Anything c/b posted here! We'll talk about politics, some sports (football, basketball, & tennis), Movies, & TV! Posts framed w/ "***" are from other contributors! - - (- - - Comments - - -)
Anything c/b posted here! We'll talk about politics, some sports (football, basketball, & tennis), Movies, & TV! Posts framed w/ "***" are from other contributors! - - (- - - Comments - - -)
A vid made me aware Reps. are revolting vs Trump! As > as they've coll. tried to overturn the ACA since '11, they went ahead to approve & extend funding! They truly are hurting themselves & their Red States > anyone! It s/b a bloodbath thru the next series of elections! ...I'm not sure it w/b enuf for the country to recover from this past yr. of utter insanity!
ReplyDelete***The > vulnerable Reps. are revolting against Trump, in some ways. It's good that they voted to extend the funding, which could help their own constituents; IF it passes the Senate. But @ least they'll have the "cover" of having voted for it. Which may not be enuf.
Trump was trying to get them to come up w/ their own ver. of a HC plan. Well, the Reps. have been complaining about ACA, aka Obamacare for al> 16 yrs. now. They keep swearing they'll "repeal & replace," but they have nothing! The fact is, it's the best we've come up w/, & everyone likes it. Millions > Americans are insured > there were B4 ACA. It's not perfect, but it's some health care, in the face of our horrifyingly broken system, which wildly favors the insurance companies. At least some Reps. realize they'd >er support it, since they have nothing else, & their constituents will ride them out on a rail if they lose it.
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I don't want to hate Trump, but it's pretty easy.***
Might as well give it to Trump! He can't get enuf of it or he wouldn't be such a collosal Dick to the world having everything in his old age! He has the planet Earth as a plaything that some have willingly lent to him! Even w/ such satisfaction, I believe he really wants t/b buried w/ everyone hating his guts! I'm willing to do my part from now until I'm interred! I'll spread it to anyone slimy enuf to support him, includ. my own college roommate who I've known since 1977! I guess I'd've realized he was "in training" being fluent in German, studying Russian, a Mensa member, & being a secret Rep. I knew not until a dec. ago! Was it embarrassment or was he hiding his proclivity t/b a White Nat'alist?
***I think Trump got heckled in Mich. over, presumably, the Epstein case. So he mouthed "fuck U," and flipped the person "the bird." Any sense of decorum left the building some yrs. ago, I guess.
Honey, we're all yrs. behind when it comes to presidential decorum or the lack thereof concerning Trump! From day 1 it was lost! He had his aides go out there to lie to the entire world saying his inaugural was attended by not only > people > Obama's, but the entire history of the ceremony! The latest has him renaming the Kennedy Center "ad hoc" & fk. the Constitution! This is the same man who wanted missiles t/b paraded down Penn. Ave. like we were celebrating Bastile Day or a Communist regime (Russian & Chinese)! I still can't believe Congress allowed him to tear down the East Wing while the gov't was shutdown! Again, there needed t/b "a Bill" passed! WTF? I'm afraid to see or hear the true latest really as I obstain from watching the NEWS!
***While it's not the most important thing going on, it broke my heart that he bulldozed the East Wing.
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Jake Tapper asked Kristi Noem a > ?? about if the shooting in Minneapolis was righteous.***
IDK why they didn't open fire on those A-holes on Jan. 6th! They only killed 1; a woman & former marine who tried brk'n into a congressional area!
***Where is this narrative coming from?***
We're in a new age where it's permissible to say just about anything, regard< of facts! It starts @ the top w/ Trump! He tells us the economy is flourishing & inflation is down! We're supposed to believe it b/c he said it w/ conviction! The news is the same way! ...Thanks to AI, IDK what to believe! I saw something about Barron Trump having another mother's name on his birth certificate! It's presented as something real, but getting harder & harder to tell what's true or not!
***But inflation IS down w/ food prices on an avg. of about 2% & dropping. The economy's growing. We're actually entering a trade sur+. Don't take Trump's word, chk. it out for yourself.***
Seek help!
ReplyDelete***No pizzazz in Pittsburgh as they lose this MNF PO game to Houston 30-6. Steelers are done while the Texans move on to NE next Sun. Denver'll play Buff. Sat.***
No one thought they'd do anything! They're obviously the weakest team in the entire PO field; & not just the AFC! The other "also ran" teams all have something going for them; prolific offense or suffocating defense! Pittsburg has nothing but history, touting stability w/ coaches that last not just yrs., but decades!
***Dude, been like this since the twilight yrs. of Roethlisberger. I don't = get upset any>. My nephew goes into a canned rant about every game. It's like he puts a CD in his head to go on & on. After he's thru I say 'theres nothing you can do about it'.
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Aaron looked really sad.***
Yrs. ago I might've cared! Even though I was from Chgo., I'd apprec. Rodgers' ability from the day he was drafted! Favre was going to do him no favors, but over & above not helping the guy, Brett made it his mission to torture Aaron, his coach, & the Org. in those waning yrs.! ...After a few yrs. of starting, Rodgers started behaving the same way; missing OTA's, demanding > $$, etc.! He of course was > cerebral > that hillbilly from Miss., so "his act" made Nat'l news; esp. sharing a daily program on ESPN w/ Pat McAfee! He eventually became a caricature of himself! He faked a COVID immun., went to crowded Halloween party as "John Wick" w/o wearing a mask, then catches C-19 & missed 2 games! What an idiot!
***The commentators kept pt.'n out that Rodgers' too old to move on his feet, thus making him < effective as a QB.***
His footwork & speed set him apart from other QB's! He truly was the complete package when it came to the position! He was Mahomes B4 Mahomes! It had t/b all downhill after so many League MVP's!
***Tomlin steps down as Steelers' HC after 19 yrs. He had no losing seasons, but the team hasn't won a PO game in a decade.
