Tuesday, June 7, 2011

What's Up? - Topics #8; Entries for 5/11 - 12/12

Anything can be posted here! We'll talk about Politics, Sports (figure skating, tennis, basketball, & football), TV, and Movies (Batman & X-Men)! Posts framed w/ "***" are comments from others transfer'd! - (Closed - 100 posts)


"Superman v Batman: D of J"
 
 

100 comments:

  1. ***Republicans Are Depressed - ...at least in America, 95% of the people can accurately be described as stupid, unread, and uninformed. What makes it worse is they don't know they're ignorant. They're ignorant of their ignorance. The idiots actually challenge the few erudite as if they were intellectual equals.***

    Tell me about it! It's hard for me to even go downstairs to get the mail! Someone is always doing or saying something indefensibly stupid! We're going down and I'm not sure even Obama can help w/ that! Some mentioned the way Republicans could take back the WH, but it usually entails wishing the worst; high unemployment, gas spikes, and economic crashes! That's kinda sick, but expected from right-wing a-holes! We heard them from the 1st weeks back in 2009, "we want this president to fail!" People like Rush, Newt, and even members of Congress w/o hesitation or embarrassment admitted they'd rather the country go under than deal with Obama as president! That's more than a little sick after such a monumental election!

    ***Wishing? Nobody has to wish gas prices are high, ... unemployment is high...nobody has to wish the economy is hanging by a thread. If anybody thinks this president has been successful at offering solutions that actually work, they're the ones that are ignorant!!***

    They're obviously "helping" more than wishing the worst in Washington! You have Republicans trying to undermine every idea, project, or bill that could possibly bring the country back from the brink! Boehner and his cronies promised to hit the ground running to get the country back to work! They've done everything BUT! Most of their time other than ridiculing the president is spent on some Jihad again women and organized unions! I'm still trying to figure out by cutting funds to Planned Parenthood how that creates jobs! They've already cut taxes to the bone, but they aren't done continuing to support subsidies to the oil companies as late as today! Now they're trying to stand up to criticism to their budget idea which would take Medicare into a voucher program even though they know the whole country is against it! If I didn't know better, I'd swear these were "Manchurian" candidates set up to bring down The Log Cabin party altogether! Polls are against all this stuff, but they persist thinking they know better and the time is now, the iron is hot! Things are already in the toilet, you might as well take us all over the cliff; "isn't that right Rush?"

    ***Wait a minute, the Republicans didn't want the trillion dollar stimulus b/c they said it didn't target job creation incentives and guess what? ... and now we have inflation and prices are sky-rocketing at the grocery stores and at the gas pumps.***

    Still fighting mental health I see! Go back and do some research babe! Obama alone saved the American car industry! You guys wanted them to go under so the foreign producers down south would have the market alone! But with just a few billion loaned to them, that saved thousands of jobs and 100's businesses! Since you belong to the "low-info" group we've been talking about, let me tell you, when you save an industry, there's a domino effect! By saving GM & Chrysler, that saved their suppliers, which saved drivers, outlets for their goods, delivery, on and on and on! Why is that so hard for people like you? It's not that complicated! Infrastructure projects are coming along and are well needed! Streets, bridges, parks, underground pipes, and the like are in terrible disrepair! Luckily I live in Chicago and our mayor had the foresight before retiring to make sure all of that stuff has been taken care of for decades to come! Wherever you're from, I would check that out! Minn.'s bridge that collapsed wasn't that long ago; should tell you something! WAKE UP and try to at least get your facts straight before coming on here and embarrassing yourself!

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  2. ***Obama alone saved the auto industry? Bush didn't begin the bailout? Besides they still owe billions to the taxpayer. They may have saved some jobs, but they had a lot of layoffs when they closed all those dealerships. I guess all those non-unionized employees in China make it a pure lucrative profit system instead of paying the big wages for unionized workers here in the States.***

    Complain, bitch, & moan; that's all you ever are! Hey, you didn't want to take credit for these bailouts, I dropped Bush even though T.A.R.P. was started before Obama took office! Make up your mind, either take ownership of what you've done, or leave the discussion to the grown-ups! Bush helped to put us in these "straights" and Obama is doing his best to get us out of it! That's the true pecking order!

    You just can't win with some people! No matter your argument, facts, or documentation, it'll never be enough! These guys from the "Flat-Earth" society will put you in a position of that old joke about why some guy was banging his head with a hammer! I think he would reply "because it feels so good when I stop!" That's what it's like even talking to these losers! They can't help but see things a certain way, even though delusional! The news is full of info, but Fox News gives them another spin I guess! Who else but FNN lackeys would be supporting Michelle Bachmann? You have to admit the info level has to be scraping the barrel; we can only hope!

    ***RYAN BUDGET PLAN AND REPUBLICANS CATCHING HELL FROM PUBLIC***

    You don't have to see or hear of a poll to know Republicans have made a colossol error threatening Medicare! With a symbolic vote they knew couldn't pass a Democratic Senate nor get the signature of the President, and it's going to cost them next year! The commercials have already been written! They can't back away from Ryan fast enough, but they can't! They've thrown all their eggs into one basket and NEWT just kicked it! It's Catch-22; they can't support Ryan's budget plan, but they can't totally run away from it because the T-baggers will annihilate them in the primaries in 2012! They really don't know what to do! Right now they're tripping over each other's feet! McConnell has told his members of the Senate that there will be no arm twisting to vote for this budget set up to embarrass them by Harry Reed as soon as possible! lol! His hands has to be shaking with the inevitable back-lash that all Republicans will have to deal w/ regardless if they vote "for" or "against" this piece of legislation! They're done! I can't wait!

    http://fiero425.multiply.com/video/item/175 - Seth Meyers at WH Correspondence Dinner! He murders Donald Trump!

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  3. ***Future #1 Humiliates King of Clay Once Again - Straight sets beat down over Rafaux on slow, wet clay. - Ay caramba!***

    I really have this feeling he's "toying" with his opponents of late! He'll rally with you for a while then tomahawk a backhand down the line or cross-court when you least expect it! That backhand is what's taking Rafaux out of his game! It's so solid when one of those hard, topped forehands comes at it! Nole just steps in and nails it down the line while Rafaux can only struggle to get to it leaving another opening for a put-away!

    ***Novak is in Nadal's head - He relishes playing Rafa now and that didn't use to be. He wants that #1 position and unlike Murray, he isn't afraid to go and get it. Whether Fed is around or not......The record is: 16-11 in favor of Rafa, but Novak is gaining fast and the look that Rafa may hit 10 GS is no longer a certainty!
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    Rafa to stay at 9 Slams? I wouldn't put money on that***

    Neither would I! Players today come and go! Davydenko was killing it, ranked #4 or #5; he's gone! They keep talking about Murray, but I think he's peaked! Sorry, but my guy Fed is slipping! Rafa should be able to fall into a GS title or 2 before all is said and done! lol! The other guys just don't want it! They're happy enough just testing the top players! There's a reason there's only been 4 players to win Slam titles in almost 10 years! In the old days when competition was just as tough for Sampras, at any given time you still had 10 or more GS champions in the men's draw! What happened? Is Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Del Po just so much better than the rest or do the others have the heart to take them down about now?

    ***Nadal always pretends to be injured or tired when losing. Heck he even did that when Federer destroyed him at TMC2010 in London. Anyway I hope Federer wins Wimbledon and the USO.***

    Nothing was less sportsman-like than last year's Wimbledon if I remember correctly! He was down early in 2 matches where he was having trouble, they were truly beating him, and he got his injury timeouts along w/ coaching; warned Uncle Phony a couple times about it too! Sorry to add to the hatin', but I've thought Nadal is probably the worst representative of #1 since Rios; had ranking for about 5 mins.! Thank goodness it'll go to Nole soon! It's obviously hard to think highly of Nadal when you see most of the top endorsements continuing to go to Federer even though he's dropped to #3! You can't have the top player moanin' about his boo-boo's when he loses a match or 2! It's just not right and it's classless!

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  4. ***Rafa closing in on 100 weeks at #1 - hopefully he can stave off the charge of the Serb... he needs help though.... it's beyond his control now.***

    Take a picture; the inevitable is around the corner! As of 5/19, Nadal has to win the FO to stave off Nole even for a short time! He can't add points; he can only replace 2000 points from last year's title win! If he doesn't win the FO, Novak can lose in the 1st round; makes the final, he still takes over the top! Bout time too! I know better, but of course the whole world is wondering about this anomaly of an undefeated player who has beaten his top rivals is still languishing in 2nd place!

    ***Rafa is a great player and fully deserves his successes, and he is innocent until proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt (for performance enhancing drugs) - That said, the warning for illegal coaching on the most hallowed turf in tennis is one of the black spots in tennis history. Nobody needs to got through that ignominy of getting warned for illegal coaching.
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    How come Rafa fans can continue to ignore his gamesmanship tactics and hail him as fair sport when in a strategic sports like tennis he tries to steal advantage with his tactics like jumping up and down during coin toss or the deliberate delay in each point? - I remember that Wimbledon match very well. Nadal's victim that day was Philip Petzschner who was clearly not impressed by Nadal's fake injury and wished his injuries could heal as quickly and as miraculously. Up until that match I was neutral towards Nadal and had never posted anything negative about him. Seeing how he stooped so low to win the match, I realized that beneath that false facade of humility lies a vicious cheat who will do anything to win.
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    2003-2011 Fed -16 slams
    2005-2011 Rafa -9 slams

    2002-2011 Fed's titles : 67
    2004-2011 Rafa's titles: 45

    Fifth slam ( Miami) Fed - 3 Nadal-0
    Highest prestige Master win other than Slams and 5th Slam : YEC Fed -5 Rafa-0

    Don't bring up just 16-8 (11-2 on clay, 1-2 on grass, 4-4 on hard courts). See the discrepancy in # of clay meetings. ...Based on their career trajectory of 2 years of gap, I would say Rafa has 2 years left to be on the top echelon. That means he has to win almost every GS and every tournament he enters to match or exceed Roger's number in 2 years. Good luck on that with Nole on his heels!***

    Delusion reigns supreme around here at times I see! They are lying to themselves if they totally dismiss the "gamesmanship" aspect of their fave! True enough he's taken all those clay matches from Fed, but he did it undermining his own ability! Roger hasn't once complained about the despicable tactics of Nadal, but it'll all come out in the wash later! I can't wait for the books to be written after all is said and done! I had no idea players like Boris Becker were always "running game" since their confidence wasn't enough for them to win on ability alone!

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  5. The idea is that the entire Republican party will look like a bunch of idiots when they've made such a big deal of this symbolic piece of legislation! They all hooked arms w/ the T-Baggers in this plan of Medicare reform which is little more than semantics; "whither on the vine" has been spoken by some! They just can't seem to learn to STOP threatening the New Deals of the Democratic party! The people like Social Security, Medicare, & Medicaid! For some insane reason Republicans have to go thru this ritual of embarrassing themselves; sorta like when they suggested investing Soc. Sec into the stock market; crashed in march of 2001! Well that dropped that, but not for good! They want to privatize it so bad they can taste it! Something keeps getting in the way, usually common sense! There's going to be more hell to catch when the people find each of these new state governors attacking Planned Parenthood, unions, abortion, & de-funding of the education system! This Jihad on the American people just can't be explained! It's just such an evil agenda I don't know how they've survived this long!
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    There's been a Jihad on voting registrations; trying to limit and restrict citizens that have voted for 40 or more years in an area! They're making it more difficult to register all the time demanding birth certificates and other photo id when the poll officers know these people personally! Some can't afford some of this stuff and the courts will overturn that BS! The thing is why do we allow this stuff to occur in the 1st place? When you have shady goings-on, they should pay for it!

    The "right" hasn't really paid for any of their mistakes! Bush and a Republican Congress sold us all out; gave away Clinton's budget surplus, started 2 wars with a lie and didn't pay for it, gave tax breaks during war time to the wealthiest of our citizens, signed into law a prescription drug bill that wasn't paid for either! I can go on, but in the end, with only 2 years out of power, we're willing to turn the reins back over to these animals! They could care less about the country! They just want to be in charge even though they've proved things always go into the toilet when it happens! Thanks "W;" you're a real American hero! Don't leave the country, you'll be arrested for war crimes!"
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    ***Planned Parenthood? You mean Murder Inc. who is responsible for the deaths of 125,000 Black babies per year; and growing? The same Murder Inc. that Obama threatened to shut down gov't behind if the Reps voted to stop funding it?

    Tell me why is Obama so obsessed with Planned Parenthood while it's complicit in the genocide of the Black race? Why does he expect the American people to foot the bill for murder.***

    Spoken by a person who always speaks up for the unborn, but after that birth; NOTHING! They will cut every child program having to do with education, food distribution, & child care! Such hypocrisy on their part and others! The louder people scream against abortion, the more I know they could care just as less after they are born! "Get your priorities straight weirdo!"

    ***Roe vs Wade IS LEGAL AND THE LAW......and a Black man is PRESIDENT. DEAL with it!! - CAN YOU answer this question: What happened to the WMD'S?

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/09/965192/-Jon-Kyls-qualitymy-response-to-the-Planned-Parenthood-lie

    Right, Fiero. The people who protest abortion saying it kills unborn babies, then some fanatic blows-up the clinic killing the baby, the mother, the doctor, and his staff. Others go to the doctor's house to shoot him. Unbelievable!***

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  6. ***The Toughest Slam Event of them all... - I say the French Open with the clay and heat of Paris in the summer.***

    Looking at the history of GS play, each tourney has been written about as the toughest for different reasons; surface, weather, time of the year! Growing up in the Borg era, you had to believe the French Open was the toughest making Bjorn more noteworthy by winning 6 in 8 years! The court was slow, the balls heavy, and the weather conditions could be abysmal with heat and humidity! Over the years they've changed the court speed and balls, but I still put it as the toughest Slam to win!

    The USO was thought to be tough because of the heat and humidity! I thought it was more stressful due to schitzo way in running the tourney! It was in a rotten area of NY for years at Forest Hills! They decided to go from the traditional grass courts up to '74 and go to Hard-tru clay in '75! They didn't take in consideration clay masters would rule with Borg the King & Vilas his illegitimate son! Connors was the only one to stay even close to competing well vs Ilie Nastaste, Raul Ramirez, Manuel Orantes, Andriano Panatta & others! Our standard bearers (Dibbs, Solomon, Gottfried, Stockton, Tanner, Gerulaitis) couldn't keep us in the top echelon of tennis leading to another surface change in '78 to hard court! The 1st year it was as fast as a pane of glass! They've fiddled with the formula a few times making the court quite slow as in '91 where Edberg took almost 5 hours per match to a reasonable speed for both aggressive and defensive players have a chance to compete!

    Wimbledon grass was thought of as the great equalizer! Someone like Becker at 16 could go in there and just blow all the competition away, but they've fooled w/ the speed of the court as well slowing it down! During Borg's era at any time someone could knock him out w/ just speed and bad bounces! It plays as much as a hard court these days so I feel it's tougher to win than in the old days when upsets were plentiful!

    The AO was tough mainly due to the horrendous weather conditions; heat and wind blowing at Kooyong Stadium! When they went to hard court an added stress factor was created, the court could reach out and grab you if it was hot enough! The rubber mixed with the court was absorbing the sun's heat and you had top players like Gabriela Sabatini going out with a severe ankle or foot injury! The court was gummy and I guess they've figured out what's been working for them the last decade!

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  7. ***The video clip of Newt condemning the Ryan Plan as "radical," as "right wing social engineering," etc. which Reps all voted for in the House - all 100% of them - will make great clips for ads against them in the 2012 campaign.
    ---

    Glad all the communist in America have welcomed Newt into their fold personally. I can't wait to see the Dims' ads that would feature Newt as their poster child. Please pass the popcorn box watching President Obama implode as I haven't seen a President fall this hard and fast since Jimmy Carter!***

    You must read text books bound for Texas! How soon we forget "W's" dad was polling in the 90's after Desert Storm! It didn't take a year for a small, backwards state Gov. to overtake him and beat him in '92! It was all about the economy and Reps are notorious for doing little to help it! Clinton proved he could get things done while all the slings and arrows of the psychotic "right" were being hurled his way! Bush 43 couldn't stand that much prosperity and peace and you see where we are now! Hopefully Obama can bring us back! Not sure it can be done with people obviously working against the interests of their country! "I hope he fails" was the mantra of these animals from day one! Disgusting!
    ----

    Ron Paul or his stupid son aren't racist! They are being quite serious, thoughtful, and consistent! They are just saying gov't shouldn't have the right to tell a person or business how to comport themselves! Being Black, the knee-jerk reaction would be to call them racists, but I don't! They are just being a little too literal when it comes to the the Bill Of Rights & Constitution! They aren't taking into consideration the norms we live by which doesn't accept that type of talk or thought! I think it has to do with guilt over the atrocious history when it comes to minorities, but I understand where they're coming from, it's just not acceptable for let's say a lunch counter to say they won't serve Blacks! When it comes to Reps, I pretty much wrote them off w/ some of the most despicable tactics being used to win elections, but if a gun was put to my head, I wouldn't mind checking the name for Ron Paul!

    ***Regarding discriminating, Paul said it's not the right of the Fed-Gov't to tell anyone who they should or shouldn't do business with. With drugs, Paul is in favor of decriminalizing them b/c again, it's not the job of the Feds to tell you what you can put in your body. This would most benefit Blacks as most that are in jail are b/c of some petty drug crime violation.***

    You have the intellectual take on this subject, but if you want to talk about some real racism, let me point out a few instances:

    Michelle Bachmann of Minn - calling Obama admin. some kind of "gangster gov't!" I'm just not sure how anyone could take that anyway but what was intended! Would she say this about Clinton? I don't think so!

    Newt Gingrich - calling Obama some kind of "food stamp" president! What else can be inferred or implied? He's a sleaze merchant from way back! People keep saying how smart he is, but what was more ignorant than trying to say we have more recipients of food stamps because of this president!

    I'm sure you guys can all come up w/ similar ignorant statements from Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, Michael Savage, Ann Coltier, Laura Ingraham, Michelle Malkin, and the rest!

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  8. ***Martina Hingis on the French, 'Pova and the Sisters - This FO is a great opportunity for Maria Sharapova to complete a career grand slam.
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    Very Funny... Martina Hingis seems a whole lot happier being a very wealthy, young, and fit ex WTA player. She had a lot of pressure from succeeding too young - Don't think she could have possibly have written it on her own, but who knows?***

    U guys have got a lot of nerve, but what else is new? Hingis won't ever be able to win over you losers! She says something nice, it had to be written by someone else! This was well written so it had to be someone else! This little lady is more worldly and articulate than any of us here! We can barely speak and write English; how many languages do you think she possesses; 6,7,8? One of these days some of you will grow up, but I won't hold my breath!

    ***Nole called Rafa best player ever. That's GOAT to you. 16-8 H-H over Fed. WOW, and he did that while in teens and early prime. How is Fed gonna tie that H-H with Rafa now in his prime?***

    All that will matter in the history of the sport is that GS #; 16+ when all is said and done! With Nole out there competing, you can forget Nadal surpassing Fed!

    ***Rafa is 2nd best of his generation, and will never be mentioned with the top 5 all time greats. It's best for his fans to just learn to accept it early.***

    You can make a name for yourself taking French Open titles, but you make history with multiple wins at Wimbledon and the US Open; sorry! Borg was already great, but it's his 5 Wimbledon titles that people 1st think of; specifically the tie-breaker w/ McEnroe in '80! No one even remembers that Borg had to beat players like Vilas, Ramirez, Nastase, the Bagel Twins (Dibbs & Solomon), Fillol, Orantes, Pecci, Gerulaitis, and at the end Lendl in '81 at the French! Rafa needs a few more USO and "W's!" That's just the way it is; no matter your insistence it doesn't matter! He will barely make the top 10 all time w/o them!

    ***...She did not write that article on her own, she does not have that capacity or vocabulary. She is still an extremely angry and vengeful person.***

    Seek some serious help babe! The only vengeful person seems to be you right now! A tirade against this little girl is just over the top unnecessary! You don't know her, none of us do! It's more than a little ridiculous for you to say she doesn't have the capacity to write something like this! I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate someone saying the same about you! Your capabilities may be quite limited, we don't know!

    ***Martina knows how Woz feels being #1 and incapable of winning slams. She's lucky to have gotten hers in earlier in the last weak period of the WTA. Otherwise her career may have been comparable to Woz's.***

    People love to undermine Martina with that "weak era" BS, but it won't matter in the end! She still has 5 slam title, a GS in doubles, and held onto the #1 ranking longer than anyone in recent memory besides Justine Henin! "Scoreboard!"

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  9. ***Martina Hingis' opinion about the FO is valid; she was a finalist in '97 and '99. A 5 time slam winner (3 Australians, 1 Wimbledon and 1 US Open); she also has played Venus and Serena. I think her opinion is as solid as anyone's.***

    Amen & hallelujah to that! (raises hand to the Heavens)

    ***Fiero and the "Fed should skip RG" morons ... LOL ...next we'll get Rosco with more of his theory about clay courts being so much harder on a player's body than hard courts lol***

    So none of you geniuses think Fed's age shouldn't be taken into consideration! What is wrong with you guys? Scheduling is the most important thing you have control over when you're entering the last years of a career! I'm getting ready for it; some others are being quite delusional thinking he can go on forever! I'm as big a Fed fan as anyone, but I'm also realistic! He's been struggling, esp. on clay! Might as well go on to Halle as I said! No shame in leaving the hard work to the kiddies at the FO! In 1989, Edberg almost died trying to go from that 5 set final to Wimbledon! He was barely there and lost in straight sets to Becker; one a bagel!

    ***Pete was totally washed up for 1-2 years and still pulled one last USO out of his...hat.***

    I hope you know I never thought Fed was washed up! I just think he should cut back on unnecessary tourneys and matches; esp. on clay! He worked too hard making all those finals only taking 1 title! "Let it go Roger!" He has to be under so much stress w/ responsibilities of a #1 player, a huge family that's hanging onto him, and new blood throwing everything but the kitchen sink trying to beat him! He's not #1, but he's still regarded as such on the court and in the endorsement world!

    *** I know what you are saying Fiero, and I will admit I am nervous for Fed going into that match. I also believe that knowing how tight that last match had been, he will be ready. I am aware that Fed is not the same. I know he has his peaks and valleys in matches now. He can't maintain that intensity, and Lopez is still a younger guy, and has the opportunity for a big upset here.***

    Bless you; finally someone who understands! lol! Thanks!

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  10. ***Republicans pretty much concede 2012***

    This is more than conceding babe! This is all out self destruction! They went out of there way from the beginning to undermine the president successfully taking what they could in 2010! The over-reach was right on time when they thought the iron was hot to suggest doing something with entitlements; Medicare in particular! Now they're scrambling to just hold on! That 23rd District up north in NY will tell the story in a special election! With the help of a Tea-Party spoiler, the Dem. candidate is holding her own in a heavily Republican area! Due to attacks on Medicare in the Ryan budget plan that doesn't have a chance of passing the Senate or President signature, they're finding themselves battling for their very lives when it didn't have to be that way! A ceremonial vote to appease the T-baggers is going to cost them! All old people are going to hear and see in the campaign from now until nov. 2012 is "Republicans want to take away your Medicare" w/ a voucher program! What a bunch of idiots!

    ***Republicans don't want to take anybody's Medicare....However, they do want to curb the spending on generational gov't dependent programs that continue to be abused by a class of folks, who seem to be allergic to having jobs...***

    There weren't any "death panels" either, but that didn't stop Republicans from saying it! I can still see Senator Grassley standing there talking about "The Dems want to unplug grandma!" Bastard! "Cry me a river!"

    ***Obama is simply horrible at 'on the fly' politics...ie no teleprompter....He is utterly transparent..***

    I wish you guys would make up your minds! You say he's transparent, while others talk about him being secretive and with-holding! Which is it? That's why your message is so garbled! You guys won't stick to a single tactic! It's ever changing and evolving! What happened to you guys? You used to be able to stick to message! lol! Goof-balls!

    ***Obama is a typical Dem...let's throw a boatload of taxpayer's money at problems, and see what sticks...***

    Well at least he's trying to do something! If Reps were running things nothing would have been done! You guys suggested letting the "car industry" go under! With a little infusion of cash, they are now on their way back! Thousands of jobs were saved with hundreds of business that were in the chain of parts and services! Reps are so short-sighted or is it the plan to trash the economy? We already know you can't handle prosperity taking Clinton's budget surplus and giving it away! You started 2 wars w/o paying for them, created a prescription drug bill w/ no funds; and now the bill is coming due! I just wish we had more rational Americans! They wouldn't let themselves get suckered into giving up all hope and going with right-wing crazies periodically!

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  11. ***Why did Trump drop out? - news flash--he was never in---
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    Ya I know, however, why did he change his mind about being a candidate?***

    He couldn't campaign for anything after his show was re-newed for next season! Lawrence O. on MSNBC knew from the beginning that the May line-up date would be the end of Trump's so called run for Prez! That was never going to happen! He would have to open the books to show how worthless he really is! He can't take the scrutiny! You saw he had no sense of humor at that WH Correspondence Dinner last month! With the birth certificate issue resolved and the killing of OBL, there was nothing he could do! He was fortunate OBL was taken out! They would have nailed Trump all week for how the President made fun of him and his decision making! Seth Meyer just eviscerated him! "Donald Trump said he had good relations w/ the Blacks! Unless the Blacks are a white family, I'm sure he's mistaken!"

    ***They have no one worth voting for anyways. Haven't had one since Lincoln.***

    You got that right! Their main problem is a lack of new ideas which are rational! The "Prince of Darkness," Robert Novak once said "the Republican Party hasn't had an original idea since they freed the slaves!" Seems so!

    ***The problem with the Republican Party is, if the new Idea doesn't have anything to do with them, they want no part of it. This is the farthest from being "for the people" as you can get.***

    You see how collectively they've lost their minds up in WIsc.! The people are against all these new bills and actions of the Rep party, but they're racing the clock to enact them before they're all recalled! They're making it harder to register and vote, trying to take away collective bargaining, de-certify the union, and more, but it hasn't stopped Walker from just about crossing the contempt line with judges there! I see him being escorted to a holding cell if he doesn't get control of himself soon!

    If Republicans were more rational, I might be able to stomach pulling that lever, but they've proved the kool-aid they drink is strong and they can't be reasoned with of late! Guys I had tons of respect for are now raving lunatics so obsessed with undermining Obama they can't think straight! What happened to Grassley, McConnell, Kyle, Luger, Boehner, McCain (coming back), and all the others? I figured after the Obama landslide they would come together to help the country, the economy, and our standing in the world! They've done nothing but downplay, speak negatively about, and further exacerbate the bad economy! To get $30 Billion in an extension of unemployment benefits last year, Republican forced down the country's throat another tax cut bill of nearly a trillion dollars for the rich! "Thanks guys; you've probably sealed our fate!" So much for them caring about budget deficits! What else can be said?

    ***Are there "death panels", no. (I guess) - Are there gov't bureaucrats who will decide who qualifies for what life saving / life extending care? Yes then, and yes still.***

    I'm almost sorry for Republicans with the commercials coming out showing Grandma being dumped from her wheelchair over a cliff, but for years I've watch them be as divisive and evil as any psycho serial killer! I could care less what tactics are used against them!

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  12. ***Romney is the de-facto front runner, but for a front runner he's rather weak. Still though, a reasonable resume for a Presidential candidate. Experience in the private sector and governing a state. Economy is his top knowledge. Pre-vetted in 2008. Looks the part. Seems level-headed and calm (temperament). Only problem is that damn Romney-care.***

    That's only a handicap because of politics! He was quite proud of that piece of legislation and to placate the "right," he's being made to denounce it! That should take him out of the running; no backbone or even consistency in his beliefs! What a tool!

    ***Republicans are about to send us into a depression - Congress needs to make enough cuts so we can start paying off our debt. We are spending too much and I'm afraid increasing the debt limit will only advocate more spending.***

    This is the master plan for these nimrods! They hate the New Deals created by the Dems! Knowing the people like and want these programs, they have been systematically trying to bankrupt the country; Federally and locally! All too often you hear of a new Rep. Governor doing exactly what Bush did in his 1st administration! He gave away Clinton's surplus, allowed Congress to spend us into oblivion never vetoing a single budget sent to him by that Republican Congress! States are giving away huge tax cuts while slashing budgets, including education and family services! Tack on the Jihad against Planned Parenthood and CBA's of Unions, I don't understand why anyone would want to vote for a stinkin' Republican! They have put us in this position and do nothing but complain and moan about how they would do things differently! Yeah, they would; the country would probably go under totally like Greece! You guys want that?

    ***Congress needs to make enough cuts so we can start paying off our debt. We are spending too much and I'm afraid increasing the debt limit will only advocate more spending.***

    Did you say that during the Bush years? We were paying down the debt! It was actually under $5 Trillion and going down with a nice cushioned surplus! The brilliant Republican Party didn't like that kind of prosperity and have put us right where we are now! You can't start 2 wars, give 2 huge tax cuts, start a prescription drug program all without raising taxes! It's basic math, but for some strange reason it was acceptable to all conservatives out there! Now that Obama's president, they're going to complain about deficits and spending! Brilliant! "It's too freakin' late; by at least 7 years losers!"

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  13. ***At this time, the WTA is not in a good space or place and that is just being honest. The ladies certainly need to get it together, as the WTA for the most part is exceedingly lackluster and unwatchable!***

    Some would rather delude themselves into believing "everything's fine;" NOT! I haven't been this bored since '94 or so! Graf was losing a little, Martina had just left for good; (eeeh), Seles was on hiatus due to the stabbing, and the vacuum was being filled by Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario! I love the 'little bumble-bee,' but OMG, the retrieving wasn't exactly the most exciting to watch! Seles came back, but the quality of tennis was still lacking until Hingis came to the fore! People call that period a "weak era!" In Comparison to others, it may not have been as competitive as others, but at least she represented well! She was #1 for quite a while and won or played at least one GS final each season thru 2002!

