Saturday, October 11, 2008

Jelena and Nadia lean on the Porsche Carrera 911

Jelena Jankovic won it in her 6-4 6-3 victory over Nadia Petrova in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix tournament in Stuttgart, Germany on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008. But Nadia is hanging around later and later in the tournaments, and that is good news: Nadia is good people. What actually caught my attention about the tournament, though, was Jelena's 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-2 victory over Venus the day before. During the US Open, I was really pulling for Venus over Serena in the semis, because I thought that Venus would more probably win the tournament. Serena beat Venus then Jelena Jankovic to win the Open. So, I guess all is well, huh?

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Ike sent hiking . . . to a couple of WNBA playoff games

Okay . . . wait, strike that . . . not okay.

See, it wasn't so bad not having electricity: it was seeing everyone literally as far as the eye could see not not having electricity. Five buildings in a forty building complex with no electricity. All of the residences and businesses south of what may become an increasingly definitive artery in this area- West Belford Boulevard- all lit up. I watched my unopened box of Klondikes slowly but completely leak out upon the freezer bottom.

That was the last straw.

But mind you - and this was utterly important in my decision making processes: I was not hiking away from Ike. Houston is beginning to learn that New Orleans and Katrina is a special case of a city built under the coast it sits on. You sit on your porch in New Orleans staring at the levees 50 yards away. New Orleans, quiet as it is kept, is zero miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Houston is 50 miles inland. A 50 foot storm surge is not going to travel 50 miles inland. So we are learning to hide from the wind, stay our bucks off the freeways and let the people who really need to flee the surge do so.

So I was not running from Ike: this was a pull in the after wake of Ike. How do I telecommute with no electricity?

Frustrated, I went to San Antonio.

Now remember, as far as the eye could see was lit up. I was thinking to myself: there's something else at work here. Something not in the ordinary . . . so let me check the ticket sources to see if the Silver Stars have any games left in their WNBA season. Sure enough there was a game showing for Saturday. And versus Sacramento.

I had seen a line of something somewhere suggesting that Ruth Riley was with San Antonio. That alone would have gotten me to a San Antonio game even without Ike. Then there's the knuckle head who thought like most Americans that the Cold War was over: excuse me, with even just week's left in his presidency, and I'll leave that there.

But I knew that Sacramento would never part with Nicole Powell, and to me she is an incredibly beautiful spirit. But I really wanted to see Sacramento, though, because of Kara Lawson: I loved her Olympic gold medal game. Kara came in halfway through the first quarter, and said: "This game is over." It was never close again!

Wow, sistu!

I was still in SA for game three. Caught that one, too.

I am back in Houston, commuting to the brick and motor (by car, by rented car) 60 miles each way in, not Houston's, but the nation's worst traffic situation.

But I'll be back in SA Saturday v LA.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Godspeed, Becky

This was hushed: South Dakota born and raised Becky Hammon (center front) was not among the 29 players selected to tryout for the US Olympic women's basketball team. It is not so hushed now: and the sheer incredulity! Unimaginable. The star player on each of the WMBA teams - the two star players- at least should be invited. Becky Hammon has been the face of the WNBA this century. America needs to pause, and listen. I am a Becky Hammon fan: always have been, always will be.

With not really representative pics of Australia's Penny Taylor

Friday, August 1, 2008

No surprises in the selection of the US Olympic women's indoor volleyball team. Unfortunately.

I have searched for three hours now for a good picture of the US women's indoor volleyball team, and found not one. Mug shots of the twelve players, yes: a good picture of the team, no. I am convinced that such does not exist. How about, instead, a coupl'a two three good photos of the Japanese swimming team arriving at the Olympic village with . . . adrenaline and humility and modesty in the face of a world of competitors; not 'ho-bitch funky attitude that this retarded world just does not appreciate that this sport belongs to us, adrenaline in the Olympic village. Humility. Adrenaline.

2008 USA Women's Olympic Indoor Volleyball Team

# Name Pos Ht Hometown College Born
1Ogonna Nnamani OH 6-1 Bloomington, Ill. Stanford 7-29-83
2 Danielle Scott-Arruda MB 6-2 Baton Rouge, La. Long Beach State 10-1-72
3 Tayyiba Haneef-Park OPP/OH 6-7 Laguna Hills, Calif. Long Beach State 3-23-79
4 Lindsey Berg S 5-8 Honolulu, Hawai'i Minnesota 7-16-80
5Stacy Sykora L 5-10 Burleson, Texas Texas A&M 6-24-77
6Nicole Davis L 5-4 Stockton, Calif. Southern California 4-24-82
7 Heather Bown MB 6-3 Yorba Linda, Calif. Hawai'i 11-29-79
9 Jennifer Joines MB 6-3 Milpitas, Calif. Pacific 11-23-82
10 Kim Glass OH 6-3 Lancaster, Pa. Arizona 8-18-84
11Robyn Ah Mow-Santos S 5-9 Honolulu, Hawai'i Hawai'i 9-15-75
12 Kim Willoughby OH 6-0 Napoleanville, La. Hawai'i 11-7-80
15 Logan Tom OH 6-1 Salt Lake City, Utah Stanford 5-25-81

Head Coach: Lang Ping Assistant Coaches: Yong Li, Sue Woodstra, Tom Hogan

Lang Ping is currently the only female head coach of a national volleyball federation with a team in the top 20 world ranking.

This is the official site for indoor volleyball.