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Tomlin was defense coaching. In '01, he transitioned to the NFL as the def. backs coach for the TB Bucs, where he remained until '05. In '06, Tomlin was hired as the def. coordinator for the Minn. Vikings, marking his only coordinator role B4 becoming a HC. He held this pos. for just 1 season B4 being named HC of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Jan.'07.
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I think the Bills will pull off a win over the Broncos today. They'll find a way to win somehow vs the #1 seed. Our Bills will play either the Texans or the Patriots in the AFC Chp. game. Then our Bills will play the 49ers in the Super Bowl. :)***
They'll have to do it w/ another 2nd 1/2 comeback down 10-20 to the Broncos! Today's players & coaches are such idiots! Anyone else would've just sat on that ball w/ 22 sec. left in the 1/2! I guess Allen was thinking, "if Mahomes can score on me w/ :13, I certainly can do something w/ a few > secs. on the clock!" He fumbles giving away a FG for free @ 1/2-X w/ :02!
***I didn’t know about Sean Peyton’s history @ New Orleans outside of winning a SB. But he w/b a guest on Colin Cowherd. And over those months I grew to dislike him b/c of his arrogance.***
New Orleans winning that SB was the only X I'd root for Peyton! I had an = > dislike of Manning! Sean's an arrogent jerk for sure! I've known him since he QB'd our "Spare Bears" back in '87 during a 3-4 game strike!
***Stroud still throwing behind receivers. Just blew out big guy's knee trying to reach back. UGH.***
ReplyDeleteI saw that! Inexcusable, but receivers are dropping balls laid right in there! Both @ fault!
***Now the D begins to "give up?" ...HOU looked t/b >er overall a lot of this game. But....UGH.***
All of the pressure has been put on this kid, Stroud! The coach is doing him no favors! Houston isn't running the ball enuf! Receiver drops isn't helping their cause! 2 Min. Wrn.; game over! NE moves on!
***That loss is 100% on Stroud.***
I think the coach didn't call a good game! Not enuf running of the ball & Houston receivers simply dropped some!
***Bills need a wide receiver.***
All teams need another receiver! The Chiefs still haven't recovered from losing Tyreek Hill!
***Bears got rookie Luther Burden (MO) on his way to a top receiver right now. Shows you can get them thru the draft too.
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Will LAR be able to pass the ball @ will (like they've done to everybody) in this game? Despite windy conditions in the Windy City?***
The Bears have held their own so far, but the coach is play calling like a drunk @ X's! The 4th down calls are as lame AF! So far the Rams are just up a TD late in the 3rd qtr.!
***Bears going in to tie it up right now?***
Nope! More cons. play calling that failed them! Running into the line so many X's was fruit<; has been all game! Still The Bears got the ball back w/ 2 Min. & a bad punt! Bears marching down the field! - 4th down yet again! OMG, Touchdown! Tie game!
***The backpeddling spinning scramble & still get "the Hail Mary" launched was the magic. Floating a ball 50 yds. to the End Zone is no big deal for any QB.
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Rams let a guy get behind rhem? ...& some push off. Rams turned to look for the ball perhaps too late.
That wasn’t a Hail Mary. He dropped that pass in a bucket.
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Bears got it back in OT on Caleb's interception. Chgo. had their chance; needing only a FG.***
Game over; 23-20! We do find ways to lose these home playoff games!
***Again, this was not a line drive between 2 DB. It was dropped in a bucket.***
It whb > memorable if he had completed the deal! Caleb had his chance!
***I think it's fair to say that Williams is a legit big game QB. He's made > imposs. 4th qtr. TD passes this yr. > most QBs make in a career. Just amazing.***
He's making up for us not drafting Mahomes! You never know how Bear Mngt. would've formed his career! Caleb the 1st QB to get over 4000 yds. passing! Even w/ Kramer, we didn't throw the ball around wildly!
***Didn't the new Pope say when he was chosen that a man from Chgo. was chosen Pope B4 a Chgo. QB threw for 4,000 yds. Well, that happened also.
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Luck ran out for the Bears, but they have had an incredible season by any measure. I thought McVay made some ??-able play calls in the final mins. B4 OT, like why did he run it on 3rd down w/ barely over 2 mins. left? You throw in that situation, as it was like 3rd & 7, & driving for the winning score. Instead they get nothing, punt, & the Bears score that crazy 4th down TD. I wonder if Johnson was considering going for 2 to win it? If he failed, he'd've had all off season to regret the decision. Also, was DJ Moore to blame for Caleb's pick? He was not running that route very well.***
Sinner being made to work by some American IDK; Spizzirri! He dropped the 1st set B4 RECOVERING! Gonna be HELL on court! Why not just close the roof? They're giving ext.'d brks. to make up for it! Somebody's gonna drop dead one day & we'll learn not to push it!
ReplyDeleteUpdate: Now they decide to close the rooves! It looks bad that they're doing it just in time to save Sinner who's limping around w/ bad calf!
***Yes, Spizzirri brought a lot to the match. Like Fiero, I'd never seen him play B4 either. - Spizzirri seems like one of the small stories of the AO so far. He's prob. too old t/b projected as a future star, but the guy can play & could rise into seeding territory @ the least.***
I didn't see a lot of the match, but I glanced @ a TikTok vid where Sinner was admonished by the umpire for some reason! Jannik didn't apprec. it, then Spizzirri intervened siding w/ his opp. asking the umpire to reconsider! Wow, now there's another layer to go along w/ that X-ly save w/ the roof being closed! Sinner was given a reprieve as any top player vs some scrub no one knows!
***Tien's toying w/ Bublik. The American's playing incredible @ the moment.***
Tien's no slouch, winning the Next Gen. ATP Final last Dec. after dropping the final to Fonseca the yr. B4! He's running down Med's best stuff & stealing pts. @ the moment! Daniil won't be able to perform magic to overcome this onslaught of winners!