    ***Hingis was nothing more than a placeholder btw TRUE greats of 2 different eras...***

    People will say that, but I prefer to underline her accomplishments! Those give her more credibility than most w/ 5 slams, a GS in doubles, and holding onto the #1 the longest in recent memory, nee Justine Henin! You can ignore that resume if you like, she's still in the top 20 all time! Martina-(squared)!

    ***Nadal really not impressive in his 5 set win over Isner in the 1st round of the FO***

    Nadal is such a tool! There he is jumping up and down like he won the tourney! "Hello, you just survived a 1st round match in 5 set idiot!" One of these days he'll grow up! Sorry; I'm from the old school! I never acted like that after beating an opponent; even in a final! It's juvenile and lacks compassion! If he wants to be a surly, ugly acting winner, cool! I don't have to like or approve of it; thank you very much!

    ***The thing about Nadal's Matches - All the men go to the towel after almost every point...***

    All too true! That's one of the reasons you have 3-4 hour matches; even w/ the ladies! It's more than a little pathetic and silly esp. when you watch Martina and Chris playing a 3 hour, 3 set match and didn't towel off once between points at the FO! It started ages ago w/ base-liners like Lendl and Jose Luis Clerc in '82! I think I was watch that clay court event in Texas at a private club in River Oaks? They would hit an ace and go directly to the towel and just take their sweet time before serving! Umpires tried to speed up play a bit w/ 25-30 sec. clocks, but over the years they've abused it so much, they're useless!

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  14. ***Fox News Most Trusted News Source - FOX is as despicable as the rest. The only reason they are doing well right now is b/c the Obama admin. is failing, and FOX is reporting it.***

    Yeah Obama is failing! If Obama is failing, WTF happened to Bush and his admin.? Obama has nat'l health reform, Osama BL caught/killed, other bombing incidents caught before they occurred, a stock market DOW that was under 7.000 is now well over 12,000! What does Bush have as a legacy? 911, Katrina, Tax cuts for rich folks that is depressing our deficit, lack of regulation of Wall Street so it all crashes again under a BUSH! What else can be said? They trampled the Constitution and Bill Of Rights and conservative judges installed that will shape our country for the next 30 years! You have to be truly delusional to compare those records even though Obama has only been in office a couple years! Bush had 8 years to do something worthy of a president! I'm still waiting for something besides the talking point of, "there's been no major attack since 911!" AND? Pathetic! They were such an embarrassment and nothing infuriates me more than defenders of these traitors! I can't wait for Bush or Cheney to be caught abroad so they can be arrested for "war crimes!"

    ***The GOP has a bunch of great candidates. Of course they all have flaws b/c EVERY candidate has flaws. They aren't running against perfection. They're running against President Food-stamps.***

    Flaws? You're kidding right? You have Newt and 3 marriages, Romney flip/flopping on his own health care reform in Mass., w/ Pawlenty being the biggest liar talking about how fiscally responsible he was as governor when we all know he left them billions in the hole! Minn.'s credit rating took a beating recently during the rip off of accounts to pay others, raiding retirement funds, and borrowing from other sources with the bill coming due now; sorta like Bush w/ Obama! "Thanks losers!"

    ***Chrysler has Paid off Its Loan, or Obama would have you think so***

    Paying this loan back, killing OBL, losing a Republican district in NY to the Dems, you guys should have other things to worry about namely how to hold onto the House of Representatives! It doesn't look good for people who insist on attacking Medicare and Soc. Sec.! DOLTS! Extending tax cuts to the rich and continuing to support subsidies to the oil industry; you guys can't really do more to help us out, can you? Well you are Republicans! Dumb ideas which blow up in your faces is becoming a staple!

    ***What doesn't look good..is the Dems lying about Ryan's Medicare budget plan? Barbara Boxer was on Chris Matthews lying thru her teeth ...NOT mentioning once that his plan doesn't take affect for 10 years..and that it won't affect anyone 55 and over! ...***

    Well the Ryan budget is a "non-starter" anyway! Even it was a viable plan, you said it yourself, the affects won't take for 10 years! The purpose of this budget was to lower the deficits now; it increases it with more stupid tax cuts, a continuing of those oil subsidies, and taking more and more support from public services, food programs for kids and seniors, and other ideas which will only weaken the middle class! Can't you tell, they're running from this budget? It's "catch-22!" If they vote for it, they'll lose more support from the people who don't want Medicare touched and if they vote against it, the T-baggers will nail the Republican party w/ lack of support and a sponsoring of their own candidates to go up against sitting incumbents! "BE afraid Sen. Orin Hatch!" It's catching up to them all; finally!

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  15. ***McEnroe: "Borg and Laver played in a weaker era than today's" - When talking about Djokovic's win streak versus his own, McEnroe clearly stated on ttc today that the depth and talent of todays field completely overshadows his own and the one before it.***

    You didn't get as many upsets in years past even though level of professionalism has increased and improved! Overall the talent is significantly better today, but just 20 years ago in the men's draw at a GS, you could have 12 different GS winners! I'm sure you know of late, the name of major champions can be counted on one hand with a thumb amputated! As respectful as I am of the ATP, they've come up short letting Nadal and Federer own this past decade! It shouldn't have been that way when you think of the level of talent out there!

    ***Nadal in the shadow of true greats of the game***

    True enough! You're not being malicious, but you'll definitely get an argument! I've already said in the past Nadal's record at the FO is notable and he'll be right up there with Borg, but you make history at Wimbledon & The USO! He needs a few more of those to be thought of in the top tier of GOAT's! I'll simplify it by posting the top 7 or 8 which are definitive greats above Nadal off the top of my head:

    Federer - 16 GS's and counting! 6 Wimbledons, 5 str .USO, 5 AO, 1 FO to complete career GS

    Sampras - 14 GS, 7 Wimbledons (3 and 4 str. respectively)

    Laver - 2 Calender Year Grand Slams and would have had more if not for amateur status being lost in '62! Came back to win 2nd GS after Open era in '69! 11 Slam titles

    Borg - 5 straight Wimbledons - 6 French Opens (4 str)

    Emerson - I can't totally dismiss this man! It's not his fault there was a clash of amateur and open era! He still owns 12 GS titles and was a great double's player

    Ivan Lendl - 8 GS titles - played 8 str. USO's winning 3, 3 FO's, & 2 AO

    John McEnroe - 7 GS titles - 3 W's & 4 USO's

    Jimmy Connors - 8 GS titles - 5 USO's - held #1 ranking for 268 weeks

    Even without the majors, Ivan, John, & Jimmy hold records Nadal will never possess! Kinda tired; may have missed somebody, but this is the way I see it for now! I can be corrected or convinced!

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  16. ***I agree, when Del Potro is 100%; he is very dangerous.***

    Del Po would have been the next #1 if he hadn't had that wrist injury! He has a beautiful game reminiscent of Kevin Curren of South Africa! He was a Wimbledon finalist in '85! He took out McEnroe and Connors in successive 1/4 & semi pretty much blowing them off the court; just like Del Po over Nadal at that USO semi a couple years ago! Curren had a way a "slapping" at the ball to get extra pace! You don't have as much control since your timing has to be perfect, but if he's in the zone, DP can annihilate the best players with pace and taking time away from you!

    ***New balls are causing havoc for Rafa - I'm sure you've seen the '06 and '07 finals. The ball was super slow. I mean with these balls Federer would've won back then.***

    I don't understand the complaint! They're all playing with the same type of equipment, clothing, and now "the balls!" I wouldn't mention it if a big deal was made of the balls while they were heavy and slow maybe cancelling out the style and grace of our guy Roger! I doubt it so I just can't hear belly-aching about balls when they all have to deal with the situation! That would be taking away from the players who got thru this change! Sorry! I take everything too seriously I guess!

    ***The new balls may be causing Rafa some problems, but many players, especially Fed, have complained about them. Rafa, when asked, has made very neutral comments about the balls. I doubt that these balls would've changed the outcome of any previous FO if they had been in use for a while. Fed grew up playing on clay w/ heavy balls, so that's not the reason he lost.
    ----

    Other players have picked up on the pattern that Djokovic uses to beat Rafa; pound non-angled shots deep into his backhand side. The good news for Nadal is that not many players can do it consistently.***

    You got that right! It's what's been eating up Federer when he plays Nadal! That high ball to his backhand can only get so much pace and spin on the ball if he gets it back at all! Djokovic has not as much a formula as an ability and confidence to go for that shot deep into Rafa's backhand side! I keep telling people, confidence plays a major part in winning! You can have all the strokes, speed, & athleticism, but if you don't have the confidence to make a shot, you'll always fall short! Look at today's contest w/ Sharapova! She was down in both sets, facing set points, but she had the confidence to come back while her opponent I won't even mentioned just gave it away! It's one of the reasons I can't watch some of these players! They can't do the simplest and most straight-forward action on the court; serve for a set or match! Most of these women can't do it! It's very frustrating to see happen again and again! I was so hoping the "Scream Queen" would be gone by now, but the experts are putting her right up there with Azarenka as a possible champion getting that career Slam under her belt!

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  17. This thread concerns Gingrich w/ anecdotal comparisons not hit jobs on others! Of course the 1st thing you do is try to justify attacks on Edwards when you've been shot right out of the water already! Give it up, just say Newt's in trouble and it's of his own making, not the main street media! If not for them, he wouldn't be talked about at all! He's a nut and a hypocrite and always was!

    ***It isn't a huge story.....just to ideologues it is. Who cares where the man spends his money? Maybe he has a taste for expensive items....since when is that an issue? ...***

    Just keep deluding yourselves! "It's called payback babe; ..and it's a bitch when it comes!" People like Gingrich have used petty, personal things against his opponents all too often and for him to complain about this is absolutely laughable! If he had a real brain he could see his campaign just went "up in smoke!" He stepped on his message last week, now this embarrassment! There's nothing else to be done but "shut it down!" I'm only trying to help you guys; REALLY!
    ----

    Pawlenty Bid For President Over Before It Begins - Jeremy Giefer, Tim Pawlenty Pardon, Could Haunt Republican After New Molestation Charges

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/30/jeremy-giefer-tim-pawlenty-pardon_n_790148.html

    A Minnesota sex offender Gov. Tim Pawlenty joined in pardoning two years ago faces new molestation charges, a situation that could be used against Pawlenty in a possible presidential run. Pawlenty was part of a three-person board that pardoned Jeremy Giefer. Giefer was 19 when he was charged in 1993 with having sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend, whom he later married. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail; he had served his time and was free when the pardon was granted. Giefer is now charged with sexually abusing another girl more than 250 times both before and after he was pardoned in 2008. ...
    -----

    ***I have watched Hannity once and a while. Shows like his are so hypocritical no wonder people are tuning out.... I'm sure even conservatives get tired of that rhetoric after a while.***

    I had a theory about that years ago! I wondered why Air America had so much trouble with ratings! They didn't hide being advocates, but they were honest regardless of what conservatives said about them! Conservative talk radio blew up 20 years ago it seems with Rush, Savage, Dr. Laura, and others! Their message rarely strayed and I finally realized "low-information" types need that re-affirmation daily! They don't hear the main street media repeating this garbage, so in effect they're just hanging with "like types" w/ nothing really fresh and innovative coming from them!

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  18. ***They may move the Djokovic/Del Po match to "Suzanne Lenglen"***

    If I were playing, I might tell them to go jump in the sea! What about those poor people who fought to get seats where they are, will now have to scurry across the quad to do it again? The last time I remember this happening is 1983 at Hilton Head for a WTA event! Martina had crushed her opponent in the semi on the feature court! They were beggin' for Andrea Jaeger and Tracy Austin to move their marathon match over! Initially Andrea balked, but later she relented and lost in 3 long sets!

    On a side note, you won't believe how ridiculous this match turned out! Martina and Tracy were in a slug-fest initially breaking each other's serve until the end of the 1st set! It was 5 all, then Tracy held finally! I thought, no big deal! Martina will hold serve then finish it off with the tie-breaker! She lost her serve for the 6th time giving the 1st set to Austin! The 2nd and 3rd then featured Martina dismantling Austin, running her around like a head-less chicken taking the match 5-7, 6-0, 6-1! So much for clay being a weakness for this #1 player! People forget Navratilova was brought up on it coming to notoriety getting to the Italian and French Open finals in '75 losing both to Chris Evert!
    ----

    The real rivalry for the future #1 & #2 could be Djokovic and Del Po! I thought JC had a chance to get to #1 real quick if not for that wrist injury! He annihilated Nadal and survived a valiant defense of the USO in 5 over Roger Federer a couple years ago! I mentioned this before; JCDP has a way of swatting the ball like Kevin Curren of South Africa! It's very "wristy" and the ball travels in a very straight line, not giving you a lot of time to react! I guess I should be surprised he can play at all! Years gone by that would have been the end of his career!

    ***Bad scheduling has become an annual tradition here at the FO***

    This didn't have to happen! This match could be over by now but for Tsonga! I was up early and watched him take the 1st couple sets over Wawrinka! I figured with him being the home town boy, he was playing well, and Stanley was just giving it away; I thought it was over! Laid down for a couple hours only to wake and see them playing a 5th set! I couldn't believe it along w/ Caroline upset! What is going on? Daniella? Are you kidding me? I thought she was gone; again! Now they're telling me she's been playing well! Where? Oh well, I guess I better keep up with the behind the scene "going's on" of the 2nd and 3rd tier of women's tennis! They all moved up; sorta like "good to prime" in the meat industry back in the 70's! Choice is now good! All the real prime is gone; injuries, retirements, apathy! Can it get any worse?

    ***"You're usually way too over the top for me Fiero, but this is pretty priceless. I was thinking the same thing and it happens every couple of years. I somehow hear Dani's name for the first time in years and always think to myself "wait, she's still playing?"***

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  19. ***No way Joker beats Rafa in the FO finals if it happens***

    We can only hope this is the changing of the guard and a real rivalry will be produced! People keep talking about Federer and Nadal and their rivalry; NOT! The age difference was too much! This was like McEnroe catching Borg in his last years! It was the same with Navratilova & Graf! Martina's main and only rival is Evert! Let's see if Nadal can handle a contemporary who has a killer game designed to blunt previous strengths!

    ***I hate to imagine Nadal losing to Soderling; detest Sodermocker and dislike his wild one-dimensional game. All he can be right now is a spoiler.***

    You're kidding right? No one's more surly or testy on the court than Nadal; PLEASE! He appears to be so unhappy to be out there, questioning every close call, stalling, calling a trainer when it gets tight! Speaking of one-dimensional game, who isn't these days? Annacone still can't get Federer to "push it" and come into the net more to close out these matches sooner! Next!
    -----

    Bayless Apologizes To Broussard - Normally I'm quite entertained by Skip Bayless doing "1st & 10" on ESPN's, First Take, but he truly lost it and me with his attack on Chris Broussard yesterday! The discussion had to do with LeBron James (of course) and his choice of taking Jordan's act and number! The usual banter escalated into Bayless questioning Broussard's integrity and impartiality when it came to defending LeBron! I only caught the last moments of the apology at the top of "1st & 10" this morning, but I'm sure it'll be featured elsewhere later!

    - - http://losthatsportsblog.com/2011/05/bayless-broussard-you-sold-your-soul/ - -

    ***Espn did get on Bayless' ass about it. Bayless def wouldn't have apologized for saying that. Skip told the truth though.***

    Everybody knows my boy Chris is a shill and kiss up for the NBA and ESPN's coverage of same, but Skip just went "over the top" and was insulting on the air! I'm sure Chris may have told Skip "what's what" and not just management! I actually had to turn it off yesterday because the argument was beginning "to spit!" It was truly ridiculous even for Skip!

    ***Broussard doesn't get off his knees until LeBron tells him to stop slobbin' his knob so his girlfriend can get her turn in.***

    Who doesn't slobber a little to get close to the athletes they cover? Michael Wilbon is one of the worst infractors just carrying the water for Jordan, Barkley, & LeBron! It can get a little nauseating at times!

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  20. ***Poll--Republicans Pick Rafa; Democrats Pick Roger - ...liberal progressive communist indoctrinated sheep, who thinks that middle America should pay for the rich, and the poor.***

    They get them brain-washed real young, while they still have one! Since I was a child, I wondered what happened to the party of Lincoln? I've been appalled to witness the ineptitude, bias, and outright bigotry of these people! They fought civil rights, Medicare, Social Security, and held off passage of health care reform for almost 100 years! I used to think they would at least observe laws written, but it appears they follow rules when it suits them!

    Republican politicians I used to respect have lost their souls trying to appease their base; Tea-baggers and neo-conservatives! Collectively they've lost their minds; cutting taxes for the rich, taking away public services, firing teachers, attacking Planned Parenthood, keeping wars going that were started with a lie! I could go on with the insanity, but why bother? We have accepted this as a new norm; total lunacy as far as I'm concerned! We deserve it if we allow leadership that is just as common as the morons that put them in office! They used to be better; now I don't know!

    ***Who can beat Obama***

    Obama will probably be the first guy to be re-elected with unemployment this high! The problem with the Republicans, they aren't offering anything new! It's the same ol' tax cuts, trying to limit abortions, and to undermine the middle class!" We really need that again? I don't think so! Not sure we'll get past "W's" incompetence! We'll see! Heaven knows the "right" isn't helping, "talking down" the economy, making up "birthing" & communist issues, and in general just being the obstructionists they've always been! Even Robert Novak, the "Prince Of Darkness" said "the Republicans haven't had an original idea since they freed the slaves!" They are losers!

    ***Now that the auto bailout has been so successful, some of hypocrites are crediting Bush...Funny!***

    Funny and hilarious, but also sad and pathetic at the same time! Mitt Romney was caught again being a hypocrite, liar, and major flip/flopper! He actually had the nerve to say he supported the "auto bail out!" Lucky for us, it didn't take 5 seconds to come back with footage of him in 2009 saying they should be allowed to go under just like all the other Republican leadership at the time! They've been talking down that investment even as we're being paid back! It's quite evil and un-American for a Republican Congress to be acting this way! It was bad enough they wanted to just let them die, but it was such a blatant "conflict of interest" since foreign auto-makers were in those southern states! That's where it all comes from; self-interest to the exclusion of the country! Despicable and disgusting all in one effort; "thanks McConnell & Boehner! You're real Americans! At least we know where we stand with you guys!"

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  21. ***If Fed beat Nadal for the FO title - 2 titles, 5 finals would probably put him in top 5 for Open Era.***

    Top 5 would be a stretch; sorry! You have too many players w/ a resume at the French Open including Borg, Lendl, Guga, Courier, Wilander, & others I'm sure! I guess what sets Federer apart are the consecutive finals, but he's only won the one at the end so far! This will put him in the top 5, but just barely if he can pull this off! I'm hopeful!

    ***Who's the better player McEnroe or Sampras? - I pick McEnroe. I thought during his time, the competition in the men's game was strong. I mean think about the greats he faced. Borg, Ivan, Connors just to name a few.***

    Yeah, very few! lol! It was the same names over and over; Borg, Connors, w/ Lendl, Becker, & Edberg at the end! Different eras, different level of competition! Sampras had more GS winners going after him; Muster, Agassi, Becker, Edberg, Lendl, Chang, Courier, Gomez, Stich, & Bruguera (off the top of my head)! I've mentioned during that era, you could have 12 winners of majors w/ the 1st & 2nd round matches guaranteed to be barn burners!

    You have fewer winners of majors these days w/ Federer and Nadal hogging most of them over the last several years! Way back when you had so many other guys w/ Wimbledons, USOs, & FO titles playing in every round! I was shocked to look back at FO 20+ years ago; McEnroe vs Chang, Becker vs Muster, Wilander vs Agassi, Lendl vs McEnroe! These were 16's & quarters! I think today's pros are better conditioned, blah, blah, blah, but they never win anything big! Even Roddick only has the one USO! The latest fad is wondering who will be the next lone major winner or who will be the next winner outside of the big 3 or 4? It's sad that Murray, Ferrer, Tsonga, Soderlings, and quite a few others haven't really come close! Making the final and fading in "straights" doesn't make history! Federer and Novak aren't invulnerable on most surfaces and Nadal can be beaten on clay; if the player has the will!

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  22. ***Who was the better player; Connors or Agassi? - Always hard to just about impossible to compare players from different eras.***

    You under-estimate the apathy concerning the FO & AO's back then! The women and men often skipped them to do exhibitions, rest up, or to prepare early for Wimbledon! I was surprised how many top players actually started going again! You had winners like Virginia Ruzici, Mima Jausovec, & Sue Barker at the FO alone for the ladies! For the men at the AO you have memorable characters like Mark Edmondson, Brian Teacher, & Johan Kriek! I think it really helped to have Chris dominating on clay to keep the FO relevant while Martina did the same for the Aussie! McEnroe, Connors, and many other top US players just couldn't be bothered for many years!

    ***It is funny; I had heard that "stars" used to "skip" events back then, but Venus and Serena are talked of badly b/c they never played EVERY event. The older "stars" actually "skipped" slams. Wow.***

    True enough, nothing new, but back then money was harder to come by! If I remember correctly the 1977 French Open men's share was only $42,500; and that was the biggest in the game! Exhibitions, WTT, & other venues supported the players better so it wasn't unusual for Evert, Navratilova, McEnroe, & Connors to skip the FO & Aussie! It just wasn't as valued! They finally had to cough up extra points and a lot more money to guarantee a full, high packed draw! The Wms' still are the only women who routinely miss majors and not always due to injury! That's all I gotta say about that subject! You brought it up!

    ***As it was Ashe was the president of the ATP, and was named in the lawsuit against the ATP....not Roland Garros. My facts as to why the two were feuding was missing but, still I am basically correct in the events.***

    It's been over 35 years, but if my memory serves, Davis Cup was an issue! Maybe Connors not playing and Ashe may have said something disparaging! I do remember Ashe made a big deal to wear his Davis Cup warm-up in that Wimbledon final over Connors! Connors finally started playing a little after Ashe's buddy was canned, Dennis Ralston! Tony Trabert took up the mantle of captain with McEnroe coming into his own! Add on Vitas G. and Brian Gottfried, you had a top team there in the mid 70's and early 80's!

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  23. You have a number of players with the ability to take out a "top 4" star, but the problem is "they can't seem to finish!" All too often Ferrer has Rafa beaten, but in the crunch just won't take the match! He was lucky that one time at the AO I guess! Sometimes Nadal just isn't into a tourney! I felt that way about him at this year's FO! He barely got past those 1st couple matches; qualies too! Soderling was the 1st one with a name and history vs Rafa and he just "mailed it in!" We saw Fed go out to Berdych at Wimbledon last season, so even he has no free passport to the semi! Nadal is vulnerable and players aren't afraid of him anymore! Murray; what can be said? Even when he puts himself in position to win, he'll let it slip thru his fingers! His own mindset playing so defensively will just wear him down over time and he won't get anything out of it! Rafa's killing himself playing the way he does, but he'll wind up with a nice "major" count after all is said and done! Andy still stuck on zero like other players on the cusp!

    Nole's on a winning streak even Federer and Nadal haven't come close to! He's gotta wear down sooner or later! I give him this FO though by virtue of his preparation, lack of real competition in earlier rounds, and a "walk-over" that could have been avoided but for another player who "couldn't finish!" Novak hit a little with the old man yesterday for a quick practice session! Maybe he thought McEnroe's slow ball would simulate the touch and feel of Fed on clay! He got added practice w/ a lefty against a possible final vs Rafa; (I'm assuming Murray will be run to death on that bad ankle)!

    ***Why is Nadal so hated by the French crowd?***

    There's a lot to dislike when it comes to Nadal; SORRY! He's one of the surliest players on the court, takes his "sweet time" to get ready (even on opponents serve), and is a chronic whiner; crowd, calls, injuries! If he doesn't win a point, he almost takes it as some kind of personal affront giving these dirty looks! He appears to have a great smile, but it's rarely if ever used in a match; don't give me "game-face!" He looks genuinely unhappy out there! Federer is all business, but he definitely has a joy out there! He likes creating; a real artist on the court! Even Nole is happier out there practically toying with his opponents! Am I the only person who sees this? Maybe I'm seeing things! You tell me!

    I still can't and won't forgive Nadal "running game" on the system to save his butt in those 2 early round matches at Wimbledon last year! A #1 player shouldn't have to resort to such tactics! What makes me laugh is how his fans constantly talk about what a gentleman he is, how fair, blah, blah, blah! Totally delusional! He's one of the worst and I've been around for many years! I have never pumped myself up when I was winning a match handily! The bouncing and jumping around like an idiot is getting real old!

    ***McEnroe proclaims Nadal the GOAT - Since Nadal's ascent, I believe both he and Fed have won 6 slams a piece. Beating Federer is not enough to be Goat. You have to first and foremost win more than Fed has won and then be the dominant player of your time. Nadal has not done either. Yes, he has dominated Federer, but not the field. Stats don't lie.***

    Every great player has a nemesis! Sampras had problems with big-hitters like Krajicek, Stich, & Safin! Ashe couldn't beat Rod Laver even when he was old man! For women, it's even more pronounced! Graf had a lot of trouble against little Amanda Coetzer and big hitter Mary Pierce! There's no rhyme or reason! It's about match-ups as they say in team sports! Rafa has been lucky enough to have most of their showdowns on clay you have to admit!

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  24. ***Rafa CHOOSES to cheat when he doesn't have to - Of course Nadal needed to cheat. Federer was playing lights-out in the first set. He had the momentum and he was about to win the 1st set; develop some belief that he could actually win the match. That was prime time for Nadal to call an injury time-out. He needed it; badly. And you can be absolutely sure that when it's slam time, sportsmanship goes out the window with Nadal.***

    It's an old act Federer has seen for years! Djokovic has learned and is giving it back to Nadal so I'm real disappointed Federer didn't compete a little bit better! I suppose he played as well as he could, but it is woefully less than what Nole could have brought to the table! Nadal should send Roger the same gift Fed sent to Soderling a couple years ago! lol!

    *** Of course it's a mental game with Federer. Nadal knew it. He knew the injury time-out would kill Federer's momentum. ...But should a player be allowed to call an injury time-out in the middle of a set so that it kills his opponent's momentum? Absolutely not. Had Federer won that 1st set, the complexion of the match would have been very, very different. Certainly, after winning the 3rd set, Federer would have had a 2-set to 1 lead. That's a very different scenario, isn't it?***

    I think this is why Nadal's accomplishments are undermined just a little by the masses who know what's what! You just can't keep pulling stuff like this without more people taking notice! 'Sour grapes' on my part, but it still doesn't take away from the obvious facts: Nadal goes to the "gamesmanship card" when necessary! Those 2010 matches at Wimbledon saving his bacon in the early rounds will live on in infamy! Could you imagine Roger getting called twice for coaching? Rafa should just have his doctor on call; take up residency "off court" just to cut the time of the Bull Shit!

    ***If Nole wins Wimbledon or the USO, then his season is pretty much untouchable and he ends up being the POY.***

    Unless Nole falls off the face of the planet; he should be player of the year! He has to do very little from here on out to overtake Nadal! Nadal has so many points to defend and right now, I just don't see it! It doesn't have anything to do with being a "hatah;" he's just not been at the top of his game! Those Fed mini-comebacks would never have happened in the past probably! Roger wasn't doing anything that spectacular when Rafa lost a series of games for no real reason! New balls on clay? Eecchh! What can be said? We'll see how the rest of the season goes! Still on Novak's bandwagon!

    ***FO and USO are tied in importance behind Wimbledon. Many Europeans thinking the FO is #2; many Americans thinking the USO is #2 - This is really subjective. To me, a major is a major. One may feel one is more prestigious than another, but they are all slams. They are the 4 most important tournaments. Tennis players would give up 5 other titles to win just one. -- the Wimbledon winner wouldn't have an edge though.***

    Tell that to the computer! How many times are people out here battling over the ranking situation? Safina was #1 due to her consistency, but had no majors! Same for Jankovic! Serena snickered, but she wasn't playing enough or was failing in smaller events holding onto 2 majors at the time! Believe me, they say they'll take a major over 4 or 5 smaller events, but most are players who have no hope of taking one!

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  25. ***As great as Federer is-- his record will be broken - And his record of GS victories will be broken by Nadal. Nadal will win at least 2 slams (or more) a year for the next 4-6 years. Federer is still pretty consistently excellent--- probably still solidly number 2 in the world, despite rankings--- but Nadal is just superior right now, and will be for a long stretch to come. ...
    ---

    Will Rafa's knees hold up, or will he have some knee/health issues along the way? He's only 22 or 23, but there is no question his knees will be an issue as to how things ultimately play out. Of course also challengers to him by the likes of someone who is playing him tough now-a-days in Nole. ...Fed won most of his titles in the weakest era of men's tennis in history. Then Rafa emerges and takes him to school.***

    Sorry, but the era just before Fed was more than a little weak! What made it worse, I think in the mid 90's, maybe '96, only 2 US players, Sampras and Chang, registered in the top 20, but they still were seeded 1 and 2 and made the USO final! It was a wipe-out and an embarrassment! The women were also going thru a transition and were even weaker! Graf was falling off, Seles was just back, but nowhere near her best since the stabbing, Arantxa had been more competitive, but bored the world to death, and Hingis was just coming into her own! Gaby and Martina Navratilova had already left, so the star power was way down! Capriati might have been able to fill some of that void, but it wasn't meant to be; just yet anyway! (What a waste)

    ***...I'm impressed Rafa's a great player, but just not nearly to the extent that I was with Federer. Fed displayed dominance across the board, 6 Wimbledons, 5 USO, 4 AO; only 1 FO though, but he's been to the Finals like 5 times. Nadal only has 1 USO, 1 AO, and 2 Wimbledons w/ 4 Finals there, so he's pretty good. But historically, he's not that great at the AO or the USO, and Federer has historically outplayed him at Wimbledon. ...He hasn't displayed the all-around dominance that Fed did in his prime; only on clay so far.***

    Numbers don't mean much to people who prematurely want to anoint Nadal "GOAT!" It was the same with Tiger Woods in golf! He was so far away from passing Nicholas, but they were convinced it would happen sooner or later! Almost 2 years and a sex scandal later, he hasn't added anything to his resume! Nadal is no doubt one of the best, but I'm going to wait for him to catch up before I finally award the moniker of GOAT! Why can't the Nadal-nuts just wait a couple more years to see how things shake out? You're deluding yourselves if you insist on denying Nole is here, Del Po will is coming back, & Fed hasn't left the stage yet! These guys aren't just going to roll over and give away these majors! "They're all gunning for ya Rafa; get used to it!"

