by E. Spencer Kyte, Bugs and Cranks
Forget every disparaging word I have ever said about the Mainstream Media's coverage of Tiger Woods during a Golf Tournament.
I don't care if he's first or forty-second - this is the guy to be talking about.
He's a freak of nature and quite possibly the greatest athlete hobbling around the planet today.
Not golfer - athlete.
Could LeBron or Kobe knock down an 18-foot jumper with time winding down, their team down one and only a handful of weeks after having surgery? And they're playing for the fourth consecutive night...
His commercial compadre Roger Federer was in the running, but seeing as he has this thing about not ever being able to beat Nadal in France, he's out.
Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are huge talents too, but seriously, there is no way they could do what Tiger has been doing these past few days.
The fact that he was even in contention this weekend speaks volumes about his competitive drive, his tenacity and his desire to be the best every single time he picks up a club.
That he dropped that putt on 18 to force today's playoff - where he is currently 2-up through 11 - makes me look like an absolute moron for ever questioning the coverage of a just-off-the-pace Tiger.
Oh, it also lays to rest the "Is he the greatest ever?" debate too.
Answer: Abso-fucking-lutely!
Monday, June 16, 2008
I TAKE IT ALL BACK!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
My Day at the US Open
by WCT, Wasting Company Time
Yesterday, my office got us all tickets EC sent me as a correspondent to cover the US Open of Tennis at the USTA Tennis Center in Queens. It was a wonderful day of grand slam tennis, filled with thrilling... eh, who am I kidding? I know nothing about tennis. Here are some observations:
- The first match we saw was Lleyton Hewitt vs. Amer Delic. The only observation from this match was the fact that Lleyton seems to be the only prominent tennis pro who is sticking with the backwards floppy hat. Not to sound snobby, but isn't that look kinda played in 2007? Doesn't it remind you of Andre Agassi from those Cannon "rebel" commercials from the '80s? Anyway, Hewitt made quick work of Delic, disposing of him in straight sets.
- The chair umpire for the Hewitt-Delic match had a strong British accent, and for some reason, we thought that was so fitting. In a sport like tennis, all chair umpires and announcers should have British accents to have any credibility at all.
- It was also during the Hewitt-Delic match that we learned that they play cheesy rock and 80s music over the PA system inbetween sets. Isn't that weird? In a sport as prissy as tennis, we figured it would be either complete silence or elevator music.
- The next match was Martina Hingis and Mathilde Johansson. We don't know much about tennis, but we know a beatdown when we see one, and Johansson got handed one Tuesday.
- Overheard in the stands: Apparently Johansson has a brother who also plays tennis. Whatever.
- In between the first and second sets, the PA system played "girls just wanna have fun."
- The third and final day match on Arthur Ashe Stadium was James Blake vs. Michael Russell. The PA blasted Lenny Kravitz during the warm-ups, and Blake was clearly the most popular player among the fans (Why is he so popular by the way?). Blake had his own cheering section of a bunch of people in light blue shirts. Very strange.
- Apparently, James Blake also has a brother who played tennis.
- Everyone in the stands near us spoke about Blake as if they knew him personally. What is the deal with this guy? I hadn't even heard of him until he appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo, and this entire stadium acts like they know him.
- I skipped out of the Blake-Russell match to check out Daniela Hantuchova vs. Julia Vakulenko. Definitely the highlight of the day.
- Because it was on one of the side-courts, we were able to get up close and personal with the ladies. And by "get up close and personal," I mean leer at them at close range and snap pictures like complete perverts.
(apologies for the horrible photography. It was a goddam cell phone camera, get off my back. If you want better pics of her go here)
- Hantuchova is definitely worth the price of admission (or she would have been, had we paid admission), so you should do yourself a favor and check her out in the future. She has put on some weight from her days as a seemingly-anorexic teenager, and looked quite nice in her black Nike skirt and top.
- We say "check her out in the future" because you won't be able to check her out anymore in this tournament. In true Kournikova-ian style, she self-destructed and lost in the first round to an unknown from the Ukraine. And here I thought the Ukraine was weak.
So there you have it. A few hours in the sun, one of those giant (and overpriced! don't even ask) souvenir tennis balls, a couple glances at an Eastern European chick in a short skirt, and some championship tennis. All in a days work.
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