mb palaver

SportsPalaver: Tennis Still Life

 

Tomorrow is September 12, which means two things:  I have 2 hours to post something to avoid going a full year without a post, and my GEICO payment is due tomorrow.  I also have that empty feeling I get every year when the last ball of the US Open is struck, though even if the pros are mostly done with 2016 I've got four more months of playing at Rock Creek Tennis Center, above.  I just need to figure out a new way to get there once the multi-year Beach Drive project gets underway as soon as next week.

Congrats to Angelique Kerber and Stan the Man Wawrinka for their US Open victories.  Kerber beat Pliskova yesterday, after having lost to her in the final at the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio last month.  My brother and I saw that match, shown below, and Cilic's win over Murray thanks to Ramona from Toronto, who happened to be sitting next to me earlier in the week and sold me her tickets to the finals.  One of my favorite things in life is random interactions with strangers. Even more so when tickets to the finals are involved.

 

 

I pledge to do better by mbpalaver in the coming months.  But not until after I make that GEICO payment.

 

SportsPalaver: After you, Alphonse

A few years ago a colleague referred to a turf battle at work as less of a turf grab and more "after you, Alphonse." I didn't know what he was talking about, but found out it was a reference to this early 20th century comic strip, featuring two bumbling Frenchmen taking politeness to ridiculous levels.  I asked my father if he'd ever heard of it and he said he didn't know the comic strip, but that baseball announcers sometimes refer to two outfielders letting a ball drop between them as an "Alphonse Gaston move."  It made me wonder why no one ever says this when two doubles players let a ball pass between them.  Maybe it's because doubles isn't covered much on TV.  Maybe it's because the Bryan brothers do this less often than I do.  Whatever the reason, this seems like a job for Brad Gilbert, who, along with Patrick McEnroe, is announcing today's US Open men's doubles final between Jamie Murray/John Peers and Nicolas Mahut/Pierre-Hugues Herbert on ESPN3 (aka the Internet)) at noon.  I would be completely disheveled if @bgtennisnation said this.

 

And speaking of Brad Gilbert, I am loving these Voya ads:

 

 

 

 

Photo credit:
"Alphonsegaston" by Opper, Frederick Burr - American Journal Examiner Retrieved from Scoop. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.

SportsPalaver: Bjorkman (and Murray) at Citi Open

 

It's probably safe to assume not too many people were aiming their cameras at Andy Murray's coach Jonas Björkman on the practice court at the Citi Open today. But I was a fan of the former top 10 Swede, and not just for his tennis.  Here he is doing imitations of top players from the '80s.  I found another version with better video, but somehow the French commentary on this one seems like a bonus.

 

 

SportsPalaver: Citi Open 2015

DC's annual lead-up to the US Open started today at the Rock Creek Tennis Center.  Though the major matches in the Citi Open don't get started until Monday, this weekend for $10 online ($15 at the door) you can wander the grounds and see qualifying matches, watch the pros practice, and gawk at players as they go about their business.  Today I saw the temperamental Marinko Matosevic beat USA's Austin Krajicek in a third-set tie-breaker, then saw Matosevic -- after playing for a couple of hours in 90 degree heat and humidity -- jogging around the adjacent soccer field.  (It reminded me of Agassi's complaint that Jim Courier would do that after beating him back in the day.)

You can buy tickets and find information at the tournament website and find practical tips at the Washington Post.  It costs $15 to park on the grounds and the lots there get filled up later in the week.  Neighborhood parking is restricted during the event.  If you haven't used uber before, you can get "up to" $20 off and get dropped off at the back entrance.  Whatever you do, don't try driving up 16th Street during the evening rush and expect to take a left into the parking lot without an excruciating wait.  Pudding Man and I did that once and after all that wait we got shunted to an off-site shuttle lot anyway.

The northeast court is a great (and shady, in the afternoon) place to see top players practice.  Above I'm trying to pick up tips from Sam Groth for how to up my service speed to approach his ATP record-breaking 163.4 MPH serve (hit in a tournament in Busan in 2012).  I've got a ways to go.  Groth was practicing with fellow Aussie Lleyton Hewitt.  I also saw Kei Nishikori and Kevin Anderson hitting today, and ran into friends who saw Grigor Dmitrov and Andy Murray on the practice court (not necessarily together).  I almost accidentally photobombed a kid's selfie with Richard Gasquet.  No sign of Tommy Haas today, but if you're a fan check out the Citi Open's announcement on facebook on Thursday that Denis Kudla and Haas got wild cards -- clearly whoever is running that facebook page is a Haas admirer.