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  26. ***1) Laver - 2) Borg - 3) Nadal - 4) Federer - 5) Emerson

    Sampras doesn't even belong in the conversation top 5 all time, seeing that he didn't once even make it to the final at RG. He was outstanding on fast surfaces, but...Laver deserves the top spot - he was the best of his time, and won 2 of the 3 calendar slams ever accomplished. He excelled on all surfaces.

    Borg holds the all-time records for % of majors won, and % of slam matches won. His victims in slam wins include outstanding players like Nastase, Connors, McEnroe, & Lendl. Emerson had a career slam and 12 major titles. ...For those who think GOAT status is simply a matter of adding Slam titles, I have a question: Are you willing to rank Margaret Court above Martina, Steffi, and Serena?***

    I'd put Laver at the top myself; in my heart, but back then 3 of 4 majors were on grass! There really wasn't that much hard court playing for major titles! Even the Masters moved around and could be on grass as in '74 when Vilas won it in Australia! You would have thought Ilie should win that match easily, but Vilas was really hitting the ball hard! Nastase couldn't put away his volleys! It was some match to see going 5!

    ***Will Nadal be making Slam finals when he's 29***

    True enough! No way does he make it to 30 on the court playing with that style! Andy Murray in the same boat; they work too hard! Murray could have changed, but it seems this is the mindset he has and won't be more aggressive venturing to the net! There's a reason Borg left and it wasn't just because he was 26 or he was losing to McEnroe! He had been on the tour since he was 15, elevated to maybe the 6th seed at Wimbledon due to the '73 strike by the men! That's a lot of pressure and years on the ATP; esp. w/ everyone gunning for him; Connors, Vilas, Nastase, Ashe, Tanner, Gerulaitis, McEnroe, Ramirez, and quite a few others!

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  27. ***You are so delusional. DO you really think that the Dums, I mean Dems are looking out for the little guy or the middle class? ...remember it was Clinton that toppled the whole thing w/ his failed housing plans.***

    Me delusional? Babe, you must be gaining online access at the local mental institution! You have to be under poor psycho-care left by Obama's predecessor; "W!" Clinton will be remembered for making the tough decisions and choices, making those losers on the "right" shut down the gov't; twice! He got his tax increases on the rich, reformed welfare, created 22 million jobs, lowered the national debt, and left a budget surplus for Bush to fritter away! You can complain about the housing bubble and the fraud perpetrated by Wall Street, but it was the "Repuke-licans" that de-regulated everything, letting it all sort itself out I guess! Why monitor the criminals who are your buddies? "Thanks George!" I want to see the body of that Enron joker! Did he really get away with it?

    Bush will be remembered for lying us into 2 wars, lowering taxes for a 2nd time during war-time, allowing the passage of major legislation like the "prescription drug bill" with no funding! So much for fiscal responsibility with these guys! You can blame no one but yourselves with a Republican president & Congress! Katrina inaction; great work there! Bush will definitely go down in history as one of the worst presidents ever! Don't ever challenge me when it comes to "W!" I suffered all 8 years of his "authoritarian" admin! The Bill of Rights and the Constitution were trampled on! I won't ever forget Qitmo, torture, warrant-less searches & tapping of phones, FISOR abuses, renditions, war, world-wide alienation! The world really hated Bush's guts! They burned his image in effigy! When Obama took office they were so happy, "The Nobel" was offered and bestowed without even doing anything for it! It was "THE HOPE" he represented after surviving another Bush! That had to be it! "I gotcha 'delusional' right here buddy!"
    -----

    ... It's always the hypocrisy and the cover-up that ticks me off! I could care less if these people want to cheat on their wives, but don't hit me with morality banter later! Dems don't make an issue of such things, but conservatives think GAWD is on their side; "ass-holes!" These same losers are doing "heaven knows" what under the cover of darkness and a Blackberry!
    ----

    The obvious truth is smacking you in the face, but your delusions persist! How soon we forget a Republican Senate giving Senator Vitter of Louisiana a "standing ovation" for persevering and staying on instead of resigning after "hooker-madam-gate!" These guys wouldn't know what integrity is if it bit them in the ass! They just have no shame! By extension, you must not have much either!
    ----

    Spending alone obviously doesn't take care of our educational problem! Common sense and reason seems to have flown out the window! Bad teachers are kept while good ones are allowed to leave with poor salaries and benefits! We hear about the greed of teachers, they should be in it to educate our kids, but people should realize women have more options! They don't have to be saddled with our brats b/c we've obfuscated all responsibility in raising them! Kids are an accessory more than anything and we are not serving them well by the way they are being raised with apathy, neglect, and a true lack of family!

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  28. ***What does Jokeovic have to do at Wimbledon to become 1? ....- What round does he have to make and/or what round does Rafa have to lose in for them to switch rankings?***

    Nole dropped out of Queens; that might have done it, but if we're looking at Wimbledon alone, I didn't watch it, but I think Berdych took him out of the Rd of 16! The point spread is only 50 points right now btw Nadal & Nole! Even if Nadal wins Wimbledon, all Novak has to do is make it to the quarters; (logic, not a real calculation)! Not sure if any of the pre-W tourneys come into play! If Rafa loses, even in the final of Wimbledon, it might not matter the point spread is so close!

    ***Does Nole win the last 2 Slams this yr or does Rafa or does Fed win them? Make a call.***

    He'll take at least one! He prefers the hard court footing, so I'll give him the summer tour finishing off w/ the USO! It would be nice if he could take over the top in the next couple weeks by winning Wimbledon though! He could coast the rest of the year; sorta like Nadal's been doing!

    ***Players who own Nadal and have destroyed him in the past - 1- JMDP 2- Davydenko 3- Nalbandian. These 3 can destroy Nadal anywhere he plays. 4- Djokovic: Regardless of the surface, Nole owns Nadal now. Other suggestions?***

    When both Fed and Nadal's careers are over; all shall see. - You would think that would be the end of it, but you know how some of these people are at times! They'll start delving into the "what if" of tennis! No more fantasy land conversation takes place more often than this "thing" with Maria Sharapova! It makes no sense! She's won 3 slams over her long and scattered career, but you would think she was Monica Seles w/ 7 majors and speculations of "what if" if she hadn't been stabbed! It's not the same! Like Cher said to Nick in Moonlighting, I wish these people would "snap out of it!"
    -----

    ***NBA Finals Results Are BEYOND Bizarre - Have to admit, Lebron has always looked old. And, he is definitely playing like it. I am glad Dallas is putting up a fight; makes the finals more interesting.***

    Even with help from the refs, Miami's still struggling in the 4th quarters! James being played to death; too many minutes! He's old for his age; always was! I think the main problem has been they didn't think any teams would put up much of a fight! They were shocked all teams didn't just bow down and allow the Heat to bull doze to a championship! Chicago gave them all they could handle! Wade had to resort to hooking my boy and dislocating his elbow! They really thought Dallas would just roll over after their good run! Didn't happen; we got a series!

    ***LeBron does seem rather mature for 26. Dallas is just playing harder in the 4th quarter. You are right Fiero about the help from refs and they still allowed Dallas to outscore them. I hope that vid of them mocking Dirk gets played a billion times after the Mavs win the champ.. couple of total jackasses.***

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  29. ***The last time the Republicans controlled Congress, their deficit was 161 billion. Under Dem. control it was almost 10 times that amount.***

    Well 2 can play that game! Under Clinton you had a surplus! SO? Time and circumstances have everything to do with the economy's condition! You can rationalize all you like, but those 6 years under a Bush admin. and lack of oversight on the Republican Congress put us in this position! He never vetoed a spending bill while elevating the debt ceiling 7 times during those 6 years of Republican control! Where was the complaint from the "right" then? Bush's de-regulation of Wall Street, starting 2 wars under a lie, signing into legislation a "drug bill" and "no child left behind" bill with no funding! The bill had to come due! Unfortunately it was forwarded to Obama who hadn't even taken office! When it comes to blame, Bush took the cake talking about he "inherited a recession" up until the day he left office! So next time I hear the whining about Bush being blamed, reference him making excuses after what was turned over to him from Clinton! I'd take Clinton's recession over Bush's depression any time! Rationalize that!

    ***As far as I can tell the left HATES women.... They have shown their hatred.***

    I hope you're under a doctor's care! The "right" have been on a Jihad against women for years intensifying this year going after "Planned Parenthood!" Boehner and his cronies promised to hit the ground running to create jobs, but all they've done is attack clinics, their funding, and of course abortion in general! They promised they wouldn't raise taxes for any reason, but they found a way to charge more for that procedure! Why women would vote for any Repuklican is beyond me! They truly hate women, now trying to legislate and to force them to have a rapist's baby! You're sick in the head!
    -----

    Republicans have to always over-reach when it comes to scandal! If it's them, they trip over themselves trying to cover it up, blow it off, and say "move on!" If it's a Dem, they're on call 24/7 to comment and give their expert opinion! After Nixon, it took them over 20 years but they got their pound of flesh my impeaching Clinton for total BS; esp. since most of those losers had lost the election that year! After all that exercise and wasted money, only Henry Hyde and the rest of those fools were truly embarrassed! Kenneth Starr couldn't be shamed so that was a waste of time hoping! They applauded the return and apology of Senator Vitter after his "madam/phone" scandal, but for Weiner who hasn't even touched another woman, "off with his head!" Go figure; double standards? Shocking!! Assholes!!
    -----

    I get a lot of that; a true lack of refuting the issues! They can't argue the subject, just resort to name-calling! I get frustrated and lash out too, but that's usually due to the bigoted or less than enlightened "morons" that try to defend Republican acts of treachery! There Reps have all but lost their minds with their "Jihad" on the middle class, women, and gays! Sounds like there's something to this topic and thread regardless if some don't want to see it!

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  30. ***God Bless Rachel Maddow - If you have ever actually listened to her you would know she despises God and anyone that espouses such things. - Is there a specific link of an instance in which she demonstrates this "hate?"***

    They'll never find it because it isn't true! Been watching her since before the show started and she only hates people and organizations that use GOD for their agenda! Republicans, conservatives, T-baggers, & "survivalist nuts" all think "GAWD is on our side!" Everyone else must be "GAWD-less" liberals going to he!! at their earliest convenience! BTW Breitbart lies!

    ***No wonder I say cons are stupid! Yes he was speaking the truth. He said Breitbart was a liar and a scumbag, or something like that, and he is.***

    You're wasting your breath with some of these losers! I feel for their families if they believe half the crap they espouse here under a cloak of anonymity! The saddest thing is most of them think they're speaking the truth! It's a mass delusion on their part and they really are dragging us all down with them! Common sense and logic has been tossed out the window! We know what the problems are, but we continue to do nothing! You can call it a political stalemate, I call it "high school!"

    ***Obama is conducting Bush's third term. Anyone who thinks otherwise (pro or anti-Obama) is being blinded by their own partisanship.***

    Pro-Obama, but this has been more or less a 3rd Bush term; that's for sure! He's gotten a lot done even with constant obstruction, but the accomplishments have been over-shadowed by consistent bitchin' & moanin' by the "right" actually "talking down" their own economy! They said they would do everything possible to make Obama a one term president, but it seems they're willing to do it to the detriment of the country! They wouldn't mind taking over a "crushed" economy I guess! "Thanks Boehner; where are the jobs?"

    ***Typical Obama-ite thread. Got Bush on the brain? Do you think that posting these Bush bashing threads will distract anyone from noticing Obama's fail?****

    You really thinks it matters who's in charge? No matter, the opposition is stagnant and constant! You're deluding yourselves if you think Obama is going out of his way to hurt the country and it's economy! We know for sure how "bought and paid for" are the loons on the "right," but even the crooked Dems aren't as evil intended! All are incompetent, but the evil intent is so obvious with Boehner, McConnell, Ryan, Cantor, and all the rest! Add on the losers of conservative radio like Rush, Hannity, Savage, Ingraham, and the rest; we're truly doomed! They just don't care even though they say they do! You may not see it, but a Senate Republican sticks his hand up in objection to everything! No confirmations can be even voted on, moneys approved can't be disbursed because of one senator, and you have the leadership of the Republican party openly obstructing at every turn!

    ***Obama has rammed through everything he has wanted with a super-majority and a Senate and presidential majority. You're delusional if you think there is any real obstruction to his agenda. - -/- - You're delusional....Republican majority remember and John [tanning bed] Boehner***

    Lol! They're blind to the truth! Lying comes so easily, they're not even aware of their own hypocrisy and obstructionism! Even the ones that had integrity are losing it just to keep their jobs; Grassley, Hatch, and a few others! It's more than a little disheartening when you'd think we would all rally around to try and save things! They just can't be bothered! We're evil, they're right, so the country be damned! Expected; they admit it!

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  31. What round of the playoff would justice have been more served by loss of LeBron due to his jump to Miami?

    1) Not making the playoffs at all?

    2) Losing in the 1st round to Phili 76r's?

    3) Getting smoked by Chicago Bulls? (My fave since I'm from the city)

    4) Getting beat down by the Boston Celtics?

    5) Getting humiliated by an underdog like the Dallas Mavs w/ one star?

    ***1st one. He went to Miami to have a chance to win a title easier. He doesn't even have a shot if they don't make it.***

    Well that wasn't going to happen! The East has been weak for decades! Even when they represented well or actually won the Championship for years on end, the conference has always stunk! Several years ago I remember a dec. where only 2 teams were above .500! The West has been feasting on the East for years with more credible playoff teams and not fillers with 2 teams under .500! That's just weak! No matter how bad it got in Miami, they would coast into a top seed; no doubt!

    Alone that would have been a great achievement, but they put all that pressure on themselves to win; 3, 4, 7 titles! The dry ice presentation and the Decision condemned this to failure without a title! They did it to themselves! LeBron dragged Wade into the muck! Shame really!

    I keep watching the repeat of the final on NBA-TV and just can't believe my eyes! The disintegration, the lack of professionalism, the absolute "choke" of it all! I don't know why Wade seems to be getting a pass! He played his heart out, but he was missing in action at times as well! The coughing incident was initiated by him as well! Couldn't happen to a better team; errrr jokes!

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  32. Pawlenty Wimps Out In Debate - He had a chance to deliver a knockout blow to one of his competitors; he didn't take it. Romney-care is Mitt Romney's Achilles' Heel, the Republican faithful consider any form of national health care anathema. Tim Pawlenty was handed a golden opportunity to hit the chameleon Mitt Romney right between the eyes, and he demurred. What a wimp! Pawlenty is toast! Pawlenty is spineless, he's a slice of white bread with the edges cut off.
    ----

    ***DNC Chair: "Democrats Own The Economy" - FINALLY! It's only been two and half years and over a trillion dollars since Obama took office. Let's hope the "Blame Bush' strategy has been put to rest.***

    Even with all the obstruction, Obama owns it! He didn't help himself letting them sucker him into another Bush tax cut extension last year, but that's on him! He didn't want to threaten the recover because Republicans are owned by the oil industry and Wall Street! So much for for fiscal responsibility with these losers! Everything they propose only hurts the economy they say they want to save! IDIOTS!

    ***Obama took ownership of the economy the minute he signed the stimulus bill and claimed it would keep unemployment under 8%. Republicans can't win in 2012 without the youth vote and they'll never get it.***

    They're working on the problem as we speak! Republican state houses are systematically trying to make it harder and harder to vote! Student ID's will no longer be enough! Not sure any of these state bills will survive appeals, but from what I can tell, Republicans know they are alienating voters with their extreme loyalties, but they seem to be stuck doing it! Wisc. is ready to explode, but they haven't slowed it down in the least! If anything they're exacerbating the conflict with government and the local electorate! The state house looks like a riot zone most times! Those recalls can't come soon enough for them while the state is trying to delay them as long as possible! What a bunch of idiots!
    ----

    Ed Schultz: Neal Boortz, Right Wing Radio Using 'Racist And Violent Rhetoric'

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/16/ed-schultz-neal-boortz-right-wing-radio-racist_n_878388.html

    Ed Schultz said he is worried about right-wing rhetoric after playing a clip of a talk show host calling for the streets of Atlanta to be "littered" with "dead thugs."

    Speaking on his Wednesday show, Schultz challenged conservative talk show host Neal Boortz to appear on his MSNBC show and defend controversial comments he made about Atlanta on Monday:

    Boortz: We got too damn many urban thugs, yo, ruining the quality of life for everybody. And I'll tell you what it's gonna take. You people, you are - you need to have a gun. You need to have training. You need to know how to use that gun. You need to get a permit to carry that gun. And you do in fact need to carry that gun and we need to see some dead thugs littering the landscape in Atlanta.

    "There's something very ugly and dangerous going on in this country," Schultz said. "Right wing talk show hosts seem to be amping up racist and reckless rhetoric like never before ... the level of racist and violent rhetoric on hard-right wing radio today is off the charts." ---

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  33. Delusion still reigns around here it seems! I don't even have to go back to the record to know the feeling at the time; Seles owned Graf! Her psyche was pierced for the 1st time since the great matches she lost against Gabriella Sabatini! Seles had won that last AO in '93 allowing Graf to get a lead, but came back, wearing her down with her relentless aggression from the baseline! It was all about Seles until something I'm still shocked about; a stabbing! Wow; and the way it was handled couldn't have been worse; WTA and German Gov't! Both sides should be ashamed concerning this little girl! I was never a fan of Seles; game, style, grunts, but an assault is just unfathomable when it comes to discussing tennis; "until now!" Any who speaks so lightly of it, it's a good thing my memory's shot! That would be appalling to me and I'd wish a block could be installed on site! People forget tennis players have stalkers out there; Hingis, Anna K., and others! This is not funny or a subject that should be joked about lightly! - Update: All 3 Maleeva sisters seeded in the top 16; WOW!

    ***Very well said Fiero. Graf won the first 3 times, but after that Monica won 4 of 6 or something like that. Graf said herself she was considering retirement after 93, which is in my mind what prompted the crazy Gunter Parsche! - Of course Steffi dominated the rivalry AFTER the stabbing. Monica was not the player she was before the stabbing. Another thing, I truly think MARTINA would have had the numbers over Steffi. I've had my differences with Martina, but she to me was the best ever. I truly feel Martina would have had better numbers than Steffi.
    ----

    Boris Becker vs Agassi h2h - I'm very shocked to see Becker only won 4 out of 14 meetings vs Andre. What did Agassi do so well vs Becker? I'm kind of surprised considering Becker had such a huge serve and was much stronger. I'm assuming Agassi got many, many balls back??***

    I'm so glad this is coming up now! I want to erase this myth that Boris Becker was all that great right here and right now! He won those 4 times vs Agassi in big situations where his passion took over along with some disreputable tactics on his part! Agassi owned Becker for one reason and one reason only; he could blunt the power tennis Boris utilized! Becker had a weapon which kept him at the top, but most of the best players could beat him most of the time! His personal pigeon was Edberg, but it wasn't his ability that overcame Stefan; it was gamesmanship more than anything! Edberg is twice the player Becker ever was in the history of tennis! McEnroe was probably the only one to call Boris out on court for his antics; stalling, coughing, whatever! Kind of ironic if you think about it; McEnroe taking someone to task for bad court edicate? Wow! lol!

    After all that, I couldn't stand any of them from the very beginning; McEnroe, Becker, & Agassi! They were more "personalities" than true players on the court! Agassi offended me the most since he hadn't done anything, but was more wealthy and famous than all the other players combined in the 80's! Nike did it's work, "image was everything," but Agassi didn't do "his" failing to take a major until Wimbledon '92 of things! So much for greatness! He wasted so many years with being a goof-ball and now we hear "drugging" that it's almost an embarrassment that he only has 8 majors! He terribly under-achieved and I don't know why more people don't bring that up! He'll probably skate with his foundations and the love of Steffi Graf and the kids!

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  34. ***LOL at reaction of "Spewitt" on winning 1st rd match - I never liked Hewitt in his heyday and don't like him even at the tail-end of his career.***

    He took advantage of a weak period between Sampras and Federer eras! He really didn't hit the ball that hard even though his swings were vicious! He was an updated version of Vitas Gerulaitis who just "out-physicalled" you and was relentless! He had no real weapon besides his legs and his annoying personality!

    ***So you are saying Agassi could really absorb all of the pace from Becker's big serve and power shots..right?***

    Besides that, Boris just made himself a target attacking the net the way he felt he had to do to win! In a lot of ways, Becker was Agassi's pigeon! People were genuinely shocked when Becker took that Wimbledon semi over Andre in '95! I was happy! We didn't need another Agassi-Sampras final thank you very much! That wasn't a rivalry at all in my mind! You have to win equally for it to be a true rivalry! Agassi lost most of their important matches, actually being shallacked in big moments! I still can't believe that 1990 USO final! I didn't know this kid from "Adam!" I heard, but didn't see him take out Lendl and McEnroe, but I attributed it to age more than anything! Agassi had been on the tour since '85 and I was sure he'd take this after failing at the FO final vs Andres Gomez! I left to go play tennis for a while and I thought I'd come back to catch the last couple sets! Pete went thru Andre so fast, the presentation was even over! Took him about an hour and a half to decimate and destroy that power game of Agassi's! Petey showed him what real power was I guess with that serve of his! lol!

    ***So why didn't Andre own a better h2h vs Pete since he matched so well vs players with big serves and hit with lots of pace?***

    Everything revolves around the serve in tennis! If you can get it back effectively, Boris was done! He had little to back it up but with "mindless aggression!" He's the person I probably "coined" that term for so many years ago! Pete was a true artist out there if he was "on!" He not only blew you away with his serve, he could toy with you at times! He would get into matches with Agassi and Chang and actually run them to death, feathering drop volleys around the net "just" out of reach, and in general making them look more than hapless out there!

    ***You mention Chang; now Boris was 5-1 vs him and he played like Agassi ......I guess Andre just matched up better***

    Chang had no pace! He was male version of Martina Hingis! His feet were his weapon even though you might see him "in the zone" in an important match and come up with aces! I remember him playing against McEnroe at a USO match late one night! McEnroe was staying in the points very well with Chang and effectively attacked to win those long points! The only thing that kept it close, even game-wise at deuce was that Chang had 3 aces! Very strange match that Chang wound up winning in 5! For the most part, that was how he won all his matches; just outlasted guys!

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  35. ***And if Wozniacki DOES defy the odds and beat Sharapova, Serena, and Venus en route to the title, would you still call it WTA-killing to beat those players in the last 3 rounds of Wimbledon?***

    Such inconsistencies! Hingis was beat over the head for being little more than a retriever who took advantage of the retirements and injuries of other star players; HELLO! What do you call this "dead period?" I know the grass has been playing like a hard court, but I can't see Woz even making it to the semi's! That's wishful thinking on a lot of your parts! She struggles on hard court to close out aggressive players! You think grass suits her game more? Wake up!

    ***Serena Williams-The greatest female player since Steffi Graf - "During Evert/Navratilova nor Graf/Seles eras there were not 6 players with multiple slams." --- This is a classic example of not seeing the forest b/c the trees are in the way. It just shows how good those 4 players were as they hogged the trophies.***

    You have to give it to them; the less than ingenious ways they're attempts are to elevate their fave! "Just keep beggin' guys!" I was never a fan of Evert, but it's amazing how people will just drop her off the list of greats with 18 GS, winning multiple majors at each site! How does one do that? It's delusional behavior maxed out to the nth degree!

    ***Evert is a great player but man was her game boring.***

    That was one reason I could have done without her brand of tennis! She single-handedly almost killed women's tennis! lol! The Evert clones came fast and furious in the mid to late 70's; most of them ending with tragic results of chronic pain and injury! The only ones that made her tennis even watchable were Hana Mandlikova and of course her main rival, Martina Navratilova! When you had the counter punching going on with 2 distinct styles, I could watch and tape those to check out over and over! In '84 when the Virginia Slims Chp. went to best of 5, it was just to keep Martina on the court longer than an hour! Evert did her best to keep it close, but Martina was truly toying with her winning in straights, 3,5, & 1! The week before was a harbinger of things to come when Martina hit like 22 straight 1st serves and pretty much did what she could to make the match look interesting including letting Evert catch her to play a 2nd set tie-breaker; 1 & 6! You can't ignore her record, but I certainly can relate my take on it! Sorry, but Serena doesn't even register on the GOAT meter until #6; Navratilova, Court, Graf, Connolly, & Evert!

    Some here are really disappointing me! We already talked about this a post or 2 before! Navr./Evert were hogging the Slams while the Williams' played part time allowing others to take majors they wouldn't have won were the Willaims playing more and "better!" Hey there, I'm giving them credit, but also stating they woefully under-achieved! Both should have more wins under their belt! A shame really! They had the athleticism to be thought of as 2 of the greatest, but playing whenever they felt like it holds them back for sure!

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  36. ***Under Obama:US Casualty Rate In Afghanistan Increased 5 Fold***

    Oh it's a colossal mess made worse all the time by the gutless politicians who are afraid to leave for fear of the entire effort being called a failure; that's all this is about, IMAGE! Obama has really disappointed me by not only escalating the conflict, but lying to our faces yesterday about the "draw down" of troops! They always lie about those dates and it keeps getting moved further and further into the future! We'll still be there 10 years from now; mark my words! This has gone on longer than any conflict in recent memory and we're just throwing billions down a rat hole doing nation building when they keep saying we aren't "nation building!" The sad thing is, the people in those countries don't want us there; even in Syria! They're wondering why we're sticking our noses in there when we can't handle 50 Al Qaeda members with 100,000 troops in Afghanistan!

    The thing that scares me is there's little talk of how psychotic some of these guys have become after so many useless tours abroad leaving their families and homes in tatters! They will be unleashed on the country sooner or later and who will take responsibility for it; the ARMY? I doubt it! Bush perpetrated a hoax on the country and we'll be paying for it for the next generation to come regardless!

    ***More Americans Believe They Were Better Off BEFORE Obama's Inauguration - Oh please, you got some nerve trying to speak for the rest of us. Well you don't speak for me. Obama has not lied, ... So the fact that your life isn't any better is not Obama's fault, it's yours and Southern's fault.***

    Good one! Losers blaming the president! "Yeah he affects your everyday life because you're a loser!" Yeah right! You hit them with the facts and they persist in this fantasy world! Clinton - surplus with 22 Million jobs created w/ Bush giving away that surplus and creating "no jobs;" actually a negative million! His loser father only created 500,000 jobs and of course Clinton had to bring us back from the brink even then! Republicans are pathetic liars who can explain away all their losing efforts to govern on the Dems! Buyers remorse is rampant with Rep. state house after state house attacking the middle class! Gawd save us until the next election!

    ***I haven't been able to find anything that says we are still engaged other than in a supporting role. We are not flying missions nor launching missiles and haven't since late April in Libya. That was within the 60 days. If Congress wants to de-fund it, let them. That is their prerogative under the "War Powers Act. However, they must accept responsibility for what ever happens.***

    You can't reason with these hypocrites and liars! That'll be the day any Republican takes responsibility for a mistake! If it were Bush, it would be ok, but since it's Obama it has to be a bad idea! Like they did so well in charge 10 years ago; LOSERS! Either way I don't care! Just keep nation building over there and allow our own infrastructure to crumble! That's cool! It'll just be chalked up to our own stupidity for letting all of this happen! We're done!

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  37. ***It's obvious that the woman are scared of the sisters still***

    Some of you are so delusional, I can't explain it! Yeah, these girls are just trembling in their boots! It must be really scary to them how the Williams' have won EVERYTHING and no one outside of them has a win; none! Really? I thought I saw Venus limp out of Wimbledon last year! I'm pretty sure old lady Kim won the USO the last couple years! Funny, I must have missed all these monumental wins of the Williams'; esp. Venus! The record books need attention! Really? Scared? Just keep making yourselves feel better! Meds would do a better job than just lying to yourselves!
    ----

    These people will never be happy since their faves will NEVER be in the top of tennis hierarchy as they would like! Sorry, they under-achieved, played part time, and took advantage of every person & opportunity they could to get where they are, but still act as if they're being taken for a ride! More power to them, but please don't give me the victim-hood diatribes! These broads are rich, highly regarded, & will make the HOF! Be happy about it miserable people!

    ***Does Rafa play mind games on his opponent - Playing mind games is one thing, cheating by continually and systematically abusing the time limit rules, receiving illegal coaching, and some other things that haven't been proved yet is quite another.***

    You know of any other #1 who "games" so much? lol! I'm disgusted really and enjoy him being taken down a peg or 2 by Djokovic of late! Nole went to school on him and stalls just as much if not more! I can't fault him since the "powers that be" have allowed Nadal such leeway for years!

    ***The really great Champions dominate the WTA Tour and the GS Tourneys.***

    That's all I've been trying to say for years! Martina, Chris, Hingis, Graf, & Justine won more than their share of majors, but didn't "poo-poo" smaller events as if it's beneath them! lol! It was hilarious a couple years ago w/ Serena having won the last 2 Slams, but still ranked behind Safina! She laughed and shrugged her shoulders like "how could this happen?" She knew exactly how it happened! She was losing in early rounds in smaller tourneys, if she played at all, but was mildly amused she was #2 behind Safina! To me that's a slap in the face of the WTA tour; esp. since she has a vendetta against the ITF with the fine and possible suspension being enforced due to her int'l tirade back at the USO a couple years ago! So her taking off didn't surprise me! I'm more surprised she bothered to come back! The tour needed her, but that's old history!

