renard

I'm a big Dmitrov fan and enjoy watching him play but he MUST be disciplined/suspended for his actions today. That was both an epic collapse and unforgivably, childish behavior.

I've been waiting for this thread to open so that I could ask the same question. On one hand I think Claire and Phil would make a good pair running the company together; on the other hand, they are a (more) comedic version of Lynette and Tom Schavo from Desperate Housewives.

I liked most of the episode but the ending has me calling BS; the Secret Service (if not the protective details for the other nations also) would have had all roof tops locked down. Hate to see Dmitri sacrificed.

I have not yet upgraded to a SmartTV, AppleTV, etc. so I still depend on and actual...TV and the AT&T U-verse set top box. ESPN is forcing us to "learn" to watch TV on devices other than ordinary TV; they do not see tennis on network channels in the future (low ad revenues) but only available via app/internet. I certainly enjoyed the experiment a few years back wherein Tennis Channel utilized multiple channels via DirecTV to show all of the courts. I have used the usopen.org website before when there was conflict with local midday news and CBS's coverage as well as Saturday coverage on CBS when I was at a high school event. I'll have to borrow a 2nd laptop and set both up on my desk to watch instead of working on my laptop and looking up at the TV as I do with everything else. Also, I can't record anything while I'm gone on an airport run this afternoon. To think that in 2015, we're back to the days before the VCR.

Despite some very good doubles on Armstrong today (both Men's SFs, the 2nd Women's SF and a Men's Champions match with Cash, Philippoussis and the McEnroes) there will be NO tennis broadcast by ESPN until the Women's Singles tonight on Ashe. FUCK ESPN!!! I'm not really liking this new schedule; I'm guessing it will be the same tomorrow.

Yeah, the chauvinistic schedule (women in the day session/men at night) really bit them in the ass. Now they're showing the Djokovic match from last night even though we didn't get to see all of the Wawrinka match. Hopefully TC will d a better job.

There does seem to be a regular weather pattern which produces 30 minute-1 hour rain showers on Wednesday-Saturday of the 2nd week going back about a decade or so. Then again, we were doing just fine when Cliff Drysdale opened his big yap yesterday talking about the roof superstructure and remarking that it would be ready for play next year but luckily hasn't been needed this year. Schmuck.

Well, that should be nice dinnertime programming. But a,so means the Federer match won't start until abut 2-3AM. Ouch. That's what we get during the Australian Open.

I give her a pass. FTR, I believe she is young and has shown flighty behavior more indicative of a 15 year old. But in this case, I'm not certain of the rules but I think they DO have to show up unless they are actually in the hospital, etc. The "scene" I blame on the tournament(s)/USTA. A few years ago, the USTA had an deal with Lexus who supplied car service for the players; they even installed cameras in the cars and some players recorded messages of them riding through Manhattan to/from their hotels/the tournament or going out in the city for the day evening. As a result, the tournament created this "non red carpet" entrance which is staffed by photogs to get pics of players as they arrive. The one the really gets me is the wakl through the Wimbledon grounds, especially of Murray, surrounded by this throng of people as they head out to outer courts. For that matter, I really don't like the shots in the hallway as they walk out of the locker rooms either at Wimbledon or the US Open; give the payers that final few minutes to collect themselves without a camera in their face, much less one of the idiots asking "What's your game plan?" It's all the whoring of the sport and players for extra advertising dollars, not that I'm against all whoring or dollars-far from it-but there has to be a line. That match is actually in the afternoon, the 2nd up on Ashe-probably around 1PM EDT, in between Lepchencko/Azarenka and Stosur/Pennetta. Federer/Isner is the night men's match, last one of the day. SerenaFan (hate her behavior at times, etc.) and I hope she does prevail tomorrow night and on Saturday. But I must warn you, especially if she should win the end of year championships also, then the talk will turn to the Serena Golden Slam 2016; remember Steffi actually won a Golden Slam-all 4 Majors + the Olympics in 1988. Barring injury or other players stepping up, there isn't much reason to say it is impossible.