***Agassi was gen. licked by the Pistol.***
Agassi was owned by Pete; = @ the end w/ those 2 USO defeats! The '01 QF & '02 Finals were classics = though 2 old men @ work! Compared to the Big 3, they were kids, but Sampras was burned out by 31+! Fedalovic kept it together closing in on 40 yo.; Djokovic taking 3 of 4 majors @ 36 in '23!
***I don't follow the WTA nearly as >, but I go thru spurts of trying to catch up. One thing I've noticed, though, is that there's > of a fall-off from the inner circle greats & everyone else, & then w/ everyone else there are > 1-4 Slam types > the ATP. Anyhow, after Serena (born in '81), the > accomp. players are Henin ('82), Clijsters ('83), & Sharapova ('87). Then you have a group of Ivanovic, Kerber, Azarenka, Kvitova, Wozniacki, Halep, Pliskova, Muguruza, Krejcikova, Barty, Osaka, Ostapenko, etc, born '87-97...>er > the ATP's "Lost" & "Next Gens.," but w/ no true >s. Sabalenka ('98), Swiatek ('01), & m/b Gauff ('04) & Andreeva ('07) seem to have the best potential since @ least Sharapova.***
I also don't follow the ladies that >! Turned by TCC only to see Mboko in the final of Adelaide! She obviously got by Keys the other day! I saw the begin'n of their match! I guess she's "for real!" I sorta recall her dissecting the seeded ladies up in Can. last yr.!
***...I love watching the AO: that when it's cold & dark here. I see the people in their summer clothes, sitting in the sun, & fanning themselves. It makes me feel warmer just to watch. A lit'l bit of Summer, in the dead of our Winter.***
Funny but back in the day, I had the opp. feel since we couldn't see the AO early on! I didn't get Cable until the 80's & we barely got > news out of it w/ so few top stars going "down under!" I always heard of the high winds & bugs! The few matches I did get to see w/ Martina & Chris, it didn't seem too oppresive, but that was back in Kooyong! A couple women's finals in the 90's & 2000's we started hearing about the heat so bad, the court was softening! Players were dropping like flies w/ injuries! Global warming is prob. making it worse!
***Well, yes, there is the global climate change problem, which is prob. why it's so infernally hot in Oz, & why we're having a nearly continent-wide storm here in the US, which is rare. But forgive me if I go w/ my own glass-1/2-full version of enjoying the AO.***
***Bill Belichick denied 1st ballot HOF entry. His history of cheating came back to bite him in the ass. I'm not surprised that he wasn't voted in.
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The media is paying him back for being such a dick.***
No doubt about it! He has too many strikes against him to make 1st Ballot! He'll make it eventually!
***Bad News for Tom Brady. Looks like he'll sit a yr. to teach him a lesson.***
How soon we forget "cellphone-gate!" There was this destroying of incriminating evidence subpoenaed by NFL officials investigating "deflate-gate!" He systematically destroyed sev. cell phones making it seem everyone takes a hammer to them every few months!
***At last chk., the best QB in the game is black.***
Their resp. coaches let them down w/ bad play calls! In NE, Houston got away from running the ball b/c of a few fumbles! They threw Stroud to the wolves! In Chgo., they went for too many 4th down plays w/ unimaginative designs just running into the line for the > part! Throwing that ball up in OT for an interc. can't be put on Caleb w/ the receiver just giving up on his pattern! The Bears @ least had a chance to win; Houston did not! NE got the TO's the Bears needed to beat LA who tried to give it away!
***Ah, so it's the coaches fault CJ has 7 TO's in the last 2 games. His 1st pass yesterday on a wide open receiver 5 yds. was a worm burner. All he had to do is Trent Dilfer the game & he'd've won & he couldn't = do that. Wms. hawked up 3 yesterday. And it's on the coaches?***
Bad play calling, then those unimaginative 4th down play calls! Should've taken the pts. early!
***"Analytics" breaking these coaches brains....- The Bills are screwed. They are trying to blame McDermott for their failings while ignoring all of their actual failings he has tried to warn them about. Now they've fired the guy to silence him, but when they enter next season w/ a new coach & the same old problems, you can kiss any hopes of the Bills getting to the Super Bowl anyX soon.***
The owner made a huge mistake having that press conference! It's not his forte & it showed as he looked like an absolute fool trying to "pass the buck" concerning the firing of their coach, McDermott! Who talks about their players crying over an injustice due to officiating? They're still whining about "the catch" that wasn't when ruled an interception!
***There were a # of very dubious calls by the refs that changed the outcome of the game. Had things been just a lit'l bit diff., the Bills would've WON that game, beaten the Broncos (who'll lose to the Pats anyway w/o Nix), & be in the AFC Conf. Chp. game this Sun., & they'd stand a good chance of beating the Patriots. Which means the Bills came w/i a shave of going to the SB. Yep, McDermott, what a bum. Better fire him now.
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I'm a Josh Allen, but I've no idea what he was trying to do @ the end of the Half running around the mid'l of the field giving up a fumble & handing the Broncos 3 pts. that was exactly what they lost by. McDermott owns a piece of that too. Take a knee & go to the locker room.***
IMO Josh has always been a lit'l care< w/ the football when running! He often holds it in 1 hand, lit. exposing it to a T/O every X he runs! When he loses it, IDK why we're surprised.
***My pt. is Allen shouldn't have been running around in the middle of the field w/ 16 secs. left in the half & no X-outs.***
Novak survives Musetti who had to WD w/ a groan injury up 2 sets to Luv! He makes another SF, though tainted w/ him being beaten down! Some think he lacks conditioning, but even the elites are brk'n down w/ crazy training sched.!
ReplyDelete***...It matters a lot @ nearly 39 for Novak. He'd have a very hard X vs Sinner after a grueling match. Now he comes in VERY rested w/ a walkover & mid-match walkover. The best he'd've hoped for.***
It's happened B4! OTTH, I do believe in '16 @ USO, a succession of players defaulted, retired, or WD allowing Novak a clear path to the final!
