The 2008 U.S. Open

Just watched this guy (Roger Federer) win the U.S. Open men’s singles championship:

I have to admit, I was hoping he’d be playing the final against this guy (Rafael Nadal):

Although, admittedly, if Fed and Rafa had been playing each other for the title, I probably would’ve been pulling for Nadal. As it was, I like Andy Murray OK, but nowhere near as much as Roger and Rafa, so that made watching the final relatively stress-free. Especially once Fed took control of the match in the first set.

By the way, both of those photos were taken by me on Aug. 29 and 30, from the south end of Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows (or is it “Meadow”?). Our actual seats were up in the nosebleed section — which, actually, isn’t that bad, but somehow, we never actually made it all the way up to our actual seats because we kept finding empty ones in the section below, and no one ever made us leave them.

Anyhoo, now the 2008 U.S. Open is officially over, and after that fortnight and my two-week Beijing Olympics binge, I have to admit I’m all sportsed-out for the moment. Which is ironic because the Cubs are still (amazingly) in the lead in the National League Central (but in the midst of losing, what, six of their last seven games? and seven of their last 10?), and I should be all fired up about what’s left of the baseball season — especially considering the Cubs start a three-game series in St. Louis on Tuesday — but right now, I’m in la-la land.

Which ain’t surprising, for a Monday.

More later on the whole NY trip, perhaps …

The Olympics

I swore I would not get caught up in the hype of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. And then, a little over an hour ago, I flipped over to NBC from Monk and almost immediately got caught up in the Opening Ceremony.

Within minutes, I was already teary-eyed when a Chinese duo sang a song called “You and I” and performers held up big pictures of Chinese kids — and then, as the song went on, suddenly the pictures were of kids from all different nationalities and races and what-not.

And then, of course, the Parade of Nations began, so I had to see the U.S. athletes walk in while I also looked for various tennis players (Rafael Nadal was all smiles as he walked in with his fellow Spaniards, and Roger Federer appeared to be quite happy as the flag bearer for Switzerland).

I think I will try to watch as much of the Olympics as I possibly can. I’m not quite sure what’s going to be available; I know that NBC and its affiliates supposedly will be offering wall-to-wall coverage, but I really have no idea what that means. Will I be able to see anything “live” without staying up until all hours of the night/morning? Will the networks stick with a certain event, or will there be the constant jumping from one sport to another

Did you ever dream of being an Olympic athlete? I can’t say that I did. I used to think about how cool it would be to play at Wimbledon, but I’m pretty sure I never considered the idea of winning Wimbledon. For the longest time, tennis wasn’t even an Olympic sport.

Oddly enough, the Olympic sport that somehow has always appealed to me is skiing — something I’ve never actually done! I once attempted to (water) ski, and I know people who have actually gone (snow) skiing on various occasions, but I’ve never tried it myself; in fact, I can’t say I’ve ever really wanted to do it … aside from the time we went to visit Karl and Sherry in Reno and drove up to Tahoe, and I found myself thinking, You know, skiing looks like it might be really, really fun!

I’ve also thought cross-country skiing looks like it would be a great way to get in shape AND move slowly enough (??) that I could actually take my camera with me and shoot various stuff along the way.

Then reality sneaks in:

1. I can’t stand to be outside in the cold for only a few minutes at a time. And, I’m sorry, but no amount of clothing — no matter how perfectly layered — could keep me warm enough.
2. Skiing — especially cross-country skiing — would have to be a ton of work!

Anyhoo, I doubt there’s going to be any skiing going on at this year’s Olympics.  I think I’ll try to see some tennis, gymnastics and diving; I’d love to see badminton and kayaking (I got interested in that event following the great Chattooga River* whitewater rafting trip during the 1990s), too, but no doubt those sports will be difficult to find, even if I put forth a supreme effort.

Still, I’m gonna give it a try. Let the Games begin!

* — Also the site of the filming of Deliverance, the scariest movie I’ve ever seen!

A Great Day in Sports

Anyone who knows me (well or even casually) knows that sports have been a significant and much-enjoyed part of my life.