I have and always will LOVE late night tennis from the Open. I agree with you but from an entirely different perspective. Note: I am not a Rafa fan (FedFan) but I do recognize his gifts, etc. I think Fognini could and should have won this match in 4, maybe even 3 sets. He definitely should have won the 1st set imo. He just went off the beam for the final 3 or 4 games; Nadal remained solid but by no means spectacular. I think that allowed Nadal to continue to roll through the 2nd set which he may have won even if Fognini had won the 1st. Nadal will have to grind this out with some continued "help" from Fognini catching the net. (It's 2-2 now.) I don't see him running away with it but Fognini could.

While I'm no fan of...well, anyone on ESPN with the possible and sometime exception of Darren Cahill, Pam is a 2nd to Brad Gilbert in the "talks too damn much" category. For the most part, there is no more network coverage of tennis; ESPN does tape-delayed replays of the finals of Wimbledon and the Australian Open on ABC in the afternoon after they've aired live. I forget the exact set-up for the French this year but they may have done the same. I disagree about the length of Rafa's shorts; I actually like them and mentioned this either earlier this year or last year when he switched to them. I was one who teased mercilessly when he first arrived on the scene 10 years ago with hi clam-digger, Capri pants below the knee. The length he now wears was the standard for much of the 70s and 80s; there was a shorter length, initiated by Connors and Borg in the late 70s which was about 2 inches shorter. I say this as I grew up and started playing tennis during this era. I primarily wore the Arthur Ashe collection by Catalina in the 70s, then went to Le Coq Sportif and IXSPA in the 80s (also Arthur Ashe endorsements) with some Boast and Fila, later Polo Ralph Lauren. I had one set of Robert Bruce terry cloth shorts which were Jimmy Connors signature which were incredibly short, almost obscene, but I was a 17 horny American male. The problem that I have with the longer basketball-type shorts which became popular in the 90s with Sampras is the pockets which have you carrying the ball too low and loosely such that it can be distracting when you run. by hitting at or above your knee.

Yeah, that's what she was talking about how brilliant or some such other nonsense ESPN was to do that. Of course in a similar vein, almost 40 years ago at the Commercial Union Masters at the Summit in Houston, TX, they did an interview with Charleston Heston in between sets of the finals; Wojtek Fibak was leading Manuel Orantes. Heston said not to count Orantes out and made some very positive comments which was put up on the arena screen; Orantes came back and won the match and title in 5 sets and he credited that "pep talk" and support of the crowd. I was at that match and the doubles finals the day before. I skipped it this year and turned the TV back on at 5-0 in the first. Rough day on the seeds. I'm old school; I wish they'd return to a standard power-protect matching, i.e.1v16, 2v15, 3v14, etc. and randomly inset seeds 17-32. Thanks. I had not known the full story about Cincinnati before nor the fuckery with Cit Open. Good for Donald Dell; he was Arthur Ashe's lawyer so he is aces in my books. I remember him and Bud Collins on PBS, yes PBS, Saturday-Monday night during the summer series in the late 70s. QFs on Saturday; SFs on Sunday and Finals of both singles and doubles Monday night.

Coco Vandeweghe just slurped ESPN big time after her win; she is DEAD to me!!!

I just checked the schedule and see that ESPN is up to their usual shit again. Play starts at 11AM tomorrow so they won't start broadcasting (on TV) until 1PM; they switch coverage from the Mothership to the Deuce at 6. NOTHING important going on at 11, just Cibulkova v Ivanovic, Nishikori, Mardy Fish, Dimitrov, and Lauren Davis v Heather Watson. Same shit they pulled in Canada? with the women, only showing it online/ESPN3, I'm guessing. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the capability that the web channels afford in expanding coverage but when they chose to ONLY show matches there. I do also like that if you do choose (are able) to watch that way, you get that match and ONLY that match until it concludes, not ADHD tennis which generally happens the rest of the time, even in the overnight repeats. At least Blue Bell Ice Cream is back in stores in Houston starting tomorrow.

Beginning of the end...? Honestly I don't remember now but there was some "special segment" series on the show this week which had me downloading the podcasts from iTunes. When I went to get Friday's show, it abruptly said that the podcast had been discontinued. Any rumblings? I had read an article earlier in the week that may heads may be rolling soon, mostly in the evening, as Phil/MSNBC tries to tack back from the Far Left. Rachel was said to be "safe" but most of the evening and afternoon line-up is slated for pink slips; Rev might get a weekend slot. No mention of the morning folk.