***That seems like a record that a Frenchman should own. ...Novak'd have a very hard X vs Sinner after a grueling match. Now he comes in VERY rested w/ a WO & mid-match WO saving energy. The best he could've hoped for.***
It's happened B4! OTTH, I do believe in '16 @ USO, a succession of players defaulted, retired, or WD allowing Novak a clear path to the final. I thought it might happen to Sinner down to Dmitrov last yr. @ Wimbl.! He was actually saved by an injury just like Novak! It happens!
***But aren't these two separate things? One could argue that Musetti retired too soon, & also argue that the match was far from over, could they not? In the case of Dimitrov, no one argued he retired too soon, b/c his injury was clear for all to see. So the discussion/argument was over whether Dimitrov would've won the match, no matter what happened, or if it was too soon t/b sure of that. That's a diff. argument, right?
Anyway, I haven't seen the 3rd set of that match, so can't judge how Musetti looked. But I wouldn't call it "hypocrisy" if someone argued that it was too soon to say that Dimitrov would've won that Wimbl. match, OTOH, & argued that Musetti quit too soon, on the other. Now, if that same person said that Musetti'd otherwise have won it, that w/b hyper-critical.***
I don't understand the conspiracy! WTF? Are the 'powers that be' making sure Novak has a "winning kick" or something? Too strange!
***No conspiracy. Pt. here is how severe the injury was. That is, if Musetti was weak or not. No relationship to Djokovic.
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I wasn't able to watch any of the match, but how did it go down? How did Novak do it? He upset #2 Sinner in 5 sets! Did he simply channel his 2011-23 self, or was Sinner struggling w/ something?***
Novak just looked sharp & played well! He actually was struggling physically early on & breathing hard! Some'd say, he took a magic pill that turned it all around for him! It only went 5 sets IMO b/c Sinner was playing just as well if not better! He just cracked under the relentless pressure of this old & ATG! I'd been up all day, got thru Carlo's match, then settled in for Novak's! After he lost the 3rd set, I passed out after being up over 24 hrs.! I woke up to find him victorious! Sinner was whacking the ball, hitting lines, & seemed well on his way to the win, but Djokovic surprised the entire tennis world w/ this comeback in 5 sets! I can only SMH over that idiot umpire calling a X violation near the end of the match! Sinner was out of there in a shot!
***Novak saved 16/18 BPs. He was playing w/ very low margins, all or nothing @ many of those BPs, & gen.'ly extremely agressive. It paid off @ the end like it did in OG Final. Sinner chd ?er @ X's too.
Novak's serve is best on the tour for a few yrs. now. He lit.'ly played w/ 2nd serve as it was his 1st, hitting around 180-190 km/h. He made like like 3-4 DFs the whole match. The level of accuracy & confidence needed to execute like that, it's crazy.
...Novak was just clutch his saving BPs he deserved to win. Jannik was just too passive @ X's; had enuf BPS to win a whole set of tennis ...Jannik hit 27 aces, 26 > winners, same amt. of ufe, won 12 > pts. & still lost? All Kudos to Novak.***
***No one really = on the horizon to threaten the monopoly of Alcaraz & Sinner. Djokovic @ least def. Jannik 1 last X B4 dropping AO final to Carlos.***
ReplyDeleteReally? Sascha came so close! If not for his inability to finish, he m/b the one to have helped facilitate Djokovic's 25th Major win! That's how Nadal won some of his Majors; an upset of Roger or Novak in the QF or SF! Nole dd himself proud &'s far from embarrassing himself as some numb-nuts out there think!
***Again for such a young player never seen his likes of degree of “completeness" in my lifeX. It's almost boring to watch.***
I know what you mean! He has the complete package, but I don't feel compelled to watch him play! His game's effortless, but for some reason he's still > vulnerable than Sinner! He'll suffer bad losses & you wonder why? It's kind of weird that for some reason I almost resent his talent & the flashes of brilliance! Hitting those dropshots on the old man w/ a smirk on his face makes me want to applaud his disappointments!
***See, that is an ex. of his completeness. Usually players who use the dropshot as a weapon a lot, it’s to compensate for lack of power or > for
“variety.” From the getgo Carlos caressed these dropshots from the baseline as an off. tool. It’s insane when he did this @ age 18 & he still does it regularly. Doesn’t always work, but the sheer audacity to have that in your toolbox….
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I’m struggling to find an area of weakness to exploit. Even Novak had tech. deficiencies, stamina, & overheads @ the start. I can’t think of an aspect of the game where Carlos isn’t top %tile. It’s going to take someone >er > Jannik to find it & that’s really scary.
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For starters, I'm curious about WTA players who're considered under-achievers &/or careers that fell off abrupty &/or didn't fulfill initial promise. I know some of the obvious ones - the unique case of Seles, of course, & Austin, who seemed like she might actually challenge "Evertilova" for a bit there B4 falling off. I think I read somewhere that Gabriel Sabatini--while having a > career--was initially > highly regarded > Graf.***
Well, IMO the >est female under-achiever has t/b Hana Mandlikova! She had > talent > ANY other woman; the female =valent of Nastase or Safin! She had every shot in the book, > court speed, could rip winners from anywhere on the court, & serve > players off the court when "in the zone!" Her problem was mental, just like many of today's top players who reach a major final or 3, get up to "MP" like an Azarenka, Zverev, or Tsitsipas, then find a way to let it get away from them! Hana was the only player who gave Martina "heartburn" during her lengthy run as #1! Like Wawrinka vs Novak, she didn't have many wins, but when she did it made a diff. in the history of the game! She stopped one of Navratilova's winning streaks @ 54 matches, upset her just 3 or 4 X's in Majors, & ext.'d her to 4 sets @ the VS's Chps. in '86 when the final was BO5! Hana allowed Evert to "own" her, though she had just a fraction the athleticism & skill!
***Amen to Hana. Saw her once live (Fed Cup) bagel Martina N. (when Martina @ peak), but in typical Hana fashion I think she lost the actual match. Incredibly fluid player w/ coiled power.