 

Edited to add that tomorrow (Sunday, August 2) is National Parks Kids Day:

National Parks Kids Day

Come out and join us for our National Parks Kids Day, which will include a USTA Play Day, DC Public Library Story Time, Platform Tennis, appearances by local mascots, face painters, and more! All kids 14 and under will receive a complimentary reserved ticket for Session 2 and a lunch voucher courtesy of Guest Services, Inc. 

The complimentary tickets for kids 14 and under and the lunch voucher are only redeemable at the Box Office, which will open at 8am on Sunday, August 2.

 

SportsPalaver: More Federer Funhouse on ESPN(?) at 3:30 am

I believe it was ESPN's Chris Fowler who said yesterday, during Roger Federer's elegant return to form in his 4th round win against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open, that it was "turn-back-the-clock night at Rod Laver Arena."  Fowler also said today -- if I did not dream this -- that coverage of Roger's match against Andy Murray at 3:30 am will be on ESPN, not ESPN2, despite what your TV's program guide might say.  Consider yourself warned if you are taping tonight for viewing at a more civilized hour.  I will update this if I learn otherwise before I call it a night.  As Patrick McEnroe said, yesterday's match was "a look back to the Federer funhouse."  Let's hope he can keep the fun going tonight  Go FedBerg!

 

Photo by mbpalaver @ Cinci Open 2013 (I was that close but too embarrassed to take my own selfie).

ShoppingPalaver: May the Fitbit Force Be With You

If anyone on your Christmas list is a fitness fanatic or wishes he or she were, the Fitbit Force is a great gift.  It tracks steps taken, miles covered, calories burned, stairs climbed, and active minutes. All these data, along with the current time, can be displayed on the wristband device itself with the touch of a button, as well as on a smart phone app (synced via Bluetooth) or Fitbit's website.  You can input other info -- such as calories eaten and activities that are harder to track via wrist movement -- via the app or website.  I've been wearing one for just over a month and anyone who's been around me (some much to their annoyance) can attest to the fact I am obsessed.  I will park farther away from my destination, or climb 8 flights of stairs rather than take the elevator, just to increase my stats.  I particularly like the way it's made me more aware of the correlation between my level of activity and my diet.  I lost about 5 pounds in the first 3 weeks of wearing it, which is particularly impressive since Thanksgiving fell within that period.  The app interface is clean and easy to use, and I am a sucker for the smiley face feedback when I hit a goal.  Another optional source of inspiration is the ability to compete with friends (you can control what information any friends you link to can see).

The Force costs $130, which is $30 more than the Flex, Fitbit's previous wristband tracker, and the One, their non-wristband tracker that clips to your clothes.  The Force is a bit bulkier than the Flex, but it is still pretty unobtrusive, and the added bulk allows you to view more information on the display.  Some reviews complain about the difficulty of closing the strap, and they should -- it is very hard to close, and easy to pop off.  Fortunately, if you are obsessed enough about it you will quickly notice if it falls off.  It may be too late to order it online in time for Christmas, but you can buy it at lots of places, including Best Buy, sporting goods stores, and phone stores.  It comes in large or small, and the two colors shown above (black and slate).  (Unlike the Flex, you cannot swap out different color wristbands.)  It does not include a heart rate monitor, which evidently some other brands include.  Supposedly they will be adding a caller id feature (showing calls coming in to a synced iPhone), though I'm not sure why I would want that.  I do love the silent alarm, which wakes me with a gentle buzz rather than the screech of an alarm clock, and the sleep-tracker is eye-opening.  You can find a detailed review of the Force at cnet.  One word of advice:  know your potential giftee's interest in using a pedometer.  No one wants to be told they should step up their exercise.