I grew up playing all kinds of sports at school with my boy friends — ironically, I never cared all that much for girls back then — and in the neighborhood. I played on the high school tennis team (and basketball team … briefly), and even entertained thoughts of attempting to walk on to the EIU tennis team. I have continued to play tennis, competitively, “as an adult”; in fact, just last weekend, Diane and I won the doubles championship of the Benton Summer Classic. (Hey, I realize it ain’t Wimbledon, but it was our first title since Diane returned from knee replacement surgery in October 2006, so in our little world, it was pretty amazing. And it felt great!)

Anyhoo, 17 years of my professional career were spent as sports editor at a small daily newspaper. It was a job that had its share of ups and downs, and it was one that I did not give up all that willingly. I have gotten to the point that I don’t miss covering high school sports on an almost-daily basis, but there are times when I miss doing what I did because I know I was very good at it.

I don’t dwell on those times, however, because life moves on. In fact, there are moments — and sometimes weeks, actually! — when I don’t think about sports at all, really, except maybe when I’m out there on the tennis court, and even then, it’s not so much “thinking about sports” as it is “trying to keep the ball on the court” — a simple strategy, it would seem, but in reality: It’s one of the secrets to success in the game.

There are other times, though, when my world revolves around sports: A good portion of the Major League Baseball season, especially when the Chicago Cubs and/or the St. Louis Cardinals are in contention (the Cubs, of course, are my heart’s favorite, but the Cards have become a tolerable team because of their proximity AND the fact that Diane loves them … and they tend to play an exciting style of baseball), and any time a Grand Slam tennis tournament (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open) is going on.

Especially Wimbledon, which is, was and always will be my favorite tournament. Make that my favorite sporting event in the world. From back in the day when Debra and I pretended to be Chrissie Evert or Billie Jean King or Evonne Goolagong when we were playing badminton in the front yard. (Hey, I know Wimbledon is played on a grass court, but have you ever actually tried to play tennis on actual grass, in an actual yard, filled with actual bumps and holes and dirt clods and twigs and roots and stuff? Believe me, badminton is MUCH more realistic because the birdie doesn’t hit the ground except to end a point … and, besides, we eventally discovered that Chestnut Street was adequate for playing tennis!)

And also from back when I watched John “Superbrat” McEnroe lose to Bjorn Borg in the 1980 men’s championship match. I went into the match pulling for Borg, found myself rooting for McEnroe at various times throughout and ended up, when it was all over, wishing that somehow, some way, both men could have won. (McEnroe, of course, did win the Wimbledon title the next year against Borg, and went on to beat him a second straight time in the U.S. Open final, and not long after that, Borg retired from the game.)

I missed most of last year’s Wimbledon final between Rafael Nadal and defending champion Roger Federer because I was under the influence of Benadryl for most of the match and simply could not keep my eyes open.

This year, however, I had everything perfectly arranged for the day to include a sports doubleheader of sorts: 8 a.m. to noonish — Watch Roger Federer (1) vs. Rafael Nadal (2) on NBC; 1:30 p.m. — Drive to Busch Stadium in St. Louis; 2:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. or so — Watch the Chicago Cubs vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.

We stayed at Karl’s house Saturday night, mostly so we could play with the grandkids but also because they reside 90 minutes closer to St. Louie than we do, so we could watch the match and then go to the game — instead of having to leave the match way early.

Everything went according to plan, as far as getting up, taking a shower, getting dressed, having my “breakfast at Wimbledon” — Karl made waffles, YUM! — and settling in for the tennis match — to be viewed in HD on Karl’s 60-something-inch TV screen.

Unfortunately: Rain delay at Wimbledon! Only for 20 minutes or so, thankfully, so before we knew it, the match was under way.

Diane and I were both rooting for Rafa … although I admit I have always admired Fed, so, to be honest, after Rafa went up two sets to love, I was pulling for Roger to make it a match (I couldn’t help noticing Diane was rooting for Fed at certain points in the match, too).

Third set: Another rain delay — by which point I was starting to wonder whether the match would finish before it was time to head to the game! Federer managed to win the third set, and despite having two championship points against him in the fourth, he pulled out that tiebreaker, too, to level the match at two sets apiece, right around 1:30 p.m. — the time we were supposed to be leaving for the ballpark!