...I thought Evonne Goolagong'd've accomp. so > >. Lacked a bit of hunger or mental resolve IMO, b/c she moved beautifully & had the > aesthetically pleasing BH I’ve ever seen in a WTA player.***
ReplyDelete***I don’t really see Carlos going all Safin or JMac, but you never know. I do think, barring injury he’s going to beat Djokovic’s rec. & a lot earlier > people think, like age 32 or 33. Carlos' likely going to have 20+ B4 30. I don’t think that’s a crazy prediction given he has 7 @ age 22, & there's no real comp. aside from Sinner who I just don’t think will keep up when all is said & done.***
I keep bringing this up, but for some reason NO ONE seems to take it into consideration! The physical aspect has t/b put into the =tion when it comes to these recs. I think will live on long past the ones achieved by Borg, then Sampras! Fed knocked Pete off his pedestal in < 9 yrs. w/ his '09 Wimbl. win over Roddick! IIRC, that was #15 & he was off and running until he slowed down @ #17! It took him over 5 yrs. to gain those last 3 to make #20 & it took the absence of Djokovic in '17-18 to do that! It looked like Novak was done in '16 until he got over what was ailing him in '18; going on a run for the ages after turning 30! Covid almost derailed him, but he still won 3 of 4 majors twice as an old dude in '21 & '23! I just can't see this crop of players being able to hang on that long; esp. w/ the speed & physicality of the game today! I won't live to see it anyway, but = if I last to 100, I doubt anyone'll overtake Djokovic in any of his recs.; 8 YE #1's, 24 Majors, 40 Masters, 7 YEC's, or any other # that took 20+ yrs. to achieve!
***I like the gist of what you say here, but think you ignore a primary factor that made the Big 3 so >: their dedication & focus. I think court homogenization & other factors helped, but > anything, they were just so damn tenacious & wouldn't let go (and didn't lose interest).
But my pt. is that the # @ the top fluctuates. What people are remarking on, & = lamenting a bit, is that after Sincaraz (& Novak), it's a huge drop-off. There's no Andy, not = a Wawrinka or Del Potro. Zverev & Medvedev were sort of those guys, as was Thiem for a hot moment, but no real disruptors. And even guys like Ferrer, Tsonga, & Berdych would occasionally take out one of the Big Three in a Slam. Can we really imagine Ruud, Fritz, or Musetti doing the same of Sincaraz?
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It’s the opposite my old pal. When Federer was 30, that was considered old in tennis as well as > sports. Carlos' 16 yrs. younger > Djoker & about 22 yrs. younger > Fed. By the X he’s 30, it’s likely that tennis players won’t be considered past their prime until they are 35, & > & > elite athletes w/b playing into their 40’s as long as they stay healthy. Djokovic may hold onto some of his recs., but I’d be surprised if Carlos doesn’t beat the Big one & handily @ that.
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Djokovic looked old, slow, & inconsistent. He's still a top 7 player, but his skills have eroded.***
He's obviously still in the top 4 as he's made 5 str. SF's in Majors since last season, actually getting to his fave slam final @ the AO! He's barely trying & still hanging in there! Most players couldn't achieve what he's done this last season in their entire careers! His mediocrity is superior to 95% of all the men players on tour today! If he looked so fk'n old, how did he swipe the 1st set, unsettling the #1 player in the world B4 going down in 4? WTF's on the minds of people who say these things? "Now you're chasing Alcaraz & Sinner!" That's stupid AF as he owns all the recs. on the bks.; 24 Majors, 40 Masters, 7 YEC's, 8 YE #1's, & 428 wks. @ #1!
***Tennis' usually a "see the writing on the wall" kind of sport. Once a player stops winning slams, they don't really brk. back thru. I recall that happened to Lendl, Borg, McEnroe, Andre, & to Roger. He's making SF's all the X, but stopped winning Chps. You never say never, & it's fun to watch Novak still go, but he's on his way out. And as it stands, he's absolutely "chasing" the top 2 players in the game in order to win a last miracle slam.***
***Obviously the tour's super top-heavy right now, w/ an enormous gap btwn. Sincaraz & the rest, w/ only a decrepit Novak a serious threat to steal away a Slam. ...The top younger candidates--Draper, Rune, Shelton--all have issues that have prevented them thus far. Fonseca's prob. a yr. or 2 away, if & when he gets good enuf to really challenge.
ReplyDeleteBut...tennis' almost always dom. by a small handful of ATG's, so this isn't particularly new. There have been per. in which the "masses" broke thru the gates of dom. by the few, but there really hasn't been > a few yrs. @ a X when there wasn't a clear reign of >'s. From the begin'n of the OE, there have al> always been > players in their primes - overlapping over the yrs. From Laver/Rosewall to Sincaraz, & everyone btwn. Even during the late 90s to early 00s, Sampras & Agassi were winning Slams, & then '03 saw the baton passed to Fed & later, Nadal.
...Surprises always happen, but I think we're in a per. of @ least another 2 yrs. (thru '27) that any non-Sincaraz Slam title w/b a huge upset, or require very spec. circumstances. I wouldn't want to speculate about '28 until we see how young players like Fonseca develop over the next yr. or 2.***
I have to agree that overall the men's tour has always been top-heavy; the top 4 or 5, then all the rest! What made them vuln. in the past was court surface specialists & the diff. each event made it's own! Homogenizing the courts just made it easier for the past Big 3 of Fedalovic to dom. like no other trio in tennis history! We have some very good talent below you listed above in Draper, Rune, & Fonseca, then +ing Menšík, Shelton, then a few others, but they'll prob. never dominate; m/b just convert an upset here & there! Alcaraz is still vulnerable to upset, probably b/c he's over-talented & shows out to his detriment, exercising his need to make a highlight reel! How he loses to someone like Cam Norrie I'll never understand, but it still happens to this day! Sinner will have issues w/ his own health; so spindly, you just need to keep him on the court for a while! Conditioning can't make up for him being so wispily thin!