    I just don't want to hear any whining about her not being acclaimed as the best ever! The best ever doesn't play part time, have a fit on court due to a call by a lines woman, or play the victim for no reason at all! Martina wasn't given a break due to her being foreign and gay, but some people think the Williams' aren't appreciated enough! Waaa! Gawd help us from these babies!

    ***How many titles has Venus won in the last 5 years? Serena is the biggest GS hustler in the history of tennis. The rest of the players grind it out on tour every week while she prepares solely for GS Events.***

    Thank! There's nothing admirable about that for the Ve-Nuts! You just proved my point that Serena is a terrible under-achiever, but wants to be recognized as the best! "KEEP DREAMIN' losers!" I give her only #6 all-time for her lack of respect for the game and the tour! She will wind up being way behind in tourney and match play records; way behind!

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  38. ***New York votes to allow same-sex marriage - passed 33-29! On the MS I would give them the benefit of the doubt they think this is progress!***

    I wish I could, but I've been around these parts for years! They never disappoint when it comes to being narrow-minded twits! They're like Mikey, they hate everything and everybody! I wish I knew what condition they want the country to be in since most of their principles have been flushed down the drain! They say they're for little or no federal regulation, but you should see the state by state shenanigans when it comes to Planned Parenthood & labor unions! It seems they just want poor women to die in the streets! This is supposed to limit or stop abortions, but all it does really is stop them from getting normal health care like breast exams and pap smears! What a bunch of a-holes! Do these people have mothers or were they hatched? Sheeshhh!

    Unions have been a thorn in their sides for years supporting Democratic tickets so they're willing to trample on the Constitution and Bill Of Rights to eliminate that thorn! Why point out how Fuk'd up these people are; look at the state of the country? "Lower those taxes and the jobs will flow!" Been at it with Bush's tax cuts for over 10 years with an extension; sorry no work for you! I can go on, but it's late! We're doomed anyway since Obama's so weak! I almost wished he had lost to Hillary! She has more balls and wouldn't have taken half this crap from Boehner or McConnell!

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  39. ***Wow, Fiero placed Serena at #6 all time! Whoopee!***

    Unfortunately your fellow fans aren't satisfied with that placement! They want her all the way at the top playing part time! They're being very generous and ridiculous at the same time! Players like Navratilova, Evert, & Graf didn't need to go out and do other things because they were bored or they wanted other outlets! They wanted to be the best and they were!
    Unfortunately you can't say that about today's players especially the ladies! If Serena had just played 2 or 3 years continuously I'd give her a break, but she's no top 5; never will with names like Connolly and Court well ahead of her! Sorry, but this has nothing to do with like or dislike, these are the facts of life in tennis!

    ***There is nothing out of context about a player dissing the playing style of a previous era and making a sweeping generalization that "everyone" enjoys watching present day tennis.***

    Speak for yourselves! I can't stand today's tennis; if that's what you want to call it! Schiavone just played 3 hours 44 min. for nothing! You call that tennis? Not me! All the changes have done is make these matches longer, not more artistic! I'll take tennis from Sampras' era anytime over this drek of today! It's all about power, outlasting your opponent, and just reflexing back winning shots! There's no real skill at just "mashing" ever stroke; big deal! Had enough of that mindless smash-mouth tennis with Becker and a few other train wrecks on the court!

    ***And how long did Corretja play against Sampras at the US Open, which was a long match for the times? ...And let's face it. Today, we're "mashing" groundstrokes. Back then, they never got a chance to hit groundies, for everyone just "mashed" serves.***

    You just don't have a clue! You went back and found a match that dragged on forever! So what? It was still an isolated instance! Players like Sharapova will play 3 set, 3 hour matches in 3 or 4 rounds against "nobodies!" That's an everyday experience! Pls defend your argument better; that was lame! Concerning that comment about "no groundies," tell that to Borg, Vilas, Orantes, The Bagel Twins (Solomon & Dibbs), Ramirez, and all the other clay court specialists! Grass was another story with Borg the only one that could stay with all those power servers! How soon we forget Connors and Agassi; there's your ground game!

    ***Why can't people appreciate ALL eras of tennis?***

    Well fortunately I have a life outside of tennis! Spending 5 hours while today's player grind it out is just not my idea of fun! You can have just as much drama with a shorter match and quick points; believe me! What I can't stand are the replays on TCC where Federer and Nadal are going at it for over 5 hours at the FO or today with Schiavone going almost 4 hours! That's not entertaining, that's draining! Even straight set wins are interminably long! I'll take those quick serve and volley point contests over these matches any day! BTW, Nadal's a child and doesn't know anything! He's been led around by the nose all his life so spare us his commentary! It's just not relevant! He's clueless! Give him a few years! Even Borg finally caught up later, but he didn't embarrass himself by saying something as silly as Nadal!

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  40. ***Today's athletes are more muscular and more like machines. I wonder if Nadal will even be able to play tennis when he is in his 50's with the pounding his knees and feet take. I don't think that Nadal is being arrogant or disrespectful, just more or less ignorant of the history of the sport.***

    ITA! Finally a person who sees it the way I do! Besides the conditioning advancements you have these clubs they call rackets plus speeding up clay and slowing down the grass! It just makes for less entertaining tennis for me; esp. when it goes over 3 hours for women and 5 hours for the men! I won't even bother watching the replays later on TCC! I guess I just needed to locate another old timer; well maybe not as old as me! lol! Been playing since '70 and watched all matches I could on tv back then! I miss those monday night finals on PBS!
    ----

    ***I think they made the rule to combat racket abuse w/ Safin in mind; he couldn't go through a match without smashing 2-3 rackets. My friend saw him practicing and apparently he broke 2 rackets during the practice session.***

    This is totally an image thing when it comes to pro tennis! The thing is everyone breaks rackets! The ITF and Tours don't want to make it seem as if it's ok to break them so they've been coming down on the players of late! You can go back to the 80's and "Gentleman" Tim Mayotte who broke a racket b/c of a bad ruling at Wimbledon! I'm sure I went thru more than 50 rackets over my 30+ years of playing; probably more when you consider this... I would go thru phases of totally immersing myself in a style actually playing with the racket of the player I wanted to emulate! In '76 I bought 2 Borg Bancroft rackets! I didn't go to that pane of glass tension he used, but I got close at 76# of pressure! After those 2 snapped, I continued to use very tight tensions in wood rackets that just aren't made for it!

    When rackets became over-sized like Martina's Yonex R-7 you needed that tight tension; more a snow-shoe! Some of my rackets were quite expensive for the time including 2 all-fiberglass "Volkls," but that didn't stop me from banging them on the net, pole, or ground when I thought I should have made a shot or lost a point! I guess I never added up how much I spent on tennis including all the clothing, boxes of balls, and court time! I think I could have put someone kid thru college! Wow! Lucky it wasn't my money! lol!
    ---

    One thing few seem to bring up much concerning the era differences; RACKETS! We keep trying to elevate today's athletes saying if you dragged Martina or Chris into this era they would be smoked! I'd like to reverse that and send Serena, Venus, and the rest back to the 70's and see how far they get playing with a small headed wood racket! The sweet-spot was about the size of a fist! Those rim shot winners of today would dribble off that stick and barely make it to the net! This really aggravates me this isn't brought up more giving too much credit to the player! That's why past greats were so great; no one could just run onto the court within weeks and months and compete against the big boys, but with today's technology you don't even have to be an athlete! It's pathetic! I say it's weakened the game in a lot of ways! It's more about fitness and how hard you can hit! Only players like Federer could be dropped into my era and be just one of the guys with touch, feel, and restrained power!

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  41. ***Let's say both Venus and Serena Make the Finals***

    The only thing I would be sure about that match would be that there will be a lot of UFE's, wild double faults, sprayed forehands, and that I won't be watching! Sorry to say I can't describe much when it comes to finals with them in it! I've already said my piece about how unwatchable their matches can turn into for obvious reasons! It doesn't matter how close the encounter, I can do without all the screeching and straining effort to give it their all! Turning down the sound doesn't help either! They're right up there with Azarenka, Sharapova, and a few others that just overdo it with the grunts and groans! What was that "macaw" 4 noter that Serena pushed out of her throat near the end of that match yesterday? They should have called obstruction or distraction just for how ridiculous it sounded and how long it lasted past her hitting the ball!

    ***...For that matter, Serena is not part of the all-time top 5 women players.***

    I second that emotion! She could have done more, but tennis couldn't have been her only love as it was for all the past greats like Navratilova, Graf, Evert, Court, & Connolly, I'll put Serena in the top 10, but not sure how much she will slide if she doesn't win a couple more majors! I'll give her #6 all time for now!
    ----

    Hana Mandlikova was one of the most talented female players of all time; including Martina! That match she served out of her mind and on grass even Martina couldn't over come her! Of course the next day she reverts back to her old schitzo self and just totally wimped out of the final looking as bad as she was great in the semi! If memory served she only did the double once of taking out both Martina and Chris to take her majors; 1985 USO! The other occasions she just disappeared in the following match; '81 & '86 Wimbledon finals!

    I truly believe both Evert and Federer have numbers that will NEVER be surpassed! Maybe that's why she was flirting with him so much the other day! lol! Someone mentioned about her marrying the GS; Roger speaks French anyway! lol!
    ----

    One thing few seem to bring up much concerning the era differences; RACKETS! We keep trying to elevate today's athletes saying if you dragged Martina or Chris into this era they would be smoked! I'd like to reverse that and send Serena, Venus, and the rest back to the 70's and see how far they get playing with a small headed wood racket! The sweet-spot was about the size of a fist! Those rim shot winners of today would dribble off that stick and barely make it to the net! This really aggravates me this isn't brought up more giving too much credit to the player! That's why past greats were so great; no one could just run onto the court within weeks and months and compete against the big boys, but with today's technology you don't even have to be an athlete! It's pathetic! I say it's weakened the game in a lot of ways! It's more about fitness and how hard you can hit! Only players like Federer could be dropped into my era and be just one of the guys with touch, feel, and restrained power!

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  42. ***Connors bullied opponents and officials, I never liked him. - When playing McEnroe, he'd get on Mac's case when Mac argued with the chair umpire. When his OUT shot was called GOOD on clay, he crossed the net to erase the mark before the chair umpire could inspect it. Today that would mean a loss of point (or maybe even a default), but he got away with it. He sucked then, always has, always will.***

    Oh that crowd must have loved it! The French didn't care for Martina trying to point out a right mark! The match you're talking about was in '77 at the USO, late night semi! It was Connors against Italian #2, Corrado Barazzutti! He was losing in straight sets anyway, but Vilas got Connors the next day; thank GAWD! Funny, match point was in question, but since Jimbo was down 5-0 in that last set (4), no one cared; including him!

    ***"Connors acquired a reputation as a maverick in '72 when he refused to join the newly formed Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the union that was embraced by most male professional players. He avoided the mainstream of professional tennis to play in, and dominate, a series of smaller tournaments organized by Bill Riordan, his manager and a promoter.***

    Tennis was "helter skelter" in those days after "Open Tennis!" You had The USTA trying to run what they could, then you had mavericks like Lamar Hunt who started his own tour called the WCT! Those players were under contract and you couldn't just jump around when you felt like it; Ashe, Laver, Borg, Vilas! You had Connors and other independents like Ilie Nastase that toured on promoter and manager of Connors'; Bill Riordan! He's the one that started those challenge matches for Connors who dared to say others were better like Laver and Newcombe! Connors beat them on these staged events on fast courts in their old age! Big deal; even the one vs Ilie Nastase in hurricane wind conditions! The women were even in more flux starting their tour; The Virginia Slims Tour! I was there from the beginning watching these small tourneys trying to promote the women's game that was in shreds! At most majors they were just a side show with very little attention being paid! Evert and Connors changed all that and it all came together eventually with the ATP, WTA, & ITF! The WCT finally waned after Lendl's dominance and we've been a happy family ever since! lol! Yeah, right!

    ***...Hewitt was by far and away the 2nd best player until Nadal came along. Roddick was a chump who somehow stayed at #2 for the longest time (with Hewitt snatching it back for a brief time following his great 2004 summer and start to 2005), but Hewitt was the 2nd best player from 2000-2005 (sometimes played like a real #1 even!).***

    Really? You're serious? Ok! He picked Sampras off his last years at the USO; big deal! Safin did the same the previous year! It was even more of a drubbing since Marat is one of the most gifted shot-makers of all time! He could take tremendous swipes at the ball, but it was controlled aggression and he knew where the ball was going unlike some of these other muscle-heads playing today! Roddick has always been over-rated! I wish people would drop him from all discussions; along w/ his "Mojo!"

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  43. ***Why don't the women just wear shorts like the men do... ***

    I'm sure the WTA frowns on anything doughty and boring! Going back to their beginnings they pushed style, sex, and beauty! Ted Tinley did the best he could with those butchy serve and volleyers from yester-year; Court, King, Wade, Casals, Stove! His job was made a bit easier with Evert & Goolagong! Only a handful of women tend to wear shorts and usually it was when they got older; Navratilova, Kuznetzova, Ann Smith!

    ***That's true Fiero. Kuznetsova tends to wear shorts more often than most.
    ----

    Venus is beating herself again at Wimbledon - this is not new. Nowadays, you can't give away points with slews of UEs and win matches. It worked 5, 6 years ago; not anymore.***

    You got it; very old news! Not gloating or anything, but I warned these guys! Both were due for some truly ugly tennis with wild errors! You just can't take off that much and expect to get thru 7 matches against these ladies! They are much better and aren't as much "head cases!" They aren't afraid of the Williams' as they might have been a few years ago! Now that Marion Bartoli's taken out Serena in "straights," maybe we can get back to real some real tennis from players who get out there more than a few times a year!

    ***I agree with your rust assessment. I dont think any players are scared of any other players now-a-days. No player worth his or her salt should be scared of any players. I wouldn't be. The Ve-Nuts can't help but attack saying the "hatah's are happy."***

    I didn't care one way or the other; I just wanted to see good tennis! Hard to see any of that with rusty players though! They couldn't look much worse from what I can tell from comments! Just saw Venus taken out in the last couple games! I thought I was watching a tape from last year! Wow; how'd this happen twice?

    ***Nadal testing the boundaries of the acceptable ... - It has become upsetting to see Nadal do this over and over again. I do not like to see players suffering through a game injured, but it is happening too often now.***

    Well duh, maybe he's not suffering! From what I can tell the only suffering is his conscience; if he has any! That's just low rent tactics as far as I'm concerned, I don't care what's going on with him! Too often, too often, too often!

    ***I had been giving Nadal the benefit of the doubt, but he pulled the same tactic against Roger in the RG final, and I said nothing knowing that Roger usually does not let those tactics influence him. But it had the desired effect. Nadal won that first set, and the tournament.- - How some of you seem to know what's going through the players' minds and what they are feeling at all times.***

    Just keep trying to talk yourself thru this! lol! Wouldn't it be ironic if Del Po came back and won after taking an injury timeout? The conspiracies should start now! What bets are being made now that Rafa will get another warning of some sort and call that trainer back out? lol!

    ***You're the first one to complain when somebody mentions Justine quitting over a tummy ache. Please just stop.***

    Excuse me, but you have got to be kidding! When I lose my mind due to obscene comments concerning my fave, it's only when they go too far! You're deluding yourself if you don't find it disgusting when they talk about her looks, face, using steroids, cheating, whatever! How you could equate the 2 is mystifying! I'm shocked and quite disappointed! You at least like to think you're fair! You show we should have our doubts! Sorry to see this fall from grace!

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  44. ***Why do people HATE Nadal?***

    People keep making Rafa the main rival of Federer! That's only true because no one else had stepped up in Federer's prime! That's hardly his fault, but Rafa's real rivals are closer to his age; Murray, Djokovic, Del Po! I felt the same with Martina v Graf! Martina was already half out the door and they ended up "even-steven," but Martina won most of their big matches at the USO & Wimbledon! Martina's only real rival was Evert w/ a smidge of Hana Mandlikova! Graf's true rivals were again closer to her age; Sabatini, Seles, Pierce, Capriati, & Sanchez-V.!

    Never was a fan of Nadal's and that won't change with his "gaming" his opponents when things get tight! The whole thing behind his playing bothers me including switching hands! Too weird! The stalling, challenging of calls while being so wrong, along with constant need of trainers at the ready is just too much! Nuff said on that loser! "Stop snarling too!"

    ***People love to hate the guy whose on top. Ask Federer fans. They easily know how much hate was spewed when he was on top and unbeatable. Funny thing is that the same asinine and silly excuses I saw for Fed haters are also now popping up for Nadal.***

    Oh really? Name the place, player, and tourney Fed would have tried any of this stuff Nadal has been perpetrating when he's down to another player! He's always ready to get that trainer out at a moment's notice! Give me a freakin' break! I'm waiting...
    ----

    ***Fed fans are delusional - they think their boy is still the player he once was. Tsonga played better; get over it***

    Nyah! I've been saying for the last couple years Roger's starting to have problems finishing! Today's players won't just roll over anymore; well maybe Feliciano a few weeks ago! He can be up a set and a break and that is no guarantee he'll take the match! That doesn't take away from his accomplishments and records, but we all knew this wasn't going to last forever! He's spoiled us in a lot of ways! That's why we're so shocked even if he doesn't make a final! No one has had this kind of record in such a short amount of time! As long as he feels good about his tennis, he'll still compete and continue to be one of the favorites! It's Nole's time anyway! Hopefully this will just be another sign the new sheriff's in town! Hopefully he can overcome the relentless pressure of Tsonga who has nothing to lose! Good luck NOLE!

    ***Fed over-hyped at Wimby; Won only 1 of 10 tourneys this year ***

    Not sure you can call it over-hype when a 6 time Wimbledon champion is in the hunt! You never know if he can go on a very nice "in the zone" run! He's faltered a bit of late, but that's to be expected! He's been at such a high level for so long, we're spoiled! We all need to get over it!

    ***I want Djok to be #1 so Rafa can own him in Wimbledon Final***

    GAWD you people need help! Even if that did happen, it would mean little since Rafa was taken down in the last 2 clay events on home soil so to speak! So spare me this way to help redeem your fave by making this some kind of pyrrhic victory! Regardless, Nole will have only lost twice this year, while Rafa's been scratchin' for anything! How does one forget Nole has only one loss and had taken Rafa out of 4 straight finals? Pls tell me! So now back to to reality! I'm easily satisfied! If Novak just makes the final I'll be happy! Winning would only be gravy on the meat! Get used to it guys; there's a new sheriff in town! If it doesn't happen this week, it's still coming!

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  45. ***Aside from assorted cheap shots at Rafa's record and his fans, could you please clarify what do you mean by an "empirical" victory?***

    What's confusing? This thread was posted to undermine Nole's record losing only once this year, while the neck that's being choked is Nadal's! He right about to lose that coveted #1 ranking and the comment about "owning" Djokovic is so delusional since the real record for now is 0-4 this season; made clearer for you?

    ***So are you all calling Fed both an actor and a liar? After all, hasn't he said repeatedly that Nadal is a class act and a gentleman? And they're the two most loved players in the locker room.***

    All of them are like politicians! They do that sort of thing; give me a break! Agassi and Sampras say glowing things about one another in public even though we all know they hate each other's guts! Wake up! Federer just being the gentleman Rafa's still learning to be! Del Po wasn't happy about that time out either, but he still walked off the court as if they're great buddies! I don't think so! A lot of people have a problem with Rafa; you're just being in total denial!
    ---

    New Number 1 Crowned; Nole takes it Monday no matter what happens sunday, Novak Djokovic will be the new #1 player in the world and DESERVEDLY SO!

    ***I think Novak played like the #1 for much of the year, but if Nadal defends his 2nd slam in a row and thus will still hold 3 out of the 4 slams, something will seem a little off to me-- it just does not seem fair that you don't get any bonus points for defending a slam. It allows for the situation for someone who had a less successful year in terms of slams to become #1.***

    People love to change the rules when it doesn't support their result! Get over it! I was patient enough to wait, you should be patient enough to hope Rafa comes back! That's all we can do!

    ***Congrats Novak! Hope he can finish it in style by winning the final. I'll be happy if Nadal can get Slam #11, but even happier if Djokovic can get his first Wimbie.
    ---

    That is exactly how I feel! I am so hoping that Djokovic wins his first Wimbledon title and cement his #1 ranking.***

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  46. Mark Halperin of Time calls President Obama a 'dick' on 'Morning Joe,' suspended by MSNBC

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/06/30/2011-06-30_mark_halperin_time_editoratlarge_calls_president_obama_a_dick_live_on_msnbcs_mor.html?r=topnews

    Mark Halperin probably wishes he could turn back time. The political analyst and editor-at-large for Time magazine referred to President Obama as a part of the male anatomy live on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Thursday, resulting in his indefinite suspension from the network. To the shock of hosts Joe Scarborough and Mike Brzezinski, Halperin called the president a "dick" while offering up his opinion on President Obama's performance at his press conference on Wednesday. Here's how it went down:

    Halperin: "Do we have the seven-second delay today? I want to characterize how I thought the President behaved?"

    Brzezinski: "We have it. [To producer] We can use it, right?"
    ...
    Scarborough: "I'm behind you. You fall down. I'm gonna catch you."

    Brzezinski:" And the precedent has been set on the show, so you're good", [referring to his 2008 F-bomb on the air, which resulted in MSNBC instituting the seven second delay].

    Halperin: "I thought he was kind of a dick yesterday."

    Scarborough: "Oh my God. Delay that! Delay that! What are you doing? I can't believe you. I was joking! Don't do that! Did we delay that?"

    Too late. Shortly thereafter, a red-faced Halperin said he was sorry. "Joking aside, this is an absolute apology. I shouldn't have said it. I apologize to the President and the viewers who heard me say that," he said.
    ----
    ----
    - So much for his class or lack thereof! I hope to never hear from a conservative that Dems don't respect the office of president! What a low-life!

    ***Why are you labeling this on "conservatives"? Is Halperin some kind of "conservative" icon? I had to research to find out who the guy was....Ummm. He's a Dem, Numbnuts. He is about as liberal as they come. What a moron.***

    Well he's wrong about as much as a conservative! Halperin thinks he knows it all, but it's amazing how many times he's not even in the ball park! He touts Palin and Bachmann as if they really have a chance to make waves; doubtful! What a moron and idiot; in more ways than one! - I suppose someone like you would know! I differ to your expertise of being "a very big dick!" Thanks for clearing that up for us less than informed, liberal "numbnuts!"

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  47. ***I wonder what Maria fans reaction would've been if she won Wimbledon over Kvitova?***

    You're kidding right? They act the same regardless of a win or loss! You would think she's winning a slam a year if you listen to Masha fanatics! She's the Empress and Queen of the court; yeah Queen of missed opportunities! No Wms', Henin, other top players upset and gone, but she did make the final at least! Good for all of the "fanatics!" That'll give them something to "crow" about for a while while waiting another 3 years for her to make a major final! "Good luck!"

    ***So much for arguments about Nadal being the GOAT - People talk about Federer not being the GOAT b/c he has had trouble against Nadal. Well.....Nadal can't be the GOAT b/c he can't get past Djokovic; not anymore. Not on any surface.

    And the difference is....Nadal is 25. He's at the peak of his career, and he is currently owned by another player. Federer started having problems with Nadal on non-clay slams when he was 28 when players start to decline.***

    The double standard will win out with the Nadal-nuts though! We should hear no more about Nadal being the GOAT I hope! After 5 straight losses, anyone making that statement will look even more delusional than usual! Congrats Novak "Nole" Djokovic; Wimbledon Champion! Thanks for taking the "Great Cheat" out called Rafa Nadal; ex-Wimbledon Champ!

    ***NOVAK'S Cockidence Grates To No End***

    These people have to find something to complain about; they can't help it! It's ok for Rafa to "drum major around" after winning a point, but Nole pumping himself is somehow un-sportsman-like! What a bunch of hypocrites!

    ***Rafa BARELY holds onto number 1 for a full year - He's one of the greatest of all time, and certainly one of the best, if not the best in the game today. But Novak has put together one heck of a run that shouldn't be scoffed. I think the Rafa/Federer rivalry is shifting over to a Rafa/Novak rivalry.

    I wish I knew what rivalry you're talking about! Don't you have to swap wins for a true rivalry to exist? This has been an annihilation on all surfaces! Where's the rivalry? It might have been 6 straight wins over Rafa but for Nole getting the "yips" at the FO vs Federer! He's on his way to surpassing this Faux Goat people touted so much! Their standard argument was Roger can't be the GOAT since he's lost so many matches to Nadal! What will they say now? Probably change their argument no doubt!

    ***Nadal has a rivalry with Djoke the way a nail has a rivalry with a hammer. - Roger most likely stopped the Novak Calendar Slam***

    Roger didn't stop Novak's calender slam possibility; Novak did! He admitted he choked under the pressure of being undefeated w/ the #1 ranking on the line! He wasn't himself and didn't come back to life until it was too late in that FO semi! I have no doubt Rafa would have gone down again; just as he had in Madrid and Rome! Roger was serving out of his mind and he got thru it; possibly for the last time! Fed's the GOAT, but we all knew it wouldn't last forever! The king is dead; long live the king! lol! - "Congrats NOLE!"

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  48. The pressure will really be on Nole trying to defend these tournaments and points next year! The strain is killing Rafa since he was ALMOST as good as Nole last year! He looked lost in the few interview clips I've seen! He wasn't like this when losing to Roger, but Nole has broken his spirit! He's giving him a bit of his own medicine and the one strength he had over most players was mental! His confidence has to be shaken!

    ***Can Nadal win another slam? Should he retire?***

    Nope! I want Rafa to hang on and let his game degenerate as well as his body! He got so much pleasure out of running players ragged; let him get a taste of his own medicine! "Please stay on tour Rafa! Your getting drubbed and humiliated by Nole really brings a smile to my face! Thanks!"

    ***lol, the most interesting thing is seeing the look of resignation on his face. The guy who never gives up and fights every point like no other in history supposedly, Ii see quit and confusion on his face during and after his matches this yr with Novak.
    ---

    And yet, you continuously tell posters to grow up; so much hatred, so much bitterness against a player whose achievement your twenty lifetimes can't even begin to fathom. My oh my, you losers are comical.***

    Sorry if this bitter truth is too much for you! These are the facts, not hatin'! I can appreciate Nadal's achievements and record! What sets me off are people like you who pump him up past his station! He's not the GOAT and can't possibly get there! He has one major run at the FO and that's it! Federer had huge runs at the 2 top majors! There's a difference! When Borg won his 6 FO's, he backed it up with 5 straight Wimbledons! Do you not know and understand what I'm talking about? Nothing childish about it! Wake up!

    ***ATP ranking system all wrong - according to many in this forum it is. Nadal holds 2 slams, Djokovic holds 2 slams. Nadal a finalist in 1 slam, Djokovic a finalist in 1 slam. Nadal a quarter finalist in 4th slam, Djokovic a semi-finalist in 4th slam. The difference is 180 points, yet Djokovic has a 2015 point lead. How can this be?***

    Simple. Djokovic won Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome, and Miami. - Why is this so hard to understand for the Nadal fans!? He had his dominating year last season taking 3 majors! It's easy to see and know that if he doesn't defend all those titles someone with as great a record as Nole would take over! Even if Novak hadn't won Wimbledon, the points were in his favor since he didn't have as many to defend! As a matter of fact, he may not have to win anything from here on; just not get upset early at the USO! While Nadal rests and tries to come up with more tricks up his sleeve to impress upon Nole that he's still standing on the other side of the net, he'll continue to fall behind the guy! Nadal's USO points will be taken off and he'll fall even further IMO! I'm not gloating about it as much as stating the facts! It shouldn't be that hard to understand; even for NADAL-nuts!

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  49. ***Serena ranking now #175 - Why didn't Serena get a protective ranking while she was off tour? ...***

    Protected? Back in '93 the tour players were ticked off for Seles being protected for 6 months after the stabbing! You think they should accommodate Serena for a year? Well why don't we just go nuts and protect Hingis if she comes back? Come on! She'll just have to hope she can overcome the draw and the top players; unless it's Caroline? Woof, this is just above the Ivanovic, Jelena, & Safina rankings of #1! I have no faith WOZ will even get to the semis! I'm sorry guys, but she so reminds me of my little Martina H.! A great thinker on the court, quick, makes you work for it, but that type of tennis won't win you any majors! The competition is a lot better even if the final results prove the same ones actually win!
    ---

    Roger had his chances, but he couldn't close it out! This is a huge accomplishment to play another FO final! It's rough out there on clay with all this new blood! Fed's got to be a little mentally drained! It goes with the territory of being so good for such an extended period of time! That's one reason I won't ever give it up to Nadal totally! He just didn't sustain it for that long! I'm waiting for 2 consecutive great years! Fed gave us 5+! He still hasn't dropped off the map and I give him all the chance in the world to keep his streak going of winning at least one slam a year!

    ***Fed fans now need Rafa to get better - or Nole is gonna dominate like none ever. We are talking 17 Slams minimum. I know a lot of Roger fans won't admit it out loud, but we like the emergence of Novak now. Our boy is close to 30. He can still make deep runs, but in reality he'd have to pray for a few upsets if he can win another Slam.***

    You had many predicting the same greatness for Rafa with 20+ majors! I never saw that! Not b/c of any animus, but the record was there for all to see; he's not that resilient! He hasn't performed year in and year out like Roger! He may have had a chance but for emergence of Nole! He has been the most consistent #3 I've ever seen on the ATP when most would have been discouraged and fallen! Nole went up; it took time, but he's there! Roger is also hanging on very well with little resistance from Murray and Soderling! One should have passed Fed by now if they really were worthy! They haven't even come close yet falling on their faces in the handful of major finals they did make! Murray is the most disappointing with his game that did take him far in some tour events! I just don't know what either can do to make the next jump! It doesn't look like Roger is leaving any time soon!
    ----

    In the past there was no such thing as someone worthy of "Goat" moniker just taking off so gratuitously! It's almost like a routine for some; SW & VW! You had players like Martina and Edberg that never missed a major! Now we have people who want to be acknowledged above them, but also want to be allowed to come as go as they please! How this sport has fallen for some; esp. for the ladies!