SportsPalaver: Foxy Tennis Players

I'm watching Victoria Azarenka play Kim Clijsters in the Australian Open right now.  Azarenka, like many professional women tennis players these days, is a screamer.  She's almost as bad as Maria Sharapova.  I've tried turning the volume off when these women play, but I just can't enjoy watching tennis if I can't hear the ball bounce.  As I was watching, the sound of Azarenka screaming sounded familiar.  It was a sound I heard one night last fall while staying with a friend in Ealing, a suburb just outside London.  I lay in bed wondering what that horrible sound coming from the wooded area behind the house was.  Cats fighting?  A person being murdered?  I thought, should I wake my friend?  Call 911?  What's British for 911?  The next morning my friend said it was probably a fox.  A couple of nights later we saw one skulking under a street lamp.  Tennis fans:  does this video not remind you of Sharapova and Azarenka?  Honestly, I don't know how these women can talk after a match.  (P.S. #1:  Go Kim!  P.S. #2:  Roger vs. Rafa at 3:30 am!)

 

 

 

SportsPalaver: Australian Open 2012

The Australian Open starts in Sydney Monday (tonight our time).  On the tournament's eve, everyone's abuzz over Rafa Nadal's complaints that Roger Federer isn't pushing to change the men's tour schedule.  I hate to even mention it because these guys are such gentlemen, but I did have to laugh at this remark (as translated from the Spanish and reported by the AP/Washington Post):  “Maybe (Federer) has got a super body and he’ll finish his career like a rose. Neither myself, nor Murray, nor Djokovic are going to finish our careers like a rose."  Roger (seeded third) and Rafa (seeded second) are both in the bottom half of the draw, meaning if they meet it will be in the semis.  Novak Djokovic, not surprisingly, has the top seed, and Andy Murray rounds out the top four.

On the women's side, Caroline Wozniacki is seeded first, Petra Kvitova second, Victoria Azarenka third, and Maria Sharapova fourth.  As usual (lately) on the women's side, it seems like anything could happen.  Li Na, the Chinese player who made it to the finals last year but lost to Kim Clijsters, comes in at the fifth seed this year (though Kim's down at 11).  Ana Ivanovic is only seeded 21st, but I couldn't resist the photo above (from the australianopen website).

You can find draws and updates on the tournament website and on TENNIS.com.  TV coverage in the US will be on ESPN2 and Tennis channel; times and channels are listed on TENNIS.com at this link, which I always use when I'm recording and avoiding spoilers.  (Speaking of which, I better go delete those 10 episodes of The Mentalist clogging up my DVR.)

The schedule is demanding for those of us half a world a way.  I wish I could do a swing shift for this fortnight.  If you need any help figuring out what time it is in Sydney, timeanddate.com is my favorite clock and calendar website.  Right now in Sydney it's Monday at 2:41 pm.  That freaks me out.

 

SportsPalaver: Wimbledon 2011

 

There's a new Wimbledon champ on the ladies' side of the draw.  This morning Petra Kvitova -- a 21-year old Czech lefty -- beat Maria Sharapova in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) to take the title.  The men are up tomorrow.  Rafa Nadal will seek his third Wimbledon title, but will have to overcome Novak Djokovic, who has been nearly unbeatable in 2011 and who will be ranked world number 1 when the new ATP rankings come out Monday regardless of who wins tomorrow.

I'm still despondent over Roger's loss in the quarters to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.  On my birthday.  Harumph.  (Though I do love watching Tsonga play.)

Coverage of the men's final starts at 9:00 tomorrow morning on NBC.

Photo from wimbledon.com.

SportsPalaver: French Open Finals 2011

I somehow managed to stay in a news bubble about today's French Open men's semis results until I finished watching Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic in 4 sets, against the pros' predictions, just moments ago.  To Roger-detractors I can only say: "Face!"  Roger will now play Rafa Nadal Sunday morning at 9, carried by NBC.  It'll be just like old times, and no matter what anyone else says, I say it could go either way.  I thought Roger looked better out there today against Novak than Rafa did against Andy Murray.

But first, reigning champion Francesca Schiavone will take on Li Na tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9 am on NBC.  I like them both, but have to root for the almost-31-year old Italian.  I love the way she scrambles all over the court, the strength and grace of her one-handed backhand, and the joy she takes in playing.  Whoever wins, it'll be a change to have no Russians and no Williams in the women's final, and to have the tallest woman (Li) standing at 5'8" (Schiavone is a perfect 5'5" (perfect because that's my height too)).  I always like to root for fellow shrimps.

 

Photo of Francesca Schiavone from official Roland-Garros site.