***Two incredible matches in AO SF. Very impressed by the mental strength of Alcaraz as always as well as the legend Djokovic. Jannik Sinner is my favorite so I'm a bit disappointed, but he was appalling on all those brk. pts. so what can you do?***
OMG, that was fk'n horrible! How does a top player drop 16 of 18 brk. pts.? All the stats were in Sinner's favor including 12 overall pts. > Djokovic! He had > winners, < UFE's, a >er serving %, etc.! It was absol. obscene that Jannik lost that match, but it's Karma balancing it out after what happened earlier in the wk.! He was saved by officials as he cramped up; closing the roof all of a sudden in that 3rd pivotal set giving him X! Jannik was also on his way home early @ Wimbl. w/ Dimitrov schooling him B4 WD w/ a serious shoulder injury! Talk about luck!
***As for Fonzie, I take seriously what Roger said, that "he's prob. going to take a bit of X to develop, like I did." And remember where Sinner was at in the yr. he was Fonzie's age ('21): still 2 yrs. from his 1st Big title, 3 yrs. from his 1st Slam. Similarly w/ Roger. As I said elsewhere, Fonzie's the same age as Roger in '02, Sinner in '22 - still a couple yrs. from everything coming together.***
Who's this phantom player, Fonseco? I never see him! We keep talking about him, but I haven't seen him on the court in ages! I lit. can't remember the last X I actually saw him playing a match! I don't watch as > as I once did, but he's about as missing as Tommy Haas way back when! I've seen > pics of Marat Safin in the last month or so!
***He went out in the R128 @ the AO. Didn't play a warm-up. You w/b seeing a lot > of him going forward, but he's still @ the stage where he's trying to get to QFs/SFs.***
***It still baffles me that a country like Sweden, which has a huge tennis tradition, has been sucking so bad in the rankings for this long. The >est ranking guy, Ymer has been around for ages & he's @ #159. Borg's son, who's 22 is in the 400's. Papa Borg had 6 Slams by 22. I know it isn't fair to compare but, this is the country of Edberg, Wilander, Borg, Bjorkman, Soderling, & = Enqvist who won like 20 titles or something. What happened?***
ReplyDeleteWhy baffled? The size of the country has lit'l to do w/ it; includ. a legacy of Swedish >ness w/ Borg, Wilander, Edberg, etc.! Serbia's a perfect ex. where 1 player's made all the diff., giving the country huge notoriety w/ 24 majors listed, but it's still done by only 1 person! The rest of the players just haven't made their mark, but got that 1 DC like Borg helped to get back in the day!
***Djokovic knew his limitations and used all his experience to defeat prime Sinner @ AO SF. Initially the match was dom. by Sinner. Djokovic understood the patterns of play & started serving well. Started X'ing his ground strokes. Took risks whenever required, esp. CC-FH. He didn't give angles to Sinner to exploit. Djokovic served really well today.
It was a clinical display of tennis. Despite disadvantage of age, he won w/ whatever he had vs a younger & a > player. He controlled the controllables well.
It isn't that Sinner played badly, he won EVERY single stat.'cal cat. in the match vs Djokovic:
->er 1st serve %: 75 to 70%
->er pts. won on 1st serve: 80 to 71%
->er pts. won on 2nd serve: 52 to 51%
-> aces: 26 to 12
- winners: 72 to 46
-= UFE's: 42
-> pts. won on ROS: 33 to 26%
-> total pts. won: 152 to 140
And still… NOVAK DJOKOVIC WON.
It’s not about winning > pts., it’s about winning the > important 1's.***
Nothing else *can be* said! It was all about Novak’s serve after all’s said & done! Sinner won this match except for the very last pt.! Djokovic saving those brk. pts. X & X again had to of worn down Sinner confidence! I see this effort from ND as an =valent to Navratilova’s last stand @ the USO in '91! She went up vs Graf in the SF! Navratilova played WTT & nothing else over the Summer! It was a struggle as she had to go 3 sets again & again vs players she barely had 1 loss! By the X the ex-Czech. got to the SF, she was flowing, hitting “over” her BH! She valiantly hung in there as an “old bag” & tamed the youngster to make her last USO final vs Seles! Same result; competed well in the 1st losing a TB, but was blown away in the 2nd set 1–6! The parallels are uncanny!
Djokovic did himself proud when “dirt” was being thrown on his early grave! He had survived Musetti who had to “retire” w/ an injury up 2 sets to “luv” after fortutously Menšík having to WD the previous Rd.! ND had t/b fresh! Sinner had lit'l reason to sweat this match as he had made short-shrift of him the last sev. match-ups! ...I didn’t think he'd top his OG win over Alcaraz, but approaching 39 & playing in oppress. conditions vs a youngster is hard to achieve anywhere, > < a major event! In the Olympics, ND had to know he had to go all out & punish the ball! Going into “lockdown” on RG clay wouldn’t be enuf except his early dismissal of Nadal in the 2nd Rd.!
***There has been discussion about how can Novak poss. be motivated to keep on knowing he can’t beat the Big 2. IMO, that if anything, this win over Sinner in 5 sets gives Djokovic = > reason to cont. as long as his body allows that. Crazy as it may seem to others, I think he actually enjoys this elder savvy player who can outfox > of the younger players, = if he never wins another GS.