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  50. ***The worse women's final ever - It was boring tennis. Maria didn't hold her serve and doubled faulted too, too much. Hat's off to Petra---but it was a boring final.***

    You're all very young! I had to endure 1975, BJK overwhelming Evonne Goolagong 6-0, 6-1! She wasn't ready to be in the final! From what I understand it was a battle of the UFE's in the semi vs her hero, Margaret Court! Billy Jean already had a psychological advantage over the very fragile Goolagong! "Hot-dogging" it wasn't her style or taste! I think that's why she did so much better against Evert! There wasn't the drama between points and games! In the final BJK just attacked relentlessly and suffocated Evonne! It was over like a Martina match in '83; no fuss, no muss! We didn't even get a chance to admirer or laugh at BJK's "little orphan Annie" hair-don't!" Speaking of hair, the next great change was from Virginia Wade! At 30 she finally cut that bun off and let it go wild and bouncy! She bounced Evert out of a semi at Wimbledon in '77; The Queen's Jubilee (25 years) & W's 100th anniv.!

    ***I'm not incredibly young, but my tennis doesn't go back quite that far. I do remember the 32 minute, 6-0, 6-0 drubbing Steffi put on Natasha Zvereva in '88.***

    I believe that was at the French Open! I'm pretty sure the OP was thinking "Wimbledon!"

    ***That is why Nadal looks so rattled against Nole - he has done all he could and it's still not good enough.***

    Oh Nadal was in shock! That interview w/ McEnroe and in front of the press corp was like "he was in a trance," not really there, just floating thru it! He looked like he was talking to himself more than them! I think it's finally sinking in after 5 matches of "beat downs!" Even Fed rarely destroyed Rafa! He doesn't have the fire power of Del Po! That was a true beat down a couple years ago at the USO; 2, 2, & 2!

    ***Whose game is more appealing and pleasing Rafa or Nole - Nadal's grinding game is like watching people shove coal in a steam locomotive.***

    ITA! I can't tell you how offended I am by Nadal's game with that flailing windmill forehand! I keep wondering when he'll crack himself in the head and knock himself totally out! Hard to believe I can criticize his game so reminiscent of my fave Borg, but Bjorn was more a genius who was the last player to win multiple majors with wood! Rafa's game is more a product of the new rackets out there! All you have to do is take a wild swing at the ball; instant winner! It's ridiculous! I would doubt any of today's players would stay in the game if they had to go back to wood! They would be helpless wimps without the new technologies; ladies included!

    ***...pioneers of "bashing the heck out of the ball with or without topspin." There's no need for point construction or strategy. ...a variety of shots when you can just bash winners or passing shots or force an error just by hitting hard. - Nadal's retrieving, grinding style is unappealing, and that shot that he uses to dig out a low shot to the backhand looks like a pelican diving for a fish.***

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  51. ***Rafa aging right before our eyes - He seemed old, helpless and weaker against Djokovic. He didn't get old man Federer as his "comfort zone" opponent in the Wimby final and I think he lost right there and then even before the final match against the Djoker had started.***

    Very old news really! I said years ago Rafa couldn't last long playing that style! The excessive topspin, the grinding it out for impossible shots, it had to take it's toll! I know he's about Djokovic's age, but Nadal is definitely older in mind and experience! That had to take years off his career! Nadal won't be done, but Nole's advantage has finally come to the fore! This isn't a rivalry anymore; sorta like Martina when she started owning Evert! More people will start beating Nadal since his aura of invincibility has been shredded! I give him a couple more years, but the Rafa era of dominance is well over! Good luck Nole!

    ***I remember before Nadal arrived on the scene and Hewitt was #1 and running around like a rabbit around the court that I predicted he'd be screwed after the age of 25.Sure enough they have over time and he's barely been injury free over the last 2 years. Furthermore, Hewitt NEVER put the amount of pounding on his body that Nadal did day in,day out.

    Quite simply the worst weapon in tennis to have is a 'good set of wheels' as once age, fatigue, and injuries set in; you're screwed. Having a huge serve like Sampras can still bag you a slam whilst on the precipice of your 30's, but not so for the guys who eek out points ala Chang; Hewitt and eventually Nadal as their games finally catch up to them in the long run.
    ----

    Rogie has 16 GS all by himself; the rest of the ATP has 18 combined (Rafa 10, Djokovic 3, Hewitt 2, Del Potro/Roddick/Ferrero 1 each).***

    I talked about this a while back! It's sorta like when Martina and Chris were at the top alone! There was no one to stop both from winning each major there for a while in the '80's! Graf came along, but it was still slim pickin's trying to have a truly competitive tourney early on with the WTA! Upsets just didn't happen much! Hana Mandlikova was probably the most talented, but she only beat them both once or twice; '85 USO or beat one in Wimbi-semi's '81(M) & '86(C)!

    My point is the men had a embarrassment of riches with many champions! At any given major, you might have a dozen of them including Becker, Edberg, McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Courier, Agassi, Kefelnikov, Chang, & Sampras off the top of my head! It's been embarrassing for the ladies that they haven't had that level of champions since the 70's w/ Wade, Court, King, Casal, Evert, & Goolagong! You have a lot of names, but the same people were winning! Talked about the 80's already, the 90's were in transition from Graf, Seles, & Sanchez-V to Hingis, Davenporte, & The Williams'! After 2003 you had a mini-boom with the addition of Clijster, Henin, all the Russians, & Ivanovic! Now it's just a mess! Hard to say how I feel about the WTA these days! I have no fave to really back I guess! Petra K. as the new Wimbledon champion, left handed, and a powerful Czech; it might be deja vu!

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  52. ***How can Rafa be the GOAT when he is not the best of his era? Rafa isn't the GOAT, but 6 months doesn't change years of domination. Once Novak comes back down to Earth things will be different. Rafa is up to the challenge of beating his greatest rival unlike a certain GOAT we all know.***

    WTF are you talking about? Years of domination; '08 & '10? That's been it! The only one that has dominated anything over many years is Federer! You've lost it totally! Roger had a 5 year streak at Wimbledon and the US Open! Rafa has his run at only the FO and that has been it! 2 Wimbledons, 1 USO, & 1 AO outside of clay has been it! He's been a total wash-out at years' end ATP Chps as well! That doesn't mean domination in any way; even if he had a winning record on clay against the real GOAT! Gawd, you guys make my hands shake with anger and frustration with nonsensical comments like that! Check the stats before embarrassing yourself again! Thanks!
    ---

    I don't know why people are surprised that w/ Rafa and Nole around, there are no Americans! It's a state of mind or mentality that's involved! Players here just don't have the hunger to win like players from other countries! They aren't spoiled little brat where everything is handed to them on a silver plate; eating w/ a silver spoon! This is nothing new! We've gotten into a habit of seeing top players for our country, but the thing is many are imports! Martina, Monica, Ivan, and others have come by way of other countries! It looks as if the Williams have been the only ones propping us up since the 90's! Roddick has been an absolute joke as our standard bearer even before he lost his "MOJO!" I hate to put it out there so "in your face," but that's the way it is! Don't expect much from Querry, Isner, & Fish; they're an injury and old age away from not even being in the top 20! Fish being the lone top representative for now and he's well past it! It's only a matter of time and we won't even exist in the tennis lexicon! We won't be in the top tier for Federation and Davis Cups! When you have Melanie Oudin and Coco Vandeweghe trying to keep us relevant, that should have told us all what we needed to know!
    ----

    Watching 2010 Aussie Open when Roger was stomping Murray into the court, both commentators note how Fed likes to "tweak" Murray with little cuts! If Murray were to win a smaller match, Roger would come back with he'd "rather have the major anyway!" lol! There's no love lost for some reason! They haven't played enough to have that much animus, but obviously something is there! How could Murray just totally overlook Federer's record? It doesn't make sense! Last I checked 16>10 and 5 tourney streaks at Wimbledon and the USO isn't something a smart person can possibly forget! Very silly indeed!

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  53. ***Casey Anthony Verdict Not Guilty; Wow - ...also why did they go for 1st degree murder when it was clearly an accident? Convicted only on the lying to police!***

    This is all on the prosecution for over-charging! There was no way they were going to go "1st-degree with as many questions that were left unanswered! I'm still shocked the jury pretty much let her 'skate!' Someone's responsible for this little girl's death! She wasn't transported to that field wrapped like garbage by some ghost! More charges probably should have been added like "illegal disposal of a body," anything so she couldn't cry herself into this "acquittal!" Where's the OJ outrage? Never gonna happen!

    ***In America when you are found not guilty you don't go to jail. The jury obviously heard things that we didn't. She is a pathetic looking thing and I can see a jury believing her.***

    ...if you're a brain-dead idiot maybe!

    ***I am not brain dead, nor am I an idiot. Obviously 12 jurors let her go. Maybe you are just closed mind. You didn't hear all the evidence. ...Of course cops and prosecutors never lie! No need for a trial if we are to believe everything they say.***

    Regardless of how incompetent the prosecution was for over-charging, that little girl didn't levitate to that open field trussed up like garbage! If you can ignore that fact, common sense has to be in questions; yours and theirs!

    ***...That's such a double-standard....all crimes should be prosecuted the same, but in reality and unfortunately they aren't.***

    What America are you living in? lol! Double standards are a way of life in this country! Pretty, rich, and celebrity status rewards then no matter what they do! An old, ugly litterer or jaywalker will get the book thrown at them! That's the way it's always been! Klaus Van Bulow got away with murdering his wife with appeals while I know of a guy who buried a set of puppies alive was given years in jail! There's just no rhyme or reason why juries do what they do! These I have a lot of questions for letting this girl "walk!" A little baby is dead and no one will pay for it; chronic child abuse or deliberate premeditation!

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  54. Roger Clemens trial begins this week - No thread on this? Are we in denial or just die-hard fans seeing if we can get this guy past his pathetic, ego-maniacal lies? He's going to throw everyone under the bus including his wife to insist he did nothing wrong! This guy is truly disturbed! I blame his friends and lawyers for even allowing this to go this far! He's the one that insisted on this public forum and now he's caught up in all his indiscretions! It's all going to come out because people around him didn't smack some sense in him years ago! He's a goner; for at least 6 months!

    ***Clemens is charged with perjury, false statements and obstruction of Congress for telling a House committee under oath that he never used performance-enhancing drugs. The record-setting pitcher who once seemed destined for the Hall of Fame now could face prison if 12 jurors agree that he lied. The trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday and last 4-6 weeks.
    ---

    Taking steroids to cheat in a game is now murder? - And can you please list all these people being put to death for "little stuff"***

    So you're telling me everyone gets fair treatment in the press? You are delusional! How serious was Barry Bonds crime? You would think he took the life of his kids? He was pounded relentlessly before, during, and after his indictment by the media and fans alike! I haven't heard "booo" about Clemens and he's got more evidence against him; friends, blood, and contradictory statements! This fool has turned what should have been a small event into something huge, but in your eyes this should all be ignored or "poo-poo'd!" Way to keep it consistent!
    ----

    ***I don't agree with this at all that he was a class act. Wade has always been a douche-bag.***

    Good to know! I was giving him every benefit of the doubt! All I knew about was his difficult divorce from his crazy wife here in Chicago! Glad he got the kids!
    ----

    I have no comment on Serena and if you find anything in the last couple weeks, I'd be very surprised! I don''t waste my time talking about her since she hasn't played much in the last year! I've been very quiet about most players of late, but I have agreed with the gamesmanship of Rafa! He's getting it kicked right back in his face! That I have said! Anything else is just delusional thought rolling around your empty head!
    ----

    Why do you think I use terms like delusional and "up-n medication?" It's quite irrational behavior and of course hypocritical for people on the board trying to elevate Rafa's status w/o the goods that Federer possesses! I still get worked up though! Like Republicans acting like real "jackasses," your blood still boils that in the 21st century you have people like this walking around, talking, and making decisions that encompass us all!

    ***With only 10 slams to his name (one behind Borg, one behind Laver, four behind Sampras, and 6 behind Federer) and nowhere near as many slam finals and semifinals as Federer? Not even close!***

    As I've been saying for a while now, it's quite delusional behavior and thought! Federer's name is all over the record books for accomplishments other players can only dream of; including Rafa! He's had 2 great years and some think he has inherited the mantle of GOAT already! It just makes no sense! Their best case is that Fed has a losing record against Rafa on clay! Well I'll take Roger's record any day of the week! He has so many runs that won't ever be top'd! He's been lucky not to have been injured (like someone that will remain nameless) so he's w/o a doubt the most consistent and great champion ever! You just won't see 5 straight USO's and 5 more Wimbledons like that again; man or woman! If Serena's supposed to be the female GOAT, she woefully falls behind in the records compared to Martina, Steffi, Margaret, & Chris for the same reasons! I won't even dignify this heresy w/ the inequities of the numbers!

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  55. They thought after Federer declined, they'd have free reign! Too bad Nole got his act together in time! I can watch tennis again! I crack up with Djokovic giving "it" all back to him; the stalling, challenging of calls, taking his sweet time to start a point, & toweling off after every single point! Nadal doesn't know what to do! All his tricks have no affect on Nole! He's truly LOST! lol! Poor baby! His sycophants will have to find a new way to aggravate I guess! Since the wins will be cut off, they'll have to find another way to elevate their fave! "Oh his record against Federer is......!" So what? How long will they beat us over the head with that one? 16 is still greater than 10; simple math even for some of these people!

    ***How can a class act like Federer have such bitter clowns for fans? You only need to take a look at the board and nearly 1 out of every 4 threads is anti-Nadal diatribes with some of the most virulent posts against any player. This board is increasingly degenerating into anti-Nadal tennis message board.***

    Gawd you sound like a Conservative Republican! They like to whine and complain so they can play the "victim" as well! Waaa! Pls spare me! Rafa gets little compared to some of my faves! Both Martina's are vilified, Henin is accused of the most horrible bullshit imaginable even talking about her looks, and now Rafa fans spend their posting time trying to elevate him past Federer even though he is the REAL GOAT! Sorry if you can't handle or live with it, but "that's the way it is" as Walter Cronkite used to sign off! Deal with it! All you can do is hope Nadal doesn't totally break down so he can half way compete with the new #1 player in the world, Novak "Nole" Djokovic! Ooopps, that was gratuitous! Sorry! We know how sensitive you can be!

    Knock yourself out looking for some vile comment you accuse me of! For the last few weeks I haven't even opened those delusional posts even referring to Serena! You're going thru a period of transference babe! I could care less about ladies' tennis of late! I just can't remember mentioning too much about them other than to defend Martina, Henin, & Petra! It's been a mess w/ the rankings and even Serena won't help overcome what's ailing it! "GO for it" if you have nothing else better to do! Be my ever-loving guest! lol!

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  56. ***I don't think this is the end of Rogie... - Am I saying he's the favorite to win any GS from now on? No! Nor am I picking him to win any GS from now on out. Just let the GSs play themselves out. I will say this though, Rafa 2005-2007 is back, meaning at most he'll only win FOs from here on out. I'm thinking Mugray will NEVER, EVER win a GS; kind of like Elena Dementieva. I'm thinking Djokovic and Del Potro will win more majors. Lastly, I'm hoping Rogie wins 1-4 more GS (W for sure, plus maybe another AO/W/USO, so he can have the most of all three. Also one more WTF for him to have the most). I can accept the fact that Rogie will never win another FO ever again!***

    Never say never I always say! Being realistic Fed may not get another FO chance, but I didn't think he'd make the final again either! Ya just never know! If he does win another one or 2 majors, I'll be happy enough! He usually holds up a lot better than the other players, so he's very likely to take another 1 or 2 WTF! Just watching a classic tape of 2005 USO! He "worked" Agassi out-doing what he likes to do best and that's catching the ball on the rise! Roger made him look slow hitting winners from the baseline with shots Andre could only just watch; normally over the shoulder going the wrong way! He might catch fire; we'll see in sept.! No competent person would ever suggest Roger is done!
    ----

    Listen everybody; no one is more a detractor of this guy than me! I've hated the guy since he was 16, w/ "Image is everything!" He had more fame and money than all the greats before him and the current stars combined! It was obscene in my eyes! He'd done little to earn it and it almost did him in! This is the HOF, and there was no way he could be kept out! He's done it all! Has at least one major at each event, had longevity playing 20 years, started his school and foundation, married a GOAT himself, so it was inevitable! What I can't accept is the old man is there and Andre's giving him "props;" the same man I THOUGHT he said he hated! My mom says it was only b/c he sent him away as a child! Never read his book, so I can't be sure that's the only reason!

    ***I read the book and his dad was both physically and verbally abusive to him when he was a child. His dad also verbally abusive to his mom. His dad even made a young Agassi (around 6 years old) take speed to see how it would make him play. ...
    ----

    What happened to Davis Cup new wave? - Why is declining Andy taking up space on the roster?***

    Who else was supposed to go; Querry, Isner, Harrison? Roddick is still ranked higher regardless of how much a "waste" he's been of late! I was never impressed going back to when he actually won something! There was a lull in the tour as happens periodically! Sampras was on the way out, Agassi was getting old, other players were injured! He took advantage of that period and got a USO! Unfortunately people obviously weren't paying attention! Slammin' serves and going for wild forehands can only take you so far and for so long! It was only a matter of time that he would come back to Earth; HARD! He's done well for himself! He's done more than I thought possible; "still relevant this late in his career!" Unfortunately he's had to hold on since our status is falling precipitously! The ATP and WTA may not have a US player in the top ten shortly! Fish is our lone savior! How long will that last?

    This period sorta reminds me of the late 70's; early '80's! Australia who had been a tennis power for years had fallen on hard times; esp. w/ the men! It was a huge deal when Peter McNamara made a top ranking of #7! It was a pipe-dream thinking that was signaling something! Cash and Rafter finally came along and put them back on the map! How long will we be out in the cold; absolute Siberia?

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  57. ***Djokovic is already a Hall of Famer too, with 3 slams and a #1 ranking. He competed against 26 slams (Fed, Nadal) which is the same amount as Pete/Andre/Courier had. Add on ATP finals, Davis Cup, 26 titles, 39 finals, 9 Masters titles, 6 Masters finals, only player to defeat Nadal on clay twice in the same year, only player to defeat Nadal on all 3 surfaces in a single year, youngest player to have made all 4 semifinals, only player besides Nadal to defeat Federer in cons. slams, one of the rare players to defeat Fed & Nadal in the same tourney, only player to defeat Fed in more than one semifinal, only player with 5 wins over Nadal in a single year, one of the few who can win IW & Miami back to back, only the 3rd player in history to go undefeated before the clay season, spent most weeks at #3 before finally getting #1, won 81% of all matches in slams, won 78% of all hard-court matches, 127 match wins in Masters (8th all-time), has almost surpassed Federer for best W/L ratio in Masters, is about to become the first player in history to win 5 Masters in one year, a 43-match winning streak (really should have been 45) and the 2nd longest winning streak to start a year, 13 match winning streak against top 10 players, 7 cons. titles, most years ended at #3, is about to overtake Agassi for career prize money - And he's not done!***

    Any wins over Federer and Nadal are noteworthy and record setting! They were virtually unbeatable there for a few years; esp. Roger! Might as well get it out of the way; Nole's going into the HOF! Any doubts? That would be ridiculous at this point!

    ***Serena Williams is the Greatest of Her Era***

    I can understand some who would want to feel that way, but the numbers don't tell the whole story! Her inconsistency is what troubles me the most! Someone that wants that high a moniker, "best of her era" needs to have more than a few good years! Thru apathy, injury, or outside interests, she didn't sustain it to the fullest! Holding onto the top ranking wasn't important until she lost it! During her period I've always believed Hingis and Henin represented the #1 ranking of the WTA a lot better! Sorry! True greats didn't skip as many tourneys as either Williams'!

    ***No, the numbers tell the whole story. If anything, it should be even more telling of Serena's greatness that she wasn't always committed, skipped tournaments, and was injured more frequently yet STILL achieved more than both Henin and Hingis.***

    Not that I've tried to retain all the numbers, but Henin and Hingis held onto #1 longer and have more tourney wins over a shorter period of time! How can Serena be the greatest of her era when so many have tried to use the opposite argument trying to elevate Nadal over Federer? 16 is still greater than 10 even w/ Nadal's record vs Federer! Which way you going to go this time?

    ***Djokovic already greater than Hewitt - And then all the times he lost to someone other than Fed, after 2005 Australia. He still should have won that Aussie final, we saw what Safin did afterwards. NOTHING! ;-( - - ***

    Besides Hewitt's tough draw, no one played as hard and started so early every year! He seemed like the de-facto #1 early each year from '98 on winning an event or 2 just before the Aussie Open! I'm surprised he hung on as long as he did! He was a lot like Rafa, Murray, Nole, & others that play a very physical game! Unfortunately with all that work, he still couldn't put any real heat on the ball! He would take these massive swings on both sides, but the shot really didn't travel that fast or hurt anyone! He was little more than a grinder who used his legs to win; sorta like Gerulaitis in his day; even looking somewhat alike! Very deserving of his #1 status though and should make the HOF in good time!

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  58. ***Awww ... As Laj pointed out - 87 of those weeks of Hingis at #1 was done without winning a slam. Yeah, that's an inconvenient truth. lol.***

    So you guys are going to equate Hingis' career with Woz, Safina, Jankovic, & Ivanovic? Hmmm; well there's a loss of credibility if that's the case! Pls tell me different! Your animus can't blind you that much! lol!! - As for Hingis, I just don't want her to be over-looked! Too many just "poo-poo" her accomplishments, belittling her majors, calling her some kind of place-holder! I never said she was great, but was one that maximized her potential unlike some other LOSERS!

    ***That Serena is already one of the female legends of the sport, ...Nonetheless, too often here the unsupported notion abounds that Henin and Hingis are somehow still in Serena's league. They are not!

    Martina Hingis pro tennis career spanned a total of 175 tourneys on the WTA tour.
    Justine Henin pro tennis career spanned a total of 146 tourneys on the WTA tour.
    Serena Williams pro tennis career spans 135 tourneys thus far on the WTA tour.

    Career Title Success:

    Hingis....43/175=24.6 (25%)
    Henin.....43/146 = 29.4%
    Serena...37/135 = 27.4%.
    ---

    Hingis.......5 GS, 2 Tour Chps, 15 Tier I(s), 17 Tier II, 4 Tier III.

    Henin........7 GS, 2 Tour Chps, 11 Tier I, 17 Tier II, 1 Olympic Gold, 5 Tier III.

    Serena.....13 GS, 2 Tour Chps, 1 Grand Slam Cup, 10 Tier I, 11 Tier II.
    ---

    Win/Loss Percentages:

    Hingis Career Win/Loss %..............538 - 132 = 80.3%
    Henin Career Win/Loss%................459 - 104 = 81.5%
    Serena Career Win/Loss%..............469 - 99 = 82.6 (83%).
    ---

    *Hingis Career Win/Loss % against Top 10 players ...........96 - 73 = 56.8 (57%).
    Henin Career Win/Loss % against Top 10 players...............87 - 53 = 62.1%
    Serena Career Win/Loss % against Top 10 players...........104 - 58 = 64.2%.
    ---

    *Hingis Career Win/Loss % against Top 5 players.............39 - 46 =45.9%
    Henin Career Win/Loss % against Top 5 players..............52 - 33 = 61.2%
    Serena Career Win/Loss % against Top 5 players............66 - 28 = 70.2%
    ---

    *Hingis Career Win/Loss % vs World's #1 players..............3 - 9 = 25%
    Henin Career Win/Loss % vs World's #1 players.................6 - 9 = 46%
    Serena Career Win/Loss % vs World's #1 players.............11 - 11 = 50%.

    Head to head:

    Hingis vs. Serena .............................6 - 7
    Henin vs. Serena...............................6 - 8
    Henin vs. Hingis................................2 - 2.

    Career Prize Money Earned:

    Hingis................................. $20,130,657.00
    Henin...................................$20,863,335.00
    Serena.................................$32,891,254.00 (women's record).

    Weeks at #1:

    Hingis.....................209 Weeks (87 of those weeks without winning a GS titles).
    Henin......................117 Weeks (all while presently holding Grand Slam title(s)).
    Serena....................123 weeks (all while presently holding Grand Slam title(s)).***

    There's only one legend and she's still playing as well as anyone, Martina Navratilova! She's "The Lege" coined by Jennifer Capriati back in the 90's when she was still taking titles! Even taking off those 6 years, her effort was good enough to come back and win 2 more majors in MxD! Her career span of 30+ years just won't be matched; ever! So please be more judicious with that moniker of "legendary!" Thanks!

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  59. ***I would definitely put Evert ahead of Court! I would also put Nadal ahead of Lendl; not sure if I would put him ahead of Borg yet.***

    Lendl had runs, especially late in the year Nadal has never come close to! He's taken one USO! Lendl played in 8 straight finals! It's the same reason Nadal will never eclipse Federer; ever! His runs at Wimbledon and the USO, not to mention his record # of AO's; it's just too late! Borg was great winning his 6 FO's, but his legend was acquired at Wimbledon! Nadal just doesn't have those level of accomplishments! Sorry!

    ***Hingis was little more than a placeholder #1 after her last Slam win...***

    If the Williams' were so great, why couldn't they take the #1 ranking away from her during that period? They were working in tandem trying to knock her off in the semi, then finals of tourneys! They were even assisted with tacky comments of the father whistling in our ears! That was real mature talking about a little girl like that!

    ***Being #1 is good, winning Slams is better. Not being #1 did not stop Petra Kvitova from winning Wimbledon; now she is better than #1 Wozniacki. ...Weeks at #1 and mostly not winning (like Jankovic, Safina, & Woz) will not get them into HOF. Nor will less weeks at #1, but winning multiple slams stop a player from getting into HOF.- Serena never really lost to Henin. The few times that Henin did get a match win, it was because Serena beat herself.***

    ...and your "brilliant" point is...? You're not saying anything I haven't been saying for years! Both Serena and Venus should have achieved more! They woefully underwhelmed me with tons of UFE, mindless aggression, and over the top screeching on every shot! It was sad, sad, sad! What can be said about your fave? She goes down a set and a couple of breaks to Azarenka! People only see the great comeback! I said to myself, how is she letting this happen? She's supposed to be the most athletic, fast, and tenacious player in history! That's ugly tennis and it ain't gonna get any prettier as she limps out the game!

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  60. Changing surfaces like that just proves The USTA doesn't think much thru; then and now! I remember the mid 70's when the US Open went to clay! I can only guess to alleviate the high maintenance cost of grass! Most of the biggest events leading up to the US Open were on clay, so I guess they thought it best to get ahead of the curve! Morons! All that did was give the advantage over to South America and Europe where clay is king! If not for Connors' style of play to keep us relevant around that time, we may have disappeared off the map altogether! You had Bjorn Borg, a brief stint at #1 in singles and doubles by Raul Ramirez of Mexico, Vilas, Nastase, Panatta, Orantes, Alexander, and many others! We were fielding career GS wannabees like Eddie Dibbs, Brian Gottfried, Harold Solomon, old man Cliff Richey, and Vitas G.; no offense! Ashe was near the end as well! They just weren't going to get the job done, so what was on their minds over at the USTA!

    They realized they made a grievous error and using the excuse of a bullet passing thru Forest Hills in '77, they moved and changed surfaces again; the 2nd time in 4 years! Way to keep the tourney sacred and historic! I guess since our Nat'l tourney is noted for being so schizophrenic, at least Connors has that notoriety of winning the USO on 3 different surfaces! They might as well say 5 for each time he won since the mix was different every freaking year keeping the event's neurosis fresh! That 1st year it played like a pane of glass it was so fast! Quite a few years later in Edberg winning he was averaging 5 hour matches the courts were so slow!

    I think for training purposes, our juniors should stick to the clay! People were influenced by California's players who grew up on hard court and I think it hurt the work ethic of our juniors! The clay court game is another animal! Playing on fast courts doesn't make you construct a point! It's all about the serve and return depending on the style of play!

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  61. Looks as if Nole will easily surpass Nadal's $8.71 Million from last year's tour earnings! He hasn't even started the summer tour and he only needs a "mil!" Money has just gotten obscene! When Federer was winning almost everything 5,6, years ago, he was over $10 mil! In my day, only the top 10 got even close to $200,000 while the rest just "scratched" for tennis ball money! How times have changed!

    We talked about this a few weeks ago, but I'm finding the rest of the tour rather weak! They need to step it up so that another player won't own 3 majors in one year! It's happened so many times under Federer, twice for Nadal, w/ a possible trifecta for Nole! Again in my day, things like this just didn't happen that often! Connors had been the only one since I started playing in '71, now it's almost a yearly occurrence! You expect it a lot more with the ladies, but not the men! THEY ARE WEAK! The top aren't that much better than the rest for GAWD-sake! lol! They've come back to the pack!
    ----

    ***Lendl was biggest choker of all time in my opinion - This man should have had 16 to 18 GS titles. This is one of the few players that could play in any era of tennis and still be a top player. ...Lendl made so many Americans mad when he routinely crushed McEnroe and Connors.***

    Not me, I loved it! Neither had any use for Lendl and had very little good to say about him as he crushed them; esp. near the end of their careers! They took great pleasure making him look bad at those early majors; a couple more he should have won ('82-84 USO, '83-84 Wimbledon, and even FO final vs Borg in '81)!