Women's Olympic Games 2000
Qualified Teams
1.CHNChina (host country)
2.ITAItaly (1st World Cup)
3.BRABrazil (2nd World Cup)
4.USAU.S.A. (3rd World Cup)
5.ALGAlgeria - Africa
6.KAZKazakhstan - Asia *
7.RUSRussia - Europe
8.CUBCuba - Norceca
9.VENVenezuela - South America
10.POLPoland (1st World Olympic Qualification) *
11.SRBSerbia (2nd World Olympic Qualification) *
12.JPNJapan (3rd World Olympic Qualification) *
* The Asian Continental Qualification Tournaments were played combined with the World Olympic Qualification Tournaments in Japan
FIVB World Ranking: 1. Brazil 2. Italy 3. Cuba 4. USA 5. Japan 6. Serbia 7. China 8. Russia 9. Poland 10. Korea * 11. Dominican Republic * 12. Kenya * 13. Germany * 14. Netherlands * 15. Peru * 16. Turkey * 17. Thailand * 18. Chinese Taipei * 19. Puerto Rico * 20. Egypt * 21. Algeria 22. Kazakhstan 29. Venezuela * not qualified for the2008 Olympic Games

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Ouch?

Michelle Wie DQ'd from State Farm over scorecard mishap It is hard not to feel with her. And this is the second time she has been similarly disqualified during her professional career.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Literally out of nowhere: a moment of sobriety for the US Track and Field contingent to Beijing: she doesn't need to win, just to go

"Muna Lee (2nd L) crosses the finish line to win the women's 100m final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon June 28, 2008. Torri Edwards (L) finished second and Lauryn Williams (2nd R) finished third." (I know: it is terrible when you have to borrow the picture and the caption, but I can't beat this one.)

Muna Lee clipping recent USC grad Allyson Felix' heels in the 200:

Photo sources: (in order) Yahoo! News/REUTERS/Steve Dipaola; Yahoo!News/AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Some good news going into the Olympics: Wimbledon '08 was all Venus and Serena

Singles:

Doubles:

Lisa Raymond has often complained that she is the highest rated doubles player in the USofA and that it should be she not Serena or Venus representing at the Olympics. Clockwise from top left: Serena, Venus, Lisa and her doubles partner Samantha Stosur of Australia.

Photo sources: (in order) Yahoo! News/REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus; Yahoo! News/Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Who is?

Hint:
The use of these images is not intended to defeat the owner's copyright interest, but the images are used under the "fair use" exception to the copyright laws for public comment on a public broadcast of an event of public importance. The use here implies no copyright interest of any sort in the images.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Wimbledon '08: week 1; second pass

In women's singles: the second round stats for Ana Ivanovic "over" Nathalie Dechy were 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-3) 10-8 with elapsed time by set of 58, 63 and 83 minutes. Sharapova did lose in round 2.

Wimbledon '08: week 1, first pass: Sharapova's tux

Perhaps it is ill-advised to remind other competitors that you are the highest paid woman in all of sports; I mean, they have their complete lack of sympathy for Anna Kournikova as a predicate.

Photo source: Yahoo! News/AFP/Carl de Souza

Wimbledon '08: week 1, first pass: Venus, round 2, form

Photo sources: (in order) Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Alastair Grant; Yahoo! News/REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico; Yahoo! News/REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico; Yahoo! News/REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

Wimbledon '08: week 1, first pass: Ana's loss in the second round that she won

When I first saw this photo of Nathalie Dechy during her second round match with Ana I sensed a disbelief on her part that Ana was still out there. It is not a look of respect or admiration, just disbelief: "I can't believe you're still out here!" Perhaps Nathalie watched (the US) coverage of the French Open final where they talked about nothing but how Ana's team shielded her from this and didn't tell her that. Well, they couldn't shield her from the shock of what Nathalie put on her buck. Ana won, but she . . . herself . . . does not know how. And in that she lost: she lost what made her number one. This could have repercussions well beyond this season: she has got to reclaim what made her number one, and take that to the next level (and that "and" is a "must!")

Wimbledon '08: week 1, first pass: Ana, round 1 , form

Photo sources: (in order) Yahoo! News/REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque; Yahoo! News/REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus

Wimbledon '08: week 1, first pass: Venus, round 1, form

Photo sources: (in order) Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus; Yahoo! News/REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Wimbledon '08: week 1; first pass

I've actually been right on top of Wimbledon this go round, but that is in terms of my image surfing. At this point, I have not visited the official site, or looked at schedules or perused the draw, but I have seen some things: Venus' form, Ana Ivanovic's loss in the second round she won, and I think I've seen suggestions that Sharapova is out. I want to take a quick pass at these, then go out and get some official information for the coming week . . ..

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

pre-Wimbledon '08: Jelena's smileys

It's a good thing that, though I am a computer geek, I am not a nerd (well not too much of a nerd), because I would have a field day and a half making smiley gifs of Jelena Jankovic pre-Wimbledon practice "I-am-so-upset-that-Ana-has-gotten-a-ticker-tape-parade-and-all-kind-of-attention-and-I-am-going-to-win-this-tournament-and-have-me-a-ticker-tape-parade-and-none-of-you-clowns-had-better-get-in-my-way" smileys.

Below, world number 1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in Serbia June 10, 2008.

Photo sources: Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Alastair Grant; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Alastair Grant; Yahoo! News/AP Photo/Srdjan Ilic

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Friday, June 6, 2008

French Open '08: through day 12: Dinara

In Berlin she took out Justine Henin then Serena back to back. Here in Paris she sends her then favored home sister Sharapova packing 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, sidesteps homegirl Dementieva 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-0, then just walks on home people Kutzy 6-3 6-2.

The finals (Saturday morning here) is going to be 'da bomb: Ana, Dinara: both young (notice Dinara's stamina in her third sets), both pretty eager for a slam title. Both seeing this as a superb opportunity to get that first slam title. Both knowing that if it's going to happen soon, it going to be here. Can't wait. This is game.

women's singles draw