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IMO, his best chance for GS 25th w/b either @ Wimbl. or USO this yr. where the courts are faster & there's < chance of him battling out long 4/5 hr. 5-set'r. TBF, however, he'd need to rely on another player causing an upset by elim. Sinner or Alcaraz in the early Rd., so he gets to play 1 of them only. I can't see him beating both players in a row.***
***...Trump's ham-fisted approach to the problem is to attack Venezuela. Even if it were the source of the drugs that plague the US, you don't cure addiction by cutting off a supply chain. ...Trump, & the Reps. have no interest in this, as signaled by their gutting of Medicaid, & basically offering no plan in this direction. RFK, Jr, now the head of Health & Human Services, & himself a former heroin addict, has no real approach to the addiction crisis in the US.***
ReplyDeleteAs bad as the Dems are & cont. t/b, what does that say about America to accept the tyrannical tactics of cons. Reps.? The lawlessness that's going on shouldn't be tolerated, but it's become the norm w/ lit'l resistance from people who know how bad things are, but can't be bothered to = complain about! The incompetence & frivality of serious issues & programs is jaw dropping! The ACA's still under attack w/ no replacement in the works! Reps. have wanted to elim. Obama-care from the beginning in '11! You ask Trump & Rep. Leadership about what happens if they successfully overturn the law & the answer never changes! "We don't have anything to replace it w/, but.....!" Fk'n idiots including the supporters of this clown!
***Kid Rock, like his idol, is cancelling some of his 7 of was it 8 tour dates. Supposedly b/c the other artists who are pulling out from the line up.***
Repercussions for being a MAGA-nut are finally coming to roost! Kid Rock is just the latest victim of his own choices w/ Nicki Minaj joining him as someone to "distance from!" I don't watch the news, but it has filtered thru that the tide has turned! Sanity is finally sweeping the country as the populous are overwhelmingly w/ the Dems, taking the bulk of special elections this past yr.! Blue is curative to some while Red is toxic! Many cons. are retiring to avoid the humiliation of losing! The embarrassment is real from top to bottom "on the right!"
***I hate Goodell.***
His problem becomes inevitable when in a job too long! He thinks he's GOD as he's paid 10's of Mil. of $$'s t/b the face of the NFL owners! The NFL is king, but I agree w/ Sir Charles that Goodell's become a real A-hole hogging the limelight! Football games now trying to dom. trad'l NBA featured match-ups on Xmas! They = had a playoff game on Mon. Night a few wks. ago! The NFL is something that's featured in sport's shows the entire yr. from the playoffs in Jan. thru the Draft in April, OTA's, pre-season, ending the season in Dec.! Only Pro tennis, golf, & soccer comes close to being a yr. long endeavor to watch!
***There's too > sports talk on TV. End<. Every day. Sports Comm'tors are going to push the envelope which is already pushed. When a player doesn't do well &/or loses, a rep. starts.***
Exactly! I've been watching sports' shows incessently b/c they do give > the facts, stats, trades, & $$! It has gotten increasingly > w/ personal perceptions & looking "btwn. the lines!" I go back to when I got > of my sports' news in quick headlines on CNN! Now we have shows that go on for 2 hrs. or >! They have to fill the air w/ something! It's unfortunate where things have gone in some instances!
***Deion dumped a bucket of water on media McCarver (from behind) in a post game clubhouse celebration microphone interview of Braves? Then the troublemaker Deion giggled as McCarver pointed him out lurking behind >er players as "you're a real man Deion etc." "McTalker" did not punch Deion, the punk on camera.***
I'm still shocked by that incident! It was so malicious, while people still think Sanders' charming! I couldn't get over him doing that not once, but twice! Carver kept his cool, almost congratulating Deion for being so petulant as he recovered from being douced w/ water on live TV!
***Lombardi won 2 of those trophies. Belichick won 6.***
ReplyDeleteThe prob. w/ Belichick in NE was the usual; "what have U done for me lately?" After owning the AFC East for so long, the Team & Owner thought it X for a change! Even the best Coaches get fired & in this case made t/b resp. for his past actions; hence no 1st Ballot! Shula's career = longer, but he was shown the door by Marino in Miami!
***I love this Rob Parker dude. He totally OWNS idiot Stephen A. Smith who rambles on that it's a travesty of justice Belicheat isn't in the HOF. He not only correctly says that Belicheat shouldn't be a 1st ballot HOF, but he says BRADY shouldn't be allowed in the HOF as well.***
Rob's from the old school @ ESPN where you had to watch your mouth or be suspended/ fired! Parker was too opinionated & honest for them so he isn't seen as > as way back in the 2000's! I miss him & the show, "The Sports Reporters!"
***I see why you miss that show THE SPORTS REPORTERS. That'd explain WHY he isn't a household name like Stephen A. & why I'd never heard of him B4. He didn't toe the line of the MSM & kiss ass as Smith does. The fact he'll bring up facts like these the MSM won't touch. The 1 thing I didn't like about him was his bias on Bonds. I bet if Bonds was White, he w/b throwing him "under the bus," same as he did Belicheat & Brady.***
I have a serious issue w/ commentators who get rather personal w/ their criticism! I still watch "PTI," but Bonds' name was brought up in all 3 segments of the show being over-hyped during that per. w/ steroids! Same w/ Skip Baseless & LeBron James! It was over the top "hate" & embarrassing to watch from a Sr. cit. journalist! The only thing comparable was Stephen A. & his relentless harranguing of Kwame Brown! I felt sorry for the kid when this fool went after him for yrs. for lit'l reason other > Jordan was embarrassed by his pick of him in the draft.
***Darnold's the same draft class as Mayfield, Allen, & Jackson. He's not = 30. ... I thought he was a few yrs. older.***
It just shows you that expectations mean nothing! All we hear & talk about are the same QB's; Allen, Jackson, Burrows, & of course Mahomes! The MVP's of late haven't = made a SB, > < win them! OTOH, Darnold has been villified for yrs.; prob. > so > Purdy of The 49'rs! These guys make SB's, now win 'em, & those same "Know-It-All" commentators will undermine their own "Mea Culpas!"
***Mahomes has won 3 SBs & been to like 5 of them hasn’t he? Purdy made the SB when the 49rs didn’t have to pay him & = Darnold's contract is a bargain given the current QB market. If your QB isn’t getting paid, you can afford to pay a bunch of other > players.***
In Figure Skating, USA won the GOLD medals in the Team Event over Japan's Silver! Italy salvaged the Bronze medal in the '26 Milan Olympics!