    ***Nadal OWNS Federer, ...- Yeah, and Djokovic owns Nadal.....and in fact, Djokovic owns Nadal much more soundly than Nadal owns Federer. Nadal isn't even competitive with Djokovic. Federer has always been very competitive with Nadal. - ...and mind you, Federer's 5 years older than Nadal. Djokovic and Nadal are just a year or so apart.
    ---

    Liar! Nadal ahead of Nole H-H. Gawd you are stupid...***

    You should catch up! After going 5-0 this season, Nole is just a handful of matches behind! You're deluding yourself if you can't acknowledge this "changing of the guard!" Novak has done it in finals and on 3 surfaces; 2 HC, 2 Clay, then Wimbledon grass! What else does he have to do for you?

    ***Wasn't Roger Federer the first man in 36 years to reach the final of all four majors in 06, then did it again in 1 year in 07, and finally in 2 years in 09? Well... Nadal hasn't even made it to the final of all four majors twice... Federer is the only player in the open era to have done this... and he has done it five times.***

    This is why Roger Federer is the overall GOAT! He has done things in OPEN tennis that no one will ever be able to duplicate; I'm sure! I keep wondering how people try to equate Roger's record w/ Rafa when he hasn't defended a title off of clay! We're talking 5 straight Wimbledons and 5 straight USO's, making the final a 6th time at both tourneys! No one comes close and that should be the end of all the BS we hear about Nadal being better than Fed! The only comparisons I'd accept are they are both air breathing, warm blooded mammals; that's it!

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  62. Needless to say "nothing" is mentioned about this subject on FOX NEWS! I watch "Fox News Watch" every sat., and they only broached the subject briefly in their "behind the scenes" clip; online gives access! It was pathetic them actually fearing to even bring the subject up! It was very disappointing! It was the last show on that network that was half way comparable to other networks and could have been transplanted with little change! They've lost all integrity and I will view it with a lot more skepticism from here on out! Both Brett Baier & Chris Wallace can't keep a straight face when asked compromising questions about their network! Is Shepard Smith alone now? Sheeshhh! The "riff raff" of the networks had better tone it down! They'll only bring more recognition to their biases by totally ignoring these issues! Sean, Bill, and the rest should really pull back on some of their more incendiary rhetoric! We may be at a cross roads and there may be no turning back after decisions that are about to be made about the budget, the nat'l debt, the "debt ceiling," and job creation!

    ***Sorry Fiero, but Dems think like children, how else should they be made to look like? You have a child's mind of the world and have no common sense, now go back and ask your mother permission to be on the internet with adults.***

    Well if your brand of maturity can take a surplus and turn it into a trillion dollar deficit in 8 years, I'll stay a juvenile delinquent! "Don't mess with the bull; you'll get the horns!"

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  63. ***These Two Make the Current WTA Look Like a Complete Joke - The current WTA has been a joke ever since Graf retired. Players with very little or no brain activity bashing balls mindlessly from the baseline armed with super rackets and modern strings. - Plus useless shrieking and waling completely unheard of in any other sport under the sun.***

    Tell me about it! You covered it all there for me! Change the punctuation and people would think I wrote it! Thanks! - BTW, the toweling down after every point? Gawd help us with the length of these matches! 4 games can take 20 mins.; men and women! I was watching Martina play Evert at '84 FO final! Neither went "to the towel" until the change of sides! It's just gotten so out of hand, it's almost unwatchable! I blame Nadal; of course! Due to his gamesmanship, it's made Nole counter-act those antics by putting them into his own repertoire of toweling down, bouncing the ball, and questioning every close call! Save us all!

    ***A similar exciting match was Mandlikova's upset of Martina at the USO earlier that year....and I was there in the stands.***

    Hana tried to give the match back to Martina! It's amazing how many times Navratilova has had these 2 set tie-breakers w/ a quick 6-1 set in semi's and finals over her USO career! It's one of 2 matches I saved where Navratilova was probably playing as well as she ever could, but was overcome by better play; Mandl. @ '85 USO and Graf in '89 USO final! Martina was points or a couple games from winning and she just couldn't complete the comebacks! I was happy enough that she came back to take her final Wimbledon in '90! Nice finish by making '94 final, but the serve just wasn't strong enough to prevail over Conchita Martinez!

    ***Lendl vs....who? Mecir?***

    That was in '86! McEnroe went down to Ivan in '85 USO final! I've been hoping to see the semi's from that year! If you don't know, I suffer from sleep apnea! I was trying to watch Boris take out Mecir only to catch the last game! Was totally unconscious with all that greatness going on! I loved Mecir; The CAT! He was sneaky quick and could make top players look quite foolish when he was "on!" Even thought Ivan destroyed him the next day, Miloslov got a little revenge taking Lendl in 3 straight sets at The Lipton the next year; if I remember correctly!

    ***My "robot" was Borg. - I disliked his playing so much that I once expressed that I wish there were Borg-free tourneys.;-) I was REAL happy when Johnny Mac finally beat him at Wimby....and "de facto" retired him.***

    It was hard watching Borg matches early on, but it got better! After he won Wimbledon it all changed! He began attacking more and was almost unbeatable around that time escaping upsets at Wimbledon several times over his 5 year reign! The grass was most unforgiving, but he managed something only Federer has been able to match! Even at the '78 FO, he blew away his good friend Vilas in "straights!" He really wasn't just sitting back waiting for his opponent to miss! He had to attack since others were attacking him relentlessly; esp. Connors, Vitas G., & of course J. McEnroe! I still can't believe he was able to overcome the serve of Tanner at '79 Wimbledon! I thought it would be all over! Roscoe was mostly "serve," but he could stay in a point on grass fairly well, taking out Connors a couple times! It was the old clock, but they had his best serve at 153 mph! Now adays they take the speed as it crosses the net!

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  64. ***Why couldn't Henin win on the true MASTER'S SURFACE? - ...she was never able to "overcome" and win at Wimbledon.***

    Thinking about it, Henin's results remind me of Ivan Lendl! Both quite good on HC and clay, won their share of majors, but didn't win a Wimbledon! So what? When McEnroe, Sampras, & Federer were winning, there was little chance for him and others! Same with Justine! Does winning Wimbledon make Kvitova the greater player? Lendl and Henin still both played a final or 2! I'll take either career! Any "YAHOO" that tries to undermine or try to make irrelevant their stats is drinkin' and smokin' too much!

    ***The comparison to Lendl that Fiero came up with is pretty good, although I'd say Lendl was better on grass than Henin ever was. To me Lendl was unluckier, as he had to battle McEnroe, Edberg and Becker, three of the best grass-court players to ever hold a racket, plus some other very solid grass-court players such as Cash and Connors. The men's top 10 was crazy deep during the 80's.
    ----

    Did I hear somewhere that Hingis is making another comeback?***

    She looked as sharp as ever last night during that WTT match against Phili.! Oudin didn't stand a chance! She was also good at the doubles carrying some girl I've never heard of before! The top of women's tennis is such a joke, she could definitely get back to the top 10; again! Her 2nd comeback got her to #6 if I remember correctly!

    Martina's name will remain all over the record books for taking titles at such a young age! Jealous much? Her record can be discounted by you guys, but history will be a lot kinder! How soon we forget she was winning junior majors at 12! 18 y.o.'s couldn't handle her then and they can't handle her now! lol!

    ***Why are Federer and Djokovic always in the same half?***

    Been having this argument since the '70's w/ this occurring again and again! The #3 player always has it tough going back to Vilas behind Borg and Connors, Connors behind Borg and McEnroe, and Courier #3 behind Sampras and Agassi! Djokovic was in this position for years at #3 watching Federer and Nadal trade #1 and #2! Federer's having to deal w/ the same situation now at #3! He'll have to beat one or both to take a major from here on out! It's only going to get harder for him! 2009 was an aberration and he should thank his lucky stars he had another moment in the glaring sun of Goat-dom!

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  65. Well I hope the telecast tonight will show it! I still have a few games from last season where Venus barely hung on to beat Hingis in a tie-breaker! I'm not judging much on these matches! WTT is a joke compared to the tour! You mainly have retired, lower ranked, or players coming back from injury and surgery!

    I still remember in the waning years of Navratilova's career, in 1991 that was all she did that summer to prepare for the USO! Martina's ranking had dropped to #5 by the USO! They dissed her further by dropping her to the 6th seed w/ the assumption either Arantxa or Steffi would take her out! It was lucky the WTA had such weak opponents in those opening rounds! She just wasn't hitting the ball! I didn't see it, but by the 4th round she was playing Manuela Maleeva and started her run w/ 1st, 2nd &/or 3rd set tie-breakers! She was down to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, but came back to win another TB in the 2nd before steam-rolling the match in the 3rd, 6-2!

    By the semi's against Graf, she was finally cracking her serve and shots, even going "over" her backhand! She was up a set and a break before a horrendous bad call went against her allowing Graf to take the 2nd in another TB! Martina started out well with a break, but both were having trouble holding serve before Navratilova took it 6-4 in the 3rd! By the final, her nine lives had been used up I guess and meekly went out to Seles 7-6, 6-1! It had to shock everyone; even Martina that she did so well and made the final! Very impressive run and a lot better than the upset riddled draw of Wimbledon in '94!

    Most think Martina's only dominance over Graf should have been at Wimbledon! The fact is Martina beat Graf 4 of 5 matches at the USO with that lone loss her own fault; up a set and a break and 2 games away from the '89 title! 4 of the top matches of all time at the USO were probably played between these 2 in semi's and finals over the years; '86, '87, '89, & '91!

    ***Henin 43 - Hingis 43 - Clijsters 41 ------ Serena 37***

    Not to be mean, but they know that already! It just won't sink in when we laugh about "Goat-dom" being bestowed for such a thin record! In comparison to those noted above, they pale in comparison to Navratilova, Evert, Graf, Court, & Seles!

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  66. ***Boehner tells House GOP he will press ahead with his own plan for reducing the deficit...- ...You mean the Democratic President Obama's "my way or the highway?" What was the reason Obama didn't want to make a budget last year?***

    Well in this instance, it's necessary to stop the lemmings from going over the cliff! I say, let them take us over that cliff! It's been the master plan since "W!" If we're dumb enough to put these losers in charge, we deserve whatever happens! It's the classic "cut off my nose to spite my face!" Sounds rather Republican actually! Like the dearly departed Robert Novak, the Prince of Darkness once said on the Capital Gang on CNN, "the last original idea the Republicans had was to free the slaves!" Nuff said! They've been regretting even that one good idea ever since!

    ***Obama Should Raise the Debt Ceiling on His Own...- If Congress were to be so negligent as to risk a default, the Constitution requires the President to act to prevent default. It is the single highest imperceptive in the Constitution. The President is not allowed to let the country default on its debt, no matter what he has to do.***

    Well just glancing at this thread, you make the most sense! I wonder why this isn't explained to the "low information" crowd so they'll stop making idiots of themselves! It's in the Constitution and you have these losers preaching from it on day one! Funny they only agree with it when it suits them! Gawd save us from evil and stupid people!

    ***...Then I guess Obama should NOT HAVE SIGNED the Budget for 2009, should he. Sorry, but Obama OWNED this Economy at THAT MOMENT.***

    Well it would help if you didn't have these lowlife Tea-baggers sabotaging things as the economy tries to recover! I'm still waiting for any kind of jobs' bill from Boehner! It's all been about their Jihad on Planned Parenthood, abortion in general, and finding new ways to screw the poor, sick, elderly, veterans, and disabled! Since 2007 or so they've been approving short term authority and moneys to keep local airports open! Since some loser Rep. wants to squash unions at these sites, he held up approval and those airports were closed friday! That put 4000 people out of work! We see the master plan at work! Undermine the recovery no matter how they have to do it! True slime bags!

    ***Where are the Jobs ...Obama said he created ......still waiting on proof of those...Scum-baggers. ...you name the jobs Obama created? That's what he wasted over 800 billion taxpayer dollars on...where and what are they? Obama doesn't get a pass.***

    Sorry, but all the true scumbags are on the "right!" They are the ones running / ruining Congress! They are the bill creators! Name one jobs' bill Boehner has produced? He's the Speaker! He was screaming at Pelosi a couple years ago, "where are the jobs?" Why does this question only come from loser tea-baggers?

    Remember the word STIMULUS? Hello! All those great jobs governors around the country are touting; esp. Perry in Texas comes from the stimulus! Why is that so hard to acknowledge? Same with saving the auto industry! Thousands of jobs saved, recovered, and the beat goes on with suppliers, vendors, blah, blah, blah! You really embarrass yourselves when you try to argue with truth! Stop lying about stuff! De-nial is truly more than a river with you losers!

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  67. ***Who Deserves the Blame?? Joe Scarborough Gets It Right...

    MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough recently surprised me by identifying the culprit for the nation’s fiscal mess. “Let’s make no mistake about it right now: increasing this debt ceiling? This is George W. Bush and the Republican Party’s debt,” the former Republican congressman said. Scarborough added, “This is George W. Bush’s debt…. You can’t just put this on Barack Obama.”

    ...In the interest of providing more context, it’s also worth noting that Bush didn’t act alone — Republican lawmakers like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell supported the fiscally-irresponsible policies every step of the way, voting for the agenda that created all that debt. Republicans admit that they saw the entire eight years as a period in which it was “standard practice not to pay for things.”

    As a result, Republicans inherited a large surplus and turned it into a massive deficit. GOP officials took a budget that was on track to eliminate the national debt altogether and instead added nearly $5 trillion to it. And now these same Republicans claim the high ground on fiscal issues, and demand that President Obama clean up their mess immediately. Worse, they demand he do so in a way they find pleasing, or next week, they’ll crash the economy on purpose.

    Last week, a House Republican said he didn’t feel like allowing the nation to pay its bills, because, as he put it, “Why should we give Barack Obama $2.4 trillion? It’s his debt.” Maybe someone should pass this chart around to GOP lawmakers. They could apparently benefit from the reminder. Dick Gregory of NBC as well.***

    Great post! Too bad the more delusional people out here won't acknowledge these cold, hard facts! You can post charts, diagrams, reports, massive statistics and it'll do no good to the really "low-information" crowd! Unless they hear it from the lips of a Fox News anchor, it can't be true! Even coming from Joe, who's considered a conservative is now a traitor! He can't be taken seriously according to them since he's sold out to MSNBC! I love it! Thanks!

    ***I discount it out of hand because it was on MessNBC...much the same as YOU do if it was on FOX.

    Idiot, I watch Fox News Watch; never miss it! They didn't really disappoint me until last week totally blowing off the Murdock scandal! They're supposed to comment on what's current in the media! Newscorp blew up and they only mentioned "not bringing it up" on their web telecast from behind the scenes! Even more embarrassing the following week when they totally gave their boss a pass! It's like they think all of you guys are fools; well most are! They've lost a lot of credibility of late! They only have Shepard, Chris, and Bret and he can barely keep a straight face when asked questions about FNN! I thought Rupert might fire him when he had this smirk or crazy grin on his face during his "Daily Show" interview with John Stewart a few weeks ago! I can't wait for the investigations to begin! It's inevitable! I wonder how long they think they can ignore that?

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  68. ***Social Security going broke***

    Social Security would work fine if the masses weren't such thieves! Administration, stealing off the top from every level the funds travel through the system, along with plenty of people filing who don't need it! Even Ronald Reagan, who was POTUS, with a huge pension, security for life, blah, blah, blah, "filed and was getting Social Security!" That reminds me of past neighbors; rich old women, wearing their minks to the grocery story, paying with food stamps, getting picked up by a limos supplied by their equally rich kids around the holidays! It's truly sad seeing this kind of thing going on, but I'm sure I'll get comments saying, "they paid into the system, they are entitled!" I was entitled to a lot of things, but I didn't file because I didn't need it! It wouldn't take much to turn all this around, but no one wants their ox gored! Clinton in very short order turned things around, but people have to agree on some compromises! Both sides have dug in so what else should we expect but a horrible ending? Lots of luck to you kids with this sad state of affairs!
    ----

    Prediction: Boehner Done As Speaker - Speaker of the House of Representatives will be out of the job by jan. 2013; if not before! The man has no credibility left! He's been caught lying on too many occasions for it to just be a slip of the tongue! Boehner's a liar, has behaved like a spoiled, petulant child of late, and Obama will finally decide he can't trust him any longer! They were so close to an agreement over the weekend, but after limping back to his caucus, Boehner was smacked around and told to drop it all! Anything short of complete capitulation was not acceptable!

    Boehner stepped out and spoke about his meetings w/ Obama! You would have thought they hadn't agreed the sun came up that day! According to Obama, the meeting was cordial, he flattered Boehner, gave him all kinds of cover for agreeing to a deal, but not 5 mins. later Boehner comes out saying the "President needs to get serious!" He went on to insult the President, totally misrepresenting what had happen saying "The President hasn't come up with his own plan!"

    "What are you talking about; fool?" I can't tell you how appalled I am with this situation! Republicans are getting more than they were looking for months ago, but they still turned down the deal! Cool! At least after it all crumbles, the "right" can jump up and down screaming "they told us so! Obama's a failure!" What should end up happening is nobody gets anything done; as usual under Republican leadership! Another "do-nothing Congress!" Three day work weeks, playing with people's lives, continuing to approve moneys to go down that rat hole called "Middle East wars!" They are a class act! Little will get cut and the spending in the end will continue to go up and above future debt ceilings! Nice kabuki theatre! I guess this makes Boehner think he's accomplishing something!

    I see a comparison to Gingrich w/o the "whoring" around! He definitely isn't any smarter! The man forgot about the integrity it takes to serve in this job! You can act like a total jackass as Majority or Minority leaders, but The Speaker has to be at least as honest as his word! Boehner has no one to blame but himself! Cantor has been "running him" as if on remote control! Boehner says one thing, but after speaking to Cantor and his caucus, "he cowed!" It looks pathetic and I just can't see him surviving much longer!

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  69. ***Boehner's Not-So-Good Day Yesterday Makes Catastrophe All the More Likely...***

    Boehner's finding out the job of Speaker "ain't that easy!" Typical, this lazy SOB thought he could kick back 3 days a week and just let things move along by themselves! I don't think he had any idea how hard Pelosi worked to get so much done! The Senate has over 200+ pieces of legislation passed by her so it doesn't really matter that Boehner's a slug and he hasn't passed any significant legislation, but it doesn't say much for his leadership! He can't accomplish what Gov. Daniels (formerly "W's" OMB Director) called normal "housekeeper!" What a loser! The stock market has gone on a slide and these fools can't agree on something this simple!

    ***Tea Baggers holding knife to Boehner's throat AGAIN***

    Dem. Leader Reed is in the 'catbird seat!' He can create his own bill with a handful of sane Republican senators and Boehner can end his career with a Democratic passed bill with only a handful of Rep. votes! What a loser! He really thought this was going to be a great job to have! He had no idea how hard Pelosi must have worked to get over 500 pieces of legislation passed during her 4 year tenure! After 6 months, Boehner's total barely scratches a dozen; and they were probably never acted on by the Senate! Cantor wants the job, be he can't count votes in the position he's holding! What a disaster it'll be if they go from one weepy willow to some crazed tea-bagger! The "right" can't be more wrong these days! They're finally dragging us all down with them!

    ***Stop talking about the Tea Party and Republicans. You need to be asking ...Why did the Democrats FAIL to pass the budget of their dreams when they had FULL MAJORITY between Jan 2009, and January 2011??***

    Same ol' talking points! That was then, this is now! It's people like you who won't take responsibility for the spending of Bush and his Republican Congress! They never stopped spending even with 2 wars, a drug prescription bill, and tons of other initiatives that weren't paid for and all of a sudden, it's all Obama's fault! You need another record to play! I would be the 1st to blame Obama if things were truly his fault! The only thing I see wrong is his even trying to compromise with those losers on the "right!" They're too whacked out to even deal with! Heaven help us if they totally take over! We were just one "Christine O'Donnell" and "Sharron Angle" win from totally chaos! We dodged a bullet then, but somehow just a few nuts in the House are trying to collapse our economy! Just great work guys!

    ***Why didn't Pelosi and the Dem Senate raise the "debt ceiling" when they could last year?***

    ..and if Pelosi's lame duck House had passed anything, you bitches would be complaining about being ham-strung for the next year or so! You guys are relentless "victims!" It's never your fault, everyone just picks on you, and only your way is right! STFU and K.M.entire Ass!

    ***IF you think Dems treat minorities bad, you must not know what Rethuglicans have done and are doing as it relates to minorities.
    ---

    Not true, the civil rights act was supported by both northern Democrats and Republicans...***

    Typical narrow-minded view of the facts! Shessh! True enough they went along with civil rights legislation, but it also "gave" the south to the reTHUGlicans from then til now! They hated doing it and having to "act" right! Heaven knows how pathetic they would be if we had waited for those losers to come to their sense on their own! "Separate drinking fountains indeed!" Yeah, a proud moment for you all! Laws against mixed marriages are still staining the law books of the South! And being gay; might as well just wait for the lynching party!

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  70. ***I wonder why nobody compares Fed vs Nadal's final appearances? Fed's how much older?***

    The record doesn't care! It was more even a rivalry with Martina and Chris, but Martina did well vs another great rival; Graf! Unfortunately Federer only had Nadal as his major rival, but only because other players didn't step up! That's why Federer is leading the list of GOAT's! He was ruling like no man has ruled; probably since Laver, Budge, Kramer, Tilden, & Gonzales! I can only take the historians' word for them being great! My list wouldn't have any of them besides Laver adding on Sampras, Borg, Lendl, McEnroe, Connors, Agassi, and of course Federer!

    ***Missing Hingis - Watching Hingis beat Serena on the WTT recently reminded me of what is missing from the WTA. Smash-mouth tennis is boring on the WTA. ...maybe go back to Wooden Rackets.***

    I totally agree! I'm watching it now on our local sport's cable channel! Hingis still has it! Her serves speed or lack thereof is what'll keep her off tour! Today's returners would punish it! She still gets the job done! I'm still very impressed with her play!

    ***Has what? She only won 5 GS and was blasted off the courts the final 2 years of her career. She's a good player, but little more IMO.***

    Jealous much? How many titles do you have? lol! Only indeed; what a nerve! Our tennis prodigies Tracey Austin had only 3; Jaeger 0, Rinaldi 0! What's your point?

    ***Two Great BallStrikers - Davenport & V.Williams***

    Well Davenporte should definitely be mentioned in this subject! She's very reminiscent of Jimmy Connors; hits very flat, a kind of controlled aggression that other players really can't match! You have Venus when "ON" can be added, but all too often, it's mindless aggression and I'm not sure she knows where the ball is going! Nothing will change my mind on that! She's a great athlete, can get to anything, but she's nowhere near Davenporte in ball striking all the time! Her serve is well touted, but it's also a huge liability! Again, her technique is very poor! Her head drops before hitting the serve! As a result, she has to hope it goes in rather than knowing it will! Davenporte's delivery is not the best either! She slices the outside of the ball! I could change that and give her a devastatingly powerful serve if she really reached up for it! She's tall like Venus and should have had more serves winners in her career!

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  71. ***Obama is totally responsible for our high debt.***

    You guys play the same record over and over hoping to convince people of a lie! Bush doubled the nat'l debt and the bill is coming due now! You can't start 2 wars, pass legislation like "no child left behind" & a drug prescription plan without paying for it! That is what the so called fiscally responsible party did from 2001 to 2006! They kept lowering taxes for the rich, deregulating oversight, while spending twice as much as any Democratic led Congress! Those are the real facts! I don't blame them since it appears the masses preferred going broke, having a police state, and wanted to trash the future for their children! Bless you all!

    ***Colo. Lawmaker Apologizes for 'tar baby' comments - A Republican Colorado congressman apologized Tuesday after comparing President Barack Obama and his policies to a “tar baby.” Rep. Doug Lamborn made the comments last week during an interview with a Colorado radio station while discussing the congressional talks to raise the country’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling. Lamborn apologized in a letter to the president.

    The remarks were interpreted by some to be racially motivated. In the comments section for the term “tar baby” on Merriam-Webster’s website, one poster wrote, “White America can try to act like U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn didn’t mean it that way... but WE KNOW BETTER!!!” The Colorado Democratic Party chairman called Lamborn’s comments “ignorant” and “intolerable.” The three-term congressman told the Denver Post that he did not mean to offend the president.***

    Sure he meant to offend! He just got caught! This is SOME apology! What a lowlife! Republicans will whine about being called terrorist during this budget battle, but it's well chronicled how many times Palin commented about Obama "palling around with terrorist!" Just some horrible, hypocritical people out there! Both sides have much to answer for one day!

    ***Well you said he said it to offend and I read it as it was said and there was no reference at all to the president, but only his policies. ...Tar baby has never, ever meant anything to do with race and to take any reference to anything that has to do with tar and relate it to black people is nothing more than baiting. Just curious, do you have a problem with calling black people, colored people?***

    I expect the worst of people, so I'm never offended, just sorta surprised how backwards we've all become! Every thing offends these days! No one's happy unless they're playing the victim, but at the same time vilifying another! I'm so sick of how divisive things have become, but looking back, it has always been that way! It's just more overt and hateful looking since being exposed with 24/7 coverage! The South is still punishing the North for winning the Civil War; and so it continues! It's all downhill from here folks! You're getting your way!

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  72. ***Two Great BallStrikers - Davenport & V.Williams***

    Well Davenporte should definitely be mentioned in this subject! She's very reminiscent of Jimmy Connors; hits very flat, a kind of controlled aggression that other players really can't match! You have Venus when "ON" can be added, but all too often, it's mindless aggression and I'm not sure she knows where the ball is going! Nothing will change my mind on that! She's a great athlete, can get to anything, but she's nowhere near Davenporte in ball striking all the time! Her serve is well touted, but it's also a huge liability! Again, her technique is very poor! Her head drops before hitting the serve! As a result, she has to hope it goes in rather than knowing it will! Davenporte's delivery is not the best either! She slices the outside of the ball! I could change that and give her a devastatingly powerful serve if she really reached up for it! She's tall like Venus and should have had more serves winners in her career!

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  73. ***Backlash against Tea Party and Republicans on the way - The debt ceiling dispute was another OF Obama's NUMEROUS SELF-INFLICTED FAILURES.***

    Yeah this is a self inflicted wound, but blaming Obama isn't going to help any one! I suppose you never heard of "Obstructionist and Filibusters!" We have people who are openly working against the interests of the United States! There's been a movement across the country to attack women, minorities, abortion, & Planned Parenthood; that has been all! Not one job's bill has been passed by this so called fiscally responsible Congress! That's what happens under Republican leadership; NOTHING! Boehner is presiding over the worst "do nothing Congress" in history! When times are this bad, the more they know they should do to stimulate the economy! They want to bankrupt the country hoping to cut entitlements! This has been their plan for 30 odd years!

    They really don't care about our seniors' security blanket! Cantor wants to cut back on unemployment! Why do people support these ass-holes? It makes no sense to vote for jerks that don't have our best interests in mind! Talk about bought and paid for; the Koch Brothers should be so proud of themselves! I would think after all that's been done this past year this should be the death nil of these people, but unfortunately we have short memories! We've already forgotten about the "police state" we lived in under "W!" We get the leaders we deserve I guess!

    ***I guess folks don't follow politics closely enough to know the Republican party and their "Jehadist-wing" the Tea Baggers are obstructing every piece of legislation the Dems/Obama wanted to pass as it related to jobs. You see the Rethuglicans are holding up court appointments as well.
    ----

    Riots in London***

    Just b/c we don't hear about it, doesn't mean it isn't going on, but the whole world is rioting for one thing or another! Ya just have to look for it! Europe is in an upheaval over their "economic union!" Needing to support and back up each other, some are resentful of these bailouts! Greece is a mess getting worse all the time! They're in perpetual mob mode objecting to severe cuts in programs and pensions! I heard today that Israel is rioting over something, so it's been hard to judge the down-turn in their stock markets which are open! Look at Wisc. of late! For the past year they've taken to the streets trying to over turn the totalitarian gov't oppressing them! Recalls are forthcoming and the people's ire is only getting worse with more and more oppressive tactics being employed by their detractors; The Koch brothers leading the way!

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  74. ***Too many people have knee jerk reactions to everything. There are no easy answers to any of the challenges before the U.S as well as the European nations in turmoil right now economically.***

    Wow, a voice of reason! There's no sense in blaming Obama since this is most definitely a "self-inflicted" wound! We were warned to get our act together, but for political reasons Congress decided to play games with our finances! I yawn when I hear and see all these Republican candidates who try to put this all on the president when the whole world watched 24/7 how we were extorted and held hostage by a faction of fanatics that have no concept of what they're doing in the House! We get what we pay for! Since Wall Street and other interested own Congress, they should be the ones to take the hit; not Social Security, Medicare, Pell grants, and infrastructure projects that could put people back to work tomorrow! I still get frustrated with how things are running; or not running, but we are responsible for divided government! We elect the extremes of both sides and if lucky to have a moderate, they're shouted down and in the end "nothing gets done!"

    ***How would a balanced budget have hurt this country's ability to pay its debts, which is the reason for the downgrade?***

    OMG, pls seek economic help! The most ridiculous thing I keep hearing from Tea-Baggers is that the gov't needs to be run more like a business! THAT's STUPID! A business is trying to make a profit! The gov't is not in the business of turning profits! Any increase in revenue is automatically thrown into debt reduction and to finance new plans to help the people and it's economy! HELLO? Why is that so hard for you to understand? A little revenue put in there could avoided this downgrade; just a little! With a balance budget amendment you'd want to cut old ladies social security to finance "your wars?" A balanced budget gives you no fall back options when a catastrophe occurs like 911, Katrina, droughts, and wild fires! Being able to borrow funds to take care of these contingencies is what the Federal gov't is there for; not just to defend us! They have a responsibility to pass laws and bills to finance the growth and needs of the COUNTRY, not just their personal political ambitions! If you don't raise revenue, only cuts will balance your budget! History has shown that forcing it, only a down turn will result!