“We can stay and watch a few more games,” said Diane, who was every bit as caught up in the match as I was.

We watched Rafa and Fed play to 2-2, 30-all in the fifth set, and then: Another rain delay!

“It’s almost 8 o’clock their time,” Diane said. “Surely they won’t be able to finish the match today.”

We grabbed our stuff and got in the car and headed to Busch, convinced that the match would be suspended until Monday morning (afternoon, London time); still, just to be safe, I called Tee-Hee and instructed her to call me if the match did resume. Diane and I talked about the match all the way to St. Louis, where we found a parking garage right across the street from the ballpark and arrived at the game just as the first inning was ending.

While we were still searching for our seats, the Cubs scored a run, somehow (I couldn’t see the field as we were making our way to the Casino Queen Party Porch). We finally settled in, ate our ballpark food (a hot dog for me, supreme nachos for Diane) and began watching the game.

Then came a text message from Teresa: “5-4 Fed in the 5th set.”

The match HAD resumed! So, suddenly, I’m sitting in a pretty good seat at Busch Stadium, watching a great game — by now, the Cubs are up 2-0 — and I’m keeping tabs on a great match at Wimbledon, thanks to texts from Tee-Hee: “5 all,” “6-5 Fed. Can u say tie break? Cubs still winning?” “Oops! There is no tie in the 5th set!” “Tied @ 7.”

Then Christopher gets in on the action (it’s only fitting, since I was glued to the set two or three weeks ago watching Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open Golf Championships): “I think Roger is done … this final has been great!” “This match is insane!” and then: “We have a changing of the guard at the All England Club.”

And another from Tee-Hee: “Rafa wins!!”

Yes, Nadal ended Federer’s reign at Wimbledon — five straight championships! — with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 victory.

All Diane could do was smile when I told her. I felt a twinge of regret over not seeing the action “live,” but I knew we’d be home in a few short hours and then I could watch (and rewatch and rewatch and rewatch) the highlights. And, of course, I can see the entire match tonight on ESPN Classic (6 p.m. Central, for those of you keeping score at home)!

Meanwhile, back at the ballgame: The Cubs have extended their lead, and shortly after we finish our Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (butter pecan for The Lovely, chocolate fudge brownie for moi), Diane announces that she’s pretty much done with the game (Cubs were up 5-1 or 6-1 at that point; who’s counting?). I always like to leave the ballpark when the Cubs are WINNING … you know, just in case disaster strikes (as it had the day before when they blew a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth).

All in all, one of the best sports days ever in my little world! In fact, the only drawback was not getting to see Jim Edmonds play for my beloved Cubbies; however, it was cool enough to be able to see (and hear) a couple of interviews with him prior to Friday’s televised game, during which he received a standing ovation from Cubs AND true Cardinals fans.

Sadly, Jimmy went 0-for-7 against his former team with four strikeouts and three runners left on base. He did draw a walk in the second game of the series but was thrown out at the plate for a run that would have given the Cubs a 5-2 lead (they eventually lost the game 5-4). However, the Cubs DID win the series, 2-1, so all is right the world, still … for the moment.

Anyhoo, here are some photos from left field from Sunday’s game:

Albert Pujols Follows Through

Albert Pujols is, in my opinion, the best player in baseball. He hit his 300th MLB career home run Friday night. Fortunately, this “hit” was actually a foul ball; I believe Albert flied out later in the this at-bat.

Cubs on Base

Reed Johnson (9) and Ryan Theriot lead off first and second while first baseman Albert Pujols, second baseman Brendan Ryan and shortstop Cesar Izturis (3) wait for the pitch.

Aramis Ramirez Delivers

Aramis Ramirez (16) drills an RBI single in the third inning to score Reed Johnson. Ramirez had three RBIs in the game (he now leads the Cubs with 60), doubled and scored on Mark DeRosa’s single in the first inning (so THAT’S how the Cubbies took their early lead!), and had sacrifice flies in the fifth and ninth innings. Not a bad day at the plate!

OK: Time for me to get outside!