ReplyDelete***I haven't been able to watch any of the figure skating yet, but was thinking of you!***
I've been concerned Ilia being utilized too much! No way should he have had to perform both SP & LP to win the Team event! Is the rest of them that weak?
***He had the option of saying "no" to the USFSA's late request for him to skate the LP (...not a requirement), but he chose to put the team 1st & secure the Gold.***
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Shocking! Ilia blew it! He couldn't stay on his feet in the Free Skate! I was saying earlier that too > pressure & responsibility was being placed on those tiny shoulders! I thought he was overworked just by helping The US Team skating both the Short & Free Skates! It was just too > after +ing on the interviews, X photo ops, & the wt. of the World piling on! This was sorta like Nathan Chen back in '18 w/ a horr. Short, then won the Free Skate dropping to 5th overall! Luckily he came back strong in '22 to win OG! Malinin can do the same in 2030 to skate in the French Alps!
***Totally a mental pressure thing for Ilia. Heck, as a fan, I felt the pressure/nerves pretty unbearable myself. So many > athletes have had these moments. It’s the risk you take when you dream of OG all your life, & you arrive as the fave. I’m sure his parents, Team USA, & other skaters will also wrap him up in love & support. And life'll go on & Ilia'll! He must take some heart in knowing he secured Team USA OG w/ his Free Skate there.
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That was heartbrk'n. He sort of wilted. ITA it was too > pressure, too > spotlight. He was immed.'ly gracious though, embracing the guy from Kazakstan who won Gold, & speaking candidly w/ a Mike in his face just off the ice. Hopefully he gets his Gold in 4 yrs. He's an amazing skater, & so appealing.
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That's what pressure does to these individuals, in fact all 3 top skaters failed to perform their best last night. ...but Ilia & Kagiyama performed so bad they ended up 7th & 8th. Shaidorov of Kazahstan skated freely & had an amazing performance. I wonder if Ilia will come back stronger next OG. We'll have to wait & see. This is why I watch OG. So many emotions & stories. It's not about the $$, but just athletes competing vs each other.
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I have mixed feelings about the jumps Ilia performs b/c I wonder about the impact on the body. But they seem t/b coming naturally to him & I have tremendous respect for his incredible ability. ...The Olympics isn't the comp. where you want to have the skate he had. I sincerely hope that he can put the this behind him & that the jumps aren't taking too > of a toll on his body so that he can be back in 4 yrs.!***
I've always been concerned about that aspect of the sport! The governing bodies used to protect kids, but it's gotten progressively worse as athletes are getting younger & being allowed free reign to train & perform as they wish! I'm one who think it unnecess. to keep pushing these young, under-developed bodies! Why do we need to see 7 Quads? As > as I miss Russian skaters, it was obscene what they were doing w/ the girls alone; pushing them to prematurely perform like young women! They w/b in wheelchairs later! Replacement hips are being bought in bulk for the future of their athletes!
***Bring back some "lead pipe-to-the-knee violence" mob-style btwn. comps. That'll never be topped as far as drama.***
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, that's what got me back! I had stopped watching the Olympics when they allowed Pro skaters to return to the Olympics in '92! The Kerrigan/Harding Saga brought me back! It rejuvenated the sport so >, all 4 Networks were featuring Am. & Pro events all yr. long! I taped a lot of it from '94-2008! I became a huge Surya Bonaly fan & watched the injustice of it all! I was so glad she won the 2000 Goodwill Games! I barely watch these days w/ > Russian & Belarusian disallowed to compete for the > part due to Ukraine war! Ilia Malinin caught my interest; not just b/c of his being the Quad God, but I recall his mom! She out-skated Michelle Kwan in '01, but the crooked scoring was > prevalent B4 the new COR in '06! She was robbed of @ least a Bronze medal @ Worlds!
***Women's figure skating used t/b the > val. Gold Medal @ the Olympics. Now, Ice Dancing's the best thing to watch.***
Unfortunately I haven't had > interest in the Ladies' events after the banning of the Russians! I totally support their exclusion, but they were the power of Women's Singles for yrs., transitioning from Slutskaya & Butyrskaya! The Men ruled B4 that from Urmanov to Plushenko! I miss them; including their colorful coaches!
***Alysa Liu latest Bay Area OGM Chp.; Yamaguchi & Boitano. Prob. the last one as Oakland has become a Dem. shithole & way too many of the richest Californians that can afford what it takes to get where Alyssa got are fleeing the crime ridden shitholes & a giant tax on their wealth.***
I lived out there for over a decade! It just never mattered how > I made, California living just sucked it up! I have no regrets; still 1 of the > picturesque places in the country! And even w/ all their corruption, it's been like the 5th largest economy in the world! Unfort. I moved from 1 state of insolvency due to retirement/entitlement commitments to another; Chgo. IL! We've won some awards of "Fave Big City" in the country for the last 8 yrs., but it's gonna collapse 1 day! Hopefully I w/b long gone!
***CA's the > beautiful state in the US, hands down, but it'd likely drive me nuts to live there. I do wonder when American cities & states will start collapsing? Some are living on the edge of it.
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These girls, Valieva & Trusova'd've won these Olympics w/ their eyes closed.***
No doubt about it! The ladies' comp. hasn't been this weak in yrs.! Our US girls are ok, but shouldn't be anywhere near the top rung! Alysa retired & came back for Gawd-sake! What does that say about the level of comp. here & Int'ly w/o Russia pushing the limits of the sport? Japan's doing their part, but we need the Russians back! I really haven't been a serious viewer snce the days of Plushenko, but that was when the men's tour was weak! He was not about to lose to anyone for a good many yrs.! How he got Silver in Vancouver in '10 just proved how corrupt the sport c/b though! To repeat as OGM, he just needed to throw in a 2-Axel according to the scoring! Evgeny's landings were shaky @ best, someX's w/ a bounce! Even w/ his quad, it wasn't really enuf to overcome Evan Lysacek! End Rant, but could go on thru Hanyu & Chen!