    Typical hypocrisy! You have many who complain about too much government, putting down the programs that they create, then scream the loudest for their share! Texas' governor did nothing but rail about the stimulus, how gov't needed to be more fiscally responsible, but was eating at the trough, then taking credit for Obama's stimulus plan which created those boasted job growths down there! Liars and losers; what else can be said about these people?

    ***You are trying too hard to educate these ignorant imbeciles. They have no clue that taking spending to 17% of GDP and passing of a balance budget amendment would have been impossible. ...In March this year, the Republican-controlled Congress passed a H.R. of $1.3 T increase in defense spending. All Tea Party members approved this. What a bunch of losers and hypocrites!***

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  75. I didn't watch it all the way thru; none of the 1st and only parts of sets 2 and 3! How in the world did this happen? Every time I looked up Dodig was playing "cat & mouse" w/ Rafa with drop shots and net play! He was losing most of those points! Rafa was up 6-1, 3-1, then serving for it up a break in the 3rd! HOW? I'll have to watch the replay! This is too funny! "Yeah, Rafa's going to be a force at the USO; put a beating on Nole to show him who's boss!" lol! Too funny; for real!

    ***Dodig def Nadal 1-6, 7-6, 7-6***

    Very impressive since Nadal had leads in that 3rd set; served for it! I never heard of this guy! He reminded me of old time tennis! In the old days, many of those passing shots would have gone out! Today, anything whacked hard may fall in! He let too many shots go by "hoping they were out!" Lost too many points at the net playing games with Nadal and his speed! Lost so many of those cutsie points; almost gave it away! Bravo!
    ----

    My opinion, no way should Serena have even shown up to Cinn.! She's no spring chicken and the WTA tour has always been a grind; esp. if you win! Sooner or later, she has to cut back her schedule, but to try playing 3 weeks in a row off a year long absence just wasn't smart! She could have legitimately said I'm tired and no one would have questioned it! She has won her last 2 events for Gawd-sake! Even Martina started cutting back around this time in her career!

    ***Another humiliating loss for Nadal at Cinn. which is typical given the way the fast court exposes him badly. - 0 wins from 8 tournaments here:

    1R 1R QF 2R SF SF QF - plus another quarter final here. Never made the final***

    He should have just let his good buddy have that match last night against Verdasco! I wondered why Nadal was killing himself to win that match when he had to know he'd be wasted today! I have no sympathy for the guy! He was getting some of his own medicine; challenging calls and losing his temper all the way thru! Was even complaining about the camera over the court! What a joke!

    ***Nadal is basically a tennis prototype of Steve Prefontaine. Expend at all costs like there's no tomorrow and then be marinated the next day when all raw and tender.***

    I know! That's why I keep telling people Nadal "won't be long" for the tour! It's not hatin' to say he works too hard! You're going to break down! No one needs a day off more than Nadal of any top player I've seen! He does as you say, give it his all," but at a cost! Mardy was trying to give it back to him at the end, but Nadal was done! He blew that easy return at break point and Mardy just served it out! Maybe people will get off that GOAT talk now! Fed has 5 straight Wimbledons and USO; Nadal can barely get thru the summer series! After winning 1 USO, I hope those delusional people will see he will never come close to overtaking Fed!

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  76. This is America! We think it's cute and endearing to have an average yahoo run for president! You know, the kind you'd like to have a beer with down at the local pub! I guess the standards on the "right" are going down every election cycle! You used to be able to talk civilly between the parties! Now you have the current President taking the slings and arrows of low-lifes seldom heard in political history! Obama has been called everything but the "N' word! It wouldn't be so bad if they were just "average Joes" on the street, but no, these real low-lifes are in Congress! We have scraped the very bottom of the barrel in representation and we're getting what has been paid for; total sell outs!
    ----

    ***Cain, Perry, Romney, & others moving up on Obama....***

    Every body's wrong! As bad as things are, the country would sooner stay with a known quantity than to gamble with the pack of losers the Republicans are showcasing; it's almost embarrassing! Perry talks about Texas secession and Creationism! Romney is the king of the "flip floppers" unable to speak intelligently or consistently on any subject! I heard him contradict himself in the same sentence a couple days ago! Now a pastor supporting Perry calls Mormonism a cult!

    The other candidates aren't even worth considering including Bachmann who's dropping like a rock, Huntsman who, Cain who's as likely to lead prayer at the next KKK meeting, & Santorum who's been labeled the dumbest Senator in recent memory (people who actually worked for the guy)! I could go on, but you get the idea! Things are in the toilet, but some of the more rational people amongst us know Obama has little to do with it! When you have an opposition willing to trash every opportunity to turn things around with stalling, filibustering, and just plain crooked means, hopefully it'll cost them next year! Unfortunately we have a lot of "low information" Americans and they can't see when they're being taken!

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  77. ***Navratilova 167, Graf 108, S. Williams 39***

    Regardless of these numbers, you still have to take away from Graf! Without Monica there after the stabbing, she was able to claim many titles she wouldn't have won if not for that outside incident! This wasn't an injury or suspension situation; it was a a lot more serious and I will be one to diminish a lot of the Graf record! It's just not fair to history!

    Navratilova just didn't take any breaks and was lucky enough to never have a serious injury! No one else can say that; esp. over a 30+ year career finishing w/ a major at the USO w/ Bryan in 2006! Most leave or get pushed out, we can't get rid of Martina! I don't think any other player has had this kind of staying power or ever will again!

    ***Yeah, a lot of staying power. Yet her clay record is way inferior to that of Graf, Court, Evert or Moody. That's the main reason why Graf is the GOAT, not Martina.

    You're really scratchin' for anything to improve your argument; good for you! I suppose with that logic Graf's clay record is inferior to Evert! Now what do you do? Graf's behind Evert on clay and Martina on grass!

    ***I consider a player's performance quality by the DIVERSITY of winning on different surfaces. Graf won 7 Wimby's and 6 RGs. Martina won 9 Wimby's, but only 2 RGs. Therefore, Graf excelled on both fast and slow surfaces, while Martina excelled primarily on fast surfaces. So, IMHO Graf is the GOAT.***

    I understand where you're coming from and don't fault you! I'm just looking at the future when stories will be written! A big fat asterisk will be sitting besides Graf's name inevitably! I guess it's me! I just don't think I could go on with my career on the tour knowing my biggest rival was injured / attacked for my benefit; call me sentimental! I have no idea how Graf should have handled it, but totally ignoring the situation wasn't right either!

    ***US Open draw is rigged - There has to be seeding, and there could very well be some slight manipulation of the match-ups, which is unfair to someone, but who? Who is getting fked here, Fed, Nadal, Djok? Is it that big a deal?***

    Not really! No one's a bigger Fed historian and fan, but he may not even get to the semi! I probably won't check the draw because upsets will occur! I can wait for the actual matches rather than delude myself with match-ups that may never occur! There's a good chance Nadal could be upset early! His confidence has to be shot! He looked confused at times recently! No one has the confidence of Nole at this time, but not sure if his arm is a real problem or just a good reason to blow off that final vs Murray last week!

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  78. ***1st Prime Time Broadcast of US Open Women's Final; who played?***

    Well that match was officially the 1st prime time USO ladies' final, but I consider 1987 to be the 1st real prime time final! Due to weather concerns, at the last minute they moved the 2nd men's semi up to make sure they both got in! Some "front" must have been on it's way! By the time the ladies' final got started it was dark, windy, and a new #1 was in her first USO final! Navratilova had had for her a terrible season so far! She had made final after final, but lost them all until Wimbledon! Graf had just taken over #1 and Martina was defending champion! They played it on classic ESPN a couple nights ago! They had a close 1st set, but Martina prevailed fairly easily 7-6, 6-1! Martina wouldn't win another major final until Wimbledon 1990!

    ***Tennis an expensive sport to play?***

    We weren't wealthy, but I threw everything into tennis! Most guys around did a little bit of everything; expensive 10 speed, camera (developing own shots), etc! I spent all available resources into tennis; rackets, boxes of balls, and the latest clothing line! As a student I played indoors under "stand-by" to save a little! I didn't spend anything on lessons! I just played everyday, watched all matches I could on tv, then became a hitting partner for a pro at his club! Immersing myself in the life, it never felt like I was spending that much, but I really was; esp. since I was a racket breaker! Wood rackets didn't last long regardless due to my stringing them so tight; 76#, just like Borg! They lasted no more than a week or so, so over a season, that would be at least 10! Metal rackets wound up with a smashed in edge and graphite back then still shattered!

    My favorite rackets were made by Volkl if you remember their limited exposure to tennis; more into skis! I had 2 of their all fiberglass rackets made back in '75! Those "bad boys" went for $150 and that was a lot in the 70's! I liked it and my pro friend who hired me bought the other! They were quite loud; bright neon orange face with blue zebra stripes! They caught your eye back in the 70's and played like a dream compared to wood and metal! My allowance went into getting at least one tennis outfit a week! I couldn't be seen in the same thing over a month's time while teaching, so I wound up with more tennis clothes than anything! Tennis was fashion back then! Anybody from that era; you'd know what I mean!

    ***Gerry Armstrong, gave McEnroe a conduct code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct. He committed a couple more offenses finally being tossed by Ken Farrar!***

    I just remember McEnroe was going back onto the court to play and must have mumbled something under his breath when Ken Farrar who had mediated the incident walked back to Armstrong to "bounce" McEnroe if this is the Aussie you're talking about! That's the picture I have in my head of the incident!

    It took far too long for this to happen! He had been worse, but as the top player in the world it was accepted! He was going down and Ken wasn't going to put up with it! This was a major; outside the jurisdiction of the ATP and they finally put their foot down! This was around the same time of Connors' suspension for losing his mind on court! Funny, I think Gerry may have been there too! lol! Connors had been fined $20,000 for being profane and the rule stated that anything above $10,000 or so had to come with a suspension! I can't remember if it was 2 months or less! The old man needed the rest anyway! That's my vague recollection of it! Anybody?

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  79. ***USO is the most mismanaged slam. Total boneheads running the show***

    You guys are being entirely too kind! The USO has been a colossal joke for as long as I can remember! I started watching tennis on tv late '74! That was the last time the USO was on grass and I can only see those matches on ESPN Classic! The following year they went to Hard-Tru clay pretty much signing the death warrant of American men's tennis! Going to clay and making the lead up tourneys as warm ups just enhanced the stature and superiority of South American and Europeans! I really never understood at the time why is it our juniors were raised on clay, but when it came to big matches only a handful could hang with the likes of Orantes, Vilas, Borg, Fillol, & Panatta! Besides Connors, our top players were The Bagel Twins, Eddie Dibbs and Harold Solomon! They were Borg's bitches and never won over him! Gerulaitis & Gottfried were ok, but weren't clay court experts making the FO final in '80 & '77 respectively; losing to Borg & Vilas! Just more players flogged by the indomitable Swede! The new crop never matured like Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias! Brown and Gilbert just too weak!

    Anyway, back to the joke that is the USO, in '75 going to clay, they also decided to speed things up by making the early round matches best of 3 instead of 5! They almost lost Borg the 1st weekend down a set and break to Chile's Jaime Fillol! My hands were sweating since I figured this had to be Borg's year as clay master! He made it to the semi, but Connors had a mental block over him in the '70's at the USO! Borg had gone to an even tighter strung racket at 85#'s that on passing shots mostly clipped the net; lost in straights 5,5, & 5! After only 3 years they stretched their legs and moved the Open to Flushing Meadows on courts described as "panes of glass!" The arena has planes flying over every couple minutes and most players think the place should have been A-bombed! They've alleviated some of the air traffic, but the venue is still barbaric in comparison to the other majors! It's an embarrassment since this is the communication center of the world! They should have taken care of this before inflation has made it just about impossible to move now needing $300 million!

    ***Who got bent over more by that hard fought final at the USO; Nole or Rafa?***

    Nadal wasn't giving it away! Nole had to hit winners! The chronic errors didn't start coming until very late when the match was on it's inevitable course! This was a very hard fought match and Djokovic fans should be very proud of him!

    ***Incredible to think that a 4 set match with 2 of the sets going by the way of 6-2 and 6-1 to actually last 4 hrs and 10 minutes. Imagine if Nadal had come back to bring the match to 5 sets. That would have beaten the longest final ever beating the Lendl vs Wilander final in '88.
    ----

    Nadal's Moon Balls Not Working Anymore***

    All these years of working so hard to win the simplest of matches is finally catching up to him! I've commented for years that Rafa gets into battles with lesser players because of his unnecessary defensive play! Hitting winners from the baseline isn't easy; esp. with courts and balls being used to slow down the action! Why do you think more and more players are screaming about being hurt? These fools are "wrecking themselves" trying to take the cover off the ball rather than playing an intelligent and thoughtful match!

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  80. ***We're witnessing possibly the greatest TOP 3 in history***

    I was just about to bring that one up! Vilas was in the same spot; #3 behind his good buddy Borg and not so good buddy Connors! He was moderately successful, but Nole has proved himself more formidable! When Vilas amassed that great clay court record of 50+ matches, he was avoiding the big boys playing the B circuit; those monday night matches on PBS back in the 70's! He didn't have to play anyone higher ranked than his whipping boy that season Brian Gottfried! He finally gained respectability by taking out Connors in that USO final in '77! Lucky for him Borg had an injured shoulder and defaulted to Dick Stockton! That would have been Borg's year; pretty much owning Connors and all other top players like Nastase, Vilas, Ramirez, Tanner, Solomon, Orantes, Alexander, & Dibbs!

    ***The 2012 Olympics in London await next yr. Roger & Djoker will be gunning for their first singles gold medal. ...***

    What a joke! Who really cares about that medal? Why does it make a career when it wasn't even an event until '84! So what! That's hilarious to me; millionaire tennis players descending into the Olympic village (amateur land) to do nothing more than stroke their egos! What a colossal joke! This would gain more respectability if college and other amateur tennis players were selected! This is ridiculous no matter how you want to dress it up! I feel the same way about Basketball, Hockey, & Baseball! What else can be said?

    ***Justine solidly remains the best woman player of her generation - "Henin, best female player of the modern era" ~~~ Billie Jean King***

    I'm not offended by the topic! Justine represented the WTA very well as #1 unlike others I won't mention! She was dominating for her few years and even though she doesn't have the majors of some others, her era was quite notable! She's definitely in my top 20 all time!

    ***A moment ago she was the greatest of her era, now she's only top 20? - And some say this is a weak era for the men.***
    ----

    Well if you look at the cold hard record, in 100 years they may be saying that! You have only 4 or 5 major winners over this last decade or so! People said the same about Navratilova; no real competition so her name appears many times winning some events as many as 9-12 years! I think this has been the strongest era for the men, but even though the players are better, they aren't closing the deal and taking out the top 4! That's just the way it is!

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  81. ***Federer should thank his lucky stars for Novak***

    I was thinking the same about Fed! Players haven't done much to help him out in that respect! The Spanish Armada are bunch of weenies who can't finish most of the time! Ferrer got Nadal at the Aussie Open that once; otherwise when in a position to win, they've rolled over and choked like dogs! A friend of mines thinks it's in some contract; no Spanish player is allowed to beat Nadal! Take him to 4 or 5 sets, but let him have the match! Rafa gets out of trouble in other matches with his "slow routine," calling the trainer, and of course illegal coaching from Uncle Phony! Only Rafa and Agassi have ticked me off from the beginnings of their careers! With Agassi, it was all the fanfare without winning anything; "image is everything!" I was nauseated with all his press when we were witnessing at the time, The Goat in Pete Sampras!

    ***You made me laugh with the "Spanish contract" comment. Verdasco is like 0-12 while the others like Lopez and Ferrer have a handful of wins over Rafa.***

    You see my point exactly! Out of the blue this Dodig person upsets Rafa last month, but he wasn't really trying at the end! It was as if he didn't want to make the final! He had his workout with 2 tiebreakers in the 2nd and 3rd! He was gone in 60 seconds! How embarrassing! The rest of the tour is not doing their job from what I can tell! They have brain cramps, try to out hit Rafa from the back court! Verdasco should just give it up! He has all that ability and has done nothing with it! It's as if he's happy just making Rafa work for it by taking him to 5 sets! Why bother?

    ***It's pathetic really. We know that Wawrinka and Fed are 'besties,' but you can tell that he may not have his A game when they play each other? In some weird way, do you think that they say to themselves, "hey, we know we have ZERO shot to win this thing, so let's help out our countryman?" - Ferrer whipped Nadal's ass in the USO, too, and Butt Picker rolled over in the 4th set of that match. Ferrer is one of the few players, if not the ONLY player, who has beaten him in a Slam after dropping the 1st set. Verdasco is, indeed, the worst; couldn't beat Nadal if spotted a 6-0, 6-0, 5-0 forty love lead.***

    Not sure they're doing it on purpose, but I've been a part of it myself! Back in the day, there were several players I'd consider better than me, but somehow I just never lost to them! They would kill players that could beat me like a redheaded step-child, but after gaining that confidence, they'd crumble when we got together! It was eerie and obviously a psychological block had been created! I'd even give them pointers on what they should do to beat me and they just couldn't execute in the clutch! I'd find a way to get the ball back just one more time! Too weird!

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  82. ***Federer wins Slams without a Coach, Nadal wins Slams with Illegal Coaching***

    I guess I'll never understand this "hub-bub" with coaching! In my day it was considered illegal because all the players couldn't afford it! That isn't a problem I'm sure these days! Even someone ranked #100 can have someone with them, encouraging, and reminding them of tactics! I find it no real big deal and only get upset with Nadal and his act with Uncle Phony because he was supposed to represent the ATP as #1! He's supposed to be setting an example, but from the beginning he obviously didn't think the rules applied to him! What can be said that's worth anything when you're getting beat down? He doesn't alter his play; running around his backhand, blasting the ball as hard and he can, and just running his opponents into the ground! Now that it's happening to him, there's really nothing coaching will do to help overcome Novak at this time! He's getting his own tactics thrown back into his face; the ball bouncing, stalling, toweling off, coaching, needing a trainer or doctor, and challenging of calls! For some reason I'm not as offended when Nole is just giving it back to his biggest rival at the moment! The matches are made inter. long due to this and that is a problem; 20 minutes to play 4 games and a set taking an hour and 20 min.! That's ridiculous and something needs to be done to speed up play!

    ***Why is Djoker so scared of losing? - A 2nd retirement within a month when trailing in a match. Unbecoming of the best player in the world.***

    HELLO; this is just another Nadal characteristic being used by Nole! How many times has Rafa been given an excuse he's hurt when he loses or is losing a match? He may not always retire, but that's the way it's explained later sometimes not as overtly as that, but he's exactly the same way! He doesn't give credit to his opponent by always calling a trainer when he's losing! One moment he's limiting around, then the next running down a shot like a deer! The only reason he couldn't use that act against Nole at the USO, he was beaten to it! lol! Losing 3 matches all year and the idiotic comments continue! What does the man have to do to get any respect from some LOSERS?

    ***Andy Murray talks possible player strike***

    This is the most ridiculous argument I've heard since '73 Wimbledon! No one is putting a gun to their head to play these tourneys! They can walk away, retire with their millions! Only the top players seem to be complaining b/c they're winning more! Other players need the practice, money, and points! Murray should shut his stupid mouth along with Rafa since he was one of the main people to request these DC matches immediately after Wimbledon and the USO! Who's to blame; the ATP is running the show for the most part? The actual players are voting on this stuff! Where are the other complaints coming from besides the TOP, Top players? I'd tell them to go to Hell if I were the president and CEO of the ATP! Millionaires complaining again; just what us poor people want to see and cheer for! The ITF has jurisdiction over the MAJORS and there's nothing they can do about it! Go ahead and boycott! I'd love to see these jerks avoid all that money, fame, and points! Spoiled brats!

    ***In what way are you saying they're already in control; their own schedule or # of events on the calender?**

    I may be dim, but isn't this called the Men's ATP with a board, players voting, etc? They make the decisions, each player has a vote! Most don't care and just let it run itself, but the only players that seem to make this complaint about playing too much are the top players who win! The less fortunate need the work and moneyl Sorry ANDY "too good to win a major" Murray that other players aren't as loaded as you are to be able to say something as stupid as "we may need to take control of the majors!" HELLO, what else can be said?

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  83. I've commented before that every idiosyncrasy that Nadal possesses has been utilized against him by Nole; stalling, excessive ball bouncing, questioning every call, toweling off, and illegal coaching! Not like I've seen it, but I'll take the word of Mary and Patrick! It brings a smile to my face to see Nadal pretty much bewildered by what has happened this past season! He looks even more ridiculous when he complains to the umpire for stuff he's been accused of and been point penalized! I wonder how many matches has Nadal stolen over the years, especially against Federer in critical matches at critical times? Now he knows how it feels! Looks like he took it out on the French Davis Cup team! Maybe in his mind, that'll salvage his season!

    ***Hingis not even top 10 in the Open Era***

    Hingis has to be mentioned in the top 10 alone for holding the #1 ranking for so long; SORRY, it can't be avoided! Off the top of my head:

    Navratilova, Graf, Court, Evert, S. Williams, Henin, King, Seles, V. Williams, Hingis

    ***I always thought Court and King get exempt from this ranking stuff b/c they were part Golden Era, part Open Era.***

    Sorry, they were pioneers and just had too many wins before and after "open" tennis to be overlooked! Same for Laver on the men's side!

    ***Open era - Graf, 22 slams; Navratilova and Evert, 18 slams; S Wms., 13 slams; King, 12 slams; Seles, 9 slams; V Wms. and Henin, 7 slams; Hingis, 5 slams.***

    At least we agree on the players; that's amazing - That's why I get so angry when knuckle-heads make STUPID comments about her irrelevance! You'd have to be totally devoid of tennis knowledge to think she should be overlooked! Her record is unmatched in this era; holding #1, # of consecutive major finals played/won, and doing it in both singles and doubles! #10 is as far down as I'll drop her in comparison to the other women! In some ways, she was more a force in tennis than players higher ranked with more wins! She did what she did in such a short period of time; as well as Justine Henin!

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  84. Lame Apology from Fox Sports on Cutler Not Enough - These idiots on Fox Sports fabricated headlines saying Chicago QB Cutler is "no leader, taken out with an injury, & Cutler lacks courage!" I don't know how they thought they would get away with making up these headlines, then featuring them during the Bears game! Of course they were "called on it" and their lilly-livered VP of Comms gave a half-ass'd apology on "The Score" during a radio interview around noon today, but wasn't sure they needed to go further on tv this sunday! So much for their credibility! I expected better from Daryl Johnston!
    ----

    Lovie's been the worst for a while now! He's only kept his job because the conference was weak enough to allow the Bears to make that Superbowl a few years ago! After Lovie fired Riviera to help negotiate a new contract, I was done with him! Cut off your nose to spite your face made a lot of sense! This team hasn't been the same since! Poor Riviera is over his head as head coach though! My Gawd, his clock management is the worst I've ever seen! That 2-point conversion chart should also reference normal plays and working the clock! He looks lost out there; esp. when timeout called just before the half costing them 3 points! They lost the game by that amount! How incompetent is that?

    People blaming Cutler for this disaster should get educated or go on medication! Martz thinks he's smarter than everyone else! His system is set and he's not at all flexible! Last year Cutler was getting murdered in a game with about 6 or 7 sacks in the 1st half! Martz didn't change blocking assignments or go to quicker plays continuing to order 7 step drops, finally getting Cutler knocked out! What an idiot!
    ----

    The National press gives Cutler no mercy continuing to bring up his "not going back into a playoff game" last season! They all hint at him being soft! After this game I will turn whoever it is off who says it for lack of credibility! Getting to be an epidemic out there of late! The so called experts are always wrong! They never learn either! IDIOTS! Skip Clueless on "First Take" will go off in the morning talking about how he always knew how tough Cutler was, blah, blah! This new format just shows how much more obnoxious he truly is in real life! They need to go back to "1st & Ten" and bring in old man Woody!

    ***Cutler will not survive the season***

    Why is it no one puts any of this on Martz? He's the one calling the plays! Ever heard of getting rid of the ball sooner? What's with 5-7 step drops when the OL is a sieve? Hopefully with how undisciplined they were tonight, Lovie should be out the door! No more extensions for that "defensive coordinator!" With how bad the Bears are, he shouldn't even get a job as a DC! What a loser with a loser organization! They haven't been really any good since the 80's! Even the 13-3 records over the years proved how over rated they were by the time they hit the playoffs! Losing those 1st games at home really hurt every time!

    ***Trade Cutler for Ryan***

    OL not taken in consideration I see! Ryan will be flat on his back just like Cutler! Who's he going to throw to; loser receivers we have with no real talent? Their routes stink and they don't help their QB at all! That's all on the organization going back decades! Back in my day WIllie Gault was the man with his speed, but like Dennis McKinnon, they often let the ball bounce off their pads instead of catching with their hands! Deflections and interceptions are blamed on the QB when it's really a problem of receiver's ineptitude!

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  85. ***What happened to Nadal at Shanghai?***

    He's never that great this time of the year! All of them have to be physically as well as mentally exhausted; Nadal more so with his BS routine that lengthens matches to 3 hours! He probably just doesn't want to be there! He knows the season is over and he'll remain at #2! Even the WTF won't help him in any way! This seems to be Murray's time, but he'll fizzle out sooner or later! The dude just works too hard out there unnecessarily! It's just crazy!

    ***Name your viewing of 1st pro match - I remember McEnroe going down to Lendl in Antwerp at the ECC in 1985***

    If I remember correctly, The ECC was the tourney where if you won it 3 of 5 years you were awarded a solid gold, diamond encrusted tennis racket! McEnroe had to watch Lendl hoist that racket with the lites flashing and diamonds twinkling in the dark! They were true enemies around then!

    For my 1st pro match, it would have to be 1974 Masters! It still moved around the world back then and this particular year it was on Australian grass w/ Vilas defeating Ilie Nastase in 5 sets! It wasn't like Vilas was that great on grass! He just hit the ball so hard directly at Nastase he couldn't put his volleys away! Ilie truly was the master around that time! The format allowed him to lose a match, but still win the tourney! He probably should have had 5 in a row but for Vilas' win over him!

    ***Nadal should be ranked #3 at best - the best #2 of all time at least***

    Oh please; no one's a bigger fan of Roger's and I don't think he should even try to sniff #2! For him, this was an awful year! He didn't take 1 major for the 1st time in years; since the beginning! He needed to finish Rafa off at the French! That would have saved his season! He had his chances, but he's been unable to finish; even against some lower ranked players! It's not just Rafa now! He has to deal with some pretty bad loses to Berdych, Tsonga, Murray, Simon, Soderling, and more! That wasn't happening until these last 2 or 3 years! He's in decline, but I think he has another major in him or he wouldn't still be out there!

    Gotta do it longer; sorry! Connors a better #2 and did it longer dealing with 3 legends; Borg, Lendl, and McEnroe! Connors just played so much longer than Rafa ever hopes! Nadal will be playing on Courier's senior league before he gets a chance to hit 30 years old! He's already breaking down! Connors was near 40! You think Rafa will play into his 30's? I doubt it!

    ***Only valid when you can claim that tennis during, Borg, Lendl, & McEnroe eras are the same as Pete, Roger, & Nadal eras.***

    It doesn't have to measure up in any way! You deal with the circumstances of your time! The reason I give more credit to players of my generation is due to the equipment! Players of today would have quit the game very early on dealing with how heavy, unbalanced, and so unforgiving rackets were of bad technique! The sweet spot was about the size of a fist or smaller! You miss hit a ball, it would probably dribble up to the net! Today's technology can make the most uncoordinated goofball a star on court! Miss hits become winners! Routine matches of yesterday become wars in early rounds today! That doesn't tell me the overall level of tennis has gone up or even better physically! It's all about these new rackets, the balls, and "wicked" strings! It has little to do with skill and strategy! Any IDIOT can smack the ball hard!

    ***Good point Fiero, but the players of today did not grow up learning to use wooden rackets therefore, nobody knows how their games would be had they been brought up that way.***

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  86. ***Djokovic had incredible year, rivaling Federer's 2006 (not quite there though, b/c there is still YEC to win). But it is only one year. The nature of this sport is that one has to prove himself over and over. Let's see how Nole would do being hunted.***

    Agreed! I'd have trouble putting him as anything but the GOAT if he had been allowed to compete those few years and taken more majors! Unfortunately it happened this way and he was barred for 5+ years! We all know he would have taken quite a few more, but the books won't reflect "what could have been!" Since Federer came along Sampras has dropped a couple places! He obviously was no good on clay with his best chances in the mid 90's to take a FO! I think we all got caught up in a frenzy anointing him GOAT and now we have to appreciate Laver more! For now it's by acclamation we have Federer as Goat w/ Laver, Sampras, Borg, Nadal, Lendl, Connors, McEnroe, Agassi, & Emerson (amateur record) following! For the ladies (JFTHOI) Navratilova (167 titles, 59 majors), Graf, Court(A), Evert, S. Williams, Henin, King(A), Seles, V. Williams, Hingis!

    ***Regarding the rubbish, that Laver's the best b/c he won Grand Slam and Federer did not - this is just that - the rubbish. Laver may have been the best or at least in consideration, but for very different reasons. Unfortunately the conditions during pro/amateur era were so different that it is impossible to compare.***

    We've already hashed that one out about a dozen times, but "all roads" lead to Roger if you look at the cold, hard record! He holds so many 1st's that they can't be listed quickly! Detractors will point out Nadal's dominance on clay, but only Borg has been as accomplished on both the major surfaces; grass of Wimbledon and the clay of Roland Garros! So if you want to look at that, Borg is the GOAT! It's all subjective! I've heard most of the logical and more than enough irrational arguments concerning the subject! Where do you fall?

