEnroe (one of the commentators today) and Bjorn Borg (who was in the audience today). It was the match that took some luster off of Borg's then status as the best player in history. McEnroe didn't pull it off, but his win in the 4th set tie-breaker (18-16) was certainly the greatest moment in tennis, though he couldn't quite get by Borg in the 5th set which he lost 8-6. McEnroe would come back the following year to beat Borg, and Borg would leave the game soon thereafter.
However, today's match was something to watch! One of the few moments where I'm actually glad we turned our cable back on.
But the Spaniard pulled it out and even my wife and our guest who aren't into tennis were captivated to the end.
But was it the best match ever? Well, sorry, but back when I was playing tennis in high school, I witnessed the greatest match, which was between John McEnroe (one of the commentators today) and Bjorn Borg (who was in the audience today). It was the match that took some luster off of Borg's then status as the best player in history. McEnroe didn't pull it off, but his win in the 4th set tie-breaker (18-16) was certainly the greatest moment in tennis, though he couldn't quite get by Borg in the 5th set which he lost 8-6. McEnroe would come back the following year to beat Borg, and Borg would leave the game soon thereafter.
However, today's match was something to watch! One of the few moments where I'm actually glad we turned our cable back on.
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It is so funny to listen to people, especially those talking heads on ESPN, and the radio try to compare one match to those in the past. No matter how much we dissect and study, the two matches can only be compared, and nothing more.
Like golf, I only watch tennis four times a year, well the Ausie Open and U.S. open are ifs at best. I like to believe that the match that Borg and Johnnie played was on its own a very special time in sports. I enjoy watching the match when it is replayed.
The match we saw yesterday was also a classic, and I am glad I got to see most of it as well. What we saw was the emergence of the next great tennis player of this generation. Roger was kicking backsides for several years, and now somebody closed the gap. Ralphie earned that win, and it is the kind of win that critics can't really nit pick.
Let's hope Roger still has a few more years in his prime, before his younger, stronger competitors close the gap even more.
-boy
Like golf, I only watch tennis four times a year, well the Ausie Open and U.S. open are ifs at best. I like to believe that the match that Borg and Johnnie played was on its own a very special time in sports. I enjoy watching the match when it is replayed.
The match we saw yesterday was also a classic, and I am glad I got to see most of it as well. What we saw was the emergence of the next great tennis player of this generation. Roger was kicking backsides for several years, and now somebody closed the gap. Ralphie earned that win, and it is the kind of win that critics can't really nit pick.
Let's hope Roger still has a few more years in his prime, before his younger, stronger competitors close the gap even more.
-boy
From "The PETA Files" (blog.peta.org)
Jun
25
Wimbledon: The Latest Blood Sport?
Posted at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (91)
Move over bullfighting, hunting, and dogfighting—there's a new blood sport in town: Wimbledon Tennis. Yep, you read that correctly: The oldest tennis championship in the world—the home of manicured green grass courts and lily white uniforms—now has a blood-red body count. Don't go jumping to conclusions: It's not that PETA friend John McEnroe has unleashed his infamous temper on the court. No, the crime here is far more serious than a few choice expletives hurled at an intractable tournament official.
Hold on to your strawberries and (vegan) cream for this one—it seems that Wimbledon has hired sharpshooters to kill pigeons. And what crime did these pigeons commit to merit capital punishment? They pooped. More specifically, they pooped on some tables in an open-air restaurant frequented by media folks who cover Wimbledon matches. Now, I'm no expert in the area of pigeon control, but here's an idea: How about getting a few patio umbrellas? Call me Einstein, but I'd guess that my solution is a whole lot cheaper—in terms of money and lives.
And even if Wimbledon officials don't give a whit about compassion or public opinion, here's something else that they might consider: Their actions seem to be illegal, as in they're likely breaking the law. A U.K. law passed in 2006 prohibits "lethal control" of animals, except as a last resort. PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich had more than a few choice words for Wimbledon, but here are a few that we can print.
Since the use of marksmen to kill pigeons appears to have been carried out as a first, rather than a last resort, and not out of a concern for public health, but rather because the animals were deemed inconvenient by players, you appear to be in clear violation of the law.
Posted by Grace Friedan
Jun
25
Wimbledon: The Latest Blood Sport?
Posted at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (91)
Move over bullfighting, hunting, and dogfighting—there's a new blood sport in town: Wimbledon Tennis. Yep, you read that correctly: The oldest tennis championship in the world—the home of manicured green grass courts and lily white uniforms—now has a blood-red body count. Don't go jumping to conclusions: It's not that PETA friend John McEnroe has unleashed his infamous temper on the court. No, the crime here is far more serious than a few choice expletives hurled at an intractable tournament official.
Hold on to your strawberries and (vegan) cream for this one—it seems that Wimbledon has hired sharpshooters to kill pigeons. And what crime did these pigeons commit to merit capital punishment? They pooped. More specifically, they pooped on some tables in an open-air restaurant frequented by media folks who cover Wimbledon matches. Now, I'm no expert in the area of pigeon control, but here's an idea: How about getting a few patio umbrellas? Call me Einstein, but I'd guess that my solution is a whole lot cheaper—in terms of money and lives.
And even if Wimbledon officials don't give a whit about compassion or public opinion, here's something else that they might consider: Their actions seem to be illegal, as in they're likely breaking the law. A U.K. law passed in 2006 prohibits "lethal control" of animals, except as a last resort. PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich had more than a few choice words for Wimbledon, but here are a few that we can print.
Since the use of marksmen to kill pigeons appears to have been carried out as a first, rather than a last resort, and not out of a concern for public health, but rather because the animals were deemed inconvenient by players, you appear to be in clear violation of the law.
Posted by Grace Friedan
The most exciting Wimbledon match for me was Evonne Goolagong's upset of Chris Evert around the same time as McEnroe/Borg. Or was that the French Open?
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