    ***Laver has won 2 Grand Slams, something that no tennis player, man or woman, has been able to achieve, so he remains the men's GOAT. Federer is 2nd best b/c of his overall weakness on clay,.... If Fed were to win a (calendar-year) Grand Slam he would then IMHO surpass Laver.***

    Players were a lot weaker back then! You could count upsets on one hand in the season! It wasn't unusual to have the top 8 seeds make quarter again and again; more so with the women! Especially with majors! There was just a huge skill level disparity along with "nerve" that was needed more than anything to win! Back then who had better psyches for the game than Borg, Connors, Evert, Newcombe, & BJ King? There were better skilled or artistic players like Nastase & Goolagong, but the "brain farts" were just unforgivable! They woefully under-achieved; both briefly being #1!

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  87. ***Why do people think Fed with win another major***

    We just don't even try to remember recent history! Hello; Sampras won Wimbledon in 2000, then went 2 years without winning ANYTHING until 2002 USO over Agassi! What is that old saying about history and "doomed to repeat it?" Pete was written off too and Federer has a lot more in the tank! He hasn't dropped to #17 in the world yet! "Oh yee of little faith!"

    *** ..its Maria's time.. the Empress 2nd Era is upon us...***

    Hard to believe it's Maria's time when she's not even playing! I took a quick look at the top 5 on TCC site and it's a joke! 3 of the 5 aren't playing and 2 have never sniffed a major, while the Wimbledon & USO champions are missing from the list as well! How does this happen? Talk about a weak era; no one wants to take control! This is embarrassing! You have some great players, but they can't get it together and stay on the court for any length of time! What is going on?

    ***If he defends the Aussie and faces the opportunity at immortality with the Nole-Slam going into the FO, he'll crack under the immense pressure. For that reason I'd rather he lose in the finals of the AO and win the FO. He'll have the career Slam and will be able to play Wimbledon and the USO pressure free the rest of the year.***

    That's the kind of thinking you have at the end of a career like Federer! Nole has time on his side and he's nothing like other #1's that were inept on clay; McEnroe, Sampras, Becker, Edberg! He won enough against Rafa to know the window is nowhere near close to closing on him winning a FO!

    ***Who deserves to be on top of the WTA?***

    Maybe the WTA should go to another system to figure it out! Take the winners of the Slams like the men for the GRAND SLAM CUP back in the 90's! In case of a multiple winners, they can bring along the finalist and semi-finalist! lol! This is embarrassing with the Wimbledon and USO winners nowhere near the top! At least Kvitova won a half dozen tourneys w/ her Wimbledon! Stosur has nothing else but USO; that hurts the top 10! Who's going to take charge? Doesn't look like Caroline wants it, Vera's a head case, Kim's a mother, and Sharopova and Azarenka can't stay on the court!

    ***Not since March 24, 2003 has Roger Federer been ranked 4th in the world. He would stay ranked 4th for a few short weeks, drop down to #5 and then skip #4 and jump to #3 later on that year. ...So the obvious question is, where will Roger be ranked 12 month from today. Is he Top 10, or does he drop out and continue the circle of life (tennis life)??***

    It's crazy to think Roger would drop out of the top 10! The other men may have caught up, but they're still no better than he is; including Murray! If he were to fall off as dramatically as Sampras, he'd quit! You aren't going to see him ranked #14 even in 2013; that's silly! He'd have to have a major injury and like Martina, he's never been side-lined enough to miss multiple tourneys, much less majors! Edberg was good for almost 50 in a row! Federer is looking at that too probably! He wouldn't hang on just to enter! He would have to feel he has a chance to win! If he's smart, he'll skip the FO though! No sense in killing himself on that surface at his age!

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  88. ***Del Potro was terribly over-rated -- he hasn't been the same since his wrist injury***

    The way he hits his forehand will never be the same until he lets it "rip!" I think he's holding back just a touch and that's making all the difference! It wasn't that long ago he wiped out Nadal and Federer at the USO! Like competitors on the ladies' side, it was always more impressive to beat Evert and Navratilova in succession! Your timing has to be perfect to swat your forehand like that and it isn't done enough! Reminds me of Kevin Curren from South Africa! He took out McEnroe and Connor at Wimbledon in '85 finally losing in 4 sets to Becker!
    ----

    Just add this to the list of symptoms; the USO is the worst major ever! They can't get their act together and if they do, it won't last! Do you guys realize how many changes this national tourney has gone thru? It's embarrassing! They had 2 surface changes; grass to clay in '75 and to cement in '78! I agree they should go to a sunday start like the FO, and leave the finals on sat. and sun.! What's sad is that more than likely they're going to have to move the whole event sooner or later; probably sooner if they can find the money! From day one, players thought that tennis center should have been A-bombed! It's just a horrible event for the players and supposedly our premiere tourney in one of the great cities! How can they fail like this year in and year out?
    ----

    ***Vera is the current #6 and Aggie the current #8... not sure what: who you mean with perennial #2***

    She's good at being a runner-up! I was shocked to hear how high she was ranked a couple years ago, but between injury bouts she's at least making major finals! She has a real problem closing out a match allowing lesser players to come back and win! What happened today has happened before; many times! A lot of the ladies have that problem! That's what has allowed Caroline to now hold onto the #1 ranking for a 2nd consecutive year! No one wants to take control of the situation! People complain about Hingis' weak era, but at least she was winning majors!
    ----

    I give players the benefit of the doubt to a fault! I'm finally done with "double bark" Azarenka! If she isn't totally breaking down physically, it's mentally! She's more remembered for her melt-downs than any win! This was disgusting; to lose to an alternate player barely ranked in the top 10 is unforgiveable! Bartoli can be tough, but this is a YEC, you get paid to win this match and decide a semis! Aza should just give it up; take her money and go into modeling or something else a lot less strenuous!

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  89. ***Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) have released State Dept documents that show Ambassador Christopher Stevens clearly expressed concerns about security months before his death. ...***

    They're all going to look like FOOLS tonight bringing up this tragedy at the debate! CIA Intelligence is still formulating a response to what happened after all this time! So far Rice and all concerned were using "briefs" given to them by CIA, so if these knuckleheads have a complaint, tell them to talk to someone other than the Obama Admin.! Issa's really hanging on by a thread when it comes to common sense and nat'l responsibility! Last year he thought with transparency, diplomatic conversations should not be exposed! What does he do, but dump a ton of paper with just that? He's such a weasel and I can't wait to see if those Conservatives out in California gain some intelligence and fire this clown next month! Probably won't happen, but with Reps like this, the Republican't won't be around in a couple generations politically! What a bunch of losers!

    ***As long as Obama wins Ohio, the election is his. Just hope Mourdock is sent packing as well.***

    It's sicko candidates like Mourdock that will allow the Dems to retain the Senate; thank Gawd! McCaskill in MO was toast before Akins opened his big mouth! Brown looks to be going down in flames in Mass to Elizabeth Warren! And the Dems have a chance in AZ & TX. of all places due to Tea Party candidates muddying up the water! The lose established conservative candidates to nominate kooks! Just makes no sense to me, but what can you expect from Republicans these days?

    ***"NYT claiming 75% chance Obama wins Ohio. I can't believe that."***

    I don't believe in any of that Mitt momentum BS! The poeple in this country would have to be too disturbed to allow this kind of goof to take over the reigns of the Presidency again! Obama's the
    luckiest man alive! He would have lost if they had had a legitimate candidate instead of some dolt who feels entitled! I'm not thrilled with him, but I'll take Obama over any Republican; past or present! They've shown themselves to be evil incarnates when out of power! Messing around with our credit rating and signing tax pledge to some little Napoleon like Grover Norquist? Unforgiveable!

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  90. ***I always wonder how people even listen to Oxy-Rush. I have no interest in anything he says.***

    We put a lot of this on that loser Limbaugh, but someone's supporting his point of view! They aren't paying him $300 Million in a vacuum! Someone's listening and loving it; a true bunch of idiots losers no doubt! You would think the man would be done after criticizing Chelsea Clinton's looks when she was 14 y.o.!

    ***Mitt Romney's top strengths are his business experience and economic policies.***

    Any positive characterizations of Mittens has been made mute by his pathetic attempt to become President saying and doing anything it takes to get there! He's embarrassed himself, family, & the country for that matter to have such a loser running for this high office! He's an incredible liar who continues the same dishonesty when called out for it! He never stops and I think it should hurt him for all time!

    ***...especially coming from a vile person such as Christie. You absolutely know a wicked, cruel lie, or any other mean thing is only a few breaths away.***

    Christie's trying to rehabilitate his image! Politicians can always be assured of the bad memories of their constituients even when he's gone beyond the pale! He welched on a deal with the Dems in Jersey, line-item vetoing stuff he "shook" on with the leaders of the opposition! He has no scruples and I hope people see thru his ploy of praising the President since he knows this should be a done deal! Why follow Mittens over the cliff?

    ***I'm nervous too about the outcome. I really want it to be over now. I can't believe it is so close. I really hope there is some systemic polling error.***

    Unfortunately we have a huge faction of the country that hate Obama no matter what kind of job he does! Hate over-rules common sense in this country; hence how polarized we've been for decades! One side always goes that extra mile to prove how ignorant, bigoted, & intransigent they can be to the detriment of the country! Guess which side doesn't give a hoot what happens? They proved their evil intent when they played with our credit rating earlier this year! All rational people said a deal would get done in a timely fashion because it makes little sense to fool around with something like that! They proved us all wrong; Repukelicans / conservatives would just as well crash the country's economy to get back into power! The hate is over-ruling everything; esp. common sense!

    ***Fiero, unfortunately I believe you are 100% correct. All I can say is God help us come Nov 6th.***

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  91. ***...anyone can read an article quoting health insurance executives who are more worried or afraid of Romney winning with quotes from executives and Morning Star analyst, ...***

    It has to be killing Mittens that even Wallstreet has turned the corner and said "tax us more!" There's no reason we should be in debt but for corp. and the other 1% just stealing directly from the treasury under the guise of tax reform! Tax cuts only benefit the rich! There has never been a huge "trickle down" that improved our economy! Clinton raised taxes and we flourished for years! It didn't take much to destroy it and some knuckleheads want to go back to the Bush days! So sad!

    ***I would have voted for Hillary over McCain. And I'm sure SOME people voted for Obama b/c he's Black and I'm sure SOME people didn't vote for him b/c he's Black.***

    True enough! The "hatahs" are out in force though supporting a candidate they don't even like or trust! Now that's some serious hate! Mitten's a true empty suit with little open conviction! He might be the best guy out there, but his campaign has been so sleazy, who'd seriously take him over Obama unless it's hate? Supposedly an issue was made of his being a Mormon in the SOUTH! Funny with a Black guy running, they're willing to overlook that little issue which was so huge in the primaries! How soon we forget the hate vote against him allowing 3 insane characters to take states; Gingrich, Paul, and Santorum! OMG, is Obama the luckiest man alive? What a collection of losers, screwballs, and reprobates going up against him!

    ***MoveOn.org Produces Extremely Vile Anti-Romney Ad***

    Well that's better than the serious ads up for ROMNEY where they're lying thru their teeth! That's a lot more pathetic esp. when Mittens doesn't refute them! Amazing that someone so spiritual and supposedly so honest is one of the most pathetic LIARS seen in recent memory! Some of the screwballs you give them a pass since they're screwballs like Santorum, Gingrich, & Perry! Romney has no excuse with 2 Harvard degrees, millions in the bank, with a large close-knit family! There's just no reason to behave like this unless he somehow feels entitled! We know Ann does feel that way; "you people just twist things....! We'll let you know how we'll run things after we get into office!" What a piece of work!

    ***Cool - so concerning Libya embassy attack. the Commander-in-Chief has no responsibility for what goes down on his watch?

    Bush still hasn't taken any culpability to his failed time in office; Katrina, 2 wars. WMD's costing us billions, 30,000+ injured vets, and 5000 lives! His only regret was "Mission Accomplished" sign, and comment to terrorist, "bring it on!" What a total loser; now a war criminal! That's not hyperbole! He has to be careful traveling abroad! There's a warrant from the Haige on him, Cheney, and few other minions not prosecuted by Obama! That's where I fault the guy, not the silly stuff Repukelicans love to spout!

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  92. ***The right-wing is still wishing us ill will. They did it by blocking Obama's numerous job bills during the debt crisis, and big business is still holding on to $3 trillion! They are domestic terrorists and must be stopped!***

    If they don't take over the Senate and retain the House, they will start eating their young! Republicans can't take loss very well due to their bluster about how they are "for the people" and doing GOD's work! They're going to go down in flames; we can only hope!

    ***Voting for any Dem for Senate will help make sure we have 4 more years of dysfunctional Federal gov't, . . . no matter who the President is.***

    Well get ready to "boo-hoo" due to Dems winning in places that normally isn't even competitive! Mourdock's idiot comments in Indiana will see a Republican seat going "blue" due to loss of Luger in primary! Thanks "tea-baggers!" McCaskill's in good shape against Akins in Missouri! Thompson's no shoe-in in Wisc. with the President leading by 9-11 points over Mittens in the latest polls which should help opposition! I can go on, but it would sound like bluster or "taking a victory lap" like people commenting about Obama and Bin Ladin kill a couple years ago! Only Republicans are allowed to "high step" it cheering their own accomplishments! Hypocrites!

    ***Obama continues to lie about leaving 4 Americans to die in Benghazi - But please don't mention how many Americans Bush left in Iraq to die?***

    They don't want to do that! Fox News and all the other "right-wing" sycophants continue to lead with the embassy story forgetting all about thousands dying in their faux wars over the past decade! I pay attention to FNN and was shocked even Greta jumped on the band wagon starting her telecasts with a burning embassy video! It's so sick; like what was Obama supposed to do, jump into a phone booth, change costumes, and rescue them personally? Sending in marines wasn't do-able, I don't care what these fools say! We couldn't take in the hardware needed to deal with that riot situation! It was the responsibility of the Libyan gov't to keep them secure and they wimped out! They apologized profusely and killed some of the group responsible, but that isn't enough for Sean, Bill, Rush, and all the rest of these losers! They don't want to pay attention to consumer confidence rising, unemployment going down, housing starts, and the like! They can only concentrate on trying to undermine the President! Too bad it isn't working out for them! Idiots!

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  93. ***Oh the debates opened all you "anti-Obama" people to the magical wonder that is Mittens Romney? It was the debates that made you see Romney plan, that he has been touting for 18 months is all of sudden viable? Hilarious...you rightist make me laugh.***

    They have to hang onto something! How believeable is their support for this guy Mittens anyway? Ann Coulter told them last year, "if Mitt Romney wins the nomination, the Republicans will lose!" The delusion is so great, she's turned a 180 of late; shocking! Again, what choice do they have?

    Watching FNN I give ex-Gov. Mark Sanford credit for being non-partison in Obama comments! Anchor Jarrod did his best to incite something from the speech where Obama said to the crowd, "vote; that's the best revenge!" Mittens and FNN are jumping all over it, but Sanford said this was "much to do about nothing!" Paraphrasing, "It's the end of a campaign and the press can look for any little niggling difference and blow it up! This doesn't rise to something that can or should be exploited!" This totally disarmed Jarrod who relaxed and admitted he'll have a change of heart concerning the issue! "Fox News Watch" is becoming almost unwatchable! The partisonship is so sickening where they're supposed to be rating the converage, but all they wind up doing is scoring points on one another due to the disparaging coverage between Fox News and the so called "vast liberal media!"

    Alan Combes can't get the job done on his own and when Kirsten Powers is on, she might as well be a shill for the network! She's sounding more Republican everyday even though labeled a "Dem. strategist!" I need to see her bona fides! She's bull-dozed by the likes of Cal Thomas and Alan Pinkerton! They're both such hypocritical wienies! It's so pathetic at times! It's like a train wreak at times, you just can't turn away!

    ***I wouldn't know Fiero; don't have cable and don't watch cable news.***

    Well you can at least catch Chris Wallace's sunday morning offering on the Fox Network! That gives you a flavor of the News Div. with the interviews and panel to dissect the latest "goings on!" Unfortunately they're stuck on Benghazi! They're exasperated the liberal media hasn't picked up their ball and run with it! Even the papers are playing it down! I'm still trying to figure out what they want? Would they have Obama skydive in personally as a superman and rescue the embassador? It's like they want Obama to admit imcompetence to help Mittens with the vote! That has to be it! It's sad!

    ***Obama isn't winning in any poll....unless you over sample Democrats by +8 or + 11...Halfwit!!***

    Such frustration! I can understand your pain! Unfortunately for you, Mittens' numbers are inflated by the ignorant South that "hates" Obama! They're voting for Romney by 20 or more percent which is so sad! Just means they're so full of "right-wing" propaganda, they can't make an intelligent choice anymore! They don't even like the guy! lol! Liberal California and New York can vote Republican, but Tenn., Ark., Miss, & Ala. can vote against their own boy in Gore with impunity! They're so intransigent down there! The hypocrisy is breath-taking!

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  95. ***Mittens approval rating when he left Mass was abismal? You are from that part of the country,
    I'm sure you know. If not, 35%!***

    You have to verify everything Mittens' touts these days! He's woefully unreliable! His approval rating was terrible and the Assembly had to override well over 300 pieces of legislation since he vetoed over 800 pieces! What is he talking about, maybe compromises he made in Utah? Heaven knows it wasn't happening in Mass.! After this colossol failure next week, this should be the last we see of this clown! He has disgraced himself, his family, his party, & his religion! How anyone can lie so much and say how faith-based he runs his life makes me laugh and sick at the same time! How did he get away with this junk for so long?

    ***When is the earliest we'll know for sure who 'won' the election?***

    I like to believe this race isn't that close! Common sense and being pragmatic should give this election to Obama with electoral votes to spare! I think the media is trying to make this more of a horserace than it really seems! I have to believe that to keep me sane watching this "empty suit" from another planet be so close to taking the White House!

    ***I agree with you Fiero425; media is trying to make this more of a horserace. Romney hasn't lead in Ohio, Penn, Wisc., or in Iowa. if Obama wins these, it's OVER! Romney can win Colo, VA and Fla, and still lose!***

    I would be more concerned if they had a reputable candidate! The Republican House w/ assistance from Republican Minority senate leader stimied our recovery! It would have been a lot more successful with just a little cooperation from them, but they refused! Fortunately people saw it and aren't going to reward them by kicking Obama out of office! He has enough on his resume to be proud of, but he did promise change and compromise! He had to be the most naive of incoming Presidents to believe these animals would heel just to bring us back from the preverbial cliff economically! They just didn't care! Frustration from Bush's legacy drove them insane; obviously! THey're so desperate, they're palling around with these sicko Tea-Baggers! These people truly don't care if we go down in flames just to reign in Obama! Hate will out!

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  96. ***I'm riding on the coat-tails of Obama***

    I wouldn't vote for a Republican to save my own life! Something happened to these people a long time ago! They are damaged good, maybe being out of power for 44 years in Congress! The 80's brought about The Heritage Foundation and other conservative loonie toon groups! They have goals they've been persuing for 30 odd years and we let it happen! There has been an all out assault on civil rights, equal rights for women, who they call "illegals," voting rights, & of course "CHOICE!" They don't believe in science for GAWD-sake! I can't in good conscience ever vote for one of these sick individuals again! I have to question my friendships with people who would align themselves with such hateful people! There's nothing like voting against your own interests and we have plenty of it here! Why women, gays, immigrants, or senior citizens would ever vote for a Republican is beyond me! They are systematically trying to drive the country into bankruptcy so we'll drop all the great society, "New Deals" of Soc. Sec., Medicare, and now Nat'l heath! Save the planet, VOTE DEMOCRAT! I don't particularly care for them either, but the lesser of 2 HUGE evils lies with the Dems!

    ***Pray tell me this, what did the billionaires (Adelson, Koch bros, etc) get for their MONEY?
    All that money for NOTHING!

    Adelson is just trying to stay out of jail! Most people don't realize, he's up for investigation bribing a local offical in the country where his casinos operate! The guy had to resign and it's only a matter of time before our justice system begins investigation and prosecution of Adelson for that reason! He thought if he could get a friendly President in office he might be saved! Not gonna happen! Murdock could be in the same boat and his involvement in British politics is being looked at which we'll take as justification to prosecute him as well! We can only hope it'll take these snakes out of politics for good!

    ***I get so tired of these stupid articles that blame the folks at the bottom of the economic ladder for the nation's ills. This blaming of the powerless.***

    Didn't you hear, these people live in a bubble? They were totally shocked Romney lost with the 'right-wing' spin machine telling them until the last moments that he had a chance! This race was never that close because we listened to these people in complete denial about polls weeks ago! I think the cultural insanity started years ago! If they have a little success being narrow minded twits, they think the rest of the country should jump on board! They went too far with the all out assault on women, choice, immigration reform, planned parenthood, and of course the vote itself! They thought they could suppress the electorate and we proved them all wrong! We lined up for hours and got the job done; which of course is the "best revenge" against these losers! People like Cal Thomas and the "Prince Of Darkness," Robert Novak were screaming the loudest back in the 90's that Clinton would crash the economy w/ huge tax hikes! To this day they still can't admit they were wrong; well Bob died a few years ago so he has an excuse for now!

    ***Romney tried to BUY the Presidency***

    With all the money Romney had and was spending; esp. against his primary victims, FNN has the nerve to say Obama bought the election! The hypocrisy of it all; beat them at their own game and all they can do is whine, bitch, and moan! It's so pathetic! Hannity goes as far to say what a sleazy campaign run by the President! The man need serious mental help! Did he see what Mittens did in the primary to eviscerate Santorum, Gingrich, & Perry?

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  97. ***A day after President Barack Obama was re-elected, Hillary Clinton’s spokesman announced that the U.S. Secretary of State will step down from her current role soon after the President’s second inauguration in Jan. '13.***

    Her rise has got to stick in the craw of all conservative Republicans who tried to vilify, undermine, & probably destroy her from the very beginning in '92! She was a typical, politicians wife for the most part, but because she spoke up for women, gays, and other minorities, she had to be destroyed! She not only withstood all the slings and arrows, she rose above them all, became a US Senator, was a whisker from becoming the 1st woman President, and ended up Secretary of State! She'll be the front-runner in '16 of course!

    ***...Yes...it has nothing to do with the districts that voted 99.6% Democrat.***

    Phili is ridiculously red in it's districts, but has voted Democratic for as long as I can remember! It's almost criminal! Don't get me started how sorry Fla. has become and continues to be! Thank GAWD we didn't need their results since Obama had already won tues.! The state's representatives have no shame so I have to assume the electorate doesn't care either! Voting in a felon as Governor doesn't exactly make me feel sorry for them waiting in those very long lines!

    ***WOW---Obama Required To Rule On Texas' Petition To Secede***

    I say let 'em go! Places like Texas has only been draggin' the country down for decades! I love how they criticize national fiscal malfeasence, when no other state is more screwed up than TX! They don't collect a state income tax, keep giving breaks to large corporations, but to make up shortfall they fire teachers & firemen! The poverty rate is going up while the literacy rate is going down! Perry is turning the place into a toilet allowing companies to make Texas their dumping ground for radiactive waste and normal trash! It's income I guess, but who will want to live there in 10-20 yrs?

    ***It doesn't matter if your're right or not. I'm not shocked at all by the ridiculous call to Secede.***

    Very disturbing behavior down there! I was living in Cal. in '00 when EDS-NIH called about a project! I had to go to Austin for 5 months! It was miserable; the weather, too hot and humid, then the homeless rate of minors on the street! I wondered about rescuing one, but left it alone, leaving sooner than they would have liked! It didn't matter how much they paid me, it was hard biting my tongue seeing what was going on down there! I wasn't being taxed so you know it had to be bad for me to pick up and go back to Cal.!

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  98. ***I remember another Rice who sat on a memo about Bin Laden. Guess what 9/11 happened and that Rice was promoted to Sec of State.***

    Republicans and their sycophants conveniently forgot that! Thanks! lol! They're still trying to equate Benghazi tragedy with Water-gate of all things! Don't bother remembering it took years to definitely show Bush Admin. lied to perpetrate a fraud on us sending troops into Iraq; WMD's? "Yeah, forget about that! Morons!"

    ***Yeah, I just thought there was so much hate from the extreme "right" that they just might have pulled it off. I didn't think he was the guy either.***

    They're still lickin' their wounds asking "did ya get a license of the truck that hit us?" Listening to Romney, Ryan, & others, "they won because Obama was giving away stuff!" They use the term "urban" when talking about the Obama electorate! Unfortunately Ryan lost his own county and actual town in Janesville! Even they didn't want to vote for him to take the VP spot! The icing on the cake would have been for him to lose his Congressional seat! I wonder was "THAT" fixed just to save some "face" for Republicans! All the polls told them what was what, but they didn't believe it! They still don't believe it listening to McCain and Graham talking "smack" about UN Amb. Rice! What a couple of losers!

    ***I love how Obama engages in this dick waving about how you should come after him if you want to go after someone for the Benghazi lies. He does this while REFUSING to answer questions on it and after he SENT that poor little damsel in distress he's protecting out there to lie and BE the face of the admin.***

    Obama can strut his stuff winning a 2nd term with an electoral college landslide; thank you very much! "Eat it!" The vote just told you all you need to know! The Dems held onto the Senate and increased their numbers! The House is only being "gerry-mandered" under Republican control! Obama has them on the run winning home districts of these same Republican ass-holes fighting the result to this day! Making comments about "urban" vote did them in is so ridiculous! Everyone is unhappy with the politics of "NO!"

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  99. ***It was Republicans in Congress who moved against funding staff and guards at remote locations as in Libya. Now they want to blame Obama and Democrats for their failure to do their job in a acceptable manner!***

    Besides not funding staff Clinton asked for, these same numb-nutts missed a comprehensive briefing on the Benghazi affair with all the departments attending including the Joint Chief of Staff! McCain, Graham and the rest of these losers have the nerve to complain about answers not forthcoming! They've collectively gone over the deep end since the election! I say it's been a chronic condition for 30 years! Tape from '81 showing Atwater coaching his brood how to use race in "the Southern Strategy" to win the Presidency! It just gets better and better! Another find for Jimmy Carter IV! Talk about self destructive! Romney can't help himself going out the door, but what's the excuse of the current ninnies in the Senate? The "right" are such an embarrassment to themselves!

    ***What in the hell do you think Ryan & Romeny meant by "turnout in the urban areas?" What is ridiculous about what Ryan said, that the majority of the electorate lives in "urban areas?"***

    I don't think Romney, Cantor, or Ryan lived or ran in "urban" areas; lost all the areas anyway! That has little to do with demographics; it's their rotten message of hate that got them into trouble! Why go out of their way to alienate women, "illegals," Blacks, gays, & young people? It was if they wanted to lose; not just squeak it out like they usually do! The complaints of "too many Dems" is so ridiculous! Both Bush Sr. and Reagan won blue states in the past! Dems are fully capable of voting for a slimy Republican if they're not happy with their own candidates; Carter, Mondale & Dukakis! The message has just gotten very old!

    ***Humbling pic of a beatdown Romney pumping his own gas: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/mitt-romn... ***

    This was a Gov. Dukakis "beat down," circa '88; plain & simple! He is "persona non gratis" among the Republican elite; or what's left of them! Even Grover Norquist isn't being listened to anymore; by fewer anyway! MSNBC is killin' him, Bill O'Reilly, Rush, Sean, & the rest because they haven't "let it go" yet! They're the ones talking about leaving, a doom's day clock, & secession! These same losers were the ones trying to make fools of the Dems after 2000 when they stole it all for "W!"

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  100. ***The man (Rove) is as evil as the Devil himself, so full of hate.***

    It's not just him! After Obama was re-elected, you would think these jerks would relax! They're more on the warpath than ever trying to pin something on him! Real bastards are out there like Sen. Graham, McCain, and of course the conservative kooks like Rush, Coulter, Sean Hannity, and the rest! They're spewing hate like you wouldn't believe! I would be embarrass to think some of the stuff they say out loud! Just unbelieveable people and their supporters!

    ***Liberals double down: No entitlement cuts - Salon.com***

    Obama holds all the cards, has an extra deck sitting in front of him ready to stack it more and there's nothing Boehner and the "Tea-baggers" can do to stop him from getting exactly what he wants! As they love to say, "elections have consequences!" They still haven't let it go and are fighting the result to this day! I have no sympathy for the "right!" These losers pushed it 2 years ago, bragging about how they got 90% of what they wanted with the holidays looming, had a knife at the loins of unemployment extentions! Obama was made to sell his soul for $30B while tax cuts of close to $800B for the top 2% was signed just in time! I haven't forgotten it; no one has "so boo-hoo Republicans, you signed this sequester" that kicks in and the President can sit back and let the disaster happen seeing it all blamed on the Republicans! All this hand wringing trying to save tax cuts for the rich? "Is it really worth it guy?" Reid got the Senate bill sitting over there with Pelosi forcing a vote on it within 2 weeks! It's all on Boehner getting his lemmings to follow either "over the cliff" or quietly relenting to allow what's going to happen, "happen now!" He'd be a fool to drag this out with all the negative press that's hitting them! It's getting ugly with conservatives saying "bend over and take our medicine!"

    ***Between Roger Federer selling liquor and Maria Sharapova selling sugar, the whole world can look forward to being obese, toothless, and drunk.***

    Believe it, we all know! We just want to be totally incompacitated so it won't matter when it all comes to an end; sorta like a meteor strike!

    ***What is the most famous car in the world; w/o thinking?***

    I surf past the repeats of "Knight Rider" all the time! They're still pushing out movies every couple years! The last one was to become a series with "David Knight's son!" THE Trans Am came to mind first! I've heard they're made better than 80's model I'm more accustommed to thinking of! Back then you could tell that they just "shaked, rattled, & rolled" after a short time of dealing with bad street maintenance! The chassis seemed to fall apart, squeak, & rust away! No one ever gave me a reason for such a thing happening to such a hot car! I had 2 Firebirds and 2 Fieros and never had the problems evident with those old TA's of the 80's! The Camero was right up there during that period!

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